Bounce Back and Level Up with Debbie Neal

Hey there. I'm so excited to announce the Unstoppable Success Summit is back, y'. All. We are going to be in Dallas April 19th and 20th, and I want to see you there. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights and make valuable connections and leave with actionable takeaways so you can implement all of these things into your career and level up your life and your business. I've got Ben Newman, Rachel Luna, John Gordon, Rudy Rickstein. I've got a panel of speakers that specialize on publishing, pr, branding, podcasting, and TED Talks. And so if you are ready to level up, if you're like, I've got a message to share and I really want to increase my influence, it's time to kick the limiting beliefs to the curb. It's time to move forward past your fear. It's time for you to invest in you to bet on yourself. So I want to see you in Dallas. It's my hometown and I'm gonna make it, y'. All. I'm planning some big stuff, okay? It's gonna be fun. My event planner keeps saying, amberly, you need to reel it in. I'm like, no. In. In Texas, we say go big or go home. So go to go.amberly lago.com that link will also be in the show notes to grab your early bird ticket. The early bird tickets will only last for a certain time and There are only 100, so these tickets will go fast. You're the first to know about it. I want to see in Dallas, so hopefully I will see you there to hug your neck and let's be unstoppable together. Okay, now on to the show. Thank you for tuning in to the True Grit and Grace podcast. I'm Amberly Lago and I'll be sharing inspirational stories of resilience and empowering ideas to elevate your business and your life, ignite your passion, and fuel your purpose. Hello. Thank you so much for tuning in to True Grit and Grace. This is Amberly Lago and I am here with my good friend Debbie Neal, and she is an incredible entrepreneur, a top leader in her industry, and I can't wait to talk to her about that. Also, she has a top 5% globally ranked podcast that I had the honor of being on. It's called Level up with Debbie Neal. And I have to say that I had more people reach out to me after that interview than any other podcast that I've ever done. She's a mama. She's got of twins, well, four kids. All together, a speaker. You speak all over the world, and she is going to tell us how to level up. And I love something that you said. And actually, it's even on your website, to be the top 1%, you have to be willing to do what the other 95%, 99% aren't. So, Debbie, thank you for being here. I am so, so honored to have you on the show. Thank you.

Well, the honor is all mine. I was so excited to have you as a guest on my show, and everybody just loved it. And your story, your story of perseverance and grace, grit and grace, really, it just brought so much value. And so it's. It's really, really an honor to be here. And I'm very excited. I'm so excited because I'm just such a believer in, like, you. You want to be around people that inspire you to be more. And the time that you and I had, you know, we've been through following each other on Instagram for a bit and messaged a few times, but just that interview that. That 45 minutes that we spent together, I hung up and I was like, I just. I just need more of that woman in my life.

Oh, I just love you. Well, it was really great to connect, and you really shared some things that were so inspiring with me about becoming a mom. But all that you have done, I mean, you left corporate and started out on your own. So I want to give everybody an idea of who you are because you have got some grit. I also want to talk to you about. I know you just sent your kids off to college, that I'm. I've got one more at home, and I am just. I think I might have to move in with my daughter when she goes off to school. That has to be so hard. Can you just give us a little bit of background about, first of all, becoming a mom? And I. It shows what an incredible mom that you are, because there are a lot of people out there that they are moms, but they want to level up their life and have successful businesses as well. And you seem to do it all, and I'm so inspired by all you do. So could you share a little bit about, like, just your story, how you became a mom and how you left. Decided to leave corporate.

Okay. So I'm going to squeeze in. Maybe I'm 51 years old, but I'm going to squeeze in 36 years of my life in about a minute.

Okay.

Just to kind of share that. But I am someone who. I've always had a great Work ethic. I had my first job at 13. Like, I just, I was an athlete. I competed competitively. I just, I always like to be the best and not comparing myself to somebody else, but the best version of me. And so that was kind of my life. And then I went off to college and one of the things that happened. Well, a couple of things that happened in college that brought me to this journey. One, I got an F freshman year. I don't know if we talked about that when we talked, but I got an F in A class and I got an F in A class because it was for attendance. I had super strict parents in high school, and I was one of those kids that went off to college and was like, somebody let, let an animal out of a, out of a gate. And so I was oversleeping. I was overeating. Yes. I'm not proud of this, but do you know how often we hear that your failures are bringing you to your purpose? Like, when we're in a valley, we don't know why we're in a valley. Like, I was not an F student. I am not an F student. But that F changed my life because when I was a junior, I was like, I've got to get rid of this F. I've got an F, and this is hanging over my head. And so I wanted to sign up for a course to get rid of the F. And so when I looked at the courses, I was like, oh, public speaking seems easy. I'm going to take public speaking. And so I took it. And then I had to give a speech at the end to like, I don't know, 20 or 30 people. It was very small. I don't really remember what the speech was, but I remember sitting down, looking at my sorority sister and saying, I am so pumped that I got an F freshman year. Because if I didn't get an F, I wouldn't be here today. And I don't know what I'm going to do in life, but I see a microphone and millions of people. Wow. Then I switched to a graduate with a double major, communications and business. And I know that one of the stories I shared with you when I was 21 years old, which is, which is a whole separate conversation, I went through a hard in life and I was told by a doctor that I would never be a mom. I'm sorry to tell you, you will never be a mom. You will, you will. And of course, be grateful I'm alive. Right? There's things that we go through when it's like okay, there's people that lost their lives. There's. There's people that are struggling, but that was my struggle at the moment. And the doctor said, this is your reality. And, and three days I was depressed. I was angry. I mean, I was only 21, and I, I wasn't really thinking yet of being a mom, but I had this deep knowing that I was just going to be a mom at some point. It just wasn't there. And then. I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Men in Black, but I love this movie. Like, had this thing. It's like, beep, beep. Like, you, like, like you, you didn't see any of the aliens. You didn't hear this. You kind of forgot. And I was like, you know what? I didn't hear what the doctor said. I didn't hear it. It's over. We're negating it. We're leaving it here in the hospital, and I'm going to go out and I'm going to live my life. And I know that I'm going to be a mom. So thank goodness for modern medicine. I am a mom of four.

So now, why did he tell you that you couldn't be a mom? And I understand that. I really do, because we were told by a doctor that my husband and I think we talked about this on your podcast, that I was told that my husband and I would not be able to have any children. And I mourned. I mean, I was depressed, too, because I wanted to have a baby with him so, so bad. And it happened. She's my, she's our little miracle baby. But why did the doctor tell you that you couldn't?

That's, that's a, that's a story probably for another time, but I, I, I went through something, and as a result of it, there was damage done to my body. And I was told that you can't be a mom. Oh, you can't be a mom. So where I lost faith. I was angry. Where was God? Why did this happen? Why me? I realized, you know, there's always a reason why me. And so I really believe that. I didn't see it at the time, but we're always being set up for our greatest comeback. And we go through things to find our purpose in this world. And one of my purposes was 1000% to be a mom. It's the greatest title. It's the greatest. You know, mama, like, that's. There's nothing better you can. And I almost feel bad saying that sometimes there's a lot of people out there saying, I wish that could be me and it's not my story. And I, and I truly understand that and, and sympathize with those people. But it was also part of my journey towards mindset. My mindset had to be bigger than my circumstances. My mindset had to be bigger than my, than my diagnosis. It had to be bigger than my situation or my obstacle. And over time, it, it proved to be.

How did you start to work on your, your mindset? I mean, I, I relate so much to everything you've shared. Because my first job, well, besides babysitting, I started doing that when I was 8 years old. But my first real job was I was 13, as was an athlete. And I feel like the athleticism and being a dancer helped me with my mindset. How did you start to work on your mindset and get that bigger thinking of the bigger picture kind of mindset? What did you start to do to change your mindset, to be positive and empowering?

And just like you just said, I think athletics for me played a big part in that. So, like, and that's why we always say, don't compare journeys. Because when I hit my hard, I had years of preparation, mind over matter before I hit my heart. Does that make sense? And so, like, I played tennis, for example. That was my sport. And I would, I would go out and I would, I would play sometimes eight hours a day and, and I would, you know, get a ball machine and just hit over and over and over again. And I would work on my weaknesses. And so I would do those things, not realizing it wasn't just preparing me to win in tennis, but it was preparing me to win in my mindset. So I, and then the work ethic too. I do believe that does play a big part. Like, I, I, I kind of always battle with, I want to, I want to provide so much for my children because I want, I want, I love living an abundant life. But then there's also that part of me saying, there's things you're going to work for. There's things. You know, my son is, he's 19 years old. He actually just left. He goes to college, he plays lacrosse, and he went for the weekend to visit his girlfriend in Virginia. And I so badly want to be like, do you want me to help you with that ticket? In fact, I did say that. And he's like, mom, I have got plenty of money. This is why I work. I'm paying for my ticket. And I thought, oh, good. Like, you should I can, but you should, because it just helps you. Like, so I had the work ethic, I had the mindset. And then through this, I was like. I was just. I actually at that point, didn't realize I was working on my mindset. I'm like, I'm actually just going to forget this conversation happened. I'm going to wipe it from my mind. I'm going to go out and live my life. And at some point, when the time is right, I'm just going to, you know, does that make sense? I'm going to wash it clean, and I'm going to do whatever it takes. And if it's God's will, I will be a mom. And if it's not God's will, but I'm going to leave it in his hands. I'm not leaving it in the diet. I'm not leaving it. In the words of a doctor. I am not. Because if we believe it, we bring it to reality. If. If.

I think that's so important. Yeah. That you have to be your own advocate. I believe in God, too, and I always believe that God has a plan. And I also believe that God doesn't waste pain and there's always a reason for everything. And so how old were you when you had your first?

So I. Brooke is turning 25. I'm 51. So I'm. What is that, 26 years old? Maybe I was young.

Yeah.

So it took me three years to have her. Three years. But again, in the big picture, I was a baby. People today are having babies later in life.

One of my really good friends is she's almost 40, and she's. They're just now trying for their first, so.

Right.

I think nowadays more than ever, people are having children later in life.

You're 26. Almost seems like people just don't like. My daughter's 25. I can't imagine her being a mom at 26. Not because she's not mature and amazing. It's just we're living in a different world. So what seemed like an eternity when I was 20, starting it, you know, starting to try to be a mom at 23, 26 seemed endless. But what I can tell you, why it took me three years. Part of it was my mindset. I thought I was working on it, but every month I'd be like, I know it's not this month. I know it's not this month. I know it's not this month. I know it's not. I don't want to disappoint myself. So we focus what we. We put our focus, our energy goes right. So I was like doing that to really protect myself. I was not surrendering. I was not thinking, I was not expecting or surrendering. I was living in a victim mindset, not realizing I was living in a victim mindset. Wow.

Well, how did you shift out of the victim mindset and mentality to being

the victor of your well for that particular situation? Just knowing, like a deep knowing that it's actually happening. I started. I started picking out names, I started closing my eyes and actually visualizing, but embodying what would it feel like when I saw the pregnancy turn positive? Because we can affirm all we want, we can speak, we could set goals. But until we actually feel, feel it. Because it's the feelings that we admit out into the universe, and that's what attracts things into our life. So I just kept allowing myself to feel it. And for three years, I didn't allow myself to feel it. I was going through the motions. But I was also trying to control. I'm very type A. So I was trying to control the situation, control my feelings, control my emotions, control my fear. And all of that controlling was really manipulating. It wasn't my truth. So when you kind of surrender and be like, it's just a deep knowing. It's just a question of when.

Yeah, a deep knowing and then taking action. And how long have you been in the wellness industry, the health and wellness. And I'm just curious because you are. Are you the very top of your. Of the company?

I am. There are. I am in the top. I'm the 1% of the 1%. So you can grow to the top of my company. I am a top income earner with Arbonne. It's a health and wellness company. And I usually keep level up with Debbie Neal and that just totally separate. For whatever reasons, I'm the same person. I'm involved in both. But this is your podcast, not mine, so I don't typically mention it on mine to make sure that, I don't know, I just keep things separate.

But I would love to get your input on this. So a lot of people hear network marketing mlm and they're like, oh, it's a scheme, it's a pyramid, it's a cult, it's a whatever you want to say. It's got like a. And I even had an agent one time and another friend who is also a motivational speaker say, oh, no, no, no, Amberly, don't you get involved with network marketing. Don't you do it. And I'm like, an agent was like, don't ever post anything about network marketing. And I'm like, whoa, wow. What? Why do you think the bad rap.

Oh, I love this question. Honestly, I think the bad rap is from not understanding the industry. And so let me just give you the industry in the, in the, in the simplest terms. So let's say you're going today and you're buying your skin care or, or your nutrition or your, your cosmetics at Ulta or CVS or GNC or any retail establishment. Okay. Those products are going from the manufacturer, the distributor, the wholesale, the warehouse, the advertising. And then you're going into the retail store and you're purchasing the product. Okay. You're going into a brick and mortar business or maybe you're ordering from their online. And that's fine. What network marketing is, it's simply, it's. It's just a different distribution channel. Okay. So the products that I sell are manufactured and produced in Irvine, California. They are shipped direct to the end consumer via the Internet. There's no retail establishment. There's no middlemen. And so a company like mine and so many others are able to take the money that will give to those middlemen and put it into science and development and technology. So I believe to the core of my being that when I'm selling to customers, I view it as servicing. They're getting the best of the best for a great price. Now, our products are not cheap because they're not cheap, but we're taking out the middlemen. Like it's, it's simply a way of selling products that we can serve a customer base better. And then someone like me, I was like, well, I can sell products and I can make money. Of course, now people say I can't sell as well. We sell every day. Okay, if I loved your podcast, I told everybody I know they got to listen to it. I'm selling you. I'm selling you because I enjoyed you and I believe in you. We go to a great restaurant, I'm going to tell my friends to go there. This was the best. You have to go. And then. So I'm selling every day. But then the building piece of it is like, wait a minute, let me think of what brings me joy. Building people. I'm a people builder. It's what I do for a living. I want to get in the hearts and souls of as many people as I get and help them reach their God given potential. So if the products are great and I believe in the philosophy and then I could use it as a vehicle to live out my passion and purpose. This is genius. And so I think that people that don't. A lot of times, if they say, is it one of those things? I'm like, I don't know. Tell me what are one of those things?

That's good.

You tell me. If they say, is it? Is it what? Like, you tell me what you think it is. Maybe it is. Let me hear it. But a lot of times it just comes from not understanding. So what if I go and I get a regular job and I work for somebody else and I start at the bottom and I put on clothes and I commute and I answer to somebody else and they tell me what I'm worth, and they tell me when I can have off, and they tell me when I can have a raise, and they tell me what I'm going to believe. That is not a scam to me. They've lost their damn minds. If they want to do that for a living, I don't get it, but I'll respect it.

Well, how long have you been. How long have you been doing this? And. And I love that you're such an incredible leader. And I've got questions about leadership as

well, but how many years? 17 years. 17 years.

And how many people are on your team? How many Thousands? That is.

You know, when I was introduced, one of the things we have to say legally, and I love to be very legal, is my results are not typical. They're not typical, but I'm not here to be typical. I'm here to coach and train on what's possible. That's why I was put on this earth. So my results are not typical. I grew to the top of my business in six months. You. But I did. Yes, I did. I believed I was selling. I was like, I discovered oxygen. I need to tell everybody. And we're living in this world today that people are so caught up in what other people think. Like, when I share this with people. If you remember, you and I had a phone call years back.

Yeah, it was years ago.

Eight, maybe eight, nine years ago. I reached out to you. We set up a time. I talked to you about Arbonne. Yeah, it's. And it's one of those things that I didn't get upset because maybe some people could perceive that conversation as rejection. I viewed it as, I think this woman's amazing. She has a great following. She's really into health. Maybe this is something that could or could not, you know, be a fit for her. And if it's not. That's okay. Like, you know, there's a thing when somebody walks into the bar, you could be the needy girl in the bar or the woman who walks in, and you're like, the world is mine. And it's not coming from arrogance. It's just coming from that love. Does that make sense?

Yeah. And I think that when you love something. For me, when I love something, I don't even feel like I'm selling it. I'm just sharing how awesome it is. And, you know, I. I use products, and I never, ever would have imagined that I would be in a network marketing. Like, I use plexus. And I got into it because of their gut health supplements, and it really was life changing. And so I thought, well, maybe this is just me. Maybe these results are just. How crazy is that? That I would think, well, maybe this just works for me. I had to wait and, like, test it out for, like, six months before I even started sharing it. And then people ask me, oh, my gosh, what do you do to have all this energy and to feel better and for inflammation? And I just started selling it, and I realized I was being selfish not to share it when the first person I shared it with called me in tears and said, oh, my gosh, this is giving me my life back. And I was like, I need to shout this off the rooftops, but I love your energy and how, like, passionate you are about sharing. I want to talk about you and the incredible leader that you are, because that is definitely a mindset, a skill set, and you are an incredible leader, and you bring people together and you speak. I've seen pictures of you speaking in front of thousands. Like, you're in an arena. What is the large. Well, first of all, what's the largest crowd you've ever spoke to?

18,000.

18,000. Oh, my gosh. What was that like?

Amazing. Amazing. It's one of those things that you just. You stand backstage and you just know. You just. First of all, I always pray, like, how can I just go out there and serve? And. And then you walk out. And I know you've spoken to large crowds as well. It's almost like my body and my mind just go into a completely different realm of energy. And I'm like, I'm just here to. To bring it, and the more people for me, the better. I just. That's my comfort zone. That's my. My passion. And I. I just. Every single time. It's an honor. Like, it's a true honor.

Yeah. And. And you can feel. I remember the first time I spoke in front of thousands. I had never done that. It was the first big, first time I'd ever spoken on a stage like that. And I was taken back by the energy like you feel. It's like I became one with the audience and it just. You feel that energy. But I cannot imagine eight. Well, yeah, I'm going to say I can't imagine 18,000. That is going to be someday. Someday. But as far as leadership, how did you become the incredible leader that you are today? Can you give us some tips on how we can lead our teams better? Whether that is a team that we have, that's a smaller team, or you like you have thousands of people that you lead. What are some tips, tricks, tools that you can share on how to become a better leader?

Well, first of all, when you leadership is you're in the position to serve others, to have influence over others. And leadership is a journey. It's not a position, it's a journey. And so a couple of tips I'd give around Leadership is number one, to realize that you are a work in progress. And the key is to always be evolving and always be changing and always be expanding into your space. A second huge thing is you want to actually we talk about manifesting and we talk about affirming. Have you ever actually written down exactly what you're looking for in a business partner when you think about leadership? Exactly the people that you want to do life and do business with. And so write out those attributes. So like when I think of something as like somebody who's committed, somebody who's goal oriented, somebody who takes ownership, somebody who's positive, somebody who lights up the room when they walk in, somebody who raises the bar, somebody who lives in a state of excellence. So you make that list and then you look at the list and say, it's time to have a reality check. How many of these things do I actually embody? Like, what do I embody on this list? Because so often we're looking for this person that's going to change our life or change our business, but we don't attract what we want. We attract what we're being. We attract what we're being. So one of the ultimate goals in leadership is to actually become what you want to attract. And that might mean you're walking alone. It might mean that you're raising bars and pushing limits for a while before you attract those people. A lot of people think, well, when I have a team, of course I'll do this. When I Have a team. Of course I'll do that. It's. You need to be that person today. Be the first to show up, show up big, expand in your space, and kind of. You know that another thing is to always lead from the front. Leadership is in any business you're in, it's not a do as I once did business. It's a do as I'm currently doing. That's how you say relevant. It's how you say relatable. Another thing is building relationships. People will never care how much you know till they know how much you care. And that's why leadership really is a people business. It's. It's. It's genuinely connecting. Even when I share what I do, it's. It's not like, oh, somebody doesn't want to do this business with me. Okay, you're done. I want to build a relationship with you regardless. Now I'm even more excited to know you're in the. In the same space and industry as me. Like, it's. I don't compete. I collaborate. And so you just. You're building relationships. And when you just focus on building relationships and building people, then I just feel like the abundance and the success is inevitable. But again, people are like, I need this or I need that. And they also get really caught up in what other people think.

Oh, I think so.

In 17 years, Amberly, if I had a dollar for everybody that gave me their opinion, I'd be really, really, really wealthy. You can't pay your bills with other people's opinions. You can't. And I've also learned in 17 years what other people think of me is. Is not my business. And I've also learned in 17 years that nobody that has ever said no to me or had an opinion sat me down and said, you know what, Deb? I have something to offer you that's better. Nobody's come to the table with an offer, but people are very quick to come with opinions.

Oh, yeah. And, you know, I. I've had people that have asked me, well, what do you.

What do you take?

What. What are. What are your. You know, your health routine? What is that you're drinking? What. Can you share your supplements? And I'm like, yeah, I'm an open book. And I tell them what it is, and as soon as they find out, like, I give them the link to get it. They're. It's. I don't ever hear from them again. They're scared. And I'm like, wow, that's crazy. I mean, that's. A just a small percentage of people. Other people try it and love it, but yeah, there's a lot of people with opinions. But I'm so inspired by you and what you have built and what you have used this as a way to really dive into your purpose, which is building people, being a leader, being on stages, speaking in front of thousands. And, and I feel like I'm still so new at this whole kind of, you know, network marketing kind of stuff. I really am. And I just figuring out the back end, back office is kind of hard. You know what I mean? It's hard. And so I'm just curious, how often are you meeting with your team, do have like weekly calls or anything like that?

What do you do often? Yeah, twice a week. But again, I.

A week.

I have so many leaders in my business that are at the top level that they kind of do their thing,

they're leading their teams, and then they can come to you or anybody can come to you for advice on that.

I mean, that's the goal. You know, people can do a business like this and they, they either want to create followers or they want to create leaders. And creating leaders is really the greatest gift in this business. And one of the, one of the best things that you could bring to the table as a leader is you know when to step into the spotlight and when to step out of the spotlight and let your leader shine. And when you really understand Amberly the. You already inspire thousands and thousands of people with your story and your, your ability to overcome and your grit and your grace and your mindset and the way you've, you know, took a diagnosis and a prognosis and changed that pain into your power. You're already doing this business. It's just figuring out how to bring your two worlds together. You've got the platform, you've got the mindset. Like, you've already got it. I didn't start my business with those things. I started my business in overalls and a pair of kids thinking, who's going to take me seriously? I'm a stay at home mom. I walked away from corporate America five years before I started my business. And I was one of those women that thought, I'm never going to quit my corporate job. Why would these women become a stay at home mom now? I was not a mom at the time. I teach we don't judge. The number one thing in personal development is you don't judge. I was judgy. I was standing on my soapbox. I'm always going to, you know, I Need that fire. I need that ambition. Long story short, I had Brooke and I didn't have choices. Network marketing builds choices. I didn't have choices. So I had to go back to work. My household ran on two incomes and so I walked away when I was pregnant with, with Tyler, my second child. And I was able to walk away on paper, but not in reality. Like I was earning a six figure income. I'm like, I need to make at least $50,000 so we could make ends meet. I started babysitting seven kids under the age of five. I was a mom of four. And then I just started journaling what I want my life to look like. I want to travel. I want to live out loud. I want to help other people become their best. I want to, I want a merit based business. I live in the United States of America. I don't want to handout. We're living in a handout world right now. That's another soapbox that I could get on and I could travel the world on that soapbox box. Like, I want something that I'm not afraid to work hard. I want to help other people dream. I made this list and then somebody came and they were like, so have you ever heard of this? And I was like, in my mind I was thinking, this little woman sells hand cream and lipstick. If you could get out of my personal space, that would be awesome. I didn't say it out loud, but I said it to myself. And she leaned in and she leaned in and she leaned in. And so many people today like, oh, I spoke to somebody. They were closed minded. Were they afraid to be bold? If this person wasn't bold, they wouldn't be a Debbie Neal in this industry today. This person was bold. And so that lesson for me is I'm not afraid to hear the word no. What I am afraid of is somebody looking at me saying, why don't you really have the guts to tell me how big this was? Because it could have been the difference for me and my family. And most people in this space mention it because they're, they're afraid of what other people are going to say. You will never find a top person in our industry or an entrepreneur judging anybody for starting this business. But you will find people that are scared to make a change in their life or maybe they don't love where they are in their life, so they're projecting their own nonsense into other people's lives.

Well, think of how many lives you have changed. All the leaders that you have created, all the opportunities you have given to others by being you and sharing what you love. And I. I just. You're incredible. You have. You are changing lives. So many lives. And I just. I. I appreciate you also being so honest about what you kind of thought when you were first approached and. And how the industry is. Okay, I'm. I could ask you a million questions,

but I know one more thing. One of the reasons why I don't mention the company that I'm with on my podcast is because you don't need to do network marketing to listen to my podcast. I have a lot of people that do other things.

Yeah.

But for the people that do, I want it to be a safe space knowing no matter what company you're with, we can learn and not be subliminally persuaded. Does that make sense?

Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that. Because I. I had. Gosh, I had somebody on the podcast a couple of years. It's been years ago, and they would not say what network marketing company there will. I'm like. And that's before I was into network marketing. So I. I was like, what's the big secret? Why can't you tell me what's going on? But I get it now. You know what I mean? I. I get it now. There are so many people out there that are huge motivational speakers or they have these huge platforms and they don't say it, but they started. They got their start in network marketing. I know there are so many people that have huge podcasts. They got their start in network marketing, and that was their vehicle, which took them to where they are now with their speaking with. And I know a lot of people that have become really good speakers because they've had so much practice speaking in with their company. So I love that anybody can listen to your podcast and learn. They don't have to be with the same network marketing company that you're with. They can be with anything, or they can just be in sales, or they can just want to be a better leader or want to, you know, level up their life. So thank you for that. And. And you're. Yeah. Your. Your podcast. Oh, my gosh, Debbie. I had so many people reach out to me after my interview on your show. I was blown away. I've been on some pretty big podcast, not like yours. You have, like, a loyal, loyal listeners. I mean, so thank you. Y' all gotta head over and listen to her podcast. And I will have the link to your show in the show notes. So I wanted to ask you, being a mom, having this successful business, do you Believe in work, life, balance. How do you do it all without getting burnout?

There's times I've burnt out, right? But I always think, sometimes what's the alternative? Being burnt out working for somebody else or burnt out working for myself? So that's the thing, that, that's always going to exist. Everything in life is an exchange. So when I first started my business, my why was to be able to pay for my kids college education. And so I knew four kids college education, even with merit, was going to cost me about a million dollars. I knew that and babysitting kids was not going to cut it. That just was not going to cut it. So every single time I got tired or felt tired, I would look at that and say, what are you willing to do for a million dollars? Because you're going to have to persevere and you're going to have to make some choices. And, and so my children were always in on it. Like, my daughter's now a vice president. She's 25 years old, she's a vice president. My business, she started her business at 19 years old from a dorm room. She's now doing things that got at 25 years old, that wasn't even in my realm of imagination. But they watch, they learn. And so my definition of balance, you know, a lot of times what I say to people when they're looking at this business, like, I have a really busy life. And I'm very candid. I go, you know what, Will this be one more thing in your early busy life? Yes. Will it be one more thing to make you out of balance? Yes. But here's a question only you can answer. Are you willing to be out of balance to create balance for the rest of your life? And my life is in no way Zen. Like, I'm always in a million places. I have four kids, I have two homes. I'm, I'm always doing that type of thing. But my definition of balance is I could be anywhere I want, anytime I want, when it matters. That's my definition of balance. And sometimes that's mom. My, my son Ryan, he had his wisdom teeth taken up beginning of August. He calls me up three days ago. My teeth are hurting. I'm like, well, buddy, let's give it a few days. He goes, actually, it's been hurting for six weeks, but I didn't want to tell you. I was like, okay, I'm picking you up from school today. I'm taking you to the surgeon. Tomorrow you'll go back to school. You have a flight. I'LL take you, I'll pick you up from the airport. So it was like it couldn't be more out of balance, but it's balanced to me because I was able to do any single thing I want to because I've had the flexibility. So having kids, to me, I'd rather be like, mom's doing this or mom's going here and enroll them in it. Verse saying, I really would have loved to pay for your college, but you need to take student loans because I didn't want to miss one night of reading to you before you went to bed.

That is powerful. Really focusing on your why I love what you shared today because you really visualize things and then you also write it out and you feel it and believe it and then you work hard for it. And so everything that you shared, this is possible. But you have to be willing to do the work. You have to be willing to get gritty and boy, do you have some grit. And when I look at your Instagram page, you know, when I see your post, I. I can just tell you are such an incredible mom. Just all that you share with, like taking your kids to their dorm room, birthday celebrations and, and all of it. And, and I think that our kids, they watch what we're doing. We can say all we want, but they learn from our actions. And there are times when it's really hard. Like, I've been traveling every single week. This is the first, like last couple of weeks of the first time that I've been in town for a good chunk of time, like two weeks, and I'm getting ready to travel again. It's sometimes hard to be away from the family, but I always think about, well, because I do these things, I get to pay for my daughter's college. I get to pay for my daughter's horse and her horseback riding, you know, and so I, I love that. What, What. We all have our own idea of what balance is to us, and so you're incredible. Before we go, what is your definition of resilience?

Well, the. My definition of resilience is getting back up. You know, we're going to spend time in Valleys. You're not going to, you're not going to create anything worthwhile in life. On a straight elevator to the top, you're going to fall, you're going to hit obstacles, you're going to spend time in Valleys. There's been times, many times I've gotten on my knees even building this business and saying, really? Like, why me? And with every time we're Going to hit a fork in the road and we have an opportunity to build resentment or build resilience. And you better believe I'm going to build resilience. And I'm not just going to get back up, I'm going to get back up stronger. So to me, that's resilience is you're not just getting back up, but you're getting back up stronger. I will come out of anything. The next version of myself.

Oh, mic drop right there. Like if I had a mic to an extra one to drop. Oh my gosh, that was powerful. And then one other thing. Thank you for saying earlier that you have been burned out before because a lot of people don't want to admit that. I can tell you right now, I've been burnt, totally burned out before and felt like giving up. There's been times where I'm like, I just don't know if I can keep going. This is crazy. But I keep going. I build that resilience. What did you do when you were feeling burned out? What did you do to get through that?

Bring myself back to a place of joy and love. You know, there's fear can exist where there's faith and scarcity can't exist when there's love. And frustration can't exist when there's love. There's never, there's just a lack of love when you're feeling those things. And so I always bring my myself back to my wife. If you don't know your why, you're going to lose your way. And most people don't know their why. They give things a whirl. They give it a try. I'm going to give this six months. If you're going to give anything six months, you might as well quit. You might as well quit. You might as well just walk out because you're leaving a crack in that door and your butt will get through it any single time. There could be back door. And you just have to know your why. When you know your why, it's like everything else, it's all going to be good. I'm on my, I'm on my way. But those moments are going to happen. And we're kind of living in this anti hustle culture we're kind of living in. You don't need to work, you just need to think about it and everything's going to fall in your lap and you could just have a beautiful Instagram page and you're, and I'm sorry to be the burden of bad news, it is not true. Go Ahead and go ahead and try and hard work is. Is sexy. When did hard work not become sexy? Like, it's fun when you love what you do, you're never going to work another day in your life. And so you.

I have to say, though, that saying when I do love what I do, and it makes me want to work all day, every day. Like, I love it. I have to. I have to, because I have my home office. I have to set limits and make myself leave my office. And even the dog, when the dog is looking for me, comes to my office. You know what I mean? My dog will come.

I know. I have a golden doodle. You'd think I birthed them.

Yes.

My little dog just.

And she gets really mad at me when I leave town. She'll go on a hunger strike. She never uses the bathroom in the house until I leave town. And she gets mad and she will come. Like, we have to shut my office door because she'll come use pee right on the entryway in my office. So, yeah, I love what I do and I love working so much. But, yeah, that I. That's why it's grit and grace. Because I definitely. I love to work hard, and I could just do it and over and over and over, but I have had to learn to give myself grace. And when you talked about finding your place of joy and love, that's where the grace part comes in for me, too. So I think getting outside, spending time with family, doing the things that you love, and I think that sparks creativity

to percent you do. In fact, the minute you feel out of alignment, go do something you love. Maybe it's watching a movie. I'm not a big television person. Go watch me. Go take a walk. Go get grounded. Go listen to a meditation. Go do something that shifts your energy to joy.

Yeah.

Because you can, in an instant shift your energy to joy. And especially in today's world, where it's so easy to see negativity and feel negativity and feel division and feel lack. I mean, you just scroll through Instagram and look, we're on Instagram. It's important to be on Instagram. But I'm very mindful. I'm very mindful of what I take in and what I. What I don't take in. That's really important.

Oh, yeah. Because I mean, and I always say, like, if you are scrolling through Instagram and there's something that doesn't, like, inspire you or get you into, you know, comparing yourself or just doesn't make you feel good, then sometimes you gotta nothing against that person, not that they're doing something or wrong. It just affects you that way. Sometimes you gotta just bless them and block them like that. Don't need to see that anymore, you know? Well, where can share with us where people can find you, how they can listen to your amazing podcast. I know that my audience is just gonna love learning from you and learning your leadership skills, your sales skills, your people skills, and how to level up their life. Debbie, you are amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. And just so kind too. I just, I have to say, like, the years that I've known you, I love that you were, like, not giving up on us, building a relationship, and now here we are. So I can't wait till I get to see you in person someday soon. But tell people the best way to find your Instagram, your podcast, your website.

So the. My website is debiniel.com.

yeah, I was gonna say that because I looked at your website.

It's beautiful. My. My, My. My Instagram is Debbie Underscore Neil. And then from there you could click on my Level Up. I'll tell you right now, there's about eight accounts imitating my Level up with Debbie Neal. So I don't even want to say it out loud and risk you going to the wrong one, because then they're asking people for crypto. It's very upsetting.

It's crazy.

And have you reported. I report them, Amberly, and you know what? They write me back. They have not violated the community guidelines. They're pretending to be me and asking people for money. I'm just wondering what the community guidelines are, so.

Oh, my gosh. Well, Debbie, my Facebook just got hacked, and so my whole business account that was a verified account got hacked. And they're selling stuff. They're selling beauty products and stuff, and it has been so frustrating. I've also had accounts that have tried that. I look and people are like, is this you, Amberly? And I'm like, no, but their graphics look better than mine. Maybe I should hire that person to do some graphics for me. It's crazy how people can try to impersonate your account. It's just crazy. But how long have you had your level up account?

I've had my level up account for about two years. I've had my other one for.

You know, we had that account for two years, and you have thousands of views on your reels. I mean, it's incredible.

Thanks. Thanks. And it's funny because I. You have. You have hundreds of thousands of followers, so you have A huge following, which is one of my goals. And not because the number represents, like, it's not even about the status. Like, wow, that's how many people just are attracted to my positivity and my leadership. And the more people that we enroll, like, especially in my level up family, it's like, then that we're just impacting more lives together. So that number reflects impact. So you should be really, really proud of that number. But I, on my personal account, they could go to my level up, but people should know that I will never message them and ask them for money. I will never message. And I feel so blessed because people say, I got a message. I know this is not you. I got a message. I know this is not you. And I feel so blessed because even the people that don't personally know me, they. They know me. They know that they would never have me use my influence to get something.

Yeah.

From anybody.

Yeah. It's simply to serve well that you do so well, beautifully. I mean, and what you have built is so inspiring. Oh, so inspiring. And yeah, we could do a whole other podcast just about social media and influence. And. And I have to say, when I started my Instagram account years ago, it was a little bit easier to build than it is now. I feel like it's. There's so much information out there. I'm. I.

It.

Well, every level you get, it might be a little bit different. New levels, new devils. You know what I mean? And so I've kind of been stuck at that. Well, I used to spend like three hours a day on my Instagram account. And I'm not embarrassed to say that that's how I built it. You talked about hard work. I put the work in, and I think to build anything, you got to put that in there. But I just appreciate you and your time and thank you so much. Y' all. Go to Debbie Neal.com all this information will be in the show notes and how you can listen to her podcast and learn from her and just be a part. Even if you wanted to be a part of her level up community. Debbie, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being so amazing. And y', all, thank you for tuning in. Screenshot this and tag me, Amberly Lago motivation. And tag Debbie at Debbie Neil. Debbie underscore Neil. And when I see that, especially when I see that on Instagram, Instagram, I always share that. It makes me feel good that you're taking the time to listen. Whether you're listening on Apple or Spotify or watching this on YouTube, I appreciate you tuning in. Thank you so much. And we will see you next week.

Bye, everybody.