Podcast
Above Average
Hosted by Lorissa Violet · ENGLISH
Welcome to Above Average. For the women who want the career, the family, the marriage, AND the personal goals.
Candid conversations about it all!
Being a high achiever doesn't mean you have it all figured out. It means you never settle.
Hosted by Lorissa Violet
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What does a forensic psychologist notice that the rest of us miss? With Dr.Leslie
1w ago01:24:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Above Average, Lorissa sits down with forensic psychologist Dr. Leslie Dobson for an eye-opening conversation about criminal behavior, manipulation, online predators, social media, and what parents need to understand about the digital world their children are growing up in.Dr. Leslie brings her experience working within the criminal justice system to break down how predators think, how seemingly innocent online behavior can create vulnerabilities, and why awareness — rather than fear — is one of our greatest tools.The conversation also dives into the psychology behind high-profile cases and public narratives, including the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal battle, and what Leslie’s forensic perspective can teach us about separating emotion, perception, evidence, and fact.This episode isn't about living in fear. It's about becoming harder to manipulate, more aware of the world around you, and more intentional about what you share, who you trust, and how you protect your children.Above Average is hosted by Lorissa Violet and explores the conversations, ideas, experts, and perspectives that challenge us to think differently and live beyond average.For Lorissa's trusted recommendations, vetted providers, products, resources, and the Ledger, visit LorissaViolet.com.
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Change your Wardrobe, Reset Your Nervous System with Chellie Carlson
2w ago01:08:19Tap to summarizeWhat if your wardrobe was one of the most overlooked tools for improving your confidence, regulating your nervous system, and helping you achieve your goals?In this episode, Lorissa sits down with Chellie Carlson, stylist and image consultant, to discuss the powerful connection between personal style and personal growth. Together, they explore how dressing with intention can change the way you feel, how others perceive you, and ultimately how you show up in every area of your life. Whether you're navigating motherhood, growing a business, or stepping into a new season, this conversation is packed with practical advice you can implement immediately.For more trusted recommendations, educational resources, and a curated collection of vetted products, providers, and restaurants, visit LorissaViolet.com and explore Lorissa's List—helping women make healthier, easier, and more informed decisions every day.Chellie’s Favorite Bras Found Here https://shopmy.us/collections/6736702
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Botox, Fillers, Facelifts & Mommy Makeovers: Separating Fact from Fear with Dr. Juan Rendon
3w ago01:06:33Tap to summarizeDescription Plastic surgery is one of those topics everyone has an opinion about—but very few people are having honest conversations about it.In this episode of Above Average, I sit down with Dr. Juan Rendon, an Ivy League-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon and one of the few surgeons in the country to hold both an MD and PhD. Together, we dive into Botox, fillers, facelifts, mommy makeovers, scars, recovery, and how to make informed decisions without fear or pressure. Whether you're considering a procedure or simply curious, this conversation is packed with practical advice, expert insight, and an honest perspective on aging naturally and confidently.Here is a link for 10% off of all of Dr Rendons favorite product: https://shopmy.us/collections/6646354
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Managing the Mental Load with Madison Fisher | 5 Kids & Multiple Businesses
4w ago01:20:10Tap to summarizeIf you've ever called yourself the unorganized one, the scattered one, the Type B one.. you're going to relate to this episode!Madison Fisher came on the pod calling herself Type B. By the rapid-fire at the end, we've learned she's a closet Type A trying to hit a bar she has no systems to reach.What We Cover→ Why "Type B" is often the label a Type A woman puts on when she doesn't have systems→ The Zeigarnik Effect, explained with the waitress-and-the-check story→ Why the planning session you did on paper ended up in the trash the next day→ The 1 to 4am nocturnal planning hour almost every overwhelmed woman knows→ Open loops, why they drain you, what actually closes them→ The two biggest causes of procrastination (perfectionism + overwhelm = freeze)→ The "I feel bossy" block that keeps women from setting clear delegation expectations→ Why your husband will never see the tabs you have in your brain→ The one thing Madison is doing tonight, and the one thing you should try tooHeard Yourself In This Episode?If you're ready to close the 89,544 tabs open in your head, CEO Mode walks you through building ONE home for every task in your life (work and home included), in one afternoon. Build it here → go.alexpayetta.com/ceomodeWant somewhere free to start? This free guide shows you exactly where your hours go, and how to get 10+ of them back every week. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timebackLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.→ lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaMadison Fisherlinktr.ee/madisonbontempo | @madisonbontempoTimestamps0:00 Meet Madison Fisher3:00 Five kids, cheer, dance, brand deals, Wittles8:00 Why Madison cleans before the cleaning lady shows up14:00 The Type B reveal and what it actually is18:00 Open loops, working memory, and why Madison can't sleep25:00 The planning session Madison and Kyler did once and never looked at again30:00 The Four Tendencies rabbit hole34:00 Lorissa's screenshot-to-sister calendar hack40:00 The review routine that matters more than the system itself46:00 House manager versus more childcare54:00 Why Madison feels "bossy" setting expectations1:02:00 The roles and responsibilities conversation with Kyler1:10:00 Zoloft and where the anxiety actually lives1:15:00 Rapid fire and the closet Type A confession
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Your Systems Should Give You Your Life Back, Not Take It | Over-Optimizing, Worth & Staying Present
Jul 1300:23:01Tap to summarizeLorissa spent months trying to optimize every minute, and right before her birthday her body just quit. For the first time in her life she could not power through, and it cracked something open.This is the monthly catch-up. Two kid birthdays, an anniversary, turning 35, and a real reckoning with where your worth actually comes from, plus a back-to-back run of going viral that turned into a test of handling hate online.What We Cover→ The epiphany that hit when being optimized started costing Lorissa the parts of life she actually wanted→ Why she had to untangle her sense of worth from the number on her paycheck, and the exercise that helped her do it→ What Alex does the second a hateful comment lands in her nervous system, plus the tool Lorissa swears by for the feelings logic cannot talk you out ofHeard yourself in this conversation?Not caring what other people think has never come naturally to Alex. Staying steady when it lands takes real work, and the routine that keeps her grounded is what she teaches inside Wake Up Different.👉 go.alexpayetta.com/wudLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.👉 lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaTimestamps0:00 A month later, and a big birthday season0:33 When being optimized starts taking the life out of life1:22 The week her body refused to power through1:45 Why she thinks the physical was emotional3:46 The realization that her worth got tied to her income5:02 Goals are financial, joy is not, and the gap between them5:44 Going back to her 20-year-old self to thank her and let her go7:06 The conscious brain and the subconscious pulling opposite ways9:26 What systems are actually supposed to do for you9:55 Bringing her husband into the business10:31 Alex's month, going viral and the wave of hate that followed11:06 Can you really just not care, or does it still land13:47 Alex's reset when a comment gets under her skin14:19 Clearing what is underneath with NET18:04 Why the end of the night is when it gets you21:26 Tapping, and how to actually do it22:30 Quick catch-up wrap
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A Brain Injury Erased Her Fear, So She Started a Business | Nicole Smith on Building HēBē, Delegating & the Beauty Trends Worth It
Jul 600:58:54Tap to summarizeYou've spent years building something people trust with their face. Then somewhere in the middle of running the business, the brand, and the household, the version of you that started it all can get buried under everything you're holding.Nicole Smith is the injector behind @lipsandlattes and the founder of HēBē Skin Health in Claremont and Laguna Beach, and a mom of three. A routine antibiotic once swelled her brain and took her ability to drive, to read, even to find her own car in a parking lot, and it also took her fear, which is exactly what pushed her to open her own practice. She came on for her first-ever podcast to talk about what it takes to run a luxury, public-facing business as a mom, and which viral beauty trends are actually worth it.What You'll Learn→ The insane antibiotic scare that ultimately drove Nicole to start HēBē→ Why she didn't name the clinic after her viral handle, and what that decision was really protecting→ The part of the business she finally handed off after years of doing it all herself→ Where her burnout actually comes from and the small reset she swears by→ The beauty treatments she says are a waste of money, and the two things every woman should start in her mid-30s→ What she prioritizes when she hires so her office is a place you actually want to beEverything you're holding at onceRunning a business, a brand, and a household means a hundred things live in your head at any moment, and the ones that matter keep losing to the ones that feel urgent. The fix is getting it out of your head and into one system you actually use, so nothing falls through the cracks. I made a free 15-minute training that walks you through how to build it. Watch here → go.alexpayetta.com/trainingLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.👉 lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaNicole Smithhebeskinhealth.com | @lipsandlattesTimestamps0:00 Meet Nicole Smith, the injector behind Lips & Lattes3:16 Why the brand and the business have different names7:38 The health crisis that pushed her out on her own12:59 Losing her fear, and deciding to open a business13:29 Building HēBē with three little kids and a leap of faith19:11 Juggling the clinic, the social, the injecting, and three kids23:08 Handing off the social, and a saturated market30:24 Her hard line on lip filler and teens40:10 Burnout, and where it actually comes from44:41 How she and her husband split the business and the home58:09 Where to find Nicole
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Motherhood Isn't the Hardest Job in the World | The Filter That Changes How You See Everything Hard
Jun 2900:16:39Tap to summarizeSomewhere along the way, "this is hard" became the highest compliment we paid motherhood.Lorissa and Alex get into why hard-versus-easy is the wrong filter entirely, what they would put in its place, and why calling motherhood the hardest job in the world might be doing moms more harm than good.What We Cover→ The filter Alex uses instead of hard-versus-easy, and why it changes how you see almost every decision→ Why Lorissa won't call motherhood the hardest job in the world, and the reframe she uses instead→ The thing a first-time mom said to Lorissa in a group that she still thinks about years later→ The pushback against discipline, and why Alex isn't buying itKnow it's worth it and still not getting to it?Alex believes that hard versus easy is the WRONG filter, and the real question is what a thing gives back and whether that's worth it. Her free PDF walks you through the filter she actually uses instead, sorting what's essential from what you're only doing because you should, so you know what to own, delegate, protect and delete. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timebackLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.→ lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaTimestamps0:00 Catching up, and the reel that sparked it all0:48 Why hard-versus-easy is the wrong filter1:35 "I don't think motherhood is the hardest job in the world"3:06 The blanket comparisons we use to validate moms, and why they don't hold up7:18 The comparison trap, and the benefit lens that breaks it7:51 Why your hardest moments are also your most rewarding ones10:34 The mom group, the emergency vet, and saying the unpopular thing14:11 The pushback against discipline neither of them is buying15:20 When looking for things to be mad about becomes the whole problem
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50+ Flights Before Age 4 | Travel After Kids, the Packing Systems, and the Trip You Keep Putting Off, with Amanda Kellner Klein
Jun 2201:19:26Tap to summarizeYou used to be the person who would book the flight without thinking twice. Then you had kids, and the part of you that loved to go somewhere got packed away with everything else, and you started to wonder if it was gone for good.Amanda Kellner Klein decided it wasn't. She's a brand partnerships exec, she writes about traveling after kids on her Substack, and her almost-four-year-old already has more than 50 flights to her name. She came on to talk about how you hold onto the parts of yourself that matter once the kids arrive, with all the real logistics, the trade-offs, and one airplane story you have to hear to believe.What You'll Learn→ The travel muscle that makes a trip with a four-year-old feel easy, and why the only way to build it is to go when it's still hard→ The comeback to "they won't even remember it" that ends the argument for good→ The filter Amanda uses to decide whether a trip is worth it, and the step most people skip so "someday" never comes→ The packing system that means nobody ever asks "who has the diapers" mid-flight→ Why lowering your expectations is the real secret to a good trip with kids, not a consolation prize→ The night-flight advice everyone repeats that Amanda says is mostly wrong→ The airplane bathroom story that made everyone in this episode swear off something for lifeHeard Yourself In This Episode?The things that matter most are almost never the urgent ones, so they're the ones that keep getting pushed for years. Alex's free guide walks you through the filter that decides what you own, what you delegate, what you delete, and what you PROTECT, because the trip only happens once it lands in that last column. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timebackLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.→ lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaAmanda Kellner Kleincarryon.substack.com | @amandakellnerklein
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You Can Be a Great Mom AND Be Obsessed With Work | Letting Go Without the Guilt
Jun 1500:16:28Tap to summarizeLorissa woke up one morning and finally felt ready to let go of the kids a little. After touring 25 schools and finding every one of them terrible, she realized the schools were never the problem. The timing was.A hosts-only catch-up on the pull between loving your work and loving being home, and how you actually know when it's time to let go.What We Cover→ The real reason Lorissa said no to 25 schools (and what finally changed)→ Why "I'd love to stay home" and "I'm obsessed with working" can both be true at once→ How Alex redesigned her work so she's actually available to her kids→ The membership Lorissa's husband pushed for two years that covers childcare, an office, and a workout in one→ Why trying to find "balance" might be the thing keeping you stuckHeard Yourself In This Episode?The first step to figuring out a balance that really works for you is understanding how you're spending your time NOW, and how you SHOULD be spending it. Alex's free guide walks you through exactly that. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timebackLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.→ lorissaviolet.comConnect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaTimestamps0:00 What minis are, and what's new0:25 Lorissa's epiphany and finally feeling ready2:42 The pull between staying home and building something6:00 Why both can be true (the shades of gray)7:06 How Alex designs work around the kids10:13 The Lifetime idea that covers childcare, an office, and a gym11:32 The wall you have to hit (like sleep training)13:01 Discernment, intuition, and taking action15:15 Why chasing balance is a disservice
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She Opened a Med Spa With a 1 & 3 Year Old | Letting Go, Hard Hires & the Botox Truth with Allison Brewer
Jun 801:24:18Tap to summarizeAllison Brewer opened her med spa with a one and three year old at home, no door on her treatment room, and no front desk because she wasn't sure anyone would show up. Two weeks in, so many patients were walking through the door that she had to hire a front desk.She's the founder of Masters MedSpa in Irvine and a second generation injector who travels the world to stay at the top of her field. She came on to talk about what it actually takes to grow a business while you're raising little kids, and somewhere in there she also explains why everyone's face looked overfilled for a decade.What You'll Learn→ The part of the business Allison handed to her husband that she swears she'd never have grown without→ Why she hired too fast, kept the wrong person nine months too long, and what finally made the hard conversation doable→ The "homework" her husband kept pushing that ended up running the whole company→ Why Lorissa thinks burnout is a choice, and the red flags Allison catches before it lands→ What most overwhelmed moms are missing (and why Lorissa says staying home is harder than running her business)→ The decade-long mistake Allison says injectors are finally walking back→ How to know within the first sixty seconds whether your injector is good or about to wreck your faceHeard Yourself In This Episode?Systems are the backbone of a successful business AND a successful life. Alex's free 15-minute training breaks down the system she uses to manage the mental load so her brain doesn't have to. Watch it here → go.alexpayetta.com/trainingIf you already know you want help clearing the 3,430 open tabs in your mind, Alex will walk you through building CEO Mode step by step. Build it here → go.alexpayetta.com/ceomodeLorissa's ListLorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search.→ lorissaviolet.comSpecifically looking for the Epicutis skincare mentioned on the show? shopmy.us/collections/3876535Connect With UsLorissa Violetlorissaviolet.com | @lorissavioletAlex Payettaalexpayetta.com | @alexpayettaAllison Brewermasters-medspa.com | @masters.medspa
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