Build with Leila Hormozi

Episode 332: "How to Get Through Hard Times"

Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Leila Hormozi

Episode Overview

In this introspective episode, Leila Hormozi candidly shares her personal struggles from the past year and distills lessons learned about resilience, support, and self-discovery during difficult seasons. Drawing from her own experience with health issues, business setbacks, and emotional lows, Leila offers practical wisdom for listeners enduring challenging times—reminding them that hardship is temporary and can be transformative if approached openly.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Hard Times Are Not Permanent

• Leila describes the illusion of permanence that hardship creates.
  • When we're suffering, it feels like it will never end; our brains lie to us, convincing us this is our "new normal."
  • "Hard times are seasons. They are not identities." (04:58)
  • She draws a parallel to storms in nature, emphasizing that neither pain nor storms last forever.
• Practical advice:
  • Remind yourself, "Hard time doesn't mean hard forever." (05:42)
  • Survival is as simple as making it through one more day, trusting better days lie ahead.
• Notable Quote:
  • “This is not forever. This is just right now. And this very, very hard day... it will pass. And the pain will pass. And I tell myself all the time, I’m like, and you will forget ... If I can just survive today, then I am one step closer tomorrow to a different future.” (07:30)

2. Hard Times Reveal True Relationships

• Hardship clarifies who really supports you.
  • Leila reflects on how adversity exposes which relationships are authentic, not transactional.
  • “Hard times cut through all the noise. It’s interesting because you can always see who are the people left that can help hold you up.” (11:37)
• Quality over quantity:
  • You often don’t need a crowd—just a few genuine allies.
  • She shares how her strong marriage with Alex was forged through adversity, from financial setbacks to personal crises.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “Oftentimes the best relationships come from people who are there for you in your worst chapters of life.” (13:35)

3. Slow Progress is Better Than Setbacks

• Beware the temptation to rush your recovery.
  • After her surgery, Leila was frustrated by her slow physical recovery.
  • She learns that pushing too hard leads to setbacks, whereas moving slowly creates lasting progress.
  • “Slow is better than a setback. And slow progress is still progress and is oftentimes the only kind that actually sticks.” (16:24)
• Sustained motion is the goal:
  • Don’t equate value with speed. Just keep moving, even if it's slow or uncomfortable.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Setbacks to getting on the other side of a hard time will stop defining you when you stop making speed the goal. The goal is to keep moving, even if it’s slow, even if it sucks.” (18:05)

4. Hard Times Can Be Gifts—But Only If You Open Them

• Growth through pain is not automatic.
  • Challenges are invitations to self-examination and healing, but you have to consciously accept them.
  • “Hard times are gifts, but only if you open them.” (20:18)
• Actionable wisdom:
  • Avoid numbing or bitterness; instead, ask: What can you learn? What is this situation teaching you?
• Leila’s Approach:
  • She reframes adversity pragmatically, not in a “woo woo” way—most personal upgrades came by walking through doors she never wanted to open.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Most of the biggest upgrades that have come from in my life have come through a door that I had no desire to walk through.” (22:40)

5. Adversity Clarifies Your Identity and Values

• When life is easy, you coast on autopilot and miss self-reflection.
  • Hard times eliminate distractions, exposing your real character, fears, strengths, and weaknesses.
  • Metaphor: Leila likens adversity to the unforgiving lighting of a Lululemon dressing room—honest, if unflattering, but ultimately revealing.
    • “Hard times are like a mirror—and they are not flattering mirrors, but they are honest.” (26:23)
• Clarity is the true reward:
  • “If anything came out of this hard time for me, it was that clarity. And that clarity is a gift because it told me who I want to be next.” (29:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the permanency of pain:
  • “Hard times are seasons. They are not identities.” (04:58)
• On survival:
  • “If I can just survive today, then I am one step closer tomorrow to a different future.” (07:44)
• On real relationships:
  • “Oftentimes the best relationships come from people who are there for you in your worst chapters of life.” (13:35)
• On slow progress:
  • “Slow is better than a setback. And slow progress is still progress and is oftentimes the only kind that actually sticks.” (16:24)
• On transformation:
  • “Hard times, they are not punishments, okay? They are passages.” (31:46)
• On clarity:
  • “If anything came out of this hard time for me, it was that clarity. And that clarity is a gift because it told me who I want to be next.” (29:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:01] – Episode begins, Leila sets up her reflections on hardship and her motivation for the topic
• [04:58] – Hard times as seasons, not identities
• [11:37] – Discovering who actually supports you during adversity
• [16:24] – Embracing slow progress over setbacks
• [20:18] – Hard times as gifts—accepting and learning from adversity
• [26:23] – Hardship as an honest mirror, revealing true identity and values
• [31:46] – Closing thoughts: Hardships as passages to transformation and clarity

Episode Conclusion

Leila concludes with reassurance for anyone feeling overwhelmed by difficulty:
“Hard time isn’t hard forever. This will pass. ... You are not failing, and you’re not broken and you’re not behind just because you’re not speeding through this hard time, you are becoming the next version of yourself.” (32:20)

She reminds listeners that while hard times are never enjoyable, they can ultimately catalyze the strongest relationships, foster clarity of priorities, and shape a deeper, more resilient self—outcomes unreachable in periods of ease.

Tone: Empathetic, candid, motivational, and pragmatic.
Recommendation: A must-listen for entrepreneurs and anyone enduring a tough season, offering actionable insights and heartfelt encouragement drawn from real experience.