Podcast Summary: How Taja Abitbol Built Businesses by Trusting Her Instincts

Podcast: The Determined Society with Shawn French
Host: Shawn French
Guest: Taja Abitbol
Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this candid and lively episode, Shawn French sits down with entrepreneur, reality TV star, and wellness pioneer Taja Abitbol. The conversation dives into Taja’s unconventional approach to business, the personal influences behind her career, what it means to manifest success, and how authenticity and resilience have guided her journey. The two explore themes of family, personal growth, handling rejection, wellness, and living unscripted—both on and off camera.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Instinct Over Plans: Jump First, Build On The Way Down

• Trusting Instincts in Business: Taja reveals she rarely works from a traditional business plan.
  • “People are always like, where’s your business plan? I’m like, I don’t have one.” (01:01)
• Fearlessness and Manifesting:
  • “The first thing is to have no fear. Don’t worry so much about the hows. I’m a manifesting generator. We don’t have time to think. We just do. We just make things happen. Once I want something, the universe shows me all the hows. They bring them to me.” (01:16, 12:58)
• Host’s Alignment: Shawn relates, describing his own leap-of-faith approach—"Jump out of the plane and build a parachute on the way down." (01:04, 12:06)

2. Family as Fuel: Roots of Her Drive

• Upbringing & Influence: Taja grew up with a hardworking single mom and business-minded grandparents, situating her early in entrepreneurial environments.
  • "It was like she and I on our own and we were kind of like sisters… I just always felt like I wanted to help her and…take care of people.” (03:22)
  • “My grandparents…were business people, had a lot of businesses. Seeing my mother work very hard, seeing my grandparents run their businesses...influenced me my whole life.” (04:54)
• Entrepreneurial Legacy: At 18 she earned her real estate license, learning the ropes in both real estate and the restaurant industry, influenced by both branches of her family.
  • “I got my license when I was 18 and I started doing commercial real estate… I always wanted to open a restaurant because my father’s side of the family are in the restaurant business.” (08:04–09:47)

3. Manifesting & Law of Attraction

• Manifesting Vividly:
  • “Anything you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, and enthusiastically act upon must absolutely—must—come to pass.” —Shawn, quoting Skip Bertman (21:26)
  • “It all happened… I realized that… I manifested that. That’s what manifesting means.” (21:48)
• Importance of Feeling, Not Just Visualizing: Both agree that manifesting isn’t just seeing something, it’s also about feeling what success will feel like.
  • “I felt the emotions. And then years later, I opened a restaurant on that block…with the same vibe.” –Taja (21:48)

4. Astrology & Human Design: Knowing Yourself

• Human Design as a Business Lens: Taja identifies as a "manifesting generator," explaining the concept as someone who moves quickly on instincts.
  • “It’s a human design thing...I’m also into astrology and all of this. I’m an Aries, ruled by Mars, and now I’m ruled by Mars, and that’s the most fast moving planet.” (25:07–25:36)
• Importance of Diverse Energy in Partnerships: Taja and Shawn compare relationships, noting their significant others’ earth signs help ground them.
  • “He keeps me a little grounded… we’re total opposites.” (26:14–26:29)

5. Rejection, Resilience, & “Trusting the Process”

• Reality TV Journey and Rejection: Taja auditioned for various "Housewives" series multiple times but never got cast.
  • “I never got cast…they probably regret it now. I guess I was meant to be on Netflix. Who knows?...I always trust the process.” (28:03–29:13)
• Resilience through Setbacks: The two discuss how setbacks and rejection are essential for long-term strength and success.
  • “Every time you get back up again from something that takes you down…you just become stronger each time.” (37:12)
  • “You have to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneur…very resilient, sometimes delusional.” (37:12)

6. Authenticity, Truth, & Leadership On Camera

• Speaking Truth, Even When It’s Lonely:
  • “I just can’t help myself. But you know, there’s a lot of rumors… I can only say my opinion.” (32:21)
• The Toll and Power of Authenticity: Taja and Shawn agree being real can be tiring, but it’s more exhausting to be fake.
  • “I can’t fake it. You can tell right away… I just… it’s not who I am.” (46:25)
  • “It’s more tiring to fake… it’ll destroy you.” (48:05–48:10)

7. Balance, Presence, and Parenting

• Parenting Insights:
  • “If I can be present in a moment and truly enjoy what’s going on, then I’m good. Especially with kids, they don’t want time. They want your attention.” (60:39)
  • Taja discusses her close relationship with her son, teaching him independence and life skills through cooking and shared experiences. (51:32–54:06)
• Adapting to Change: As her son becomes a teen, their relationship evolves, but the foundation of presence and openness remains. (54:06–55:26)

8. Positivity as a Practice & Letting Go of What Doesn’t Matter

• Focusing on What Matters:
  • “Don’t think about things that don’t matter… that’s the one thing that could help you get to where you’re going faster.” (42:02–42:46)
• Champion’s Mindset & Energy:
  • “If you don’t have control over it, then don’t think about it…That’s how you gotta think like a champion.” (43:40)

9. Wellness, Longevity, and Biohacking

• Origins of Her Wellness Business:
  • “I would need to kind of like recover to get my energy back… I started sauna, cold plunging, red light, all of that before anybody knew what it was… I would go into the sauna for two hours, get IVs and then go back to work.” (66:54)
• Entrepreneurial Insight: She started her wellness business, Taja Drip (including Taja Rx), in the Faina Hotel—pioneering luxury wellness in hospitality before it was trendy.
  • “I started it way before it was popular. I didn’t ride the wave—I started the wave.” (71:43–72:07)
• Personal Optimization:
  • “Do I ever get sick? No… I’m always optimized. Thank God. You know, it’s important. But I work at it.” (73:24)
  • “I’m a biohacker. But I started it before it had a term… I started it.” (71:51–72:07)

10. Wisdom for Aspiring Doers & Manifestors

• Focus on Solutions Over Problems:
  • “Don’t focus on the negative. Come up with solutions and don’t focus on problems…you have to master that in life.” (62:53)
• Karma & Integrity:
  • “The truth always comes out, and you know, karma is a bitch.” (02:00, 63:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Shawn French (on manifestation):
  “Anything you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, and enthusiastically act upon must absolutely—must—come to pass.” (21:26)
• Taja Abitbol (on trusting the process):
  “I guess I was meant to be on Netflix. Who knows?...I always trust the process.” (28:03–29:13)
• Taja Abitbol (on authenticity):
  “I can’t fake it. I’m the same way. You can tell right away… it’s not who I am.” (46:25)
• Taja Abitbol (on focus and positivity):
  “Don’t think about things that don’t matter; that could help you get to where you’re going faster.” (42:02–42:46)
• Taja Abitbol (on entrepreneurship):
  “You have to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneur…very resilient, sometimes delusional.” (37:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Instincts Over Business Plans: 01:01, 12:58
• Family Influence: 03:22–05:37
• Manifestation & Law of Attraction: 21:26, 21:48
• Astrology & Human Design: 25:07–26:29
• Rejection and “Trusting the Process”: 28:03–29:27
• Resilience & Handling Setbacks: 37:12
• Authenticity and Speaking Up: 31:35–32:37; 46:25–48:11
• Wellness Business Origins: 66:54–73:01
• Wisdom for Staying Positive and Present: 60:39, 61:50

Closing Thoughts

Taja Abitbol’s journey is a blend of bold leaps, instinctual decision-making, and consistent self-belief. She’s candid about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, the grounding power of family, and her commitment to authenticity. Drawing from her diverse background and fearless mindset, Taja has created a life “unscripted”—and reveals that true success comes through staying true to yourself, manifesting with action, and unapologetically moving forward.

She’s an embodiment of the “determined society.” For listeners seeking inspiration, strategy, or simply a dose of entrepreneurial courage, Taja’s story is a roadmap for trusting your instincts and manifesting your best self.

Connect with Taja Abitbol:

• Instagram: @TajaLucky
• Business: Taja Drip, Taja Rx

Watch: Members Only Palm Beach on Netflix

“Never give up…stay true to yourself.” —Taja Abitbol (36:17)