956 | "RISE All-Stars" LIVE Podcast from RISE Chicago

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Rachel Hollis Podcast

Episode 956 | "RISE All-Stars" LIVE Podcast from RISE Chicago
Release Date: May 7, 2026
Host: Rachel Hollis

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Overview

This special episode features a live panel at the RISE Chicago event, where Rachel Hollis interviews three standout women from her community to showcase everyday all-stars: Brianna, Liz, and Cindy. Each guest shares their real, unpolished journeys of personal growth, business building, and community impact. The episode focuses on how ordinary individuals can spark extraordinary transformation and the power of community, vulnerability, and perseverance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the "RISE All-Stars" (01:10-06:45)

• Rachel Hollis introduces the concept:
  • These "All-Stars" are driven women from the RISE community, not celebrity influencers, who’ve leveraged the lessons and motivation of RISE to achieve remarkable things across health, business, and service.
  • Quote: "My intention with interviewing these women is that I want you to hear stories from people that you don't think of as like an influencer or a celebrity. These are real women, just like you, who are doing incredible things with their lives and their business." (04:03 – Rachel Hollis)

The Guests:

• Brianna: Known for chronicling her health journey on Instagram and completing her first half marathon after attending RISE Florida.
• Liz: Founder of Ruby’s Rainbow, a nonprofit granting scholarships to students with Down Syndrome.
• Cindy: Left a major corporate role after RISE Austin to build her idea—now a business on the Inc. 5000 list—while also overcoming significant personal health challenges.

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2. Liz’s Story: From Esthetician to Nonprofit Founder (07:12-14:07)

• Liz shares how her daughter Ruby’s birth with Down Syndrome inspired her to reimagine what was possible for her family and others.
  • Started Ruby’s Rainbow to help send students with Down Syndrome to college.
  • Quote: "I remember she was about six months old. And I looked at my husband, I said, I think I want to help somebody with Down syndrome go to college. And he literally looked at me and goes, do people with Down syndrome go to college? And I was like, I don't know. I'm gonna find that one person..." (08:44 – Liz)
  • She took incremental steps ("Google and baby steps"), balancing a full-time job and family until Ruby’s Rainbow scaled, eventually crossing $4 million in scholarship funding.
  • Emphasis on raising awareness and shifting cultural perceptions about people with Down Syndrome.
  • Memorable moment: Liz’s raw humility and humor around nonprofit leadership and imposter syndrome.

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3. Brianna’s Health and Transformation Journey (14:43-21:38)

• Brianna recounts her journey from feeling insecure about her body after giving birth to running her first half marathon—and how this achievement fundamentally rewired her sense of self.
  • Quote: "It's not about how you look. It's about how you feel. But I felt like garbage, too, so you. You know, it still was accurate." (15:19 – Brianna)
  • The catalyst was RISE’s “dream casting” exercise—she wrote down ‘impossible’ dreams (like the marathon and hiking the Appalachian Trail), which Rachel invited her to share publicly.
  • Found motivation in community support, especially after a group formed online to encourage her.
  • Quote: "Through the work that we did during Rise, I worked backwards...It was walking. It was getting healthy...being the person I wanted to be, not waiting for the change to happen to me." (16:10 – Brianna)
  • Humorously highlights how running pregnant with twins became her point of comparison for life’s subsequent challenges.

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4. Cindy’s Leap: Building Wanderlust Campus (22:50-29:00)

• Cindy details her transition from corporate life to launching Wanderlust Campus, a modern travel school, during the pandemic.
  • Applied lessons from RISE to stop seeking external validation and step fully into her role as a leader.
  • Scaled her company to the Inc. 5000 list, established strong industry recognition, and focused on transformative, hands-on education for aspiring travel professionals.
  • Quote: "What happens when you stop asking for permission and you show up and you do the thing? ...the people that you're helping and the people that you're serving, they're gonna have results and they're gonna have success." (24:15 – Cindy)
  • Personal note: lost 100 pounds, as did her son; daughter is achieving musical success—highlights the ripple effect on family and legacy.
  • Shares her family’s “future dates,” inspired by Jack Canfield—role-playing future success to foster big thinking in her kids.

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5. Navigating Imposter Syndrome (30:04-34:25)

• All three share candidly about self-doubt and feeling unqualified at times.
  • Liz: "I've always, you know, struggled with self worth...But I think for me, it was literally like looking at this tiny little baby that was so perfect...Whatever it takes, that's what drove me every day." (30:32)
  • Brianna: Battled feeling out of place as a runner. “I never felt like I fit in…but as soon as I got out of my own head about it, where, like, no one's watching me. No one cares. I'm gonna do this for myself.” (32:49)
  • Cindy: Encourages embracing the “sucky part” of growth. “Every video you make gets 1% better...if you can just get out of your head a little bit...it happens just that much faster.” (33:42)

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6. Building and Leading Teams (34:32-38:40)

• Liz: Took six years to hire her first full-time team member, stresses finding people with aligned intention and heart, and learning to believe in her own leadership.
• Cindy: Outlines the importance of mission-driven team building and the necessity of evolving teams as organizations grow. Advocates for transparency, alignment with vision, and measuring what matters.
  • Quote: "The team you started with is not always the team that is going to get you to the next level of growth. And that can be a hard thing." (36:25 – Cindy)

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7. Looking to the Future: Vision Casting (38:40-41:39)

• Brianna: Light-hearted goal—to do a yoga handstand on stage at next year’s Rise, emblematic of dreaming high and letting personal evolution be visible.
• Liz: Hopes to shift into more awareness and storytelling work, and ultimately, raise enough for Ruby’s Rainbow to never have to turn away a scholarship applicant.
  • Quote: "If I can raise enough money to not have to do that, then that would be my top dog dream." (40:55 – Liz)
• Cindy: Aims to triple the size of Wanderlust Campus and reach would-be travel professionals who don't even know this career is possible for them yet.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rachel (on the community): "There's real magic in the Rise community...you've got this little spark in you and we're gasoline." (05:15)
• Moderator Advice: "Google and baby steps will get you so freaking far in life." (14:41)
• Rachel (on audacity): "Can you have the audacity of a mediocre man for, like, one second and see how your life changes?" (31:52)
• Liz: "People with Down syndrome are rad. You know, they're cool, they're capable, they're worthy of it all." (13:19)

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |---------|----------------------------------------------| | 01:10 | Overview of the RISE All-Stars concept | | 07:12 | Liz shares the Ruby’s Rainbow origin story | | 13:15 | Over $4 million given in scholarships | | 15:07 | Brianna’s health journey & dream casting | | 21:38 | Community support and online group emerges | | 22:50 | Cindy’s story: Founding Wanderlust Campus | | 30:04 | Imposter syndrome panel discussion | | 34:32 | Building & leading mission-driven teams | | 38:40 | Vision casting & future goals | | 41:13 | Rachel promises scholarship for each event |

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Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, uplifting, energetic, and occasionally humorous. There’s an undercurrent of vulnerability, honest self-reflection, and support, as well as practical advice for listeners to implement in their own growth and leadership journeys.

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Closing Advice

• Dream audaciously—take baby steps and use Google.
• Find (or create) a community that believes in you.
• Embrace imposter syndrome as a sign of growth.
• Leadership and impact are accessible at every level.

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For more inspiration or to connect with the RISE community, follow Rachel Hollis on social and look out for upcoming events!

Transcript

[Rachel Hollis]

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[Rachel Hollis]

Hi guys, it's Rach. Welcome to another episode of the podcast and a special edition that I'm bringing in here and so excited to share with you guys. Today's episode is a replay of the live podcast interview I did during the last Rise event in Chicago. So this time around I had this idea. I was so excited to surprise the audience with it and I hope that you love it as much as we all did. This is what I'm calling Rise All Stars. In this interview I sat down with three different women who are what I would consider best case scenario from within our community. First is Brianna, which you may know from our Instagram feed. She's she's Rise. Instagram famous. Brianna came to a Rise event in Florida a few years ago and we were able to share the story of her running her first half marathon. What that journey looked like. It got such an incredible response from our community. I knew she had to be on our Rise All Star stage. Next is Liz. Liz founded the nonprofit organization Ruby's Rainbow, which gives scholarships to children who are going to college who have down syndrome. And she built this incredible nonprofit for her daughter Ruby. And over the last decade she has given away over $4 million in scholarships to incredibly worthy students and we are so proud to partner with them. And I love her story because she was inspired by something that was happening in her own family and used that inspiration to do work that is chang the world for a Lot of people, not just her local community. Lastly, Cindy also Instagram, famous on the Rise Instagram, who came to an event that we did in Austin and used the motivation from that event to leave a massive corporate career and build an idea that she had had for a very long time. And she took that little idea all the way to the Inc. 5000 list, which are the 5000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. she's built an incredible company that continues to soar. And also simultaneously, she lost £100. I mentioned that because I think so many parts of working on ourselves, it permeates everything. When you work on your business, it ends up helping your family. When you work on your health, it

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

ends up helping your relationships.

[Rachel Hollis]

It's this most incredible thing that you really only understand when you're inside of it. But my intention with interviewing these women is that I want you to hear stories from people that you don't think of as like an influencer or a celebrity. These are real women, just like you, who are doing incredible things with their lives and their business. They dream stuff up, they get knocked down, they stand back up and go again. They are building something that isn't quick, it's not a flash in the pan. It takes time, it takes years, it takes effort. And I find them so inspiring, and I hope you do too. There is real magic in the Rise community. There just is so much of it. Yes. Is this incredible event that the team and I have pulled together over the last decade. But more than anything we can do as a company is who shows up in the space and who shows up in the room. You come into this environment with something already on your heart.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Like, if you didn't have that potential

[Rachel Hollis]

on your heart, if you didn't have that itch in your belly, there's nothing we could do to motivate you. So I sort of think of us

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

on the Rise team and you as

[Rachel Hollis]

a community coming together as this. Like, you got this little spark in you and we're gasoline, you know, we can create an environment that helps you turn that spark into a real flame. And these women's stories are a beautiful illustration of that.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

So I hope you dig this episode.

[Rachel Hollis]

And if you love it, I hope you will follow along on Rise and our Instagram to see our next events. They'll start up again after the summer because, you know, mama likes to take her summer off. If you didn't know, I'm married to a European, so you better believe I will be in Europe this summer. But after summer, we are coming back Strong. We have so many incredible things planned. You guys are gonna love it. So make sure you're following along over on social so you can always be

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

aware of anything we've got going on virtually or anything we've got going on

[Rachel Hollis]

live and in person, because I know that's your favorite. But yeah. I hope you dig this episode and I hope you stay tuned for more. Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Hollis, and this is the show where we talk about life, real life around here. We cover everything from habits and motivation to relationships, parenting, and what it looks like to build a life that you love. If you're trying to grow, heal, or just feel a little bit more like yourself, you're in the right place.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

This is so cool.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

This makes my heart so happy. I have all sorts of questions for you guys and all sorts of things. And as I always say to podcast interviews, if I ask a question that you're like, I really don't want to answer that, then just you tell us. We'll edit it out later. Everyone here will know that you didn't want to talk about your mother in law. But you know, for later, I really. Because they know the stories of these two ladies and we'll jump into them in a bigger way. But Liz, will you tell us the story of who you are and what

[Rachel Hollis]

you do and what you have built?

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Yes. Hi, ladies. I'm so excited to be here. So I run a non profit called Ruby's Rainbow. I started it. So short. Okay, let me back it up.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Tell the whole story.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Okay, let me back it up. 15 years ago, had my second daughter. She was born unexpectedly, rocking an extra chromosome. Had no idea she had down syndrome till she was born. Leading up to that, I was an esthetician. I used to help people with their hair problems and their skin problems. And I loved that job so, so much. I didn't think I would ever, ever leave. And then I had Ruby and something in me kind of changed. Like the moment I held her, it was literally kind of like this lightning bolt of, you know, from her heart to mine was just like, oh, okay, wait. You know, it was just kind of like a recheck of my life. And that perspective thing you were talking about earlier, you know, I was like, oh my gosh, like, what really matters? I mean, yes, people's skin and hair problems matter, I'll say that. But, you know, I didn't know anything about down syndrome. I didn't know anyone with down syndrome, you know, growing up. And so. Which now makes me incredibly sad because, man, People with Down syndrome are cool. So I get home, she was in the NICU for several, you know, weeks. Get home, and all I could think about was I needed the world to see what I saw in her, you know, that she was amazing and capable and worthy of it all. So I went to the. I don't really read, although I've read your books and I'm not just blowing smoke up your butt. I did read them, but I went to the library, checked out every single book on down syndrome that I could find. Like, I came home and they were like, you know, above my chin. My husband was like, what is up with this? And I started reading all the books and all the things about down syndrome and nothing really depicted this perfect little human that was laying next to me. That was so I could already tell she was determined, you know, I knew she was going to change the world and I just needed, you know, people to see it. And I remember she was about six months old. And I looked at my husband, I said, I think I want to help somebody with down syndrome go to college. And he literally looked at me and goes, do people with down syndrome go to college? And I was like, I don't know. I'm gonna find that one person that, you know, is going for this dream. Cause I wanted her to have all the same opportunities that my older daughter has. She's got an older sister, Ella mae, who's now 17. I really just, you know, wanted her to have all the same opportunities because I was like, when she gets older, is she gonna get married? Is she gonna have a job that she loves? Is she gonna, you know, is all the. Is she gonna's, you know, And I wanted her to have all of those things that her older sister had or all the opportunities. And so I was going to help that one person with down syndrome go to college. So literally, I woke up one morning and just googled how to start a nonprofit. And day by day, woke up every day. You know, I still had a full time job. I was now raising two little girls. Did not have the confidence in myself that I would be able to do this. My husband would always say when I was an esthetician, he's like, you should start your own business. Because he saw how much we charge for everything. And I was like, no way. A, I'm not that smart. B, I like coming home every day and leaving my skin and hair problem people behind. Don't have to worry about that anymore. This was different. It was just my heart was just like, you gotta do something. I was like, oh, I can't. I'm not good enough. I can't do that. You got to do something, Liz. And so it just kept, you know, finally one day I was just like, oh, how do you start a nonprofit? And I just baby stepped it from there, you know, it was like, oh, you got to get a board of directors. Okay, let me call some of my buddies that I trust and know. And then, okay, you got to, you know. So it's just like step by step, day by day. And so the first day we raised, you know, we had a bowling tournament and a golf tournament, and I had a. I had a goal of one $2,000 scholarship, and I was able to give out 11 $2,000 scholarships that first year and was like, oh, my God, like, I thought we had hit the big time. I was like, this is a thing like, people are dreaming and believing with us, and they are just, you know, and that was the thing that was something that changed me to know that there was this community of people that believed in not just my daughter, but they believed in me, you know, because I was the person that was leading them through this, you know, this thing. And, yeah, I mean, to that day, you know, of course, baby steps, baby steps. I work. I did for the first four years. I, you know, donated my time and my heart, and I still donate my time at my heart. But, you know, it came to a point where my board members and my husband were like, you can't have a full time job and this. And, you know, and I was telling somebody earlier today, it was like I felt like I was taking candy from a baby. I was like, I can't take money from the organization, you know, and it's literally like, I want it to all go to the recipients. And my husband was like, dude, it's a business like you and all nonprofits pay people, you know, and so that's kind of how naive I was in the beginning of like, oh, you know, I'm just going to do this out of the good of my heart, which I still do every single day. But, you know, my, you know, my husband was like, okay, you got to pick one or the other, because we've got life, you know, happening. So anyway, after four years of doing that, I became the full time executive director of Ruby's Rainbow.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

And, you know, how many years have you guys been going at it now?

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Well, 15. Ruby's 15. So we literally started it the year she was born.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

But wait, how many. How much money in scholarships have you given to date? For children who have down syndrome to

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

go to college of this year, we will have given out over $4 million. I know, I know, you guys, I'm going to cry thinking about it. I mean, it's because of this community that comes together and wraps its arms around us and, you know, like, I could have never done this alone. Right. And so it's just been so cool to see, you know, it's not just the scholarships. It's that awareness. Right? Like, the other half of my heart in this organization is that awareness is showing the, that people with down syndrome are rad. You know, they're cool, they're capable, they're worthy of it all. They're unique. You know, like, they're unique. Just like we're unique. And so, you know, I just love telling stories of our recipients and a Ruby and just really trying to shift that narrative of, you know, what having down syndrome is all about. So, yeah.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

So cool.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Thank you.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

I love this story. I love this too, because I think for maybe for men as well, but I know oftentimes for women in this community, there is a greater calling on

[Rachel Hollis]

your heart for legacy.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

There is a calling on your heart for impact. It's not just the business. It's like, what does this look like in a bigger way? And I think we get these nudges and we often talk ourselves out of it because you think, well, I'm not that. I don't know what, you know, I don't know how to do this thing. I don't know how to build it. And I love that you said just like baby steps. Google and baby steps will get you so freaking far in life.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Seriously. Yeah.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

And I feel like that's all four of us. That's all of our stories that we're just like, kept figuring it out. So Brianna, tell us the story about where you were in your health journey and what it looked like to make such a drastic change in your life in all of these ways and do it while you have all these babies and you're trying to like, maintain the responsibilities of your life while changing your life.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Yeah, so my life has definitely done a full 180 in the last, I guess, six years, five years. Long time. But yeah, so when I attended Rise, I was like maybe eight months postpartum and the heaviest I had ever been. And you know, my life really revolved around this insecurity of what my body was and what it wasn't. And I had all of these dreams and aspirations that my body would not allow me to do. It's not about how you look. It's about how you feel. But I felt like garbage, too, so you. You know, it still was accurate. And on the third day of Rise was our dream casting day. And we were supposed to write down, like, the craziest dreams you had. Like, you know, your deepest, darkest dreams. And I'm, like, sitting there writing next to my mom and, like, kind of, like, covering, like, what I'm writing because I don't want her to see, because I was embarrassed. And then Rachel plucked me from the crowd to share those big, scary things with everybody. But that was the catalyst to the change my life, where I realized I was done living my life and the body I was in and being the person I knew I wasn't. My dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail and running a half marathon, they were true, and they were valid. And I wouldn't have had the confidence to pursue it because I was embarrassed of it, because I didn't feel like I could ever get there. But through the work that we did during Rise, I worked backwards was just what you've always told us. And it was walking. It was getting healthy and getting serious about making the change and being the person I wanted to be, not waiting for the change to happen to me. So life happens, and we had a lot of setbacks along the way, and eventually we made it there. It took four years and three children later. So I would train for the half. I was training for half, and then I got pregnant with my second son. I was like, okay, cool. Have the baby, got back on the wagon, started training again. And then two months before the half marathon, I found out I was pregnant with my twins. And so I thought, there is no way, no how, that I'm not going to run this race or can drag my dead body across this finish line. So, yeah, so then I got to. I finished that. So now whenever I'm doing something hard, I think, well, shoot, I ran. I ran my half with pregnant with my babies. I can open up a coffee shop. Sure. Like, how hard could it be?

[Rachel Hollis]

Okay, don't tell anybody, but we're trying to buy a new house. All right? We're trying to buy a new house. And not only are we trying to buy a new house, but we are buying a house that's, like, essentially my dream house. And it is my dream house because there is more fabulous outdoor space than

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

even, like, I don't even pay attention

[Rachel Hollis]

to what's going on in the house because the outdoors is so much fun. If you love being outside in the

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

spring and the summer, just like I do do.

[Rachel Hollis]

We're going to do a whole makeover on Wayfair.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Okay.

[Rachel Hollis]

Wayfair is the place to get all the things you need for every part of your house. But this time of year, most especially to make that outdoor space so elevated, so fabulous, so comfortable, so ready for a little spritz out on the patio. They have filters, they have customer reviews, they have visual tools that that help you to actually imagine which items will look good in your space. With everything from seating to grills, lighting and decor, Wayfair is your one stop. Shop for home, get prepped for patio season. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F A I R.com Wayfair every style, every home. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. I have been going to therapy on and off since I was a kid. And I actually just got back from a week long trauma therapy retreat because I believe that therapy is something we do during any part of our life where we feel like we need some extra support. And it just so happens that May is Mental Health awareness month, which is a really good reminder to check in with yourself and see if you might need a little extra support. The things that I struggled with in my early 20s are very different than the things I struggle with at 43, and they are no less valid than they were back when I was younger. In fact, I would say they're even more important to get a handle on because as I get older, I don't want to carry these things with me into my future. Having someone to listen to you, to understand and to support you in accessing tools that you will need can make all the difference. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform. In fact, you can really quickly get matched with a therapist by taking a short questionnaire to identify your needs. And we love BetterHelp because if that therapist doesn't work for you, you can get matched with someone else really quickly. You don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up to get 10% off. Betterhelp.com Rach that's B E T T E R h e l p.com Rach

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

I'm curious, in that journey, did you feel any moments where like, did you always feel like you had community support around you or do you feel like that was something that you struggled with? What was your story?

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

No, I definitely had a lot of Support, especially coming out of Rise. Specifically, someone made a Facebook group. That's right.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

About you running.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Yes. Like, thousands of people in there, which is, like, so embarrassing. I'm like, I'm gonna get hives talking about it. But, yeah, what was it called?

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Like, Brittany runs a marathon or something. Brianna runs a marathon. Yes. There is a movie.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

I think Britney also ran a marathon. So did she. But, yes, I had a lot of support, and there were so many people who walked alongside me through the journey. And it was fun, like, checking in and, you know, people be like, oh, I ran a race. And so it became a community thing. It wasn't just me, for sure, but, yeah, a lot of support. I couldn't have done it without him.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Will you run another one?

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Yes.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Okay.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Yes.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Now I want to run a full. Because now when I look back on those dreams I had six years ago, I feel like I was playing it small, you know? And it's crazy about that shift where in that timeframe, that was the most bananas thing I could come up with. And now I'm like, cool. Okay. You know, so I still got to finish the Appalachian Trail, but I've done Georgia.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Can I tell you, I am not making this up. So we moved to the east coast, and whenever I would take my little kids to there's a little cute little ski resort not too far from us in Connecticut. And whenever I would take them, we would cross a road that said the Appalachian Trail. And I swear, even before you sort of came back on the radar, I was like, remember that woman who wanted to walk the app? Because I'm not gonna lie, when you said it, I didn't know what you were talking about. I didn't, because I'm from California. I'm also just not, you know, So I didn't. And I would. I remember when you were like, I want to walk. And I was like, cool. And then I think I even started giving you advice. And then you were like, no, no, it's. It'll take months. It's like a whole. I was like, okay. So anyway, I was. I was thinking about you before we were back together. Cindy, tell us your story. So tell us. Is a whole. Give us a whole kit and caboodle.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

We got a lot to unpack here, y'. All. And, yeah, I got that. Pun intended. Because this is all about travel. Anyone like to travel? Everyone travels, right? Yeah. How many people use a travel agent?

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Okay, good.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

We have a lot of work to do here. Okay, so I'm the CEO and founder of Wanderlust. Campus and I was at rise 2020. So picture this. Nobody's traveling and I'm like, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to start a travel school. Now. Travel school had actually already been started for a few years, but I was kind of just playing it safe, playing it small. I was feeling frustrated at the time because I felt like nobody was recognizing the work that we were doing, particularly in my own industry. So I loved what you said this morning. Just about stop asking for permission and like, you know, nobody is coming to like go, yay. We can't wait for you to do this thing right. So I knew I had a passion in my heart because I had been in the travel industry for right now 32 years. So minus whatever that is. So 25 years or so at that point, and we had done our first couple million dollars in business. It's not like we were just playing it small, but I just had this vision of taking the old, you know, travel schools of day old days old, modernizing it and bringing the education forward so people could really start their travel businesses from home. And that's how our industry works. Travel agents work from home now and they, you know, they can do it kind of portably versus the old model of like working in an agency or a mom and pop. Like it was 80s and 90s, so I'd already been working in consulting and I had one program, it was called Careers on Vacation. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to rebrand and we're going to do Wanderlust Campus and all the things. And Rachel said something at Rise. She said, if you're already in this room, you're already the leader that you need to be. And I was like, you know what? That's true, Rachel, you know what? I'm going to go home and do this. And boy, did we do it right. So we went on and continuing potentially, people are still telling me it's not a good idea. Who's going to buy that? Who's going to do all the things you guys? I went and scaled that company until we were on the Inc. 5000. Yep. I went to colleges and we got in their textbooks to be published as a case study for success. We have been on all the news medias and all the different things, and at first I was training hundreds and then I trained thousands and still not getting the recognition. But what happens when you stop asking for permission and you show up and you do the thing? The people that you're helping and the people that you're serving, they're gonna have results and they're gonna have success. So all of a sudden people are like, what's Wanderlust Campus? I went to Wanderlust. You didn't go to Wanderlust. You don't know about Wanderlust's campus. And everybody in the industry all of a sudden was talking about, if you haven't been to Wanderlust Campus, you're missing out. Because here's what I know and here's how I was prepared. Because in our industry, it was a lot of kind of like e trainings and we brought real teachers, we brought real education into the classroom and we made it about the experience. Because starting a new business, you guys are, a lot of you are starting new businesses. It's hard, it's scary, it's overwhelming. You got to learn marketing, you got to learn numbers, you got to learn all the different processes and systems. So we got in the trenches with our students and said, this isn't just like an e learning program. We are going to hold your hand and we are going to teach you about marketing, we're going to teach you about systems, we're going to teach you how to actually do the job of being a travel agent. Which, by the way, is not like booking travel for yourself online. There's things you need to know, systems you need to learn, all these things you need to navigate. And we ushered our students through that process. And all of a sudden I had agency partners, host partners, my students coming back to me and going, wow, we're hitting numbers faster than anyone else. And my host partners were like, your students. How do I get more of your students? Because they're selling 30% faster and they're selling two months faster than people that just come to us off the street that want to kind of open a hobby business or they just don't know what they don't know. And so we had this beautiful kind of evolution story, if you will. So we're very, very excited about that. But that's actually not what I'm most proud of. I also lost 100 pounds. Also not what I'm most proud of. So very excited about that as well. I was one I didn't talk about. I don't know if you saw my social, but I was like, Rachel Hollis outed me on her social media, y', all last week as a joke. But the thing that I'm most proud of is going through this because like I said, we're at our 10 year anniversary now. The thing that I'M most proud of is the impact on my children. And one of the things that I did that I do for my children, first thing I do is I take them on something I call future dates. And this is like a spin off of something I actually learned from Jack Canfield, because he would used to have, I guess, these parties where people would come dressed as. Dressed as who you're gonna be. So I took Bella to that one as well. That's my daughter. And we always, you know, even when I couldn't afford it, I'm like, get the VIP pass, because I wanted to put especially my daughter in the right room. And I would take all my kids on future dates. So I adapted that and said, well, I'm gonna take them on a date. And we would go dressed to the nines like we knew Oprah and all the things. And we would go to a fancy restaurant, we'd leave a hundred dollar tip and act as if we already have millions of dollars in our bank account. And the whole thing, you have to stay in character and act as if you have already achieved the big goals. And so I wanted to teach her that, to kind of dream forward and do all the things. And for my sons as well. So my son also lost 100 pounds. He's our big football star. You can clap. Yes. Yep, yep, yep, yep. Very. That boy. He puts in the work. And last year, his team won the championship, and he was the mvp. Defensive mvp. So very proud. And y', all, my daughter was in college last year at this time, but she has left college. She's a college dropout, but she's pursuing music. And not only is she pursuing music, she's on the charts right now, and she just received an AMA nomination. So next month, we'll be going to the AMA's.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Yes.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

So super excited about that.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

That car's excited for you, too.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Very excited.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

It's so cool, too, because Bella came to that Rise event with you, and I remember her coming through vip, and I remember her telling me that she wanted to be an artist. And I was like, cool. You know, like supporting a teenager. But never in a million years would think that we'd be here, and she's doing these. These incredible things.

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[Podcast Host/Moderator]

What strikes me in all of your stories is that there was a really big opportunity for all of you to feel some imposter syndrome. To feel like, who am I to

[Rachel Hollis]

try and do this?

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Who am I to change these things? Is that something that you encountered and was there anything that helped you? Helped you? Is it just like pushing through and then gaining the confidence? Or is there something like. Liz, we can start with you. Like, how did you get to the other side of who am I to build a nonprofit?

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Oh, my gosh. Such. I mean, I have imposter syndrome. Sitting up here talking with all you guys, I'm like, how did I get here? No. Yeah, I think, you know, for sure, imposter syndrome. I've always, you know, struggled with self worth. And, you know, I'm sure there's a lot of people do just like, gosh, who am I to do this thing? You know? But I think for me, it was literally like looking at this tiny little baby that was so perfect. And so, you know, I just. That's just what drove me every day. Every single day, you know, And I still have that. Those feelings of, like, what am I doing here? Like, you know, who am I to, you know, sit up here and tell you guys anything? Like, why is that even important? But also, it is important because there's so many people that feel the way I feel and that have also, you know, struggled with kind of trying to get things off the ground. So I do feel like it's an important thing to, you know, be up here and tell. Tell your side of the story. Yeah.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

I also want to add, like, you're sitting here and we've collaborated over the years because you DMed me once.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

This is so true.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

That's why she's sitting here. And that's how I became aware of the organization. That's how we started donating to it. I got some socks.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Yeah, you got some socks in there.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

I was hoping. Oh, if you had the original Goldfish cracker socks, though, you were really crushing it. But that it's part of it too. Can I just say, for all of us, but for these women, it's the audacity. Can you have the audacity of a mediocre man for, like, one second and see how your life changes? Sorry, don't tweet that. And then she said, but it is. It's just like, I'm gonna try this thing and I'm gonna see what happens. And who knows? But in no way does that hurt you to just put yourself out there and see. And I really believe that when we step into who we're called to be, the rise up to meet us, and I think you're all living examples of that. Did you have any imposter syndrome trying to run a half marathon?

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Gosh, I was just. All the time, you know, especially until I really started, like, to lose the weight. And I felt like. I never felt like I fit in to this industry of, like, running or like, even when I'd go to, like, 5K, I did a bunch of 5Ks to begin with. I always felt like everyone was looking at me like, why is she here? Like, she gonna, like, walk the whole way if I stopped running. I'm like, oh, well, she's. You know what I mean? It was always a constant battle until I got out of my own head about it, where, like, no one's watching me. No one cares. I'm gonna do this for myself. And I've already lived 20 plus years being this person. And it's time for me to change into who I really was meant to be. And, and to be a success. And it's just the imposter syndrome. You just have to get. You have to work your way through it honestly until your highest level of achievement can get you through the next thing. And that's. That's truly what I leaned on during that process.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Yeah, and I think you have to be willing to get through the sucky part because it's. It's not going to be perfect. In fact, like I tell my students, because we have to teach them about social media and growing their businesses. I'm like, look, every. When you first start, make that first video, it's going to be terrible. Like, there's. You're going to hear all your ums and all the things, but if you're willing to just keep going and keep doing the work and keep getting visible in your business. And every video you make gets 1% better. And then every hundred times you do it, you're 100% better. And then you're getting better and better as you go. So if you can just get out of your head a little bit and also, like, starting to envision, you know, dream casting, vision casting forward to, like, what does that moment feel like when I am exactly where I want to be and start showing up as that person, it happens just that much faster.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

I mean, have you seen Post Malone's first video? I'm just saying, if you haven't, you should Google it.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Google that later. This one specifically for Liz and for Cindy. I would love if you could speak to growing a team, because you have both built something that you could not have done alone. And that means finding people who can support the vision and also probably along the way, finding people who you thought could support the vision but maybe actually weren't great. And then eventually. Anyone here have teams that you will go back to at work? Yeah, that can be a massive source of stress for so many people. So what did it look like for you to build a team, especially in the nonprofit space, because you're looking for people to buy into a vision that maybe doesn't exist elsewhere?

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Well, it took me about probably six years before I was, you know, we were ready financially to hire somebody else, so. And then it was like finding that I've never considered myself a leader. Right. Like, I mean, you can ask Jess as my associate director of operations back there. She's my first full time hire, y', all, other than me. But I've never considered myself a leader. And so I think when you start hiring people, you have to step into that. That leadership role and believe in yourself, you know, which has always kind of been a struggle for me. And I'm still, I still struggle with that. But. But, you know, now I have four people on my team, which, you know, for me is I'm hit the big time, y'. All. I've had the big time. But yeah, for me, just finding the right people. They have to. I'm a people person. I love, you know, talking with people, getting to know them. And so, you know, I feel like I have a good line on, you know, their. Their hearts and their intention. Intentions and authenticity. And yeah, I mean, I think I just start with, you know, start with that, like, how am I feeling, you know, with this person in this moment?

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Yeah, I think, you know, having a team is really important, but, you know, you want to kind of build it with always having your organizational goals in mind. The most important thing to me is that everyone on the team understands the mission. Like we are here to help people launch, grow and supersize their travel businesses. And we have one rule in our business. That rule is, is this thing that we're thinking about doing or this training we're creating or whatever, the million things that people bring ideas to the table, is that actually gonna help a person grow their business, grow their travel business specifically? And if the answer is maybe we don't do it, if the answer is yes, we do it, if the answer is no, we absolutely don't do it, that is still to this day the only question that gets answered in my company every single day. So building a team around understanding who we're serving in our industry and also how we're trying to help them and then also recognizing and this I is the hardest thing. And I have been in different leadership roles. I was in different leadership roles in corporate before I had my own business. But understanding sometimes your, your team needs to shift and change because the team you started with is not always the team that is going to get you to the next level of growth. And that can be a hard thing we're talking about. Being kind is clear, but also just understanding people can be the most well meaning, amazing people. But sometimes they're not any longer a fit for your organization and that's okay too. But being able to have those conversations and navigate to kind of what that next level is, is you have to do it sooner. Like we also talked about at lunch, like, you know, one of those things where it can hold your business back, having the wrong team in place too, and not recognizing that quickly. So as you grow as leaders and as you scale a team, just make sure that my best advice would be make sure everybody's aligned to the vision. And then also always one of the rules I have is inspect what you expect and whether they're on the marketing side, the operations side, the customer service side, what are your KPIs, your numbers that you're looking at, measuring to those, but also making sure people are doing, you know, because nobody's going to ever run your business like you would run it. You can't expect that either. If you get someone who's going to do it 80% good, they're solid, that's awesome. But inspect what you expect. And as long as those things are happening, then it should run just fine.

[Rachel Hollis]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

I also want to add, if you've never read it, there's a great book called the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which is really helpful in identifying the kind of employees that you have and who's coming into the structure. The last thing that I'd love to ask you guys is when you look to the future, you know, you're in this day. We're all here talking about this idea of elevating our life or our career. Do you have a vision for what the future looks like, whether that's personally or professionally that you are aiming at and, Or. Or that's what you're here to do today? If we're talking to you at, let's say, Rise Conference next year, what do you hope to be sitting on stage talking about? Jack, record this and then we could play it. I'm just kidding. I know.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

You're gonna do a yoga handstand. Yes.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

That's actually a great goal. We heard it here. Okay. Brianna is doing a yoga handstand on Rise Conference on the stage.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Right.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Perfect. Perfect.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

We love that goal. Is that really it? Or you have another one?

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

Oh, no, that really is one.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Yeah. I love it.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Oh, me. I think my goal is to, you know, I've been doing this for 15 years. I've put my heart and my soul and so much time into it. And I know it's going to be hard, but to kind of let somebody else take the reins and so I can, like, do more of the things that I love to do, like the telling, the storytelling and the awareness side of it and not do all of the, you know, other things. So that's. That's my dream and my goal.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Yeah. And you're. You kind of reach a cap in your business. Right. Where if you work in your business too much, you can't work on your business, like we were saying earlier. But I think my big vision is one, we want to be the number one provider of education in the travel industry through Wanderlust Campus. But also I want to serve so far past people that just. I just want to reach the. The people that we haven't reached yet. They don't even know we exist. They haven't thought about being a travel agent as a career. They haven't thought about what that could mean to exit the corporate system and have something they could do from home. So I think, you know, in terms of, like, if I'm setting a big goal, let's go ahead and triple the size of the business. Sounds good. We like that, right? We'll go with the.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

We're setting those big goals.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Yes. Queen. What Is it? Tell us.

[Cindy (Founder of Wanderlust Campus)]

Throw it down. Let's throw it down.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Mama wants to raise a million dollars so she can give it away. Yeah. I don't want to turn anybody away that ever comes to me for a scholarship. That is the hardest thing that I ever had to do and will ever have to do. And so if I can raise enough money to not have to do that, then that would be my top dog dream.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

Yeah. Well, to that end, I will just add. So, you guys know we haven't said this yet, but I have made a promise to Liz that for every Rise event we do, we will always give away a scholarship, which is $3,000. So we gave a scholarship for Rise Austin. And because you are here today, because you have bought a ticket, we will give a scholarship to another worthy, incredible student who is going to college. So thank you for contributing to that.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Thank you, guys.

[Podcast Host/Moderator]

And if anyone has a million dollars laying around that they want to give her, she will happily take it off your hands. I just. I really want to acknowledge you, and then I want our audience to acknowledge you as well. It is a really incredible thing that you have all done. And I hope that when we did the letter writing today, you felt that you've all changed your lives and your family's life and the legacy that you're leaving behind. These ripple effects are so much greater than I think you even realize. In all of these different ways, you have impact and you're doing the most incredible thing. And I know in my heart that someone who is sitting here today or someone who is watching this or maybe someone who listens to it in the future are going to hear stories that make them go, maybe I could do this. Yeah, maybe I have my version of that. So I. I sort of forced all of them to do this. None of them were that excited about it. And I just. I'm really grateful that you're willing to share your heart and your story, because it does help and it does change the way other women see themselves. So you guys give it up for these ladies.

[Rachel Hollis]

The rachel hollis podcast is produced by me, rachel hollis. It's edited by andrew weller and jack noble. Support is available 24.

[Brianna (Rise Instagram Famous, Half Marathon Runner)]

7 with Verbo Care.

[Rachel Hollis]

We're here day or night, ready whenever you need help.

[Liz (Founder of Ruby's Rainbow)]

Because a great trip starts with the right support.

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