Meet Hallie Avolio | Coach + Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hallie Avolio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hallie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
The narrative around work-life balance is as toxic as the office gossip who spreads everyone’s personal business like wild fire.

Somewhere along the line we were told that “work” and “life” are meant to be equally weighted sides of some idealistic scale. Further, if we are able to actually achieve this equilibrium – and then MAINTAIN it – we will also be balanced, harmonious, and live a perfect life.

It’s time to bust this myth and start to change this story to one that is more realistic, approachable, and authentic to our actual lives.

First of all, in today’s world, work and life are often intertwined. If you are an entrepreneur, you know that YOU are as integral to the success of your product or service as the thing you are selling. That doesn’t mean that we are meant to work all the time or that we have to divulge the nitty-gritty details of our personal lives to our customers. What it means is that our life includes our work, and our work is part of our life. Sometimes a work event takes center stage, and other times, we put our personal business first. We have to start with identifying our priorities and then discerning what needs our attention in the moment. And always leading with our core values so that we choose based on our authentic desires.

Secondly, the word balance is misleading. When I hear the world balance, I immediately picture scales – like the imagery associated with the legal matters or with the zodiac sign Libra. And when I think of scales, I think they must be on an even plane; in balance. However, when we are discussing the concept of work and life and balance, it is impossible to make these two parts of ourselves 50/50. As stated above, work is part of life, and life is part of work. These two parts are more in an ebb and flow. At times, work consumes more of our time and energy, at other times, personal life and family take the lion’s share. As we make peace and accept this to be true, we feel less pressure to create artificial balance that is unrealistic to sustain.

I propose that we take a more holistic approach to how we live our lives and break it down by three key relationships – our relationship with ourself, our relationship with others, and our relationship with money and time. When we consider how we spend our life and find flow and alignment, it is much more approachable to divide our energies by these relationships rather than ambiguous categories like “work” and “life”.

As I have spent the past few years developing and nurturing these relationships in my own life, I have found a sense of balance and flow that leaves me feeling confident, secure, and peaceful.

Whereas I used to feel like working 80 hours per week at my corporate job warranted partying hard and long nights on the weekend, I now know that how I choose to spend my time and prioritize my energy is based on what is important in the moment. If I’m working on a big project for my company, I am excited to commit hours and energy to bringing that project to life. When that project is aligned with my core values, I’m not burning the midnight oil praying for Friday night to arrive faster so I can blow off some steam.

The more we begin to do the inner work to cultivate authentic relationships with ourselves, others, and money and time, the more we find balance is a natural by product of our choices.

Work and life are not mutually exclusive parts of our existence. The more we can live an integrated and aligned lifestyle, the more we will create a flow that feels good to us most of the time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am on a mission to empower 1,000,000 In-Demand Women to live their F*ck Yes Life.

This is a life that is aligned with your core values, feels authentic and true, and when you wake up in the morning – even on your toughest days – you say “F*ck Yes! This is my life and I’m designing it!”

There are countless coaches, authors, motivational speakers, gurus, and experts all sharing their ideas of how to help you live a life you love.

What sets me apart is my relentless pursuit of finding what truly works for as many people as people, and taking a holistic approach to personal development. Whereas many people in my field focus on one idea or concept or strategy, I bring in a model that leverages 3 key relationships in our lives.

Our relationship with ourself, our relationship with others, and our relationship with money and time. Further, I approach these relationships through the lens of mindset and intuition. It’s not just what we think about our how we analyze these relationships, but it’s how we feel about them in our bodies. The last piece of the puzzle is the most important. Once you know and feel into these relationships, then you must take action. Taking action is often a step that is overlooked when you hear a motivational speaker or read a self-help book.

Often, there are tips and tools and ideas, but the accountability of action is missing. I offer bite-size actionable takeaways that create sustainable practices that truly allow us to design our F*ck Yes Life.

What I’m most excited about right now is a book project I’m working on. For the past 5 years, I have taught over a hundred classes, coached individual women all over the world, and created more content than I ever thought possible. Now, I’m putting all of that together into a non-fiction manuscript that will put all of this together in one beautiful package.

While I know that writing a successful book is a huge process and journey, I’m ready to take on the challenge because I feel it in my entire being that this is my time to do so.

Speaking of challenges, there have been many on my entrepreneurial path. I would say one of the biggest ones is overcoming the “noise” in the marketplace. Focusing my business mainly in the online space, I observe so many other coaches and experts doing work similar to what I do. It takes a lot of grit and tenacity to keep showing up. It takes a thick skin to promote a course or workshop only to have no one sign up. It takes a lot of determination to keep reminding yourself that you are creating something that only you can create and that you are of high service and worthy no matter what.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from my experience is that if you really want something, not only do you have to go after it, but you also have to be willing to fight for it and fight for yourself. Anything worth having is worth fighting for, and sometimes you really have to dig into your inner depths to find the strength to keep going. However, it’s in those moments when I’ve been really tested that I’ve found the most gratitude and joy. And that is really what all of this is about.

If I could have one message that people think of when they think of me and my brand, I would want them to know that showing up for yourself and living your F*ck Yes Life is always worth it. Even with all the struggle and heartache, the joy and honor that comes from taking action aligned with your truest self, is the life worth living.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Santa Barbara, CA, so that perfect weekend would definitely include a lot of time outdoors!

I would start with a walk along Cabrillo Blvd on the bike path by the beach. We would park in the Garden Street lot and walk toward Reunion Kitchen for a nice meal and glass of wine or cocktail on their outdoor patio.

From there, we would grab a city rental bike and head back toward State Street where we would bike and stop at shops along the way. We would wrap up the evening with dinner at La Paloma and indulge in some high-end ranch style food and a flight of margaritas.

The next day we would start at the Botanical Gardens for a peaceful hike. We would pick up some coffee and croissants at Renaud’s Patisserie and eat them as we walk through the gardens.

After our hike, we would stop by the Santa Barbara Mission to enjoy the gorgeous rose garden and marvel at the picturesque architecture against the beautiful mountain views.

We would wrap up that day with a delicious dinner at the Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch and reflect on everything we are grateful for form our visit together!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to my husband, Paul Avolio, for always supporting me and encouraging me to follow my true path. There have been many twists and turns on my journey, and Paul has always been a guiding light to make sure I know how incredible I am and how my voice and ideas are needed in this world.

Right before I started my business, Paul and I were driving to a birthday party for my best friend. I felt this strong desire building within me to begin something new, something massive that was going to make a huge difference for women all over the world.

At the time, I was feeling both excited and also a huge dose of imposter syndrome. Paul reminded me, and continues to do so all the time, that I have a gift to share with the world that is making a difference.

As we continued to drive to the party, I felt my confidence bloom and I knew I was ready to take this big leap. Over 5 years later, I have created an incredible community of empowered women all over the world who are standing up for themselves and living their F*ck Yes Life.

If it wasn’t for Paul’s constant support, love, encouragement, and hugs, I wouldn’t be able to overcome the challenges of entrepreneurship. I am so grateful for him and I know that he always has my back.

Image Credits
Kacie Jean Photography