Meet Christie Garcia | Ego Management Expert and Founder of Mindful Choice

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

Hi Christie, how does your business help the community?

Mindful Choice originally started to help bring humans back to business. Over the years the meaning behind that has evolved and has helped a lot of very ambitious people be more successful in all areas of their life not just work. Too often managers, leaders and business owners fall into the trap of working long hours and not shutting off work. They are so focused on accomplishing the next big goal, or completing a hard task, getting a new client, or helping their team succeed they forget about the rest of their world. Unfortunately, this unconscious mindset (I like to call the Ego) always leads to another bigger goal, a larger client, longer days, no time, and more distractions. These unconscious behaviors typically start to sabotage relationships, communication, time management, leadership, and it ultimately leaves us feeling exhausted, burnout, and at the end of the day you are just going through the motions and never feel like you are doing a good enough job.

The Mindful Choice Leadership Academy is designed to help successful people find even more success in their business and life. Our ultimate goal is to provide a deep level of self-awareness and ownership so individuals and team members can find a new way to lead with more intention. This Academy teaches people how to hold their integrity, communicate more effectively, be more intentional with their actions, thoughts, and behaviors, delegate successfully, coach and train team members, understand the value of self-care and balance, while holding themselves and others accountable.

The purpose of the Mindful Choice Leadership Academy is to:
1. Challenge people to be 1% better everyday.
2. Teach participants to control their mind so someone or something else won’t. (This is what I like to call, Ego Management)
3. To inspire people to be a better boss, leader, parent, spouse, friend, community member, and person in our world.

We all play a part in the success of our businesses, families, communities, schools, and global affairs. We can’t change others so if we are willing to change our own approach, we can inspire others to do the same. This is Ego Management at it’s finest.

What should our readers know about your business?

The thing that sets Mindful Choice apart from other coaches and leadership programs is the simplicity of the content. It is designed to help people take extreme ownership of their good, bad, and ugly behaviors. This creates authentic confidence so participants can intentionally show up and be their “best-self” instead of reacting to the stress and chaos of todays world.

The last two years I have been building and creating the digital format of the Academy. I am so incredibly proud of the product we have built. The 58 videos and 250 page workbook are truly my masterpiece. I told my husband when I finished that if I die tomorrow, I am confident this was my life’s work. I am so excited to have more people participate in the academy and transform their leadership, success, and happiness.

Running a business is never easy. There are always unexpected challenges that show up. Whether it’s internally believing in yourself and your product, finding the right customers and team members, creating financial stability and confidence even when you are just barely getting by. I am so grateful that I was blessed with the tools and knowledge of my business. I can honestly say, that as long as I practice what I preach I can overcome my challenges with less stress, clear focus, and more enjoyment.

The most important lessons I have learned over the years include:
1. Know your value. The sooner you know what you are good at and what you are worth, the sooner you will start to attract the clients who are meant to work with you. Saying “no” to a bad or difficult client or an opportunity that is not in your niche, is the most empowering thing you can do for your business.

2. Trust the process. Everything takes time so enjoy the ride. The challenges and roadblocks always get us to a better place. Quickly look for the lessons in the struggle and learn it! Then you can move on and be better for it.

3. Ask for help. This will not just make your life easier but it will free up time so you can be more present in your family and be more visionary in your business.

4. Time is money so hire the right experts! This is something I wish I did much sooner. If you know your product and you are clear on your vision, hire the agency or team members to help you execute your plan. The longer you wait the more money you will spend.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh this is such a fun question! I love to host so this is something I do often. When my girlfriends come to visit, the first stop is usually my home. We live on 160 acres so we get to enjoy fresh air, hikes, good food and wine, playing ball with our pups, along with quad rides, and feeding our cattle. After we get our fix of nature we typically make some day trips into town or stay a night or two in hotels. Some of my favorite spots are: North SLO County:
Day 1: Breakfast at Brunch in Paso Robles is always a fun way to kick off a girls day. Then exploring all the little shops, especially the General Store. It’s such a great place to find unique things from the area. I love lunch at Taste and then head out to the market walk for more shopping and cupcakes at Just Baked. I love to go to The Hatch or Della’s.
Day 2: Wine tasting and enjoying the social scene of the area is always fun. I love spending an afternoon at Tin City. There are so many good spots. Some favorites are Nicora, Sans Liege, and Aaron. You can’t beat an evening at Barrel House especially when they have live music. Negranti Ice Cream is a huge favorite for me so that is usually a must stop as well.
Day 3: A coast day is a must. I love to hike Harmony Headlands, and go to breakfast at the Hidden Kitchen. Then cruise up the coast and explore the Antique shops in Cambria and head to San Simeon to enjoy lunch at the Hearst Winery.
Day 4: I love cruising without a plan. This day could look like going to Shell Beach to enjoy brunch at Lido’s or grabbing a delicious treat from Old West Cinnamon Rolls in Pismo Beach. I love to grab a picnic lunch from Depalo & Sons Market, and head over to Leticia Winery for bubbles and bocce ball. For a real treat we’ll end the day at Cracked Crab for dinner.
Day 5: Kayaking Morro Bay and enjoying all the special gems in the area. I love the antique shops, sweet shops, and wine bars. Favorite spots include: Tognazzini’s Dockside Too for delicious food and live music, Taco Temple has the most delicious calamari tacos and carrot cake, and Milanes Cuban Food has the best Cuban sandwich.
The rest of the week would be full of good conversations, dominoes, and finding new things to enjoy.

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?
Mindful Choice would not be where it is at today without all the support I’ve had. I’d like to send a shoutout to: – My amazing clients who choose to show up and do this work. Their success and appreciation reminds me everyday why I am so committed to this work.
– All the contractors I’ve had the pleasure of working with on this journey – Thrive Courses, Tanner Smith, and Spark Marketing. You are helping to make Mindful Choice Leadership Academy bigger than me. I am so grateful for you!
– My executive assistant, Natalie Fahrmann, who makes my job easier every day. She is a huge part of my success and growth this last year.
– My family and parents are my biggest fans. They have taught me so much about hard work and resiliency over the years. I can always count on them to pat me on the back and tell me when I’m not showing up as my best-self.
-And most importantly, I want to give a huge shoutout to my wonderful husband who supports me and all my crazy ambitious ideas. I am so blessed to have him on this journey with me. I truly would not be where I’m at without him.

Website: https://www.mindfulchoicecoaching.com/academy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulchoice_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiegarcia/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindfulchoice