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

Hi Olivia, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
Oh gosh yes, so many! I’m a huge affirmation fan. My favorite affirmation is “I have all I need”. This is something I started repeating to myself when I decided to run the NYC marathon in 2016. I was not a person who ran regularly so it would have been a stretch for me to run 5 miles let alone 26, but my dad was running it so I thought it would be fun to accomplish together and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

I had seen both my mom and dad previously run marathons and was honestly in awe of what our bodies can do and how our minds can help us get there. As soon as the training started, I was overwhelmed because it was pretty intense. I knew I would really need to believe in myself to get through the months of training and through the actual race. I started repeating “I have all I need” to myself over and over when running and it really helped me focus and feel more confident in my abilities. I really believe having that affirmation helped me complete the marathon!

Ever since then, it’s something that I repeat to myself whenever I’m approaching something new or challenging. In the past I used to look outside of myself for strength or encouragement or love, and with that affirmation it’s a nice reminder that everything you need you can create yourself.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
To be honest, I’m incredibly proud of my path. It took a lot of growth for me to become an empowerment coach. I had felt for awhile that I was meant to be more and do more than I was at the time – but I often let my actions show the opposite of that by allowing people or places to keep me small, allowing little things to stress me out or being hard on myself. Through a lot of self-reflection, therapy and tiny mindful choices everyday that helped me really tap into my true self and what fills me up, I was able to create my ideal life. I think it’s hard to be truly happy in life if you don’t take the intentional time to explore who you are and what that even looks like for you. I decided to become an empowerment coach to be there to guide people through their personal growth journeys and share everything that helped me. With the tools I’ve gained over the years, I’ve been able to create a peaceful mindset, deepen my self-understanding, increase my self-love and develop empowering habits that align with me. My intention with my coaching and really anything I do is to help share healing and happiness with as many people as possible. I believe we’re our own healers, and we’re all here to grow together and share what we know to help someone else. I’m always going to show up as best I can to show people they’re not alone and they have the power to live their fullest life.

I’d say the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my path is to be your own best friend and number one advocate. If you’re pursuing any big dream or goal, you have to believe that you’re worthy of receiving it. The road there will be a lot more enjoyable if you’re kind to yourself and confident in where you’re going. It’s so important to give to yourself first and protect your energy. Give yourself rest when you need rest. Give yourself dessert when you want it. Give yourself grace whenever you can. It’s so so so important to nurture the relationship with yourself and watch how that plays into other areas of your life too. Once I started truly trusting in myself and caring for myself unconditionally, my life expanded in the best ways possible. And that’s why I have my program, to share the ways I was able to grow into my best self, for anyone hoping to do the same.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I make a lil’ itinerary anytime one of my friends comes to visit so I love this question!

For Food: For breakfast: Coffee/tea and the brekkie sando from Good People Coffee, donuts from Sidecar, acai bowls from Backyard Bowls or smoothies from Sunlife. For lunch: a plate from Erewhon’s hot bar or Grain Traders. For dinner: Sugarfish, Jon and Vinny’s, Felix or Din Tai Fung. For dessert: Salt and Straw ice cream is necessary.

Drinks: Elephante! It’s such a vibe. Santa Monica Proper Hotel is so pretty, too. Rosenthal Winery in Malibu is always chill and fun!

Activities: Drive on PCH and stop somewhere in Malibu to take in the sunset!! Hike Runyon Canyon. Do The Wave Silent Disco on Venice Beach. Also, I always take my friends to David Zint’s SoulCycle class – it’s life changing!

LA is such an amazing place and whatever you end up doing here will be fun!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people in my life who have helped me become who I am today. I’m blessed to be surrounded by truly incredible people.

I wouldn’t be where I am without my amazing and supportive Mom and Dad. Everything I do is for them! My sisters: Lizzy and Jenny, who inspire me more than they know. My friends who always make me feel loved just by being myself. My therapist, who continually shows me new perspectives about myself and the world around me. My story wouldn’t be what it is without their love and guidance.

Website: www.oliviarhodes.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/oliviarhodes

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

Other: Clubhouse: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@oliviarhodes

Image Credits
Tara Tuls – Studio Vieren

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.