19 - Living Life by Design w/ Darrah Brustein

Thanks for tuning in and welcome back to Instant Impact with Elyse Archer. Today, Elyse is talking with Darrah Brustein, a writer and entrepreneur with articles on lifestyle design that have been read by over 1 million people across Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. Her motto "build a life of your own design, a career to fund it, and a network to support it" has inspired thousands to reach higher and dream bigger. Recently, Darrah launched the video series “Diving Deep With Deepak & Darrah” to make deep topics relatable and translatable into your life. Darrah and Elyse chat about challenging ourselves to be the writer of our own story—the artist of our own masterpiece. Ask the question “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” This is at the foundation of the idea of intentional networking. Darrah explains that it’s about surrounding yourself and connecting with people who elevate who you are and what you do. She shares some tips on how to do this, like building your network from where you are and starting with those who already know and trust you. That way, you can cut down time in this new arena. Elyse asks for some of Darrah’s Do’s and Don'ts for icebreakers. The wrong way, she says, is leading with “what do you do?” People want to be seen and want to know you can who they are first. Remember to add value first. A better thing to ask would be “what’s on your mind?” or “what brought you here?” Let them share what’s important to them so you can develop a more meaningful relationship. Darrah offers some insight into how she lives the life she does—meeting high profile people and connecting with an expansive network while maintaining happiness and freedom. A massive part of it, she says, is intention. It’s essential to reflect and make sure what you’re doing is working for you, specifically. Ask yourself if you’re on the right path. Are the dominos falling naturally or are you swimming upstream? Next, it’s realizing that it’s the people you know who will open the doors. By having that trust, you’re able to build long-lasting relationships with more people. Finally, having financial freedom can be attributed to side hustles. Do what you can to create flexibility for your pursuits. You don’t have to grind. Focus on effortless living. Darrah explains that this means to follow what is working and steer clear of what isn’t. What you’ll learn in this episode In today’s episode, Darrah shares her insight on what it takes to design a lifestyle that works for you through intentional relationship building. She lets us in on some tips on how to build meaningful, long-lasting relationships with people who may seem out of reach. She explains what we can do to cultivate a network in a new arena and how we can up-level by surrounding ourselves with people who elevate us. Links Connect with Darrah through her website, darrah.co. There, you’ll find her series with Deepak Chopra, a Masterclass on living a more meaningful life, Forbes articles, as well as helpful guides for designing a lifestyle that works for you. Request a free Brand Strategy Call: http://thebrandbuildersgroup.com/callelyse