How to Practice Self-Love and Self-Growth at Any Age

Nikkiey: Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask you to do is leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else.

Nikkiey: You got deeper with yourself, and you had a why, and the why is also very parallel to the fitness space. It's like, well, why are you going after this new fitness program? Why do you want to start having a healthier look on food and having optimal health?

Nikkiey: What is going on, everybody? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show. Today, we have a special guest in the house, or virtually speaking, Olivia Eve, the host of a super popular podcast, For You From Eve, with over 200 episodes and a whopping 3 million listeners. That's so freaking cool, Olivia. Olivia's podcast is all about self-love, self-growth, and living your best life. She's been crushing it in Spotify's top education charts, helping women everywhere navigate their self-development journey in a totally down-to-earth way. So everyone listening, get comfy, and let's dive into some real talk with the one and only Olivia Eve. What's up, girl? I'm so stoked you're here.

Olivia: Thank you so much for having me. We just recorded together for my show, so we've already gotten comfortable with each other. We're in the convo now, and I'm so excited to record for you now.

Nikkiey: Yes, amazing. Guys, go check out her podcast for sure. That was a really fun episode that we just recorded. Cool. So let's get into it. Can you share a little bit about your personal journey and what inspired you to start the For You From Eve podcast?

Olivia: Yeah. So my name is Olivia Eve. I'm 23. I'm from New Jersey. And I started my podcast, as I was just telling you a little bit, almost three years ago now. The way I started it was very random. I've always had a very business mindset of, I want to create something. Since I was 12 or 13 years old, I was trying YouTube or an Instagram blog or a website or whatever it was. I always wanted to create something and I never knew what. And I felt like I was putting a lot of pressure on myself: I need to start a business, I need to do this, I need to have my own thing.

Olivia: When quarantine started, I actually had this wellness and wardrobe account where I posted fashion and wellness. But I feel like it was something I was just doing because I saw other people doing it, and I was like, oh, I could do well at this too. Then I did a coffee page at one point called Brewing Brunette, where I was posting my coffee recipes. I was just trying to do something.

Nikkiey: Wait, that's such a cute name.

Olivia: Yeah, Brewing Brunette. I know. RIP to her. But she was fun. My friends loved her. But I needed to be doing something for myself, and I wasn't succeeding in anything. Then I started to get into podcasts during quarantine, because there was nothing for me to do except go on walks. After walking so much listening to music, I was like, what else can I do? So I started to listen to podcasts. I was going to school in the city a little bit before that too, so I constantly had headphones in my ears. When I started listening to podcasts, I realized how much I liked them. I didn't even see it as a business opportunity. They weren't really that big at that point.

Olivia: I was always the friend that gave advice and sent audio messages. And I was like, you know what? I love listening to podcasts. Why don't I try creating one? I texted my friends one day three years ago and was like, who wants to start a podcast with me? No one was interested. But I was like, you know what? I'm going to try this out myself. So I started by recording 10 solo episodes just to get a feel for talking to the microphone, because it's not easy at all your first time, especially when you're talking to yourself. It's so weird. Then I recorded a bunch of episodes, got a bunch of friends that did some influencer stuff, started editing, and I put out 10 episodes within three days just to jumpstart it. But yeah, it started so randomly.

Nikkiey: Oh my God, I love that story. That is awesome. What I picked up there, taking some notes: entrepreneur at heart, forever learner. You're just a go-getter. And that solidified the go-getter mentality right there. You put out 10 episodes in three days. So you edited them all yourself.

Olivia: I was like, let me start it up. And then the following December, almost a year later, I posted an episode every single day from December 1st to the 25th called Evemas, like how people do Vlogmas. So I did that. And then I did that this past January too, because I was like, let me step it up a little bit.

Nikkiey: Girl. So guys, we caught up a little bit before we hit record on the podcast, and obviously we just recorded a podcast for yours. You're finishing up your degree in marketing. You're going to crush it in marketing. You're so creative with those names.

Olivia: Thank you.

Nikkiey: That is awesome. So cool. So with over 200 episodes under your belt, what have been some of the most rewarding episodes or lessons that you've learned from your podcasting journey so far?

Olivia: Yeah. So when I first started, it was very hard to talk to myself and by myself. I also had 36 followers on Instagram when I started. So it's not like I had people asking me questions like, oh, talk about this. No one cared about me. No one knew who I was. It was very tough for me to begin. And I started to reach out to all these influencers. This was the first year of me having my podcast. I think I was six or seven months in, and I maybe had five or 6,000 listeners.

Olivia: I reached out to my favorite YouTuber, Haley Sonny. I'm not sure if you guys know her, but she had over 500,000 followers on YouTube at this point and over 300,000 on Instagram. And I was like, she is never going to answer me, but I was just reaching out to anyone at this point. And she ended up responding to me. She was like, yeah, I would love to be on the show. That's when I realized that it wasn't necessarily my numbers that made people want to come on. It was more my content, or the way I was portraying myself on social media, or the way I was reaching out to them.

Olivia: That stood out to me a lot, because I was like, this girl with 500,000 followers that I've been watching on YouTube for years wants to be on this 5,000-listener show. It was one of those moments where I was like, it's not always about the numbers. It's about the approach. And that was a very outstanding episode for me, because I'm on Zoom with the girl I've been looking up to for the past two, three years.

Nikkiey: Wait, I love that so much, because I can totally resonate with that, even years into the game. I still had that thought process go through my head when I started to launch the podcast, of like, oh, this person's never going to be on it. The actions that you just took to follow through on it: you believed in yourself. You believed in your podcast. That's freaking awesome. I love that.

Olivia: Yeah. Even to this day, I reach out to people with millions of followers and I'm like, the odds of them seeing this are so slim. But if they do, that would be so cool. There's nothing to lose. If you DM the most famous person in the world and they don't answer, you have not lost anything except maybe four seconds of your time.

Nikkiey: Amen, girl. Yes. Go-getter right there. You are a straight go-getter. I love it. So your podcast focuses on self-love and self-growth. Why do you think these topics are so important? Especially for the women listening to this right now, who are 45, 55, 65 years old. They've got these paradigms that they're going through, and it's really hard to break paradigms to get the results they want in fitness, nutrition, everything along the fitness realm. Why do you think these topics are so important for women to dive into and really learn about?

Olivia: Yeah. Self-love and self-growth don't stop at any age. They don't start at any age. It's something that you go through your whole life. I always think of the fact that my mom or my grandma were just girls one day. As a daughter, I expect my mom to have it all together. Like, oh, she's had it all together. And then I'm like, wait, this is her first time experiencing life too. When we travel to a new place, that's her first time seeing it too.

Olivia: And it hits that at the end of the day, everybody has an innocence to them. When you focus more on that innocence... when I have a bad day with myself and I'm like, I don't like the way I look today, I don't like the way my body looks in this outfit or the way my skin looks, I think of inner me, that five-year-old version of myself. Or if you're older, that 21-year-old version of yourself, whatever it is. She still lives inside of me. And when you view it that way and you legit picture little you inside of you, that is the same girl. It makes you want to speak kinder to yourself. That's how I view things.

Nikkiey: Girl, I love that so much. I just got full body chills. That's powerful.

Olivia: That's how I view it, because of the things I used to say or think to myself. I used to be very insecure. When it comes to my self-love and self-growth journey, I used to be like, I'm not leaving my house because my skin looks bad. I'm not leaving my house because my body looks bad. And I was also in certain friendships and relationships that didn't make me feel good, where I felt self-conscious. I felt insecure. I didn't feel desired or wanted, or whatever it is. That comes with being a woman in your 20s sometimes.

Olivia: It took a lot of time and healing for me to step back and be like, wait, I offer all of this. I have all these amazing qualities. It's not an easy place to get to. But when you get there and you know who you are, you know what you bring to the table, and you protect that younger version of yourself internally, it does not matter what other people say about you or think about you. It does not affect you at all. And I think a big thing with self-love is other people's opinions. That is why we get so down on ourselves.

Nikkiey: Yeah, absolutely. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth is what I love to say. Whenever you're trying to do something better for yourself, or you're trying to get into a fitness program, or you're trying to eat better or work out, you will always have people around you who are still on the journey you've been on that wasn't serving you. Sometimes you've got to let go of the dead weight. You've got to be like, okay, I'm focusing on this for myself. And some people may fall out. Then you're going to accrue new friends and new people who are on the same goal or the same mission you're on, and you surround yourself with like-minded people. Man, full body chills on that, like I just said. That's powerful stuff. And like I said when I caught up with you before, you're so young. To have that kind of thought process at that age, girl, the sky's the limit for you. That's awesome.

Olivia: Yeah. And I grew up in a very traditional household. Like I was telling you before, my parents are not from here. They're from Assyria. I grew up with a very "this is how things are going to be" mindset, not with my parents directly, but with the community you're in. This is how you're supposed to dress. This is how you're supposed to act. This is the role you're supposed to play, all this stuff. I grew up with people looking at the things I was doing, the actions I was taking, the things I was wearing. I feel like society moved with us a little bit, in the sense of, okay, we're not from the villages. This is something we're going to grow with.

Olivia: So growing up with eyes on you, or growing up with a reputation you want to uphold, can put a lot of pressure on you. But like I was saying before, when you look back, you're like, I'm just a girl. That is all I am at the end of the day. My mother is just a girl. My grandma is just a girl. My sister. We're all just human beings. I used to always care what people thought about me because I wanted to uphold and portray a certain reputation. And then I was like, you know what? If I want to live the traditional role of being a stay-at-home wife and a stay-at-home mom and all that, but I also want to be a businesswoman, I can do both. I don't have to pick and choose which path to take. I can do whichever one I want. And when I started to live life for myself, I started to grow more as a woman.

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Nikkiey: Wait, okay. I resonated so hard with you on that. I've actually never shared this on the podcast, but you've grown up in a similar way to the tradition I almost walked into, which I shared with you on your podcast. Everyone listening knows that I was engaged, but I've never gone into the family I was walking into. It was a Lebanese family, and that was the traditional way.

Olivia: I knew you were going to say that in a second, because I remember you said Arab.

Nikkiey: Yeah, yes. What I shared on your podcast was that I know myself from how I was when I played sports: basketball, field hockey, track. Very confident, very much a go-getter. Sports were my purpose. And then I lost myself in that relationship a little bit, took a backseat, and almost walked into the tradition and what that tradition brings. Don't get me wrong. I freaking love that tradition. That family unit is fire. The food is amazing. But it just didn't align with me and with what was expected of me if I was to walk into that lifestyle. Like you, I am very ambitious. I want to achieve things. I want to prove to myself that I can do these things. And I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that. So you just sharing that...

Olivia: It's so interesting, because I'm a go-getter, but I'm also like, one day I'm not going to want to do this forever. And like you said, you were walking into that, and that is not an easy thing. I've talked to guys who have said, you are not allowed to work. And I've talked to guys who are like, do what you want, but know that you don't have to work. If you want to work, go ahead, but you don't have to. Because I go for men from my community, I know that Arab, Lebanese mindset you were talking about.

Olivia: It's one of those things where I feel like you don't have to pick and choose. I grew up being like, I'm going to be the breadwinner and I'm going to be this. And as I'm getting older, I'm like, you know what? I'm kind of good at home one day. I don't need to do this forever. I like to do both. I like to have my goals and my own thing for myself. I'm also 23 and single. So if there's a time for me to chase my dreams, it's now. If someone comes into the picture, great. I will devote my life to my husband and my kids when that is the time. But right now is not the time for that.

Nikkiey: Totally hear you on that. Amen again, man. And full body chills is just going to be my comment throughout this entire podcast. But I want to circle back to what you mentioned about speaking to the little girl inside of you. If you're 16, there's a little girl inside of you. If you're 25, there's a little girl inside of you. If you're 45, there's still a little girl inside of you. The women who are 45 years old specifically, because that's who we're talking to through this podcast, or in their thirties, and some of them are even in their seventies, carry certain narratives along the way. Like, oh, my skin doesn't look good. Or, I have the menopause now. When we go through menopause, they're calling this stomach stuff, the flabby skin and fat on their belly, the menopause belly. And they're carrying these narratives all throughout. But what I love about what you said is, would you be talking to your little self that way? Would you be having those conversations and telling that little you that you have a menopause belly? The paradigms need to shift, and the self-love and self-growth you're talking about need to be practiced more.

Olivia: Yeah. I remember the reason I got into that mindset is because I was asked once, if you could travel back in time, where would you go and why? Or what would you do? And I was like, I would travel back to when my parents were my age, and I would sit with them before they were married, before they had me, before I was even a thought. And I'd be like, what are your goals in life? Do you guys want to get married? What do you want to do with work? And see if they've accomplished the things they want to accomplish. Because whether you don't have kids or you have kids, you have a house, you're married, you are still your own person.

Olivia: A lot of the time we allow the things or the people in our lives to become our identity. It's okay to identify as a mother, as a wife, as a friend, as a sister, but you're still you. You're still that younger version of yourself who has grown up all those years, and that needs to be separated from everything else. Because if you don't fulfill yourself individually, you're not going to be able to fulfill the role of a wife or a mother or a sister or a girlfriend.

Nikkiey: Yes. Amen. It's like that saying about the oxygen mask on an airplane: you have to put it on yourself first before you put it on your kids or your husband or anyone else around you.

Olivia: Yeah. You've got to focus on you first. And we're so focused on the physical as women, because let's just be honest about society, that's what matters to a lot of people. But when you think about it yourself... I saw this, I think it's a TikTok sound or something: I've never once thought about the girl I saw at the pool years ago who had extra belly fat. You can't think of a time when that happened. So why are you focusing on it in yourself? Do you think other people are thinking that about you? It's such irrelevant little things. Just focus on how you feel. Do you wake up with functioning legs and functioning arms? Do you have the capability to go to the gym? You are blessed enough if you get to walk out of bed in the morning.

Olivia: So focus on that instead of what you look like. What do I look like versus what do I feel like? It's such a blessing to just wake up and breathe. It is literally the biggest blessing. I wake up every morning and I pray to God, thank you. You're not done with my story yet. That is the blessing in life.

Nikkiey: Yes. Oh my God. I love that so much. So you're kind of sharing some practical tips here, or strategies for someone who's just starting out on their journey or continuing on their journey. Like you, waking up every day saying, my story still goes on, I still have to write my story. I love that. Can you share some practical tips that you've shared on your podcast, or strategies for women who are maybe just starting out on this self-discovery, personal growth journey?

Nikkiey: Hey, I just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I hope you're enjoying it, and there's so much more to come. If you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button. I'd appreciate that tons, and it would also help this podcast reach others who need to hear these messages too. Thanks so much, guys. Let's get back to the show.

Olivia: Yeah. So I'm very faithful, so prayer is a huge thing for me. Whether you pray, you meditate, or you journal, it's about clearing and working out your mind. As much as it's great to work out the physical, you have to work out the mental and emotional. A big thing is who is around you, who is in your circle. I always say, if you're the smartest person in the room, find another room, because you are not going to grow. You are not going to grow in a room where people are stagnant and not changing and not growing. You will think that what you're doing is enough when in reality you could be capable of so much more. If you put me in a room with millionaires, I'm going to be like, whoa, I have a lot of work to do. But if you put me in a room with people who don't get off the couch, I'm going to be like, I'm great, I'm doing great for myself. No, you need to put yourself in a different room.

Olivia: I've had to cut people out of my life because they made me feel unworthy. Like, oh, this person doesn't want to be friends with me. And that's kind of a younger girl thing, I guess. Like, oh, I'm not in their friend group. But that carries with you. You might always feel unsupported or left out. So focus on who's around you. Are you around people who are supportive of the things you do? Or when your success is talked about, are they the quiet ones? Focus on who's quiet when you're being talked about in a positive way and whose ears are out when you're being talked about in a negative way. I always think like that. And if someone is cut out of your life and you don't know why, I always say, God hears conversations you didn't hear. So just trust that they were meant to not be in your life. That wasn't going to help you grow.

Olivia: As for practices that I do: I love working out. I love going to the gym. I love going on walks. I love reading self-help books. That's one of my biggest things right now, annotating self-help books, reading my Bible and really highlighting it, and spending a lot of time with my family. Family is so important to me. And learning about my culture and about life in general. You really only have one life, and I want to learn as much about my life and my family and my past as I can. It also takes your mind to the fact that the world is so much bigger than these little things. The world is so much bigger than this pimple on my cheek. It really changes your perspective.

Olivia: And don't put so much pressure on, I need to love myself, I need to love myself. If you do these practices and you wake up every morning and choose to love yourself that day, just that day, and be like, okay, you know what? Tomorrow I'll hate myself; today I'll love myself. Just keep doing that over and over again. Eventually you're going to see how much about you there is to love.

Nikkiey: Wow. Okay. I wrote down a couple of things. There's a lot I want to unpack.

Olivia: Let's unpack it.

Nikkiey: Yeah. But first, I love what you said, because there's that saying out there: you are the five people you hang out with the most. So look at your core group of people. What are they like? Are they the couch potatoes? Or are they ambitious and fun and going after life, waking up every single day blessed to have this day, and then doing something about it to make a positive impact in the world? Or are they the other side of things? I love the comment you made that God hears conversations you didn't hear. Wow. That's powerful.

Nikkiey: What I resonate with the most, and I want to touch on a couple of other things too, is that you mentioned you cut yourself away from people. I know there are women listening to this who are surrounded by people who are having Five Guys, and having Five Guys every once in a while is great, but they're eating unhealthy, drinking a lot of alcohol, not really living the active, healthy lifestyle. And then there's a woman who wants to get healthier and put her health first. I have a personal story too. When I started out on my journey, I had a group of friends who were doing that, and I had to be the DD and separate myself from that. Then they started to fizzle out, and I was on my own path to creating more friends who are in alignment with what I'm doing. How did you do that? A lot of people are probably struggling with having to do that themselves.

Olivia: Yeah, it's not easy. I've had to cut off friendships that were over 15 years long. A big thing for me was, I don't need to text this person and be like, we're not friends anymore, bye. It was more slowly distancing myself, to the point where, if God doesn't think this person is meant to be in my life, He will have them do the same. And now this person is cut off. I'm never going to be someone who says, you can't call me if you need me. At the end of the day, anyone I've had love for, I will always have that in my heart for them.

Olivia: But I've had friends in my life who would talk down on me, or say things behind my back, or I would tell them something and they would share it with someone else. If they were going out drinking and I was like, eh, I don't really feel like drinking, they'd be like, you're so boring, you're 21, you should want to do these things. And then I've had friends who were like, okay, cool, still come out with us if you want, even if you don't want to drink, we'll still have a good time. It's all about people's approach, I guess.

Olivia: Being in your young twenties, when you're supposed to be enjoying things, and not enjoying them the way the people around you are makes you think, is something wrong with me? Why don't I want to do this? I was in a relationship going into my twenties. I'm not anymore, but you don't really even have the urge for it at that time. And I was surrounded by people who were single and wanted to go out all the time. I was like, why don't I want to do these things? They were making me feel like I was weird, like there was something wrong with me. I wanted to live a quiet life. Now all of a sudden everyone wants to live a quiet life, but at the time I wanted it, it was weird and not something to do.

Olivia: If you're nervous to do that, or you're wondering how to remove this person from your life without it becoming drama or a situation, you don't have to text someone to say, you're not good for me, bye. You can literally just not reach out to them. I'm one of those people where, if you treat me like a friend, I'll treat you like a friend. But the second you do something or show me who you are, I'll believe you the first time. If you make it known that we're not friends, great. You will not get treated like a friend by me. I am not someone you're going to step over. As much as I'm girl-powered and self-love, I'm also Middle Eastern. You are not going to step over me. And I've let people do that.

Nikkiey: Right there too.

Olivia: Yeah, it really is, because people will take your kindness for weakness. And I think kindness is your biggest strength. Being kind through those moments is so empowering, but it gets to a point where people are really going to take advantage of you, and they're going to see you as someone who'll let them do whatever they want. She'll forgive me. I can say whatever. She won't really get bothered by it. And internally it will mess you up. Even if you don't act like it bothers you on the outside, if it's bothering you internally, you're just messing yourself up for someone else.

Olivia: So just distance yourself and detach. Don't ask this person to hang out. If you see them in a room, you can go say hi to them. You don't have to ignore them across the room. We're mature women. We don't have to do that. I've been in situations with people recently where I think I'm friends with this person, and then they do or say something and I'm like, oh, I guess I'm not. Then I see them in a room and I'm like, hi, how are you, and I turn the other way. I don't have to sit there and fake a conversation with them.

Olivia: And I have friends who text me, congrats on this, on your podcast, and I'm like, oh my God, you saw that? It still shocks me to this day that people actually care and can be supportive. So surround yourself with, and pay attention to, who's focusing on your accomplishments, and don't be afraid. This is your life. Why are you afraid to hurt someone else's feelings? You're the main character in your own story. You get to choose who's around you. You get to choose who's in the chapter. Unlock those characters yourself. You don't have to go by anyone else's rules.

Nikkiey: Yeah, I love all that. To me, I look to be respected, not liked. I don't care if you like me or don't like me, but as long as you respect me, that's all that matters. And it's the same with those I surround myself with. And then there's energy. If you're questioning how to get rid of people, or who is in your space that's not right for you, you can tell by what that person's energy is like toward you when you're around them. Does it make your energy meter go down? Then you need to distance yourself and stay away from that individual. If that person is in your space and asking how you are as a human, celebrating your successes, like you're saying, surround yourself with more people like that. If they're helping you, making sure you're getting in your workouts and eating right, that is a friend through and through. But if they're like, why are you going to work out? Why are you eating like that? It's like, bro. Come on, man.

Olivia: Energy and intention. There's intention behind what people say. Someone asks, are you seeing someone? "Oh, that's so exciting" versus "Oh, are you seeing someone?" There's intention and energy behind everything. What information are they asking for? Are they asking how you're doing or what you're doing? That's a big thing I focus on. After my breakup, there were people wondering how I was doing, and there were people wondering what I was doing so they could talk about it. Pay attention to that and pick up on it.

Nikkiey: Damn. Yeah.

Olivia: Especially coming from the traditional culture I come from. People talk, and I hear things, and I know to stay away.

Nikkiey: Yeah. So let's talk about how you got so big with your podcast. If people want to get into the podcast space, like I mentioned, you're in Spotify's top education charts. It's huge. So what are some tips if someone wants to start their own podcast and do it? How do they get there?

Olivia: I know this is the most annoying answer, but it is the truth. It's be consistent. And I don't mean...

Nikkiey: Wow, wait, there's a parallel there. Consistency. Be consistent in your fitness routine and you're going to get results. No way. So you're telling me be consistent with podcasting.

Olivia: Exactly. People think consistency means a week. They think consistency means a month. No, I mean be consistent. At the end of the day, if you love doing something... and we talked about this on my show too, having a why, having a reason. Why do I want to start a podcast? Let's say for me it was, oh, because I want to make money. Money is an endless goal. That is an infinite goal. It's like at the gym: what do you want to do? I want to lose weight. Okay. You're going to lose five pounds and then you're going to want to lose 10. Then you're going to lose it. What is your actual reasoning?

Olivia: When it came to my show, I didn't even know you could make money from a podcast when I first started. I think I made maybe $30 in one year. I did not know you could make money from it. I was also a sophomore in college. I didn't know what I was doing. I was just uploading episodes. And my reason was, I've always wanted to help women with their self-love journeys, their self-growth journeys, their mindset. I'm the oldest sister, the first niece on both sides, the first granddaughter on both sides. I didn't have that guidance. When you grow up in a traditional household, you don't have those conversations with your mom in high school, like, oh, I'm seeing this guy. It's no, you're not allowed to talk to a guy, and you have to be home by 9 PM. So I didn't grow up having someone to go to for those things. I wanted to play that role of a big sister: these are things girls need advice on, and I'm going to talk about them, even if it's an uncomfortable thing to talk about. Obviously I have limits. But that was my reasoning. That was my why. I'm doing this because I want to help women with this, and it will help me too.

Olivia: That was my big reason, and that's how I stayed consistent. I go through my DMs now and I see lives that I'm changing, or women's days that I'm changing, and I'm like, this is why I do it. When you see a DM like that, you don't want to miss an episode upload that week. You're like, I have to get this up because this person wants me to talk about it. Consistency really is number one.

Olivia: That's why I did the series called Evemas, where I uploaded an episode every single day for the month of December. I started it two years ago. This was during finals season. I was absolutely miserable, sleeping at four or 5 AM. It was rough, but it was so worth it, because that was around the same time that I started trending. And I was like, wow, this is insane. The work I put in is actually doing something. The beginning is the hardest part, because you don't see any results in the beginning. So you're like, why am I doing this? Why am I working hard? Why am I posting and putting in all these hours if nothing comes from it? And then one day you have that moment.

Olivia: I remember the first time I saw that I was on the charts. I told my sister, I need to start taking this podcasting thing seriously. I've been doing it for six, seven months now and nothing's come from it. Maybe it was a year at this point. So I was like, let me book a photo shoot in the city to actually create cover art for myself. The photo shoot was me and my sister in a studio we rented in New York, literally just the two of us taking pictures on an iPhone. It was nothing serious. And as soon as we were done taking pictures, and I'd made this mark of, I'm going to actually do this now and go all in, I looked at my phone and saw that I was trending number one in the UK top education podcasts. I was freaking out. I couldn't believe that the day I decided to go all in, all the work I'd been putting in paid off. And when you see results, you get so motivated. So just be consistent, and know that if you're doing it right and doing it for the right reasons, you will see results at the end of it.

Nikkiey: Amen. How long have you been doing it?

Olivia: I've been doing it for three years.

Nikkiey: Three years, you guys. Three freaking years. And like you said there, you can make money doing a podcast. Cool. But we talked about this on your podcast: that's a superficial goal. You got deeper with yourself and you had a why. And the why is also very parallel to the fitness space. Why are you going after this new fitness program? Why do you want to start having a healthier look on food and having optimal health? Why? And a lot of women's answers to that are, I just want to look better. I want to feel better. I want to lose a couple of pounds. And I'm like, cool, that's superficial. Let's go a little bit deeper. Why do you want to do this?

Olivia: That's an infinite goal that will never have an ending to it. You don't need a destination all the time, but you need to have something deeper. And that was my deeper reason: other girls, other women.

Nikkiey: Yeah. Positively impacting other women in this space, a hundred percent, which you are totally doing. You guys have to go listen to her podcast. But I love the parallels you just shared, because there are so many. The way you do one thing is how you do everything. I love that quote too. Whatever you set your mind to, if you're consistent and follow through, even when, like you said, the beginning wasn't showing you the results you wanted, you just kept going no matter what, because you knew the payoff was going to be so rewarding. And it is, which is so freaking cool. So keep consistent, be consistent. A couple of minutes ago you talked about being deep into books and reading the Bible and things like that. Can you share a couple of favorite self-development books that are top of mind?

Olivia: Yeah, we talked a little bit on my show about Atomic Habits. I can reread it 10 times and learn something new each time. It's one of those books I fully grasp. I love The Mountain Is You, which is all about...

Nikkiey: Yeah. Yeah.

Olivia: Brianna Wiest, her books. I bought every single one of her books for my room. I'm going through a period right now where I love it. I forgot the name of the other one, I have the essays one. Oh, The Pivot Year. The Pivot Year is really good. But it's all about turning self-sabotage into mastering yourself. I never saw myself as someone who self-sabotages. And then I read her work and I'm like, oh my God, I do that. Wow, I do self-sabotage.

Olivia: A lot of the time when there are things in our life that are really good, and we're not used to good, when we're used to toxic relationships, used to people speaking to us in a toxic way, used to failing, when things start going right we're like, I need to ruin this before it ruins me. We get into this defensive mode of, I can't let this good thing or this good person come into my life because they're going to ruin me eventually. And we miss out on so many good things. That book really taught me it's okay. Love and lose. It's okay to not get that job opportunity. Things work out if you trust that they're meant to work out for you and you believe that you deserve it.

Nikkiey: That's so good. I love that.

Olivia: Yeah. Those are my top ones. And my Bible. I grew up very, very religious, a very Christian Orthodox girl. Through the years of high school, I wasn't very active in it. And then recently, my faith saved me through everything. I dealt with really bad anxiety and really bad depression, especially after a breakup. It's a really weird transition, obviously. You date someone for so long and then you're alone. The depression and heartbreak are something that, unless someone has experienced it, they really don't know what it's like. And that brought me so much closer to my faith, because I was having such down moments where I was like, I'm never going to get out of this.

Olivia: If I went to a bar or a club, I had the worst anxiety. I'd have to go to the bathroom and do breathing exercises because I would just get so anxious. And I would hold my cross, and everything would be okay for me. Once I realized the power my faith had for me, it brought everything together. So that's my biggest guidance in life.

Nikkiey: Yeah. That's super powerful. The world is so big. God is so big. The universe is so big. I firmly believe in a higher power. I love that. And faith is so important. You have to have faith in yourself, but also that somebody is helping you and guiding you. Even in the story you told about being consistent with the podcast, there was a point where you hit the charts, and that was God showing you, hey, this is your journey. This is the path you're meant to be on. And I'm here proving it and showing it to you.

Olivia: Yeah. He rewards those who deserve to be rewarded. I always say, "and suddenly the dream started chasing her." That's in my room. Because if you put in the work every single day, opportunities and dreams will start chasing you. God will reward you. I promise. If you're listening to this, I literally just want to reach through the headphones, shake you and be like, don't stop. Just keep going. I promise you it all works out in the end.

Nikkiey: I love that. You can really feel your passion and your purpose through your words, Olivia. You really do want to help as many women as possible with self-love and self-growth, and to know that it's all there for them, it's all possible. Is there anything I'm missing that you want to share with the audience that we haven't touched on?

Olivia: I know a lot of the time when I speak, anyone who's older than me is probably like, oh my God, shut up, you're so young. And I get it. I don't have a mortgage. I don't have kids. I don't have a husband. I understand that. Everyone is in a different stage. Everyone has different opportunities. But at the end of the day, we all have today. That's what I always say. I've talked to older women and they're like, yeah, but you don't have kids, you don't have that. And I'm like, but I have today. I have my own things. You have your own things. Everyone has their own things going on in life. But one thing we have in common is that we both woke up this morning and we're both going to go to sleep tonight.

Olivia: When it comes to saying, I can't do this... I still get in that mindset where I'm like, no, I can't do that, there's no way I can do that. Even at the gym, my friends are like, oh, squat this, and I'm like, I can't. And then I'll do it. And I'm like, okay, I know. If you say, I can't do this, who is telling you that? If it's you yourself, great, you can control that. If someone from the outside is telling you that you can't, great, you don't have to listen. It really is just having a powerful mindset. And that's not something that happens overnight. You have to take time to heal that inner child or that negative mindset you have. But you can wake up and choose to be happy. You can just wake up and choose to have a good day.

Olivia: Focus on one thing at a time. Don't think, what am I going to look like in a few weeks or a few months if I follow this? Focus on what you're going to feel like today, and do that every single day. In a few months, you're going to look back and be like, whoa, I can't believe it. If you'd told me a year ago I'd be in the mindset I'm in now, I wouldn't have believed you. I understand I'm young and this and that, but I was so happy, and then everything got taken away from me. When it rains, it pours. It was a breakup, then a friendship breakup at the same time, then I found out I had to graduate school late, I didn't get a job offer. It was one thing after another. And I was like, how am I ever going to get out of this situation? I will never get past this. I was 22 saying that. Looking back, I'm like, dude, you're 22, relax. Whether you're 22 or 32 or 42, you still have the rest of your life ahead of you. Your goals will change. Your perception will change. Your dreams will change. But as long as you wake up and choose to make today a good day, that will follow through over time.

Nikkiey: Facts. The narrative you tell yourself as soon as you wake up determines the rest of your day. If you say, I can't, in the morning, I can't get to the gym, and you're snoozing the alarm, fuck, you're just going to be a can't for the rest of the day. If you wake up saying, let's go, I'm going to take on the day, it's a new day, I'm so thankful to be alive, let's make it happen, I get to work out instead of I have to work out, you're going to crush the day. Everything is mindset.

Olivia: Yeah. A hundred percent.

Nikkiey: But also, I want to nail this home, because people do it to me. They're like, she's never been through menopause. And I'm like, yeah, but I have the perspective. I have the understanding, the knowledge, the education on that lifestyle. Your perspective and your experience are what matter the most, regardless of your age. The things you said in this conversation, a lot of people at 45, 55, 65 years old or older, any age bracket above you, don't have these conversations. The perspective you shared on this podcast is something a lot of people don't develop until later in life. So it doesn't matter what age you are. The way you communicated it, you fully understand it. That's what I'm trying to say. If you can articulate it, you understand it fully, and that's all that matters. So yeah.

Olivia: Yeah.

Nikkiey: So, okay, as we wrap up the episode today, thank you so much. It's been amazing having you share your insights on self-love, self-growth and all of the things. Where can people find you?

Olivia: You can find me at For You From Eve. Eve is my middle name, and it just sounds cuter with everything, so I do that. Instagram, TikTok, podcast, everything is For You From Eve.

Nikkiey: Amazing. If you guys enjoyed the conversation as much as I did... man, I loved that. It was such a good conversation. Your perspective is super dope for being 23 years old. That's awesome.

Olivia: Thank you. I used to not tell people my age when I would join business meetings, because I thought, eh, they're not going to take me seriously. But like you said, it's not about age. It's about perspective. It's about experience. And it's how you grew up. I always say I feel like I grew up 10 years older than I am, because I was washing dishes and learning to cook when I was six. It's just the way you were raised too.

Nikkiey: A hundred percent. Yeah, totally. So make sure you guys check out her podcast, For You From... it's a bit of a tongue twister.

Olivia: For You From Eve.

Nikkiey: Yes. For more amazing and valuable content like this. And as always, guys, don't forget to subscribe to The WarriorBabe Show and leave a review if you liked what you heard. Your feedback means the absolute world to me. Until next time, remember to prioritize self-care, embrace your journey of personal growth, and keep spreading positivity wherever you go. Olivia, thanks for being on here today, girl. I appreciate it.

Olivia: Yeah.

Nikkiey: All right, guys. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you in the next episode. Peace out.

Nikkiey: Hey guys, real quick. If you're interested in taking your body to the next level, losing body fat, building more muscle and feeling more confident, do it alongside one of our 30-plus professional coaches. Work one-on-one with her to eliminate all of the guesswork you may have. All you need to do is the work she tells you to do to get to those goals of yours. To learn more, click the link below this podcast and apply to our VIP program right now. Thank you.