The Detached podcast
Welcome to the podcast. This is a space where I get to vocalize my thoughts and dive deep into conversations with some truly remarkable individuals. It’s not about surface-level chit-chat—this is where we get into the real stuff. We talk about the things that matter: health, fitness, relationships, and the process of breaking free from the limitations we place on ourselves.
I don’t believe in small talk, because nothing meaningful ever comes from it. So, let's dig deep into the topics that can actually change your life. I want to bring you value, provoke your thinking, and help you see the world differently.
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Let's get into it.
Sophia
The Detached podcast
EP: 94 Stefania Lo Gatto - From Rock Bottom to Millionaire: One Woman's Extraordinary Journey
What happens when everything you've built crumbles beneath you? I was speechless introducing Stefania, she has an unstoppable energy, rock bottom became the foundation for extraordinary success.
After 23 years of marriage and three children, Stefania found herself divorced, betrayed, and completely broke. "I literally didn't even have 10 euros," she recalls. Her parents refused to help, believing she should return to her unfaithful husband. With no choice but to rebuild, Stefania worked as a receptionist at a beauty salon where she'd once been a client, selling her designer clothes and jewelry on eBay to survive.
This devastating fall from privilege sparked something powerful within her. "The pressure took out talents from me I didn't even know I had," she shares with raw honesty. When introduced to network marketing in 2012, Stefania encountered two years of continuous failure but refused to quit. Today, her business spans 156 countries, and she's helped over 50 people become millionaires.
Beyond business strategy, our conversation explores profound lessons about resilience, faith, and authentic success. Stefania discusses how true wealth differs from mere money, why relationships matter more than material possessions, and how to maintain your values while building an empire. Her perspective on pride ("It can destroy in five months what took five years to build") offers wisdom applicable to any venture.
Whether you're rebuilding after loss, pursuing financial independence, or seeking to make an impact, Stefania's journey demonstrates that your greatest setbacks might contain the seeds of your most remarkable achievements—if you have the courage to keep moving forward despite everyone telling you to give up.
If you want to check out Stefania on instagram head over to the link below :
https://www.instagram.com/stefania_lo_gatto/
I would love to hear your feedback also, feel free to send me a DM on :
https://www.instagram.com/sophiadelavari/
Thank you for listening x
Stefania, welcome on today's show.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for inviting me here. It's an honor.
Speaker 1:I don't even know how to introduce you, because you are a powerhouse of a woman and your personality I don't think can just be. You know, let's say, I can't even put into words, I don't anyway.
Speaker 2:Um, let it go away. I I am known for my energy and to be a little bit hurricane. They call me hurricane, so the hurricane or tornado.
Speaker 1:I should say yeah, tornado. I should say yeah because you know what some people put on a show and I can see you're on stage all the time and you definitely do not put on a show.
Speaker 2:No, that's how I am, Even like at 2 am. People come to see me, Like they come for like one week to visit me here in Dubai and they go like at 2 am. So you are really like that all the time.
Speaker 1:I said yes, what can I do?
Speaker 2:Where did you learn this energy from? Like, I want to know. Like when you were a child, were you the kid, always talking, always asking questions? And definitely I had some skills of leadership, because I remember that I was, like you know, leading the class or taking decisions for every game. But, thank God, I was also loved because I had one. I still have wonderful friends. In fact, I'm throwing out my 50th birthday parties and I know so many people. I have so many friends that I don't even know because they don't fit. So it's like it's so hard to find who, who to invite.
Speaker 2:So where did you grow up? So I grew up in Italy, in Milan, for my first 14 years of my life, and then I went to boarding school in Switzerland, in St Gallen. It's called Institut Altenbruch Rosenberg, which, by the way, I just got a real one week ago, 10 days ago and it's still the number one, the most expensive school in the world, which is crazy. It's crazy. They just sent it to me again. Like so many years, I mean 30 years. So what kind of family did you grow up in? So I grew up in a good family. I would say middle, high class, for sure, not this like super rich, like when I went to that boarding school there were kids they were so from very powerful family, very famous families, always on the magazine, none, none of this. I have a wonderful family. I have wonderful parents. They're still married. They fight all the time but they're still married. And my brother, he has also three boys. So I grew up there.
Speaker 2:But then when I was 14, again, very strange personality and attitude I went to visit a friend who was in boarding school because her parents divorced and I saw this party that she invited me to and I just loved the internationality, the fact that all those kids spoke different languages and they were, you know, sleeping out and doing things together. I love the community. And I just went to my parents and said I want to go to boarding school and they're like why? We love you. You know we are married, we don't need to. That's a place for kids that are not wanted. And I'm like, well, but I want to go. And my parents were like, yeah, but it's very expensive.
Speaker 2:Because I wanted to go to that point, not because it was very expensive, because it was the one where I had my friends, it was actually three of them there. And then my grandmother said if you guys don't want to pay for it, I will pay for it. And that's again. My father ended up paying for it because he's too proud, but still, that's how I went there and I never came back to Italy. I mean, now I'm coming back to Italy because I've just purchased a house on the lake of Como, so I'll be back living like five months, four months a year. Dubai is still my residence though I love it here.
Speaker 1:When you were on board in school, did you have this idea of what you wanted to be when you were older, or did you have any ambition? It's so crazy.
Speaker 2:Because what I do today I didn't even know it existed. For a while I wanted to be a vet because I love animals, but then when I found out that you had to give them an injection and kill them when they suffer, I was like I can't do that. I can't hurt animals, like I cannot. And um, and then I think you know what it's crazy, because I met my, the father of my three boys, my first husband. I met him when I was only 15 and I just knew he was the one and we were madly in love. Um, I just was okay in just just being a mom, like I wanted to have that role, I wanted to support him because I knew he was going to be successful and and I just never had big ambitions for a career, even though I started, because somehow I always felt I was going to be next to him and that was okay for me, for me at that moment in my life, do you think that was encouraged by your parents?
Speaker 1:you know, seeing the loving couple growing up in a loving couple and that's like the typical thing.
Speaker 2:Very Italian get married, you know, be a good mom and you know, take care of the house. So, yeah, definitely it's a cultural thing. But they never pushed me and, to be honest, I wanted to work for a while and then be married and be a mom. But then I got married and immediately got pregnant, which is crazy because it was not planned. I was actually living in New York and I was going to have a job and then so that's how I became just a mom, and I always say just a mom because, guys, being a mother is a lot of work and it's an incredible job.
Speaker 1:Yes, so when you were supposed to have a job in New York, what was that?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was just a stage. So, you see, I graduated in boarding school, then we went to LA to do a master. So we did our master degree, our university, and then he asked me on the graduation day because we did everything together. So I met my ex-husband when I was only 15. And we stayed together the whole time. So we did four years in boarding school, then we went to London and then we finished our study in LA and on the graduation day, in front of everyone, asked me to marry him. And then we got married on the Lake of Como, which is kind of weird now Because I went there and lived there, now Because I loved it.
Speaker 2:And then we lived in New York for but it was just like a learning period. You know, when you just graduate and you want to do a learning stage, our parents still supported us because we were a little bit spoiled, uh. But I knew I was going to have a career in at the time. I was going to be in sales for Ferrari. Yeah, because we were. His dad was connected to motorsport.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And then I got pregnant and my whole idea of, you know, of being a career woman for a while fell away, because the family was far away and my son was actually born in Miami. So because even there you can tell I was somebody that would take decisions, because the truth is there was no way I was going to have a child in Manhattan. Manhattan is great if you're young, you know sex in the city type of life, but if you want to be a mom, it's like terrible. To me it was not the place Miami to visit another friend from Brazil that she lived in Miami and I was like I want to live here.
Speaker 2:So I just took the car pregnant, went to the, to the towers, to the twin towers, spoke to the boss of my ex and told him look, we are just on a stage. Can you find the same bank in, you know, in next to Key Biscayne, which is the island where? And he's like, okay, let me look, no, it's impossible. When we later he called me, said can you move now? Yes, nine months pregnant, I moved my whole life to Miami. That's where my son was born.
Speaker 1:He's American actually were you the decision maker in the relationship let's say that I am very opinionated.
Speaker 2:Look, let's be honest. Most of the women are the one to make decisions when the smart ones make the men believe that they do.
Speaker 1:Well done. Where did you learn that one, Sam?
Speaker 2:It's a podcast like just say that, no, but it's true. And look, look, women, we are so good at feeling things, at reading people at. You know, like we are emotional but also intelligent to see things that men sometimes don't. So I believe that a lot of decisions that I made my ex and now husband I was married twice, it was led really by me, but, you know, I don't think they regret it. Do you think he knew that at the time? I think he trusted me. I think between you know, between husband and wife, you need to see what are your gifts, what are your but. But obviously I didn't decide everything. You know, sometimes he did.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so my, our first son was born in miami but then he got a job in in the uk in a formula one. You know motorsport. Now brad p came out with the movies. So everybody now now the whole world knows, knows what formula one is, because in america is more about indie, not so much but uh and um. And then we went to the uk. So my second son was born in oxford.
Speaker 2:Actually, wow, yeah so how did his career go? Uh, well, up to the well, and then, then, then he became a manager of a driver, of a very famous driver. So then we moved to portugal, because we always loved portugal. That's why my third son is Portuguese. You can imagine we would go to the airport Italian passport, german husband, american son, english son, portuguese son. They always stopped us and asked us thousands of questions. They were like hello, and I was like no, no, let me explain, let me explain. So they always stopped us, but now I gave all of them an Italian passport as well, so it's easier. Were you the?
Speaker 1:dark horse in the family, because this seems to me you know?
Speaker 2:you know what? It's so crazy that when I divorced, the first thing that I got was you never worked a day of your life, you never did anything. I'm like do you know what it means to move in all this country, like you were always traveling. I had to find homes, I had to, you know, put them in school doctors, like there is such a logistic especially you move continents, right, but somehow was never rewarded when. Because you know, when love is over, money's over. So it wasn't just the end. That was my mistake. Yeah, so well, love was after 23 years. Yeah, love was over, and somehow I didn't get money for me and the boys. It's a long story, but it's really like that.
Speaker 2:I came out on a magazine in Italy. I got attacked by it because people were like, oh, if he was a Formula One manager, how you didn't get any money? That's impossible. Well, there is a long story behind it. There was a bankruptcy, which you know was done for another project that had nothing to do with me. So it's a a longer story, but it's no point in talking about it. It's his life. So he wasn't. You know, he appeared like not having and he really didn't have that much because his career had had some bad turns, uh. But, uh, yeah, I mean he would have had enough to help me and but, um, yeah, he didn't.
Speaker 2:But which was actually the biggest blessing of my life, because, why? Because when, when you find yourself at the bottom, at the pit, at the you know when you're like, okay, what am I gonna do now? I don't have a home, I don't have a car, I don't have. You know, I have three small kids. What am I gonna do? And like everybody turns their back, my parents too, because my parents, again, culture, they didn't accept the divorce, they didn't want me to leave him because I decided to break up.
Speaker 2:How did you have that conversation with your parents? I did, but you see, he cheated many times before, but I never told them because if I wasn't going to tell them they would be upset. So when I decided, after seven times, that it was enough, it was enough, my parents thought, oh, come on, after such a long time it can happen. And I told them, but it happened before, but for them it was the first time. So for them it was. You know where are you going to go? You never worked at the end of your life. We are not giving you money. So where are you going to go now with three small kids? You're crazy. Stay married, is he stayed married? And my dad is from the South, so you know, divorce is really not very accepted.
Speaker 2:So what they did? They kind of like teamed up together and said, okay, she's not going to have any money from us, not from my brother. No cousin was allowed to help me because, like I said, my family has money. My ex-husband obviously said to me he said I'm not going to give her money, so she's going to come back. And that's how everything started and that's how my career started, which is, you know, I would say, turn your pain into power. And that was exactly what I did, because the pressure took out some talents from me which I didn't even know I had.
Speaker 1:How did you find out he was cheating on you?
Speaker 2:Oh, the last time was a phone, because I caught him before. Sometimes the women wrote to me he's extremely handsome, very handsome Still today. He's a very handsome man. She's going to be happy if he sees the podcast. But he has a problem with women. And I mean his whole family does His dad, his brother, and so I think he loved me. That's what he said I love you.
Speaker 2:But you just needed confirmation by other girls and they gave it to him. So some of them called me, which is so painful. One even opened up like a Facebook account and took all our at the time it was Facebook to there, only to Instagram. But at the time they you know I would post pictures of us and, like she photoshopped me away and placed herself in every picture. She was a psychopath. She would walk out of my home and film my dog and my house pretending it was me, it was her living. So, yeah, I even got like there was a moment I had like stalkers. Yeah, because they fell in love and so they called me.
Speaker 2:And the last time after, you know, of course, I said you know, every time I took him back. Last time I was like you know what, if you want me back. I need to have access to your phone. I can't want to enter in your phone anytime I want, and um and he did give me access, but you know what he did? He had a second phone and that's what I found. It's crazy, actually. I found the second phone and I wasn't looking for it. I was looking for um. You know where we store our pictures in, like this memory box.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:I was looking for that and there I found a phone. It was not blocked, stupid, and I find all the messages, all the pictures.
Speaker 1:Do you think that's sometimes faith lining up to show you a message that you need to see to walk away?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was. It was. It was about time. It was about time. You know, I was still young, 36 years old. I had life in front of me and I needed to see it. I needed to see it Because I think until then I always thought he was the victim. They looked for him, but from what I saw on the phone, obviously I had access to everything Because that phone was only for that. You know, yeah, sometimes they were looking for him, but he was also the one, you know, trying. So it was very painful, I don't know. You know, it's easier to break up when you don't love anymore. I had to break up when I still loved. I had to break up because I knew that the example that my kids were going to have and the fact that any time let's say, maybe his phone is off I came here today, right, my phone was off, and then I would call him. I would always think he's with somebody else and maybe he wasn't, and I didn't want to live like this anymore.
Speaker 2:How was your confidence back then? Oh my God, you have no idea how bad. First of all, I wasn't making any money, so no money at all. I never saved any money aside. Like people tell me, what do you mean? You don't have a secret bank account. I'm like no, like I thought we were going to be the notebook couple dying arms to arms when we're going to be old and, by the way, he was the only boyfriend I ever had I obviously was not the only girlfriend he ever had so, like no, I should have put money aside.
Speaker 2:So people were shocked that I literally had no power financially Zero, not even. I literally didn't even have 10 euros. I owned some jewelries and watches and I owned beautiful clothes and handbags. So for a while I sold all of that on eBay. And then I was working part time in the place where I used to be a client, in a beauty salon as a receptionist. And then on weekends I invented and I became like a makeup artist thanks to YouTube videos and power play teacher. I rented houses from friends. So, like I did everything I could.
Speaker 2:One thing is for sure I never thought I would become, I would say, wealthy, but I knew I was never going to die of hunger, because if you want, you can find work. You just have to invent it. You can I mean today, even with the AI, like you know like. So I think nobody like I don't believe, at least in our countries. Okay, maybe you have countries like Africa where you really don't find any work, but in our country, western countries, I think you can find ways to make money all the time, and that's what I did.
Speaker 1:I found different ways, but it was not really enough. With three kids, what kind of advice would you give someone who is listening now and they're still in love and in a relationship that they know that isn't serving their future anymore? What kind of advice would you give them that isn't?
Speaker 2:serving their future anymore. What kind of advice would you give them? So, first of all, you know, look for help, because I believe that there can be situations where the man maybe, you know, maybe he cheated once and it was a big mistake and he's never going to do it again. You know, I don't believe once a cheater, cheater forever, because there are men that really fall in a trap of some type of Jezebel woman and they really feel convicted and guilt about it.
Speaker 2:And sometimes a couple can get help. You know, I'm a Christian. For example, we had pastors helping us at the time. But the other person needs to want it. If the other person prays, comes to the counseling and then after the third session he feels he's under pressure, he feels he's been the wrong one. There is always both sides, but in that case was really wrong one. Then they stopped going. Then, of course, if he doesn't want to change, then you need to change, girl, you need to go Right. But I believe that I've seen literally a couple of friends of mine you know, I'm 50 now, so I have so many friends that where the marriage was over, where the relationship was over, and through counseling, through help, through prayer, they're happier than ever. In fact, they changed for the better. Now, if the guy is a chronic cheater, most likely he's going to keep on doing it, unless he has a big revelation. You know, like a total change to men, but otherwise yeah, plus you're talking about cheaters here.
Speaker 1:What's your idea on modern society and men?
Speaker 2:Look, I'm a little bit of fashion, like we were talking about, you know, being married. So imagine I had two men in my life and I married them both Because of my success. Obviously you have men saying they had sex with me. But it's such a lie, it's like such a joke. And sometimes I get messages from people on Instagram saying, hey, this guy told me he had something with you. I didn't know who you were and then I went to see your Instagram and it's for sure a lie. And then he tells me and it's like, oh my God, this guy gave me a ride. We had business together. He gave me a ride one evening, he took a selfie and threw that selfie. So you know, going back I have.
Speaker 2:For me, values are very important. So to me an advice I can give, especially to the girls don't just sleep with a guy when you just meet him. Just don't just give in right away, because that's not marriage material. Most of the men are not going to take you serious, they're not going to respect you. They're going to use you for a while and then you're done, you're toast. In my case, I have to say both men, they were madly in love with me. They had to fight for me because I didn't say yes right away or met him and go to bed right away. That's my advice. If they want something serious, if they just want to have fun, then if that's fun for you, for me.
Speaker 2:I always respected myself so much that I wouldn't want to be one of those girls that next day the guys talk about. Because I grew up with a lot of men friends, and some of them were very handsome, still are very handsome men. Some of them are still playboys today and they're 50. And I remember their comments in the morning after they had and I remember thinking like I was maybe I was a little bit younger than them, because I was maybe the sister's friend and I remember thinking like when I grew up, I'm never gonna be one of those girls. I respect too much myself for that. And and and guess what? I married great, two great guys. Uh, that really loved me. And because even you could say, oh, but you failed at the first marriage. Well, we had 23 years together, we had three gorgeous kids and I had an amazing life with them. It was just in the last time.
Speaker 1:That was bad. How did you find your confidence again after the first relationship?
Speaker 2:Oh my, God, I didn't right away. I know it took me time.
Speaker 1:How long does that take to rebuild? Can I be?
Speaker 2:really honest? Yeah, of course, to rebuild your. Can I be really honest? Yeah, of course, never, completely, never completely.
Speaker 2:I still today suffer of fear, like um, my, my now husband is very, very german. He's very private. You know I can open his mail and you know I have his phone, but but he I can see he really gets annoyed and sometimes I just would like to look better at things. And I know it's terrible because he's like why don't you trust me? You know why can't you trust me? But you know, I think it's traumas that you have inside of you. And then you see all these stories and you hear all these stories, right, so never completely.
Speaker 2:And you know you can have a guy that is amazing for so many years and then he starts to change. Men change all the time and a guy can cheat, as he's, you know, as he's sitting on a toilet today. It's a terrible timing to be a woman. You know you have all this like social media. I think is so bad because you can be compared all the time and you can. You always have the youngest, you always have the better. So, to be honest, not completely.
Speaker 2:But then I have an attitude like you know what I accept myself the way I am. Either you like me like this or go. It's not anymore. I don't want to depend on a guy in any way, not financially, but even less emotionally. I need to be complete on my own with you know obviously always my faith I am a strong believer in Jesus. On my own with you, know obviously always my faith, I am a strong believer in jesus. So always like I feel complete with who I am, in my faith, in who I stand as a woman, then he's a plus. But to tell you, oh, I'm completely confident that I can put my hands on fire on no, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2:I don't think any men love hunting, men love checking. I mean check my husband. I see my husband looking at other women. And today there are, there are beautiful women, you know, and I always say, man, I'm, the only thing I can buy is height. Today you can buy anything else and guess what? I'm short. And today all you need is to be tall and skinny. Then you're making your. These are also fake, by the way, because I have three kids. But but in general, like you know what I mean, like today you can do anything if you want to.
Speaker 1:Do you think Dubai impacts the way you feel in that sense?
Speaker 2:Because there is a lot of prostitution for sure. You know, thank God my husband doesn't go out. He's not like a social life too much, but like if he would go out without me in a night in a nice hotel. I mean, it happened that he had a meeting there one night with a partner of ours and a girl just goes up, beautiful, and gives him a phone phone number. That's, that's dubai today, and most probably she was a prostitute, but maybe not, I don't know, I wasn't there do you think it stretches the the idea of what beauty is, because everyone is so modified here?
Speaker 2:Totally modified. Can I say something? And I mean, I did fillers, the rest not. You can check my pictures when I was young. But you know, I did obviously some fillers and some Botox. Now I'm moving. Actually I have to go into it again. But can I say something? Sometimes they all look the same. I confuse them. The same nose, the same lips, look the same, I confuse them. I could. The same nose, the same lips, the same eyelashes, the same makeup that I don't know anymore who is who.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you it's so hard, um yeah, there's gonna come a day that natural beauty is literally gold.
Speaker 2:To be honest, you know them. I have three boys today and they're, all you know, 25, 22 and 18. Do you know? They are part of the new generation. They don't like that. They want natural beauties. Their girlfriends are completely natural. They cannot touch themselves Like. They even don't want them to wear makeup, like they do a little bit if they go out at night. But they're the most natural and their friends are the same. One of them has this is like a top model guy and his girlfriend. She's very beautiful but so natural like she doesn't even do her hair. So like her hair. I like she let them. Let's leave them in the air and no makeup.
Speaker 2:So I think the new generation, the, the z, the generation z, or even I think I didn't do my hair today, so I'm like maybe I could fit in totally not sure, but like I think, uh, I think the new generation hates that because we got to a point where we filled our faces with so much fillers, uh, that they all look like pillow faced. Yeah, these lips like pillows I know, I know.
Speaker 1:So, to move into the transition from you were in the beauty salon. Yeah, working.
Speaker 2:Imagine sometimes I, sometimes I, had to take the dirty towels from the massages and put them to wash. You need to realize nothing wrong with that, but you need to realize before that I had four, four maids living in my in. No two lived in our villas, two came from out and you know, a big house, beautiful cars. Like I had a wonderful life right, and so it was very, very tough.
Speaker 1:How does that like impact your mentality when you come from a within to nothing?
Speaker 2:I know again. I think it was my faith, because I remember uh, saying, okay, don't complain, don't be like like the Israelites. They left Egypt and they went into the promised land but because they were complaining all the time, they got there so much late that a whole generation didn't enter, just a new generation entered. Like I'm not going to complain. And I just felt like, okay, god, you're testing me with little because I'm not going to get a lot. And I remember I just began to worship and praise and say you know what I'm healthy I am, I have my boys with me.
Speaker 2:Because he didn't take the kids, I stayed with the kids and that was my biggest gift. Everything else I'm going to rebuild it. I gained. I never thought to this extent, but I knew I was never going to stay there. So I had down moments thinking, oh, look at me, where did I end up? And you know we used to be on magazine in my life before because you know, portugal is a very small country and he was successful in Formula One, so they took pictures of us. So they were like clients and some of my friends again. When you lose everything, you realize who are your real friends. I could see they were enjoying the beautiful family being destroyed. So I had a downtime. And then who was around you at that time? Who was around me? I would say most of the friends that really loved me for who I was, all, but I would say maybe 10 people, all the ones that came to all the parties. And you know, we had the big villa, eight bedroom, six bathroom part all of them disappeared.
Speaker 1:What was your cope of mechanisms back then?
Speaker 2:Uh, okay, prayer and work so hard that I didn't have time to think. I worked so hard and that was one of the reasons why I became successful, because if I stopped and think and start to feel sorry about myself, that would have been the beginning of the end. Because, you know, if you just cry in bed which I did for a while, maybe I would say on and off. I cried for years, but about the family I thought I was going to have If I listened to a song or I smelled a perfume. You know, I had this idea but, like the cry that stopped me to work, maybe just 10 days. Then I was like I have to stand up, girl, you need to take care of these kids. You need to. And I always tell this story.
Speaker 2:They told me to open, to start my social media accounts because of this opportunity that they gave me to build network marketing and I started to follow all these coaches, like Tony Robbins and Les Browns and John Maxwell, and the algorithm brought me on a picture of a cat looking in the mirror and seeing a lion and my name is Stefania the cat, and I thought you know what I'm going to become the lioness for my kids. The world sees me small and kitten. You know all my life, yum, yum, yum. I'm going to be, and it's the lioness that provides. So I take this picture of a lioness drinking out of the well with the three cups, which were my three boys, and I stick it on the fridge. And every time I wanted to give up I said I'm going to do it for my boys. They are my why not my excuse. And I began pushing. I began pushing.
Speaker 2:Two years of failures Again. You know how many people we know that they give up because they fail. I kept on going. I had no choice. I kept on going because I strongly, strongly believed that something was going to happen sooner or later. And then I also looked at a lot of people that inspired me, that women that didn't give up. So normal stories, you know, normal stories of people that succeeded in what I did. And I remember I went to an event once in Las Vegas and there were all these moms, three kids, which I was like, well, I've got three kids and they were all succeeding in my profession. And I thought, okay, she's just taller than me, but she has two eyes and one nose. One of them even had cancer. I'm super healthy. If she did it, why not me? And I believe so many people don't even try because they immediately think I'm not going to make it. I kind of never thought I was not going to make it. I thought it's going to take time, but I will do it.
Speaker 1:Who was the first person that educated you about network marketing?
Speaker 2:Well, the first people. Actually, after 10 years we went back and spoke now Because in the beginning it was like a problem because they quit. But the first bit was actually a couple from Portugal. But it's funny because the husband approached me and told me oh, we start this business, you're going to be a millionaire Like I am broke to the point. I cannot go to the supermarket for real because I'm so bad in math. I would like go. I had like $20 and I would like put stuff in my basket and then was 28 and then I had to, you know, leave their food, not a body lotion or shampoo, food. Okay, so, and you think I can't believe that I can become a millionaire that I never worked. Even though he was right, it didn't sound right at the time.
Speaker 2:The woman was Mafalda her name. She's amazing. She was much smarter because after three months that she was in the business, she told me hey, I'm making $300, $400. Wouldn't you want to have that on top of your income? Now? You could do something for your kids and you know it will help you. You can work from home, work when, when you want, where you want, and I was like you know what? Yeah, $300 is good, let me try. What year was this? 2012. Okay, yeah, so it's quite a while now, but the first two years I wouldn't even count them as a professional. I was learning, I was failing, I was trying, I made a little bit of money, but not much. I was selling some products, you know, recruiting somebody, but it was a total failure.
Speaker 2:For the listener how does it work? It works that you try the product or the service and then you just share it and then you either find only customers you know people that just buy the product online, like if you would buy something on Amazon, and you get a commission from that because you are the one telling them because network marketing doesn't pay advertising, so they pay normal people to try and represent the product and in fact, one of the reasons why she convinced me to go to an event is because she looked different thanks to the product, so she wasn't alive. Advertising in brochure after three months and then that's one way of making money. But then to get residual income is actually you find people that are promoters like you and you help them to succeed, and because you help them to learn and teach them all the skills forever, you will get a royalty on their success. So it's a wonderful business because you can only win if you help others win.
Speaker 2:Today I can say that my husband and I because I'm remarried in the business we helped more than 50 people 5-0 people become millionaires in the business and it's such a wonderful feeling to have and you might think, oh, but it's only 50. Well, 50 are the millionaires, but in order for them to make that amount of money means that they also have so many people making $5,000, $2,000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 a month. Not everybody's going to be a millionaire. Look at real estate in Dubai. Right, not everybody sells the million-dollar homes, but you have people making a good living thanks to real estate. Then you have the ones that never sold a house and it's a bit like that in network marketing are commission based. So if you have an, if you create a good network of people that are successful and teach them how to do it, then you will be well paid and then you really make money as you sleep, like I have so many people in the world now and I sleep and I make money.
Speaker 2:I was now at wimbledon for the tennis and now, you know, I'm part of groups, of course, on whatsapp, and they were like I don't know 25 events, one even in qatar, beautiful paris, la, uh, milan. In milan there was so many people, which is like you know my country, where my town, and like, and of course I was supposed to be there, but then I'm like, uh, I got invited to like the royal, not box, but next to the royal box with a Royal family. I'm like I'm going sorry I'm, you know so I was. I had such a good time but, like it's crazy, I was there enjoying tennis, as I'm making money thanks to the success of others.
Speaker 1:That's incredible. Was there any stage during the beginning that you were like this is not going to work?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh yeah. That's how I always say this. I don't believe there is people that fail in network marketing. There is people that stop before they make it Because timing I've seen people failing for four years and what didn't happen in four years happening in four months.
Speaker 2:But you never know, because you need to keep on going until you find people that wake up in the morning and want to do that. Because you see you don't have a boss, so you work if you want to and people just don't do it. Don't do it. I had no choice. That's why when I say, wow, thank God, my dad didn't help me. Thank God my ex-husband you know, the judge didn't give me money. Thank God because if I had gotten, let's say, $5,000 a month for Portugal, I would have lived there and I would not push, I would not work the. But of course, I always say that God has brought amazing people in my life that had a big why, like me, and that we clicked and that we could really work and build something amazing. Because my success today is not the result of what I only did. It's the result of thousands of people's success and what they did even better than me. So I was just lucky to blessed to find the right people at the right place at the right time and place them together.
Speaker 2:But you know, with that residual income that you get, you get cash flow every week. Then you also need to be smart where to invest it. You see, I know people, especially here in Dubai. They come, they make some money Richard Mille, lamborghini, you know, let me spend it at a party, let me rent yachts every weekend, and then they don't realize that none of that is going to make you rich long term.
Speaker 2:What I did is I made some money. I started to buy apartments in Dubai and look what happened today. Right, so I have different units, different sizes, different sizes, different areas, which give me another residual income from the rent and the money made so much more and I invested also in. Anyway, my husband doesn't want to talk about other investments because, yeah, but like, let's put it that that I did very good investments up beside um, because you know, look, I have, we have Lamborghinis, we have beautiful cars. My husband loves cars. But later, later, first you need to make money makes money if you invest them right. Otherwise it can. Did you ever hear about the saying that they say that money amplify who you really are.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I even believe that you have to give when you receive. It's part of my belief and it's also biblical for me. But one of the reasons why we became successful and we still grow because now I own my own company and part of it and you know we are extremely successful at this moment To be honest, it was really because we always gave. It's like you saw a seed and somehow that seed, in different ways, just grows and multiplies, and that's exactly where I saw the success coming. I have stories that I can tell you of how I gave and how God's miracle multiplies that money. It's crazy. It's crazy, but obviously with a good heart you don't get oh, let me, let me do charity so I become rich.
Speaker 2:No, you do charity because when you make money good money you have a responsibility towards others that don't, and always make sure you choose the right charity, because unfortunately I got fooled one time. Don't give in countries where it's third world. Don't give too much money all at once in one place. It's better that you divide it. I made a mistake. I really trusted the charity and I trusted the people who did it and I should, because I still love them, but unfortunately they had a lawyer and a responsible guy on ground in Uganda and the guy just ran away with all the money I gave, so painful, but that shouldn't stop you to give just because there are stories like that. That's how people also hide. Now, what do I do Now? I directly give it to the place, to the people, and I know and I check and I see what they do with it. But there are situations that really you need to help.
Speaker 1:How has your appreciation for money come around, since you've had everything and then you've had nothing, and then you've had everything again. Yeah, I think you value money a lot more.
Speaker 2:First of all, I believe money is not evil, but the love of money is. So what are you willing to do for money? Find work, sacrifice, but don't put them before values, before friends, before family. You know, like that doesn't mean there were times in my life that obviously I had to work so much that my kids maybe I gave them a sandwich or I made them play video games, so you could say, oh, but you, you were not with your kids on their football game. Well, yeah, I was at a meeting, but for a while.
Speaker 2:Today, the freedom that I get from the money is allowing me. Now I rented a yacht. On the 30. Soon I'm going to go to Sardinia with my kids alone, alone, with them, some friends. We're going to enjoy our time together.
Speaker 2:I can only do that because of what I did right, but my attitude is this B, you need to be content, with or without, and be careful in thinking that money will buy happiness. It's not true. Money buys uh comfort. Money buys um. Money buyers um experiences which are very nice.
Speaker 2:But I know and come on, you live in dubai too how many miserable people we know that are rich and this you know, and I have to really say you are so wrong, girl. I saw one girl saying well, I'd rather cry in a Rolls Royce than in a Fiat 500, or not even that little car, I don't know. Then, whatever, but to be honest, I'd rather not cry, and I know people that are so happy without the Rolls Royce and they have better relationship, better husband or wife, better friends. You know? Look at all these famous people. Why do we commit suicide? They are rich, they are famous. That doesn't buy happiness, but for sure I know what it means when they take away your home, they take away your cars. For sure it gives you peace of mind and it allows you to have wonderful experiences.
Speaker 1:When we're talking about success, do you think someone who wants to build success should work off their passion?
Speaker 2:For sure, for sure, you know, I never feel I'm working and that's why I'm successful, because I can work 24-7, because it doesn't feel like a job. I think if everything you do in the morning it's like I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, man, find something else. But I think a lot of people are fear-driven. They don't want the change, they're afraid to open up the coffee shop. My kids were telling me now that a lot of young people started like small coffee shops with some trends in it and they create their own community, their little communities, and they're doing so successfully. Well, just today, I mean I'm not going to share this idea because it's going to be a podcast, because I might do it Like sometimes pick an idea.
Speaker 2:Somebody has this idea that works in Thailand. Look up Red Bull, and not that I'm promoting it because it's a healthy drink. I used to know Didi, the owner from Austria, but look, he didn't invent anything. He took it from Thailand, even the logo, everything. Everybody thought like who dreamt it? So sometimes take an idea of somewhere else where it's working and place it in your country, in your environment, and start local, and then you can go global and think big. I love Dubai for that. Dubai helps you to think big so much.
Speaker 1:When we talk about global, you have over 100. Yeah 156 countries. I thought it was 136. Yeah.
Speaker 2:How do you manage that? Thank you, zooms. Thank you internet. Thank you Because, you see, every country has top leaders there. So I don't talk to millions of people, I talk to the top leaders, and sometimes I have top leaders that they have themselves 20 of those countries, so they deal with the 20 countries. I just talk to him or her. So what do I do? I speak to the most influential and powerful people in my team and then they do the same with theirs.
Speaker 1:When you hire these higher people, what do you look for?
Speaker 2:Oh, I look for hunger, I look for they need to have a teachable heart, I look for humbleness. Pride is number one. Number one failure. And you see, hiring is not the really correct word, because I bring them into my team but they don't really work for me. They work for themselves, but I make a commission royalty because I found them like a headhunter, right, uh, but. And so they do listen.
Speaker 2:But then there is a moment where, because, because it becomes so successful on their own I mean I have people 22, 23 years old making 200K a month, right, like it's crazy money, not dirhams $100,000 or even more, and you can imagine some of them they start to become so proud and they start to do their own things on their own head and sometimes then they lose a lot of it. I have leaders I made. I have a specific one leader. He used to make around $60,000, $70,000 for years, so imagine the amount of money he made Today. I wouldn't say he's broke, but close to it. Pride, whatever you build, you can build an empire in five years and pride can destroy it in five months.
Speaker 1:Is there any lessons that you've learned to the best people that you've worked with?
Speaker 2:Yes, communication is important. You need to communicate with them and also because of the lies that build up. One thing I learned is trust people, but not because money can become an amplifier. So I've seen people change when they start to make a lot of money. And yeah, another lesson I can say if people come for money, if you buy them to you, like, say, you steal them from another company, they will probably live for money. So be careful who you have in front of you. Another lesson that I learned is if they did it once, most probably they're going to do it twice, do you?
Speaker 1:think that goes the same with relationships.
Speaker 2:You know, they always say the first time it's their fault because you didn't know you were dating them. The second time it's your fault. They say that and it's kind of real, you know you, yeah, relationship, and well, I believe that work and relationship I mean work you create relationship with the people, right?
Speaker 1:so there are similarities a lot I'm gonna dig into a podcast that I listened to you on and you mentioned that someone had requested you to be a mistress.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2:So twice, twice. So yeah, they asked me. So, practically, he used to be a family friend, he used to know my ex-husband and he was married and wasn't close to the wife but I knew her. Was this when you were rock bottom, when I was rock bottom, rock bottom? You know the enemy always comes with a silver plate with some sweets in it to try to get you out of your direction. He probably knew potential in me and didn't want me to to succeed. So, to be honest, I had a couple of thoughts about it, because handsome told me he loved me, but obviously I, I only had eyes for my ex-husband. He knew me, I knew him, he was a nice guy.
Speaker 2:But then, number one, I'm not going to do to another woman what was done to me. Number two if he's doing it to me to her now, most probably he's going to do it to me later. Number three do I want to destroy this family? Do I want to? Because obviously I wouldn't want to be a mistress forever, right? So look, I don't judge.
Speaker 2:Situations are all different. There are really people that they meet on a train and fall in love and they are soulmates forever. Who am I to judge. Okay, but in general girls let married men alone, let them alone Like they are somebody else's, and most probably they're going to lie to you, like my ex did, that you know, with my wife I'm not having sex. Oh, I hate my wife, I can't stand her just to have sex with you. But then, believe me or not, he would come home, bring me flowers, have sex with me five times a week, and it was all a lie and he was never going to leave me. I left him. He was going to be with me forever because of the kids, because he still loved me, but he needed some fun.
Speaker 2:But some of those girls were promised otherwise and were told otherwise. Not my case, but I have a real case of this friend of mine. She didn't know and she fell in love with this guy that told him that he was divorced, but then, because she lived in Portugal and he lived in Switzerland, she couldn't really check on him. And then he finds out he still lived with his wife and she believed him that he said, oh, I'm just here because of the kids, but soon I will leave, I will leave, I will leave. But she gets a phone call from the wife with a screenshot picture of the same Rolex that she got at Christmas. He gave Rolex to both of them with a love sentence, both the same, just to have an idea of how. And my friend, she's not somebody that would go with America. I mean she should have walked away, but she believed it was really over and he lied to her.
Speaker 2:So yeah, but today, with social media, it's very hard. If a guy doesn't have social media, most probably he has something to hide, unless he's a very powerful family. It's a family that he needs to. You know, doesn't allow them to do it. I know I have friends that are really really powerful. They really cannot post because of their families, but otherwise, in general, if it's like a normal douche, normal guy what kind of friend are you when you see bad things happening in the future of someone's relationship?
Speaker 1:Do you give advice or are you a listener?
Speaker 2:I do give advice. People come to me and say I don't know why, stefania, I just feel I can tell you everything, most probably because I'm real. But let me tell you though it happened to me twice I felt like I should tell the wife that the guy was cheating, because I saw them and, believe it or not, I lost a friend. So today, I don't know Probably you know what I would do today. I wouldn't go to the wife if I caught their husband cheat. I would go to him and say what are you doing? And if you don't stop it, I will tell her. Or do you love this lover? Then you need to tell my friend. I will tell her. Or do you love this lover? Then you need to tell my friend, or I will tell her, something like that. But I did the opposite because I always felt like, oh, I wish somebody would have told me. But that's not actually the case.
Speaker 1:How often does your transparency get you in trouble? Very, often.
Speaker 2:You know, my mom actually my mom taught me since I was a child. She says, stefania, can you just be a little bit more diplomatic, like it's so hard for me. Like, look, I was the type of friend that if you were in boarding school, right, you would come into my room and the skirt made your legs look fat, or it just didn't fit you, or, you know, I would tell you look, I think you don't look good. But because I said so what I want to hear, but the other side, no, you're fine, they don't even look at her. So you know, and sometimes people don't want to hear the truth, so but I'm still with a stick do you know what they say?
Speaker 2:the older you get the truth, serum gets bigger you know it's, the older I get, I become very, very picky with my relationships. You know, the older I get I don't care about what people think about me. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. Maybe it's also because of the success and the money. Maybe that also empowers you. But in general, like, don't waste your time anymore. You don't have to be approved, you don't have to be liked by everyone, just be liked by the people you care and let the others think what they want.
Speaker 2:You know they did a real. They did a podcast with somebody amazing, but then they took that podcast. Somebody else cut it out and because you know from youtube you can do it and then they cut out pieces and place it together and made me look like somebody. I wasn't, because you know, I can be so real, but if you only place it in a way, made me look like it was exactly the opposite what I was trying to say, which was don't spoil your kids too much, because tough times create strong men and easy times create weak men, and that was my message. But then I end up saying, of course, if I go with a private jet to the Maldives, I will take them with me, because what's the point to put them in economy when I already have a plane anyway paid, right? Well, they cut out the whole thing. They just take this part. They put it in another part where I say I'm the one making the money. It makes me look like an entire monster. And so I had.
Speaker 2:I hardly have haters, but I had a wave of haters, especially on TikTok, where I don't have a big presence because I'm just fine, it is for younger people. But I'm wrong, I know, and I remember I felt like I wanted to make a story and try to, you know, protect myself and make a point. And then I was talking to some of the people that are much more successful than me. Sonia, don't care, these people are giving you interaction. You will get more followers and whoever really wants to dig on you and finds out who you are, who cares, these people will watch. We'll make a comment and they will move on. And they were right.
Speaker 1:Do you ever have like stage blues? Because it seems like you know you have a lot of stage presence. You've been to these events where you speak to thousands of people.
Speaker 2:25,000 was my biggest live, like all in front of me, but we did an event. Thousand was my biggest live, like like all in front of me, but we did an event. Was virtual millions.
Speaker 1:What happens when the camera lights are off?
Speaker 2:same. I'm the same person. Like I said before, I'm like if we now, we would have a coffee and you and I I'm the same person, even at 2 am. I don't know. I'm like this. I have energy, but you know what they say, that money follow energies and speed.
Speaker 1:And I'm very you're very quick, but do you ever?
Speaker 2:lose. No, I never have a moment where I don't know what to say but I don't even know not what to say.
Speaker 1:As in, do you ever have some extreme highs that has to be measured out by a low? Do you ever get that? It's like the excitement?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there is. They call me Duracell because actually, like there is this rabbit that goes and then there's a moment that you're going to stop. I do have moments my now husband saw a few, but very rarely where I give so much that then there is a point that I just I'm collapsed. Then I'm really done, and then he had to, like, carry me into bed, and those were the few, few times. I went to bed with my makeup which I never do because I like skincare because I collapse Like I'm completely done. But then maybe I wake up again at 3 am, let's say I'm done at 1. Oh my God, I have to brush my teeth, I have to wash my face and then I'm back into bed. But maybe it was five times in my life, but that was five times in my life. But that, where do the cell? The battery is off about stage. I have moments where I cry and that's puts me a little bit down. But again, people like the truth, people like vulnerability. Uh, I have moments where I got upset, also on stage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you cry alone or do you ever cry alone because they say do never cry, you should never cry alone.
Speaker 2:No, I do cry alone and I don't post it if I cry because in that moment I don't want anybody to see me. Of course, somehow there is these people that post as they cry. Again, it depends, but in that moment if I cry, I don't think about the others. It's a moment between me and God and I pray.
Speaker 1:I do cry. Of course you have such a strong mindset. Do you do anything for your mental health?
Speaker 2:Yeah, obviously, prayer is so powerful and be surrounded by positive people. Negativity and look, of course I need to know what's going on in the world. So I will look at news, but I filter them. I don't just look at. You know, in italy, you know they have news news all day long. I just filter. I go online, I check the headlines and then you know why focus on all the evil, why focus on? Let me focus on the good, let me know what's happening in the world. Um, I don't want to go political now but I have, you know, quite, quite extremes. I, let's say I would be considered a little bit against what everybody goes, the flows.
Speaker 1:But now I'm like I was, though.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I can say it on camera, but let's put it that way. On some things where people judge me for I didn't vaccinate Okay, they called me crazy. At the end I think I was right, that's okay.
Speaker 1:That's okay.
Speaker 2:That's just one of the many things. But like my parents didn't want to talk to me anymore, I was a danger for the world, and I was, and you know it's funny enough now some of the friends that told me, oh, I will have to unfollow you if you don't vaccinate, or that I had to kind of even lie to some people and they asked me and you know I'm not a liar I was like, yeah, yeah, just for peace of mind, because they would like shout at me. At the end of the day I was right, and my kids too, and my husband too, and my friends some of my friends too. I didn't trust in the system, so I don't trust always in the system.
Speaker 1:Have you had any trust issues from your past relationships? You know, has that, so I only had one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah, well, but friend was yeah, but he had in front my best friend. My best friend slept with my ex. So, yeah, it was painful. That was so painful. Man, it's tough.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, yeah, I suffered more for the girlfriend than for him at the time you tend I think females tend to lean more on the blame on females than men.
Speaker 2:I think maddie get away scar free I said I kind of did, I kind of did, I blame it. But on the other hand, though, in this case she did play us because she was my best friend no, he was well, in light to both of us. So she did play us because she was my best friend. No, he was well and light to both of us. So she did play us a little bit. But you know, I met her just last year again and we made peace after 20 years. She asked me sorry, like it was so nice. I loved it. You know, when you're young, and my mistake was that I took her with me to so many things because she was single and she fell in love, and sometimes love can make you do the worst things. It was true, love for him was one of the many, but yeah so what was the highest moment in your career?
Speaker 2:oh so it wasn't the biggest money I ever made, biggest month. It was the moment where I got awarded in Milan. It was just a coincidence, I mean, I always say it's not coincidence, but God blessed me with becoming number one in the company, number three in the world in what I do, and it was in Milan, the event, and that's my town, and my three boys were on stage. It's actually on Instagram, on YouTube. I took my three boys on stage with me and I got rewarded. It's a little bit like the Oscars. So you talk and I thank everybody and I invited all my childhood friends, all my friends, everybody was there. It was a beautiful gala dinner. Afterwards and I remember again, because everybody was against me starting this business, I said, oh, be careful, it's a pyramid scheme, or be careful, you know, you, what it was.
Speaker 2:The other words like everybody's fails at this, puns all this. And I remember that they were there, they were happy for me. They were, you know, I could see that they were really grateful. And then my boys took the microphone and said the most wonderful things about me and I remember I was shaking. I was actually pregnant in that moment with a girl that I lost afterwards, but it was like such a happy moment. I was like, wow, I'm here with my four kids. She was already in the belly, the female. My husband is watching and you know the video that he took. He's also shaking and crying. So this video is terrible, but and I'm here with my boys and wow, what an epic moment in my life.
Speaker 2:It wasn't about the money, it was about the recognition and the fact, like I was right. I went against everyone, every numbers, every percentage, that people told me and I did it, and that was definitely such a beautiful moment in my life. They were younger, it's already years ago. That's how I, you know, I wrote a book and that's how I finished the book. I finished it there, even though it was really some years ago, because after that it's only like business achievements. You know, oh, now I'm open my own company or no, but that was life changing. Now it's like, okay, good, I have money, I can reinvest, I can make this, but it's business. There was so connected to emotion, to relationship, to friends, my family, my brother, everybody was there. It was wonderful.
Speaker 2:How did you manage with the miscarriage? It was so hard because it was a girl. So hard. That's something that one day God has to has to explain me, because I was like you know how much I wanted a girl all my life. Julio's called julio because I wanted a julia, my number one. So imagine number two boy, number two boy. It's like, finally, with my new husband. So it's not even like comparing the brothers, right, I get the princess, I get the girl, and he doesn't have kids. So for him was like wow.
Speaker 2:And then on my fourth month I have already a big belly. I had a very big belly already because when you had already three kids, your body remembers so I'm skinny, but I get like that's because I'm short and tiny, so my belly. So everybody saw I was pregnant. I couldn't even hide it, you know, some people don't tell for the first three months, but everybody knew and I went on stage with the ballet so everybody saw it and then for months people always asked me, so I had to make a post. They call it Rainbow Mom, right, rainbow Mom. It was very, very hard and I cannot imagine how some women go through when they don't have kids, because what made it easier for me was that I had my three boys anyway and I know that Emily's waiting in heaven, but but to be honest, um, it was so hard I uh. Sometimes my husband and I we count how old she would be. Now she would be four, so it would be perfect.
Speaker 1:How do you deal with grievance Uh?
Speaker 2:prayer and not asking too many questions, just saying, okay, god, your will, and I can't work.
Speaker 1:Occupy your mind. I'm so glad that that's your coping mechanism. It could be worse. It could be drugs, it could be sex. It is right.
Speaker 2:Lately I started to work out as well. So sometimes on a stress day I work out. But I only started to work out a year and a half ago. I had to.
Speaker 2:You're one of those lucky people where I did a little bit of pilates before, but like I was traveling so much, now I work on. I have a trainer that follows me online. But it's crazy because when you really go over 45, I mean now I'm gonna be 50 slowly again. Lucky, always been skinny, cannot complain short, but proportion, like I don't want to be the one oh I look so bad. No, because I didn't. I, you know, could wear bikini before. But then your skin and your muscles, they just lose it. You start to have, you know, wings around your arms and inner legs and your knees start to wrinkle up. So I'm like, okay, I think I need to start to work out. So now I work out, literally three times a week, 45 minutes, one hour, but it's working out. So now I don't only work, but I work out.
Speaker 1:So on a bad day I take out all my stress on the at the gym that's incredible that you're so motivated and you've such a clear headspace for someone who doesn't work here yeah when you have clarity and you're in tune with yourself, because I believe people who work out tend to be in tune with themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you've mastered. Try to eat. Try to eat also healthy. That has helped me. Again, I have my pasta, I have my pizza, like don't go extreme, but I noticed that I always loved fruits, I always loved greens, naturally, like, not because I'm on a diet, I never diet, I don't know what diet is and I think long-term it pays off. The Mediterranean, you know, for example, I never liked sodas, so that's already luck not to enjoy. You know, I have my coffees now, but I didn't drink coffee for many years. I didn't enjoy it like like I do now. Now I do, but um, in general I one thing, oh, I never drank alcohol and cigarettes no way, you're not a drinker not at all wow, that's it.
Speaker 1:That's. That's the age changer. That's yeah again.
Speaker 2:For some people it would be like a sacrifice.
Speaker 1:I don't like it, but it's their coping mechanism because when people you know they're stressed, they need some vice, they run to alcohol right, and then they're tired after they have alcohol.
Speaker 2:I believe like people also talk to me about the skin. I believe maybe because of the alcohol. I never drank alcohol, so now at 50. You're way ahead. Yeah, I'm lucky about that, I know especially you are I gave up alcohol four years ago.
Speaker 2:Yes, no, but I mean your culture. Like I remember when I started in london after school people would go to pubs it's part of the culture but I I tried to go not to drink because I didn't like it, but then everybody starts to get drunk and stupid. So I would go home, yeah, and so yeah, that that also, I think, was one of the reason why I only started to really work out a year and a half ago, but I was still physically okay, because I think alcohol can bloat you, can inflammate you, and the smoking as well. Oh, and I also never did drugs, and that helps because of my friends that did drugs when they were younger. I feel now they're paying the price for it. They still look beautiful, but yeah, I feel good comparing to what I didn't do. Like you know, some people do all this stuff.
Speaker 1:So, because it's called the Detach podcast, what would you detach yourself away from? That's limiting you today, oh wow.
Speaker 2:You could have asked me this question, this question, before. No, I'm joking um what I would. Okay, let me understand again. What would I detach?
Speaker 1:yourself from that's limiting you today. It can be a belief, it can be food. It can be food. It can be whatever you want.
Speaker 2:I think I will detach from the negative people that right now I have a little bit in my business and a couple of people in my family, you know like it's people that I need to detach from. I have such a good heart, I'm so forgiving, but, you know, imagine people that we helped so much and made themselves successful. Pride, jealousy Because I reached my peak of my earnings and my earnings are public. Unfortunately, unfortunately, because that creates so much jealousy that I know they try to backstab me. But then God had my back. I would say you know that you know, no weapon from against me should prosper and it came out in time and they were not able to try to backstab me. But that's people I want to detach from.
Speaker 1:Do you believe that because you're working on such a big scale that the exposure to good and bad is just always so bad?
Speaker 2:no, it's so bad, it's only better. To be honest, the exposure in my social media was needed because you prove people that it works, but it's it has only bad, except the fact that you attract people to the business so it brings the money. But in every other area it's dangerous. Like, nobody saw my house on the Lake of Como, not even a picture of the view, because I don't trust people knowing where I live in Italy, because in Italy you don't have the protection and the safety amazing safety view of Dubai, so nobody knows that I even have a house. I can talk about it, but nobody knows where it is. Lake of Como is huge, thank God.
Speaker 2:Number two jealousy. People get jealous, people get yeah, and they think your life is perfect. There is no perfect life. You only post what is great on social media, right, but they have this idea and that creates jealousy. Judge, judge, jealousy judge, judge, judgmental people. You know, people judge you.
Speaker 2:Um, now again, I was with a, with a royal family, and you had people saying, oh, that's his photoshop, that is not possible and like we were like, why would you think I would photoshop that? I'm crazy, I would do that, right, but people like make up stories. So, yeah, I think my husband is actually stopped posting now for six months. Is he happier for it? Much happier. He has a sense of freedom. I post much less and my algorithm crashed. I used to have so many views on my stories, but in the moment you stop being persistent, my algorithm crashed, and probably in my business, because that's how I attract people to my business, but I let others do that now in my team but yeah, yeah, yeah, the exposure is not, it's not good in and I wouldn't say I'm famous, I'm only famous in my field.
Speaker 2:But because of Instagram, I also get people stopping me on the street and you know, sometimes you look like you look bad, like I go without my makeup and you know you're tired, and and then people are like, can we have a picture? And you look terrible and without a filter on social media, you're like I don't want the picture there, but then what? You say no. So yeah, now, to be honest, I feel sorry for the real famous people, like somebody like Justin Bieber. Poor him, he cannot even go to church, he cannot do anything. That people are arresting him wherever he goes. Terrible life, terrible life. I love to be free. I love Dubai for that.
Speaker 1:When you said you'd like to detach yourself away from the negativity of your family. How does one do that without sacrificing their family?
Speaker 2:I know it's because my parents I still want to be with them, but I don't want them to talk about certain subjects, and one of the subjects is the career of my first son they think that it's not what he should be doing. He's a trader, and you know he's 25. At 25, he already had a child and had married, and you know they have this. And I said let my son alone. He's amazing, super handsome and he's, you know, taking care of himself alone. Yeah, you might not like the trading because it's not a secure job. Let him alone. And and that, keep on checking on us.
Speaker 2:You know, did you really have to rent the yacht or did you like? Because my parents know how much money I make, but they still think we spend too much in any way. But they don't understand that that's one income I have. I have other incomes and I try to explain them, but doesn't get it. And I'm definitely not overspending. But they judge every choice I have. You know, now on the Lake of Combs, of course you have to buy new cars. Did you have to buy this car? And then it's like, okay, okay, I don't want this negativity, so you're not gonna talk ever to me again, but I still love them. They come over, but in the moment they start.
Speaker 1:I have to stop them before I would be fighting them back. You know you, you learn. You learn the hard way that it just doesn't work when you fight against family.
Speaker 2:No, no and they try to compare my brother to me and put like um, put my brother down because he doesn't achieve what I have achieved and and it's so bad. My brother is the most amazing guy he's. He's exactly a guy that makes five only, which is not bad five thousand euros a month, and he's so happy, so happy with his family, so happy with his kids. He's such an example to me of somebody that is not great but super happy. And then you know, if I can just take care of the school, the private schools, for my nephews, why not? I want to do that, but you know they are. I don't like that. So that negativity detached and backstabber detached, so what's the?
Speaker 1:future for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's such a great question. I don't know because I don't have a plan. I put my life in God's hands, but I know that he has a plan and I trust his plan for me. If there was one thing you want to manifest For sure, I would like to have a wonderful. I would like my kids to be married with children, which again comes the family like my parents to them. But I'm sure I would like to be a super cool grandma one day.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you will. You'll be the tornado. Grandma and daughter.
Speaker 2:I mean I could still have a daughter. You never know, everything is possible. But yeah, so I would manifest that um love, family, love, relationship.
Speaker 1:it's funny because everybody sees me business woman, business woman, but actually my priority is relationship and people what kind of advice would you give to business women, business men out there right now today who want to get after their business goals?
Speaker 2:so you said it before do what you love so it doesn't feel like you're working a said it before do what you love so it doesn't feel like you're working a day in your life and what you're passionate about. That doesn't mean you're not going to hate it at times and you're not going to sweat and you're not going to sacrifice. Obviously, everything big, you need to pay a price. But especially, what I can tell you is don't give up on your dreams, don't give up in what you believe in.
Speaker 1:If you know this is it just go for it. Your time will come. Thank you so much for that. Thank you for being on the podcast. Thank you for inviting me.