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An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Take advantage of the fresh perspective and allow yourself to set boundaries. You get to decide what a healthy balance of self-care, priorities, and schedules look like for you now. The best thing you can do for your mental and physical health is to give up external pressure from social media and society on how you think you “should” be living your life, and give yourself permission to tune in, listen to your body and give yourself what you truly need — whether that be socialization or solitude. Take the valuable lessons and perspective you gained during the pandemic to help set healthy boundaries and create a life you love.

As a part of our series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tori Gordon.

As one of TikTok’s top 100 female creators, Tori Gordon is an award-winning content creator, trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and high performance coach guiding people and organizations to their highest potential and fullest expression. Today, her work reaches nearly one million people worldwide and has been seen on major media outlets like NBC, Fox News, CBS, Yahoo News and Business Insider. As founder of Coachable LLC, Tori works with highly motivated individuals and corporations looking to level-up in life and business by catalyzing massive transformation through her engaging content, highly experiential seminars, coaching programs, and retreats. As a widely sought-after mental health influencer she works with big brands like OUTSHINE® helping spread mission-driven messages with confidence and authenticity. She has given key-note speeches on topics such as “How to achieve true happiness” at events like the International Day of Happiness sponsored by the United Nations. Tori was also named one of the Top 10 Female Mindset Coaches by Yahoo News in 2020.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

Health and fitness have always been part of my life. Growing up I was a three-sport athlete, so training and working out consistently was part of my everyday routine. Fast forward to college when I stopped playing sports and moved out, that is when I started to develop a love/hate relationship with working out and clean eating. I spent years struggling with diet culture, societal expectations, and battling my own self judgment. It wasn’t until I found yoga that I really learned to start connecting with my body in a compassionate way that led me to learn how to take better care of myself mentally and physically.

It’s a pleasure to now be able to work with great brands, like OUTSHINE®, who share similar missions of positivity and living brightly!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

During the pandemic, I started posting daily inspirational videos on TikTok to share my experiences and connect with my clients. What started out as a fun experiment exploded in just a few months and as a result I was named one of TikTok’s Top 100 Female Content Creators. This just reinforced the belief that being authentically yourself is a formula for success.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

When I first started Coachable I wore many hats. I was responsible for the creation, marketing, sales and delivery of all services which forced me to learn how to do a lot of things I’d never done before. From graphic design to accounting, I had a lot to learn. This required me to take a lot of “messy action.”

I laugh now when I look back and think about the beginning stages of business building and how much it felt like I was throwing spaghetti against a wall to see what would stick…because I was! I think it’s unrealistic to expect yourself to “get it right” the first time, and by choosing to take messy action — no matter how messy — it taught me that it’s ok to try new things, make mistakes, fail, and adapt as you learn.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

There are many incredible experts in the field of fitness and wellness, but my uniqueness lies in my ability to go beneath the surface with my clients to identify the root cause of the stress, pain or unwanted behavior.

I believe that when we learn to get out of our mind and into the body, we connect with the innate power the body possesses to heal itself. By utilizing my background in emotional intelligence, psychology, trauma release therapy, and breathwork, I help my clients connect with their own internal wisdom and release the blockages that are preventing them from creating the results they desire.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My Dad has been one of my greatest teachers, coaches and cheerleaders throughout my life. From coaching my softball team when I was a kid, writing plays for me to perform at school, and being a constant source of support, he instilled in me the greatest gift I could have asked for: self-belief.

When I first started my company, my dad asked me a question that at the time irritated me. I had just quit my corporate job and was experiencing the momentary high of making a life-changing decision. When I called to tell him about my decision, that’s when he asked me, “How much debt are you in?” Thankfully, I only had minimal credit card debt, but at that moment I felt like the wind had just been taken out of my sails. I told him that I wasn’t calling to ask for help, and that I was confident that I could make this transition on my own. That’s when he stopped me and said, “You just made a really brave choice, one that many people won’t find the courage to do themselves. I don’t want you to walk towards your dreams, I want you to be able to run.”

With tears streaming down my face, I remember feeling so immensely grateful to have a father that undoubtedly believed in me. He is the reason I believe in myself.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Three main blockages that I have people focus on overcoming to live a better life include:

  1. Getting stuck on the “to-do.” It’s easy to get stuck focusing on your to-do list, so be sure to set intentions for your tasks. Start by setting an intention for the day every morning (i.e., I intend to see the goodness around me, I intend to be kind even when under pressure, etc.) and find the joy in routinely working toward those intentions.
  2. Being attached to your comfort zone. Easier said than done, but it’s important to practice embracing feeling outside of your comfort zone! With COVID, we all experienced a period of isolation that forced us to change our daily lifestyles. Now, we’re being asked to adapt again as we return to socializing; our environments are changing, we are going back to school, back to the office, etc. Focus on what you can control and let the vision of what you want to create outweigh your excuses for not creating it.
  3. Intimidation of setting new goals. We’re at halftime: This is where we pause and take inventory of where we are and how we’re doing. Things are changing as we adjust to a “new” normal, so it’s the perfect time to set new goals. Do a quick self-assessment to see how far you are from what you want to achieve and map out a plan of how you will incorporate those long-term goals into your daily routine. For instance, if your goal is to say you live a healthy lifestyle, start by scheduling in 15 minutes to going to the gym each day. Over time, your goals will grow and evolve until you realize you’ve met them.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

Yes — 5 tips I believe to be crucial in improving people’s wellbeing include:

  1. Master your time and energy. Your time is valuable, so use it for things you care about! Make a list and prioritize the top three things you’d like to truly accomplish each week personally or professionally and make sure your extra energy is being allocated appropriately. Things that help me accomplish my goals include:
    – Blocking my Google Calendar to do something fun like working out or reading my book
    – Setting a timer on my phone to limit mindless scrolling on social media
    – Having accountability partners to check in on goals and accomplishments
    – Keeping my body in mind by hydrating and enjoying nutritious snacks like OUTSHINE® Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie Pouches
  2. Grant yourself grace to not be productive 24/7. We have been conditioned to be productive all of the time in isolation — 45% of people work more hours a week than they did before COVID — but it’s just as important to prioritize taking time to take care of yourself along the way during this adjustment period. One way to do this is to build breaks into your day to snack, breathe and hydrate. I also like putting my bare feet on the grass outside to help ground myself in what’s important. When you feel good, it will help you instill confidence in your routine, be more productive when you need to be, and make the whole family feel good!
  3. Develop the habit of having fun again! Juggling office and family life with new routines this fall may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be so serious. There are so many ways to infuse fun and play into your day, like creating a playlist you can listen to on the drive to work or writing an encouraging note to yourself or your child to read during lunch time. These small, intentional actions help us stay present and find joy in everyday actions.
  4. Dedicate time to rekindling relationships with friends, family or co-workers. Our greatest measurement of happiness is the quality of our relationships. Of all the things that truly matter, working efficiently and getting more done is not among them.
  5. Take advantage of the fresh perspective and allow yourself to set boundaries. You get to decide what a healthy balance of self-care, priorities, and schedules look like for you now. The best thing you can do for your mental and physical health is to give up external pressure from social media and society on how you think you “should” be living your life, and give yourself permission to tune in, listen to your body and give yourself what you truly need — whether that be socialization or solitude. Take the valuable lessons and perspective you gained during the pandemic to help set healthy boundaries and create a life you love.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

There are many benefits to daily exercise but three that are important to me are:

  1. Improved mood: It’s proven that daily exercise releases various brain chemicals that help you to feel happier, more relaxed and less anxious. It also increases your energy levels throughout the day, boosts your self-esteem and can make you feel more confident.
  2. Memory and focus: The same endorphins that make you feel better also help you concentrate and feel mentally sharp for whatever life throws at you. Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age related decline.
  3. Better sleep: Daily exercise can increase your body’s natural ability to fall and stay asleep. It’s important to remember that exercising late at night can make it hard to fall asleep due to the increase in energy, so keep that in mind when scheduling your workouts.

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

  1. One way to add more movement into your day is to increase the amount of walking that you do. It’s simple but it’s not always easy. I like to encourage people to embrace the “take the stairs” ideology which is all about doing the hard thing instead of opting for the easy alternative. It’s easy to take the elevator or to park in the front row at the store. But when you choose to take the stairs or park at the back of the parking lot you increase your daily activity and step count without ever having to step foot in the gym.
  2. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to working out or exercising. I think it’s important to make it FUN! Focus on finding an activity that you enjoy that gets your heart rate up and helps you break a sweat. It doesn’t matter what it is. Things you can try are swimming, HIIT, hot yoga, group exercise classes, kickboxing, pickleball or dance. Find an activity that you can get excited about doing. This will ultimately lead to more consistency and self-discipline and over time, better results.
  3. Additionally, I have to mention how important nutritious snacking is. We all want to be healthy, but it can be hard to find time to food prep. OUTSHINE® Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie Pouches are the perfect on-the-go snack that are mess-free and quiet, making them great to enjoy anywhere, anytime — whether in a work meeting or driving to soccer practice. They’re also great for the whole family because they don’t need to be refrigerated and are made with real fruit ingredients and non-fat yogurt. I recommend leaving some in your gym bag, car or desk so you have them when you need them!

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite books about a boy who learns to follow his heart, chase his dreams and learn the lessons that come in the form of life’s obstacles and challenges. This book taught me that failure is a natural part of the process of realizing your dreams, not something to be avoided. Growth and success aren’t a linear process. Life is full of twists and turns. Embrace them, don’t resist them. Each obstacle is an opportunity to learn more about yourself.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I love this question because it’s been something I’ve been thinking a lot about. After coming out of COVID-19 I saw that germs are not the only thing that can spread like wildfire. Ideas, beliefs, and smiles are also contagious. #SpreadASmiley is a human empowerment movement I am currently building dedicated to spreading light, joy and positivity around the globe.

When you smile your body releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin which make you feel good, and I believe that when people feel good, they do more good in the world. I have learned first-hand what the simple act of sharing a smile can do for someone’s day and the ripple effect it can have. The mission of #SpreadASmiley is to educate and empower the #smileygang to create health, wealth and happiness in our own lives and be beacons of light in the communities we are part of. By wearing one of our smiley shirts, or giving away one of our get one — give one smiley face stickers, you can create a positive environment wherever you go.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Success is not owned, it is rented — and that rent is due everyday.” Rory Vaden

I love this quote because it reminds me to never get stagnant in the pursuit of my potential. It’s easy to get complacent after reaching a goal or certain level of success. I’ve watched myself go through seasons in life where I allowed myself to make excuses for why I wasn’t showing up and putting forth the effort I know I’m capable of. I really believe that we are either progressing or regressing. Another way to say that is if you’re not growing, you’re dying. There is no such thing as being stationary. This quote inspires me to continue to put one foot in front of the other and to always give my best effort toward the opportunities life presents me.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

My Instagram is @coachtorigordon and myTikTok is @coachtorigordon.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Tori Gordon of Coachable: 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Dramatically Improve Your Wellbeing was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.