An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Don’t be afraid to pivot. If something isn’t working — it’s okay to try it a new a way. I was so convinced that hustle was the only way to build a social selling business, because it was the dominant paradigm talked about. I certainly didn’t think talking about manifestation in social selling would be well received. Yet, I saw hustle was literally leading me to the hospital and my body was breaking. I had to make a pivot to allow both actionable steps and what I now call flow.

As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Luna Santel.

Luna is a former high-school Spanish teacher turned mutli-six figure entrepreneur. She coaches social sellers on how to build a business without the hustle-til-your-adrenals-are-shot-mentality — and design a life that you love. Her passion is helping bridge manifestation practices with social selling strategies, to help your business scale with ease.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Thank you so much for having me! My story started in the classroom — I loved teaching, but felt myself burning out after several years in. I always had an entrepreneurial spirit and decided to pursue an extra online income stream for a fun distraction. I played around with an Etsy shop, coaching manifestation before coaching was even a thing, and eventually found social selling.

I found myself lit up to serve my audience, and wanted to pour more fuel onto that fire. My first social selling gig did not go as planned, and I ended up leaving that company. My heart was on fire for health and wellness as I was a former candidate for brain surgery. So when I found a company that wanted to disrupt the status quo of social selling, and had the training that would help me with social selling and in marketing my manifestation courses — -I was all in.

Four years later, I’ve left teaching, retired my husband and now teach on how to infuse manifestation into your social selling business.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I lit my kitchen on fire once on live video. I didn’t even realize it was on fire until my viewers told me! I learned there is no mistake that your soul humans who resonate with you, will not say get or resonate with. No one likes perfection, and the fire of 2019 became an ongoing joke amongst myself and those who would watch my live videos!

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?

A mentor once asked me if I desired to constantly be working on the weekends — this was back when I was very much steeped in hustle culture. I told her no, and that I wanted to eventually be able to have my weekends be my family time. She encouraged me to begin honoring that in the beginning phases of my business. It was the first exposure to the idea of “slow down to speed up” and it shifted my viewpoint on hustle from the very beginning.

Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?

The vision was to make an impact on my community — and to be the person who an “online stranger” could turn to — I didn’t know exactly who I wanted to serve or how — and I found that wasn’t totally necessary. I knew how I wanted people to feel: welcomed, heard, supported, at ease, inspired. I showed up and still do, share from a space of creating this environment on my social media channels.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

Leading through COVID has been and is challenging for anyone who is seen as a leader or holds a leadership position. In the online space, we know that any type of challenge is going to weed out certain people, and that the challenge will allow others to thrive — because some won’t be able to continue. I let our team know this — -hey, this is HARD right now. This challenge (and it can be anything, not just COVID. A move. A diagnosis. A new work schedule) can either be the invitation to grow into your next level, or can be a reason to stop. You get to decide which one. Then from there, I ask how I can best support them.

Not everyone has the same goals. Not everyone wants the same thing — and goals can shift and change. As a leader, you have to be okay with this — that some will simply no longer desire the goal they once did — that their challenge will show them a new desire. As leaders we need to support them, and support those wanting to deepen into their next level.

Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?

I have been frustrated, overwhelmed, in tears. Yet, giving up on my business has never been an option. I honestly get surprised at how easily this term is thrown around, yet I understand I’m wired differently than most people. I resonate deeply with Tim Grover’s book “Relentless” and the qualities he describes in his book — -one of which is giving up simply doesn’t register.

A pivot — sure. A zoom out and look at what we can do differently as an organization — of course. A hard look at my own actions to take responsibility and see what I need to pivot and model differently — yes.

Giving up is not an option.

The question also mentioned motivation — I’m not necessarily a fan of motivation because it is short lived. When your vision is big enough, it will intrinsically drive you — even on days when you don’t feel motivated — and those days are coming. I tap in with what legacy I want to leave, what possibilities I want to show can be achieved, what example I am setting, and I move from that space.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?

The leader is like a thermostat for the room. We set the temperature — we are the calm in the storm that those we lead can choose to tap into. We hold the vision, the calmness, the knowingness of where we are headed in uncertain times. It is our job to articulate this vision and knowingness to those we have the honor of leading.

When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?

Remember that you are leading humans, and humans all have a fundamental desire to be loved and seen. Articulating that you appreciate those people you have the honor of leading, acknowledging their wins & what they are learning from perceived “misses”, and their commitment to the process is critical. When people feel appreciated not just by words, but by actions — the overall morale is boosted. Also as leaders, it’s important to stay clear and not become codependent with who you lead as well. Yes, you can show appreciation, love, care and not everyone will be able to receive this, and that’s okay. As a leader, we have to be mindful of our intentions and outcomes. When acknowledging team members, it important to do this with no end game other than saying thank you (with no expectation of you’re welcome) in mind.

What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?

All bad news has some silver lining. I’m a fan of the sandwich method — tell the person something they did well, what you appreciate, etc — then the bad news — and follow with why you appreciate them and that you are there to help them, etc. As a leader, it’s also important to not see situations as worse than they are, but simply as they are, and deliver the news without emotional attachment. This will help as you deliver the news too — when there isn’t an emotional attachment to “bad news” but simply “news” and this is how we are going to pivot/adjust/move into solution.

How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?

The future has always been unpredictable. It always will be unpredictable. We hold our vision, and move. When challenges arise, we move and pivot — -trusting we will make it through stronger. If the future was predictable, the whole leadership journey wouldn’t be half as fun.

Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?

The future has always been unpredictable. It always will be unpredictable. We hold our vision, and move. When challenges arise, we move and pivot — -trusting we will make it through stronger. If the future was predictable, the whole leadership journey wouldn’t be half as fun.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

The inability to pivot. Falling into comparison. Believing after putting in X amount of work they should be at X point in their business (entitlement).

I’ve seen these three sabotage several organizations or at best plateau them. They are also mistakes I’ve personally made. If you find yourself in any of these, I always encourage zooming out to the big picture — -how do I need to move differently to expect a different result? How can I study what this person/business is doing instead of comparing myself or pulling away? Am I really committed to the entrepreneurial process or do I expect to get paid like an employee working for an entrepreneur (X work = X result/pay)? Dig deep into your vision.

Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?

Yes, it can be challenging. Yet, we know wealth is generated during recessions, during so called “turbulent” times. I would encourage 1) perspective-shifting, 2) what is everyone else doing? How can you do it differently so you don’t blend into the background noise? 3) Focus on serving your niche.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.

First, lead from the front — this means that those who you have the honor of leading know that you are beside them doing the work — not just managing. I fell into this in my first organization and off and on in my journey. No one wants to admit or even says “I prefer to manage” — but if you are not modeling how you want your organization to show up, you cannot expect them to do the same. This can even be modeling “hustle” — I was once SO proud I worked through several severe illnesses. It was no wonder I had several team members asking if they should work while sick and then on the verge of burnout! We have to model the “actionable work” and well as the “internal work” too.

Second, show appreciation often. I mentioned this earlier, but acknowledgment is so key. Everyone wants to feel seen, heard, and like they are a part of something greater than themselves. Writing cards and sending notes of appreciation have become a massive part of how our organization recognizes not just achievement, but steps on the journey toward their goals. This awareness came from seeing how much I personally shifted in feeling a “part of” when my own mentors would reach out (or wouldn’t reach out). This morale boost will help create “stickiness” in your organization.

Third, let your leaders lead. This goes into making sure you’re not managing — but it can be scary when leaders go off on their own, and become self-led leaders! There can be a tendency to want to know what is going on or think you aren’t doing your job properly — but a massive part of leading is trusting your leaders to do their job well. The goal is to create self-led leaders who are still contributing and collaborating with the whole.

Fourth, don’t be afraid to pivot. If something isn’t working — it’s okay to try it a new a way. I was so convinced that hustle was the only way to build a social selling business, because it was the dominant paradigm talked about. I certainly didn’t think talking about manifestation in social selling would be well received. Yet, I saw hustle was literally leading me to the hospital and my body was breaking. I had to make a pivot to allow both actionable steps and what I now call flow.

Fifth, don’t be afraid to take risks. I used to try and play it safe and follow the “game plan” — whether that plan was articulated out loud or was unspoken. I ended up blending in with everyone — when you try to serve everyone, you are serving no one. It was a risk to begin speaking to a smaller audience, to begin to speak differently, on new topics, to call out hustle-culture — yet in doing so, I found so many who resonated. In doing so, there were many in our organization that found their individual voice and their niche they are meant to serve. Part of our job as a leader is to go where no one has gone before. We must be brave enough to do this and share what we learn with our organizations.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I am a huge fan of Will Smith. In the beginning phases of my business, I would listen to his talk about “Not being outrun on a treadmill.” I knew that there were others more talented in social selling than me. There still are — better at customer acquisition, team building, speaking, you name it — but I would not be outrun. I could be more consistent. I could simply stay on the treadmill, until I “make” it or I die. It’s part of my commitment — there is no option to get off the treadmill. I am on it. And I’m either going to die working toward my goals, or achieve it. There is no other option.

How can our readers further follow your work?

Readers can connect with me on Facebook by searching Luna Ashley, or find me on Instagram or Tik Tok by searching @thelunaahsley

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!


Luna Santel: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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