Becoming a Mindful Millionaire with Leisa Peterson

March 10, 2022

Expert CRE Secrets Podcast

“I realized that there were patterns because of all those years of working with people that some people have great success with it and others struggle and I wanted to get to the bottom of why did some people struggle so much.”

Leisa Peterson is on a mission to help 1 million people elevate their financial consciousness by helping them realize their true value in the world and beyond. She's had the great fortune to witness 1000s of money breakthroughs while writing her book, The Mindful Millionaire. Her specialty is helping business owners overcome a cycle of scarcity, uncertainty, and economic volatility. They can heal themselves or their sense of self-worth and rebuild amazing confidence so they can build holistic wealth and ultimately semi-retire, which is pretty cool. a time where you can have flexibility and freedom time freedom to call your own shots and make a bigger impact.

Prior to starting WealthClinic®, LLC, she worked with some of the largest financial and business services companies in the world including Wells Fargo, State Farm Insurance, UNUM Life Insurance, New York Life, Federal Express, Pitney Bowes, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors.

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Becoming a Mindful Millionaire with Leisa Peterson

Brett:

I'm excited about our next guest. She's on a mission to help 1 million people elevate their financial consciousness by helping them realize their true value in the world and beyond. She's had the great fortune to witness 1000s of money breakthroughs while writing her book, The Mindful Millionaire. Her specialty is helping business owners overcome a cycle of scarcity, uncertainty, and economic volatility. They can heal themselves or their sense of self-worth and rebuild amazing confidence so they can build holistic wealth and ultimately semi-retire, which is pretty cool. a time where you can have flexibility and freedom time freedom to call your own shots and make a bigger impact. Please welcome to the show with me. Leisa Peterson. Leisa, how are you doing?

Leisa:

Very well. I'm so happy to be here, Brett.

Brett:

Glad to have you on the show. Excited to dive in for our listeners to get to know you for the first time. Would you give us a little bit more about your story and your current focus?

Leisa:

I have worked in finance in one way or another for over 30 years. I'm a certified financial planner, self-made millionaire by the time I was in my mid-30s, an MBA in finance back in the early 90s. have been working with money and people ever since. I really got serious about helping people in the way that you described seven years ago, when I left my financial advising practice and started coaching and working with entrepreneurs to break through the things that kept them from saving more money, being able to invest more money, I realized that there were patterns because of all those years of working with people that some people have great success with it and others struggle and I wanted to get to the bottom of why did some people struggle so much. A little backstory, I came from a home where my parents got married when they were 1819. No education didn't go to college, very working class, and struggled quite a bit. That was interesting for me because I was good with money from a really young age, and they weren't.it infuses my work today of this fascination of like, Why can some people build amazing wealth? Why do others struggle?

Brett:

I was really contemplating what you're saying is really what's happening. That's fantastic I'm going to look forward to diving into that and uncover those things, perhaps that high driving entrepreneurs, CEOs, executives, perhaps are missing. But before we go there, I wanna take one other step back and help myself and our listeners get to know you a little bit better. see, I believe we've all been given certain gifts in this life. these gifts have given us to be a blessing help to others. Some people call a strength some people call them superpowers. I believe their God-given gifts, and they've been given us to be blessing help to others. I want you to go back maybe to the university days or the high school days. What are those one or two gifts that you believe you were given? How does that help how you help and bless people to that? I think that

Leisa:

The gift I've been given and even to this day people talk about it is incredible resiliency, that I could go through a lot of trauma and difficulty and seeing the Dark Side of Life. yet it doesn't, it doesn't stop me from moving forward and helping other people. I think that what I've also learned over time is I love people like some people love dogs, love people. I just can't help but be really, really curious about people and what's their story and what's happening for them. as a result of that, it's caused me to be able to help people in ways that are really meaningful. I'm a mentor to so many people and they come to me years later and they're like, do you know that everything in my life changed after that conversation and I say I had no idea and that's pretty cool even when you're doing coaching that you can still be impacting people that way.

Brett:

That's amazing, that incredible resiliency and the love of people and helping them to move forward and unlock, potential or things that they're doing that they didn't think they could do until they're connected with you which is the power of coaching and mentoring and sharing our gifts so fantastic. Let's dive right into becoming a mindful millionaire. What's the number one secret Leisa to becoming a mindful Millionaire?

Leisa:

The number one secret would have to be understanding yourself well enough to know when you're trapped inside of scarcity patterns. when you're actually thinking from an abundant level. in the book I Chronicle What does that mean? How does that work? But put simply, there's a lot of research about scarcity, the fact that when we are operating in scarcity, we have a drop in IQ of about 13 or 14 points. We, we may feel like we did dumb things. In reality, it's true, we end up tunneling our vision, instead of seeing the whole picture of all the possibilities, we just see, like one possible or two possible outcomes, and they're probably very limited. we focus on those and then we miss out on all the potential that's available to us.

Brett:

Understanding yourself well enough to understand that if you're operating in a scarcity mindset or an abundance mindset, is that a fair summary so far?

Leisa:

Yes. Good job.

Brett:

I guess, what would be the clues? The evidence that you're operating in scarcity? Then we'll go to abundance?

Leisa:

Clues because I work with a lot of business owners? A clue would be, what's the cheapest way that I can solve this problem? That would be a perfect example. I have lots and lots of these kinds of questions that I explore. It's like, what's the difference? Many times we think that we're doing the best thing by saving money, but in reality, we aren't because we're, we're limiting our possibilities of maybe I need to hire somebody because they know a lot more about this than I do. I'm sure your listeners understand that. I think it's kind of a situation where each of us has little pockets where we get trapped, and we don't realize that we're looking at the glass is half full. versus, or half empty versus half full. But it's questioning your assumptions is what really is the way that we get a better awareness of what's going on. is that really helping me like frugality could be a positive thing, or it could be a really negative thing. It's questioning those assumptions. how are you? Why are you making the decision? Is it coming from a place of fear, and uncertainty, and doubt? Are you open to the possibility?

Brett:

The common question for the entrepreneur, or the business owner, the executive, or whoever it is. What's the cheapest way to solve this problem? What's the most? What's the emotion behind that? Is it coming from fear? Is it coming from uncertainty? Where's that and being aware of that as a first-timer so far?

Leisa:

Yes.

Brett:

The opposite of that would be for the abundance? If that's the first thing, that's the habit, or that's the challenge, then what would be the counter to that? What's the better question to be asking?

Leisa:

The better question from a place of possibility in and again, I think it's just so different for each of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. But it's like, I think you talked about God and our connection to a higher power, I feel like this has a lot to do with it, of trusting that there is so much more going on than just a fear reactive response to life. If we can connect with things like love and positivity, and source and what could happen, so I think it's more of a curiosity question. It's like, well, what am I not seeing here? That would allow me to think bigger than just shrinkage? That's one scenario.

Brett:

That makes perfect sense. Go basically kind of going beyond yourself and your the forest versus the trees are even bigger than that. Like, the world or the universe. They the bigger, bigger set trusting there's much more abundance in source than just our limiting small beliefs of frugality, it's gonna save a buck. Is that a fair summary?

Leisa:

Definitely.

Brett:

That's the first secret. All right, so we got to understand yourself well enough to if you're operating in a scarcity or abundance mindset, I'm obviously so much more in the book there, right. But what would be the second secret or second step to becoming more of a mindful millionaire?

Leisa:

I think this is a big one when you're operating multiple businesses when you're investing in different properties. I know that that I've been a real estate investor for 30 years. But what I've learned that is really critical is the ability to trust yourself and trust the decisions that you're making. That if you're making decisions that are based on past mistakes and past problems, those have attended See, just show up in your decisions and what you create for yourself going forward. Being able to forgive yourself for any kind of mistakes, or things that you're like, oh, that didn't go very well, and I'm holding myself responsible, we tend to repeat those mistakes again and again. The more you can tune into, how much do I trust myself? If I don't trust myself before I make this decision, how can I get help? How can I question back to questioning assumptions? What can I do for myself, that there's no way that these past problems are negatively impacting my decision? It's one thing to make a decision based on experience, well, it didn't work this way. That's why I'm doing it this way. But that's not what I often focus on. It's the energy underneath of regret and uncertainty, and, and just fear of making another mistake.

Brett:

Really fascinating. It's a, it's the psychology behind it, and the emotions behind it and everything that's going on. The ability to trust yourself, and really understand the why behind the decisions you're making, as well as forgiving yourself for past mistakes. Which leads to the next question, which is, what's the number three secret?

Leisa:

I'd say the number three secret and there's really seven. We're just getting into a few of them? Yeah, is this idea of I am enough. there is actually such a thing as enoughness. one of the things that I've kind of made a point about recently because I do a lot of interviews is, I don't know that people like hearing it. But I will say that I have enough, I mean, I have a net worth of 3 million or so. it's totally enough like I do not have any interest in going out and adapting my life just to get more money to me at this point in my life. It's about impact. But the reason I came to that place of impact is that I fully know that I am enough. what I've created in my life is enough. I feel like the rest of my life gets to be all about how can I make the world a better place? How can I be of service to others, and it totally changes the way we think. But if we don't think we're enough, we will chase after money, we will chase after success, we will chase after all those things, thinking that they're going to make us feel enough. the big realization for me is we're the one who gets to decide that and we're the ones who get to decide when all that other stuff isn't working. it's time to actually look inside and say I'm enough, and maybe that's infused by faith that I made in Divine perfection of the Creator like whatever it takes, but find that place, because your life's gonna be very, very different from that moment forward.

Brett:

I think that's so beautiful. Well said, and it's almost like escaping the jail of successor, or always needing or wanting more, right, it's being content with little content with much and begin tat with the, with who you are, and the gifts you have to offer and the blessing you can be to others, and escaping I guess the tyranny of the FOMO, or missing out or being more Is that a fair summary?

Leisa:

It is I also want to say that I don't teach that this is about a number, right that this is each of us has a number like it's not fair to ignore it and say, I don't want that or I don't need it. I can't say that I needed what we ended up building, I look at money as merely a tool to understand myself and see what issues and challenges I've had in this life that I've had to overcome. money is merely a reflection of all the beauty and joy in life and that this was a way for me to make an impact in the world. that was the number that that kind of changed things for me but for another person it might be half a million dollars another person it might be $10 million or $100 million. Like I don't judge about that I just want other people to realize that you don't need to judge me about it either. Like you go find your number.

Brett:

Different people have different callings, different gifts and some are given 10 talents Some are five summer to summer one and the point is they're going to maximize the potential they give you have been given and I actually call this thenIi don't know if I but I've kind of heard it I don't sure who to give credit to but like the success or you keeping called the contentment formula or fulfillment formula and it goes like this. I'm curious what you think that you know that one or two gifts that you've been given? Like what is that identifying what that is? What's that unique thing that really, really brings you alive and energizes you to go make a difference? Number two is maximizing the potential of that gift right like really focusing like a laser to become all you can be in that one or two gifts. then number three's an impact for others and encapsulated with for me it's God, and it's like hey If the higher purpose for why I'm here, and if any one of those three things is missing, or four things are missing, like as a bigger purpose for why I'm here, then there are the fulfillments, not quite there or even it's completely gone. Because you could say, Hey, I got this amazing gift. I'm maximizing the potential, but I'm not impacting others, or I'm impacting others, but I haven't maximized the potential that I get for only me know what my gifts are, or I don't think there's a bigger purpose for this. then, but when you can bring those things together, it can infuse you with fulfillment and contentment. Any thoughts on that?

Becoming a Mindful Millionaire: “But land is land, and it’s safer than the stocks and bonds of Wall Street swindlers.” – Eugene O’Neill

Leisa:

I think that I did not know that I could make the impact that I'm making today and people's lives. The only reason that I even thought I could do this was, unfortunately, I was in a really tragic circumstance. it forced me to wake up to the fact that I had focused a lot on just being in in kind of a consumer and having a job or having a job that fueled my life and provided benefits and all of that, and I had this really horrible thing, or multiple things happen. But the last one in 2013, just woke me up. I was like, I can help people. I don't know if anybody else is gonna think that way. But I'm supposed to try, I'm supposed to show up and see what happens., and I'll admit that it's one thing to work for other people. keep in mind, as I said, I've been an investor, and I've been building businesses and building wealth for 30 years. But there is something very different when you put yourself out there and like a digital business as we do, and you're on a podcast, and you're making yourself visible. I had a lot of work to do on my self-confidence because I just didn't think that I could do what I'm doing. It's only been like growing and expanding, and then getting that feedback from other people that have allowed me to say, I like this. I like these opportunities. it feels more meaningful than just going to the pool and having a cocktail or something like this to spend the rest of my life. I just had to be in some rough situations to get out of my fear zone and say, why not me? Why not try?

Brett:

By the way, similar circumstances? Well, right about, I mean, I've been podcasting for about a year and a half. I first got on some other podcast like maybe two years ago. I remember recording my first YouTube video, Leisa, and it was like, the most awkward, like, I don't want to be on camera like the lighting was bad. The content was was was minimal. I'm like, but I just kept thinking about it, I need to get out of my own way. I need to get out of my own way, I have a gift, I believe I have a gift and I want to bless others. But I need to get out of my own way and push through the uncomfortable and the fear and the uncertainty and all that. Talk about how you got out of your own way to write the book to start the podcast to put yourself out there. What was that take us to that moment, and what were the things that you did to do that?

Leisa:

Yes, there were a couple of pivotal moments after I left my financial advising job, I immediately started teaching people. at that time, we didn't even have zoom, we just had conference call classes. I had about 35 people in this class. at one point, somebody sent me something. it was a document that was kind of like a blog that was about scarcity and abundance. when I read it, I found myself on the floor crying because I realized just even though I thought I could help people at that time, I was like, I've been living in scarcity my whole life. I can't I'm not prepared to teach people like I've got a lot of work to do. That was a big pivotal moment. But then, fast forward a few years later, I mean, I got out of my own way. I said it's okay, you don't have to have all the answers, you can still teach a lot about money and a lot about people's psyche. I started coaching people. I was writing my book, and I was really struggling about how to write and how to really write meaningful stories that would impact people and cost transformation. I wrote a book that was more fiction. I was trying to write a fiction book, and I'm not a great writer. I had a coach and I brought her the book, and I was so proud. she's like, this can take us like five years to learn how to do this.

I was just like, here we go. I've just wasted a year of my life writing. I went back to one of my clients and I had a sense that I was going to have to go back to writing nonfiction which is ultimately what the book turned into. I went to one of my clients I've been working with him for like a couple of years and I said, I think that I'm not going deep enough in this work. I think that I'm missing things. I think that the only way that I'm going to be able to write this book and actually have the impact on people's lives that I want to, is we have to start all over again. would you unpack your life story for me and answer some really hard questions for me about who you are, and why you are doing the things that you're doing with the money and, and we started all over again. what ended up happening from that was, I found seven different people to basically give me their life stories over a series of hundreds of hours of interviews, which allowed me to start really understanding these patterns that I've been curious about for 2030 years, now, I was actually able to make a big impact with the book and their stories, and then that informed the process that I created.

Brett:

I love how you unpack that. I love how you, it wasn't easy. the very fact there's a thought to the very fact that you struggled with feeling adequate to do these things is the very fact that makes you qualified to do these things, because a coach and a guide, and it's kind of thing I've learned and I think, or it's been told to me, but I've kind of come to realize is that it's just someone who's a couple of steps ahead of you, who's been where you're at when it's the person who's so far ahead, and maybe has never been where you're at, it's actually more challenging for that person to teach the person who's was just there last year, last month, two years ago, right, I want every part of the journey there in the vulnerability is really important to share that so that people can feel like they can actually do like, oh, if Leisa could do it, she was where I was at, she can empathize, she can understand, I can do that. the second thing I want to pull out of this is you we’re maximizing the potential of that gift. You knew you had the gift, you knew you wanted to make an impact. but he did the work in order to spend the hours and the time and the energy honing the message in the method right, to be able to maximize that gift to now go make a bigger impact. I applaud you for doing that and pushing through the challenge. Any thoughts on that?

Leisa:

Well, it was a real testament when I had an agent who had reached out to me several years ago was reading my blog post. she was the one who is really like, let's go traditional publishing, which a lot of people, there's pros and cons to that. But I knew if my goal was the impact, traditional publishing if I could have that happen, would be the biggest way to make that mark in the world. The other thing is, is I included everything I teach in my book, it's not one of those books where you're just getting a part of it, and you've got to come work with the person like my agreement was I'm gonna give it all and if I have no business left because everybody can just use the book. That was okay, too. But the agent and ultimately St. Martin's publishing, who bought the book, like everybody who has appeared to bring this into reality, has shared this interest that I have, that there are different ways to look at some of life's problems, and especially those with money. it became like this group exercise that I feel was so supported in so many ways. I still feel that way today. I just share that because I think that sometimes we write books, and we spend five years I wrote like a million words to get down to the 280 300 pages in the book. When we do that, we're like, well, I'm I deserve to receive something back in return. that was the opposite. Like that would be a scarcity mindset to me. I only wanted to create this if it could just go out there and help people and for as low as, 1520 bucks anywhere in the world. that ended up happening.

Brett:

We're you're working through the challenges and the things that you're teaching the book along the way. As long as the journeys and you have the story with that, absolutely love it. We're gonna shift a little bit so he touched on that now we're gonna finance capital gains tax real estate kind of this part of the very the discussion. the question for you, Leisa, is this, by the way, if you want to learn more about Leisa Peterson, you can go to wealthclinic.com. But the question is this on the capital gains tax front? What's the biggest frustration you a client or friend or family member have when it comes to capital gains tax deferral and or the 1031 Exchange?

Leisa:

We're going through this right now? I can speak personally. We have a commercial building and my husband's exhausted by the maintenance of the commercial building, getting those phone calls on Friday night right before you're going out to dinner, like the air conditioning is leaking, or whatever it is. We have reached this point where it was really exciting six years ago, right now, we can't wait to get rid of it. We're exploring these things and I think that the 1031 Exchange from my office. perspective today, knowing what we're dealing with the idea that I have to go buy another property into this, again, when we're trying to get out of it. Like, that's completely unacceptable. Then you go to the whole other side of the spectrum, which is, I guess we're just gonna pay taxes on all this game that we've made. That's not very attractive, because we're really, really care about our tax management strategy and how to maximize it. You don't just pop in and make that decision with like, a couple of months, but my husband's so frustrated that he's like, I just want to do it, I don't even care. That's how I feel about the work that you do and why I'm such a fan.

Brett:

Appreciate Leisa. that's exactly why we started the company Capital Gains Tax Solutions. It was born out of the 2008 crash. Because people knew they were overpaying. They want it to be out of the toys, trash liability, they wanted to have some liquidity and diversification the ability to time the real estate market, or maybe never go back in ever again. they could didn't have a great solution. Some ended up 1030 wanting everything crashed and lost have some lost all and I was stuck trying to negotiate with the banks and with with the owners to hold on to their properties. Fast forward. A lot of those clients are now 10 years older, 11 years, 12 years older, and they're going I don't want to go through this again. If I can diversify and get liquidity, capital gains tax deferral, maybe even saw some estate tax challenges. The Deferred Sales Trust is an amazing way to do that. By the way, you can learn more about that at capitalgainstaxsolutions.com. All that being said, Leisa, we're running out of time. Are you ready for the lightning round?

Leisa:

Yes.

Brett:

Knowing what you know now if you go back to your 25-year-old self with the one Golden Nugget, and make sure to tell yourself what to do?

Leisa:

Buy more real estate. Funny that it's a full circle.

Brett:

Buy more now, and we could sell more now. The second question would be, of course, your wonderful book, The Mindful Millionaire besides that book, what's the other number one book you've recommended or give it the most in the past year?

Leisa:

I would have to say, the book The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, and it's such a wonderful book, especially when you're building businesses, and you're trying to understand what's going wrong, what's not working the roadblocks that you need to overcome, so that'd be my most recommended.

Brett:

Next question, what are you most curious about right now?

Leisa:

I'm really curious about creating my business so that it runs with me having a very empty schedule. Like that's what I'm focused on right now. we're doing it we have reoccurring revenue and membership programs and ways that I can touch a lot of people's lives but not have it take this huge toll on me. I haven't done a lot of private coaching for a few years, it's all been groups. it takes a while to figure out how to make a big impact in people's lives in a group format. I take that seriously. that's, that's what we figured out and now it's just kind of building the system so that it can run with me just showing up and being in my brilliance.

Brett:

Same here. for so many reasons. It's the time and energy and stress freedom is what I call that as well. By the way, little little little nugget here. If you guys haven't read or looked at run-like clockwork, it's a great system to help to delegate I'm spending more time designing and less time doing the work and deciding really amazing run-like clockwork, check that out. Second, the last question, what's your favorite leadership quote or theme that you strive to live by?

Leisa:

I think it changes depending on what I'm working on. But we're in Buffett's quote, that if you don't figure out how to make money while you sleep, then you're going to work till you die. I like that one right now because I'm trying to help a lot of people with passive income solutions and that's the one today.

Brett:

I love that one. I can't say I've ever heard that one. But it just it's great. The other one I liked by Warren too is when the tide goes out, you see who's been skinny dipping. I think that's those are two very, very applicable things for today's environment for sure. Last question. After all your success helping all of the people, you've helped your coaching program, The Mindful Millionaire book, helping people unlock freedom with their finances in their life. How do you stay centered in your values, and how do you stay encouraged to charge to reach for new heights?

Leisa:

I stay encouraged through my connection to a higher power to my family to the deepest relationships in my life. if those are on track, then I feel like everything can be worked out. But if those aren't on track, oh, my attention will go to those Intel. We're in a good place. it's always gonna happen where there are ebbs and flows, ups and downs. But everything starts with unconditional love. That's how I live my life. that's how I want to make sure that that I'm creating an environment around me that supports that.

Brett:

Leisa Peterson, I so appreciate your time, energy, and sharing so much wisdom. I want to encourage you to keep using the gifts of being around resilient, incredibly resilient, and loving people and helping people unlock wealth and a new way. For our listeners who want to get in touch with you. Would you remind them one last time? What's the best place for them to find you? They can go to wealth clinic.com

Leisa:

and I also have a free gift that you can go and get a meditation called it's at wealthclinic.com/vision. If you're curious about this conversation, you're like, what's going on? That'd be a great way.

Brett:

Thanks for being on the show. I want to thank our listeners also for listening to another episode of the Capital Gains Tax Solutions which is a Podcast, also streaming on ExpertCRESecrets.com, or we believe most high net worth individuals and those who helped them they struggled to clarify their Capital Gains Tax Deferral options, not having a clear plan is the enemy and using a proven tax deferral strategy such as the deferred sales trust is the best way for you to Defer Capital Gains Tax and grow your wealth and perhaps get some time energy and some freedom from the 1031 Exchange or toilet trash and liability and the ability to get on the sidelines. You can go to capitalgainstaxsolutions.com to learn more about that. We sure appreciate everyone out there listening please rate review, subscribe. That means more than you know us and talk to everyone again.