The Chris Voss Show - The Chris Voss Show Podcast – The Reinvention Mindset by Lori McDowell PhD

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

The Reinvention Mindset by Lori McDowell PhD Amazon.com Joy.reimagineu.net Reimagineu.net So many of us encounter obstacles in life, work, and our day to day. These obstacles throw us off, cause frustration and make us feel as if we aren’t in control. The Reinvention Mindsetillustrates that we have more control than we realize, that we are empowered to live the life we desire. With insightful guidance and emotional storytelling, garnered from her life and those she has met, Lori McDowell encourages readers to face their fears and confront life's uncertainties with resilience, humor, and grit, unveiling the possibilities within themselves. It's a journey on life's roller-coaster, where setbacks are not just challenges but opportunities for profound growth. More than an exploration of overcoming obstacles, it's a celebration of the reader's ability to reinvent themselves. This book is a trusted ally on the exhilarating ride toward a future brimming with promise and purpose. McDowell's words are a beacon, illuminating the path to a life of fulfillment, ensuring that the journey isn't just worth taking but an essential adventure in conquering fears and unlocking the best version of yourself. With The Reinvention Mindset you're not just reading a book; you're embarking on a transformative journey to a life filled with possibility, adventure and joy.

You wanted the best. You've got the best podcast, the hottest podcast in the world. The Chris Voss Show, the preeminent podcast with guests so smart you may experience serious brain bleed. The CEOs, authors, thought leaders, visionaries, and motivators. Get ready, get ready, strap yourself in. Keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, because you're about to go on a monster education rollercoaster with your brain. Now, here's your host, Chris Voss. Hi, folks. It's Voss here from thechrisvossshow.com. Ladies and gentlemen, the Iron Lady sings, and that makes it official. The shrillness in my ears tells me we have launched somewhere in the 2200 episode range of the Chris Voss Show. For over 16 years, we've been bringing you the most uplifting stories, the brightest people,

the smartest folks on the earth who come and teach you how to improve your life better, how to live your life better. We should get people in here that teach not how to live their life better. Some people need that kind of help. Some people are doing just fine on their own maybe am i talking about me maybe that's my job anyway guys we have an amazing young lady on the show today we're gonna be talking about her exciting new book but please as always we beg we plead we get out down on one knee refer the show to your family friends and relatives go to goodreads.com for chest christmas linkedin.com for chest christmas christmas one the tiktok christmas facebook.com and jeez wherever we are

anyway she's the author of the newest book came out june 1st 2024 it's called the reinvention mindset by laurie mcdowell and she's a doctorate as well is it doctorate or phd did i say it right that's right doctorate or phd doctorate or i? Did I say it right? That's right. Doctorate or PhD. Doctorate. I was thinking doctor for some reason, but either way, I think you still do surgery. I don't know. Don't quote me on that. Lori McHale is a best-selling author, coach, and speaker

known for her heart-led spiritual approach to helping women redefine success and fulfillment through her award-winning book, The Reinvention Mindset. Did I getwinning book, The Reinvention Mindset. Did I get that right? The Reinvention Mindset. I kind of slurred partway through.

She does coaching, retreats, transformational workshops. Lori guides women to overcome limitations and create lives of purpose and joy. Welcome to the show, Lori. How are you? I'm great, Chris. How are you? I am excellent. It's wonderful to have you here as well.

Give us your dot coms, wherever you want people to find you on the interwebs in the sky. Sure. If you go to yourextraordinaryorextraordinarylife.net, that has all my other links on there. You can find my webpage, which is reimaginyou.net. It's got my LinkedIn, my Facebook, my Instagram. So you're extraordinarylife.net. And you can book a call with me there. You can buy the book. It's got the link to Amazon. So that page will pretty much get you everywhere. Awesome sauce. Give us a 30,000 overview. What's in your new book?

The book is about people who have had horrible, horrible things happen to them. And instead of falling apart, they did amazing things. They started nonprofits. They started amazing companies. They just really did incredible things from the awful. And I interviewed a lot of these people to try to figure out, like, why can they do it when most of the world falls apart when awful things happen to them? And I did this right after an awful thing had happened to myself. So it was kind of, as I was writing the book, I was coaching myself, healing myself, trying to figure

out what the next stage of my life was. And I found out that a lot of these people have a lot of things in common. And they all independently all talked about the same thing. So I figured, okay, let's look at their stories. And if they can do it after something awful, shouldn't everybody be able to reinvent themselves without waiting for something awful to happen? So it's half storytelling, half motivational, inspirational with a little bit of self-help thrown in there. Stories are the owner's manual of life. As we say on the show. Some guy made that term up. I think

it was me. And, you know, the great thing about stories is, you know, other people share their experiences, their cathartic moments, the experiences they have. And, you know, by sharing, we all get better. And sometimes if you're in that moment of cathartic, catharticism, I flunked second grade. It's called my joke on the show. I really didn't. But you think I did. People are looking at me going, he flunked third grade. That's what it was. It was second. It was third grade. My husband repeated second grade. It's okay. That's really, I don't feel so bad. No, you know, these, so these stories help us get through these cathartic moments, and they help each other, and you just never know who needs that help and who it's going to help and change their life. How did you compile the stories?

How did you put them together? You know, I had always wanted to write a book, and I never had the time. And every time I found something interesting, I would write about it and I would stick it in a folder on my laptop. So I wrote the book after I had actually gotten fired from a job. That's another story. It's in the book, but we can maybe talk about that in a little bit because it was quite an interesting firing. And I didn't know what I was going to do.

And I said, I always wanted to write a book. And now I have time, so I'll write a book. So I basically had stories I was compiling for years. And then I thought of other people who I knew that I had motivated me. So I asked if I could interview them. And I just went back from, you know, stories through my life, people I knew, people I had met, books I had read and put them all together. Oh, wow.

And what was, we mentioned the firing story. You want to tease out a little bit on that one? Sure. I, you know, I'm a chemical engineer. That's what my PhD is in, or at least. You like drugs, I guess, huh? I guess, yeah. I can, I can make them anyway. So. Note to self, get to know Lori better. Yes. So I had been working as a chemical engineer and I was with this company for about 11 years. And I thought I liked my job. I, I looked good on paper. I had a good salary. I had great customers and my boss retired and a new person took over and I didn't really like the way he did things yet. I still figured I would get by.

And we had a meeting that was about four hours from my house. And it was a two day meeting. And I was supposed to speak the second day. And I drove to the meeting. And I got there. And when I went to check into the room, they told me my hotel room had been canceled, which I thought was a little bit odd. One of my co workers was there at the same time checking in. And he's Oh, that's the way they tell you that you're fired and we kind of had a good laugh about it and i went to meet with my boss that night before our dinner and when i went to meet with him he had hr on the phone and they said we're firing you turn in your laptop and company card you'll be paid till the end of the day go home did they at least pay for your hotel i mean you're you're there they they did they paid for my hotel but they told me to go home because i had reinstated the room anyway so i caused a coffee

and a biscuit off the the continental thing and get it they get the hell out yeah it was pretty it was awful because i mean i was i was like why did why did who makes you drive four hours to fire me why didn't you just tell me this morning it's cold and it was embarrassing because i was on the agenda and suddenly i wasn't going to be at the meeting no and and i had to drive home and it was and four hours of driving home oh my god four hours and and i live in texas so lots of traffic it was like 5 30 when i left the hotel and my first couple hours of the drive were like miserable. I mean, road rage. No, I was just angry. I was I was trying not to kill someone. And then about halfway home, like the thought popped into my head that I don't have to

go to work tomorrow. And it was like an instant weight was lifted off my shoulder. And it was like, I don't have to go to work tomorrow. I'm like, I'm free. I don't have to go to work tomorrow. And it was like an instant weight was lifted off my shoulder. And it was like, I don't have to go to work tomorrow. I'm like, I'm free. I don't have to do this job anymore. And I realized how much I hated the job at that moment. You know, I did that 20 years ago. I drove home. Hey, I have no job.

And I just live in a van down by the river. So I can't spell right. I don't know. It must be the lead in the water. So that's a great story. So what did you learn from that? How did you survive? Was there some other things maybe we missed on that? You know, luckily I had some savings and I figured out what I was going to do. And I just realized I didn't want to have a job anymore. I didn't want to work for someone else where, you know, you can have a job that was a good job. And then something happens and suddenly they're firing you and telling you to go home because I was doing really well. I was the top performer in the company. I was the

highest ranking woman. I was, you know, it was a complete surprise. But I guess I didn't agree with the new boss. So this was a way to say if if I, if I can go, anyone else can go. But I decided to write a book and to start a new business. And that's kind of what I did. Well, there's the lesson, the proponent of it all. You, it gave you the opportunity to become an entrepreneur and do your own thing. You can fire your own self at the hotel. That's right. You know, I, I, in my book, my book i talked about how that's how i became an entrepreneur accidental entrepreneur really at 18 no one's walking when i was 18 it was like 500 years ago and so people weren't walking around talking about being an entrepreneur and they

and so they i got fired from mcdonald's for having long hair there was a ultra religious cult member in utah who wanted me to cut my hair because and my and not wear my satanic van halen concert shirts because you know van halen's clearly of the devil and you know other rock concert shirts i don't know hollow notes right clearly the devil too and so i mean if anything's satanic it's it's listening to hollow notes i mean if you really sit down and read the lyrics and then play them backward, here's to my sweet Satan in there. So just watch out, kids, those Hall & Oates. Thanks, Elton John, too, but I can't say that legally, according to the lyrics.

Anyway, Elton John. That was not nice to Elton John. The Yellow Brick Road, you'd be surprised what's in there. Play it backwards. Anyway, you know, I got fired. And when I came home, my dad said, what are you going to do? Because, you know, back in those days, you left home at 18. And they had your bags packed at the door for you. And so I became an entrepreneur. And it changed my life. And now I'm some idiot with a mic in a podcast. So wait, did this turn out right? I don't know. So tell us a little bit

about your stories. How did you grow up? And what were some of maybe your influences that maybe helped inspire that entrepreneurial spirit? Sure. Yeah. You know, I grew up in an Italian Catholic family in New Jersey. I mean, we were basically the Sopranos. That's like the trifecta of.

Yeah. Yeah. We were the Sop sopranos without all the murder i mean that was really us are you sure yeah my dad was a truck driver he was a teamster oh there you go teamsters yeah so we you know and it was loud we're in the mob then basically indirectly a little bit my grandfather was a teamster in west virginia yeah yeah i did go to school on the the josephine when i went to college, I had a Josephine Provenzano Memorial Scholarship. Hey, do you know where Hoff was buried? Not sure, but I worked at the Meadowlands for a little bit.

I've heard rumors. That's one of the rumors, isn't it? Yeah. He's a buried. Yeah. So I came from this big, loud family. I mean, I learned to play poker when I was like four years old. I could sit there at the table with the family and, and we were real close. And you just, you know, you were, you were loud. You were out there. My mom is an interesting person. There's a lot of stories about my mom in the book. My mom is very negative. I mean, someone could hand her a bag full of gold bars and say, here, this is yours. And she would complain that it's so heavy. That's how she finds the negative in everything. And she, there's a lot of fun stories about my mom in the book because we're very different. I love her,

but you know, she's not necessarily the person I chose. I read the one-star review she gave on Amazon. Yeah, probably wouldn't surprise me anyway, but you know, I was a pretty good I had a fairly happy childhood. And then when when I was a senior in high school, my younger sister actually got hit by a car. And she ended up she was in a coma for about four months. And she's she came out of the coma, but she's still had damage never normal she's you know she's in her 50s now yet at that point i think that's when i really started kind of realizing that life is short that you never know what's going to happen so you might as well try to live for the fullest and you know try everything don't don't count on tomorrow and it shaped a lot of my life so i've always been a

bit of an adventurer i've i'll try almost anything once i do some things that some people think are crazy i you know a couple years ago i repelled off the side of a hotel a 30-story hotel to support a non-profit were you just trying to get out of pain though maybe the first step was hard if i go out the outside though they won't hit me up for that credit card yeah it was interesting people in their room people in their room looking out the windows what are these people doing they only hit me up for those movies i watched i don't know what they are kind of embarrassing one was watching carrots being peeled i don't know so it's the food network folks it's food porn so yes go on i'm sorry i interrupted you that's okay yeah so

that was really one of the things that shaped my life but other than that you know i kind of went to college did all the stuff that i thought i was supposed to do and And pretty much did that for 30 years until I got fired and realized that what I was supposed to do wasn't really what I wanted to do. Being a chemical engineer paid the bills well, but it never really was what I loved. I never jumped up and said, oh my God, this is the best job in the world. I love it. So I figured now I'll do something i love and so just walter white you got a van and just started doing chemical engineering in the van is that was that how i didn't read the book clearly not quite but started breaking bad i think that's how his story went too you got to watch out for the chemical engineers there was up to something they're always cooking something up i just i'm

really bad with the chemical engineer jokes. Clearly, I need to work on this. We'll go back and do drawing board on some of these. So you write the book. You've got the book out. People are getting to share it and stuff. Tell us about some of the other stuff you do. I know you've got a few other websites we wanted to maybe play out and maybe some things you want to offer people, et cetera, et cetera.

Sure. Yeah. So in addition to writing the book, I am a life and mindset coach. After I wrote the book, I said, realize that people who write books usually don't make a whole lot of money off their books. And I had to do something to make a living. And I always love speaking. So I started speaking. And as I was speaking, I was learning more about myself. And I ended up learning a lot of stuff about mindset and life and conscious and unconscious mind and got a number of coaching certifications and said, I want to, this has really helped me.

Let me help other people. So I started a coaching business. So I speak about mindset. I speak at conferences, keynote speakers, pretty much everywhere. And then I help people with their mindset. So I'm a life and mindset coach, really helping people reinvent themselves at any time to where instead of just living the life they're supposed to live or a life where they're kind of like, eh, they can actually live a life that they're passionate about. And sometimes it requires a change on the outside, but sometimes it's just a change on the inside. And that's really what we end up doing through the coaching. Yeah. I thought my life

was more passionate when I started drinking heavy. That's one way. It doesn't end well. But you need those livers and kidneys at the end. So you help people. I noticed you've got an offer on the website. I see something here, the Reinvention Mindset book on one page, and then the From Stuck to Soaring, Five Mindset Hacks for Limitless Success. Yeah, From Stuck to Soaring, that's really some, you know, five tips to try to get your mindset in the right place. I mean, I'm an engineer. I grew up as an engineer, and I basically ended up doing everything, you

know, logical living on the, you know, that logical side of my brain. Everything was conscious, everything was planned. And as I wrote the book and studied, I realized I was missing probably 90% of my brain 90 wasn't using a lot of it. And I learned to to harness that. So these are five tricks that help you really start connecting what what's important to you. So these are five tricks that help you really start connecting what's important to you. And these are the things that people who have been able to reinvent themselves and do amazing things do on a daily basis. So this kind of gives you those five tips. You can take a look at that. You can sign up with a, you know, schedule a call with me and we can go over them and figure out some things specifically for you if that's of interest yeah that sounds awesome and and they can get the i think they can sign up for a free

copy or something like that at the bottom there yes and then on the you've got the the reinvention mindset your personal motto is life is meant to be lived one crazy adventure at a time certainly if you're going down the side of a hotel on a cable, just so you can get out of paying for the extra continental breakfast muffins you stole. You know, there's that. Yeah, I think everything's worth trying once. I'm planning some retreats for 2025 that combine scuba diving and hiking and adventure with coaching and mindset.

So for anyone who ever wanted to try it, they can come on the retreats and it's a business expense since it's helping them with their business. So it's a great way to combine vacation work. Lori, what kind of coffee are you drinking? I just want to know because I don't want to drink it. I like staying home sleeping. No, I'm just teasing.

I'm just teasing. So anyway, I'm hitting all cylinders. Maybe we should have a vacation every week in the middle of the week like we did Christmas here in 2024. Get one next year or next week. Yeah. I'm doing Christmas every week, damn it, from here on out. I'm a big boy and I'm an adult and I'll do what I want.

Wait, I won't do what I want? Oh, we have CES next week. So we got to cover that. What haven't we talked about? Do we want to tease out, maybe offer people, et cetera, et cetera? Sure. Like I said, the book, we talked about the book a little bit. The book is on Amazon.

And for those people who don't like to read, the audio book just came out this last week. So the audio book is now there. It's not my voice. I've hired someone with a better voice to read it. But it's, it was actually fun for me to listen to it again, as I heard it, because I was like, I forgot about that. Oh, I wrote that. Oh, this is pretty good. So I think the audiobook is there. And I am happy to, you know, if you go to the link,

I think that's on there. It's booklory.com. Feel free to book if you go to the link i think that's on there it's book lori.com feel free to book if you're listening here and you want to book an appointment with me i will give you like some quick tips kind of go over a little bit about and then about you know where you are in your life we can look at that and then you can you can get a free copy of the book i can do the ebook or the audio book with everyone you're interested in I'll send that to you. This should be fun then. People can check it out. How do they handshake with you? How do they reach out to you? How do they onboard with you? Tell them how to do that. Give us the dot coms as we go out. Sure. The easiest way you can just email me at lmcdowell at reimagineyou.net. And then I said the webpage is reimagine you dot net. And then also at that

your extraordinary life dot net, you can get all the links to my Instagram, my Facebook, my LinkedIn, those are the three that I'm on mostly, that you'll find me and feel free to reach out, ask questions, sign up for the mail list, I send out emails with tips and, you know, tips every week. So you can get on those a couple times a week. I think everybody should be able to live a life of joy, fun, laughter,

and you have it all inside of you. It's just trying to figure out how to get it out. I'm usually trying to get whatever is inside me out. Usually right now, this week, it's all the food I ate over. We're talking, this week, it's all the food I ate over. We were talking about it in the green room, all the food I ate over at Christmas. Man, that stuff is sure sticky.

I don't know what it is. It's all the meat and potatoes, I think, or something. Actually, it's all that pumpkin pie. We had a lot of pies this year. It was pretty good. We went to some nice places, and they had pie galore. Is that a pie galore? I don't know.

That's probably the name of my first daughter. Anyway, so thank you very much for coming to the show, Laurie. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. And thanks to Mattis for tuning in. Part of the book, wherever fine books are sold, The Reinvention Mindset, out June 1st, 2024 by Laurie McDowell.

And also, not to leave it off the table here, go guilt your friends, relatives, neighbors, dogs, cats. Just get a realist in the show. Play for the cockroaches when you leave for work. Go to goodreads.com, 4chesschrisvoss, linkedin.com, 4chesschrisvoss, chrisvoss1 in the tick-tockity, all that crazy stuff. Be good to each other. Stay safe. We'll see you next stuff. Be good to each other. Stay safe.

We'll see you next time. That should have a sound. That was a popping show.