Melissa: [00:00:00] I just didn’t find myself in a place where I was having those big dreams, audacious goals, and just like sense of energy and enthusiasm that anyone needs to get out of bed and also to bring whatever is in their head out into reality, whether you have a business or you don’t. 

Leah: Today we’re talking to Melissa Larina, the author of Fertile Imagination. Melissa is an imagination coach, a consultant, speaker, contributor to Forbes Women articles that have [00:01:00] garnered like 4 million plus views, and the podcast host of mom founder Imagination Hub.

Leah: She has had featured guests such as Gary Vee, Beth Comstock, Susie Bates, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers, including yours truly. Melissa has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, Huffington Post. All over the place.

Leah: She holds a psychology degree from NYU and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. So now that we have learned about her very impressive bio, let’s jump in and learn how we can reawaken our imaginations.

Leah: Welcome to another episode of the Balancing Busy Podcast. Today I have Melissa Lorena with me and we are going to be talking about imagination. Now, it’s obviously something we want for our kids and we’re constantly trying to get them to stir up their imaginations. My kids, when they were [00:02:00] little, I used to always say to them every time they’d be like, Oh, I’m bored.

Leah: I’d say you can’t be bored unless you’re boring and let them go off and be miserable until they figured out something creative. Cause I wanted them to have those imaginations. But what about us as moms and, you know, whether you’re an entrepreneur, you are in the workforce or you’re an amazing stay at home mom, like how do we make sure our imaginations don’t die?

Leah: So that is what Melissa is going to help us with today. So, Melissa, can you first share with me where did this even come from, this idea of like wanting to help women and moms wake up their imaginations again? Okay. 

Melissa: I think it happened when I was nursing my identical twins in 2017, and just like losing all my marbles.

Melissa: I think I was literally delusional at the moment, and I thought to myself, Yeah, I’m barely sleeping, and that happened to be my twin. a long time ago when I would be most in my imagination on my way to [00:03:00] sleep. So when I was first, you know, this was the second time around being a mom having identical twins.

Melissa: I just remember thinking to myself, okay, I’m not as excited anymore about life in general, about business overall, or about being a mom. I think, you know, that nursing adventure was pretty gloriously amazing, but very, very exhausting. And I think at that time, as I was sleepless again, I feel like all the listeners get this, but like you get like this, like, this is a real thing.

Melissa: Um, at that time I thought to myself, okay, I want to be the best mom humanly possible. I already have a little boy. My son at the time was like, So here he is now a big brother two times over with identical twins and I am the best I am when I’m happy playful jumping up and down and coming up with like wacky ideas, you know, you know, all the things that moms do to get our kids to like eat food or to like get our kids to like, I [00:04:00] don’t know.

Melissa: Be be silent, you know, in a room where someone might be sleeping or whatever, make stuff up. We just constantly make things up, right, in order to navigate life, um, and get through the day. And so for me, I was always happiest when I had those opportunities to just make things up, have a vision for my life, have a vision for how I wanted to be as a mom.

Melissa: And during that sleepless moment or or two years because I had the first one. Um, I just didn’t find myself in a place where I was having those big dreams, audacious goals, and just like sense of energy and enthusiasm that anyone needs to get out of bed and also to bring whatever is in their head out into reality, whether you have a business or you don’t.

Melissa: And so I wanted to write my journey for, you know, for me personally, like, how is it that I can get back to that place of having a sense of an imagination and having the energy and enthusiasm to use it and share whatever idea I [00:05:00] have with the world. And so I was like, okay, I want to write a book about this, but it wasn’t necessarily that one year when I was with Identical Twins that would have been like, Absolutely bonkers.

Melissa: Do not suggest that you write a book if you’re like exclusively nursing kids or anything like that. Um, it took years later. So we were in Australia, my family and I. We were living there for three and a half years and this was a very uneventful evening I know a lot of us have uneventful evenings I was sitting on a futon looking at some, you know Get married before you meet the person kind of game and I told my husband I want to write a book You know, I was like I want this was also the pandemic era.

Melissa: So I said I want to write a book And it was, it was that idea kind of back from a blast from the past. It was like, okay, like now I feel like I have an opportunity to like document how I found my own imagination once again, how can I now like come up with [00:06:00] your way, right? Anyone who’s listening your way to get back into that place where you reawaken your imagination, you get to play with your imagination and you get to stretch your imagination.

Melissa: So that, so that. You know, as you’re trying to teach your kids to be more imaginative, you are modeling for them what that looks like and the benefits. Like a happy mom is an amazing mom. 

Leah: Amen. Amen to that. Okay. So let’s get into this deeper and let’s talk about the steps of Bringing our imagination to a more vibrant reality.

Leah: So you share that step one is reawakening your imagination. How do we do that? Where do we start? . 

Melissa: So the, the funny thing is, um, that a lot of us are almost operating like in zombie mode, right? . It’s just like, we’re like barely, barely sleeping and we’re barely like having time to put on [00:07:00] makeup and all these things.

Melissa: Um, you know, if we so choose to, and, and that’s the whole thing. It’s like you have to get out of that. I’m numb to the world. I’m a zombie going through the motions place to a very, very. Deep reflective sort of place in your life. What does that mean? What does that look like? So on my podcast mom found her imagination hub I interviewed so many people and that’s part of the contents of my book and in the first part of this, you know reawakening your imagination One of the people I interviewed was Susie Batiste who required an imagination to invent poopery, which some of us might be familiar with, right?

Melissa: For anybody that has kids that, that poop, right? So for her, when I had that conversation with her, what came up was that we have to be really, really honest with ourselves in terms of trusting ourselves, in terms of also trusting that whatever it is that we [00:08:00] imagine, if we actually take it seriously, Seriously, we have what we need or we could ask for help to connect the dots and we could bring it to fruition.

Melissa: So self trust, self reflection in order to understand where you might not trust yourself is a really great starting point as well as What would it take to trust yourself? The other side of it is, and again, just kind of focused on the reawakening your imagination side of things is, you know, all these limiting beliefs that we bring to the table or somewhere just imposed upon us, right?

Melissa: So let’s imagine that, and this was the case with me and I share about it in the book. Let’s imagine that you just went through a moment where you experienced 300 projections. Sales calls, basically. I know it sounds treacherous. It was I’m here to say I survived and I remember thinking to myself I am never gonna get on another sales call again Like we’re talking like it felt [00:09:00] horrible at the time Um, and I just remember thinking to myself.

Melissa: Okay, so Could I, do I have the confidence, do I have the wherewithal to handle another rejection? So it’s also again just like going back historically to a moment where you may have been down and figuring out what it took for you to get back up. up. So the first part of reawakening your imagination really requires you to have a very honest look at yourself in terms of how you’ve been taking care of yourself.

Melissa: So like the energy you currently have because an imagination really is that spark that’s inside of you. But if you’re dead inside or you feel numb to the world. It is so hard to feel lit up. So step one is just like where are you and how can you get to a more desirable, you know, feeling or sense of excitement or enthusiasm for whatever your next chapter in life might be.[00:10:00] 

Melissa: So could it be journaling in terms of the tools that you would use to understand yourself and gain that awareness? Could it be, you know, meditation? Like now I’m becoming a meditation practitioner, which is hilarious because I’m originally a New Yorker who’s so intense that I’m just like, wow, here I am zenning out.

Melissa: But it’s what it took for me to get back plugged into the source of my most, you know, crazy, wacky, but fun, Like my podcast, it came out of my imagination. My podcast was a dare. I was cooking rice and beans for my family and all of a sudden my husband’s like, Oh, James Altucher is interviewing Gary Vaynerchuk.

Melissa: And on that episode, if someone, you know, You know, launches their own podcasts. They will be guests on that person’s podcast. Not so simple. Let me just say it took a hundred days. Okay. Cause I accepted dares cause I like dares. Um, but it was super fun and a use of my imagination to actually [00:11:00] secure Gary Vaynerchuk on my podcast and James Alcachur on my podcast.

Melissa: I had to write a thousand words a day on medium. com to get the attention of these individuals. But it was exciting. It was so exciting and my kids got to see mommy at her computer typing away But on a mission to do something that was super super cool, you know And and that lit me up. So that was something I wanted to get back to so reawakening my imagination You know years later became essential because it’s part of who I am and I think it’s part of Anyone who’s listening right now, you created a family, a home, you know, whether it was through pen, like adopting kids, whether it was through a sword, which is what I call anyone that’s had a c section, or, you know, push.

Melissa: Like you are, you created life. You’re meant to be creative. Your imagination hasn’t gone anywhere, but, but just like a kid, if you don’t pay attention to it, it’s not gonna pop around because [00:12:00] it’s like, Oh! She doesn’t need me. I’m being ignored, right? And that’s the second step. So you reawaken your imagination by doing the self reflective work that you need to understand where you are, what you’ve got to give, who you really are, having that self trust that you know that you can handle anything.

Melissa: But then the second one is playing with your imagination. , 

Leah: I’m imagining like playing with your imagination. We can start really simple with just looking at a day and thinking about how, how could I make this day more fun? More, more silly. How can I add more laughter in the day?

Leah: And just see where your imagination takes you. And just for those who’s like just getting some practice in there and then evolving that, you know, to where we’re feeling more daring with those bigger ideas. Okay, so number one is reawaken your imagination. Number two is play with your imagination. And then number three is stretching your [00:13:00] imagination, right?

Leah: So how do we then 

Melissa: So stretching is about communication and involving other people, right? So for example, if you start to connect with different people and sharing your ideas So that takes guts because you’re putting it out there and you are opening yourself up to reactions But it also invites another person to like weigh in on the idea, you know, maybe they have experience can make that idea better.

Melissa: Maybe they can open up doors that alone you would not have had access to, which is part of what I do with my clients that are mom founders. It’s all about building profitable connections, making sure that you’re connected to people that when you don’t have all the time in the world to like meet everyone and So happen to bump into like, you know, important people, um, you can intentionally bridge those relationships with the power players in your industry so that every interaction is more potent [00:14:00] and you could get further ahead in your business.

Melissa: And so that’s a lot of what I do with my clients. It’s really in that. Third, you know, step to really having your imagination fully on. It’s in those connections. It’s connecting the dots and it’s connecting ideas and also cross pollinating ideas, which I like. So it’s just idea swapping, right? So it’s like, Oh, Nike has this beautiful sneaker design.

Melissa: Might that influence me? I have no idea make my dish tonight, you know, like, is there some inspiration there? Right? So it’s just taking unlike things or unexpected things and mashing them together. And I think that’s necessary now because anyone that’s listening to this podcast, like if you’re trying to think to yourself, how can I stand out?

Melissa: Like if you have a business, for example, or how can I set my kids up for success on their college applications? There’s another way. Um, Oftentimes you have to think, you know, a little bit outside of the lines. You have to use your imagination. You have to come up [00:15:00] with more interesting ways of positioning yourself or talking about yourself or helping your kids position themselves and talk about themselves too.

Melissa: And that’s something that we can beat AI in our imagination. 

Leah: Yeah, absolutely. So how have you been able to. Utilize strengthening your imagination essentially as a muscle, right? As anything else, like the more you practice, the stronger it gets. How have you been able to use your imagination to feel like it’s made you Uh, more intentional or a better mom or spouse or business owner.

Melissa: So I’ll give you an example from this morning, right? So in terms of just, you know, relying on my favorite children’s books. Um, my kids are not in this age, but here’s where I’m going with this. So basically, how did I use my imagination [00:16:00] just this morning over breakfast? Right now when we’re recording it’s like Halloween season and as a little girl and maybe listeners from like the 80s get this But as a little girl, I loved Barrington Bear children’s books.

Melissa: I don’t know if anybody knows Barrington Bear Anywho, so my kids are like 10, 10 and 13 I have identical twins and I was like at the library totally free, right? So I didn’t have to spend anything to do this and I took out the Barrington Bears Halloween It Children’s book like picture book and I just decided I was like, okay So I know my kids are like into Diary of a Wimpy Kid and like Mad Max and or whatever that is Max Knight, whatever But I wanted to like introduce them to something that sparked inside of me my imagination and my creativity And so every morning for the last three mornings during breakfast I’ve been reading to them from Berenstain Bears, right?

Melissa: And for me For me, that gets me to [00:17:00] think differently. It just sparks a whole different set of like nodes in my mind. So now, I’m reminded of the fact that, yeah, I always thought tree houses were so much cooler than regular houses. Or, I thought to myself, Wow, Barrington Bear, like, how cool is it that, you know, they were all, like, in this place and making pumpkins and trying to win and they didn’t, like, I don’t know, it just takes me to a whole different place and the feeling that I get from reading something like this to my three little boys, okay, they’re not that little, they’re like tweens, but whatever, um, is a feeling of, like, sharing a story that matters to me.

Melissa: to me and now we have a shared experience and we have conversation like they pointed out to me something that I didn’t realize and is obvious but they’re like mommy did you realize that Berenstain Bears is named after the authors? And I was [00:18:00] like, I had no idea. And then they’re asking, are they married?

Melissa: Like, it’s just, you know, the curiosity I think is, is like the pathway in. So for me, it’s like, if I could be reminded of what got me curious as a little girl, now as a 45 year old mom, it, it makes me more excited about the rest of my day. So my kids are now like, you know, in school, but the way I approached my morning was.

Melissa: then I would have if I hadn’t started it with a children’s book from when I was like seven. 

Leah: I love that you introduced that nostalgia, right? Like something that had been special to you and bringing it to your kids. I also love that. I think there’s a beautiful lesson here of having that intentional time with them, where you’re reading something to them.

Leah: You can sit and talk with them and just letting those conversations flow. I think one of the biggest. Things that can hurt us from being able to use our imagination is when we’re so overscheduled, when we are so [00:19:00] busy that we’re just going through the motions, trying to get to the next place at the right time with the things we’re supposed to have, right?

Leah: And we’re just We’re working so hard to get place to place that there isn’t maybe a lot of room for just dreaming, thinking, imagining. Now, I’m laughing because I’m saying that. I’m thinking, well, we’ve all had to use our imagination as a mom. When you get somewhere and you don’t have what you’re supposed to have and your brain instantly has to be like, How am I going to solve this?

Leah: What could I do? Right? And, and all of those really are forms of our imagination. But this idea that, you know, For so many it just life is feeling a little monotonous and they want to bring that fire back. And when I think about that fire, I do think that a huge component of that is using our imagination so that we can create novelty.

Leah: And I really feel strongly, I’ve taught about this for a long time, but that novelty is [00:20:00] the secret sauce to feeling like you have a vibrant life. You look at kids and you look at how they have this, Uh, you know, the, that wonder inside of them, and I believe that it’s directly correlated to the fact that they are trying new things all the time, whether they want to or not.

Leah: I mean, they can try to opt out, but every year it’s a new classroom. And, you know, every stage is a new thing they have to experience. And as adults, it’s easy to get into rhythms, but that becomes so rhythmic that we end up losing. the song of life, right? Like we just, all we hear is a beating. We’re just trying to keep up with the beating of the drum instead of hearing the music.

Leah: And so this idea of bringing in imagination, being imaginative with what we can do in a day, how we can structure our day, just maybe even switching things up, trying something new, all of these different things that we can do, uh, in our homes, but also in our [00:21:00] businesses. So. within your business, what is something that you’ve been especially excited about recently that came through your imagination?

Melissa: For me and it’s really in that part of stretching my imagination. So the connecting with people Um, you know the other day for example I just I felt inspired to read a book that i’ve had on a shelf for like 100 years now tools of titan by tim ferris Oh, yeah, randomly. Yeah, and I randomly went through a chapter and it was seth godin and I was like, oh i’m super curious What is he doing these days?

Melissa: And so I went to his website and I noticed there was a physical meetup around the world for a book he just released and I’m in Austin, Texas and for me What gets me fired up is just talking to strangers Exhibit A, right? Anyone listening I will talk to you And so I was like, all right I’m gonna [00:22:00] go to this meetup and I’m just gonna meet strangers who are interested in Seth Godin’s stuff And that got me really really excited And so then from there, and this is like super, super new, but from there I was like, okay, what does this mean?

Melissa: So I’m following like my intuition, like I’m literally just opening myself up to these like, not, I don’t know if that’s the right phrase, chance encounters, but I’m opening myself up to things that are Interesting to me whether they are going to have an immediate impact on my business or not. So this is where i’m going So literally tonight I was like, oh i’m gonna go to a wellness event and then on top of that tomorrow I’m gonna go to someone who’s just funded by the shark tank like an event that they’re doing and so it’s all in the thread of wellness because what I have realized Is that what I need to keep my imagination in full force is to be very healthy.

Melissa: Like this is [00:23:00] just a fact. And so on my podcast, what I did was, I did a little bit of like some mini sodes, where I was focusing on health, right? And the four pillars and what needs to happen for mom’s health. Specifically in terms of self care and just like keeping yourself tip top and I have it in my book too in fertile imagination There’s a chapter where I just talk about wellness.

Melissa: So that’s what I am. So jazzed about right now I’m like even doing energy audits. Like this is so left feel for me But, but, but not right? Because as a mom with three kids and a business, like, how am I going to keep this up without, you know, having the energy that I need to like keep my kids on their toes because that’s like really fun actually because I have three boys and it’s just fun to like outrun them.

Melissa: But then on top of that, To, you know, stay ahead of the game and understand, okay, where is coaching going? I’ve been here since 2011. I need to keep, I need to be very alert for the changes in the market. And for me, wellness [00:24:00] tied to my meditation practice and becoming a practitioner is where I’m heading.

Melissa: And I’m so excited about that. So I’m actually releasing, um. A 30 day, you know challenge and it’s something that I’m morphing from another Asset that I created for a whole different topic. So, you know stay tuned That’s like super hot off the press. It’s not even on the press. But anyway I love that. 

Leah: Well, I love just that real example of Allowing your imagination to take you to one place and then the next place and the next place.

Leah: And I think that’s really the key. That’s the takeaway here. If we want to wake up our imagination, we need to start today by saying, what can I do to make dinner tonight way more fun for everybody? Maybe that’s as simple as we’re not going to eat at the table. We are going to eat picnic style in the family room, right?

Leah: If it’s too cold to be going outside or whatever it might be. And then waking up tomorrow and saying. How can I make [00:25:00] today more, more fun, more special, make someone feel more loved and just let that start there and then just continue to follow the inklings, follow your imagination and, and see where it takes you.

Leah: And who knows, right? It could take you on a journey that brings you. To new people, new experiences, and maybe even a completely new business that you’re so fired up and excited about, all because we follow that thread of imagination. That is such a fun concept. I love that. Melissa, will you tell everybody, um, I, I feel like they know, we’ll have it in the show notes because you’ve kind of shared, but where can they find you?

Melissa: Absolutely. So you’re on the device on a podcast and you’re listening to us right now. Just go to

Melissa: momfounderimaginationhub and you can check out my podcast as well. Um, I have there like my journey to get Gary Vaynerchuk on my podcast. I even have there the Suzy Batiste conversation where she talks about self trust. So anything that I may have mentioned, you’ll [00:26:00] find it on the podcast. I also have a.

Melissa: 30 day um, profitable networking. What am I calling it these days? Let’s just call it a playbook. So just go to bitly. com and it’s going to be imagine a plan. So if you’re a business owner and you feel kind of like icky about talking to strangers, this is going to help you not feel so icky. And it’s also going to help you feel really creative and jazzed about it.

Melissa: So I have like some really. Fun things that you can do to like balance things out right the effort out and the energy you need to refill your cup So find me there and on instagram at melissa larina. So m e l a s s a l l a r e n a Thank 

Leah: you so much. Oh, you’re welcome. And we’ll have those down below in the notes on our platform so that you can find all of those things.

Leah: Thank you so much for being part of another episode on the Balancing Busy podcast, where we are doing less, but with better results. I will see you next [00:27:00] week. 

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