Business Lessons from My 19-Year Old Daughter

Hello, and welcome

back to another episode of

Unleashing Brilliance, a

podcast where we dig into what

it really means to lead with

courage, to build a business

with heart, and to show up

with clarity, confidence,

and a massive dose of grit.

Now, today's episode is a

little bit different because

what I want to do today is

approach it differently.

Today, I am not the mentor,

I'm the student.

You see, over the last

couple of years, my

daughter, Taya, has stepped

into adulthood with more

intentionality and strength

than I ever had at her age.

And honestly watching

her has been like a

living masterclass.

she's not just finding

her way, she's actually

teaching me a few lessons

that I actually never

expected to learn at 53.

And so today I wanna

share, oh my God.

I just realized I gave

my age away though.

But there you go.

So today I wanna share eight

things I've learned from her.

Eight lessons that have

challenged me, humbled me.

Eight lessons that

have inspired me to

show up differently.

So let's dive in.

So the first

lesson, self care.

Isn't selfish now.

Taya moves every single day.

She eats to fuel not to

fix, and she rests when

she needs to with no shame,

no explanations, just

commitment to her wellbeing.

Meanwhile, if you really think

about what I gave away there.

In my age, you know, I grew

up in the decade of, models

like Kate Moss, where it was

all about being as skinny

as you possibly could,

living on lettuce leaves,

trying not to eat too much.

and for years that was my.

Almost my DNA of monitoring

and watching my food and

obsessing about my body, and

I'd spent years subscribing

from a work perspective to

the hustle as worth culture

work first, everything else.

Eventually, and when

Taya invited me to train

for High Rocks with her,

I thought, yeah, sure.

How hard can it be?

Three minutes into the warmup,

and honestly, I'm regretting

every single life choice that

I'd made while she's jogging

backwards and laughing.

You see, it wasn't just about

fitness, it was about respect.

Respecting my body

enough to fuel it well.

Move it often and listen

when it whispers, way

before it screams.

And so the takeaway here for

me at the age that I'm at now

and I wanna share with you

is that you can't lead with

brilliance if you are running

on empty the second lesson.

Is one of learning to

rest and not just work.

One afternoon I found her

by the pool reading music,

playing sunshine on her face.

And I said to her, don't

you have stuff to do?

And she looked up and

smiled at me and said, yeah,

but I'm doing this first.

And just like that, bam.

It was like a life lesson

in a bikini because you

see rest in her world.

Isn't something you earn,

it's something you deserve.

I, on the other hand,

was taught that rest is

a treat at the end of

productivity, not part of it.

And the truth here is that

if you don't schedule your

rest, your body's gonna

do it for you, usually

by way of burnout.

Lesson number three.

Around loving

without conditions.

You see, Taylor loves with her

whole heart, her boyfriends,

her friends, her brothers.

There's no performance,

no people policing,

no keeping score.

You know, I watched

her recently drop off a

little package of love and

gifts for a sick friend.

There was no big declaration,

no Instagram post.

Just quiet care.

And it made me realize how

often so many of us let

love get transactional.

You know, I did this

so you should dunno, if

that sounds familiar.

And she reminded me that

love and care isn't a ledger.

That the minute we

start keeping track

of it, we lose magic.

And I want you to think

about the people in your

world, the people that

you serve, your clients.

how much magic

are you actually sharing?

How much unconditional

love and care

are you actually giving?

Lesson number four, and you've

heard me talk about this many

times, but it was so wonderful

to have it reaffirmed, was

this concept of say no first.

when she said this,

uh, her tender age of

18, 19, it absolutely

blew my mind because.

Me on the other hand, I'd

grown up with say Yes first.

You see, Taya is crystal

clear on her boundaries.

She doesn't fear saying no.

If something doesn't align

socially, emotionally,

or energetically, she's

actually started opting out.

Whereas, as I've said me,

I've said yes more times

than I can count just to be

light, to avoid awkwardness or

even just to keep the peace.

And so.

The key lesson I've

learned here is saying no,

doesn't make you difficult.

It makes you discerning,

and it frees you up for

the things that matter.

And let's be honest, at

our age, if it doesn't

light us up, why are

we saying yes to it

in the first place?

Her fifth lesson was

around finding your people.

Yeah.

As you know, I've

written a book called,

it's Who You Know.

I'm not surprised that Taya

reinforces this with much of

the way that she makes her

life choices and at 19, she's

already let go of friendships

that no longer fit.

She's had those

tough conversations.

She's felt the sting

of being excluded,

and still she's chosen

alignment over approval.

She's taught me that

loyalty doesn't mean

tolerating what drains you.

It means knowing who's truly

in your corner and having

that courage to walk away

from those that aren't.

Your people, they

should see your value

without explanation.

They should cheer you

when you win, and they

should absolutely love the

raw, unfiltered version

of you, not just the

highlight reel of you.

Her sixth lesson is around

being independently you.

You see Tara and her

boyfriend, they've been

together since high

school, but yet they're

so fiercely independent.

They've got different

friends goals and hobbies.

They support each other

without merging into, you

know, one big identity blob.

And I love that because in

my generation, particularly

as women, we were often

praised for sacrifice.

As if giving up who we

were was a badge of honor,

but I know that the best

relationships are two

whole people choosing to

grow together, not losing

themselves in the process.

Her seventh lesson,

ask for what you want.

You know, whether it's

a better shift, a pay

rise, or a spot on a team.

She asks calmly,

confidently, even when

she's absolutely terrified.

I've watched her send an

email requesting a pay review.

My inner voice was

screaming, you know,

wait, that's too bold.

Only because she's my

daughter, because I tell any

of my clients to go for that.

But she present and

a week later that pay

rise was approved.

You know how many of us

are still waiting for

permission for someone

to notice our worth?

Because here's the deal, no

one can read your mind ever.

If you want something,

you've got to ask for it.

Her final lesson, number eight

is to go for what you want.

When she wanted early entry

to uni, she applied When she

wanted to join the surf boat

team, she trained harder.

When she wanted to

transform her health,

she didn't overthink.

She simply got started.

She doesn't wait for

the right time, she

just gets on with it.

She just begins.

And honestly, that's what

separates dreamers from doers.

It's not about having

it all figured out, it's

about taking that first

step and then the next

and the next and the next.

Even when you're scared, even

when you don't feel ready,

because clarity comes through

action, not contemplation.

I. Watching Taya grow into

herself has been one of the

most inspiring and confronting

journeys of my life.

If any of you that have

teenage children will have

experienced this same thing,

the this interplay, this

delicate balance between

inspiration and confrontation,

but she's reminded me over

and over that we're never

too old to unlearn, to

relearn, and to try again.

So here's your

challenge this week.

Which one of these lessons

spoke to you the most?

I want you to pick one, write

it down, and go and live it

even in the smallest way.

And I'd love to hear

what you have learned

from the next generation.

Maybe it's your child,

your niece, your nephew,

your team member.

What wisdom have

they shared with you?

Intentionally or not, share

it on Instagram, Facebook,

LinkedIn, and tag me at Janine

Garner or message me directly

because I'd love to know.

And one quick thing before

you go, if this episode hit

home, please tap those five

stars on whatever platform

you're listening to or

watching this podcast on,

and leave me a quick review

because it helps more amazing

people find this show.

And honestly, it

means so much to me.

Until next time, please

be kind to yourself.

Say no when it matters, and

go after the life you want.