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Shine On Success
Shine on Success is a dynamic, story-driven podcast where extraordinary entrepreneurs, visionary leaders, and resilient change-makers share their journeys to success, revealing both the challenges and the strategies that led to their breakthroughs. Each episode offers a unique blend of inspiring personal stories, practical business insights, and actionable advice, allowing our guests to connect with an engaged, growth-oriented audience ready to be motivated and uplifted. By joining us, you’ll not only have the opportunity to showcase your expertise and inspire listeners but also to be part of a powerful platform that celebrates ambition, innovation, and the courage to turn dreams into reality.
Shine On Success
From Opera to Law: A Journey of Resilience, Mindset, and Love
In this captivating episode, Shalisha shares her remarkable journey of choosing between a life in opera or law, and how that decision shaped her path. From mindset shifts and overcoming roadblocks to embracing love and resilience, Shalisha's story is a testament to the power of creating a life by design. Join us as we explore how travel, spiritual practice, and even the simple act of smiling can transform challenges into opportunities. Shalisha's insights will inspire you to take possession of your mind and unlock your true potential.
Connect with Shalisha here:
Website: www.growingwithshalisha.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalishasamuel/
Connect with Dionne Malush
- Instagram: @dionnerealtyonepgh
- LinkedIN: /in/dionnemalush
- Website: www.dionnemalush.com
- Facebook: /dmalush
- LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dionnemalush
What's one area of your life where doubt is holding you back, and how would your life change if you fully tapped into the power of your mind to overcome it? Welcome back to Shine on Success. I'm your host, dionne Malish, where we've dived deep into the minds of extraordinary people who have overcome the odds to achieve greatness. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce a truly inspiring guest, shalisha Samuel. Shalisha's journey, from being the first in her lower-income immigrant family to graduate high school to completing five advanced degrees, including law school, is nothing short of amazing. She's lived in multiple countries, worked at the United Nations and is now a consultant for one of its specialized agencies.
Speaker 1:Shalisha is passionate about the power of the mind, something we talk about a lot here on Shine on Success. Her personal experiences navigating doubt and failure and coming out victoriously are deeply connected to the same principles I teach from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. She blogs about the mind's potential and its connection to spirituality at growingwithshelishacom, and today she's here to share her story and insights. So tell me, shelisha, what is something interesting about you that most people?
Speaker 2:would not know. Most people would not know that I had a choice between going to school for opera or going to law school. That was the goal. I was preparing for auditions to send to various schools, and I opted to go to law school instead.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is such a huge gap of industry, right? Hey, you picked law and I guess you must have liked it, because that's very difficult to get through and I'm sure that you excelled at that, yeah, so let's talk a little bit about mindset shifts, and I know that we talk a lot about Thinking Grow Rich on this podcast and it seems just for me checking you out online you've been through some significant life changes moving countries, shifting careers. How did your mindset evolve through these experiences?
Speaker 2:At times I made that very clear decision of creating my life by design by saying, ok, this is a situation that requires a different version of me. And at other times I made the changes, kicking and screaming, resisting, complaining, lamenting to my friends and family, but at the end of it, whichever route I took, it resulted in a changed mindset.
Speaker 1:So how do you keep on track with it? So you have shifts right, you're going through shifts. You have doubts, you have failures we all go through that. So how do you keep yourself? You know, up the climb, back up the mountain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I will say, one of the things I've noticed about myself is that I don't stay in that down state for a long time, and what I also. If it is that I find like okay, I'm here a little bit too long, I go back to memory. I say, look, I've been through more difficult situations than this. I've done so much good work. Let me tap back into the success stories and the good examples to bring myself, propel myself back into that good state. So I do that to bring me back to the center.
Speaker 1:So can you share a story with us where you hit a roadblock in your life and you push through it to the other side?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was hoping to attend bar school in 2016.
Speaker 2:And I would have done something very unusual, particularly at the time I had an online fundraiser so that I can get funds to go to bar school.
Speaker 2:And just so for those who aren't familiar, it is I was going to go into school in the UK to become a barrister, and so I did not raise all the funds in time to go. And I remember at that time I was doing a law internship and I was in the bathroom and I just I rested my back against the wall, I dragged all the way down and I just started to sob because I felt I felt like a failure. I felt like a failure, I felt like a disappointment, I felt I felt disappointed as well, knowing that I couldn't go at that time. And so I decided okay, I'm not going and I am going to make the best of this year, this gap period until 2017, so that I can know I did not go for a reason. So that's one of the things I would do, like if something isn't working out, I just say, look, there's a reason, there's an equivalent benefit to it, and I just try to find that equivalent benefit.
Speaker 1:So let's talk a little bit about what do you do? Tell us about you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm an attorney and I work in the judicial sector. I well, that's one a few hats, that's one of them. Yeah, and specifically, I am what you would call a judicial research counsel, and in the US it's known as a clerk to a judge. So I work with judicial officers. I assist them. We know we can draft judgments, we can edit and revise judgments that are drafted by the judges. We do the legal research. In addition to that, I'm also a secretary of a committee in which we're working on making changes to the constitution in Trinidad and Tobago. So I'm secretary for that committee. Yes, a couple of things I do Like a lot.
Speaker 1:Very interesting too. So I know that previously we had back and forth in our emails that we were both fans of Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich and the mindset through that. So tell me how Think and Grow Rich has influenced the way you approach your life.
Speaker 2:I remember there was a defining moment when I was reading the book and I will never forget. I was on tram number 14 in Geneva and I remember it was at that very beginning part of the book where it says if you understand what is being expressed but yet it was an indirect expression then you know you don't need to read this book anymore. Like you've gotten it. And I need to go and look at the exact phrase, because someone mentioned it to me recently and from that I just got this deep understanding that I am that quote unquote operant power. Whatever change that is needed, whatever success that I'm dreaming about, it's literally coming from within me. So from that defining moment, that is one thing I hold on to throughout my life.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's a great point. And with something you said earlier about not living in everything and holding on to a lot, not letting the negative define you, that's where I think a lot of people get stuck, because they let that be the definition of their life. And there's so much more you can do. You just have to push through and you know like you, I'm proof positive that you can push through adversity and get to the other side. And we do it. We're so used to doing it that we don't realize the impact that it has on so many people. So have you been in, lived in many countries? Is that correct, many? What is your favorite place to be?
Speaker 2:Where is it? This is such a nice question. It it's an easy answer Geneva, Geneva. Geneva, Switzerland. Yes, the last time I flew into Geneva, when I was landing, tears just came out of my eyes. It is a peaceful place. My memories of Geneva are blissful beautiful, gentle and just warm, Although cold at times.
Speaker 1:Isn't it colder? Like, how do you warmer where you are today? I believe yeah. So you love it there and you do a lot of traveling. So how do experiences that you have influenced your success? Like what does traveling do for you? What do you love about what you do? Like, how does that influence who you are?
Speaker 2:I think it opens up my mind. I always say one of my favorite songs is all passengers boarding. You know, whatever fight it is, I love that song. I can go to bed to that. There's something about being in an airport. I think anyone who travels tells you that. When you're at the airport unless it's super, super stressful, which sometimes happens but generally when you're at an airport me, I feel like in a very inspirational space. I don't know if it's all of the energies in one space and I'm picking up on positive energies from others, but I journal, I feel very. I feel inspired by the environment of being in an airport, but besides the airport itself, like going to different places and learning the culture I just find that many of us are just very, very similar. We have some differences but at the end of the day, you know, everyone is going out to do something good in their lives for themselves and their families. That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 1:I was just traveling this weekend and I, too, love to travel. One thing I noticed as I was walking through the airport is that we all speak a universal language, even though I kept hearing different languages, and I think that the smiling is its language of its own self. Smiling, smiling, yes, smiling at people. They mostly smile back and some of them look so sad, but they still manage to smile, and so the language. Everyone can smile, and it doesn't matter what language you speak, where you're from, everyone has that ability to get that smile on smile on their face. Yeah, it does affect people. I love looking at that and thinking how much I can affect someone just by a simple smile. Even if I'm not having a good day, it affects me too. Right, it just makes you feel a lot better. So you talk about the importance of having the right perception, based on your spiritual practice of love being the only truth, and love and smiling, like to me, go right together, like the idea of love is the answer for everything. Yes, in america.
Speaker 1:You know we're going through a lot with with the politicians, and everyone's always saying bad things about each other. When I think, if they twisted it around and it became a story of love, how it could change the world, right? If everyone just said nice things about each other and had said whatever one you pick, it's going to be a great choice, right, because we're going to do all you pick. It's going to be a great choice, right, because we're going to all good things. Instead, it's just a constant bashing of each other. So I would I want to talk to you about that, about love being the only truth and how it's guided you professional and personal journey.
Speaker 2:I love that we can have conversations like this today, because in the past, people would think that love is fluff. There's some people who still think, ah, what is that exactly? Can you define it? But more and more people are realizing you know what. That is what we need, and I think for me, love is a universal language, similar to smile, smiling. It is something that is very powerful. Love is love, Love is forgiveness, Love is acceptance of each other and, with the political climate right now, if we had more of that particularly learning of each other and our backgrounds, our culture if we had more of that, we would have more uplifting conversations. The conversations would go beyond what they are right now and to a level that is necessary for the true growth of a nation. A true growth of a nation is the growth of the person, the growth of the citizen.
Speaker 1:It makes a lot of sense. So let's talk about an average day in your life. What does that look like?
Speaker 2:For me now. I'm trying to normalize my life in a sense of having certain habits. So for now I wake very early, I will do some journaling before I head off to the gym. I love lifting heavy, so I go to the gym and try to lift as heavy as I can, and that's pretty early in the morning, so I'm there like by five or a little after five in the morning. After that I head home and I get my day started with emails, but not immediately.
Speaker 2:I do try to get something nice and nutritious to eat before I start off the day, but yes, besides having a bite, I would deal with emails. As I said, I wear a few hats, so there are a couple of emails to check a number of people to check in with. With the committee that I'm on, where I'm secretary, we do have a secretary with staff, so I check in with staff to see if they need any help from me and I try to end my day early and in a quiet, meditative state. I try to do a lot of journaling. We're both fans of Napoleon Hill, so I would read books by Napoleon Hill or persons like him and journal. Yeah, trying to, trying to trying to balance and live a quiet yet very successful life.
Speaker 1:I love the idea of quiet and successful Sounds perfect. Yeah, so you know I've been self-employed pretty much my entire adult life, so I just turned 56 this year. It's been a year. I can tell you that it's definitely been a struggle personally, but I'm pushing through. This podcast helps me a lot because I get to meet people like you and talk about. The most important thing you said today to me is not living in that right, just not living in that space all the time. So you're involved in a lot of high pressure with being an attorney. How do you maintain your mental resilience and continue to direct your mind towards your goals? Is there something that you do during that very stressful time that helps?
Speaker 2:you? Yeah, I would connect with my family. I also have a dog. She's therapy. What kind of dog she's rescue, so she's Terrier. We know she's Yorkie and something else. We don't know what else she is.
Speaker 2:She's a joy and my partner is very, very supportive. I can talk to him about anything, so he's that person I lean on to just help me back to the center and meditation, going on walks. But those are the internal things I would do. Other things I do is saying no, I can't do that. You say no, are you serious? I say no, I say I wish I can, but I'm not able to do that now, not able to do that today, or not able to do that at all. I'm not able to do that now, not able to do that today, or not able to do that at all. Wow, yeah, I got a call this morning from someone asking to do something and I said I'm not in a position to do that now Because I know my bandwidth right now is just it's little, and saying no is going to help me restore my strength and energy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've had to say no a lot more in the last couple of years, for sure, but I remember when I used to do everything I could all day long. I was exhausted. Now I found AI, which has given me so much time, freedom, right, because I'm able to use that. And let me ask you that about in a legal profession Are you using AI In?
Speaker 2:the legal profession not directly, because my work involves legal research and that is legal research in the Caribbean there's not sufficient information, I think, from my last checks, on AI software that is for the Caribbean. So we still do need to rely on our own databases and our own resources in doing the research. But even outside of that, it's not really accurate. So you know, it's not wise to rely on AI. If you're drafting a very simple letter, a very simple document, and you are thinking I want to rephrase this sentence, then perhaps it could be helpful. But the core of legal research, which is my area, no. But I have seen, however, ai is being used in the legal field.
Speaker 2:So you know you would have online dispute resolution that is offered by various courts. You can come into a court and there will be a kiosk like a top bot that would say how can I help you? Today, you know, like, what are you here for? I'm here for a divorce. Good, are you? How long is it separate? It would, it would guide you through. So AI is being used in that sense, but not at least from my perspective and the area that I work in. I don't, I don't use AI for legal work, no way.
Speaker 1:So my attorney says the same thing because she's like I don't like chat GPT and I'm like but I do, it helps me to give you the information, then you can tweak it and make it right. And so she laughed and we go. You know we go back and forth about it a lot because for what we're doing and how we're growing, it's essential you know that we stay on top of technology like that. So you talked about at the Caribbean. So what's your favorite food there? Why?
Speaker 2:must I have to pick Dionne?
Speaker 1:No because, then when I come there one day, then I'm going to say I want to pick.
Speaker 2:This is not fair. Okay, oh, callaloo soup. I love callaloo soup, callaloo soup. So callaloo is the leaf of a root vegetable called dasheen and in Ghana, for example, in West Africa it's called coco yam. So dasheen is called coco yam in West Africa, like in Ghana, and the leaf that grows in the Caribbean we call it callaloo. Other Caribbean countries have a variation of the name based on the root vegetable and in Ghana they call it kuntumre. So we take that leaf and you stir fry it, then you add a lot of water and you let it cook for a long time. Otherwise there's a particular ingredient or enzyme that will make your mouth itch if you don't cook it for a long time. So, yeah, so I make a soup in saint vincent, where I'm from saint vincent and the grenadines. We make this soup just called callaloo soup, and that's my favorite thing.
Speaker 1:Wow, I love it. I can eat soup when it's 100 degrees I love soup but so I'll have to definitely try that when I come there one day. How many languages do?
Speaker 2:you speak in the caribbean, so you have the english-speaking and french-speaking countries. My country is english-speaking and then you know fully french-speaking countries you would have, like haiti. Then you have countries that english is the first language, but there's also a local dialect. So, like a Creole in Dominica, you have that in St Lucia. You have that. Ami forgetting anyone else? I think that's just it in terms, and that's French Creole, but English and then our local dialects. How long have you lived there, in Trinidad? Or? Yes, I've been in Trinidad and Tobago, for it's going on five years. I came to in 2019 for law school, so after I finished my UK bar degree, I had to come here do a conversion course. So I did that conversion course in 2019 and then we all know what happened in early 2020. It happened everywhere. We couldn't stop it, so I decided to stay in Trinidad. I love Trinidad, the people, everything about here, and I just wanted to experience it more. So I decided to stay and enjoy Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaker 2:Did I read somewhere that you're a performer. I am. I'm a voiceover actor and an actor, yes. So I've been acting for quite some time and what I've done is I've narrowed my acting services primarily to voice in radio and television commercials. So I've been doing that now for, I think, 15 or more than 15 years. Yes, really cool. That sounds fun. Yeah, it is fun.
Speaker 1:I bet it is. I bet that would be very fun, especially when you don't even have to get ready, I guess if it's just voice, yeah, exactly Anyhow. So let's talk a little bit about people, our listeners actually, right? So if they're facing doubts and fears in their life, which is happening a lot lately it's really been a lot of fear what could you say to them to help them tap into their mental power and move forward?
Speaker 2:I think there are two things we can do. I often say we are either working in the spiritual realm or the very physical or three-dimensional realm. So if someone is so stressed and have so much doubt they aren't able to do a meditation, I would say go for go and exercise. If you can Go for a walk, do something physical. It doesn't have to be outside of your house. You can do jumping jacks at home to get your body moving so that you can change the chemistry in your brain. That's really helpful. So I know that there are times where it's like look, I can't do a meditation, I'm not quieting the mind, the mind is just doing all kinds of things. Do some exercising. I'm not quieting the mind, the mind is just doing all kinds of things. Do some exercising. Take a shower if you can. I was jokingly telling a friend a few days ago that taking baths and showers are so healing. There are times where you feel a little stressed. You take a nice warm shower, you feel better, drink some water and I think some of those physical things can help.
Speaker 2:Going to the, what I would say is the core and the foundation to having more of a long-term inner peace is cultivating a spiritual practice, whatever you want to call it spiritual practice, any type of practice where you say to yourself okay, I'm going to write down my thoughts, I'm going to journal, I'm going to learn how to quiet my mind, I'm going to read inspirational books, books by people who have overcome, I'm going to read success stories.
Speaker 2:Reading people's success stories excite me and you develop a practice around that. So for me it is. You know, I read A Course in Miracles, so it's going to a course. It is sitting quietly and playing perhaps some handpan music or other kinds of quiet music in the background, and I've cultivated that practice where I can quiet my mind. So that is much easier for me. So that's where I would go now and I would tell anyone to create a practice so that and around what we might think are small issues, so that when issues in life that we perceive as large come, you have something to work with, you have a base, you're not scrambling and going into a deep dark hole when challenges arise.
Speaker 1:So is that how you take possession of your own mind? Oh, yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is sometimes. I also jumpstart. So I would say, ok, I want to have full possession of my mind and direct it to whatever ends I desire, and there's something about that message that's so meaningful to me that I move.
Speaker 1:Because we get to have that. We are the lucky ones. We get to be able to make our own decisions and create our own future. We get to do that Exactly. It's from within us, it truly is so. You have quite the journey. You've been a lot of places, you do a lot of things and your energy is beautiful, thank you. So thank you for sharing that. So if our listeners would like to get ahold of you, or if somebody would like to reach out to you, how can they find you?
Speaker 2:Well, the first place would be shalishatheactorcom, especially if they want some voiceover work done, shalishatheactorcom. I also blog on growingwithshalishacom, and then my website, which is just shalishasamuelcom.
Speaker 1:That's very easy. I mean, you make it simple. There's just three ways. So if everyone who's tuning in today, if you enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who could use a little inspiration. Remember, as we've learned today, your mind is your most powerful tool and you can use it to achieve anything you set your sights on. And if we can help just one person today, this podcast is a success. So until next time, keep shining. Thank you very much for being on today's show.
