ASHISH NATHU
November 2, 2021
12:06 pm
On this episode of The Rich Equation Podcast, Ashish is joined by Carol Marzouk. Ashish and Carol discuss being a lion tamer, her childhood and up brining and the impact that has had on her as an adult and within her career. They also talk about the importance of not having regrets, emotional intelligence and how life is a game you hold the pieces to so just play it well! Finally, Ashish encourages you to reach out to someone who has a major impact on your life and some them some gratitude!
HIGHLIGHTS:
0:00 – Intro 0:21 – Ashish gives a brief insight into Carol’s life and experience 0:53 – Ashish shares how he and Carol speaks about why it’s important to find extraordinary in the ordinary amongst many other topics throughout this podcast 2:27 – Carol informs us about her background and career and how she got to where she at now 6:30 – Carol speaks about her upbringing and how it lead her to be so good at conflict resolution 11;08 – Carol talks about how when people work as teams, people tend to realize that the CEO they’re working for are human too – you can have normal conversations with them – and therefore all these barriers start breaking down which allows them to become a more cohesive team and creatives a sense of glue and loyalty 14:50 – Carol states that we’re just children when it comes to emotional intelligence 16:40 – Carol shares her best advice to people who want/need to change their behavior 20:38 – Carol explains how the more you learn the more you reason the less you know 21:33 – Ashish talks about how he has created the idea of having a massive impact 22:58 – Carol and Ashish discuss how the future is not now and the past is gone so you need to provide the most energy here and now in the present 23:34 – Carol speaks about where she gets her energy from and how she maintains a good balance 25:20 – Ashish states that in order to be an effective coach you really have to come from a place of non-judgement 26:00 – Carol says in so many times in her career, she could have done things so much better, but every day she is getting better and better 26:52 – Carol has noticed that she catches herself noticing her biases and she gets frustrated with people being a little too sensitive 29:11 – Ashish thinks people are looking to put people in two buckets; you’re a hard ass and tough or you’re too emotional but Ashish feels there’s an intermediary 29:58 – Some people complain Carol smiles too much, others complain she doesn’t smile enough, and she wonders how she survives in this type of world 31:18 – Ashish warns no one’s going to come and save you, and you shouldn’t look to a lawsuit to save you; there’s no path forward if you’re looking for victimhood 32:20 – Carol wishes she knew everything is temporary 20 years ago 33:11 – We’re programmed to protect our ego and Carol wishes to invite everyone to think for a moment how things would be different if you didn’t have to protect your ego 34:18 – Ashish mentions how Carol once said to him “what does it matter everyone’s going to be dead soon anyway” 35:55 – Ashish asks with her as the lion tamer, who tames her, to which she responds with her family 36:33 – Carol says that the first takeaway from the podcast is that life is just a game, so play it well 36:58 – Carol advises you to remember who the good people are and to take good care of them 37:25 – Carol’s final piece of advice is to watch your ego, none of the things you think make you successful matter 37:20 – Carols final point is that true richness is not looking backwards and regretting anything 38:36 – Ashish advises you to text, email or write to someone who had a major impact on their life growing up, and to show gratitude.
TRANSCRIPTION:
Ashish Nathu: Hey guys, welcome back to the rich equation. Honored to have you back. Today I have an amazing episode for you with Carol Marzouk, The executive lion Tamer. Carol is the CEO of leadership and soul and has for the past 30 years been inspiring teams and leaders to impact the bottom line while retaining their soul and integrity. Carol is a bilingual behavior strategists, speaker, certified coach, and lean six Sigma green belt. An expert on employee engagement, She is committed on equipping and inspiring leaders on their teams globally from the boardroom to the mailroom who wants to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication to impact the top and bottom line. She is known for engaging and enthusiastic style, as well as her practical real world and customized approach. You’ll see that in our conversation. On this episode, Carol and I talk about why it’s important to find extraordinary in the ordinary, how we can focus on being the CEO of our own life and realize that none of us are perfect. She talks about how she creates realness in the workplace through communication and vulnerability. And it’s something that’s really missing in today’s world. She gives us some great takeaways at the end, so please don’t miss it. I know you will get so much from Carol, enjoy here she is Carol Marzouk. And remember if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share it with someone that would be inspired by this or this information could be helpful and subscribe right now to the podcast and leave a review so we can continue to bring value to you.
Welcome to the Rich Equation podcast. Are you ready to discover how to live rich today and not wait for retirement? If you’re tired of struggling and want to live your best life now, you are in the right place.
Outdated principles will no longer work in today’s environment. It’s time for a new approach. Your host Ashish Nathu will help you discover methods to live the new American dream. It’s time to start living the good life on your own terms and experience a new way to live rich. Now here’s your host Ashish Nathu.
Ashish Nathu: Ms. Carol. Welcome to the show.
Carol Marzouk: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Ashish Nathu: I’m super excited that you’re here. It’s an absolute honor. I’ve been having the pleasure of working with you for the last couple of years in so many different things. And so having the opportunity to sit down and get into some of this deep stuff is a real pleasure.
Carol Marzouk: The pleasure is all mine really. It’s a lot of fun for me.
Ashish Nathu: So I guess let’s start with your background and I guess how you got into this work.
Carol Marzouk: I’m from Mexico city. I was born in Mexico city. I’m the fifth of five girls. My parents are from the middle east originally. Well, my grandparents on my mom’s side are from Syria and Italy. My dad is from Iraq, from Baghdad and we’re Jewish. So they had to leave. They were being persecuted, right? So they had to leave. So my dad had to leave. They ended up in Bombay in India and he grew up there, which now Mumbai, of course. And then when he was a young lad 15, 16, he then decided that he was going to become an entrepreneur and he left and he went to Australia and then landed in London.
Ashish Nathu: Wow.
Carol Marzouk: Yes. And then my mom’s side was from Syria in Italy, and then they left Ellis island had closed. So they ended up in Mexico city. My mom was born in Mexico city. My dad met my mom at a wedding in Mexico city, 14 years apart. They didn’t speak the same language, but my dad and my grandparents spoke Arabic. So long story short, they were married 50 long story long, They were married for 53 years or 54 years until my dad passed away. And the reason why I’m telling you this story is because if you can imagine growing up five girls an Iraqi dad, middle Eastern, British, right. So formal in many ways. And the mindset was do what I tell you to do. Like you don’t question. And my mom was very much, you know, we are a team, right? So what your dad says. And so growing up in that environment where that’s how it is, you don’t question it at all. And then being the last of the five girls and being the youngest, my sisters always wanted to run experiments on me because I was five years younger than the youngest. So they wanted to see, for instance, if the stroller would fly with me in it from the ninth story. So there were many situations where I could have died. And so there were a lot of times where I had to kind of figure out how to end conflict and stay alive. Yes, yes. So growing up, it was really how to get out of conflict, how to mitigate conflict, how to help them come together. And then also how to mitigate conflicts with my parents even down to, you know, when we came here I was the only one that really wanted to go to college because in our culture, you got married very young, 16, 17, because it’s either you get married or you go to college. So I was forbidden to go to college. So I went to college without my parents knowing for a couple of years, I was at UCLA before they knew, and then they knew, and then my world changed. They didn’t talk to me for about six months. My family didn’t talk to me. So all of that growing up in that environment really, it just kind of infiltrated into myself, allowed me to understand how to resolve conflict innately and how to help others figure out how to resolve conflict. So I think that’s why I’m just so naturally good at it.
Ashish Nathu: I mean, you built this natural skillset for conflict resolution, and if you didn’t solve the conflict, what would happen?
Carol Marzouk: If I didn’t solve the conflict, Nobody would talk to anyone. So there would be a divorce in a way for many days, many weeks. So nothing would happen. And that would be the worst.
Ashish Nathu: So that story, that journey took you into coaching, mentorship, business coaching. And now you’re the self-proclaimed lion Tamer. The lion Tamer. Tell us about the executive lion Tamer. Tell us about that.
Carol Marzouk: The executive lion Tamer came about because I was telling the story of how an attorney referred me to another attorney simply because I was working with their firm. And I was helping them tame their lions, if you will, the big egos in the firm. And they had referred me to somebody else who was the Rainmaker of the firm. And I was having lunch with this guy and he said, listen, Carol, I know what you’re trying to do here. But the truth of the matter is that I don’t need help. Everybody else needs help, and they need to figure it out because I’m bringing in the bulk of the money. And so I said, I get it. I understand. So here’s my card. And if there’s anyone that you know of that’s coachable and that wants to kind of switch their mannerisms around and that wants to work with people, you know, give them my card. And I thought he would throw my card away. And about a month and a week later, he called me and I was really tired Ashish. And I have to tell you when I’m tired I find everything really funny. So he called me and he said, Hey, Carol, do you remember me? And he was really in a state of panic.
Carol Marzouk: Of course, I remember.
Ashish Nathu: Aren’t we all? When we call the executive lion Tamer, we’re not in a place of peace and focus and clarity.
Carol Marzouk: I said, of course I remember you. And he said, well, I just threw a chair across the room and hit an associate, grazed her shoulder really. I found out later. He actually got so angry that he took a chair in the conference room and he threw it across the room and he hit this woman who already had it against them, was already to file a lawsuit and then he hits her. And so he’s like, well, you know, you said, I wasn’t coachable. Now I’m coachable. And I said, I didn’t say you weren’t coachable, but, you know, and he said, well, you know, and I said, well, are you calling me because you need better aim. And he got even more angry, this is not funny. This is not a time to joke around. And so he asked me if I would work with him and I ended up working with his firm and with all of the partners, because at the end of the day, it’s not just about him. It’s not just about the lion. It’s not about the Rainmaker or the person with a big ego. It’s about all of us enablers around that lion that are working around him and tippy toeing or her right? Around her. So yeah, So when I was telling that story somebody said a wonderful man by the name of Pete Hettler, who is a reverse mortgage guy who is very creative. He said, you know, you know what you are, you’re the executive lion Tamer and Mark Henkin, who is a lovely IP attorney. He had also talked about me being a Lion. And so that it all kind of came together.
Ashish Nathu: So you work with both leaders and CEOs and executives who get this name or this title that can, they are lions and, or they can be difficult and they can be incredibly challenging or highly egocentric. I don’t know anyone like that. But then also you work with teams, you work with their teams to bridge the gap. Tell us about that process and that experience, because I think a lot of listeners here experiences, doesn’t matter what seat you’re in. I think that there’s challenges on both sides. Everything comes from awareness. And so tell us a little bit about that process. What do people gain out of that? What does that process experience look like and feel like?
Carol Marzouk: So when you work with the team, something magical happens. People realize that CEO’s, the executives that they work with or work for, or work with that they’re human. That they’re not untouchable, that they’re not so much higher above them that they can’t have normal conversations with them and they see of vulnerability and a transparency to them that they otherwise wouldn’t see. And you start to see a transformation in the leaders themselves because the walls and all of those masks that they feel they have to wear to be successful, start coming down. And that allows them to become a more cohesive team with the people that they work with. And it creates a sense of loyalty, this glue that this allows anybody else to poach their team. So you see this immediate transformation, you see this immediate, it’s this feeling this energy and, you know, and you see people that have worked with each other for decades and sometimes grown men that just start crying because they’re allowed to say certain things to each other, or to let their guards down.
Ashish Nathu: Is that really your goal? Just to make grown men…
Carol Marzouk: You got me.
Ashish Nathu: I figured, that’s really what this is all about.
Carol Marzouk: That’s my goals.
Ashish Nathu: Do people find that challenging or like, is it difficult for people to open up about their true feelings or fears after knowing somebody that long? Or is it, it’s not a challenge, It’s just about creating the right space.
Carol Marzouk: It’s really about creating the right space.
Ashish Nathu: And so, you know, leaders can learn a lot from that about what can we do, whether it’s in our family or in our boardrooms or our meeting rooms to create a safe space for people to be themselves and talk.
Carol Marzouk: Yeah, it’s about having that right space Ashish and also about having the tools. And I think everyone can learn how to be a good leader, how to be a great leader.
Ashish Nathu: Why do you think that this work is even necessary?
Carol Marzouk: From my experience, and I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years, I think that most of us like the surgeons, the attorneys, the CEOs, right, that are wonderful at business, at surgery, at litigation or whatever the business is. We go to school, right? We go to business school, or we start just doing our business and getting good at it. But we are never taught, like even surgeons, right. We are never taught the people skill side of it. We’re never taught how to motivate other people. And so we go into the workplace where we have to literally work with other people, motivate other people, engage other people. And we don’t learn that we’re just children when it comes to emotional intelligence, we don’t take those classes in law school. We don’t take those classes in business school. We don’t take classes on personal brand and realizing that just as you’re taking how to build a brand in your business, you should be taking classes on how to build your personal brand, that you’re the CEO of your own life and that you really got to pay attention to that. You’ve got to pay attention to your mission, your vision, your values as a person, and how you bring that to others. That’s equally important. If not more important when you’re building your business, or when you show up as a leader in a company where somebody else is the CEO or the owner.
Ashish Nathu: That is good. I like that a lot. I guess what’s showing up for me is that I think we all have things that we’re, let’s say are opportunities that are things in our behavior that we know we could be doing a better job at, or maybe no one in our circle of influence has the maybe permission to hold up the mirror to us. But everyone knows, like, you know, internally we know where we need to improve or what we need to focus on. What would you tell them? Like what either, what advice do you have for those folks or what are a couple of tips for us to help, you know, be past the awareness is to maybe change behavior, take action.
Carol Marzouk: So it’s normal.
Ashish Nathu: So first be forgive yourself, have some compassion and grace.
Carol Marzouk: Yeah. It’s absolutely normal to be human. It’s human to be human and that’s okay. And it’s also okay to not want to see your blind spots. And you’re in charge of that. Like I said, you’re the CEO of your own life. And like every business, some business thrive, some businesses don’t, you’re in charge. And just like some, you know, some CEOs or owners of businesses, they don’t want to see their financials, they are ostriches, and some do. So we get to choose if we want to see our blind spots or if we don’t.
Ashish Nathu: One of the things I’ve been really challenged with recently, and this has shown up for me and we’ll just have the session right now. I love this is that, you know, there’s this mindset that, and I’m sure a lot of your clients have it. I know a lot of people listening have it is that you know, we strive for this level of excellence. We want this level of perfection and we want this a level of greatness and you can define any of those the way you want. And we’re always striving for more and more experience, more richness, more whatever. And we end up not being grateful for what is, like what’s right in front of you. And what I think happens in that process is that you forget how to be ordinary. And you realize that you live in this ecosystem of the world where, you know, ordinary is beautiful too. So I guess, do you understand the dichotomy of what I’m saying is that I think we end up forgetting that we need to nurture this part of our relationships because it’s ordinary instead of like, why don’t you get me? How come you’re not meeting yet? My level, how come we’re not just doing excellent, wonderful things and why are you not just, you know, why are you not reading my mind? Those kinds of things, and almost building these relationships and dealing with the ordinary types of life that actually that’s where all the magic happens. That’s where all the beauty is. That’s the presence of dealing with the stuff, the garbage, if you will, that creates the extraordinary experiences.
Carol Marzouk: Yeah. So what you said was really powerful. So what I’m interpreting from you is if you’re able to experience and be in the ordinary, that’s where the extraordinary happens. And because we’re always reaching and striving for something that we don’t have, we disallow ourselves from reaching what we’re looking for. Which is the extraordinary. So we’re never really happy, because we reach a certain level and then we want more and then we want more. And then we want more. And there’s this feeling, at least from a lot of the millionaires and billionaires that I work with of just general inadequacy, that they’re never good enough. And the other thing is that’s really interesting to me is these people are really very, very intelligent and wise people. And the more they learn, it’s almost like the more lost they feel.
Ashish Nathu: Interesting. Why do you think that is?
Carol Marzouk: I think because you realize how much more there is to learn. So the more you learn, you realize the less you know.
Ashish Nathu: And so if your story is that I can out do my problem and I can out earn my story, or I can be bigger or own more, but you end up realizing that there’s just never ending path to more and more and more, which makes you feel inadequate.
Carol Marzouk: That’s right.
Ashish Nathu: That’s scary.
Carol Marzouk: Yes. And the ordinary would bringing back to what you were saying is where the magic is because you find people that are, they’re ones that are sweeping in the restaurant. They are some of the happiest people in the world.
Ashish Nathu: Yeah. I mean, I just got called out on this today and I’m just going to share this because I have made, I’ve created this huge idea in my head to create massive impact and that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. But when you identify that, what you really are trying to accomplish is just create a significant impact in one person’s life, You end up chasing the world’s opportunity instead of just focusing on what’s right in front of you. And I was doing that for a while and I got called out on it by some, by a tribe of people I really love and respect. And I was blessed to be able to have that engagement and experience with them that they just held at the mirror. And we almost went to this like grief thing of like, you’re almost in denial and of this trajectory you’re on. I don’t know if I’m explaining that. But essentially it’s really about, you know, how can we just give grace and give almost attention to what’s riding in front of us rather than chasing the world. And I think a lot of people are victim to that.
Carol Marzouk: I think so too. And I think that if you do that, that’s where you can, if you can meet people, not only where they’re at, but where you’re at. I think that’s huge. And that’s where you can give the most from because you’re in that space where you are, you’re plugged in to that energy. But if you’re looking because the future is not here and the past has gone, right? So where is the most energy? The most energy is here. So where can you give the most energy from? Here.
Ashish Nathu: Well, I didn’t mean to get so heavy because let’s go here. And one of the reasons I love you so much is your vibrant and colorful energy. And if you know, you’re listening to the podcast, you can’t really see, but Carol is wearing this beautiful, vibrant red dress and just speaks to your energy. Tell me about your source of energy. Where does your energy come from? How do you harness it?
Carol Marzouk: My energy comes from a lot of different places. My energy comes from mental energy. So I take very good care of what I read and what I listen to. That’s really important to me. So I stay away from things that drain me and the other piece of energy is what I put into my body. I take care of not to eat a lot of white stuff. So sugar, flour I stay away from. The other part is spiritual. Spiritual is very important to me. And I mentioned that I was Jewish but really it’s not so much about the religion or the culture. It’s what for me, what is about is really honing in on the universal spirituality of the oneness of people and regardless of the religion or the culture I’ve noticed that when I tap into someone’s spiritual energy we are so alike regardless of what religion or what culture we are. And everyone has that spiritual energy. And that’s the purpose where our, you know, where our purpose lies and everyone has that. But a lot of people don’t tap into that. And I tap into it every day. That gives me the most energy.
Ashish Nathu: I love that, the oneness of all
Carol Marzouk: It gives me the most energy.
Ashish Nathu: I guess, in coaching you really have to. And I just put your work into the bucket of coaching, so I apologize if that’s not where it belongs, but I think that in coaching, in order to be an effective coach, you really have to come from a place of non-judgment. Otherwise you’re just going to be judging the person all day and criticizing being critical. And so I think that’s an interesting perspective to show up in the world that way is if you just come from a place of non-judgment with people, then maybe you have a shot at helping people, whether it’s your team or your spouse or your kids. That’s fascinating. I like that perspective.
Carol Marzouk: You have to, and the thing is, is that, how can you judge others when you’re not perfect yourself?
Ashish Nathu: True that.
Carol Marzouk: Like, who’s perfect. None of us are perfect. And I have been in so many situations in my career in corporate where I could have done better, both as a boss and as an employee. And you know, even what got me to start my own business, right. I could have done things so much better. And so all of those situations, and every day I get better and better. And I think it’s this virtuous cycle of really helping each other, you know, as I help my clients that energy that my clients give me also allows me to help my clients back.
Ashish Nathu: What are you finding in yourself recently? Like, is there, are there things that are showing up for you recently in the work that you’re doing?
Carol Marzouk: Yes. I have noticed.
Ashish Nathu: I am Curious, what’s wrong with you?
Carol Marzouk: Yes. There are so many things. Yes, I’ve noticed that I catch myself noticing my biases too. So with all of our different shortcuts and judgments and biases, I realize I have some too. And when we talk about, you know, what you can say in the workplace, what you cannot say, and I’m coaching my clients and I’m seeing how, you know, how they’re getting into trouble, somebody is getting fired for giving someone a compliment that they felt was a compliment, you know, and coaching my clients on what they can say, what they can’t say. And, you know, and at the end of the day, sometimes I notice myself getting frustrated with, you know, just sometimes people being a little too sensitive. That’s my bias.
Ashish Nathu: Let’s go there.
Carol Marzouk: That’s what I’m noticing in myself lately.
Ashish Nathu: You know, it’s funny, I’ll give you a real world example. And I think there’s a lot of these situations happening in society. You know, we’re talking about labeling people and relabeling people, and, you know, we have different signs for bathrooms now, and it’s just like this whole thing, no judgment. It’s a different society we live in. And one of the things that showed up in our work is like, we were starting to work within our team and more about this language that you’re talking about. How can you talk more about vulnerability, about openness and being sincere and giving people compassion and grace and all these words that normally were not in our workplace. And people were like, you guys are too soft. You can’t take criticism. You can’t take any comment without making it, like you hurt my feelings. What’s that about, what what’s going on? Like you can’t, I don’t think, how do I say this? I think that people are looking to put people in two buckets. You’re either a hard-ass and tough and cold, or you’re too emotional. And I think there’s an intermediary in the workplace. What do you see in the work you’re doing in the way that society is showing up in the way that people interact with each other?
Carol Marzouk: Well, this is again, you know, what’s showing up for me and what I’m seeing in the workplace. Thank you for asking that. And again, you know, here I am thinking, who am I going to offend? But I’m going to tell you what I’m seeing. The truth of the matter is, is that, you know what shows up on my desk, right? Some people are complaining that I’m smiling too much. Some people complain, I don’t smile enough. Some people are upset that I’m giving too much attention. Some people say, I don’t give enough attention. Do I say something? If I say something I’m going to get in trouble, maybe I don’t say anything. Oh, no, no, no, no You cannot not say anything. So again, it’s that black and white. It’s that, how do I survive in this world? If I do this, I get in trouble and we’re telling lawsuits here, somebody got sued for not smiling at them. You didn’t smile at me, I’m going to Sue you. This was an actual lawsuit. And so what I’m noticing is that there are legitimate, there are legitimate reasons, legitimate discrimination cases.
Ashish Nathu: Sure. That’s not what we’re talking about.
Carol Marzouk: That’s not what we’re talking about. I’m talking about people that try to get under that umbrella and that are actually looking to be offended. It’s almost like, how can I be offended today? And they’re looking for that.
Ashish Nathu: I mean, people need to get off that train. Because I always say this, like, no, one’s going to come and save you. If you’re looking for a lawsuit to come and save you, it’s just a never ending cycle of misery there. I’m actually pretty blessed with the circle that we have and the people that we have, I’m going to knock on wood. Like our staff is, we do a lot of this work that you’re talking about and you work with us. And so we’re blessed that we don’t have this issue. And if we do, then we’re able to get in a room, talk about it, you know, speak from a place of truth and heart and deal with the circumstances. But I don’t think there’s a, there’s not a path forward if you’re looking for victim hood.
Carol Marzouk: Right. So that’s the thing, right? That’s the one thing that I’m noticing that there’s like this huge, like that’s what’s showing up for me because it’s showing up for my clients and I want to give them all a hug and say, I get it. I’m so sorry that you’re going through this and you know.
Ashish Nathu: It is a new world. It’s a new world. What do you wish you knew 20 years ago?
Carol Marzouk: That everything is temporary. Everything is temporary. And that includes joy, joy, fear everything. And so, you know, when you’re experiencing fear, you know, we got that, right? You go through the fear, you get through it and you walk through it and you do it anyway, when you experienced joy, squeeze every moment out of that joy, because that also is temporary because things happen around you and things that will try and squeeze that joy out of you. And so enjoy those moments too. Also I know that we’re programmed to protect our ego, you know, talking about tools that we can take away from this. We are programmed to protect our ego, to not let other people see our vulnerability, to survive in this world. And if I could just invite everyone to just think about and pause for a moment and just think about, you know, how would things be different in certain situations if you didn’t have to protect your ego, if you felt that maybe your ego would be okay without your protection, how would you show up differently? What would you say differently? What would you admit?
Ashish Nathu: What’s the worst that can happen?
Carol Marzouk: What is the worst that could happen? What would people see? What are you afraid of?
Ashish Nathu: One of the things that you said to me, which was so powerful, you said, well, who cares? Because soon you’re going to be dead anyways. And I think that I’m just going to let that sink in for the listener, because I think that we end up creating all of these narratives and I want people to achieve the maximum out of abundance, health, success make as much money as you want. But really if we don’t understand the finite experience we’re enjoying here on this planet for a less than a speck of a speck of a speck of time and realized that sooner or later doesn’t matter, we’re going to be dead anyways. Then what’s the point. So I love that you are able to reflect that to people and like live in that truth too. You do set a really great example of that. The executive lion Tamer, herself, who tames you?
Carol Marzouk: My family, they listen to everything I do and they put me in my place. They use my tools on me. My kids say, oh, no, we’re starting that over. We’re doing that again Mom.
Ashish Nathu: Do you fall in, I guess maybe in the beginning you did, but like, do you fall into the trap of coaching the family?
Carol Marzouk: Oh my goodness, Yes. And just like my clients I do not do it unless they invite me to do it. So it’s only if they invite me to do it and I let them make them get pen and paper and they become my clients and they have to pay something into the pot of the, what we call the [36:06 inaudible] which is the, to give something to charity. So it doesn’t go to me, but it goes to charity and they do have to have skin in the game.
Ashish Nathu: So if I’m listening to the podcast and I didn’t listen to the first 40 minutes, and I’m a leader of a business, you know, I’m a manager, I’m a team member or an entrepreneur, or even just a person trying to be better at my life. What are the three takeaways from everything that you teach and, you know, that can improve people’s lives.
Carol Marzouk: I would say the first takeaway is, remember that life is a game, play it well, it’s just a game. So you’ve got your pieces, play it. And don’t take everything so seriously. And remember who the people are that are good to you. Remember who the loyal people are and take care of them on the way up. Take good care of them.
Ashish Nathu: That’s such good advice. That last one especially.
Carol Marzouk: Take good care of them because they take care of you. And lastly, watch that ego, watch that ego, that ego will, you know, that ego will prevent you from doing things that will get you to the next level every time. And it will prevent you from becoming your best self. And even though you might define success in a financial manner or getting the house or the status or whatever it is, honestly, none of that matters. Who do you sleep with at night? Who keeps you warm at night? What are your thoughts when you go to bed? What are your thoughts when you wake up? That’s your success?
Ashish Nathu: Yeah. So good. What is true richness mean to you?
Carol Marzouk: True richness is not looking backwards and regretting anything.
Ashish Nathu: I want to thank you so much for your time. This was really a great conversation. I hope to have you again. And I think the listeners I want to share, I want to basically give everybody a deliverable to text, email, write to somebody who has made a major impact on their life as they were going up and just share gratitude and say, thank you. And I appreciate you. And without you, I perhaps wouldn’t have been here. And I just appreciate you being there for me on my way up. That’s the to-do from the lesson from Carol. I love that. Thank you darling, appreciate it.
Thank you for listening to the Rich Equation podcast with Ashish Nathu. Do you want more ideas on how to live rich? Go to www.richequationpodcast.com for show notes and resources. Then take one minute to leave Ashish, a five-star review on apple podcasts, and we’ll see you on the next episode.
