82: How to Be the Chef of Your Own Life with Diana Gremillion

Have you ever found yourself in a burnout nightmare? My guest today has been there. Looking like you have it all together on the outside, while completely burning out on the inside.

Diana Gremillion joined me on The Bold Life podcast to share how she changed her mental habits to reclaim her health, launch her business, and follow her dreams.

When burnout forced Diana to give up her life as a chef, Diana transformed her health crisis into a new life adventure. Diana is now an international speaker, coach, author, and healer living her best life in Honolulu, Hawaii. Diana is passionate about helping business owners manifest their dream life and business in months, not decades.

Working To The Point Of Burnout

The very first time Diana burnt out, she thought she was completely fine. Despite the million signs that something was wrong (the hives, the foot pain, the back pain, barely being able to sleep), Diana found a way to cover up these symptoms instead of addressing the root of the problem.

The breaking point? Diana was opening nine different restaurants in two different states, all on the same day. The morning of, Diana woke up with a clump of her hair on her pillow and a bald spot on her head. But Diana didn’t have time for a bald spot, it was opening day (remember, for nine restaurants). She brushed her hair to cover over it and went on with her day.

Because so many people were counting on her, she ignored the signs she was burning out.

Fast forward a few weeks, Diana was finally alone and was able to take off the brave face. The woman she saw in the mirror was broken. And very, very stressed.

She asked herself, “What can I do?”.

Her answer: “I’m done with this!”

Diana decided it was time to follow her dreams, start her own business, and move to Hawaii. She realized by watching others succeed that it was possible to be successful, without sacrificing her health and happiness.

So she made the resolution to create a different life.

But she was stopped dead in her tracks when her husband asked her one simple question: “what’s going to be different this time?”. Diana had moved and switched careers before, so why would moving to Hawaii be the answer to all of her struggles?

It wouldn’t.

The difference this time was that Diana was learning to ask for help. She realized she couldn’t do it on her own.

She started to look like at life experiences like ingredients (remember, Diana is an amazing chef). Like when you watch an episode of Top Chef and they give the chef’s the challenge of creating a dish with ingredients that they don’t ideally want to use. The chef’s that win are often the ones that stay creative even when they don’t know exactly how to work with the ingredient. They find a way to draw out the best from the ingredient, take what’s good out of it, and allow it to shine in its own way.

Diana suggests that challenges in life can be viewed the same way.

Looking for the lessons, finding the good, and turning trash into treasure will completely change your experience in life.

The Challenge of Asking For Help

How can you take on the world on your own? You can’t.

To get around the mental block of not wanting to accept help, Diana suggests two pathways.

1. You can choose to ask for help your self

2. Circumstance will take over and will continue to make things harder until you don’t have a choice but to accept help.

As an independent person, Diana always thought that she could get things done better on her own (does this sound familiar? You’re not alone).

Sometimes it can feel like you’re the only one who has ever gone through struggles. But with seven billion people on the planet, I can assure you my friend, someone else has gone through it too.

For Diana the change started with forming the belief that there’s somebody out there who can help her intentionally and strategically work towards your goals. She just had to go out and look for that person.

Remember: Help doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re accepting more help today that you were yesterday, you’re doing a good job.

How To Regain Focus On Your Goals

Sometimes when we’re overwhelmed, Diana says it can help to take yourself to a more logical place.

Remember how your brain works. Whatever your brain focuses on, whatever you pay attention to, your mind will show you more of. Finding out what’s relevant to you is how your brain decides what to pay attention to, and what doesn’t matter at all.

If you start to train your mind to focus on what you want to see instead of focusing on the problems, that’s the change you’ll start to see in your life, especially if you simultaneously continue to build your work ethic!

Diana says the choice is yours: Are you going to keep repeating the problematic patterns from the past or are you going to find a new way to break through.

Diana’s Book Recommendation

You Squared by Price Pritchet.

The concept of the book is that as humans, we always think we need more resources. We need five 5’s to get to 25. Price Pritchet argues that you actually just need one 5, and know how to work it in order to create 25. You already have what you need. Now it’s just learning to harness that energy with more intention to create even more.