A Personal Note From Orion

Welcome, dear listeners! I’m absolutely thrilled to bring you this conversation. We’re diving deep into a topic that I know resonates with so many of us—overcoming imposter syndrome. But here’s the kicker—we’re not just talking about pushing through self-doubt; we’re talking about using that newfound confidence to build a seven-figure Amazon business with Helen Cheng!

Now, let me tell you a bit about Helen. She’s not your typical entrepreneur – she’s one of us who decided to listen to that nagging voice inside that said, “There’s got to be more to life than this.” Helen took the kind of leap that most of us only dream about. She left behind a cushy corporate career to chase after a life that truly lit her up inside. And boy, did it pay off! In just two years – yes, you heard that right, two years – Helen built a seven-figure Amazon business from scratch. But it’s not just about the money, folks. Helen’s story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when we believe in ourselves, embrace change, and have the courage to define success on our own terms.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this episode. Whether you’re dreaming of starting your own business, battling with self-doubt, or just need a boost of inspiration, Helen’s journey has something for everyone. You’ll learn practical tips for overcoming imposter syndrome, strategies for building a successful Amazon business, and most importantly, how to stay true to yourself while chasing your dreams. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your headphones, find a comfy spot, and let’s dive in.

In This Episode

• [02:08] – Helen Cheng recalls her best childhood memory of visiting her grandma in a rural Taiwanese village.
• [06:16] – Helen shares her journey of leaving a corporate career to start a seven-figure Amazon business. Helen also elaborates on the challenges of starting an Amazon business in New Zealand.
• [14:07] – Orion and Helen discuss imposter syndrome and unexpected challenges with achieving success.
• [18:41] – Helen explains how she experienced imposter syndrome and how she handled her product listing being shut down by Amazon.
• [22:39] – How Helen soothes the voice of self-doubt and maintains a positive outlook.
• [25:08] – Orion and Helen talk about the importance of internal validation and finding happiness in the everyday.
• [27:09] – Orion and Helen discuss the fear of success.
• [36:07] – Helen discusses how to start an Amazon business.
• [39:34] – Helen shares tips for living a stellar life.

Jump to Links and Resources

Hi, Helen. Welcome to the Stellar Life podcast. Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much, Orion. I feel so honored to be here today.

Before we begin, can you share one of your best childhood memories with me?

The first thing that popped into my mind was when we used to visit my grandma. She’s no longer with us. She lived in the countryside, about 4 hours away from driving. My brother and I visit her. She had all these free-range chickens running around, and we would just bike all over the place. I remember feeling so free and happy. The wind blowing through my hair while biking around the village was definitely one of my best childhood memories.

Nice. Where was this village?

I was born in Taiwan. It’s in the rural areas, a fishing village, I guess you could call that. It’s changed so much now, but back then, it was just very simple; everybody knew everybody. We really enjoyed our visits.

It does sound magical.

Of course, Grandma’s cooking is always the best as well.

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Wow, that’s a beautiful memory. Tell me a little about yourself, your life story, and how you discovered your passion.

I truly feel honored to be here today. I feel like I’m just an ordinary woman, and I just want to live my best life on my own terms and be true to myself. I really hope our discussion today will inspire a few others who may be feeling the same as I did. But I guess it’s just a really quick story by myself. What I’ll probably share the most today is probably my journey, in particular the last few years when I went through a bit of a transformation that really set myself or my life on quite a different path, and I loved it. 

I took a leap of faith and left my corporate job of almost 20 years to start an Amazon business. I had no business experience and never owned a business, but I just wanted something different in my life. Amazingly, in two years, my Amazon business became a seven-figure business. In that two years’ time, so much has happened. When I left, I thought, “Hey, I can always go back to work if it doesn’t work out.” But almost three years on, I’ve grown so much as a person. It’s been such an amazing journey. 

A lot of that has been about pushing myself outside my comfort zone, being really open to new things and opportunities, and completely open and surrendering to what may be possible and what has been. It’s beyond my dream. I could never imagine building a semifigure business in such a short amount of time. But what I found was to rediscover myself again, to have the time, mental space, and energy to do what I want. 

While building my business, I rediscovered myself and had the time, mental space, and energy to do what I wanted.

I didn’t know what I was looking for at the time when I left, but I just had this feeling in my heart that there should be more to life, that there should be more fulfillment, that there should be more meaning, and it should be more beautiful. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but that was my feeling. I felt like I also had all these great things in my life, for which I was really grateful. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great career. I enjoyed it. I was surrounded by loved ones. My husband, son, and immediate family were close by. We had a beautiful home, and everything was great. But it just had that itch in my heart that there should be more to life. I love what I have now, which is the freedom to be myself, explore, and live life on my own terms.

How do you start an Amazon business when you know nothing about it?

I know it sounds so crazy. I guess around the time when I was really feeling that itch was also during COVID; the world was going through such unprecedented change at a scale that we’ve never seen before. I thought, “Oh, my goodness, life is so short.” I felt really suffocated. I just felt like my life was consumed so much by my work, straining me. I was losing myself. But of course, we live in a world where we still depend on money. So I thought about it. 

There were many things I thought about doing differently. I thought, “Do I change my work? Do I do something different? What do I do?” I knew that even if I had changed work, I would still end up exactly where I was. Six months, a year, or two years down the road, I would still feel that I wanted more to life. So, I started looking at side hustles. I live in New Zealand, so I know Amazon is absolutely huge in the States, but we don’t have Amazon in New Zealand. Amazon has just started.

How do you live without Amazon? That’s so hard. I got so spoiled. I have prime. I’m so used to just blinking, and everything arrives on the same day.

In New Zealand, people still love retail. People still love going to actual shops. Sometimes, I tell people I run an Amazon business, and they ask me, “Oh, do you sell books?” I was like, “Amazon is much more than that now.” It’s beyond books, but some still think it’s book space business. It’s so funny. And New Zealand only has 5 million people.

So you started a business you know nothing about, and that is not popular in your country at all?

Even if that product failed financially, it gave me a glimpse of an alternative to what things could be.

That’s right. It was a huge leap of faith. I researched and looked at all the other online opportunities. A guy from Australia lived in the States, and I guess he had built a course in a community around, “Hey, you know, this is a great opportunity.” So I thought, “Well, I could give that a go.” I gave it a go while I was still working. I wanted to see how this whole Amazon works. How does it really work? I put a product through, which was this beautiful handmade mosaic lamp. It was solar-powered and absolutely beautiful. I guess that was my first test product.

I wanted to see how it works and if people would actually buy it, and people did. That was my first little test of side Amazon business. That product failed financially, miserably. I lost probably a good few thousand dollars on it. But what it gave me was a glimpse of an alternative to what things could be. Even though it failed financially, I saw the power and potential of Amazon. I knew that I had learned a lot from that. 

Obviously, on the business side of things, it was my first time. There are certain things that perhaps I overlooked. So, off the back of that, you could call it a failed business product. I decided, “I’m going to go all in because I could still feel that itch in my heart.” So I quit my job. I thought, “What have I got to lose? What’s the worst-case scenario here? That I fail, and I lose money, and I lose time? I might have to go back to work, but is that really that bad? What is the best-case scenario? It can happen.” 

So, on the flip side, we always think about the worst-case scenario, but what’s the best-case scenario? I actually succeeded. I was pouring so much of my energy and time into my work and for other people, and I thought, “Gosh, if I only just pour even half of the energy and time into something for myself, what could possibly happen?” I took a massive leap of faith and thought, “I want to give this a proper go.” So I did; I quit my job. It was exciting, but it was, of course, also a little bit scary. So, at the time I quit, I was also pregnant.

I also think that when we were pregnant, we were extremely daring. I have one son, and he’s almost five now. I’m more docile these days. But when I was pregnant, I was like, “Don’t mess with me. I was a force to be reckoned with. I can do everything.  I want to tell you straight to your face what I think about you. I’m going to eat pizza with the hottest sauce ever.”

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Yes, 100%. I think we also feel so empowered when we’re pregnant as well. It’s just that extra energy force within us. Yes, I was pregnant when I left, and my work had just rolled out 100% payment during your pregnancy for maternity leave for six months, which was really lucrative. So I thought, “Do I stay at work, go on maternity leave, and still get a salary?” But I thought, “No because I’ll be staying for the wrong reason. And that itch and feeling is just not going to go away.”

You come across as a very genuine woman and extremely humble, regardless of all your success. I really admire that you didn’t take advantage of the maternity leave and try to make a side hustle. You were just, “I’m going to be honest and respectful with the people I worked with, and then I’m going to go in and put all my energy into this new thing.” And also, energetically, when you burn the boats, you can move forward. You just look forward, and you don’t look backward. 

There’s a quote that says, “Jump and a net will appear.” It seems like that’s what happened with you. And spiritually, I’m Jewish, and in Judaism, God says, “Open to me as tiny as the size of the eye of a needle, and I will open for you a whole gate.” We need to do our part. It’s almost like God, the Universe, whatever you believe in, looks down at you and says, “Let’s reward that incredible courage, that hard work, and that desire, and put more wind under her wings, help her fly.”

I 100% agree. That was a massive leap of faith on my part. Deep down, I knew that was the right thing for me and 100% we’ve got to do our part to meet the universe halfway for what we want and what could possibly happen, but you’ve got to take a few steps forward, or in my case, just jump.

What was the emotional journey like? Have you dealt with ‘I’m not good enough’ or imposter syndrome?

Yeah, definitely. Imposter syndrome came up a little later, which really crept up on me. I was a little bit surprised. At the time I left, I felt so free and empowered. I could do anything I wanted in the world, and I would be able to do it. I felt like I was a child again. That feeling I mentioned at the start, like I was riding through the bike, and I could go towards anything I wanted and make anything happen. Everything was so open. It was exciting. And you know why it’s so funny? Imposter syndrome didn’t come up back then. It crept up after I found out I had a bit of success with my Amazon business. 

I took all my lessons from my first Amazon product, the lame. That didn’t work financially. I went and looked for a new product. This time, it’s pretty cool. It’s a portable, foldable bathtub for adults. It’s mostly for people who live in apartments and really want a bathtub but don’t have one. This one solves a problem. It’s lightweight, huge, and comfortable. I’ve got one. I loved it. The second product did extremely well. 

I had my first hundred thousand months within three months of launching the product. In 14 months, I hit a million dollars in sales, which is absolutely incredible. I remember seeing my goals at the start. “If I could reach a hundred thousand in six months, I would be so happy.” Things moved so fast, just completely beyond my wildest dream. I could see sort of eight months down the track. The $1 million milestone was coming up based on the numbers. And then, all of a sudden, I felt really scared, and that crept up on me. Suddenly, I was really scared of this product. It actually succeeded and had some success.

What was the fear? What did you think that success would do to you or take from you?

I’m not sure, but it started knocking on my self-belief. I started talking to myself in a way that, “Hey, it was just beginner’s luck. Maybe this is not real.” I guess, in my Amazon business community, I could see other people’s successes, which is great. But generally, I haven’t seen a lot of examples where people reached a million dollars in quite a short time. I felt like my path was so quick that it was almost too good to be true. That’s when all the self-doubt starts to come up. Around the same time, I had a pretty serious business challenge, which caused Amazon to close down my listing.

It was a lot of journaling and working through that piece to acknowledge and understand that I was in a state of imposter syndrome.

When that happened, my negative self got even worse. I was hearing myself saying, “You see, it was too good to be true, and it was never real. It was just beginner’s luck. You just got lucky the first time.” It took me a while to realize what was going on in terms of the self-doubt, negative talk, and imposter syndrome that somehow I didn’t deserve the success. “Of course, it should be taken away because I didn’t deserve it.” It took me a while to work through that because, at the same time, I thought, “Gosh, I left my work to become an entrepreneur. How can I now call myself an entrepreneur if I don’t have a business running anymore?” 

Eventually, it was a lot of journaling and working through that piece to acknowledge and understand that “Hey, I was in a state of imposter syndrome. Why would that be? Because I’m outside of my comfort zone again.” Recognizing that was huge, I told myself, “Hey, it’s okay that you are feeling this way because you’ve never experienced this. Hey, it makes sense that you will feel a little bit scared and anxious, and that is okay.” That was huge enough to tell me, “It’s okay, everything is fine. You are safe. You haven’t been here before.” So yes, it makes sense.

Why did Amazon close your listing?

It was due to another seller. I sell my bathtub for adults, and another seller sells a similar bathtub for babies, and they actually had a utility patent on the bathtub. They told Amazon that my product, and a whole bunch of other sellers, infringe on their patent. I wasn’t the only listing that Amazon shut down; there were a bunch of others as well.

It was not personal, and you didn’t have any way to know about it.

It was a pure business challenge. I took it so hard. Like it was a message from the universe that, “Hey, this was just for fun. It wasn’t real.” Looking back, it was a business challenge we all had. And, like, anything, you work through it, and I worked through that.

How do you work through that? How do you go from I found a failed product, and then I found the most amazing product? Then, I have to replicate my success. How do you even go about finding the next incredible product or products?

I decided to accept the risk and continue for as long as I could.

I do have to admit, even though I’ve worked through my bathtub’s patent issue—I still sell that product today, and it’s still doing incredibly well—the universe is such a weird way of going about things. I worked with an attorney through those with Amazon. My listing got reactivated, and I was the only one. I found myself in a unique position where many of my competitions were gone. Yeah, that’s right.  It’s so bizarre.

Amazing. That’s really cool.

I reached out to the baby bathtub page to work something through. I don’t think they were interested. But, at the end of the day, we don’t compete with each other. They obviously target babies, and I target adults, so we don’t really compete with each other at all. Ultimately, I had to decide, “Am I comfortable continuing with the risk for the business or not? Should I shut it down and move on?” It’s been about nine months now. 

I made the decision that I’ll accept the risk, and I’ll continue for as long as I can. I’m in this really unique position where they shut down my competition. I mean, a new one pop-up, of course. That’s the nature of business and marketplaces. But I’m still selling that product today, and it’s going well, which is awesome.

What’s the name of the product?

My brand is called Elderflower & Berries, and it’s a portable bathtub. If you just search for portable bathtubs for adults on Amazon, you’ll see them. It’s got a very pretty name because I want people to think of berries and the smell when they have a bath. I am looking to expand the business. There’s a risk, but I will accept. To truly de-risk it, I would like to expand the business.

So you’re going to do more bath and beauty products or spa products?

I’m not sure, but I’m open. I’m looking at it. I’m open to everything. I might stay in the same category or create a brand new brain. Part of me has a little fear, but I am still thinking about whether I could repeat this success.

A part of me definitely still feels that. But after going through the previous imposter syndrome, I am now a lot more aware of that little voice cropped up, and it’s okay. I tell myself, “Hey, it’s okay.” I’m doing something new again. So I would be feeling a little bit scared but also excited. It’s a good feeling to have. I think I’ve come to terms with it. If we’re always feeling comfortable, we will never grow. I try to learn to recognize a voice and tell myself, “Hey, it’s okay and keep going.”

Who do you think installed that really positive belief in rising up and this deep self-care in your life? Even though you go through the waves like everybody else, there is this innate positivity or trust in yourself and your surroundings that something good will happen. And if not, you can totally survive it.

I try to recognize the voice that tells me, “Hey, it’s okay. Keep going.”

Wow, thank you.

Is that something from your parents or mentors? Or is it just something you were born with?

Wow. Thank you. That’s perhaps always been within me. I always try to look for something positive, and I always like to see the good and the beauty in whatever it is. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have my down moments. Of course, I do, but somehow, I always eventually find a way to pull myself out of it or work through it. I really do have this belief that a universe or God or whatever you believe in is always within you, and it’s always on your side, and you just have to take the first step.

It was probably part of it that you felt so free and connected during those bike rides because this is our truth. Yes, we are actually free. We are actually connected. We can co-create with the divine. This world is such an illusion that we keep falling into it. And even you, where the universe is like, “Haha, look, you went through all this so I can destroy your competition.” There’s still our humanity and our self-doubt and being a part of this matrix, even though it’s an illusion, even though there is an inner knowing that you can be more and you can be free and you can feel that wind on your face whenever you just connect to that. That’s the struggle, I guess.

Yeah, definitely. Everybody, at some point in their life, has had that feeling that they are truly free and empowered. Perhaps that’s when they were little before we went through all the conditions and influences of society, but everybody has felt that, and it’s not easy to reconnect to that. However, when you do so magically, it really lifts me. Just sharing that story at the beginning was the first thing that came to my mind as soon as you asked. I really do wish everybody was able to find that feeling again. You’ll feel amazing.

One technique is reaching and automatic writing, connecting to beautiful and powerful moments and achievements, big or small, from your life. Then you go back. This is actually the reality of your potential. Then the negative voices are always there to kind of test you and see, “I guess, do you want to live completely and utterly, and do you want to live freely, or do you want to get sucked into that matrix and illusion?” 

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It’s a spiritual journey when the soul comes to earth. There is the spiritual amnesia of the infinite potential that we have and how connected we are. This earth journey is about remembrance. It’s a moment like that when you’re little, and you’re riding a bicycle, and the wind is on your face, and you feel completely free. That is the truth. That is abundance. That is the universe, God, and potential.

I couldn’t have said it better. It’s exactly that. That’s beautiful.

Thank you. I’ll forever remember your memory. There’s the fear of failure and the fear of success. From what I understand, you had more fear of success than fear of failure. How did success change you? Did success change you? What has shifted?

It’s funny when you say fear of success because that sounds odd. I remember when I was feeling imposter syndrome, I didn’t even know who to talk to because I felt so stupid and silly that I was complaining about reaching a million dollars in sales, which sounds so bizarre. Who complains about that, right? Who do I talk to that could possibly understand that? I never thought fear of success would be a thing because we are so used to feeling fear of failure, and we never think about what will happen or what success means to us. 

I could start embodying freedom within me without a million dollars.

I ended up having to rethink why I felt that way. Why did I feel like I wasn’t deserving of it? What does success really mean to me? I ended up looking internally so as not to focus so much on external validation or reaching a million dollars or two or three or five or ten or whatever. I learned that if we’re always fixing what we want on something external, we will never truly be happy because we’re always going to be in the loop of, “I’m only going to be happy if I lose 20 pounds. I’m only going to be happy if I feel like doing this. I’m only going to feel successful if I reach $2 million.” But these are all loops that we keep going around.

Interesting, people reach the 1 million, they reach the 2 million, and then they’re like, “Ah, I only have one in 2 million. I don’t have 10 million. I don’t have a hundred million yet. I’m not like those billionaires.” It’s never-ending.

Yes, that’s right. It becomes this never-ending loop. Don’t get me wrong—those are wonderful goals to have. It’s great to have goals, but I ended up looking internally. What do I think a million dollars is going to give me internally? What I wanted was freedom. And I could start embodying that freedom within me without the million dollars. I don’t need to.

I like that. How do you embody the freedom of a million dollars without having a million dollars?

Well, what does freedom mean to me at the time? I wasn’t tied to a nine-to-five work anymore. I could take a walk in the middle of the day. If new ideas suddenly come up, I could take the time and really drill down and go deep, “Oh, I’m excited to work on my new ideas.” I could have really deep meditation if I can go really deep on my inner self, spend a whole day journaling, or be present at all times and when I’m with my family. 

To me, those were freedoms that I hadn’t had in my previous life. So I thought, “Well, I could embody that freedom now. When I get that million dollars, it will enhance my freedom. It might mean that we go on a holiday with a family or something, but we already enjoy our time together as it is, wherever that may be. It might be a local park or playground. And yes, that’s amazing. And maybe when my million dollars comes, we can go on a holiday to Fiji. But we could be happy wherever we are, and I could be happy and free wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. So, I thought that was a different way of looking at it. Yeah.

Yeah. So you sat with yourself, and you shifted your perception. But what was the fear around million dollars? Did you think something would change within you, your peer group, or your relationship having that great success?

I was so busy on the business side because things were happening quickly. I planned out what needed to happen, worked with my suppliers, and worked on cash flow. I was so focused on that.

You didn’t have time to think all those thoughts. Wonderful. There’s a lot of time when we expand. It’s harder for the external world to accept when we expand. Even when you go to a self-development seminar where you had a huge breakthrough, you come back literally a different version of yourself. People feel uncomfortable with other people not matching their blueprints of what they have to be. 

For a lot of people, it’s really hard to let go. It’s not many people I know would just jump off the cliff the way I did.

If the dynamic was, “Oh, poor me,” and they were always the crutch. Then one goes to a personal development seminar, and they’re like, “I’m not a victim anymore, and I am powerful,” and they go back home, and that crutch is looking at them and thinking themselves, “I’m the crutch, they don’t need me anymore.” That can hurt the dynamic. And even within the dynamic between a husband and wife, you being so expanded, did it shift anything? Did it strengthen the relationship?

I know what you mean. On the business side, perhaps not so much. Certainly, my friends or previous colleagues found it inspiring, and they just thought it was absolutely amazing. A few people said to me, “I wish I had the courage to do something different,” but I guess for a lot of people, it’s really hard to let go. It’s not many people I know would just jump off the cliff the way I did. It’s not for everybody. 

But in terms of what you were mentioning, I went through a massive self-development journey to get to know myself. That has been the biggest change for me. I wish some friends or even my husband were more into it or would get it, but it’s okay that they don’t. I can’t change people. I can’t change my husband and go, “Hey, listen to this podcast or start journaling.” He doesn’t want to do that now. He might one day, but it’s not his thing now. And that is okay. He understands and accepts my transformation, and I know he will feel the change and energy I bring into our relationship and family.

When we change, the world around us changes. My little one suffered a little bit of allergies. This homeopath said, “Okay, let’s heal you. Because when you heal, he heals.” So when we do the work, there is a ripple effect. We do affect generations. We affect lineage, we affect our DNA, and we affect epigenetics. So, the change you created for yourself is not for yourself; it is for everybody who is listening and getting super inspired by your story. I’m sure everybody is listening right now because they had to hear something you said that moved them or planted a seed for the future. There is a ripple effect energetically when we expand. It’s very scary and very rewarding as well.

I really wish everybody had the opportunity to go on a self-development and self-discovery journey. It’s been really unexpected for me as well. When I left work, I immediately surrounded myself with business communities because I thought, “Oh, I need all that support.” What I didn’t realize was that I needed most was some guidance around self-discovery and self-development. Looking back now, I’m glad I had that. 

There’s a lot of work upfront in terms of getting to know Amazon’s work and how to run a business.

I truly believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. And for me, that did happen. I found myself on a mindset mentoring podcast with a weekly private group coaching community. It was like the thing I never knew I needed. That basically sparked and put me on this self-development and self-discovery journey. That’s been life-changing. It’s so funny that the things you didn’t even know you needed appear for you when the time is right, when you are open and receptive.

Do you recommend that people open an Amazon business? How hard is it? How many hours do you need to invest in it for it to succeed?

I did go through a course. Learning the basics is important, especially since I live in New Zealand. We don’t have Amazon here. It took me a good year to go through the course and learn things, and that was when I was still working. I did that obviously in the evenings and weekends when I had time. Once I quit, I put more time into it. But I had little ones to look after, so I probably won’t. I did about 20 hours a week. Some weeks may be longer, depending on what is happening with Amazon’s business. 

There’s a lot of work upfront in terms of getting to know Amazon’s work and how to run a business. So that was so new to me, setting up the right business operations, looking for a product, and working through your manufacturing, suppliers shipping and selling, marketing and branding. Once it’s up and running, it can be really automatic. And I’m so grateful I have that now, especially when I had a newborn. 

I was pregnant when I left my work, but I ended up losing that, and I will go on to lose another pregnancy. But our third one, we had our rainbow baby, which was amazing. I was so grateful that my Amazon business was already set up and running during that newborn stage. And honestly, I could work just a few hours a week to ensure things take over. I didn’t need to spend a lot of time on it once it was up and running, just like any other business. This was the one that I poured in, and I made it work. There were many other opportunities along the way; there were many other shiny objects and drones.

How do you handle distractions? How do you handle those shiny objects?

It’s not easy. I was in the e-commerce space. The algorithm, especially Google and Facebook, feeds you all sorts of things. “Hey, I’m doing amazing with dropshipping. I’m doing amazing on Etsy. I’m doing amazing with Bitcoin.” But Amazon was the one that I initially gave a go to. And even though my first product failed, I saw it could be something. They just park all the other distractions and say, “Hey, you can go back to them later.” 

I didn’t want to split my attention. I just want to focus on one thing. That will be my suggestion for everyone as well. You want to do something on your own because so many people are really successful in whatever area they’re working on, and you could be successful, too. But just start with one thing and expand once you become good at it.  I’m still focused on Amazon, but I know I will be looking to expand into other areas. I just don’t know right now. But it is hard to remind yourself to keep going and park those.

What are your three top tips for living a stellar life?

Start with one thing and expand once you become good at it.

I would love to encourage people to be comfortable with their own thoughts, and that could be through journaling or meditation. As somebody who’s never journaled until recently, it’s such a powerful practice when you are alone with your thoughts. Quieten all the noises around you. Just be alone. That’s when you start to unpeel a whole bunch of layers, and you get to hear your inner voice again. That’s definitely been my biggest thing, and it’s made such a huge difference in my life. It is to hear my inner thoughts and not be afraid to be alone.

If you also feel an itch or want to do something different and you just don’t know how and it’s so hard and you feel like you’re giving up on something you’ve already built or already have, you’re not giving up anything. You’re not starting up. You’re not starting again. You’re starting from a level of strength. You’re starting from the experiences and skills you already have. I know that can be really scary, but now, a practice I always do is whenever I find myself a little bit scared, I start to think about the worst-case scenario. I let myself think that, but I will immediately flip it and say to myself, “But what’s the best-case scenario?” I’ve loved that. I let myself think what could happen that I can’t handle, but I will immediately flip it. But what could possibly be the best thing that could happen? When you allow yourself to think positively, you feel excited and that anything is possible. I can’t think of the last one. I think those will probably be my two biggest tips.

I think the third one will be to get your portable bathtub because it’s probably really comfortable.

It’s nice and relaxing. But I know that the US has entered summer, so perhaps it’s the ice bath that people want to get into.

Oh yeah, the ice bath. They’re very popular.

I just suddenly thought of one more tip, especially when it’s coming to a warmer season in the States: take a cold shower. I could not recommend cold showers more. I know that sounds so funny. The thing is, I did a cold shower for a while. All you need to do is put your favorite song on and blast it out for three minutes. The reason I took a cold shower was to train my brain. 

Whenever I feel a bit scared, I start thinking about the worst-case scenario, but I immediately flip it and say, “But what’s the best-case scenario?”

There are obviously lots of physical benefits to cold showers. But the reason I did it was when I was listening to this amazing podcast, and the guy said we always have this little voice in our head when we are about to do something really uncomfortable; it’s always trying to protect us. That’s the thing with a cold shower. It will be so cold, uncomfortable, and freezing when you jump in. So the voice in your head is saying, “No, don’t do it.” But we train our brains to jump in the shower anyway, even though we know it will be so freezing and uncomfortable. 

We work past our brain—that little voice—and do it anyway. That’s the mental side of cold showers that I found really amazing. Give that a go. And, of course, there are a bunch of physical benefits that make you feel amazing afterward.

Yes. I’ve done a lot of things in my life because I’ve been to so many self-development seminars. Each one is like, “Okay, let’s do this to get out of your comfort zone.” So I walked on fire, I walked on glass, I broke an arrow with my neck, I jumped from a telephone pole, and I broke boards. But there is truth to that because you train your mind to know, “If I did that and if this seems impossible is possible, what else is possible for me?” You don’t have to walk on hot coals. You can just take a cold shower. That’s uncomfortable just as much. 

It’s funny. I washed my hair yesterday morning. And, you know, after you wash it with warm water, you want to wash it with cold water to clog the hair follicle. I live in Miami. It’s hot, and I’m waiting for the cold water. And nothing that there is no cold water. It’s like lukewarm. 

When I was younger, I thought twelve years ago, there was a place where they had a hot spring, and near it, there was an ice-cold spring. So the hot one was almost as hot as tea, and the cold one was ice cold. And I went between the ice and the hot seven times. That’s the way you were supposed to do it.

I felt like a baby. I can’t even explain the sensation in my body and how alive my body felt at that moment. It was surreal, amazing, and beautiful. I lived in New York at the time, and that year, I didn’t get sick even once. It did something to my immune system. It was really cool.

Positive thinking fuels excitement and opens up a world of possibilities. Share on X

That sounds amazing. A cold shower and ice bath are much more accessible than jumping through fire and breaking arrows.

Where can people find you, and how can they reach out if they want to contact you?

I feel like I’m such an ordinary person. I don’t have a huge profile or branding somewhere. People can find me on Instagram or LinkedIn. Because I don’t have a course or anything like that, I feel like I’m just ordinary.

There is nothing that is “just” about you. You’re phenomenal, great, and a beautiful combination of very successful, humble, and loving. We need more people like you on the planet.

Thank you, Orion. That’s so kind.

Thank you for being here. I appreciate your time. Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom, your journey, and your inspiration with us today.

Thank you so much, Orion. I really loved our chat today, and I hope many people find it inspiring.

Yes, thank you, listeners. Remember to journal and meditate. Be comfortable with your own thoughts. Flip your fear into the best outcome. What is the best-case scenario? Take a cold shower and have a stellar life. This is Orion until next time.

Your Checklist of Actions to Take

{✓}Take a leap of faith and pursue your passion. Sometimes, you’ve just got to listen to that little voice inside you that’s screaming for something more.

{✓}Start with a side hustle to test your business idea. Dip your toes in the water first and see if you actually like it and if it has potential.

{✓}Be open to learning from initial failures. Your first attempt might flop – don’t let it crush you. It’s not failure, it’s feedback. Use it to make your next attempt even better.

{✓}Focus on one business venture at a time. There are so many shiny opportunities out there. But by picking one thing, giving it your all, and really making it work, you’ll show your commitment and focus.

{✓}Practice journaling to connect with your inner thoughts. Have a conversation with your wisest self, and you might be surprised by the insights that pop up. 

{✓}Embrace the discomfort of cold showers to train your mind. It’s not about torturing yourself; it’s about proving to your brain that you can do hard things, building a mental muscle. 

{✓}Flip negative thoughts into positive scenarios. Acknowledge the fear, then immediately flip it to the best possible outcome.

{✓}Recognize and work through imposter syndrome. The key is to recognize it for what it is – just your brain being overly cautious. Remind yourself of your achievements, big and small.

{✓}Define what success means to you personally. Knowing your true north will help you make decisions that align with your values.

{✓}Treat yourself to some self-care with Helen Chengs’s portable bathtub on Amazon. You can also connect to her through Instagram and LinkedIn.

Links and Resources

Connect with Helen Cheng

YouTube  Video

About Helen Cheng

Helen took a leap of faith, leaving her corporate career to follow her inner call for a more meaningful life. Within two years, she built a seven-figure Amazon business, and her journey is a testament to the power of self-belief, embracing change, and finding fulfillment on one’s own terms.