A Personal Note From Orion

Welcome to another illuminating episode of the Stellar Life podcast, where we explore powerful insights to help you live your most extraordinary life! Ever wondered how a Ukrainian music teacher transformed into a pioneering force in digital marketing and business coaching? Today’s episode reveals how seemingly unrelated life experiences can become your greatest business assets.

I’m thrilled to introduce you to Milana Leshinsky, a remarkable entrepreneur who brings a fascinating perspective to marketing through her unique journey. Originally from Ukraine, where she was trained as a music teacher, Milana immigrated to the United States 32 years ago and pivoted into web design and programming. This led her to create groundbreaking innovations in the coaching industry, including launching the world’s first telesummit in 2005 and developing specialized coaching software. Her approach combines strategic marketing insights with emotional freedom techniques (EFT), helping entrepreneurs overcome their marketing blocks and build sustainable businesses.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who feels stuck in their marketing journey or struggles with the “client pursuit” mindset. You’ll discover how to transform your relationship with marketing, learn why most businesses fail within five years (and how to avoid that fate), and understand how to build a thriving business without compromising your authenticity. Whether you’re a coach, entrepreneur, or business owner, Milana’s practical wisdom and innovative strategies will revolutionize how you think about growing your business. Hit play now and prepare to transform your approach to marketing and business growth. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the show!

In This Episode

• [02:04] – Orion welcomes Milana Leshinsky to talk about marketing as an engine in the business world. Milana shares her passion and how she discovered it.
• [10:13] – Development and purpose of Marketing Mojo Cards and addressing marketing fears.
• [17:09] – Integration of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) with marketing strategies.
• [19:27] – The concept and challenges of business partnerships and the importance of independence.
• [32:40] – Milana emphasizes switching from one-to-one to one-to-many marketing strategies.
• [34:35] – Orion and Milana discuss AI tools for business efficiency.
• [39:11] – Milana shares her take on the future of marketing. She also explains the importance of creativity, original ideas, and relationships in marketing.
• [41:40] – Milana offers tips to live a stellar life.

Jump to Links and Resources

About Today’s Show

Hi, Milana. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here.

Thanks for having me, Orion. It’s great to be here.

Before we begin, maybe you can share a little bit about yourself and your passion. How did you discover your passion?

Well, I am originally from Ukraine, and I used to be a music teacher and musician. When I immigrated to the States 32 years ago, I realized that I couldn’t really do music here the way that I wanted to do it because the structure of music education is very different in America than in the Soviet Union, where I grew up.

What is the difference?

The difference is that music education was an added activity. Parents would have to pay to put their kids in a music school, which is what my parents did—not just piano lessons or violin lessons, but a whole music school where you would get a music education, theory, history, solfeggio, singing duets, theory, and the instrument of your choice and a secondary instrument. I would go to school in the morning, which is my regular school. 

My day would end at 2 PM, and by 3 PM, I would already be in music school every single day. That’s what I was trained to do, to teach at these kinds of music schools. This is not the case in music classes in public schools, where everybody chews gum and throws paper at the teacher. It wasn’t what I wanted to do here. I had to look for a way to move forward with my career. I stumbled upon web design and web development. I became a computer programmer, not a very good one, but that connected me to what I do. Now, I have a coaching business. I sell coaching software, and I design products. A lot of really cool creative things are sort of my outlet. I also paint rocks just for fun. But I’ve found my creative outlet through business, which is a lot of fun.

Nice. I see the piano behind you. How do you think your knowledge of and love for music have influenced your business today?

It taught me a lot of lessons, and I am discovering how I think other people don’t think in that way. For example, when I try something, I go into it with the belief and the mentality that it won’t work at the beginning, but it will get better. A lot of people quit when something doesn’t work right away. “Oh, I’m not an entrepreneur,” or “I can’t do it. I wasn’t meant to do that.” 

Was I meant to be a business owner? Was I supposed to learn marketing or software? I have no idea, but I stayed long enough with it. That’s a big part of music education: When you first start working on a piece of music, you won’t be able to play it. It’s going to take you a few hours to figure out the basics, a few weeks to learn the piece, a few months to master it, and a few years to master the emotion behind the piece.

You have a lot of patience and discipline. You play the long game. In a world of immediate gratification, where everything, like Amazon, comes to you within 24 hours, everything is so fast that we’ve gotten spoiled. Somewhere in our neurology, we expect things to happen really, really quickly, or we give up, or suddenly, we’re not good enough because it didn’t happen immediately.

The only marketing that works is the one you’ll do.

Exactly. The other part is that I remember people asking me a few years ago, “How do you know what to do? You wake up. “How do you know what your day will look like?” I never thought about it until somebody asked me. But many people cannot be self-employed because of a certain level of self-discipline. When things are not working, what do you do then? How do you talk to yourself? What’s happening in your brain? Much of that had to do with how music taught me to behave, think, feel, and be okay with things not working out.

I’ve been in business for 24 years. Life and business coaches I knew when I first started they’re nowhere to be found. Their websites are gone. I can’t even find their names anymore online or on social media. They didn’t have the longevity, discipline, patience, or belief in themselves. I’ve always had that, “If this doesn’t work out, that’s okay, I’ll come up with something else.” Like something will always work out.  It has to, right? It has to work out.

You’re somewhat of a pollyanna, as well. You look for the good. You’re like, “It’s going to work out. Something’s going to work out.” Amazing.

Whatever you choose to do, just learn how to sell or market.

Did you know that most businesses close within five years? I learned this in my 12th year of business. I was glad I didn’t know that statistic. 

Me, too. You brought up discipline and mindset, which is about hope for the good and things will work out and play the long game. Why do you think all those businesses have failed and are nowhere to be found?

Honestly, there’s one big reason, specifically in the coaching industry—life and business coaches. But that also applies to many other fields. When you love what you do but don’t dedicate yourself to learning marketing and sales. When my kids were growing up, I always told them, “Whatever you choose to do, just learn how to sell or market. No matter what your passion is, you have to be able to communicate your value to others so that they can purchase it.” 

My son just turned 30, and he’s like, “I don’t know how you got all these people to give you money.” He’s starting to find out that selling is not easy. Marketing yourself requires a certain way of thinking and presenting yourself that goes beyond simply showing your passion. I would say that I’m working on a presentation right now for next month, and I’m actually going to start it with a story where I had a coach who I absolutely love, and I hired her multiple times. 

I’m starting a new project, I thought, “Let me connect with her again because I really want to work with her.” She’s a brilliant coach. She went back to corporate consulting and no longer coaches privately. I was able to reconnect with her and asked, “Are you planning to come back to coaching and to your own business?” She said, “I really don’t love chasing clients or pursuing clients.” That’s how people see sales, and marketing is the pursuit.

Marketing yourself requires a certain way of thinking and presenting yourself beyond simply showing your passion.

I don’t see it that way at all. I see it as an expression of value. You need to be passionate, but it’s also self-expression of the value you can create for clients and doing it so that clients hear you. Suppose you don’t learn at least some marketing sales enough to get your clients. It’s going to be challenging. That’s what affects longevity because it’s very exhausting to chase clients.

How do you shift from client pursuit to projecting my value, “I am actually attracting my clients.”

I recently worked on a project, which we will probably discuss today. I created a Marketing Mojo Method card deck. Each card represents a marketing concept or challenge. What I discovered is that people project their personal beliefs and insecurities, influenced by some type of trauma they experienced in life, onto marketing and sales. A good marketing or sales coach really needs to address that before teaching the technique. 

I love marketing more than I love sales—in fact, I don’t love sales at all. That’s why I mastered marketing. What I discovered is that all of my childhood bullying came up: fear of rejection, worry about being misunderstood, and underappreciation. All of those things that I experienced in my personal life growing up became part of my mentality in business and started holding me back. 

Releasing those beliefs and replacing them with different beliefs. This is a coaching language that I’m using right now. It seems like a very obvious thing to do. Of course, “Don’t believe this. You should believe that.” But how do you do that? This is when just really the paradigm shift needs to happen. You need to see something you haven’t seen before and cannot unsee it. That’s how you change how you feel and how you succeed with marketing or sales in your business.

How did you overcome your fear of rejection?

You need to see something you haven’t seen before and cannot unsee. That’s how you change how you feel and how you succeed with marketing or sales in your business.

Fear of rejection plays a big role in sales, and I’m still working on that part. But I got really good at marketing because marketing is not necessarily about rejection or fear of rejection. Marketing is more about what I can create or share to pique people’s interest enough to come and seek me out. What I’ve done is instead of putting myself in a position of client pursuit, I started creating my own sandbox or playground and inviting other people to come and play in this playground.

For example, I created telesummit, which ended up being the very first telesummit in the world in 2005. I invited some people. It was brand new. It was all done through a conference line on the phone. I got all the yeses from people. There was only one person who rejected my invitation because he said, “I don’t want to play, I don’t want to share the stage with other experts. I want to be the only expert.” He didn’t quite get the concept of telesummits. 

He was a classic speaker and expert consultant. But everybody else said yes. That launched me, my business, my brand, and my name into where I am today, where people recognize me and acknowledge and know me. It’s much easier to avoid rejection when you create something others care about. I may have gone around a sneaky way. I didn’t necessarily. Well, because I know my value. The rejection is about them, not about me. That’s the other part that I figured out. But we’re all work in progress, myself included. I’m still working on it.

Was it paid telesummit, or was it free?

The telesummit was paid. Everybody had to pay to attend, which is what’s different today.

But then you had to sell.

I had to market; I never had to sell. To me, sales means one-on-one. Marketing is more of a leveraged methodology, like a webinar. I sell on webinars, and people buy on webinars.

Originality and innovation will never go out of style in marketing.

But it’s one-to-many rather than one-on-one. There is no personal rejection.

That’s a very good point, Orion. There’s no personal rejection. But even when I have conversations with people one-on-one, if they don’t sign up or don’t buy, I don’t think, “Oh, they didn’t like me. They rejected me.” I shifted my thinking at this point many years in business because I know they might have financial, logistical, emotional, and family circumstances that do not allow them to say yes right now. But it’s never about me, and it’s never about you. But it is your goal to figure out what you need to overcome, address, or anticipate for the person to say yes.

What things did you think you did as a marketer that you will never do today?

You’ve heard of these big giant launches with joint venture partners when everybody’s promoting everybody’s direction.

Just thinking about it makes me so tired.

Marketing is more about what I can create or share that will pique people’s interest enough for them to seek me out.

They do work, and they generate a lot of revenue. But what I remember doing that made me want to shower was sending way too many emails to my mailing list. It was done in pursuit of the prize—the commissions, the top spot on the leaderboard, a bonus laptop, or whatever it was—the prize they were, the status, the prestige of winning. 

It didn’t align with something in me because I swore never to do that again when I was done and sent 17 emails to my list. I do partnerships differently now. I focus more on building relationships and connections with people than ever before. That also happened after the pandemic because many people got scared, and their income dropped, sales dropped, and they didn’t know what to do.

The answer is to always come back to connecting with your clients and prospects. That personal connection will go a long way because people will always buy from those they trust, and they trust those they know and who consistently show up. Instead of bombarding people with lots and lots of emails and marketing messages, go back to feeling connected. That’s about the same time that I got my EFT certification. I was really fascinated with tapping because it helped me with the panic attacks that I had 10 years ago. If it could do that, what else can it do? Turns out a lot. I actually use tapping with my marketing coaching clients. They’re blown away so suddenly that they feel differently when they see something different.

We moved to Israel, and every once in a while, there were some missiles and some sirens, and my five-year-old got one. I see him very stressed out. I know that he’s very stressed out.

It’s scary.

I actually spoke to one of the coaches here on the podcast, and she does EFT, too, and she told me, “Why wouldn’t you help him with that?” I did that. I was like, “Wow, brilliant.” Why not do it and help my little one as well with something like that? I never made the connection. EFT sounds like something for adults, but it’s so good for everyone.

The rejection is about them, not about me.

Yes. I’ve seen EFT used with kids and remember asking my first EFT coach, “Will it work if I don’t believe in it?” Because it’s kind of weird and it’s funny. My husband makes fun of me, and he’s embarrassed if I do it in public and won’t do it with me. But she said, “Oh yes, just focus on the feeling and tap. Don’t think about believing. Not believing doesn’t matter.” It’s a replacement for hypnotherapy because we’re trying to access our subconscious, and I’m the least woo-woo person you’ve ever met. I don’t believe in woo. I don’t necessarily understand how energy works and all of that, but tapping is crazy good for whatever emotions you’re experiencing at any given moment in time.

I met you maybe 10 years ago. We met in person at an event and looking at you now, there is more calmness in your face. You look more relaxed. You even look younger.

Oh my God. Thank you.

It probably has something to do with it.

Sales mean one-on-one. Marketing is more of a leveraged methodology, like a webinar.

Well, I think when you met me, most likely, it was on stage at an event where I was running a business, and I was in a partnership. Those years were the most stressful years of my life because, you know, I learned that I should not be in a partnership because I really value my independence and freedom and my autonomy. I didn’t know that about myself until I got into the partnership. But most importantly, it triggered a lot of the issues that I experienced as a child and brought out a lot of insecurities. You met me when I was struggling.

Probably. You didn’t look struggling. You looked like the leader of the event. Everybody gave you attention, and you were the one on stage. But little did we know that you were struggling.

Leaders can mask. I’ve met a lot of leaders who felt a lot and were experiencing a lot of turmoil in their lives. You could never tell because they did what they needed to do. That’s what I did. I did what I had to do. I was leading an event, speaking, and facilitating, and I enjoyed a lot of it. However, I discovered that there is a reason why I went to work for myself: I really need to be autonomous in my everyday life, in my decisions, and in the direction where I want to go. 

When two business people come together, they’re very different. They have different ambitions, personalities, aspirations and ideas for the business’s future. There needs to be a level of mutual appreciation and value. Unfortunately, that level has started disappearing in our relationship. I’ve been single in business for exactly 10 years this year.

Congratulations. It makes sense to me how you bridge your very logical left brain with this EFT stuff that is more right-brain creative. Even when you play music, you do so with both hands, which connects both sides of the brain. It was probably really easy for you to bring EFT into marketing and combine the two. Because of your background, it’s a beautiful combination unique to you.

It’s unique to me. I don’t know anybody who teaches marketing and does EFT because they’re so opposite. However, if you think about why people don’t market well, it’s not because they don’t know how. It’s because a lot of their internal thinking, emotions, and beliefs are stopping them. For example, I have a card. I’ll pull one. We talked about the Marketing Mojo card. This one says, “Fear of playing bigger.”

That’s a big fear of a lot of my clients because they believe. I will read off the card, “Playing big means working harder, taking on more responsibilities, doing more marketing, and managing a bigger team. I probably need more skills, a larger list, and more connections. For now, playing small feels safer.” A lot of people would agree with that, especially in the coaching space. What I discovered is that if that’s a fear, if that’s the belief you have, you won’t be successful with marketing because you’re carrying all these thoughts in your mind. Every card on the back has a reframe on the back. It says, “Playing bigger is about being strategic.” 

People project their personal beliefs and insecurities onto marketing and sales. Address these first before learning the technique.

It’s not about working harder or taking bigger action. It’s about focusing on what truly matters and taking one strategic step at a time. Here’s the main shift. It takes as much time and energy to play big as it does to play small. I just use my time differently. I don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. We all have 24 hours a day. We all do certain things to grow our business. People who play big have 24 hours a day. People who play small have 24 hours a day. 

They just use that time differently. How can you be more strategic? Then, each card actually has a question. “What am I waiting for to begin? What is the next action to start playing bigger?” To move from this fear of playing bigger, what does it mean to ask yourself, “Okay, what’s the next step? What can I do?” Also, what would it look like if you started playing 10% bigger? Many of these questions you want to ask yourself start digging deeper into what you believe about marketing.

Also, how can you reframe that? Each card gives you a reframe. If you tap as you read the card, especially the reframe, it becomes a deeper dive into what you really should be thinking about. Here is one that’s very common for coaches. I love this card because I was doing focus groups and testing as I was developing this card deck.

Marketing is an essential part of my work. It allows me to attract clients and create a steady flow of opportunities to spend more time doing what I love and less worrying about finding clients.

It’s called Marketing Mojo Method, and you can actually find it on the website with the same name. But this card came up over and over again. Here it is, “Marketing takes me away from my work.” Then you’re thinking, “Okay, what’s the definition of work?” Because when I do work, marketing is a big part of it. The card says marketing disrupts my work. I don’t get to do the work I love and meant to do. It keeps me from serving my clients and working on my craft. That’s what a lot of people told me. 

The reframe is, “Marketing secures my future.” What does that mean? Marketing is an essential part of my work, allowing me to attract clients and create a steady flow of opportunities. This means I can spend more time doing what I love and less time worrying about finding clients. Here’s the paradigm shift. Marketing is not just a task. It’s a core part of being an entrepreneur that ensures my business thrives. 

You’re a coach. Do you think your core business is coaching clients? No, that’s part of your work. But the other part is to let people know that you exist. What makes you different? What makes you better than other coaches? How do you help people? That’s a big part of your work. Otherwise, you’re not really able to coach because you don’t have clients. The question on each card is really like a little workshop, a mini-workshop, or a mini-coaching session. The question here puts you in action. How can I align my marketing efforts with my passion for helping clients? It feels like an extension of my work rather than a separate task.

I use these cards as I run my workshops. We discuss them extensively and generate ideas for each person. What would it look like if marketing were an extension of my work rather than a separate activity? Hopefully, this will give you some food for thought and help you start thinking differently about how you see marketing. I tell my clients to pull up a card a day for 30 days. There are actually 44 cards in there. 

Some cards might not apply to you, but pull one card a day and watch your mindset about marketing change. That will make you feel more excited, focused, and creative about what marketing could look like for you. Then, you’ll do it because the only marketing that works is the one you do right. I don’t do Facebook ads or blogging, but there are certain things that I enjoy and that work because I do them.

What do you focus on in your marketing?

I do partnerships differently now. I focus more on building relationships and connections with people than ever before.

I’m a teacher and a creator; in my marketing, I teach and create. Or rather, I create and then teach what I create very much like I did with the cards. I do webinars, and I speak on podcasts because it gives me an opportunity to share my philosophy and my teachings. I create workshops, virtual events, and coaching programs. I specifically do group coaching programs. I’m not the best connector and networker. Going to events, networking and speaking is not necessarily my favorite thing. I could do it a few times, but it’s not something that I rely on in my business. That’s a very important distinction. There are certain things that you would probably do occasionally, but if you build your entire marketing strategy around those things, it’ll be very draining for you to run your business and to run your marketing strategy.

I think one of my core beliefs are the ones that are holding me back from doing more marketing is it’s going to take me away from spending time with my child because I’m homeschooling right now, and I spend a lot of time with him. It’s like it’s a full-time job, and I’m thinking to myself, if I’m going to start marketing, it’s going to take me away from him, which is not true. I believe there is always a reframe, and I can find the time and the strategy to do it. But I think there is something there.

I have a card for that. I have a card for everything. I interpret what you said because I don’t have time for marketing. In your case, you don’t have time, but it has to do with you wanting to spend time with your child and your family. My schedule is so packed that I worry that the time I spend on marketing will take me away from my current clients. But you can also add from what I want to do that marketing is not my priority right now. A lot of people have said that to me. The shift here is this marketing.

I am happy that it’s running. It looks like a happy figure running in the wind.

That’s right. Marketing moves my business forward. Nothing else will move your business forward like marketing. Marketing is the engine that moves my business forward. Without it, I have no clients. I can effectively market my services by integrating small weekly actions into my routine and prioritizing. Marketing helps me reach more people and grow my business, ultimately freeing up more time in the future.

If you are not doing marketing now, you will continue running your business the way it’s running right now. What can I do to leverage, automate or delegate my marketing efforts? That’s the question at the bottom. You don’t have to be the one to do it. There are people in the Philippines who will do them. For $10 an hour for you, you could automate some of your marketing. But the point is that without marketing, there is no business. Ask yourself, “Do you want to be in business?” Also, I can relate to that. I started my business when my kids were 1 and 6.

I would go to work every day, I would come home, play with my kids, feed my family, and put them to bed. From 9 PM to 11 PM, I would be working on my business a couple of hours a day and then on the weekends. But that was temporary. Once my marketing efforts started working, I could work less. I was making more money. I was leveraging my effort because I had already created marketing materials, I don’t have to create them again now. I just had to run the same webinar or workshop, for example, in my case.

Marketing moves my business forward. Nothing else will move your business forward like marketing.

First, you build a machine, which takes some time. Then, the machine runs itself, and it needs some maintenance here and there. You get in the rhythm of things, and it gets easier and easier because you’re in the arena, you know the rules, you know the game, and you get better.

Well, the machine really means that you become known for something. Now, you start getting referrals. Now, it becomes easier for you to get a yes from a potential client because you’ve been in touch with them through maybe a newsletter. The trust is there. The brand and trust being known for something that’s all part of your brand. When you’re building your brand, that becomes the machine that serves you really well in the future.

What is beyond working on mindset and tapping for somebody who’s starting and is very inspired by this conversation? What are some technical steps they should take to improve their marketing?

It depends on your personality, of course, but what I found works really well for me is leveraging yourself as fast as possible, creating leveraged offers one-to-many instead of one-to-one if that is something you can do in your business—marketing versus sales. You always need to sell, but selling one to many is leverage—webinars, emails, video marketing, all of that, where you speak to an audience and invite people to a conversation. Because the foundation of marketing is very straightforward, you have to know your niche, and you have to know your message or craft your message and what you stand for. 

You have to create an irresistible offer, gain visibility and invite people to connect. Those are the principles of the foundation of marketing. But success often lies beyond the mechanics of marketing because your audience receives repetitive messages. The key is breaking through the wall of everything else that people receive. The wall of sameness is being more innovative and creative and communicating yourself with fresh messaging and ideas. It’s all about innovation.

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

To be a Purple Cow.

Exactly. That’s one of my favorite books. It’s at the top of my list. Be a Purple Cow.

I like that a lot. Do you use any AI tools now? With AI in the picture, will things become faster and easier to implement?

Absolutely. I don’t use a lot of tools. I have a software called Coaching Genie that allows people to build coaching programs and deliver group programs. I am technical, but my philosophy around tools is that the tools should serve you, not the other way around. I don’t look at a tool and say, “Hmm, how can I use it?” I typically say, “What problem do I have, and how can this tool help me solve it?” I use ChatGPT, which is OpenAI, and I use it probably 20 to 30 times a day for a variety of reasons.

That’s a lot.

I’m creating a presentation. I’m too lazy to think. I asked ChatGPT, “What image can I use on a slide about marketing principles?” He told me, “You might consider using a classical column, architectural plans, or a blueprint.” It just gives you ideas. I use it to analyze information. For example, if I run a survey, I put all my survey results into ChatGPT and ask, “What’s the most common complaint from my survey takers?” It tells me I’ve done this myself. I would print out pages and pages of surveys, then just highlight the words. It would take me hours, and now it takes me seconds to arrive at certain conclusions.

I use it in my group coaching calls with clients when they’re looking for ideas, a program title, a webinar name, or anything. My daughter just told me she uses it in place of therapy. There is an article that came out on CNN this morning that says mental health professionals weigh in on ChatGPT being used as a therapist. I haven’t read that yet, but I thought it was interesting. I’m going to review it for sure to see what professional therapists and psychologists can do.

That has some dangers, though I don’t think it’s 100%.

I think there are some dangers depending on what you’re trying to address and what problems you’re trying to treat. When I use it like, “Okay, act as a therapist. Here’s how I feel. What do you say?” Then, I can evaluate its suggestions based on my understanding of the world and my understanding of life. If it gave me some dangerous suggestions, obviously, I would know that that’s not okay.

But that’s for you because you’re a woman, have life experience, and are smart. But I was just thinking about younger kids doing it.

But ChatGPT is very positive, a great listener, and can validate you really well. It’s like, “You are so talented. You’re brilliant. You’re a genius.” Like, “Oh, thank you. Wow.”

I wonder what the future is going to look like in 20 or 30 years from now. I heard someone who said that people are going to ask for the legal right to marry their robots. It’s going to get legitimized. We’re going to have robots as spouses and stuff like that.

I don’t know if you watch anything on Netflix. There’s a movie that came out recently called Subservience. There’s a very beautiful, sexy robot, and I will leave the rest out.

I’m gonna check it out.

That is definitely when you said, “What’s the future in 20 or 30 years?” I think that’s going to be part of our future.

A lot of time the future is revealed in movies. If they have an invention they want to release in 20 years, they will put it in movies to get the audience used to that idea. Then, years down the road, like Skype and video chat, which used to be a sci-fi thing.

I’m still waiting for Back to the Future to become a reality because I really want that time machine.

That’s probably going to happen too. What do you think the future of marketing is? Where do you see yourself in five years from now? Will you do the same thing? Do you think things are going to change?

I think we ultimately are the same person. We evolve and progress, but our deeper core is the same. I’ve always loved creating. When I couldn’t create it, I suffered and returned to creating. At the core of me is creating new tools, new things, and new ideas. I think I will still create. I also put a lot of value on original ideas and innovation because nobody has your experiences. There’s not a single other person in the world. If I were to connect the dots in my life, I would start as a musician and become a computer programmer, web designer, business coach, marketing coach, and EFT practitioner. I would run a joint venture community. 

Relationships, originality, and innovation are the future of marketing and business success—no matter your industry, that will never go out of style.

All of that resulted in me creating coaching software. I remember sitting right on that chair by my window and wondering, why doesn’t this exist? Why isn’t there another group coaching software? A lot of people do group coaching. I started connecting the dots and realized I was the right person to create it because I have all these experiences. I think the original ideas will really trump the world of marketing. Finding our own unique ways of doing things and then finding or attracting the clients drawn to us because of those ideas and beliefs. 

Originality will never go out of style. ChatGPT is starting to compete with originality, but I am still shocked at the creativity of the ideas it produces when I prompt and search. But it still has to speak to you, and you have to be the one to see the value of that idea. Relationships, originality, and innovation are the future of marketing and business success—no matter your industry, that will never go out of style.

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

The first one would be alignment. I actually have these three values that I live by: simplicity, independence, and creativity. I wake up every morning, and I ask myself, “Will I get to use my creativity today? Will things be simple enough for me to move forward with the day? What was the second alignment? Will I get to use my God-given gifts, so to speak, in my day and work?” If the answer is no to any of those, I probably don’t even want to wake up. Alignment is a big one. You should do what sits right on top of your natural abilities because that makes things much more rewarding, easier, and more natural for you.

You said the word independence. What does that mean to you?

Independence means autonomy. I don’t know why I feel that way. How do I develop that desire? I had a bit of a controlling father. That could have something to do with that. But, the ability to make my own decisions and follow my intuition and gut is very important to me. The other part is to live a stellar life. Bringing positivity into the world seems obvious, but there’s so much negativity out there that when I see something or somebody I can say something positive about, I always do. I always do. My husband recently asked me, “Why do you always say thank you?” I don’t know. I’ll thank him like 10 times in one hour for the little things he does.

You should do what is within your natural abilities because doing so makes things much more rewarding, easier, and natural.

That’s actually great for relationships.

“I appreciate you bringing me that cup of tea or putting a blanket over me, and I appreciate you wiping your feet when you get home so I don’t have to sweep the floor. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I like to show appreciation to people a lot, and I think that’s my way of bringing more positivity.

Where can people find you? Where can they get the incredible cards you offer? Use your software, get coaching from you?

I have a website called Marketing Mojo Method, which is really the name of my card. I’m going to show it again. Marketingmojomethod.com that’s where people can actually find it. If you are a coach and you like to create coaching programs and you wish that there was a platform or a tool that allowed you to bring all the moving pieces of your coaching program together, especially if you’re doing group coaching, Coaching Genie, like the MAGIC Lab. Coachinggenie.com would be my second website.

Amazing. Thank you so much for your time and wisdom. Thank you so much for being here. It was a pleasure.

Thank you, Orion. Lots of awesome questions and topics that I had never gotten into before. This was fun.

Awesome. Thank you, and thank you, listener. Remember to focus on simplicity, independence, creativity and alignment. Bring positivity into the world and into your life, and have a stellar life. This is Orion, till next time. 

Your Checklist of Actions to Take

{✓}Embrace the learning curve – success doesn’t happen overnight. Just as mastering a musical piece takes hours of practice and patience, business success requires persistent effort and dedication.

{✓}Focus on strategic marketing rather than pursuing clients. Think of marketing as an expression of your value and focus on communicating your unique offerings in a way that naturally attracts your ideal clients.

{✓}Create your own “sandbox” to attract clients instead of chasing them. Design engaging platforms and opportunities that draw people to you, such as workshops, webinars, or unique programs.

{✓}Address internal beliefs and mindset blocks before tackling marketing techniques. Examine how your personal experiences and past traumas might be influencing your approach to marketing and sales.

{✓}Build relationships and genuine connections with your audience through consistent, value-driven interactions.

{✓}Integrate small weekly marketing actions into your routine. Break down your marketing strategy into manageable, consistent actions that you can implement weekly.

{✓}Focus on leveraged, one-to-many approaches rather than solely one-on-one. This strategy helps you maximize your impact while efficiently using your time and energy.

{✓}Stay true to your natural marketing style rather than forcing methods that drain you. When you work with your natural inclinations, marketing becomes more enjoyable and sustainable.

{✓}Use tools strategically to solve specific problems. This targeted approach ensures that technology serves your goals rather than complicating your processes.

{✓}Explore Milana Leshinsky’s innovative tools and programs at marketingmojomethod.com to transform your marketing mindset and elevate your coaching business.

Links and Resources

Connect with Milana Leshinsky

Tool

Book

Films

Previous Stellar Life Episode

YouTube Videos

About Milana Leshinsky

Milana Leshinsky is a business strategist, marketing mentor, and the creator of the Marketing Mojo Card Deck and Coaching Genie. This revolutionary software tool empowers coaches to deliver more value in less time. Milana came to the US as a music teacher from Ukraine over 30 years ago and enjoys Latin ballroom dancing, writing music, and creating inspiring card decks.