“I’ve come to understand that every person faces some type of struggle in life and offering a smile or a sincere “how are you” can quite literally save a life.”
I had the pleasure to interview Mia Adler Ozair. Mia is a clinical psychotherapist and certified health coach based in Los Angeles, California with clients all over the world. Mia is a speaker, author, coach, and consultant and by her own admission her alter-ego is Wonder Woman.
Thank you for joining us! What is your backstory?
Thank you for asking me! My backstory? Well, it’s been a great ride so far . . . grew up in the northern burbs of Chicago, married, had three beautiful children, divorced, relocated to Los Angeles, remarried, had two more beautiful children plus gained four bonus kids (yes . . . that’s nine all together, and no, they do not all live with us!). My professional background and experience is in education and coaching/consulting and I’m now working on my doctorate at USC in organizational change and leadership. I’ve founded a high school, served as an international director of curriculum, and coached hundreds of people over the years with a specialty in women’s issues and marriage. I have my own health and wellness platform (www.miaadlerozair.com) which is my passion work and also run our family business in commercial construction. I guess you could say my theme in life is as a builder—I help build healthy lives, marriages, educational content/systems, as well as build great commercial spaces, all of which require strong foundations.
Who do you admire, and why?
There are so many people I admire, it would be impossible to just pick one! In the world of politics I’m watching Nikki Haley shatter the glass ceiling with her power and poise. In the personal development and leadership space I follow Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins, & Simon Sinek, the “leader of leaders.” As for actors I love Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (unbelievable work ethic) and I’ll watch anything with Judi Dench or Helen Mirren (brilliant ageless beauties). I’m also a bit nuts over Chris Hemsworth as Thor and of course Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman—both iconic powerful characters. I’m not a huge follower of sports but feel elated when people break barriers and set records and just flat out demonstrate that the human spirit can shatter any limitations with the proper focus and determination. This also holds true for top innovators like Elon Musk and Richard Branson who seem to be ten steps ahead of everyone else!
How have you used your sucess to bring goodness to the world?
The greatest asset I have is the collective wisdom earned to date from my personal and professional experiences and I share this as often and as freely as I possibly can with individuals, companies, and educational institutions through lectures and teaching. In addition I am involved as a volunteer with some wonderful organizations like the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and at a local food pantry here in Los Angeles. Just recently I came on board with UN Women Los Angeles to support their Women’s Safety initiatives. I’ve come to understand that every person faces some type of struggle in life and offering a smile or a sincere “how are you” can quite literally save a life so I do my best to bring kindness and love with me wherever I go and leave the people and places I come in contact with in better shape than when I got there.
What are your “5 Things I Wish someone told Me When I First Started”?
a. Nothing will happen before its time and everything will happen in its time so push less and flow more. Life goals and dreams that started brewing within me over 20 years ago are only now starting to manifest and I regret wasting energy on worrying about anything or trying to “make things happen.” Work hard and be driven but in the end let go and let God.
b. People first—always. Pay attention to people’s energy and demeanor and care enough to tune in. I’m not the first to say it but I am a firm believer: people do not remember what you say, they remember how you make them feel. Connection first, business second. Be in love with people and their stories. My grandfather taught me to always be reading the biographies of famous people. Study them, learn from them, care about their struggle as it may inform your own and help to refine you as a human being.
c. Money is just one iteration of success. Success can mean an amazing conversation with your teen, overcoming obstacles in your marriage, learning a new skill or nurturing an old passion. Success can be saying no if you’re the kind of person who has a hard time setting boundaries, or saying yes if you’re someone who tends to be fearful of trying new things. It can mean exercising 5 days a week instead of 4 or not eating that donut. For some, success is simply getting out of bed in the morning. Success is highly unique to each person and it’s a responsibility to identify what success looks like to you personally so that you know what is truly meaningful when it happens.
d. Don’t waste time and don’t waste words. We only get so many seconds and so many words in a lifetime and there is simply so much work to do if you desire to leave your mark in the world. If you’re going to work, focus and crush it. If you’re going to play, play with intention. If you’re going to rest and relax then actually do that without distractions and things pulling on you mentally and physically (okay, not as easy if you’re a parent with young kids but try anyway!). Point being: be present in whatever it is you are choosing to do, and choose your engagements wisely.
e. In the end, and we are all heading there, love is the only measurement that counts. How much did you share your love? How much did you allow others to love you? How much did your heart expand throughout life? Does your heart encompass you? Your family? Plus community? Can you consciously expand your heart to embrace humanity in its many colors, religions, and forms? It sounds hard but it’s really not. Approach life with never-ending wonder and inquiry and a voracious desire to learn and you will see how quickly and easily love can flow to and from you. The Universe IS love and it has your back.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this :-)
At this point in my life if I could choose to share an extended, private, uninterrupted meal with anyone in the world it would be my husband. We are very blessed with full lives and a full house and those intimate dinners come few and far between. After all, he’s the Thor to my Wonder Woman.