Communication is one of the most essential soft skills to develop if we want to be effective in our leadership, teaching, coaching, parenting, selling, and relationships. We speak to influence and to be understood, but if we aren't good at listening before we speak the things we say may seem to go unheard or misunderstood. In this episode, Alana shares the 7 Ps of listening and ways that you can use them in your conversations and every day life. These 7 practices will make you a better listener and communicator. They are: Priority Patience Persistence Paying attention Patterns Practice Placem ..read more

When is the best time to start taking action on our goals? When is it too late?  Alana sat down with Sharon Takamori, who at 76 years old, decided to start a YouTube channel, even though she had little to no knowledge about how to get it done. They talk about how she dealt with setbacks and negativity and the driving force behind her desire to jump into a new entrepreneur journey at such a late stage in her life. Sharon also happens to be the daughter of the late Fujiko Matayashi, the lady who sat on the side of the highway in Waiahole for years, selling her fruits to help provide for her ..read more

Making decisions use up energy and bandwidth. And it's the most urgent decisions that end up using up most of our energy. When our energy is low and the time for making those desicions arrives, it is likely that we will end up making a decision we later regret. Not only that, the bandwidth required to make those decisions also rob us of the energy and time to do more of what we actually love and actually want or feel called to do. In short, decision fatigue can prevent us from doing our best and greatest work. In this episode, Alana shares the 3 things she did to increase her capacity and mini ..read more

If we want to avoid wandering aimlessly in our lives and in pursuit of our goals we need 3 things: We need a map or a plan to follow We need to know where we currently are We need to know what our desired destination is or where we want to go One of the best ways to do identify those first two is by tracking our stats, habits, numbers, and data. It's by keeping good records. As we do this we'll also be able to discover our strengths, our weaknesses, and use that knowledge as a way to take advantage of our positioning to give us an edge. In this episode, Sione and Alana talk about the lessons ..read more

If you don't know where you are, in relation to where you want to be, it's difficult to make progress on purpose. In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the various fears and reasons we often avoid getting clear about where we are. They also discuss what we can do to manage those fears and courageously push past them. Fears like: fear of failure false comfort in the ambiguity fear of change fear of introspection fear and overwhelm by what's next fear of what others may think Whether it be in our health, our finances, or our progress on our journey to reaching a particular goal, having a cl ..read more

As leaders, there is always more to do than we have the capacity for at any given moment. We face the endless pull of projects, responsibilities, and obligations for our attention. As a result, it's easy to feel like there is never enough time to do more of the things we love and feel called to do. In this episode, Alana shares 3 things that can help you and those you lead, increase your capacity to do and enjoy those things.  When it comes to increasing our capacity to do more, it's not about doing more. It often comes down to knowing how to start doing less. We'll need to make decisions ..read more

A few years ago Sione and Alana sat down with Jess and she shared with them a wonderful story about an experience she had while giving donkeys some water during a hot summer day and what it taught her. The lesson was that the Lord knows what we need and what's best for our growth and ability to reach our potential. Sometimes we get exactly what we need, but we get frustrated and complain because it's not what we expected.  In this episode, Sione and Alana revisit this story and share a few of the lessons that stuck out to them and how it can help us when things don't go the way we expect ..read more

Powerful questions can direct our focus and attention. They can increase our awareness and help us to recognize the value of our experiences. They can also motivate us and increase our abilities to take empowered actions to improve ourselves, our lives, and our circumstances. In this episode, Alana shares several questions to help you reflect on the value of this past year as she recounts some of her greatest regrets and discoveries from answering these questions herself. The questions from this episode will have you reflecting on the following: your growth or lack of growth this year and wha ..read more

When it comes to achieving success and enjoying a life of fulfillment, there is an important step that is often underestimated.  In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the importance of discovering, acknowledging, and knowing what you want.  They share some tips and ideas for how to increase your awareness to what you want and what is possible for you to go and get those things so that you can enjoy a life of success and your dreams. Want to connect with Sione & Alana? Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana ..read more

If goal setting is overwhelming and you often find yourself disappointed in yourself if you don't hit a goal perfectly, it very well may be because the goals you are setting are too easy. What?! Yes, and that's even if you set goals that are big enough to scare you. That's right, if the goal is within reach, you're doing it wrong and it's the reason you end up feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and like you aren't good enough when things don't go according to plan. This is just one of the many reasons why Alana stopped setting attainable goals this year. And why she plans to only set impossible go ..read more