Edwige Gilbert Of New Life Directions: Getting An Upgrade; How Anyone Can Build Habits For Optimal Wellness, Performance, & Focus
Learn to trust yourself, follow your passion, listen to your intuition and to people who can teach you and guide you on your journey. Be patient and never lose sight of your goal. Create a vision of the person you want to be, and emulate the person you admire the most.
As a part of our series about “How Anyone Can Build Habits For Optimal Wellness, Performance, & Focus”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Edwige Gilbert.
Edwige Gilbert, Transformation Guide and Founder of New Life Directions, reinvents lives and creates fresh starts driven by a purposeful vision. As an international speaker and author of The Fresh Start Promise and Victim to Victorious, Edwige turns stress into success by clearing unwanted habits and behaviors, creating self confidence and exuberant enjoyment of life, or as she calls it in French, “Joie de Vivre.” Her proven process includes breakthrough mindfulness techniques of meditation, mantra, and self-hypnosis, guiding her clients back to emotional balance at all times through tapping into the subconscious and helping them achieve their ideal version of themselves. With over 30 years in the self growth industry, Edwige has gained ultimate clarity, as well as certifications in yoga, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming, Qigong, weight management, substance abuse and alcoholism counseling, aerobic exercise, and behavior change. She uses a combination of these modalities to go far beneath the surface with her clients, identifying how they’ve been victimized and then reprogramming false beliefs. Renowned businesswoman, Barbara Corcoran, hired Edwige as a stress management officer for her real estate brokerage, The Corcoran Group, before joining Shark Tank. With a degree in humanities, Edwige connects with people at the soul level grasping the essence of who they are and volunteers on the advisory board of MoviesMakingADifference, a 501c3 nonprofit, helping people with serious challenges such as sex trafficking, child labor, child marriage, and religious cults. In her free time, Edwige also models for Deco Models in Miami. A native of Cannes, France, Edwige now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was placed in the care of my overprotective grandmother who lived in Cannes, a town located on the French Riviera. She saw me as a helpless child who needed protection. In my 20s, I moved to New York City, still carrying my grandmother’s voice who said, “I can’t.” To handle my stress of in the big city, I went on a diet of bagels and brownies. Within 6 months, I gained 30 pounds and lost my self-confidence and joy of life. That’s when I decided to go on a quest to find a solution. On that quest, I lost the weight and found myself.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
I met a coach while training as a tour guide for the United Nations building. She gave me the confidence to face the public and a belief that I could become the best tour guide she ever had. And I was. It was also the starting point for me becoming a coach in health and wellness.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
I was hired as an addiction counselor after studying the best Eastern and Western wellness and stress management practices. The direction of the New York Addiction Institute encouraged me to think out of the box and use of my gifts and talents to help others recover and become healthy. Later, I was hired my Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul, who trusted me to help all of her realtors to turn their stress into strength.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
During a stern 30-day yoga training in the Bahamas, every night after 9:00 p.m., I would jump the fence and go dancing at the club next door which was considered the “enemy” of the yoga retreat center. I learned that life is a balancing act between work and play. Enjoying dance and music are my secret ingredients in my Joi de vivre recipe.
The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
Learn to trust yourself, follow your passion, listen to your intuition and to people who can teach you and guide you on your journey. Be patient and never lose sight of your goal. Create a vision of the person you want to be, and emulate the person you admire the most.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The book that made a significant impact is The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo. It’s a classical hero’s journey — a journey of personal transformation and of pursuing your dream and discovering what really matters. It’s all about discovering your gifts, talents, and the power of love.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“Act as if you were, and you will become.” It resonates with me because as a young woman, I was very shy, insecure, and did not believe in myself. Today, I feel empowered, self-confident, and qualified to be a transformation guide for others.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I just released my second book: VICTIM TO VICTORIOUS, which is dedicated to survivors of human trafficking and to Diana Davis, the founder of MOVIESMAKINGADIFFERENCE.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. This will be intuitive to you but it will be helpful to spell this out directly. Can you help explain a few reasons why it is so important to create good habits? Can you share a story or give some examples?
The reason you must develop habits is because you create a new mental/emotional conditioning which is the key to your success. It takes a minimum of 28 days to create this result, and then you become free to trust yourself and no longer rely on your willpower which is the enemy of long-lasting change.
How have habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?
I believe in good habits because they give you the freedom to be healthy, energized, and feel good about yourself. One of my habits is mindfulness which I teach in my Fresh Start program. It is the power to be aware and, in the process, have the freedom to change and control your life. My favorite habit is mindful eating which helped me in conjunction with my five bite technique which helped myself first and thousands of people lose weight and never gain it back. I also believe in the power of declaration, a repetition of words that creates a new mental conditioning. My favorite one is “I CAN, I DO, I WILL!”
Speaking in general, what is the best way to develop good habits? Conversely, how can one stop bad habits?
Create a vision of the person you want to be with that you want. Be patient. Repetition is key to that permanent condition. Believe that you have the power to change and that you are worthy of feeling proud of your accomplishment and happy with yourself.
Let’s talk about creating good habits in three areas, Wellness, Performance, and Focus. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
For wellness — healthy eating habits. For performance — visualization. For focus — breathing practices.
Can you help explain some practices that can be used to develop those habits?
I believe in mindfulness, meditation practice, healthy eating habits, and yoga.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimal performance at work or sport? Please share a story or example for each.
When you feel tired and without focus, practice the breath of fire. Get up from your work chair and do some yoga stretches to release back tension and to get more focused and clear. Do alternate arm and leg exercises.
Can you help explain some practices that can be used to develop those habits?
When you feel tired and without focus, practice the breath of fire. Get up from your work chair and do some yoga stretches to release back tension and to get more focused and clear. Do alternate arm and leg exercises.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimal focus? Please share a story or example for each.
When you feel tired and without focus, practice the breath of fire. Get up from your work chair and do some yoga stretches to release back tension and to get more focused and clear. Do alternate arm and leg exercises.
Can you help explain some practices that can be used to develop those habits?
To develop those habits, incorporate repetition of the same practice, patience, and the vision of your success in this endeavor. Twenty-eight days is the minimum time necessary to create a new pathway to the brain connected to your desired habit.
As a leader, you likely experience times when you are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, and that is meaningful. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a state of Flow more often in our lives?
Be clear of your purpose, be determined to create it, use the power of your imagination, and use mindful breathing to create your mind body connection. All this will lead you be in this present moment here now, which creates the flow experience.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement would be infused with compassion, unconditional love and acceptance for yourself and others.
We are very blessed that 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, especially if we both tag them :-)
Matthew McConaughey because we share common interest in spirituality, personal growth, and a vision of a better world filled with joyful loving people.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me at my website: newlifedirections.com. I’ve also provided links to my social media profiles below.
- Youtube Show: The Heart Chat
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.
