How CEO Leila Hormozi Went From Broke, Anxious & Arrested 6 Times To $100M Net Worth

Leila Hormozi shares the deeply troubled and chaotic experiences that shaped her early life and emotional development, highlighting the profound challenges she faced.

Leila's Chaotic Upbringing, Mother's Drug Use, and Suicide Attempt

Leila Hormozi talks about the turmoils of growing up with a mother struggling with drugs and alcohol. She recounts the exact moment her life took a darker turn: her mother's suicide attempt when she was 15. This harrowing experience was a pivotal point for Hormozi, leaving her emotionally numb and disconnected from her feelings. After this event, Leila described shutting down emotionally and not feeling anger or happiness—just feeling flat until the age of 19.

Leila Struggled With Emotions, Reacting Through Substance Abuse and Recklessness

Hormozi’s emotional numbness became a precursor to a period marked by destructive behavior. She reveals that when she left her house at 19, she didn't know how to handle her anger and began to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. This spiraled into a cycle of arrests. Her state of constant heightened anxiety, which started even before her mother's suicide attempt, had caused her to lose a significant amount of weight due to stress.

Leila Frequently Arrested For Emotional and Impu ...

Leila Hormozi shares her journey of learning to regulate and manage her emotions, detailing the strategies she has employed to develop a healthier relationship with her emotional well-being.

Leila Developed a Healthier Relationship With Her Emotions By Acknowledging and Processing Them

In her 20s, Hormozi struggled with emotional battles, fighting feelings like anxiety and depression instead of understanding and addressing them. She had a poor relationship with her negative emotions, but upon studying the works of Albert Ellis and Stephen Hayes, behavioral psychologists, Hormozi realized she didn't have a problem with emotions themselves but rather with her reactions to them. She decided to confront these emotional challenges head-on to fully participate in her life goals, such as speaking events and leading a team.

Over the past six or seven years, Hormozi describes a transformative change in how she engages with her emotions, learning to acknowledge and process them rather than suppress or try to escape them. When Hormozi experiences stress or anxiety, she utilizes a mental cue she calls 'absorption,' allowing herself to fully experience the emotion for about five minutes without indulging in excessive rumination. This process teaches her body that the emotion is neither terrifying nor something to flee from. She then continues with her day, ensuring the emotion does not disrupt her planned activities.

Leila Takes Time to Fully Feel Difficult Emotions Without Judgment or Reactivity

Following a panic attack after a decade of calm, Hormozi sought help from professionals and read a book recommended by a friend, which helped her accept that panic attacks or anxious feelings were not signs that something was inherently wrong with her. She began to view such emotions as natural human experiences that don't always need to be stamped out.

Hormozi explains that by confronting her fears and emotions directly and acting as though she had overcome a personal issue, she often found that it took less time to actually get over it. This realization helped her become more adaptable and able to thoughtfully respond to unexpected events instead of negatively reacting to them.

Leila Sees Negative Emotions as Growth Opportunities

Hormozi has learned to view negative emotions as growth opportunities, transforming her approach to tough emotions and improving her emotional relationship. By undertaking significant or novel tasks, she expects negative ...

Leila Hormozi shares candid insights into the unique pressures and challenges female entrepreneurs face, providing advice on managing emotions, embracing imperfection, and aligning actions with one's core values.

Leila Believes Societal Conditioning Limits Women to Stereotypes

Hormozi critiques societal conditioning that she believes hinders women's success.

Beauty Standards Pressure Women, Hindering Risk-Taking and Ambition

Hormozi observes that women are often valued for attributes other than making money, such as their appearance, which she feels could impact their ability to take risks and be ambitious. She cites her personal experience, stating if she resembled a "troll," her partner may not have married her. She notices that the most popular women in the world are often celebrated for their attractiveness, insinuating that beauty can be a means to gain status.

Hormozi sees the societal pressure to look a certain way as a barrier to women in business. She reflects on advice from male influencers about not caring too much about appearance, which doesn't align wholly with her own experiences with societal standards. The fear of being judged for looks can make women less likely to engage fully in business activities, such as creating content or appearing on camera.

Leila Highlights Managing Emotions As Vital for Female Entrepreneurs

Hormozi discusses the need for emotional intelligence and regulation for women to progress and lead effectively.

Women's Emotions, Often Seen As Weakness, Are Strength When Channeled Productively

Addressing how female societal standards can be a barrier, she stresses that managing emotions is crucial for business growth and enjoyment of life. Confronting fears helps to regain mental focus for productivity. Despite frequent negative thoughts like self-doubt, Hormozi does not specifically state how she uses emotional management as a female entrepreneur.

The stereotype that women are held back by their emotions is countered by Hormozi's argument that effective leadership requires stability and emotional regulation, a task she sees as challenging but not impossible.

Leila Urges Female Entrepreneurs to Embrace Imperfection and Align Ac ...