Walking Away from What Society Says Is Success

What happens when you've achieved everything you once dreamed of, but still feel like something is missing?

In this inspiring episode of Success to Soul, Dr. Tanya Prewitt-White sits down with Daziah Green, former Division I athlete, entrepreneur, designer, speaker, and founder of RecovHer, for a powerful conversation about redefining success, trusting your intuition, and choosing alignment over achievement.

After building an impressive career as a footwear designer at Adidas, designing products for global brands, working alongside elite athletes, and earning recognition many only dream of, Daziah realized that external success wasn't enough. Through a life-changing journey to Paris, deep self-reflection, breathwork, and stillness, she discovered that true fulfillment comes from protecting your peace, honoring your purpose, and creating a life aligned with your values.

Together, Daziah and Dr. Tanya explore burnout, intuition, community, mental wellness, creativity, boundaries, and the courage to leave environments that no longer support your growth. They also discuss why slowing down isn't falling behind, how stillness strengthens clarity, and why the greatest transformation begins when you stop chasing success and start reconnecting with yourself.

If you've been checking every box yet still feel disconnected, exhausted, or uncertain about what's next, this conversation will remind you that success isn't about arriving at a destination. It's about becoming the person you were created to be.

Because success without soul isn't success at all.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

It's faster on paper, but it's faster on the inside. If it's even hasn't brought you the happiness you expected. If there's a quiet low voice that keeps asking, is this really all there is? Then this podcast is for you. Here's your host, executive coach, and guide for high achieving women, Dr. Tanya Frewitt White.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Welcome to Success to Soul. I'm your host, Dr. Tanya. If you're new here to our community, this is a podcast where we know success without soul is not success at all. And I'm so excited to be joined today by Deja Green. Deja is a former Division I athlete, a speaker, a moderator, designer, and the founder of Recover, helping high performers strengthen their mental wellness and elevate how they live, work, and perform. Oh my goodness. Okay, so Deja, I'm so excited to have you here. Welcome. I'm excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. Sharing space. I love this. I love this. So Dr. Ash, Dr. Ashley Huffman, had invited you to the Soulful Women in Sport Retreat. And she said, Oh, you're going to love Deja Green's energy. And immediately when I met you, I was like, Oh, yeah, Dr. Ash was right. So uh share a little bit, you know, about not only your roles, but what your journey is now. And you recently went to France.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

So share a little bit about that. Yeah, so I'm from a city, a really small city, actually, called Canton. It's in Ohio. So it's very small. And I started playing a lot of sports. I played five different sports growing up. So sports, it really has always been like a part of my life. And then I decided to kind of take track and field seriously. And I was able to get a full-right scholarship to the University of Akron, where I ran D1 track and field, and I was able to obtain my bachelor's degree in interior design. Art has always been like literally who I am. Me and my twin sister. So my twin sister and I, we would always do artwork. We would always color. We'd always have these coloring books and painting. And we would just find little popsicle sticks or little sticks, and we'd always create things. So I feel like I'm a creator at the core. I try not to put myself in a box, but just knowing that I've been able to branch out and go different directions between graphic design, footwear design, merch, and clothing design, designing cars. I designed a car for Black Panther Wakanda Forever. I've done so many amazing things, but I would say like I'm an entrepreneur. You know, you mentioned Recover. That's my baby. That's my I love Recover. Literally, like just trying to really grow it. It's only a year and a half old, so we're still in the beginning stages. And I have other businesses as well. I'm looking to start another business this year. So I might be a serial entrepreneur. I love this. I love this. You love creating. Yes, yes. I'm a visionary. I love creating. I love creating safe spaces, and I want to help high performers, you know, prioritize their wellness, mind, body, and soul.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Okay, so I love this. So you're a creator who's not only just creative in artwork. And so even when I first met you, I was like, okay, Deja's uh, you know, a designer of footwear. That's like where my mind took me. And then as I started learning more about you, you're like, oh yeah, like I've traveled the world, and you really care about mental health and wellness. And then you have this event. You came to the soulful women in sport retreat, and then you're like, yeah, and I have an event. So, how does your creative mind do all of these things and then also find time for rest?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

That is a great question. So I feel like my mind it categorizes the things that I need, like career, people, places, environments, events, and really community that I think that sits at the forefront besides myself. But I know I'm not able to show up authentically or wholeheartedly if I don't put myself first. So I have to prioritize my mental health, my wellness. And that's why I went to the SoFo Women and Sport retreat right before my event to kind of decompress and get ready to host an event like of that caliber.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So I heard you say community, right? And then also your own mental wellness, putting that first. And I think about this of like, I think a lot of women we struggle with this concept of if I'm taking care of myself, how am I also taking care of everyone around me? And what I hear you saying is that I have to do that in order to do all of these bigger things for everyone else and yourself, right? The community that you're creating. What resistance do you receive? And when I say res or tensions, when you're doing that self-care, do you ever feel like, oh gosh, like these are the things I should be doing in lieu of this care for my own soul?

SPEAKER_01 5:27

I have a constant battle with myself. I'm an Aries. Okay, okay. That gives you some context. Yep, it gives me some context. Okay. Yeah, so I'm an Aries, so I'm always trying to lead others. And sometimes I neglect the parts of myself that needs the attention the most. And when it comes to me grounding myself, I try to prioritize that. But there are times where I'll slip up and I'm like, oh, but I need to help or I need to finish this. I think for me, it's all about starting what I finish, or when I get a thought or an idea, I have to see it through. So if I have an idea like, oh, I want to post this breathwork video and I need to edit it, I'll like do it then and there, and then I'll post it, and I'm like, okay, now I have to do the next thing, and then it's the next thing, and then it keeps adding on and on, and then I'm putting off my self-care practices.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Yeah. It makes me think about what I just shared with a client before this, is I said, none of us die without an unfinished to-do list.

unknown 6:33

Right?

SPEAKER_02 6:33

So it's kind of what I hear is like, okay, well, I have to do the next thing, I have to do the next thing, I have to do the next thing. Yeah. And in your, you know, I have to finish things and see things through is what makes you great. And at the same time, it's the thing that keeps us so busy and full.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Yes, yes. No, that makes a lot of sense. It's like it's going to be a never-ending cycle.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

But then, and you decided to go to France. Yes. You decided to go to France. Okay, tell us about France.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Let me tell you about France. Okay, so it was breathtaking. It was an amazing experience, and the reason why I went to France in the first place was to actually explore myself creatively.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

I felt like working at Adidas, and we'll talk a little bit more about that, but I felt like I was putting myself in a box, and I felt like my voice wasn't heard, and I was starting to fall a little bit behind in my career. Okay. And so I kind of lost a little bit of my creativity, my motivation, and you know, like my dream. My dream was always to be a footwear designer since I was a kid. So I kind of felt like it was being stripped away from me. And it might have been, you know, something I I didn't really imagine that happening. Like I thought when I got there, it would be amazing. I would be this amazing designer, but it wasn't that at all. And I felt like I constantly had to fight for my role and my position and my vision.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

So going to Paris, it kind of made me take a step back from America, from corporate, from my version of what I thought success was. And really, I got rid of my house, my living arrangement, my car. I had a really nice Dodge charger. Got rid of my car, everything. And I I dropped everything and I moved to France and I started fresh. I even learned a new language. Okay. You know, I'm going to reinvent myself and dismantle every thought that I had about success or about being, you know, like, you know, I've been in rooms with celebrities. Yeah. I've been in spaces. I've been around people who are high caliber. I've been around Forbes, 500 people in a room. So I had to really rewind, unlearn the things I was taught about living and get back to myself. And that's ultimately why I went to France. I studied art and design in college. So I got back to that, the architecture there. And people watched. I wasn't being a creep, but uh people watched. I observed, I saw how their families operated. I saw like how they, you know, they spent a lot of time in nature. And a lot of the kids, they're running around with their families. We don't see that nowadays. The parks were full of kids running around having fun, parents reading books, a soft life. Like that's my definition of a soft life.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

A soft life. Being free.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Yeah. No tablets, no electronics, nothing in sight but nature and laughs. Wow. I think I want a soft life. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

We all deserve that. We do. We do. So can you tell us? You said, you know, what you thought success was before when you were at Adidas. What did success look like for you, let's say a year ago?

SPEAKER_01 10:20

A year ago, success looked like, you know, how they put it in your face, nice car, nice clothes, nice shoes, a lot of money.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Being in rooms with celebrities. To me, that felt like success.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

And what is it success to you now? Success to me now is putting my mental health first, prioritizing my wellness, making sure I'm grounded. I have a strong foundation, making sure I'm taking time to breathe and show up authentically with integrity and not compromising myself. I feel like that's success.

SPEAKER_02 10:59

Oh, so much. So it sounds like on this journey, you're you're having what the world would say was a very successful career. And it sounds as though, and what I know of you, you're like, yep, and I did it, right? And I worked so hard. I had to fight for everything I have, only to realize that it's not everything I it didn't give me all the things I thought it would.

SPEAKER_03 11:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

And what did you think that it would give you?

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Um, what did I think it would give me? I think a sense of like, you know, like you arrived. Like I thought when I made it that I've arrived.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

But I realized that's just the beginning. It's just a stepping stone.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Yeah. Yeah. That we're constantly arriving to ourselves every day, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

And it was just a stepping stone. Just a stepping stone. Like you would have thought, like, you know, Adidas. They're a peer. Yeah. I made it. Yeah. I made it. I've done it. And then you get there, and then you realize, no, this isn't it. This isn't the end all be all. This is just a stepping stone that's going to make me become the person who I'm meant to be. And I was able to be a sponge and take in all the tools and learn. And now I feel like I'm in a space now where I can give back those tools and teach the community everything that I've learned.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Yeah, there's something bigger ahead for you that position for sure. It makes me think about too. Was there a defining moment when you realized this isn't it? Or was it more of a slow realization that you are on this earth for something more?

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Ooh, that's a great question. I think internally I always knew that I was I'm special and I was built for something more. I think I've always known that and I've always had the confidence and I've always had no fear. I love this. No matter what. So I think when it came to me arriving at Adidas being a footwear designer, I realized that community and purpose and alignment were the key pillars of who I am. And I felt like sometimes it wasn't in alignment for me. Yeah. So there were certain situations. It was like a slow realization because I was so amazed that I arrived.

unknown 13:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

And that I'm in a room and that I'm in a space. And you know, being a BIPOC woman, you don't really see women in those roles and in those spaces. So I held this chip on my shoulder that I have to be here. I have to hold the door for the next generation. And if I leave, there is no one that's going to come after me. They're not going to see that it's possible. Yeah. So I kept that chip on my shoulder, like, okay, I have to be the representation. And then it was all about me having access and in the rooms. But I felt like having access wasn't enough. It was about alignment. And there was a realization where I felt like this isn't in alignment with who I am. I want to give more. And it slowly became more about the money and business. Than it did the people in the community.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Yeah. That you were serving.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you bring up something that I think is so important for like all of us to talk about and think about. You talked about like I had access. It makes me think about right when people have access to a room, but you still had to fight for everything. And so I think it was Lija Carter had once taught me. She's like, okay, you can open your home to someone and be inclusive. But she said, but you know, okay, great, but I'm vegetarian. Like this is literally, I think you want me. So this is like a but but what do you have? How are you like, is there a chair for me? And how like how are you making it so that I can thrive? And what I hear you saying is that as a black woman, you were brought into the room, and then you had to fight for everything.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

That's real. I mean, that's like I'm a white woman. That is real for the weight that you felt you had to carry, and that that people organization systems create an environment for you to thrive.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Yes, and even just being a woman in a predominantly male-dominated space. I had to advocate for myself. Yeah. There was one point in time in this meeting, it would always stick with me. There was a meeting we had with all footwear designers, and it was kind of a regroup. And they're like, you know, we're going to have this meeting with a very famous professional basketball player who played basketball where you may have had some roots.

unknown 16:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:38

Yeah. I'm picking up when you're putting down Asia.

SPEAKER_01 16:43

So I asked if I can join that meeting for women's basketball. And I was told no in front of everyone.

unknown 16:51

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

And I was at the time the only women's basketball designer. So that kind of stuck with me because it's like if we're not allowing, you know, the women to be in the room in the space, how are we going to evolve the women's brand?

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Absolutely. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah. So what did you do next? So I reached out to a mentor and I asked, how do I navigate this? You know, like I've never been in a situation like this before. Like, I really want to be in a room. I really want to evolve. This is really not allowing me to evolve and grow as a designer. And I was told, you know, play the long game. And that's when I realized I don't want to play the long game. That's not who I am. Like I was like, okay, maybe I'll play the long game. And then the more I thought about it, the more I was like, no, I'm not doing that. I shouldn't have to. And I shouldn't have to go, you know, like to other people about this situation. I shouldn't have to go to other people. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

Okay, so in this moment, you're like, yeah, I don't think the long game's for me. You said earlier, like, I don't have a lot of fear. My and is let's not call it fear, but were there some tensions as you're like, okay, I'm leaving. And I'm gonna speak from my own experience, including women who choose to leave environments. There is the we'll call it the yeah, but or like like, oh, I should be worried about my 401k, my right. There are some things that we're socialized to grab onto. Can you talk a little bit? I mean, I were there moments where you're like, what am I doing? Are you like full forward? Like, this is happening, you know. Like, I just think about the ambivalence. Like, okay, I really want to do this, but what about X, Y, and Z?

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Yes, so I have an amazing story around how I left. So it was December 2025, and I had just got back from Paris, and Paris really I didn't have the best experience in Paris, and then I realized I have a very low capacity for anything. Um I didn't know what it felt like to feel burnt out, and I think I started to feel the symptoms of burnout, and then I went to work, and I'm always going through things like at work. I just never really like speak on it, but there was like a couple actions that happened in front of me, and I'm just like, yeah, I don't know if I can do another year here. And so I'm sitting at my desk and I'm like, man, I'm about to quit. You know, Aries are mine. It goes, Aries in you. Yeah. So I said, you know, I'm going to quit. And then I meditated, and God said, No, do not quit. Your time will come when you know that you're supposed to quit. And so I said, Okay, I'll be a little more patient. So a week and a half goes by, and I'm at work. And another situation happened, and they're like, oh, this is going to happen. And I just felt like they were talking without including me in the conversation. And I was like, this is my sign. I'm not going to come back after this winter break. I don't think I can do it. And that hour, it came. And that's when I knew it was definitive. And I thought about, oh, I get a bonus. I want to stay until March, maybe till I get the bonus. And then God told me, like, put in your two weeks' notice on this date. And your last day will be January 2nd. And so I'm like, okay. I don't know what I'll do financially, but I'll figure it out. And God is like, don't worry about it financially. So when I quit January 2nd, because I quit after 1231, I was still eligible for the bonus. Okay. And I was able to receive back pay for all of my full-time off days of 2026. Wow. So talk about timing. Talk about listening. Talk about stillness. If I wasn't in stillness, I would have made a very, very impulsive decision. I would have missed out on both of those paychecks if I left two days earlier.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

Isn't that interesting?

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Two days earlier.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

You know, it makes me think about so many times I'm on calls with women as an executive coach, and my response to them is to get still. Women will say, I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do. And I'll say, get still. And the awareness, the knowing, the connection with God, so spirit. Whatever nature, whatever it is for a woman, and like we we know, like there's there's a knowing there.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Absolutely, absolutely. There is a knowing. There's like my intuition, it was very, very strong.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Okay, so here's my question How did you develop your intuition or your ability to be still, or was it always there?

SPEAKER_01 22:26

I feel like it was always there, but I may have ignored it. But I feel like how I've developed it was through breath work. You know, breathing is our qi, it's our life force energy. Breath equals spirit. Breath means spirit. So when you take the time to breathe and actually make it a practice, like I did a 30-day challenge when I first stumbled across breath work, and I was wondering, how did this help me? Like, how am I so in tune? Like, how am I seeing things happen before it happened and my dreams were more intuitive? And I started writing them down and then I started seeing things happen. And I would have a screenshot to prove like I wrote this down this time.

SPEAKER_03 23:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

But it's when you do breath work, you're tapping into your rest and digest system, and you're not in your fight or flight mode. So when you're constantly trying to survive, you're not able to sit still and listen to or see or observe what's coming your way, all the signs and messages. So having a state of relaxation and also tapping into your life force energy is what helped me build over time. It took a lot of time, but I really was intentional about it, and now my intuition is stronger than ever.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

I feel very seen right now, so thank you for that. Friends, but in some of my friends' groups and family, and you know, I meditate, I pray, I try to do it daily. I mean, my practice is pretty consistent. And I will have things where, like, oh, I'm supposed to have this event on this day. And more strategic, what the world would say are very strategic humans would be like, okay, well, these are all the reasons it shouldn't work, and you don't have enough time for this, and the marketing plan. And at first, I doubted myself full stop. I'm like, oh, and I'm even gonna share this. So my sister is an executive director at a university, she runs things. I'm gonna come in and I'm gonna help you like streamline some things and you know make it even better. Um, for the second retreat I did, and then afterwards, she's like, Oh, I don't know exactly what you're doing, but just keep doing it. And it's stillness, it's meditation, it's thinking, it's just not running from myself. That's the key. Yeah, and I don't know about you. Like as a former athlete, and you know, I work with athletes as well, and have friends who are athletes, and they're like, Oh, like I meditate when I run, and I'm like, Oh my god, with love. I'm like, Oh, you're still running from something. Like, you actually you have to also teach the body to be still with the mind. It's so important to teach to be still that I am home right here.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

Yes, and I love that point you made, like you're running from something. I feel like oftentimes people, when they don't have the tools to sit with themselves and they suppress a lot of things, they run from themselves, so they try to keep themselves busy. Yeah, and I've spent a lot of time in solitude, so I know what it's like to go within and do the work, and I've been doing work for about six years now. And when I went to Paris, it really showed me like, yeah, I can really sit with myself, I can be alone, I can go days without talking to my family and friends, even though I didn't go days, but I can actually sit with myself and be okay and not feel like I have to run from anything. When there was a point of time when I tried to keep myself busy and productive, and I would try to run, run, run, so I didn't have to face myself and my shadows.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Yeah. So you're in Paris, you're learning a new language, you have a lot of slow time. It was it what was it called? Yes, it's slow life. What did you learn about yourself in this time that you took in Paris?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

What did I learn about myself? I learned that community is more important to me than career. And I realized my upbringing, being from Canton, Ohio, having access to a lot of things that not a lot of people get the opportunity to, it made me realize I really want to go back to my hometown and give back. And that I've done everything, I've accomplished everything I've wanted to. I've designed shoes for Disney, I made Vogue, I've been in time, I went to all the red carpets. I designed a car for Black Panther, I mentioned earlier. I received the Pathfinder's Assembly Award from my high school in front of 1,500 kids. Wow. Alongside my twin sister, a whole assembly dedicated to my twin and I. I thought that would have been later in life. I've always wanted to be a part of that assembly and showing the youth that they can do it. So I felt like the one thing that I learned was giving back to the community and also family. And I've been away from my family for seven years.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Just gathering all of this experience. And I realized I need to go back to my hometown. I've lived in Texas, New York, LA. And I mentioned, like, yeah, I want to move back to Canton, Ohio. And everyone was like, Daisy, out of all places, and they were like bashing me. And they're like, no, like you should go back to LA, you know, don't come back to Canton, blah, blah, blah. And I know where God wants me to be. I can always travel to those places, but I feel like God wants me here. Like I'm in Canton now, that's why I say when I say here, I'm home.

unknown 28:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

Yeah. So I don't know how long I'll be here, but I'm just going with the flow and giving back to the community in the ways that I think God wants me to.

unknown 28:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

That's powerful.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

It's powerful. Your story invites us to rethink what success actually is and what it actually means, and how it doesn't have to be defined by everything outside of us. I think a lot of times, myself included, when I left being a sports psychology consultant and an academic professor, a friend of mine had said, like, okay, so like, you know, what dream for a little bit. Dream about what it is you really want. And I, you know, so I started telling her. She's like, Well, what's holding you back? And I laughed now. You know what I told her? My 403B. I literally said, and my salary, so like an equivalent of a 403 or a 401k. Yes. And I and even as I said it, I was like, insanity. That is insanity. Yet it's such a real thing.

SPEAKER_01 29:46

It's so real. It's so real. I've had a similar experience, you know, having to leave Adidas in. I had a nice 401k. And I just wanted it to grow and grow and grow. Yep. So I can relate to that.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it's the I've realized I have a whole lot more happiness when I'm not concerned with the digits in a bank account.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

That aren't actually even like they're it's not physical money. It's literally just numbers that I'm fixating on in a bank account.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

Yes. Pretty, pretty fascinating. So what do you think is the difference between achievement and fulfillment then in your journey? It sounds like it's it's shifted from achievement, you know, your previous self was collecting some of these achievements to now you're towards fulfillment. And so what is the fulfillment in the future looking like, or even right now, what does it look like and how's it different from your previous self's achievement?

SPEAKER_01 30:55

So being a former D1 track and field athlete, you know, the goal is always to win. And you want to win rings and championships and the whole nine. So I've been able to achieve the highest level in track and field. I ran an Olympic trials qualifying time. I didn't go to the Olympics, but I could have. I have a 200 meter at the University of Akron record. So I have achievements and also I play women's tackle football. I still lead the league in average yards per carry. I'm still number one. So when we talk about achievement, I still have these records and these accolades and all pro and all American. But that doesn't fulfill me. It's just something you accomplished. You receive a ring. Honestly, the ring was something that every single athlete would want to acquire. But my track and field rings that I worked so hard for, I don't even have anymore. You got rid of them. I lost them.

SPEAKER_02 32:14

You're like, no, I lost them, Tanya.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

So it's like, yeah, I can say I've done it, I've achieved everything. But when it comes to fulfillment, it's all about how you make a person feel.

unknown 32:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

And to me, knowing that I helped inspire someone or motivated someone by telling my story, or just even being present with the youth, pouring into the youth, that fulfills me more than a ring, a championship, a race, winning a race, an accomplishment. Or my Dodge Charger that I own.

unknown 32:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

You're missing that Dodge Charger.

SPEAKER_01 32:53

Yes. Yes. So to me, I feel like fulfillment is a feeling you give someone else, motivating them, inspiring them to become the best version of themselves. That's fulfillment to me.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Yeah, and what it makes me think about as you're helping someone become the best version of themselves, you're also becoming the best version of yourself.

SPEAKER_01 33:19

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 33:22

And in our world, it's sometimes counterintuitive in a transactional world, right?

unknown 33:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

And then, okay, so because we are still human, you are still human in these moments when you know you best serve people when you're when you're connected to them and in community, what helps you reconnect when you've lost yourself?

SPEAKER_01 33:43

What helps me reconnect when I've lost myself? I'd say it really is stillness. Like I keep going back to that. I have to take time to myself to recharge.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

And I feel like if I'm being pulled in different directions and pouring my energy into different cups, I can't pour into my own. So it always goes back to stillness and grounding myself and getting back to my morning routine. I was talking to my friend, she's a behavior health analyst. And I mentioned to her in Paris that I stick to my routine. Even when I'm on my menstrual cycle, it's a little harder because I'm a little more tired or fatigued. Yep. And she mentioned when I stick to my routine, that that she correlates that to me being at baseline. So when she mentioned that, I was like, okay, so baseline really means like grounded and having your foundation. So whenever I go days without my routine, I'm like, okay, I'm not balanced.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

I'm not at my baseline. Something is a little off here. So how can I get back to my baseline? Yeah. And then that's when I start my routine, and I'll I'll wake up in the morning, I'll breathe, I'll show gratitude, I'll pray, I'll do my breath work, I'll do my stretches, and I'll start my day around 9 a.m. Now I can sleep in a little bit. Slow days, slow days, yeah. Yes, good. It really helps me build that strong foundation so I can show up even better. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 35:31

You know, I'm thinking about where you always I maybe ask this, but I'm thinking about women. Let me get back to the point. I'm thinking about women who tell me they don't have the time to get still. And I'm thinking about that because women will say, Well, I don't have the time to be still. And it's making me think about when we get still, we're actually more aligned. I don't even want to say productive, but like we when we get still, then our whole day can be more aligned. So I would say we still get things done, but we get the most important things done that shift things. Does that resonate with you?

SPEAKER_01 36:09

Yes, it does. Because I used to be like that before this year. 2025 was me moving, moving, moving till I burned myself out. Yeah. I didn't know how to slow down. I just knew how to be on go at all times. I would slow down here and there, do my morning routine, but I was still on the next thing. How can I do this? How can I do that? What do I have to do here? What do I have to do there? Then I have to go to work, then I have to plan this event, then I have to travel here, then I have to speak here. So it was just about me realizing that, having awareness that I need to slow down. And when I realized that, I was like, okay, I'm actually burned out. And then I realized there was this sense of me also performing. I had to perform to be someone that I truly wasn't. And so I took a step back from social media, I took a step back from people, environments, texting. Like I would always text people back immediately right away. Now it's around two to three weeks before I can get back to someone. And it's not, it's not my fault, it's just my capacity. It's like I really want to reply to all these text messages I have, but then I get overwhelmed and overstimulated now. I understand. But previously, I would people please, and I text them back immediately, and that took a lot of energy. For sure.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

For sure. I completely get that because with technology, email, right? It causes us to always are we buy into this idea that we always have to be on and that it's respectful. It's like actually, what's what's really respectful is letting someone know like where my boundary is and not responding right away is saying, hey, I need time and space, and my capacity isn't such that I can just be on your beck and call all the time. And it was it was actually Dr. Ash who who had told me once, she's like, one email just creates another email, so like I'm not doing it, and I thought that was really wonderful advice.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

Like, oh yeah, okay, you know, yeah, like everything isn't urgent, everything is and and I've had to learn that just being in Paris, like plus I was on a different time zone, so I was nine hours ahead of LA and six hours ahead of Eastern time. Okay, so it was on a whole different time zone, and my body had to adjust, and communication it wasn't the best. It was just it was just tough, it was tough adjusting, and also before I moved to Paris, I changed my phone to the 24-hour format. Oh, okay, okay. So that really made me dismantle my sense of time. I dismantle my sense of time. Sometimes I don't even know what time it is. I don't know, like you know, you have to do the math, and sometimes I don't feel like doing the math, so I don't know what time it is. And it's like in America, we have the 12-hour format, and that shows you okay, I have 12 hours here, and then 12 hours, and you leave work, and then you get off around like five or six, and but you don't realize how many hours passed in the day. It's around 18 hours that passed in that day. So in Europe, they go by the 24-hour format. In America, we're like, oh, we have to work, work, work, but we don't realize that we've spent all this time working, yeah, sleeping and working, and then by the end of the day, you have a couple hours to yourself. So it made me dismantle my sense of time. And so now I just live in the present. And when people tell me a certain time, I'm just like, okay, let me let me try to do the math.

SPEAKER_02 40:20

Yeah, that is yeah, that's so interesting. I had never thought about how going to the 24-hour format would shift our thinking around time. Yes, that is so powerful because I think a lot about what is my relationship with time, how am I reacting to time, how am I treating time, and I don't want to see time as a resource. Yes. Yes, okay, so I know you're in the present moment, uh, but I'm wondering what is next for you? What feels like it's brewing for you?

SPEAKER_01 41:04

I really want to do more work in a WMBA space.

SPEAKER_02 41:07

Okay, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

I'm not exactly sure what that looks like. It could be through art, styling, design, breath work, mental health, recover. I could do all panels, speaking, the youth, anything with the WNBA I want to be a part of.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Amazing. Amazing. So, okay, so tell the audience because I follow you on social media, and so I watched a clip or two, a reel or two, around your painting that you've gone to a WMBA game. So tell our audience about it.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

Oh, it was so amazing. So when I flew to Paris, I knew I wanted to explore myself creatively and find my artistic abilities and style and direction that I wanted to go in. And I found it immediately. I thought it would have taken me a little more time, but that painting really showed me my style that I was looking for. So when I finished that painting, I posted it and I've had a lot of people reach out to me, one of them being a person who worked with the Las Vegas Aces.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 42:15

And he asked if I could ship two prints to him so he could give it to the players. And then he realized I was in LA at the time because I had to fly to LA, had an emergency appointment for my braces. So I had to go to LA and he realized I was in LA, and he's like, hey, can you actually give the prints to them yourself since you're here? So I was like, okay, well, I'll stay longer. And I stayed in LA, and then I had to get the prints made, fly to Phoenix, and I handed over eight prints to the players, the coaches, the staff, and it was during Black Success Night too. Yes! Look at God. Look at God. It was during Black Success Night, and it was just so amazing. It was a full circle moment because I didn't, I was questioning, you know, like why did I go to Paris? Like, did I just spend all this money investing myself? Like, you know, just trying to figure out why I do that. And then he DMs me. And I was like, oh, that's why. That's why. And it planted a seed for what I want to do with the WMBA. And I originally told my friend when I was in Paris, I said, Yeah, I want to come back to America and I want to do some work with the WMBA. And I literally did it.

SPEAKER_02 43:37

You did it, you did it a month later. Our words are powerful. They are. Our words are so powerful. I am with you on that. All right, I want to ask a couple rapid fire questions. Um so just one word response or a couple words. Okay, so a belief you've completely changed your mind about. Success. It didn't start with you by Mark Wolyn. Ooh, okay. What's one thing you're protecting in this season of your life?

SPEAKER_01 44:13

My peace.

SPEAKER_02 44:16

One place in the world that's changed you.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

Germany.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

Okay, fill in the blank. Success without blank isn't success.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Success without self.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

Ooh, I love that. Okay. Deja, if a woman is listening and feels successful on paper, but she feels disconnected from herself, what's one piece of wisdom you would give her today?

SPEAKER_01 44:45

One piece of wisdom I'd give her today. Unclinch her jaw, relax her shoulders, take a deep breath into the diaphragm, and repeat that over and over and over. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 45:02

Deja, you are such a gift. This is just the beginning. Thank you so much for the time.

SPEAKER_01 45:08

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 45:10

Success to soul. Yes, it was so lovely. Thank you. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

So that's it for today's episode of Success to Soul. Head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show. One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will win a chance to win a grand prize drawing of a value with $10,000 with Dr. Tanya herself. Be sure to visit successtoul.com to pick up a copy of your free gift. You can ask her any question you like in your voice, and she'll answer you back personally in her voice. Then join us on the next episode.