Financial Freedom on Her Own Terms
“Everyone kept telling me I was crazy to leave my well-paid, post-PhD corporate job, but I knew I had to ‘burn the ships’ to become the woman I always wanted to be.”
With two Master’s Degrees and a PhD under her belt, 26-year-old Daria Zest was working a high profile job in HR Leadership Development at a Fortune 500 company. Waking up at 7:30 am to her alarm ringing, riding a crowded train to work and then spending the whole day anxiously watching the clock, waiting for another day to be over, was her norm.
“Waking up at 7:30 am to her alarm ringing, riding a crowded train to work and then spending the whole day anxiously watching the clock, waiting for another day to be over, was her norm.”
Along with listening to inspiring podcasts on her commute and dreaming of a more glamorous lifestyle, lunch was Daria’s only escape. “I’d take my laptop to a nearby cafe and immerse myself in working on my coaching business. I’d always avoid my colleagues because they didn’t get my ‘big why’ in life. Most of the time I felt like I didn’t fit in. The sterile corporate environment was driving me nuts!”
For her first nine months as an online coach, Daria was selling $47 sessions and taking discovery calls from her bathroom floor—the only quiet place in her apartment—only to hear no again and again. The frustrating side-hustle was burning her out, friends were telling her she’d never make it as a 
coach and she wasn’t turning a profit. But instead of calling it quits, Daria committed to her dreams like her life depended on it.
“Instead of calling it quits, Daria committed to her dreams like her life depended on it.”
“Before I signed up for the Divine Living Academy, I was playing the guessing game, taking dozens of free webinars and hoping to succeed one day. Just 20 days into enrolling in Gina’s Academy, I jumped to my first $10K month. It taught me not only a strong business and marketing foundation, but also the importance of mindset, wealth consciousness and unapologetically claiming what we truly desire as women.”
“She grew up thinking that luxury was ‘for other people.’”
Part of the problem had been that up until that point, Daria’s money story never fully allowed her to go after her dreams. She grew up thinking that luxury was “for other people” and had developed the belief that a life of wealth, creativity, freedom and travel was simply unavailable to her. She thought difficult, tiresome work at her desk was the only path to any level of success and was afraid to invest in herself beyond pursuing degrees.
Soon after joining the Academy, Daria transformed her fear of lack, up-leveled her confidence and started selling high-impact high-end packages to her ideal clients. Within a month she quit her job and never looked back. “I’m so glad I followed my heart. I’m now making monthly what I used to make in a year and finally living the life of my dreams—my signature life. I know now that everything I desire to experience is possible if I make it a non-negotiable and commit to learning the fastest and the smartest way to get there.”
“Within a month she quit her job and never looked back.”
These days you’ll find this chic young entrepreneur traveling the world, running her business from her laptop and working with ambitious women who are ready to set themselves free from the nine-to-five grind and go from good to extraordinary. She even inspired her husband to quit his own job so they could work and travel together. Over the past six months their adventures have taken them to Paris, LA, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New York, Mykonos, Miami and Florence.
Wondering where your signature life might take you? If you’re ready to discover the path to your biggest desires, check out Daria’s three tips for creating your own signature life below.
Top Three Tips
for Creating a Signature Life & Business
is a Recipe for Boring
I believe if your dreams don’t scare you, you don’t dream big enough. I had to leave my home, my family and friends and move to another part of the world to live my dream life. A signature life starts with you being ready to step into the more courageous and bolder version of yourself. We’ve got to bet on ourselves to win. Joseph Campbell said the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. We all have that big decision we know we need to make, but we keep postponing it as if we’ll live forever. It all comes down to knowing what you want and going for it no matter what others say. And the more surreal it sounds, the better. Because what challenges you, makes you grow. And in the end it’s not about what you get, but who you become in the process. So pop some bubbly and unleash that illogical wild woman inside of you to claim your life back!
When I was leaving my post-PhD work at a big Fortune 500 company to build my own business, I remember my boss saying to me “Make sure you realize what you’re letting go of.” And I remember thinking “Well, I’ve got nothing to lose but my whole life to win.” I believe to really live our signature life on our own terms we need to burn the ships and just make that leap of faith. It was that fearless letting go of anything that was not serving my highest desires and goals that helped me to build a business I adore and live a life I’m proud of. It’s important to remember that everything has a price and while we might be saving on that next leap of faith we’re getting ourselves into a big debt of an un-lived life. So if you want to fly high, you’ve always got to jump first!
I always say there is no “one way” to business success. To make this business a joyful ride, we need to build it having a higher sense of self and sticking to our signature way of doing things. Getting really clear on your signature terms and conditions of life is as important as setting up your legal contracts. Knowing what you’re not available for, what business model will make you happy and what lights you up in marketing is key to having a thriving business in the long run. Owning what makes you unique and making it your signature element in your business and brand will most likely give you the highest ROI pretty fast. We all need to channel our inner flamingos and own our extraordinary in life and business! In doing this however it’s important to remember that money does not come first and lowering your standard of living to the level of your income is not the right way to go. So make your dreams a priority until they become your reality!
Top Three Tips
for Creating a Signature Life & Business
is a Recipe for Boring
I believe if your dreams don’t scare you, you don’t dream big enough. I had to leave my home, my family and friends and move to another part of the world to live my dream life. A signature life starts with you being ready to step into the more courageous and bolder version of yourself. We’ve got to bet on ourselves to win. Joseph Campbell said the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. We all have that big decision we know we need to make, but we keep postponing it as if we’ll live forever. It all comes down to knowing what you want and going for it no matter what others say. And the more surreal it sounds, the better. Because what challenges you, makes you grow. And in the end it’s not about what you get, but who you become in the process. So pop some bubbly and unleash that illogical wild woman inside of you to claim your life back!
When I was leaving my post-PhD work at a big Fortune 500 company to build my own business, I remember my boss saying to me “Make sure you realize what you’re letting go of.” And I remember thinking “Well, I’ve got nothing to lose but my whole life to win.” I believe to really live our signature life on our own terms we need to burn the ships and just make that leap of faith. It was that fearless letting go of anything that was not serving my highest desires and goals that helped me to build a business I adore and live a life I’m proud of. It’s important to remember that everything has a price and while we might be saving on that next leap of faith we’re getting ourselves into a big debt of an un-lived life. So if you want to fly high, you’ve always got to jump first!
Every Single Day
I always say there is no “one way” to business success. To make this business a joyful ride, we need to build it having a higher sense of self and sticking to our signature way of doing things. Getting really clear on your signature terms and conditions of life is as important as setting up your legal contracts. Knowing what you’re not available for, what business model will make you happy and what lights you up in marketing is key to having a thriving business in the long run. Owning what makes you unique and making it your signature element in your business and brand will most likely give you the highest ROI pretty fast. We all need to channel our inner flamingos and own our extraordinary in life and business! In doing this however it’s important to remember that money does not come first and lowering your standard of living to the level of your income is not the right way to go. So make your dreams a priority until they become your reality!
For more from Daria Zest, visit: dariazest
