Every Friday I am going to feature a woman that I adore. They exude all the qualities of an Alpha Female and I want to dig into their lives to get some nuggets of knowledge to help us all live happier, healthier lives balancing life & work.
Definition of an Alpha Female
An Alpha Female is a powerful and assertive woman. Her confidence is due to being an intelligent and intellectual problem-solver. Being an Alpha Female is a State of Mind based on choosing ambition and being proud of it. She strives for a happy and healthy work/life harmony.
Type A Alpha Females often come across as strong willed and selfish. When we stay true to our authentic selves and stay true to our mission we shine. A true Alpha Female puts the needs of herself first without sacrificing her principles or dignity. She fills up her cup or gas tank first so that she has enough energy for her friends, family, and coworkers. She strives for synergy with the world around her. She wants a perfect work/life balance but knows that it requires being true to your priorities and what makes you happy. She is never complacent about striving for better and nurtures relationships with the people in her life.
Meet Ekaterina (Kate Solo) Solovieva!
SOLO is a blogger, extreme endurance and obstacle racer, traveler and health coach.
She was born in Siberia, Russia, and immigrated to Canada as a teenager. Fascinated by all things human behavior, she has earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology, and went on to teach psychology at college and university level. For her full story you can check out her website , Twitter or Facebook.
How are you an Alpha Female?
I think others may consider me an alpha female. And I meet many of the criteria in your definition, but I do not identify with that label.
Alpha implies an ordering. It’s the first letter in the alphabet. The term “alpha” comes with a certain connotation of a position in social hierarchy. I am simply ONE of many letters.
What does work/life harmony look like for you?
Work/life harmony. I have really struggled with this question. Perhaps, because I do not distinguish between my work and my life. My work is my life. And my life is my work.
What are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about learning. The transition from knowledge to knowing. Continuous evolution. Becoming a better human being.
What are you daily health habits that keep your immune system boosted?
I think of certain habits that keep me healthy. There isn’t really any research to suggest that particular lifestyle choices can selectively enhance one bodily system, and not another. So, the habits that I know keep the whole me healthy Things like I know I need certain things in my life, because if I don’t get them, I get cranky. Sleep, movement, writing.
Sleep. I wake up without an alarm. The flexible working schedule has probably been one of the best things I have ever done. Movement practice. I move every day. If I do not, I feel it. If I do not write, I get cranky.
What is your weekly fitness routine like?
Right now, I do three to four strength workouts a week, two Olympic lifting workouts a week, walk/run on trails for active recovery and throw in an occasional hot yoga class.
How do you challenge yourself fitness wise?
I am usually working on at least one fitness or race goal from my bucket list. Right now I am working on a 100lb snatch with my Olympic lifting coach.
What are you daily/weekly nutrition habits that keep you well nourished?
None of my nutrition habits are new or groundbreaking. It’s the same stuff that we already know works. I am not a heavy meal prepper – mostly, because I have commitment issues. It is very anxiety inducing for me to commit to a specific Thursday lunch on a Sunday evening. However, having an idea of couple of things I may want to cook that week, and making sure I have ingredients on hand is very helpful.
What are your daily habits for winding down at night and reducing stress?
I like to read in bed. I notice that being glued to some sort of screen before I go to bed, or even IN bed, riles me up, and then I feel like I have a freight train running through my head.
The fact that I LIKE to read in bed, doesn’t mean that I actually manage to do it often. I fall asleep quickly and easily most nights, so I rarely last more than few minutes with a book.
What are some main points of being an Alpha Female that you have to problem solve for? Whether it be how people perceive your personality, or managing ourselves – for example the amount of things we do, etc.
Caring what others think. Caring about others’ opinions has been the bane of my existence, and will probably always be to some extent. Research suggests (nerd alert!) that things like self-monitoring, need for social approval and validation are stable character traits. So, it is likely that my Lisa Simpson syndrome is here to stay. I care about what you think of me. However, I (finally) care what I think of me more. It’s this last part that took me a long time to arrive at. It comes down to the fundamental belief that you are GOOD and WORTHY as a human being. That you are “worth it” like in that L’Oreal commercial. Or that you deserve it, whatever IT is. I work with women who struggle with overeating, and there is often this sentiment running through our heads. “I work hard, damn it. I deserve this cookie!” The issue is that of course I deserve that cookie. I deserve all the cookies in the world. And if I truly believe that fact, then I do not need to eat it to prove it to myself. I just… KNOW.
What is your definition of happiness?
Serving others.
It is such a freaking cliche, and I hate cliches. But I am also realizing that sometimes “cliche” is just another word for “universal truth”. And serving others can be achieved in million ways. I am not a caregiver or caretaker. It’s not part of my unique talent set. So, realizing that I can serve others by continuing to learn, continuing to pursue my goals has been very liberating to me. I do not need to quit my job, join Habitat for Humanity, start building schools in Africa and avoid all earthly pleasures in order to serve others. Give me a hammer and some nails, and you have an accident waiting to happen. Rather, I can continue doing the things that I love and that I am good at.
I am a good coach. I am a good writer. That’s how I can serve others.
Pleasure and meaning are not mutually exclusive.
Pleasant life, engaged life, meaningful life.
Hedonistic pursuits. Doesn’t feed itself.
Serving others.
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