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.
She is the brightest star in her constellation. When an Alpha Female stays true to their authentic selves and their missions they shine. An Alpha Female puts herself first so that she can fill up her cup and then have more energy for her friends, family, and coworkers. She strives for synergy with the world around her. She knows that work/life harmony is found by staying true to your priorities and what makes you happy. She is never complacent about striving for better and nurtures relationships with all the people in her life.
Meet Lisa Van Ahn!
Lisa Van Ahn is a professional boxer and kickboxer. She found her way to the sport after years of trauma and being victimized. She used kickboxing as an escape but soon after starting tapped into her strength and realized her value and worth in the world.
She realized there were many things she didn’t have the opportunity to learn as a young girl to ensure her safety so she created the I AM Initiative; a confidence building curriculum girls and young women. The purpose is to teach the necessity of self-love in relationship to personal safety. Through dynamic movement and engagement, Lisa’s workshops teach the “rules” of self-protection, including self-compassion, trusting your “gut”, and creating positive change in the world.
Lisa is passionate about teaching girls the principles she didn’t have the opportunity to learn until later in life. It is her deepest desire to give these young women the tools to be strong, in middle school, high school, college and beyond so they are able to confidently overcome the obstacles they encounter throughout their life.
Kickstarter: http://www.bit.ly/iameverygirl
Website: http://www.lisavanahn.com
How are you an Alpha Female?
I’m unapologetic about my level of confidence. I look first to myself for answers and then connect with my support system for feedback and input.
What does work/life harmony look like for you?
It changes at different times in my life. To me, the harmony is listening to where my soul is calling me to spend the most time. At times this is with work, other times it’s with family, I always maintain a small amount of time to connect with myself and practice self-love no matter what.
What are you most passionate about?
Working with girls to teach them self-love, confidence, and self-protection. Helping rescue girls from trafficking and play an important in their recovery and remembering of self-worth.
What are you daily health habits that keep your immune system boosted?
Meditation, Movement, Music, and Mindfulness. I spend at least 10 minutes daily in meditation. I play a song of the day and dance it out to that song every morning. I check in often during my day to notice my thoughts and feelings.
What is your weekly fitness routine like?
I typically spend 1-2 hours kickboxing each week. I also lift once a week and do 2 short 15-minute HIIT workouts. I do a little bit of yoga and I work really hard to get outside and walk, run stairs, rollerblade, or swim (in the summers) every day. Moving my body outside feels the best to my health.
How do you challenge yourself fitness wise?
The last 2 years I’ve trained and competed on American Ninja Warrior. I love taking on a competition or challenge to help me push myself to the next level
What are you daily/weekly nutrition habits that keep you well nourished?
I love dynamic greens, I use Isagenix shakes and products to keep my nutritional health strong and I eat well 80% of the time. My best habit is listening to my body and eating what I know I’ll feel good about eating later. I believe there are 3 options to choose with nutrition.
- I’m going to eat this now and feel good about it and also feel good later (The best choice)
- I’m going to eat this now and feel unexcited about it but feel good later (second best choice)
- I’m going to eat this now but I’ll feel bad about it later (last resort choice)
What are your daily habits for winding down at night and reducing stress?
I love listening to podcasts, mellow music, or watching something funny. I struggle with sleep sometimes and I always find it helpful to have a cup of tea before bed. The ritual of heating the water and prepping the tea is very relaxing and cathartic.
What are some pain points of being an Alpha Female that you have to problem solve for?
It can be difficult to be more confident than other people. You can be perceived as full of yourself. As an Alpha Female, I take whole responsibility for my life. It’s frustrating sometimes to interact with people who want to victimize themselves and not judge them or make them wrong for who they are choosing to be in the world.
What is your definition of happiness?
Being present. Living in the moment and spending most of your time living the qualities of Love, Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Awe.