How to Be the Creative Director of Your Own Life

If you have ever felt stuck in “survival mode,” this is for you.

On an episode of Evoke Greatness, I sat down with host Sonnie to talk about reinvention, habit change, money mindset, and the identity shifts that actually move your life forward.

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Not vague “just think positive” stuff, but the real work: the choices that get made when no one is watching.

This conversation covered how I went from scraping by after university to building an online business with a newborn on my lap, plus the mindset shifts that helped me stop waiting around for rescue and start designing my own future on purpose.

The turning point that changed everything

In my book, Glow Up Yourself, I told the story of how, after university, I did what a lot of young adults do. I made a lot of mistakes. I had no budget. I was not tracking spending. I felt hopeless and frustrated that I could not land the “right” job with my degree. I worked side gigs, waitressed, and kept grinding, but I could tell it was not a sustainable path.

I tried different business ideas too, dropshipping, random online things, none of it really stuck.

Then I got pregnant.

That was the moment I stopped treating my life like a “figure it out later” project. It was not just about me anymore. I had to make a serious plan, set goals, and take responsibility for a tiny human. I started my business shortly after my son was born and grew it while he was a newborn in my lap.

Today, I also run an M&A marketplace where content creators and investors buy and sell digital businesses. That is where I found a passion that surprised me: the world of digital assets and deal-making.

Reinvention starts when you shed what no longer fits

Sunny asked a powerful question: what beliefs or habits did I have to shed before the first real transformation could begin?

My answer was simple and honest.

The biggest change started before pregnancy: I quit drinking.

In my twenties, drinking felt normal. Pub culture. Working in a bar. Social life built around it. But I could feel it pulling my life in the wrong direction. If I wanted to get ahead, it had to go.

From there, the next shifts were smaller, but they stacked.

• Stop sleeping in until late morning
• Start waking up earlier, inch by inch
• Build routines that support the life you want

Eventually, I became someone who loves getting up at 5 a.m. because that time gives me quiet momentum for my own projects.

The important part is this: habits do not change your life once or twice. They change your life through repetition. The more you practice a new behavior, the more natural it becomes.

Also, you do not need to hate your past self to evolve. That version of you survived. She got you here. You can honor her without continuing to live like her.

Habit stacking is the glow-up shortcut

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was how clearly habit stacking showed up.

When you quit drinking, waking up earlier gets easier. When you wake up earlier, a strong morning routine becomes more realistic. When your mornings get better, your days get better. Then your confidence grows because you start trusting yourself.

That trust is a big deal.

When you keep promises to yourself, even small ones, you start thinking, “If I can do this… what else can I do?”

That mindset often spreads into other areas, eating better, moving your body, taking care of your home, creating better boundaries, making smarter money decisions.

I shared a few realistic examples:

• Eating more vegetables, meal prepping, making small changes that stick
• Moving more in a low-effort way, like walking while working
• Using a walking treadmill under a desk to knock out emails and movement at the same time

These are not “perfect lifestyle” rules. They are practical upgrades that compound.

Identity-based change is the part most people skip

In my book Glow Up Yourself, I talk a lot about rebuilding identity, not just circumstances.

Here is what that means in real life.

If your goal is to work out more, you will struggle if your internal story is:
“I hate the gym. I have to do this. This sucks.”

Identity-based change flips the script:
“I am the kind of person who moves every day.”

If you want to write a book, you stop treating writing like a punishment and start thinking like an author:
“I am an author. Writing is what I do.”

This is not delusion. This is brain training.

Your brain pays attention to what you repeatedly think and say about yourself. If you pair those thoughts with action, your identity begins to shift. You start keeping your word to yourself. That creates belief, and belief creates follow-through.

I shared a personal example from quitting drinking. At first, I literally told myself something that was not true:
“I do not like alcohol.”

I repeated it enough that my brain accepted it. And eventually, it became true. Saying “no thanks” stopped feeling like willpower. It became normal.

A simple psychology trick for hard moments

Sonnie mentioned that she once heard Lewis Howes share this idea: “when something feels hard, smile.” So she tried it on a part of a hike she always dreaded, a steep incline that used to make her anxious before she even reached it. She started smiling while I climbed.

“A weird thing happened after enough repetitions: I stopped dreading that part of the trail.”

Your brain struggles to fully commit to “this is awful” while your body is sending a “this is safe” signal like smiling. It disrupts the dread loop. You can use it for anything hard, workouts, uncomfortable conversations, tedious tasks, the tax stuff you keep avoiding.

“No one is coming to save you” is not harsh, it is freeing

This is a core theme in my work, and Sunny asked about the difference between true self-reliance and temporary motivation.

Here is the truth: motivation fades. Self-reliance is built.

No one is going to wake you up and make you write the manuscript. No one is going to force you to go to the gym. No one is going to magically fix your money situation. For most of us, there is no fairy godmother and no rich benefactor.

So the moment you stop waiting for rescue is the moment you reclaim your power. You become the person on your own rescue mission. And that is when everything becomes possible, because you stop asking for permission.

The “Creative Director” framework: 4 roles that help you design your life

I shared a framework I love because it makes personal growth feel actionable, not abstract.

Think of yourself as the creative director of your life. When you want a “life upgrade,” you can move through four roles:

1) The Visionary

This version of you sets the concept for your next season.

• What am I creating right now?
• What do I want to achieve?
• What needs to change to get there?

2) The Editor

This version removes what does not fit the vision anymore.

• Habits that are not working
• Environments that keep you stuck
• People who drain your energy or pull you backward

Not everyone gets to come with you. Some people get access in smaller doses. That is part of growth.

3) The Producer

This version makes the plan real with systems, structure, and resources.

• What money needs to be allocated to support this goal?
• What tools or support make this easier?
• What routines and systems keep this sustainable?

Producers fund projects and build logistics. Your life goals need that too.

4) The Talent

This is the version of you who shows up daily and lives it.

Not just dreaming, not just planning, but doing the work like it is normal. The talent embodies the identity.

Shifting from survival mode into a mindset of wealth and possibility

One of the earliest shifts I made was simply believing wealth was possible for me.

I did not come from money. I grew up with a single mom. We got by, and I had a good childhood, but financial literacy was not part of it. I had to learn everything later, on my own.

The habit that helped most was also one many people avoid: looking at my finances regularly without shame.

• Checking my bank account often
• Tracking spending
• Cutting expenses
• Watching small improvements add up

I used a basic spreadsheet. Nothing fancy. But seeing the numbers move, even slowly, helped me believe I could build wealth.

That belief changed everything because it made me more open to opportunities. I started trying ideas without making it a huge dramatic thing. I tested, learned, adjusted, kept moving.

Sonnie shared a similar experience, gamifying savings and turning money into something empowering instead of stressful. That is the point: your relationship with money can be rebuilt. It is not fixed forever.

If you want to start your own reinvention, try this today

Here are a few simple starting points pulled directly from this conversation:

• Write out the version of your life you want, pen to paper. Treat it like a script you are designing.
• Choose one habit to remove that is actively keeping you stuck.
• Pick one small habit to add that makes the next habit easier.
• Practice identity language that matches your goal, then back it up with action.
• Do a quick “Creative Director” audit: visionary, editor, producer, talent.

You do not need a perfect plan. You need a direction and a willingness to keep showing up.

Closing thought

Reinvention is a series of choices. You can rebuild after a setback. You can change your habits. You can shift your identity.

You can learn money skills that were never taught to you. You can become the creative director of your life and start editing in a future you actually want to live. And you can start from nothing.

Follow along on Instagram!