Rachel Fiori Of Masters of Self University: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
… Warriors, on the other hand, never stop no matter how difficult things become. They realize that challenges are meant for their own expansion so they can level up in their lives. It’s no different when it comes to running corporations. When there are problems and turbulent times with your corporation, you are being challenged to uplevel into a more powerful person, so you can take your corporation to new heights.
As a part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Fiori.
Rachel Fiori MSOT, CEO of Masters of Self University, is a Mystical Therapist & Elite Coach for High Profile People & Couples. She is the lead Mystical Professor teaching the Mystical Life Coach Certification program.
With a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy, (specializing in mental, emotional, & behavioral health), a BA in Business/Corporate Communications, a Psychic-Intuitive-Empath, and as an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), Rachel has spent the past 23 years empowering individuals, coaches, and high profile people across the world to heal their lives and relationships at the soul level.
Rachel masterfully utilizes the principles of Spiritual Psychology, as well as her gift of Divine Sight with her clients. She has the ability to perceive the unperceivable, and can see the deep truth of any situation which makes her the best in her field at doing “shadow work”. Her genius is the ability to “See” the root causes of all of your struggles. What she has the ability to see and show within a person or their relationship can change the consciousness of that person and elevate them to the status of fully healed, whole, and free.
Rachel’s wisdom of transformational healing, her methods, and her reputation are unprecedented. She is a Radical Spiritual Teacher here to lead us into the New Golden Age of Harmony, and someone the world desperately needs right now.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My soul came into this world with one massive mission. My parents divorced while I was a toddler. My older sister and I went to live with my grandparents for a couple of years. My father died one week after my fifth birthday. I shortly after was forced to grow up with a mentally ill, very abusive stepfather. No human had the slightest clue what it meant to be a highly sensitive person, (HSP). That term didn’t even get birthed until I was graduating from college. I grew up always having psychic abilities, was extremely empathic, extraordinarily sensitive to subtle energies, but felt like I was the main character in The Sixth Sense. It just felt like no one could relate to me or understand me. I was often invisible in a room full of people. I was far from supported or nurtured. In fact, I was abused and constantly criticized and put down for simply being me. I felt completely invisible and like I didn’t belong on this earth. The mental, emotional, psychological, and sometimes physical abuse that I received at the hand of my step-dad, who I referred to as “step-dick” growing up, was really what shoved me in the direction I needed to go in to complete my soul mission on this planet. I vowed to myself while heading off to college to understand the mental, emotional, and unhealed trauma-based programming that would allow someone like that to abuse a sensitive, peaceful and loving child like myself. I vowed to stop at nothing to heal myself and all of the harmful effects that being raised like that had on me. I refused to be a statistic. And I refused to be a victim.
Statistically, a girl raised the way I had been raised would likely lead to drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, dabbling as a stripper or prostitute, and having babies in her teens or early twenties as she moved through abusive young men trying to find the love that she never got as a child.
F*** THAT.
My childhood was bad enough. I wasn’t about to screw up the rest of my life because of one abusive man and a non-supportive, wounded-femnine, disengaged mother.
No one was going to “save me” but me. No one was going to heal myself and step into my true, authentic power but me. No one can do that shit for you. Nor should they. So my “backstory” was what put me on my path of devotion to myself; to stop at absolutely nothing to fully and completely heal myself at the deepest level. I’m not a fucking victim. And I wasn’t about to walk through this life experience as “Rachel-the-victim”. So I healed myself. And I dedicated my entire adult life to creating the framework and coaching programs so that others can achieve the same level of emotional freedom and self-empowerment that I have.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I didn’t even officially “launch” my corporation, Masters of Self University before it began to explode into a rapidly growing company. MSU has a global mission to change human consciousness. This is a massive mission that my soul has embarked on. It requires a tremendous amount of work, effort, continuous self-growth, and energetic, spiritual expansion on my part as the founder, CEO, and leader of this global mission. It’s not easy. But it’s definitely worth it. Having said that, I am very grateful for my partner, Chris. As I became more and more successful, and as Masters of Self University launched into rapid growth, Chris stepped up and took over most of the household responsibilities, like cooking and grocery shopping. He stepped up as a real man to support me in making my life easier while I devote myself to my soul’s mission. He honors my role in healing, teaching, and empowering others. And part of his honoring of that is to support me as much as he can at home. For that, I am forever grateful to him.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
The vision of Masters of Self University is to raise the level of consciousness in all of humanity. Our purpose is to heal people at the root causes of their suffering. This includes all aspects of their lives, their relationships, their careers, and even their businesses/corporations.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
No. I’ve never considered giving up. Of course, I’ve had days where I felt like throwing in the towel. But I have never actually considered giving up my soul’s purpose for this lifetime. No matter how challenging things got or how turbulent things were, giving up was never an option for me. Giving up is the only true form of failure. Difficult times or during times of struggle, are just moments that I know I am being challenged to expand spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Giving up just doesn’t even get put on my radar.
My soul sustains my drive. My soul drives me to help people in the deepest and most profound ways. And I will never fail at what my soul wants me to accomplish. Many people try to achieve goals and become successful based on ego. When it comes from ego, you’ll always need a reason outside of yourself to motivate yourself to keep going. Motivation comes from others, or from things outside of yourself. And motivation gets depleted and goes away.
But when you come from your soul, it’s completely different. It’s more peaceful. There’s a Knowing of what you must do. The inspiration comes from within. Everything you do is then fulfilling and uplifting to your soul. And it’s always there. Soul inspiration never goes away because it comes from the deepest inner you that exists.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
To walk your talk. To be, not an example, but the example. To be grounded in presence, responsibility, and patience. And probably most importantly of all, is to validate everyone else’s feelings and emotional struggles. People aren’t robots. They’re going to have fears, stress and worry. Validate that and create the emotional safety and spaciousness for them to move through their emotional challenges throughout the workday.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
This question alone is rooted in the old, third-dimensional paradigm that power and motivation must come from someone outside of ourselves. I’m not here to boost anyone’s morale. That’s a superficial, surface-level approach to a more deeply rooted problem. How I lead at Masters of Self University is to address, in real-time, what fear or disempowerment programs are being triggered by any situation. This means, to raise an acute level of self-awareness for all individuals involved. We ask ourselves, “What programs am I running?” Then we see what programs this current situation has triggered within oneself. Whether it’s fear, worry, anger, frustration, depression, or hopelessness, matters not. Whatever the program is, each person drops into their heart center, connects to their own higher soul or divinity, and grows the power of their Light. Every single person at Masters of Self University learns to see their unhealed wounds and programs and learns how to bring the Love and Light that they are to them when they get activated. The vibrational frequency of Love, in the form of our Light, transmutes the lower energies of fear or whatever emotional pain gets activated.
So how do I inspire? I remind them that they are powerful and capable of healing their fear-based programs with the power of their Light that each person has within themselves. I then energetically support and guide them in real-time to do this. This is a level of divine engagement with team members. It also turns the workplace into a sanctuary of transformational healing.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
By being 100% honest and transparent. It’s okay to tell your team members, “this may be triggering, so before I share what I’m going to share, let’s all drop into our heart centers, grow the power of our Light and commit to staying in our heart centers while we deal with this issue.” When you are anchored into heart-centeredness, it’s impossible not to be patient, compassionate, and forgiving. It’s impossible not to get inspired with incredible solutions because divine Wisdom only flows through people who are fully present in their hearts. This practice unites each individual to their own divinity as well as with each other. This level of divine Connection is what brings loving and powerful solutions to scary and difficult situations.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
Simple. By mastering the Way of Presence.
Only weak people constantly try to control their environment, situations, and people in order to feel stable and safe. Powerful people have stability anchored within themselves. The Way of Presence is stability even when the future is not.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
The leader/s must have a high emotional IQ. A high level of emotional resilience is what creates the power of stability throughout the corporation. Having a leader who can’t handle the pressure of turbulent times is like having an ER doctor scream at the sight of blood. You wouldn’t feel too confident in the doctor, or the hospital if that were the case. Leaders of corporations are no different. So if the company is experiencing trauma and bleeding out, the leaders must be masters of the divine characters of Surrender and Presence. It’s what will allow the rest of the corporation to feel that they are in safe hands.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
- They stress out by overthinking and worrying about the future. They are trapped in mind.
- Being trapped in the mind creates more stress, fear, and worry. It decreases your ability to find powerful solutions. When trapped in the mind, you try to force solutions. If you are instead very grounded, and anchored into your heart-centeredness, solutions will be given to you by the universe. You are only tapped into universal wisdom when connected to your heart center. You are disconnected from universal wisdom when you are trapped in your egoic mind. The future of successful businesses will reflect an integration of soul wisdom leading the charge with practical solutions to support the soul or universal wisdom that is offered.
2. They selfishly refuse to consider cutting expenses by cutting salaries of the CEOs or highest paid members of the business.
- We have been negatively conditioned to live in a selfish, individualistic society. People seem to only be concerned with how things affect them, individually. Instead of jumping to laying people off during extreme times, you could cut the highest-paid people’s salaries by 20% to 50% in order to save others’ job positions. When you selflessly consider others’ financial safety and security, you’re making choices that reflect selflessness, compassion, and Oneness. Sometimes the founders, board of directors, CEOs, Presidents, and executive management need to sacrifice for the benefit of the whole. Imagine if a billionaire entrepreneur cut their salary in half for just one year in order to save employees’ jobs during turbulent times. I wish I saw less greed and more divine characteristics of Oneness in business relationships and from corporate management.
3. They only communicate or problem-solve with the corporate members.
- You may need to discuss issues and problem-solve with your core executive members, but it’s essential to bring the rest of the team and corporation together and allow for communication exchanges to take place. Other employees need the opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions, as well as have a safe space to work through some of their fears or concerns. The more you can practically include them in the process, the more you’re showing that you value what they think and how they feel. You’re valuing them as human beings.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
The number one priority is to be the absolute best in the industry. Period. During turbulent times the people who can’t deliver impeccable services are the ones who are going to lose their businesses. Prior to forming my corporation, Masters of Self University, I worked for myself as a Mystical Therapist and Coach. I have had close to zero social media presence. When I finally got a website, it was a pretty crappy one. I paid for absolutely no marketing. And yet, I always had clients. How? Because I’m the absolute best in transformational healing that you can experience. And because of that, word-of-mouth referrals were the only way I needed to market at the time.
Because of my level of integrity, authenticity, and expertise, I always had word-of-mouth referrals. Always. My clients spread the word that I’m the best money can buy. You can’t get better referrals than that. During turbulent times as a solo entrepreneur, I lowered prices for dedicated clients that would not be able to continue to afford me otherwise. And I got flooded with clients simply because, now that people were desperate, they were looking for someone who could finally and legitimately heal them. My reputation is what kept me afloat and what continued to fuel my business.
Since I started Masters of Self University, all of my employees and Certified Mystical Life Coaches get trained on the top two rules that this corporation is based on. Number one: we function from the highest level of integrity, authenticity, and expertise. And number two: money is never. . . and I mean never our number one priority. Our number one priority is to change people’s lives in profound ways and to deliver the level of coaching and guidance that creates that ultimate result. We deliver profound results and we’re the best in the business at what we do.
I brought what I’ve achieved as an individual to the framework of how we function at MSU. When you are the real deal; when you are the best and you deliver services with the highest quality and level of integrity, you will make it through tough times. People clearly see what our coaches are all about and the high quality that we deliver. The reputation that I have personally built, and the reputation that my coaches at MSU continue to uphold and expand upon, are what allow us to persevere through very challenging times. Showing up as the divine characteristics of Presence and Trust in the universe is what allows an individual and even an entire organization to move through challenging times with Grace.
BullS***, manipulative marketing strategies that over-promise and under-deliver are going to come back and bite a company in the ass. Especially during turbulent times. But when you build your business on the principles of authenticity, integrity, and expertise, you never have to use manipulative marketing tactics to trick people into paying for your services. That’s what creates clients that are not only devoted and happy to pay your well-earned prices but who will shout from the rooftops to whoever will listen about how amazing you are. That credibility always boosts whatever honest marketing strategies that you use. It creates loyalty from customers. And it makes your soul sing.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are at least five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Engage in our Corporate Harmony Coaching Program to address mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health and wellness.
- Gone are the days when we psychotically separate mental and emotional health from our careers. Careers have the highest level of impact on mental, emotional, and even relationship health. So why the hell have we compartmentalized it so much from our emotional well-being? It makes no sense. At Masters of Self University, we offer a corporate coaching program that transforms the work environment into an authentically healing environment. I’ve created this because that’s the way it should be. The impact of having healthy, highly conscious employees creates the impact of having a healthy, highly conscious business organization. Everyone wins. Individual employees heal. The organization up-levels in a healthy way. And that healthy, highly conscious organization goes on to have a powerful impact on mental and emotional health in the world, no matter what product or service they offer.
- When you adopt this practice, it creates ease and Grace for the entire corporation to move through turbulent and uncertain times.
2. Eliminate fear-based thinking and demonstrate this through leading by example.
- Fear-based thinking creates stress, worry, and scarcity. And we manifest what we are, not what we want. So learning how to transform fear-based thinking in real-time with your staff and employees is a very powerful way to move through uncertain times.
3. Honesty and Transparency!
- Communicate every step of the way with honesty and transparency. This is not just your responsibility, but it demonstrates respectful treatment and consideration for how your employees are being impacted.
4. Embrace change.
- Stop resisting change. People need to be reminded that turbulent times are simply the universe’s way to challenge us to change, evolve and grow. Turbulent times are temporary, but our growth never is. So in the short term, we are being challenged to evolve. So evolve. This includes evolving the company in a way that you never would’ve planned on prior to this challenging time. So let go of the stubborn resistance to change, and evolve the company.
5. Be the role model of what emotional resilience is.
- If you’re freaking out, stressing out, and taking that stress out on your employees, that’s a reflection of your low emotional IQ. Grow up. It’s time to mature out of childish ways of how you show up in life when things get hard. This never means suppressing emotions. It means expressing them and moving through them in emotionally mature, healthy ways. And creating spaciousness and safety for the people that work with and for you to do the same. Children don’t have the capacity to run corporations. Especially when things get challenging. So stop acting like a child and be the emotionally and mentally mature adult that your company and employees need you to be.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Weak people don’t heal. Only warriors heal.” ~Rachel Fiori
Weak people feel like they can’t do it. Weak people give up. Weak people quit and walk away when things get hard.
Warriors, on the other hand, never stop no matter how difficult things become. They realize that challenges are meant for their own expansion so they can level up in their lives. It’s no different when it comes to running corporations. When there are problems and turbulent times with your corporation, you are being challenged to uplevel into a more powerful person, so you can take your corporation to new heights.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Instagram: @rachel_fiori
Tik Tok: @rachel_fiori
Facebook: rachelfiori_MSU
Website: www.MastersofSelfUniversity.com
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Rachel Fiori Of Masters of Self University: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
