Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Shoja.
Ellie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m not new to entrepreneurship. In fact, I started my first business when I was just 19 years old. When it comes to business, I don’t overthink things. I trust my gut and do what I feel I need to do. I’m of the mindset that I won’t really know if something is or is not going to work until I actually try it, so when I have an idea, I go all out and execute. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, that’s fine too, because now I know.
As a result, I’ve owned many interesting businesses that range from teaching ballroom dancing to creating and selling organic tea blends to creating commercials and promotional videos for small businesses. What I love is the thrill of giving life to ideas. When inspiration strikes, the least we can do is see where it takes us.
In 2016, while working as a marketing professional in Los Angeles, CA and running my media company, Embold Media, I had an idea for a series of meditations that could help people attain internal peace. I recruited two of my friends, and together, we created nearly 70 freestanding meditations as part of five courses that we shared on the free meditation app Insight Timer.
Over a million people have since gone through our meditation courses which continue to rank at the top of the app. We also created in-person meditation parties in LA, which have organically grown from a few members to a few hundred.
For years, I had been feeling the need to step into a leadership role in the world of spirituality, and for years, I’ve opted to lead from behind by hiding behind others.
At the end of 2017, I could no longer ignore the call to step more firmly into a leadership role. I remember the exact moment I threw my hands in the air and said, “Fine! I’ll do it!” I knew I had to surrender fully to this calling, and I did.
Within months, my entire life turned upside down — or as I would later learn, it turned right side up. I spent the entirety of 2018 on the road. I traveled by myself across the US and ended up in Canada for six months completing a book and accidentally starting a business — this one rooted in spirituality.
By the time I returned to LA in mid-December 2018, I had a following on Instagram (@peaceunleashed), I was hosting a weekly podcast (Unleash Your Peace), I had just finished teaching an online course on living your most epic life, and I had several private clients and a dozen raving testimonials.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Peace Unleashed was the easiest business I have ever started. I believe this is because this project was divinely guided from its inception. But my entrepreneurship path hasn’t always been so smooth. I’ve learned a great deal as a serial entrepreneur, and most of what I’ve learned has come through failure.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Peace Unleashed – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Peace Unleashed is a personal transformation company that helps individuals and teams level up holistically by teaching them the internal skills they need to achieve work/life balance and find lasting internal peace so they can unlock their true potential.
I am most proud of the transformations my clients and students experience as a result of the Peace Unleashed teachings. I’m always amazed by how little it takes to create a transformation for someone who has been living with pain their entire life.
With just a few mindset shifts and reframes, a person who has been suffering for years can literally erase the habits and beliefs that have kept them hostage for so many years. This, to me, is always the highlight of my day.
There are several elements that set me apart as a transformation coach. I’ll list a few here:
1) Whatever darkness you’re experiencing, I’ve been there, and I’ve found my way out into the light. My childhood was extremely unconventional and traumatic. So much so that by the time I was 12 years old, I was suicidal and I decided there could be no god, because a god who could allow children to suffer as I had, could not exist. I will spare you the details, but a few of the highlights included an abusive con artist father, living in refugee camps, moving incessantly (8 – 9 time/year), and severe nervous tics.
Today, I am one of the most positive, optimistic, at peace people you’ll meet. I understand darkness but I choose to dwell in the light, and because of this, what I teach is highly effective and yields nearly immediate results. It’s taken me 15 years of diving inward to learn and develop the very internal tools I teach today.
2) As a writer and storyteller, my greatest gift is my ability to translate complex concepts into easy-to-understand anecdotes, metaphors, and explanations. Even the most difficult concepts are no match to my ability to communicate.
3) I genuinely love people, and my greatest wish in the world is to see each person thrive. I believe that we all rise and fall as one, as we are all cells in the same body. Nothing brings me more fulfillment than helping someone release their own limiting views of themselves so they can see their own greatness.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As an entrepreneur, I know that the future is in constant motion. There are surprises in store for me that I cannot even imagine, let alone anticipate and plan for. And this is perfectly okay. It’s, in fact, more than okay. The surprises that the future holds are the fun part of owning a business!
There are a few things I’d like to weave into the future of Peace Unleashed, and these include:
1) A book about the importance and applications of unconditional love in our lives and careers.
2) More speaking engagements including panel discussions, webinars, seminars, and workshops on the importance of mindfulness at home and in the workplace.
3) Relaunching my online course in Q2.
There are a few other projects on the horizon that need to be finalized before I can speak about them.
Contact Info:
- Website: peaceunleashed.com
- Email: peace@peaceunleashed.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/peaceunleashed
- Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unleash-your-peace/id1414183580?mt=2
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
