We have called this issue, SELF MASTERY as truly to master oneself we are asked to bring the entire self forward. Our cover star Marie Forleo has done a fantastic job showcasing all her facets throughout her years in the coaching space. She can charm and entertain a crowd with her dance moves, enlighten and inspire with her insightful knowledge and more so, she gives us the love and power to go after all of our dreams.
A voice of reason, a voice of truth. Presenting Marie Forleo for Goss Magazine Manifest Issue.
Named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and owner of one of Inc.’s 500 fastest growing companies, Marie Forleo has created a socially conscious digital empire that inspires millions. She’s the star of the award-winning show MarieTV, with over 75 million views, and host of The Marie Forleo Podcast, with nearly 26 million downloads. Marie has taught entrepreneurs, artists, and multipassionate go-getters from all walks of life how to dream big and back it up with daily action to create results. She runs the acclaimed business training program B-School, the writing program The Copy Cure, and the joyful productivity program Time Genius. Her #1 New York Times best-selling book, Everything is Figureoutable is available now.
Can you tell us what your initial big dream was when you were younger?
I wanted to be all the things! I dreamed of being an artist, a teacher, a dancer, a model, a businesswoman, a writer, a fashion designer, and even an animator for Disney. I didn’t want to be confined to doing just one job — which felt boring. I’ve always been multipassionate.
Ultimately, I dreamed of a life of freedom: creative freedom, financial freedom and even location freedom. As a kid, I was always a bit of an oddball. I wanted to use my unique gifts in a way that would somehow make a meaningful difference to others. In my early years, right after college, all of that felt so far away, impossible at times. But that vision of a freedom-rich life never left my heart. Saying my dream out loud, admitting it to myself, writing it down, and staying focused on it — that was step #1 to make that dream my reality.
What advice would you give young girls ages 12-15 now about following their dreams?
It’s crucial to listen to your intuition – that still, small voice within that keeps nudging you towards certain activities, projects, and experiences. That’s your soul guiding you — very much like a GPS — toward your highest and best self. LISTEN TO IT. Become obsessed with activities that bring you joy and make you come alive, even if those activities or projects seem weird or different. Trust that you wouldn’t have that “impossible” dream in your heart if you didn’t already have what it takes to make it happen. Most of all, adopt the single most powerful belief in the world: everything is figureoutable. This mantra has carried me through my toughest times and helps me reach every goal I set. No matter what challenges or obstacles you face— you have the strength, the creativity, and the resilience to make your dreams a reality.
You’ve written a #1 NYT Best Selling Book “Everything is Figureoutable” – what does that mantra mean to you?
This belief is the single most powerful driving force in my life. In high school, it helped me end a physically abusive relationship. In college, it helped me win highly competitive and rare work-study positions to pay for room and board, and get into the exact classes I wanted—despite pre-requisite policies and waitlists. Even as a kid, it’s why I kept trying out for sports and cheer team, even after getting rejected year after year.
It’s helped me land every job I’ve ever had, from bartending at the most coveted restaurants in Manhattan to lucrative oddball gigs—like selling glow sticks at megaclubs—and trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. It has supported my venture into publishing at Condé Nast, teaching hip-hop, starring in workout videos, producing and choreographing on MTV, and becoming one of the world’s first Nike Elite Dance athletes—despite no formal dance training. It has helped me climb out of debilitating debt, extricate myself from dead-end relationships, and save my most precious ones, often in record time.
It gave me the audacity to start a business at 23 and build it into a multimillion-dollar, socially-conscious education and media company from the ground up—with no clue, experience, investors, graduate degree, or connections. It’s what fueled me to start filming videos using my first-generation webcam, which would later evolve into an award-winning online show seen by tens of millions of fans in 195 countries. I don’t say this to brag but to express that deep in my bones,I am certain that everything really is figureoutable.
Yes, even if you’re starting from scratch. Even if you’ve already tried and failed. Even if you don’t have a clue what the hell you’re doing or why things keep going wrong. Even if the world has told you time and time again that you can’t. Even if you’ve been born into extraordinary challenges or find yourself with the deck stacked against you.