Inspirational Female Founder Spotlight: Lia Zorzou

With a BSc, MSc, PhD in system dynamics, a national 3yr scholarship, two tech start-up awards and more than 20yrs in communication and managing multi million dollar projects Lia Zorzou had to face a struggle in her life to truly find herself, to find her goal and purpose in life! Now she offers the first experiential emotional intelligence online leadership programme in the world.

She helps clients identify what  doesn’t serve them and helps to identify steps to take to change behaviours to get the results they really want. Her clients lead with confidence and self-awareness, make their annual income monthly, dare to dream and follow their passions, find happiness and the time they crave to spend with loved ones and do what they truly love! They all know, accept and love their true selves! Her programme is experiential, intensive and gets you results from the first week!

When she is not supporting her magnificent clients, Lia with her son and partner in life likes to travel, trek, run and enjoy bike rides by the Sea.  

Can you tell us a little about your background and the company?

I have gained a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Social Science and I have run multimillion dollar projects for years. In all my jobs, I would take initiative, speak my mind, be an innovator in finding solutions and the best negotiator (as my clients used to tell me). I could always be there for clients understanding their needs and I would find ways to help them.

When I had my son, my entrepreneurial side (which I never knew I had) started to surface. I looked around and found the best startup accelerator that would give me the skills and courage to go from an idea to a sustainable business. What I can say is that I never felt more alive than doing my own thing as I wanted and when I wanted with the people I chose. This was one of the best and transformative moments of my life, one that I knew I could never give up.

How did the idea come to you for the company?

Eight years ago, I was passionately running my award-winning newly launched tech startup when my younger recently divorced sister with two young kids was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma; a very rare disease.

My reaction? I left my husband and 3yr old boy, paused my business and ran to save her! I was taking her tests to the doctors even on my own and was researching at night around the world in order to find the best treatment for her !

Three months later, my sister had a team of doctors and a plan; I was at home depressed, miserable, feeling so alone and detached from everything and had lost all my passion about me and my business! I was saying, “I don’t want this! I don’t like my life! What have I done wrong?” It was then that at 40 yrs of age I asked for help for the first time in my life outside my family and friends.

That form of help came in the form of a group of women facing similar challenges; a group who changed my life forever! It was in that group that I learned that since birth we all have specific roles to play. Roles that our parents give us even before birth that serve them to deal with their lives. My role was one of an adult since I could remember myself, I was the saviour and the child that succeeded in everything without ever asking for help. My sister had the role of the defenseless child, the one who always needed help. But this was never true! I learned that we are all born with the same capabilities and it was the roles others had given us that made us behave in this specific way. And when you are little, you need to follow these roles so you can be loved and accepted. The same roles, in a later stage of your life, can truly suffocate you. This is what had happened to me.

I remember the moment I realised that I could now be how I wanted to be. I could choose how I wanted to behave; I could choose which roles I wanted to have from now on that serve my needs first in my life. I remember that specific moment that I realised the freedom and the strength we all have to live our lives freely and I remember thinking that this is pure gold and vouching that I would share it with as many men and women I could find!!!

Since then, 8 yrs have passed. My sister passed away 2.5 years ago. I am really proud and happy that for the last two years of her life, due to the work and the training I did I was able to be a sister to her and not a saviour; I was there to listen to her and I loved her exactly as she was and I know she felt this…

I am now trained to run these amazing experiential groups (as the one who helped me) and I am helping established business owners all around the world transform their lives every single day. I help them find their true amazing selves by connecting to their feelings. I help them see life through a new perspective so they can improve all their relationships on the spot. I give them permission to stop being perfect and there for everyone else and put themselves first on their priority list.

I help them dream of the lives THEY want and not the lives that OTHERS have told them to have. They can have money, love, healthy relationships, they can be their true selves, be accepted and loved since they have accepted and love themselves.

I help them be them with no excuses needed.

This is what I do.

How did you achieve awareness?

I have achieved awareness by going live on Facebook and LInkedIn talking about the results I can help my clients get.

I haven’t used funds to promote or advertise my business.

I write posts and offer value by going live and offering free workshops for the last two years.

Awareness is being built by me being myself, being vulnerable and helping people see that they can ask for help and they can make their dreams, their reality.

How have you been able to gain funding and grow?

For the last eight years I have invested heavily in myself and still do, every single day.

It took me 40yrs to ask for help and since then, I haven’t stopped and I will never stop.

I have learned how to connect to my emotions and ask for help.

So, I can now sell my £50,000 annual Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Programme on the spot!

I have turned my annual income to monthly and even daily and I have clients that do the same.

If I need more money, I will make more money by truly helping people achieve their dream lives.

What are the key successes?

The successes I have gained which I help my clients get every single day are:

Feeling happy and free to take actions to follow my dreams.

Spending a lot of time taking care of  myself, my wants and needs every single day.

Spending time with family and travelling around the world.

Expressing my opinions without worrying what others think.

Earning a lot of money with ease without worrying about the future.

Making fast decisions without worrying about making mistakes.

Talking about my work with confidence and determination.

Working only with my ideal clients.

Saying NO firmly with no justification.

Putting myself top on my priorities list.

Following my incredible dreams and building the life I want.

What were/are the challenges and how have you overcome these?

The biggest challenge was to ask for help the first time.

I almost lost everything in my life and reached rock bottom to ask for help outside my friends and family and to admit to myself that I didn’t like my life and I needed help; I couldn’t do it on my own.

Not asking for help was part of the way I had been brought up though. For years I thought that this was the only way to live my life, doing everything on my own.

When I decided that I needed someone to help me, a whole new universe opened up.

I found out that I am not supposed to do everything on my own; asking for help doesn’t mean that I am not worthy, it means that I haven’t figured out everything and the truth is that we are not supposed to know everything.

For the last 8 years I have been heavily investing in me and my business and I will continue to do so.

All challenges can be overcomed when we are ready to admit that we need help.

What are your plans now/for the future?

I am building an empire. I am here supporting people to love and accept themselves and live their version of healthy success following their dreams.

My aim is to have helped 1Million people by May 2025 and to have build the first online and experiential emotional intelligence incubator in the world.

What would you like to share with others to encourage them to start their own entrepreneurship journey?

1. Start now – right this minute, do not wait for better circumstances, make your circumstances and start.
2. Fail fast and big – follow your gut and intuition and make fast decisions. Fail fast and big, learn and proceed. The successful people are the ones that have stood up after falling more than anyone else. I fail every single day. I win every single day as well. This is life and this for sure is entrepreneurial life.
3. Ask for help – there are so many people out there willing to support you on your journey because they have been where you are.
4. Dare to Dream – you can have the life you dream. The only thing you need to do is dare to dream it without any restriction: don’t think about what you have studied, how much money you earn, your marital situation, circumstances, don’t discuss it with anyone. Dream your life and I assure you that with help you will make it your reality.

Can you share you top tips for entrepreneurial success?

1. Find what you want and never stop taking steps towards it.
2. Never listen to others (family and friends); only listen to people who have succeeded in what you want to achieve.
3. Get a divorce with perfectionism. Do it the best you can with the resources you have at that moment and keep going.

Who are the 5 people who inspire you the most and why?

My sister inspires me every single day; I couldn’t help her and now I have dedicated my life to help others. I get inspiration and strength from her every single day.

My first mentor who taught me to accept me and love me unconditionally and helped me see that I am enough.

What are your favourite inspirational /motivational quotes?

I take motivation from me and my dream every single day.

What I truly love was Brene Browns: “If you are not in the arena, I don’t care what you say”

There are so many people that will offer their opinion without even having the slightest idea of what you are going through; so, I choose whose opinion to listen to.

What are your Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn social handles and also website links so our readers can connect with you?

https://zorzou.mykajabi.com/the-leadership-programme-1

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lia.zorzou/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marouliazorzou/

Get my free guide on how to master business and family here: https://zorzou.mykajabi.com/master-your-business