Julia Cha

Julia Cha is a best-selling author and the president of Cha Global Coaching Ltd. Known as “the secret weapon for alpha leaders”, her company helps women leaders create major leaps in their careers and relationships.

The company currently serves clients from 14 different countries. As a president, Julia has shared her insights on the Today Show, PopSugar, NBC, Disrupt Magazine, and more.

When she’s off the clock, you can either find Julia on her social media engaging with her loyal audience of 10,000+ women leaders or spending time with her 2 children.

Learn more at juliacha.com.

Where did the idea for Cha Global Coaching come from?

It was on a whim. But in hindsight, I couldn’t have picked a better name. Cha is my last name. In Korean, Cha means vehicle. Much like how vehicles take one person from point A to B, my job is to help executives all around the world create this transformation. The name does a great job of conveying the core of what my work stands for.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical day begins at 5 AM. I have my coffee with natural cocoa powder and get right to my meditation. Some days, I do short yoga. Then I use the first 4 hours for creative work or any other important work for my business. I take lots of breaks in between. When I get off of work depends on how much work I have to do that day. Some days, it’d be three. Some days, it’d be seven. Having dedicated time in the morning to get all the work out of the way helps to make my days productive.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I get the best ideas at showers, during meditation, or even when I’m waking up in the morning. Your subconscious cannot bring you ideas when you’re off thinking about a problem or doing something. So take your mind off of work. That’s when your best ideas will come, with a clear idea on how to bring them to real life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Mental health and other related issues are becoming a very popular topic. As well, what also excites me is that people are now more conscious of how we treat other people. The other day, I was watching Cruella the movie with my kids. In that movie, they refer to the antagonist as a narcissist. That could have never happened in the ‘90s as nobody would have understood. Now, people do. There is a much better understanding of words.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

All entrepreneurs go through a phase where they have both time and health challenges. I know that a popular piece of advice is to exercise. But I found that when I overexert my body, my brain doesn’t work optimally. So my focus is on conserving my energy for my brainpower. Meditation, even short ones, is a habit that makes me productive as an entrepreneur.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The advice I’d give my younger self would be don’t focus on finding a significant other. It feels like the right checkbox. You’ll be surrounded by people that encourage that. But it’s not the right thing for high-achieving alpha leaders.

In your relationships, you’ll end up with someone that best resonates with where you are. There is no guarantee that the other person will be working on themselves as hard as you do, and that can cause problems.

So focus on leveling yourself up first. When you level yourself to match that level of success, everything else in life opens up naturally. Your life sets up itself.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

If you’re not succeeding, it’s not because of strategies. It’s because of relationships. Everyone has a relationship blueprint that determines how they show up and approach their relationships in life. These relationships help you bring money and opportunities.

So if you’re someone who can’t connect with the right people, has a tendency to waste your time and energy on draining relationships, or you can’t keep your relationships, you’ll experience difficulties on your road to success…. That’s where the actual problem is. Nothing else. Focus on reciprocity.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I always recommend everyone to continuously revise their relationships. Every single person in your life has to earn their right to be in your life. And it was the same for yourself with the relationships you care about. It’s like gardening. A beautiful garden can only be beautiful if you continuously maintain it and weed it. It’s the same with relationships. Double down on the good ones. Get rid of the ones that aren’t good.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

A strategy that helped me to grow my business is letting go fast. So many entrepreneurs have difficulties determining and weeding out parasitic or draining relationships. Not just in personal life, but also in business too. Business is all about relationships. If you cannot establish a true connection, know how to determine who is the fit for your journey, you will struggle forever. So focus on your connection skills. That’ll help you to better work with people, your team members, and everyone else.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

One major failure I had as an entrepreneur was choosing the wrong business. I started as a financial advisor because that’s all I knew. I thought that to become successful, I have to help other people with their money. But once I got started, I realized that it’s not the right path for me. Instead of continuing, I bit the bullet and started the right business.

A lot of people try to stick it out because they don’t want to throw away what they’ve worked for. But something to realize is that success is not a destination. It’s a mountain that you climb. Every new step, you get to see a whole new perspective. Succeeding in something you don’t truly want to do isn’t going to make you happy. So bite the bullet. Be grateful for every experience and takeaway.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A “Rate My Relationship” app where you can tick symptoms of a person and determine if this is healthy and helpful. It could be an app where you can either speak to it, or you can tick symptoms in a checkbox, with a person in mind you’re very confused about whether this is the right person or not. Is this person a good mentor? Good client? Good boyfriend? An app that helps you evaluate your relationships would be amazing. It will change the state of mental health in this world.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Paying my daughter’s math tutor. Success in your personal life will determine your professional success. If we get into avoidance mode around any drama or struggles in personal life, it builds up, and eventually plummets our success. I want my kids to not experience any self-esteem issues. I want them to thrive at what they put their minds to. So hiring the help they need to thrive is the best money spent.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Voxer! It’s a walkie-talkie + texting app. I have my private clients there as well as my staff. It allows me to talk to them throughout the day either through a voice memo or a text message. It minimizes any meetings or emails. So that helps me to stay productive.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The book I recommend is “The Science of Getting Rich”. It’s a phenomenal book to create a solid foundation for success. It teaches you how to think about wealth, success, and who you have to be to generate that kind of success. It also has great business insights. For example, there’s a specific paragraph that shares that if you choose the wrong business, success isn’t going to happen. So definitely read it.

What is your favorite quote?

My favorite quote is by Robert Frost, which is “the only way out is through”. When things get tough, a lot of people think things will eventually get better. It doesn’t. You just end up stuck there. And if you are not improving, you’re downgrading. Anything worthwhile will feel difficult and triggering. The only way to get that outcome is to confront. See things through. No matter what you do or what industry you are in, there will always be a challenge. But if you’re the person that can see things through the longest, you’ll win.

Key Learnings:

• When you level yourself to match that level of success, everything else in life opens up naturally. Your life sets up itself.
• If you’re not succeeding, it’s not because of strategies. It’s because of relationships.
• Success is not a destination. It’s a mountain that you climb. Every new step, you get to see a whole new perspective.
• If you are not improving, you’re downgrading.