Above Average

Lorissa and Alex
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

Welcome to Above Average. For the women who want the career, the family, the marriage, AND the personal goals... ...and are tired of being told that wanting it all means failing at all of it. We're having the candid conversations no one else is having about what it takes, what's working, and what we're still figuring out. Because being a high achiever doesn't mean you have it all figured out. It means you never settle. Hosted by Alex Payetta and Lorissa Violet

  1. 22h ago

    Managing the Mental Load with Madison Fisher | 5 Kids & Multiple Businesses

    If you've ever called yourself the unorganized one, the scattered one, the Type B one.. you're going to relate to this episode! Madison Fisher came on the pod calling herself Type B. By the rapid-fire at the end, we've learned she's a closet Type A trying to hit a bar she has no systems to reach. What We Cover → Why "Type B" is often the label a Type A woman puts on when she doesn't have systems → The Zeigarnik Effect, explained with the waitress-and-the-check story → Why the planning session you did on paper ended up in the trash the next day → The 1 to 4am nocturnal planning hour almost every overwhelmed woman knows → Open loops, why they drain you, what actually closes them → The two biggest causes of procrastination (perfectionism + overwhelm = freeze) → The "I feel bossy" block that keeps women from setting clear delegation expectations → Why your husband will never see the tabs you have in your brain → The one thing Madison is doing tonight, and the one thing you should try too Heard Yourself In This Episode? If you're ready to close the 89,544 tabs open in your head, CEO Mode walks you through building ONE home for every task in your life (work and home included), in one afternoon. Build it here → go.alexpayetta.com/ceomode Want somewhere free to start? This free guide shows you exactly where your hours go, and how to get 10+ of them back every week. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timeback Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Madison Fisher linktr.ee/madisonbontempo | @madisonbontempo Timestamps 0:00 Meet Madison Fisher 3:00 Five kids, cheer, dance, brand deals, Wittles 8:00 Why Madison cleans before the cleaning lady shows up 14:00 The Type B reveal and what it actually is 18:00 Open loops, working memory, and why Madison can't sleep 25:00 The planning session Madison and Kyler did once and never looked at again 30:00 The Four Tendencies rabbit hole 34:00 Lorissa's screenshot-to-sister calendar hack 40:00 The review routine that matters more than the system itself 46:00 House manager versus more childcare 54:00 Why Madison feels "bossy" setting expectations 1:02:00 The roles and responsibilities conversation with Kyler 1:10:00 Zoloft and where the anxiety actually lives 1:15:00 Rapid fire and the closet Type A confession

    Managing the Mental Load with Madison Fisher | 5 Kids & Multiple Businesses

  2. Jul 13 ·  Bonus

    Your Systems Should Give You Your Life Back, Not Take It | Over-Optimizing, Worth & Staying Present

    Lorissa spent months trying to optimize every minute, and right before her birthday her body just quit. For the first time in her life she could not power through, and it cracked something open. This is the monthly catch-up. Two kid birthdays, an anniversary, turning 35, and a real reckoning with where your worth actually comes from, plus a back-to-back run of going viral that turned into a test of handling hate online. What We Cover → The epiphany that hit when being optimized started costing Lorissa the parts of life she actually wanted → Why she had to untangle her sense of worth from the number on her paycheck, and the exercise that helped her do it → What Alex does the second a hateful comment lands in her nervous system, plus the tool Lorissa swears by for the feelings logic cannot talk you out of Heard yourself in this conversation? Not caring what other people think has never come naturally to Alex. Staying steady when it lands takes real work, and the routine that keeps her grounded is what she teaches inside Wake Up Different. 👉 go.alexpayetta.com/wud Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. 👉 lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Timestamps 0:00 A month later, and a big birthday season 0:33 When being optimized starts taking the life out of life 1:22 The week her body refused to power through 1:45 Why she thinks the physical was emotional 3:46 The realization that her worth got tied to her income 5:02 Goals are financial, joy is not, and the gap between them 5:44 Going back to her 20-year-old self to thank her and let her go 7:06 The conscious brain and the subconscious pulling opposite ways 9:26 What systems are actually supposed to do for you 9:55 Bringing her husband into the business 10:31 Alex's month, going viral and the wave of hate that followed 11:06 Can you really just not care, or does it still land 13:47 Alex's reset when a comment gets under her skin 14:19 Clearing what is underneath with NET 18:04 Why the end of the night is when it gets you 21:26 Tapping, and how to actually do it 22:30 Quick catch-up wrap

    Your Systems Should Give You Your Life Back, Not Take It | Over-Optimizing, Worth & Staying Present

  3. Jul 6

    A Brain Injury Erased Her Fear, So She Started a Business | Nicole Smith on Building HēBē, Delegating & the Beauty Trends Worth It

    You've spent years building something people trust with their face. Then somewhere in the middle of running the business, the brand, and the household, the version of you that started it all can get buried under everything you're holding. Nicole Smith is the injector behind @lipsandlattes and the founder of HēBē Skin Health in Claremont and Laguna Beach, and a mom of three. A routine antibiotic once swelled her brain and took her ability to drive, to read, even to find her own car in a parking lot, and it also took her fear, which is exactly what pushed her to open her own practice. She came on for her first-ever podcast to talk about what it takes to run a luxury, public-facing business as a mom, and which viral beauty trends are actually worth it. What You'll Learn → The insane antibiotic scare that ultimately drove Nicole to start HēBē → Why she didn't name the clinic after her viral handle, and what that decision was really protecting → The part of the business she finally handed off after years of doing it all herself → Where her burnout actually comes from and the small reset she swears by → The beauty treatments she says are a waste of money, and the two things every woman should start in her mid-30s → What she prioritizes when she hires so her office is a place you actually want to be Everything you're holding at once Running a business, a brand, and a household means a hundred things live in your head at any moment, and the ones that matter keep losing to the ones that feel urgent. The fix is getting it out of your head and into one system you actually use, so nothing falls through the cracks. I made a free 15-minute training that walks you through how to build it. Watch here → go.alexpayetta.com/training Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. 👉 lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Nicole Smith hebeskinhealth.com | @lipsandlattes Timestamps 0:00 Meet Nicole Smith, the injector behind Lips & Lattes 3:16 Why the brand and the business have different names 7:38 The health crisis that pushed her out on her own 12:59 Losing her fear, and deciding to open a business 13:29 Building HēBē with three little kids and a leap of faith 19:11 Juggling the clinic, the social, the injecting, and three kids 23:08 Handing off the social, and a saturated market 30:24 Her hard line on lip filler and teens 40:10 Burnout, and where it actually comes from 44:41 How she and her husband split the business and the home 58:09 Where to find Nicole

    A Brain Injury Erased Her Fear, So She Started a Business | Nicole Smith on Building HēBē, Delegating & the Beauty Trends Worth It

  4. Jun 29 ·  Bonus

    Motherhood Isn't the Hardest Job in the World | The Filter That Changes How You See Everything Hard

    Somewhere along the way, "this is hard" became the highest compliment we paid motherhood. Lorissa and Alex get into why hard-versus-easy is the wrong filter entirely, what they would put in its place, and why calling motherhood the hardest job in the world might be doing moms more harm than good. What We Cover → The filter Alex uses instead of hard-versus-easy, and why it changes how you see almost every decision → Why Lorissa won't call motherhood the hardest job in the world, and the reframe she uses instead → The thing a first-time mom said to Lorissa in a group that she still thinks about years later → The pushback against discipline, and why Alex isn't buying it Know it's worth it and still not getting to it? Alex believes that hard versus easy is the WRONG filter, and the real question is what a thing gives back and whether that's worth it. Her free PDF walks you through the filter she actually uses instead, sorting what's essential from what you're only doing because you should, so you know what to own, delegate, protect and delete. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timeback Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Timestamps 0:00 Catching up, and the reel that sparked it all 0:48 Why hard-versus-easy is the wrong filter 1:35 "I don't think motherhood is the hardest job in the world" 3:06 The blanket comparisons we use to validate moms, and why they don't hold up 7:18 The comparison trap, and the benefit lens that breaks it 7:51 Why your hardest moments are also your most rewarding ones 10:34 The mom group, the emergency vet, and saying the unpopular thing 14:11 The pushback against discipline neither of them is buying 15:20 When looking for things to be mad about becomes the whole problem

    Motherhood Isn't the Hardest Job in the World | The Filter That Changes How You See Everything Hard

  5. Jun 22

    50+ Flights Before Age 4 | Travel After Kids, the Packing Systems, and the Trip You Keep Putting Off, with Amanda Kellner Klein

    You used to be the person who would book the flight without thinking twice. Then you had kids, and the part of you that loved to go somewhere got packed away with everything else, and you started to wonder if it was gone for good. Amanda Kellner Klein decided it wasn't. She's a brand partnerships exec, she writes about traveling after kids on her Substack, and her almost-four-year-old already has more than 50 flights to her name. She came on to talk about how you hold onto the parts of yourself that matter once the kids arrive, with all the real logistics, the trade-offs, and one airplane story you have to hear to believe. What You'll Learn → The travel muscle that makes a trip with a four-year-old feel easy, and why the only way to build it is to go when it's still hard → The comeback to "they won't even remember it" that ends the argument for good → The filter Amanda uses to decide whether a trip is worth it, and the step most people skip so "someday" never comes → The packing system that means nobody ever asks "who has the diapers" mid-flight → Why lowering your expectations is the real secret to a good trip with kids, not a consolation prize → The night-flight advice everyone repeats that Amanda says is mostly wrong → The airplane bathroom story that made everyone in this episode swear off something for life Heard Yourself In This Episode? The things that matter most are almost never the urgent ones, so they're the ones that keep getting pushed for years. Alex's free guide walks you through the filter that decides what you own, what you delegate, what you delete, and what you PROTECT, because the trip only happens once it lands in that last column. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timeback Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Amanda Kellner Klein carryon.substack.com | @amandakellnerklein

    50+ Flights Before Age 4 | Travel After Kids, the Packing Systems, and the Trip You Keep Putting Off, with Amanda Kellner Klein

  6. Jun 15 ·  Bonus

    You Can Be a Great Mom AND Be Obsessed With Work | Letting Go Without the Guilt

    Lorissa woke up one morning and finally felt ready to let go of the kids a little. After touring 25 schools and finding every one of them terrible, she realized the schools were never the problem. The timing was. A hosts-only catch-up on the pull between loving your work and loving being home, and how you actually know when it's time to let go. What We Cover → The real reason Lorissa said no to 25 schools (and what finally changed) → Why "I'd love to stay home" and "I'm obsessed with working" can both be true at once → How Alex redesigned her work so she's actually available to her kids → The membership Lorissa's husband pushed for two years that covers childcare, an office, and a workout in one → Why trying to find "balance" might be the thing keeping you stuck Heard Yourself In This Episode? The first step to figuring out a balance that really works for you is understanding how you're spending your time NOW, and how you SHOULD be spending it. Alex's free guide walks you through exactly that. Grab the PDF here → go.alexpayetta.com/timeback Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Timestamps 0:00 What minis are, and what's new 0:25 Lorissa's epiphany and finally feeling ready 2:42 The pull between staying home and building something 6:00 Why both can be true (the shades of gray) 7:06 How Alex designs work around the kids 10:13 The Lifetime idea that covers childcare, an office, and a gym 11:32 The wall you have to hit (like sleep training) 13:01 Discernment, intuition, and taking action 15:15 Why chasing balance is a disservice

    You Can Be a Great Mom AND Be Obsessed With Work | Letting Go Without the Guilt

  7. Jun 8

    She Opened a Med Spa With a 1 & 3 Year Old | Letting Go, Hard Hires & the Botox Truth with Allison Brewer

    Allison Brewer opened her med spa with a one and three year old at home, no door on her treatment room, and no front desk because she wasn't sure anyone would show up. Two weeks in, so many patients were walking through the door that she had to hire a front desk. She's the founder of Masters MedSpa in Irvine and a second generation injector who travels the world to stay at the top of her field. She came on to talk about what it actually takes to grow a business while you're raising little kids, and somewhere in there she also explains why everyone's face looked overfilled for a decade. What You'll Learn → The part of the business Allison handed to her husband that she swears she'd never have grown without → Why she hired too fast, kept the wrong person nine months too long, and what finally made the hard conversation doable → The "homework" her husband kept pushing that ended up running the whole company → Why Lorissa thinks burnout is a choice, and the red flags Allison catches before it lands → What most overwhelmed moms are missing (and why Lorissa says staying home is harder than running her business) → The decade-long mistake Allison says injectors are finally walking back → How to know within the first sixty seconds whether your injector is good or about to wreck your face Heard Yourself In This Episode? Systems are the backbone of a successful business AND a successful life. Alex's free 15-minute training breaks down the system she uses to manage the mental load so her brain doesn't have to. Watch it here → go.alexpayetta.com/training If you already know you want help clearing the 3,430 open tabs in your mind, Alex will walk you through building CEO Mode step by step. Build it here → go.alexpayetta.com/ceomode Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Specifically looking for the Epicutis skincare mentioned on the show? shopmy.us/collections/3876535 Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Allison Brewer masters-medspa.com | @masters.medspa

    She Opened a Med Spa With a 1 & 3 Year Old | Letting Go, Hard Hires & the Botox Truth with Allison Brewer

  8. May 18 ·  Bonus

    Build Around Your Brain | Turning Corporate Skills into a Business

    You picked a major at eighteen, and somehow that one decision still gets to decide what you are allowed to do with the rest of your life. In this catch-up, Lorissa and Alex get into leaving corporate, translating those skills into something of your own, and why the systems that actually stick are the ones built around how your brain works instead of someone else's. What We Cover → Why the major you picked at eighteen is not the lane you are stuck in, and how Lorissa and Alex each rebuilt a corporate skill set into something of their own → Lorissa on launching Lorissa's List before it was ready, and why a messy first version beats waiting for perfect → Why most task systems fall apart by Friday, and what makes one finally stick Where to Start If you need to finally close the 9,439 open tabs in your mind in just one afternoon so you don't have to try to remember everything anymore, this is for you. Build it here → go.alexpayetta.com/ceomode Lorissa's List Lorissa's curated list of the products, services, and providers actually worth your time, all vetted to a higher standard so you can skip the search. → lorissaviolet.com Connect With Us Lorissa Violet lorissaviolet.com | @lorissaviolet Alex Payetta alexpayetta.com | @alexpayetta Timestamps 0:00 Welcome back, and why this one is a catch-up 0:15 Lorissa's List, and the corporate job it traces back to 2:15 Taking your skills out of corporate without making the job your identity 4:16 Alex on turning Fortune 500 systems work into coaching women 4:50 You are not stuck in the lane you picked at eighteen 6:06 Getting fired, and why the next thing comes in phases 7:18 Launching Lorissa's List before it was ready 9:08 The brand-content year that did not work, and playing to your strengths 10:14 Phase two of Lorissa's List and learning by shipping 11:08 Life update: five days solo with the kids 12:37 Alex on building CEO Mode 13:36 Getting the mental load out of your head 15:22 Why Asana works for life at home too 18:28 Build around your brain, not someone else's

    Build Around Your Brain | Turning Corporate Skills into a Business
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to Above Average. For the women who want the career, the family, the marriage, AND the personal goals... ...and are tired of being told that wanting it all means failing at all of it. We're having the candid conversations no one else is having about what it takes, what's working, and what we're still figuring out. Because being a high achiever doesn't mean you have it all figured out. It means you never settle. Hosted by Alex Payetta and Lorissa Violet

Information

  • Creator
    Lorissa and Alex
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Above Average

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