Liana Cornell, Actor, Music Artist, Writer, property entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist - her story of desiring more, chasing less
It’s my absolutely honour to present Liana Cornell. Liana is a very successful Actor, Music Artist, Writer, Property Entrepreneur and investor, and over the past few years I’ve witnessed her transform into a powerful female leader, creating businesses and offerings in her unique way - using her intuition and also her deep understanding of energetics, and female leadership to carve out new pathways launching new projects to change and upgrade the future of the planet.
Liana is a true inspiration for female leaders everywhere. And I also know she’s shifted out of hustle and leading from a more masculine energy, taking action and more action and burning out, even suffering health setbacks TO desiring more, owning her bigger visions, and allowing the desire energy to take her into places she couldn't see or visualise before…
I’m asking Liana about her personal evolution, her journey of inner growth, and the specific practices or shifts that helped her align her actions with her vision, without relying on the hustle.
What was the turning point that made you realise you needed to shift from constant hustling to a more aligned and intentional way of working?
I believe the turning point came alongside my health issues. I was so overwhelmed by the belief I had to work really, really hard to achieve even a little bit - I would even go so far as to say I only respected people who had struggled for a long time and achieved the impossible. My ego loved to watch myself triumph against all odds. However, I couldn’t keep up with it, I kept burning out, and I realised I would be stuck in that cycle forever unless I found someone wise as a mentor and Spirit connected me almost immediately to Jody, and my life changed considerably for the better.
How did you start the process of letting go of the hustle and perhaps even the workaholism and learning to trust that your desires could manifest without overworking?
I think a big part of letting go of the hustle was that I realised I was frustrated and envious. I wanted to live a more easeful life. I’d see people enjoying themselves, having almost everything taken care for them - as if by magic. I very rarely feel envy, and so it’s always a really important signifier to me that I’m longing for something that’s also longing for me. It always helps me flip the switch from envy to respect and excitement that other people are out there living the dream. I started by cutting back on anything erroneous, anything that wasn’t fitting into my overall aim, anything that was draining me and not giving back. I have always done a lot of philanthropy but even with that I had to re-evaluate why I had chosen particular organisations and people, and ensure I was in alignment with my higher self rather than my ego. If I gave from my ego, sooner or later I would usually become a victim and once more be frustrated for doing “everything” and not getting much back in return. I also started to recalibrate my thought patterns and work on any money blocks I was experiencing with Jody.
What mindset shifts were essential for you to move from a place of "doing more" to "allowing more"?
“doing less for more” became my mantra, and I noticed I stopped jumping to do it all. I realised I had been offering myself up repeatedly without being asked, and stepping outside of my duties in whatever role I was in (this would happen across all my career platforms so I knew it was a “me” thing to solve). My favourite mantra before bed is “thank you so much for taking care of this for me, universe” whenever I have an issue I can’t quite figure out how to solve and lo and behold, the solution always arises.. the biggest challenge to moving into this was definitely my belief, I had to catch myself regularly until it became more natural to believe in everything being wonderful and abundant.
In what ways did your approach to setting goals and planning change when you began focusing more on alignment and less on traditional productivity?
Something that really helped me slim things back - other than the patience to go through the process of completing the things that I realised I no longer wanted to do - was making a list of everything I wanted to achieve, and then slimming that list back to my five major desires, and then seeing which of those five all the others couldn’t occur without. That one desire became my first and deepest foundational focus. I also started to move from my martyr mindset of believing I needed to achieve everything completely alone (something I’ve noticed quite common with high-achieving women) to realising how much more I could achieve if I hired the right support. This has been an essential change to my life as I’m no longer wasting precious creative energy on menial tasks someone else could do better.
How did you handle moments of fear or doubt during the transition, especially around letting go of control and allowing things to unfold?
ahhh yes letting go of control, that’s still a fun dance for me.. I think the work I was doing with Jody, alongside studying taoism, meditation, detoxifying and just overall living a healthier, less stressful life often made any fear or doubt disappear as I already felt so abundant in my body and soul, that that abundance expanding into my everyday life and endeavours just made sense.
Were there any specific spiritual or personal development practices that helped you connect with your inner guidance and stay in alignment?
Breath, Movement, Sound and Touch always help me whenever I feel overwhelmed. Basically I will sit with whatever is in my body, locate where it is, see if I can connect a colour or a memory or a thought to that place, and if I feel a block, or a desire, I will use my breathing (so breathe in whatever way you are called, deepening always helps me), moving in whatever way I desire, releasing any energy through sound and touching in any way my body is asking for.. sometimes it’s gentle kisses and caresses, other times it’s bellowing to the moon in tears.. the body holds secrets and most answers in my opinion, and I’m always amazed at how much those simple processes transform me.
How do you now differentiate between actions that are inspired and aligned versus actions that stem from old habits of workaholism or fear?
I can feel it in my body, it becomes an energetic signal to me when I’m moving into my stressed state. I almost feel like I’m high on a come up.. as soon as I’m in that state, I go and ground with nature, take some time away and really just let my heart beat get back in sync with the rhythm of the earth. I like to use my GPS (Great Pussy Spirit) to guide me, and she’s always super clear once I’ve done some breath work or grounding..
What role does trust play in your approach to business today, and how do you cultivate trust in the process, even when things are uncertain?
I’m still learning to fully encompass the full fuck yes, I have moments of not trusting, though they are becoming less and less. I have moments of also sabotaging myself and having to catch those has become more of a game than a chore for me. In the end, we all came here to learn, and so I’m bound to make mistakes and have to subsequently recalibrate my life. My perfectionism kink is pretty healed too, which has allowed me to release a lot more and pursue my dreams in a whole new way.
Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self about desire, success, and the importance of balance?
mmm I think I would ensure she was really pursuing her dreams, rather than someone else’s. I am a recovering people pleaser and so had a lot to learn about claiming my life as my own. I think I’d tell her that her gut is always spot on, and to follow it as she’s always ahead of the curve. I would have already had a lot more success if I had learned to ignore the initial hatred/laughter as people get used to something new, as almost 100% of the people who laughed or teased are eventually the ones to become the biggest fans. I think I’d also invite her to be radically free, unapologetically. I spent so many years trying to prove I was worthy of where I was at in my career, trying to be the good girl to get the gold star - I’d tell her to integrate her shadow and to give less of a fuck, that she’s got a good heart and she’s a good businesswoman and that she should fucking go for it.
How do you ensure that your desires are rooted in your true values and vision, rather than external expectations or pressures?
I always check in with my heart and soul if I’m unsure something is perhaps not in alignment. However, I have really clear moral pillars in my life that I’ve written up, and so if what has arisen as an opportunity isn’t right, I trust that something even better is just waiting around the corner. I’ve turned down great jobs because even though they may have been financially abundant, they weren’t spiritually abundant. I made a documentary series which has won quite a few awards now, and has traveled around the whole world, inspiring people to help heal our planet together, and celebrating the people already doing good work behind the scenes. To me, the connection and bounty that has arisen for the planet - the impact the series has had, the donations which have already planted trees and bought hives for bees - that matters more than how much it’s made.. that’s the kind of thing I know I can look back on at my death bed and feel like I’ve lived a good and true life. That’s what counts.. now the real magic I’m creating currently is about combining all forms of abundance - so I can win and the people, planet and animals can win too. That’s real juicy living, in my opinion.
Thank you Liana, for sharing your wisdom and your grace.
Xx
See you on the next issue of Powerhouses in Business—the first article of year 2025 comes out on January 3rd!