More Than One Calling: Reinvention, Purpose & Finding What Matters

The Conversation

GoBreezy:Who is Alexis beyond your businesses? What experiences shaped who you are today?

Alexis:Outside of work, I'm a mom of 2 teenage boys, a potter, a crocheter/knitter, cook. I love doing things with my hands.

A few things shaped me more than anything else.

First, in the work world, I grew up in operations and HR, specifically in start ups. I always worked for small companies, where there was a lot of work, and few hands. That's where I learned how work ACTUALLY gets done (and how often it doesn't) and how to build in practices and boundaries so that I could succeed at work without sacrificing my personal life. Even in high school my goal was always to get straight As while going to class as little as possible, or, at least the ones I didn’t enjoy. I’ve always placed a high value on spending my time in ways that please me.

Second, I have ADHD, but I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 40 and already had a successful time management coaching practice. That knowledge helped me rethink the narrative of why I’ve done the things I’ve done in the way I did them. I spent most of my life building workarounds for a brain that doesn't do things the "normal" way, and it turns out a lifetime of coping mechanisms makes a pretty solid foundation for a productivity business! It also gave me the belief I teach from every single day: everything is a learnable skill and every brain works differently. Nobody needs to feel ashamed of the skills they haven't learned yet and experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you.

And third, loss. In 2022 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and while currently cancer free, a lot has changed in terms of my perspective on life and time, and honestly, the body I live in. And in 2025 I lost my dad. More on that below, but it changed how I want to spend my remaining decades on this earth (hopefully I’ll get that much time!)

GoBreezy:What inspired you to start your coaching business, and what have you learned about success and fulfillment?

I worked for the same CEO across two companies for about ten years. I had a ton of autonomy and a ton of trust, which (if you've ever had it) you know is rare. And at one point, that CEO asked me if I could put together a productivity workshop for the team. That idea sounded so fun. And it was! And others found it helpful. It stuck with me; a kernel of an idea. Then in 2017, that startup shut down.

I could have gone looking for another job and spent years re-earning that kind of trust from scratch. Instead, I decided to build it for myself. I'd always been the person colleagues came to when they were drowning in their inboxes and calendars, so I started coaching folks on time management, productivity, and stress reduction.

Since then, I've reached more than 250,000 people through coaching, workshops, and online courses, and worked with teams at places like Google, Lyft, Workday, and Capital One.

What I've learned about success: the version most of us are chasing is someone else's definition. I moved to a four-day workweek in 2024, and I don't work nights or weekends (never have, even when I worked in start ups.) More output was never the point for me. Fulfillment comes from spending my time on the things I value, and from helping other folks figure out how to do the same.

GoBreezy:How did losing your father and creating Anima Ceramica change your perspective on life and purpose?

In 2025, my dad died of brain cancer. It was devastating.

After he died, my mom, my sisters, and I divided his ashes so each of us could keep some of him close, and we scattered some in the bamboo groves he loved around his house. Then we hit a wall: the urns out there were, frankly, ugly. Big, generic, and nothing like him. My dad had fantastic taste, and none of them fit him or our homes.

So I made the urns myself. After I had cancer, I joined a community pottery studio because pottery is something I’d wanted to get (back) into for years, but didn’t feel I had the time.

After cancer, I knew I had to make the time. And making urns for my own family was one of the most meaningful things I've ever done with my hands.

At some point I thought: why would we be the only family who gets to honor our dad with something beautiful?

That question became Anima Ceramica Studio, where I make bespoke urns for people and pets, each one designed around the life it holds and the home it will live in.

As for perspective: I've spent my whole career talking about the fact that our time is finite.

Losing my dad made that real in a way no framework ever could, not even my own brush with mortality.

Now, I'm a lot less willing to put off the things I care about until "someday."

GoBreezy:What advice would you give someone afraid to pursue a new dream?

Don't wait to feel ready. Action begets motivation, not the other way around. Most of us are waiting to feel confident before we start, but confidence shows up AFTER you've done the thing.

Break it down to get it done. "Start a business" is too big to act on. "Make one urn" or "email one person" is something you could do this week.

You also don't have to quit anything to begin. Anima Ceramica started with urns for my own family. Your new dream can start small and grow alongside the life you already have.

Finally, strive for good enough. Your first version doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to exist. And honestly, you’re the only one who will notice the difference between 90% and 99%.