Cordelia Gaffar • Zen Hustlers Profile
Name: Cordelia Gaffar
Company: Workout Around My Day Inc.
Role: Transformational coach, author and speaker
HQ city: Washington, DC
Web: workoutaroundmyday.com
Social: @cordeliagaffar
Fav # #bodysoulshift
Where is your favorite place to visit in the world and why?
Bali is so beautiful, the food is great and the energy is very uplifting.
Who do you want to meet?
Akala, he is a British hip-hop artist, author and offers a great role model for young men of color.
Who did you want to meet why?
Without question, Josephine Baker. Although I quote Eartha Kitt more often, I believe Josephine Baker and I have more in common. She was a successful performer who lived her purpose and raised children of 9 nationalities as brothers and sisters.
How does your work fulfill you, your purpose in life?
My work fulfills me by experiencing the energy flow of positive transformation light up women’s lives.
What are you reading right now?
Natives by Akala
What are you watching?
I don’t watch.
When most relaxed?
I am most relaxed when I am dancing.
When are you most in flow, productive, energized?
I am most in flow, productive and energized after a deep nurturing sister bonding session.
Do you meditate or practice mindfulness?
I practice mindfulness in everything I do. The words I choose to speak especially with my children; how I chew my food, how I move my body, what I put in my body, etc.
Who taught you how to hustle?
My father was an attorney and always encouraged us to study, travel, grow and be in nature. He walked 20 miles a day and traveled most of Europe and the Caribbean.
What keeps you up at night?
I sleep quite well.
Do you exercise?
I have created a fitness routine for myself called the Body Soul Shift. So excited that I am now sharing it with the world. It is a blend of Essentrics, African/ Caribbean dance and mindfulness.
What communities inspire you?
SOAR Community inspires me with the perfect blend of mindfulness and business and Maimah Karmo’s Unicorn Club inspires me as the perfect blend of practical and dreaming.
Are you more Hustle or more Zen, lately?
More zen
What would you do if you did not do your existing work/business?
I would travel the world with my six children.
How do you define a good work/life balance, and how important do you think it is?
Firstly, I call it harmonizing which is super important. Everything has a season and that’s why balance doesn’t exist. Sometimes some things, people or projects require more of you. I try and stay present enough to understand the patterns so that I have my self-nurturing practices on point to be nibble.
Are you married, partnership, have kids? How has this impacted your balance?
I have been married for nearly 20 years and we have six children between the ages of 4-18. As I said before, it’s all about the seasons and flow of life. I have become more dedicated to self-nurturing and travel alone throughout the year. In fact my podcast, Replenish Me was born from my desire to encourage other women to do the same by interviewing inspirational women.
What’s some advice you would give to new or struggling entrepreneurs/hustlers that seem out of balance
Play more, disconnect from tech and get into nature... and of course come to one of my Body Soul Shift workshops :)
The times that I have dropped it for a day and play on the weekend, I noticed that my business flourished. I also recommend low volume days where you just listen to your inner self or connect deeply with those closest to you.
What advice would you tell your younger self?
You are a diamond don’t hide your shine.
What is one issue you are out to change in the world?
My mission is to encourage women to create and commit to a scalable system of self-nurturing so that they do not succumb to the diseases that manifest from stress and worry. Our emotions are our power not a weight.
What is your favorite quote, mantra, motto?
It is the mental gymnastics that makes you a C.E.O. (Creator of Elevated Opportunity), that’s an original
Your last 2¢?
You are worthy of Sweet Talk, the self-talk that honors the power of your existence over other’s opinion of you.