158 episodes

The YES Effect show features stories and interviews with some of the world’s most successful and inspirational people about how they overcame obstacles, doubts, fears and naysayers to accomplish massive dreams and impact the world. The difference between impossible and possible: saying YES.

Host Shelli Varela is a Story Alchemist, speaker, coach and author, and is no stranger to possibility hacking. Her remarkable journey from 108 pound manicurist to a 30 year career as her city’s first female Firefighter & Captain has been featured everywhere from TEDx, to Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine and a NYT Bestseller.

Shelli has since become obsessed with the power of the mind and in particular, the transformational power of the word YES.

The YES Effect is proof that everything YOU need to succeed and change the world is already inside you.

The YES Effect Shelli Varela

    • Education
    • 4.7 • 67 Ratings

The YES Effect show features stories and interviews with some of the world’s most successful and inspirational people about how they overcame obstacles, doubts, fears and naysayers to accomplish massive dreams and impact the world. The difference between impossible and possible: saying YES.

Host Shelli Varela is a Story Alchemist, speaker, coach and author, and is no stranger to possibility hacking. Her remarkable journey from 108 pound manicurist to a 30 year career as her city’s first female Firefighter & Captain has been featured everywhere from TEDx, to Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine and a NYT Bestseller.

Shelli has since become obsessed with the power of the mind and in particular, the transformational power of the word YES.

The YES Effect is proof that everything YOU need to succeed and change the world is already inside you.

    The Gift of Imperfection (Why I’ve Been Away From Podcasting)

    The Gift of Imperfection (Why I’ve Been Away From Podcasting)

    Today, I want to talk about accepting and embracing the wonderful gift of imperfection. As someone who has struggled with perfectionism, I realize it’s been holding me back from creating content lately, including this podcast.
    Oddly enough, as a speaker, podcaster and content creator, I am not comfortable in the spotlight. The amount of times I’ve shied away from posting videos or recording interviews because I hated how I looked that day, or the lighting was off, or I just didn’t feel “camera ready” is more than I can count. And it has let so much magic go to waste.
    If we continue waiting for the perfect moment to offer the world our gifts, they’ll stay locked away forever. That’s the beautiful thing about imperfection: it releases all that magic, no matter how it looks on the outside. Because doing it imperfectly is better than not doing it at all.
    Sometimes you just gotta grip it n’ rip it (like this episode). Believe me, it feels good.
    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    How to overcome perfectionism  Why we need to stop worrying about our appearance How to build confidence  How to confidently step out from behind the scenes  How to overcome fear of being on camera How to learn to accept and appreciate imperfect  
    Links mentioned in this episode:
    TYE 154: How to overcome perfectionism and embrace the messy steps to success
     
    Join The YES Effect Inner Circle Facebook Group for a behind the scenes experience about what it means to Believe, Belong and Become!
    Join Shelli on Facebook
    Join Shelli on Instagram
    Join Shelli on YouTube

    • 6 min
    TYE 156: Unlocking the Brilliance Inside Challenging Kids with Dayna Abraham

    TYE 156: Unlocking the Brilliance Inside Challenging Kids with Dayna Abraham

    Dayna Abraham has developed a guide for parenting “challenging” kids - those with big emotions, power struggles; the misbehavers and neurodivergents. Her new bestselling book “Calm the Chaos - a Failproof Roadmap for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids'' is aimed at reframing what we typically label as “challenging” behaviour as an opportunity for adults to learn and empower their kids to reach their full, innate potential.
     In this episode, Abraham talks about how her framework helps parents foster connections, understanding, and empowerment, while removing the stress and overwhelm of parenting. After all, some of the world’s greatest innovators and change-makers were once labelled “challenging” children.
     Dayna Abraham is the bestselling author of “The Superkids Activity Guide to Conquering Every Day” and “Sensory Processing 101”. She is also the founder of the popular parenting website “Lemon Lime Adventures.”
     In this episode, you’ll learn:
    The benefits of “challenging” behaviour in children How parents can learn from their children Why calmness is important in parenting Neurodivergence and neurodiversity How all behaviour is communication How to teach empathy to your children How to help your kids feel more seen, heard and understood Why you should communicate when you’re upset or stressed  The problem with rewarding “good” behaviours   
    Quotables: 
    “Parents often jump to ‘what do we do about this situation?’ instead of ‘how do we be in this situation?’”
    “To understand that you might not understand is pretty powerful.”
     
    Links mentioned in this episode:
    Calm The Chaos book (order now)
     
    Join The YES Effect Inner Circle Facebook Group for a behind the scenes experience about what it means to Believe, Belong and Become!
    Join Shelli on Facebook
    Join Shelli on Instagram
    Join Shelli on YouTube

    • 31 min
    TYE 155: Focus On The Next Step, Not The Whole Mountain (How I Wrote A Song)

    TYE 155: Focus On The Next Step, Not The Whole Mountain (How I Wrote A Song)

    To make a big dream happen, you have to break it into small, individual steps and focus on the next first step. This way, you can make even the wildest, even most absurd, idea a success. This episode is a story about how my 13 year-old step son Ry and I co-created a song with the help of a celebrity music producer, without ever meeting him, and with almost zero musical abilities myself. 
    I just really wanted to make a song with Ry, and focused on the next first step. 
    Listen to the end to hear the song itself and a super inspiring Q&A with Ry at the end.
    Whatever your big, even absurd, dream is, you don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to achieve it. You just need to know three things: that it’s a “yes,” what the next first step is, and who to ask for help.
    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    How to break success down into small steps How I was able to co-write a song without any musical ability How I sourced my network for help How I ended up working with a celebrity music producer, who has worked with Cher, Tina Turner, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Joe Cocker & Disney How to get more people to say “yes” to your requests Why passion and persistence lead to success How to listen to your body   
    Quotables:
    “You don’t need to know all the steps. You just need to know: is this a yes, am I excited, and what is the next first thing?”
     
    Links mentioned in this episode:
    TYE 151: How To Overcome The Fear of Asking Questions (A Personal Story)
    TYE 128: P!nk bassist Eva Gardner on rock stardom and overcoming rejection
    TYE 005: A Rock Star's Guide to Overcoming Fear with Mark Schulman

     
    Join The YES Effect Inner Circle Facebook Group for a behind the scenes experience about what it means to Believe, Belong and Become!
     
    Join Shelli on Facebook
    Join Shelli on Instagram
    Join Shelli on YouTube
     

    • 29 min
    How to overcome perfectionism and embrace the messy steps to success

    How to overcome perfectionism and embrace the messy steps to success

    Perfectionism is a killer of hopes and dreams. The challenge is learning to accept and embrace the messy, imperfect steps necessary to create momentum. It’s how every successful person gets to the top of the mountain, and why so many people never reach it.
    This quick episode is about my holistic approach to doing things the most human way possible: imperfectly. Please listen, share and I hope this lights your fire to keep taking messy, imperfect steps forward to your ultimate “yes!”
    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    Why people often fail at their goals Why New Year's Resolutions often fail The compound effect  How successful people manage failure How to overcome perfectionism  
    Quotables:
    “You can’t get to the top of your mountain unless you’re willing to deal with your own humanity where you’re going to be doing it imperfectly. The question is: are you going to be doing it?”
    “It’s always going to be messy and ugly. The only thing that matters is ‘can I keep going?’”
     
    Join The YES Effect Inner Circle Facebook Group for a behind the scenes experience about what it means to Believe, Belong and Become!
    Join Shelli on Facebook
    Join Shelli on Instagram
    Join Shelli on YouTube

    • 6 min
    The life-changing power of a small act of kindness

    The life-changing power of a small act of kindness

    We often never know how far an act of kindness can go or how it can change someone’s day, or their entire life. Here’s a quick story of kindness from a recent trip to the grocery store, which started with something rather unkind. 
    Too often, people are dismissed and not looked at for the wholeness of who they actually are.
    Everyone has bad days.
    But everyone deserves our kindness. 
    Please listen, share and let me know what you think - leave a review or DM me on Instagram @shellivarela

    • 3 min
    Say What You Need to Say Before It’s Too Late

    Say What You Need to Say Before It’s Too Late

    This holiday season was a difficult one for me, and in this episode, I explain why & what I learned from it. 
    In the very days leading up, one of my absolute closest people fell ill and died quite suddenly. I spent Christmas Day in the hospice at her side, spending those final inevitable moments in deep sorrow and reflection. But those moments also reminded me of a valuable life lesson - woven beautifully into one of my favourite John Mayer songs. 
    Please listen and share with someone who needs to hear it. Death and dying are indeed both heartbreaking and beautiful.
    Join The YES Effect Inner Circle Facebook Group for a behind the scenes experience about what it means to Believe, Belong and Become!
    Join Shelli on Facebook
    Join Shelli on Instagram
    Join Shelli on YouTube

    • 4 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
67 Ratings

67 Ratings

Crystalizers ,

The YES Effect

Shelli speaks to your heart and soul, rises you up to confidently connect to your best self and leap towards your dreams. Provides actionable, proven information to start, build and scale your business.

Kurlee1111 ,

So inspirational and motivational!!!

I have listened to Shelli’s podcast for a number of years, and it didn’t matter the topic or who the guest was, I always had many takeaways and “aha” moments. I found each episode motivational, uplifting, and included many stories that resonated with me. We all learn through stories and she ensures that this is done on each episode. Not only did I learn a lot about other people’s journeys, but each episode encouraged me to look at my own life, my blocks, and the possible ways I could remove them to become a better version of myself. I am so grateful that I found Shelli when I did all those years ago as she and I “started our mornings off together” with my headphones in my ears at the gym, getting my mind right for the day. I now watch her YouTube episodes and I am in awe of everything that she has accomplished and continues to do to motivate and encourage so many of us. If you haven’t had an opportunity to listen or watch Shelli, you are missing out on a good thing!!!

NancyP1234 ,

Inspiring

This podcast is inspiring and insightful. Great conversations with positive energy. I hope we all find our inner encouraging voice and this podcast can help us see what's possible.

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