Redefining Self-Worth with Alisa Chopard: From titles and appearances to fulfilment and peace of mind

"I realized that I put a lot of my own self-worth into the job"

This was the biggest takeaway from Alisa Chopard’s story. 

For many, our jobs define us – how we show up, how we feel about ourselves, how it looks on LinkedIn. A layoff. A reorganization. A boss. A situation. So many unexpected and uncontrollable events can impact our jobs. 

Her unexpected pause with a layoff in her early career days became a catalyst for growth, helping her to see the importance of separating her self-worth from work. Alisa's experience serves as a reminder that our jobs do not define who we are. It was also about letting go – her definition of success, which was climbing the corporate ladder. 

Her advice: “Don't take it personally, don't let it define your self-worth and don't let it reflect your capabilities because it doesn't.”

Her solution: 70/30 – always create space for her personal passion, alongside work. 

In this podcast, Alisa shared her transformative journey – with pauses led by her passion and love for exercising and training. These, including her pursuit for the trendy HYROX events, are not her end goals. The 30-per-cent personal passion has since evolved to a side hustle that she could pay it forward by helping others feel strong and capable and advocating for self-love. More importantly, this is proof of her resilience, discipline and the gift of strength. 

Her empathy-based coaching came with years of pauses. A comment on her body image many years ago spiraled into years of struggles with an eating disorder. It was a turning point and a redirected path towards healing with her training. Today, it is more important for Alisa to be strong and present, rather than to be skinny. As she understands body image struggles, she can identify with the women who seek trainers, who want to look a certain way, or want to see stronger versions of themselves.

With this, Alisa has a rallying cry for all: Do not comment on anyone’s weight or physical appearances. “Commenting whether you've put on weight, you've lost weight, you just don't”. As she rightly pointed out – “you really don't know what people are battling”. Her message is a powerful reminder of the impact words can have on self-perception.

For Alisa, the future is not defined by a to-do list, but by feelings of contentment and peace of mind. "I fight for my own peace. To be able to look at myself in the mirror every day and know that for that day I've done a good job," she explains. Her vision for the future is centered on finding fulfillment in everyday life and aligning her actions with her values. 

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Her ways to restore, refresh and recharge during her pauses:

Restore... Heal and regulate body and mind

• Sleep: Magnesium, Ashwagandha
• Nutrition: Make sure you are getting enough of each group (protein, carbohydrates, fiber) based on your body's daily needs. Lean protein (fish, chicken breast) and complex carbohydrates (red rice, brown rice)
• Health: Exercise!

Refresh: Gain new perspectives 

• Learn new skills and hobbies:
  • Personal training was a "new skill"! I used my SkillsFuture credits to study and get certified.
  • Korean too! Decided to learn a new language to challenge myself (because I've always thought I wasn't good at languages in school).
  • Diving, because I was claustrophobic and decided that I needed to overcome that (diving in clear blue sea is beautiful and not claustrophobic at all, but sometimes when you dive in murky water, it can feel stifling)
• Read: I've read too much in this lifetime. But recent books: A Scatter of Light, Throne of Glass series, Mars Room 

Recharge! Bring new energy

• Exercise: Weights, HIIT, steady state cardio, yoga
• Travel: Mainly beaches (Bali, Maldives, Italy)
• Community: I'm very fortunate to have a very strong support system. Dad, aunt, friends from all phases in life (school, work, etc.)