Speaker: 0:01

Welcome to The Heart-Led Business Show, where compassion meets commerce and leaders lead with love. Join your host, Tom Jackobs, as he delves into the insightful conversations with visionary business leaders who defy the status quo, putting humanity first and profit second. From heartfelt strategies to inspiring stories, this podcast is your compass in the world of conscious capitalism. So buckle up and let your heart guide your business journey.

Tom Jackobs: 0:36

Welcome to the Heart-Led Business Show. Today we have the incredible Leslie Hocker in the spotlight, a globe trotting entrepreneur with success stories as vibrant as her travels. From pioneering Pilates in Houston to leading heart-centered brands with her husband. Leslie's journey is a blend of passion, purpose, and perseverance. Join us as we dive into her remarkable experience of nurturing a business with heart and helping others craft lives that spark joy. As she says, a life you won't want to take a vacation from. Leslie, welcome to the show.

Leslie Hocker: 1:13

Hey, Tom, thank you so much. I'm excited to be here I love the whole theme of your podcast of, of leading from the heart.

Tom Jackobs: 1:22

Well, thank you and I'm so happy to have you on the show as well. And especially I love your saying of live a life that you don't want to take a vacation from, and I think that's such a good way of living. I'm also really excited to talk a little bit more about your Pilates experience in Houston, but we'll get to that in a second. But first, what's your definition of a heart-led business?

Leslie Hocker: 1:47

I've given that a lot of thought because it really is about people. It's people first, and that's a phrase that a lot of people use. But what that really means is, I came from a corporate background. Which was win lose. I figured out when I got to the executive level for me to win, someone else had to lose and I really was looking to create a life where I could win and others could win. That really is teamwork, leading with the heart serving. Helping other people because I don't know if you're familiar with Zig Ziglar? My husband actually knew Zig. And I always butcher his quote, but it's helping enough other people get what they want and you'll get what you want.

Tom Jackobs: 2:41

It's absolutely true. And and you, your corporate experience was oil and gas, is that right? Mine too. So that's where I started in corporate is oil and gas. That's really funny. But it's interesting that you're talking about for you to win, somebody else had to lose. And that was my experience in corporate America or in oil and gas, I should say. Specifically it was a very much a win-lose situation, and that's just no way of treating people.

Leslie Hocker: 3:10

Well, and for me, I'd like the fifth or sixth female to get the degree that I have, which is a specific degree for the petroleum industry with engineering, geology and law. And I really worked hard to get to the executive level, and then when I got there, I was like, I don't know this isn't fitting. I love relationships. I love meeting new people, connecting with people, so that just wasn't happening.

Tom Jackobs: 3:39

So you left that, and then, so tell me about the Pilates in Houston, because that's where I had my fitness center in Houston for 20 years, so I'm sure we know the same people in the same areas.

Leslie Hocker: 3:49

Oh my goodness. So what happened was when I got to the executive level, I was at a very young age. I was in my mid late twenties because of timing. And one day I said, okay I am not going to be going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark and working weekends in my fifties. I need to start a business. So really there wasn't too much thought into it. And I always laugh because with a business degree, they teach you how to work for someone else. Not for yourself. So I really was clueless and hence the Pilate studio because I think a lot of people start businesses where they find something that they love. So I was an athlete. Graduated college, had 16 inch neck. I was, you you know, big bulk up. And the Houston Ballet had a Pilate studio for the public, and it helped me immensely with getting back to a normal size. But when they closed, I thought, well, everybody would love this exercise. Okay. So

Tom Jackobs: 4:59

Yeah.

Leslie Hocker: 5:00

timing in business is everything. And this was in 1984. And no one had heard of Pilates. I think it, I made it about six months and then just turned it into a regular exercise studio for women.'cause it was a small space but that was my first experience with, oh, there's more to business than just starting a business, and just because you have a business degree doesn't mean you know what you're doing.

Tom Jackobs: 5:32

I know that was exactly the same experience that I had, I thought, managing millions of dollars in budget for a major oil and gas company, I should surely be able to run a small business. And boy was I wrong with that.

Leslie Hocker: 5:48

Yeah, same here.

Tom Jackobs: 5:49

It's crazy.

Leslie Hocker: 5:50

I managed multi multimillion dollar budget and like, it was like, woo, quite an education.

Tom Jackobs: 5:57

So what was that shift like going from the cutthroat oil and gas in the eighties environment to then a small business for yourself? Like what was that like?

Leslie Hocker: 6:07

Well, was an interesting experience because one thing you can say about corporate America is if you set an appointment, someone showed up. But, in the fitness industry, people would set appointments and never show up, and then you had employees. So I in a way, I created another job for myself.

Tom Jackobs: 6:27

Well, that's what some people say. It's you trade a 40 hour a week job working for a bad boss for an 80 hour work week, working for an even worse boss when you start your own company.

Leslie Hocker: 6:41

Well, and that's, uh

Tom Jackobs: 6:42

And you think, for less pay, as well.

Leslie Hocker: 6:45

It's interesting because around the same time my next door neighbor shared with me a business model, which most people know I call it just share the love marketing, but it's like an affiliate marketing where you could have a turnkey business where I could dictate my own time and my own schedule, and was more dependent in the beginning on me showing up and working rather than, than other people.

Tom Jackobs: 7:13

Yeah. Now, how did that align, with the heart and just your people person personality and all that, going from a profit-led business into a heart-led business, what was that like in terms of just emotional change and heart-led change?

Leslie Hocker: 7:31

Working with people to help give value. Working with products that give value and helping people set as an athlete I was very blessed. When I started my journey towards being an entrepreneur was when I realized all the lessons I had l learned as an athlete. I was a swimmer in at AAU and in university and all those lessons I had learned about setting goals, competing against myself, working to be a little bit better. That whole slight edge. Philosophy, the consistency and persistency. And then so I had an aha moment one day and I went, oh.'cause I had left all of that behind me because I wasn't identifying as a swimmer anymore or an athlete. But then I realized, as an entrepreneur, being heart-led, then looking back at all your experiences and pulling those forwards and taking the best pieces and making those work. So I learned to make a plan, set goals, figure out where I wanted to go, and that came from my background as an athlete. Thankful for my parents putting, all five of us in swimming to keep us out of trouble. So we weren't on the street doing drugs or anything like that, literally.

Tom Jackobs: 9:08

Wow.

Leslie Hocker: 9:09

It's funny how things, work out. That is why they put us in swimming to keep five kids out of trouble.

Tom Jackobs: 9:14

Yeah. Well, you know some type of extracurricular activity. You need that. a, as a, as a kid.

Leslie Hocker: 9:22

Well, with five kids there's always someone to get in trouble with. Really, we're all like two years apart. My, my mom. You know, bless her. Who knows how she managed that, but a lot of laughter, my father was in the petroleum industry and that's how, ended up there. But one day he came home and they're more common now. But he came home with a plaque. He loved it. He was laughing about it. This was someone who's highly recognized, when he retired by the petroleum industry and had legislation with his name on it, and the plaque said, anyone who could remain calm in the midst of all of this, simply doesn't understand the situation that that was our house.

Tom Jackobs: 10:04

Yeah.

Leslie Hocker: 10:04

Lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a lot of lessons with five kids.

Tom Jackobs: 10:09

Yeah.

Leslie Hocker: 10:09

And I think I took lessons also from my parents managing five children.

Tom Jackobs: 10:16

Yeah. So, so tell us like how you look at businesses now in terms of, heart-led and what you're doing now in terms of having your heart-led business.

Leslie Hocker: 10:27

What I'm doing now is I find and grow a business that fits their lifestyle, that will help them either get a little bit of extra cash flow into their life or a lot as a friend of mine calls it gangster money. So,

Tom Jackobs: 10:45

Okay.

Leslie Hocker: 10:46

You know, compared to corporate. And so what I'm doing is I'm helping people find and grow a business, which really means grow themselves. Because what I've learned along the way is your business will never, and really your life will never be any bigger than you are. So it's a journey of, working to be a little bit better myself with my skills, with AI, with technology, et cetera, so that I can help the next level. For a number of years actually worked as a next level growth coach.'cause we all have a next level Tom. That's when you realize we all have a next level. Then it makes the journey easier, because what tends to happen is as humans we set goals. And then, when we get to, we don't get to that goal, then we beat ourselves up instead of looking at what we've accomplished instead of measuring against where we started and where we are now. That we look at that gap. I didn't make it, I didn't get there. And in stead of looking back. So that's, so we all have a next level. So it's it's levels of growth. I work to help people know that they should celebrate their wins and that they just keep working towards their goal.

Tom Jackobs: 12:22

Oh, that's awesome. And I can imagine that working with so many different people and helping them find the businesses that bring them joy and all that, I'm sure you've found a lot of both heart-led as well as profit-led businesses as well as people. What can you say about the differences in terms of the long-term success of a company that is heart-led versus one that's more profit-led?

Leslie Hocker: 12:50

In my experience the focus on solely for profit is you're gonna have a shorter lived business. You may make we could sit here probably and talk for hours about examples. But the companies that and though it sounds so cliche when you think about it, but the companies that do focus on growing people, on empowering people, those businesses, people, what is it? People will quit a job or they'll quit a business, but they won't quit a family. And it's there really is so much truth to that. There I don't know how else to describe it except the focus on people first. It's not about being a pushover or being nice, it's about genuinely guiding people and helping people. I've had hard conversations with people and they didn't like it. But what I've always shared is, hey, I'm not big into conflict and truthfully, I'd rather not coach you to this next level. That's my nature. But because I care about you and you're important, I'm gonna spend the time to have this hard conversation. And so thats,

Tom Jackobs: 14:17

Yeah

Leslie Hocker: 14:19

that's the piece that when you help people understand, you're trying to help both of you get to the next level.

Tom Jackobs: 14:27

That totally makes sense. You know that it's coming from the heart and not just, Hey, you need to make your numbers so that the company can succeed. It's, Hey, I really need you to make your numbers so that you can succeed. And you know what, whatever the conversation happens to be. Completely, it's a different way of approaching it. But I'd also like to go back to something that you said earlier about people will quit a job. And that is totally accurate. I would add to that, that they won't quit a purpose. So if they're part of a business that has a strong purpose to it, people staying at those companies and being super effective and efficient in those companies thriving versus, like a big oil and gas company. Yeah, they're making billions of dollars, but how efficient is it, and there's always issues sometimes that come up. So it's like, I'd love to get your take on how companies and why, for that matter, why companies fail at putting people first when they know that is better for the long term.

Leslie Hocker: 15:31

I don't think there's much education on that. I remember when I was in the petroleum. Long distance phone calls cost a lot, and part of my territory was Louisiana, Arkansas. So I was having to make long distance calls to get deal. I worked in exploration. You're talking the company making, millions of millions or maybe spending millions and it wasn't at al l. But I remember it, was one of the accountants came in and gone and talked to my boss. Because like, I don't know, three grand or something like that, and how many hours I had spent on the phone. So I'm in my office negotiating a contract for an hour versus getting on an airplane, flying over there, all of that. I think what happened is you have a board of directors or you have private equity, or you have venture capitalists that are only looking at the bottom line and the problem is they don't understand the working. So this accountant did not, he looked at the numbers, he looked at how long I'd been on the phone, like I was chatting, as if chatting about, my gardening or something.

Tom Jackobs: 16:51

Calling a friend for two hours on the company dime.

Leslie Hocker: 16:54

No, it's like really?

Tom Jackobs: 16:58

Yeah. Oh, that's ridiculous. I think it's just

Leslie Hocker: 17:02

not paying attention when you're elevating people to executive positions that they have an understanding of how the business works in its entirety, and that's the danger that you get as the company grows.

Tom Jackobs: 17:16

Yeah. Well, and the education, but just also just common courtesy almost that or just some thoughtfulness. I like, I had the same experience where, again, the accountant comes in and says, well, why is Tom's expense bill? Like, do we see how much Tom is bringing in business versus how much Tom is spending? And so it's always interesting when those conversations happen, when I hear those conversations too. Well, I think a lot of people have that experience, especially if you've been in corporate, that it's just like, why don't you think before you talk or think about the person or the bigger picture really.

Leslie Hocker: 17:52

Or as a questions.

Tom Jackobs: 17:54

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, because, I think that's something that I've seen too from heart-led businesses is that there's more questions that are asked. It's more curiosity versus, like telling people what they're all about they're more about asking the right questions. Yeah.

Leslie Hocker: 18:12

Definitely.

Tom Jackobs: 18:12

So what do you see the future of heart-led businesses in America these days?

Leslie Hocker: 18:18

I have noticed a definite trend towards the culture being very important of community, of people working together to help each other. And that's what I'm very proud that I have developed a community of people that'll work together to help each other have success, whether they are directly benefiting from helping another person or not. So it's that focus of serving. It's how I define servant leadership.'cause you're leading yourself and then you're helping serve others. And It's that mindset of abundance that there's enough there for all of us to have success. And that's really I've seen a huge focus towards culture and community and helping.

Tom Jackobs: 19:15

Yeah. Yeah. That, and I'm glad you brought that in too, about the community and the culture.'cause I haven't heard a lot of people talking about that in terms of heart-led businesses. But you're absolutely right that's when you look at businesses, and I think I was listening to a podcast or video where they were talking about the brand and that the community of the brand was super important because that's what kept people coming back for to buy again and again. I like that's really, and then it's very true at my fitness business, we had a great community. Everybody just jelled nicely and clients just didn't churn. They didn't leave because of the community. And of course that they were having fun getting results as, as well.

Leslie Hocker: 19:59

Results are always a good thing. But I think people, when you don't put people first and you're married to the results on the bottom line. So what it, I forget what it's called it's an intangible. Putting people first is an intangible that doesn't show up on your balance sheet.

Tom Jackobs: 20:17

That's right. It does not. But the salary does. And that's what they look at is, oh, this person isn't being productive.

Leslie Hocker: 20:24

And your hour long phone calls do.

Tom Jackobs: 20:29

Yes, at a dollar a minute.

Leslie Hocker: 20:31

I was like, really? I just negotiated us a multimillion dollar contract in that hour long phone call. Are you kidding me?

Tom Jackobs: 20:42

Yeah, that's absolutely ridiculous, but it happens. Leslie this has been just a fascinating conversation. I really appreciate you sharing your wisdom and your insights into the different industries as well. But how can people learn more about what you're doing and contact you?

Leslie Hocker: 20:59

Probably the easiest way, a couple of pages of my favorite things to do every morning is affirmations, or as I call them, declarations, so for all different areas of your life. But the easiest way is if you go to lesliehocker.com. And it's L-E-S-L-I-E. It was named after my father, it's his middle name. So people try to put a"Why?" and all kinds of other things. So it's lesliehocker.com and it's just a simple form. If you fill out your info, then I'll be happy to get that my daily affirmation guidance to you in being a heart-led business and working with people, it's how you talk to yourself is critically important.

Tom Jackobs: 21:44

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. The way you talk to yourself is probably how you talk to other people too.

Leslie Hocker: 21:48

I always tell people, if you wanna beat yourself up, just call me. I'll be happy to beat you up for you. And of course, it's a pattern interrupted and they laugh and no, really, seriously, talk to yourself like you would talk to me. Not beating yourself up all day long. That's part of helping people be the best they can be. So please look me up on social media. I'm on Facebook as Leslie Hocker. I'm on Instagram. And then of course LinkedIn, but lesliehocker.com and feel free to ask me any question I'd be happy to serve. I'm at a stage in lifetime where I'm looking to give back all the decades of experience and knowledge, and hopefully just one person. So just helping one person.

Tom Jackobs: 22:42

Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. That's great. And thank you so much for being with us today and taking time out of your schedule to share your stories with the audience. I really do appreciate it.

Leslie Hocker: 22:53

It was my pleasure. I enjoyed it and I didn't know we had so much in common.

Tom Jackobs: 22:58

I know it's so crazy. Thank you listeners for watching the show today or listening to the show, depending on what platform you are on. I really appreciate it, and I know Leslie appreciates you sticking around as well. And make sure that you're checking out everything that she's doing down in the show notes. And we're gonna put all those links down there so you can. Click away and chat with Leslie and, get some guidance from her. Definitely get those declarations, the morning declarations as well. That's important to have that good self-talk. So until next time, lead with your heart.

Speaker 2: 23:32

You've been listening to The Heart-Led Business Show, hosted by Tom Jackobs. Join us next time for another inspiring journey into the heart of business.