We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
From a very young age, we are socialized to believe that happiness is a destination. Get into a good college, you’ll be happy. Find a partner, get married, and have kids, you’ll be happy. Get in good shape, you’ll be happy. Earn a lot of money, buy a house, and a car, and you’ll be happy. The problem with this advice is it puts our focus on achieving happiness outside our self and that’s just not sustainable. All of the achievements I mentioned are certainly nice to have, and you will experience happiness for a little while, but before you know it the celebration fades and you are left seeking something else to give you that “happiness hit”.

To achieve long-term, sustainable happiness, we need to focus our attention on cultivating things like self-compassion, gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness, just to name a few. Happiness is a inside job.

What should our readers know about your business?
One of the most common questions I get asked is, “Is a Happiness Coach a real job?”. The answer is, YES! What sets me apart from other Life Coaches is that I use research-based strategies from the Science of Happiness, Positive Intelligence, and my experience as an IRON Woman athlete to bring my clients the perfect combination of, Mind + Body + Science.

When I first started coaching, I knew who I wanted to serve, but I wasn’t clear on how to bring all of my strengths and experience into my business. I spent a lot of time comparing myself to others and trying to follow whatever marketing trends were popular at the time, and guess what? I wasn’t HAPPY!! It wasn’t until I was invited to be a guest facilitator at the World Happiness Summit that I realized that, I am a HAPPINESS COACH. It was like taking the blinders off and seeing for the first time.

After that things just started to fall into place. I created groups, did corporate workshops, and my most recent passion (and obsession), transformational retreats for women.

What I learned was that the more I leaned into being my true self, the more success came my way. And success for me is helping as many people as I can to live happier lives, including ME.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question! As a relatively new resident of Flagstaff, I have created a very robust “hit list” thanks to the generous suggestions from many of my favorite locals. As a matter of a fact, when I first arrived I created a post in the local FB group introducing my family to the community and asking for suggestions and I was blown away when I received over 300 “warm welcomes” and literally hundreds of suggestions. The one thing you want to know about Flagstaff is that it is the kind and helpful people that are the real treasure in this town.

As far as where to go, (depending on the time of year) I would take my guests to one of the many epic hikes in the surrounding area. Any and all of the San Francisco peaks, Aspen Corner, Mt. Eldon, Arizona trail, and Buffalo Park, are just a few. For fun historical spots, I like, The Museum for line dancing and the train museum along Route 66. Also, Lowell Observatory and the Museum of Northern Arizona should not be missed. Surprisingly, Flagstaff host some of the best South East Asian food that I’ve had. And I have been to South East Asia. Some of my favorites are Himalayan Grill, Dehli Palace, Dara Thai, and Swadee Thai. For something more traditional I’d recommend Josephine’s for both dinner and breakfast.

There are a lot of options for nightlife. I love Karaoke at the Gopher hole and live music on Friday nights downstairs at the Monte Vista hotel. Collins is also great for people-watching and late-night dancing. The Orpheum theatre is a great venue that draws great talent to this area year-round and the Pepsi amphitheater host a great line up of live performances during the Summer and Fall.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The catalyst to living the life I love and celebrate today began with a crisis in my family. On the morning of my oldest son’s 15th birthday, we were notified he had been arrested. We were completely shocked and devastated. What followed was the total collapse of my family as we knew it. We lost our son, and my other child lost his only brother.

However, even in the darkest of times, you can find a light. As a result of our son’s recovery, we were all required to enter an immersive Life Coaching program. I had never heard of Life Coaching before. When I arrived at the start of the program I believed I was there to save my son. Upon completion of the program, I realized I was there to save myself.

Through the coaching, we received I learned that the life we were living was not the life we deserved. After experiencing Coaching I felt passionate that every man, woman, and child deserved access to a Life Coach, and I wanted to be part of the solution. It was then I made the decision to leave my long-standing career at the hospital to become a Certified Coach, committed to helping other people find their happiness, just like me.

Website: www.livehappycoaching.com

Instagram: @livehappylifecoaching

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-lopez-life-coach/

Facebook: @livehappylifecoaching

Yelp: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/live-happy-life-coaching-flagstaff

Image Credits
Bayley Jordan – Bayley Jordan Photography ( all images in white dress shirt) Janise Wit – Photography by Janise ( all remaining photos)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.