I recently went one on one with Keisha Blair, author of Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons To Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity and Happiness and the Holistic Wealth Personal Workbook.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Keisha: As the founder of the holistic wealth movement – a global movement that has impacted the lives of over 50 million people – I think the combination of setbacks and my personal and professional experiences have all been instrumental to my growth. I’m a trained Economist, I was widowed at age 31, just 8 weeks after giving birth to my second child. I realized that women’s economic empowerment was at the forefront of my mission and all my professional experiences and personal setbacks were defining moments that have ordered my footsteps and allowed me to be the vessel for this holistic wealth movement. I think the universe sent me a message very early on that this was to be my purpose. As an Economist, writing budgets and working at the very highest levels as part of international delegations to the World Economic Forum, and the East-Asia Summits as well as working on the Most Powerful Women Summits, I realized that I could also develop a framework to help people overcome setbacks while also charting a path forward that was more holistic and rooted in the notion of what a “Life, Well-Lived”, could look like. The Holistic Wealth framework I developed, can be used at an individual, organizational and national level to guide us on a path to more wholeness and prosperity. 

Adam: What is holistic wealth? What should everyone understand about it how can one attain it?

Keisha: Holistic wealth is a term I first coined in my 2019 book Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons to Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity, and Happiness. It elevates and emphasizes the importance of collecting experiences (as opposed to just money), engaging in meaningful work, and having more control over your daily life. Holistic wealth also includes developing financial savvy and independence, leading a life of purpose, focussing on mental and emotional health, and establishing a spiritual practice. When combined, this leads to greater joy and happiness as well as a sense of wholeness and resilience in life, particularly in times of difficulty. In the NEW Holistic Wealth Expanded and Updated: 36 Life Lessons To Help You Recover From Disruption, Find Your Life Purpose and Achieve Financial Freedom, I’ve included even more tools and strategies to help readers achieve holistic wealth. The book also has a Foreword written by iconic Actress Kelly Rutherford, star of Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, and Dynasty. I founded the Institute on Holistic Wealth in order to provide additional resources and from demand from readers for additional certifications based on the books. I also host the Holistic Wealth podcast which gives information and strategies on how to attain holistic wealth. Holistic wealth is one of the most important concepts of our generation, especially in light of COVID-19 and the fact that we can no longer divorce our physical, mental, and spiritual health from our wealth or finances. Cultivating holistic wealth helps us to be mentally tough and have the grit to weather the inevitable storms and setbacks that life brings. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

Keisha: I believe that empathy — the ability to recognize and share other people’s feelings — is the most important instrument in a leader’s toolkit. Whereas many people think leadership is about rank, power, and privilege, the Marines believe that true leadership is the willingness to place others’ needs above their own. The U.S Army, insists repeatedly that empathy is essential for competent leadership. It’s the everyday gestures of kindness that have the ability to build reciprocity and build resilient employees and organizations. In my book Holistic Wealth, I discussed the power of mentorship and the value in seeing every change, and every season, as part of a bigger story.

Every decision made by great leaders will be in service of ensuring their organizations are successful across a long time horizon. They aim to integrate the concepts of sustainability and stewardship into the heart of their business strategy. They recognize that life teaches the most important lessons of all and we have to actually go through life to learn these important lessons. 

It’s not about just the profits or the patents, or quick sales. It's about having a mission and leading a whole organization to achieve this mission. Great Leaders outline grand missions that solve the greatest challenges that humanity faces. They have the vision and recognize that their business can make humanity better.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Keisha: There’s a concept that I developed and outlined in my book Holistic Wealth and it's critically important for leadership. It’s a concept that was hailed by Real Simple Magazine as “one of the most powerful and life-changing ideas put forward in Holistic Wealth”. It’s the concept of nurturing your personal as well as your team’s Holistic Wealth Bank Account. 

Leaders can be far more effective, healthier, and happier and suffer less burnout if they focus on making decisions in terms of whether those decisions will lead to holistic wealth bank account additions and depletions. It can be applied on a personal level and on a team level separately. When applied to the team, it has to be done in a way that enhances the team’s overall wellness overall. 

All of the decisions you make as a leader are either an addition or depletion to this metaphorical account, It's basically a framework for decision making. Every day we need to think about the actions and decisions we're making in terms of whether we're adding to or depleting our holistic wealth. I think about every decision in terms of that holistic bank account. On a personal level, I ask myself—Is this going to make me better, healthier, or happier?"

The daily personal life decisions one might view through a holistic wealth lens include food choices, exercise, spending time with loved ones, spending time in nature, and even job choices.

Ask yourself 'Are these things that will ultimately enrich me?’ You should also think of the actions you take day after day in terms of paying compound interest. They add up, the same way compound interest would add up. Spending time in nature, eating well—the benefits of these things compound over time, adding to your holistic wealth.  While eating junk food or toxic relationships rob you and end up depleting your 'bank account.' until you feel empty. 

From a leadership perspective, the framework is the same. If you work 24/7 and end up with burnout – is that actually a depletion or addition to your holistic wealth bank account? The same applies to asking your team to do the same – will your employees burn out over time or is this a sustainable model? We have seen that it is not and COVID has shown us that. Every organization should embrace this. The Institute on Holistic Wealth can help and provides training and a toolkit.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Keisha: My three best tips: become mission-oriented, align your values with your goals, and think about how you can move humanity forward. 

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

Keisha: In terms of building, leading, and managing teams we need to apply a holistic wealth lens to not only decision-making but to scaling and growing teams. Holistic Wealth is a concept that's never been more relevant—as waves of employees (especially women) walk away from the workforce in response to the challenges of COVID-19, or perhaps in response to inadequate salaries, or simply in response to the realization (after staring down a deadly global pandemic), that there are other ways to live life. Embracing this concept in leadership is critically important. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Keisha: When I was in the process of writing the first book I received advice from another author and he said no matter what you do – “never, ever, give up on your dreams”. I will never forget those words. Those words were from acclaimed Author David Ebershoff, Author of the Danish Girl which was later adapted to an Oscar-winning film. 

Adam: What can anyone do to pay it forward?

Keisha: Anyone can start by just looking around and seeing where the needs are in their community. As I stated in my book it's so important to pay it forward. Mentorship is another great way to pay it forward, especially for kids and teens who need mentorship.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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