Aria Leighty is the Founder and CEO of Mob Nation (Mom Boss Nation), a Thought leader, Trailblazer, and an Award Winning Business Mentor based in Hawaii (Native American English Speaker). For almost a decade, Aria has combined her diverse experience, creative ideas, wide range of connections, and unique perspective to help women on the edge of change up-level in their businesses and lives. Aria helps her clients to get out of their own way, sparkle their mindset, step into their power, and live their dream life. Working with Aria as a business mentor blends consulting, coaching, and cheerleading not found anywhere else.
Aria has a proven track record of success in building communities and online empires.
Everything from my childhood shaped me. My mother is Native Hawaiian and my dad was in the Navy. They met while he was stationed on Oahu. Shortly after they married they began moving around. I was a very lonely child. I didn’t have friends, I was bullied pretty badly, we didn’t live close to family and my parents were never home. I took care of myself as a child. I never felt like I had security. It didn’t dawn on me until recently that this is what drives me to create connections for others, to build communities and Ohana in my businesses. The spaces I curate and cultivate are providing the safety I wanted badly for myself. The fact that we moved around so much got me interested in always moving to the next big thing,I often find myself wanting to chase change and new opportunities.
What is the biggest mindset hurdle you had to navigate?
Worthiness. I think this is the biggest mindset hurdle that most women navigate. We hold these subconscious limiting beliefs that we are not worthy of money, love, abundance, ease, flow. Many of us, including myself, feel like we have to make things hard in order for them to be worth it. Entrepreneurship and wealth feels like it can only come through struggle. This is ongoing work. That is something I tell my clients and friends all the time. Tackling Mindset hurdles and limiting beliefs is ongoing work, we didn’t establish these stories over night so we can’t rewrite them overnight. Each time I am faced with a new level in business, income, or life I am faced with them again, but it’s knowing how to reframe the stories, that is the key.
How do you help women develop their money mindset?
First we have to dive into their beliefs and stories about money. Often we think that we couldn’t possibly have mindset blocks around money, “of course I want to make more money” is what everyone always tells me. But when you really get down to the stories, beliefs, ideas around money there are so many negative things we do not realize we carry around. We have been taught that money is evil growing up, through the media and society. Once we can establish what stories we are carrying around we can begin to reframe them. Money is a tool. With tools we can build beautiful things or we can cause destruction. Unfortunately, those that have a lot of wealth right now are not great examples, which reinforces the belief that “money is the root of all evil”. However if we can get money in the hands of good hearted people with a desire to change our systems- we can change the world. So I love to help my clients think of all the good they can do with their money.
What are the common blocks you have seen with your clients when it comes to money?
Believing that money is the source of evil. Many women believe they have to choose between making money or doing good in the world. I hear so many entrepreneurs say things like “I am not in this for the money” but good vibes and warm fuzzies don’t pay the bills, create jobs, fund dreams, or make change.
Share with us your biggest failure and what you learnt from the experience.
100% it was the closure of my brick and mortar business. I am an example of the entrepreneur that didn’t “want to be in it for the money” and wanted to just give everything away. The business was a kids art studio that provided process based experiences for artists to find their own voice. I wanted to make as much of an impact on as many kids as possible so that I (unknowingly at the time) created an unsustainable business model. I worked 12-16 hour days 6-7 days a week and paid myself practically nothing. I felt that was the best way I could serve the community. What I learned is that I have to be sustained and the business has to be sustained in order to serve best. I had to have my needs met, I needed to be able to afford more help personally and professionally. Sadly, because of this I had to close two locations and a mobile unit. Now Art ala Carte isn’t serving anyone in the community.
How does success look to you?
My ideas of success are constantly evolving. I try to connect to my ideas of what success looks like and not buy into what others model. Success for me is staying in my zone of genius and making a good living off of it. Success is having the income to employ more Mom-Owned Businesses and pay them a great living wage. Success is being able to use my money for good through my purchase power. To be able to afford to support small businesses, sustainable fashion vs fast fashion. I make almost every single purchase for my home and life through small Mom-Owned Businesses in my community. Success is being able to tip well at restaurants and put money towards funding other small businesses’ dreams with ease.
What drives you?
Changing the world. Changing the narrative around money and business, creating abundance for WOC and indigenous communities, getting wealth into the hands of good hearted women that will create massive impact in the world. I want to continue to lead movements that challenge the systems and stories that have been modeled.
What’s next for Aria?
We are redeveloping The MOB Nation and this next phase is going to completely change the game for Mom-Owned Businesses. I am in the process of writing two books, creating additional courses/online resources.
