Ina Coveney
We are meant to be full of joy. When you love what you do, even the hard work feels good. So do not let the negative belief tell you you can't have the dream just because you're enjoying it. You've been featured in every place under the sun. What is your relationship with success right now?

Rachel Luna
I understand that it's a journey, and you never actually really get there. You have exquisite moments of victory. If you don't purpose yourself to just sit and receive it and celebrate the work, you're going to feel unfulfilled.

Ina Coveney
You had to fight for your life when you got a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis.

Rachel Luna
It'll be five years in July, and…

Ina Coveney
We are all going to die one day. That is a guarantee.

Rachel Luna
But I'm not going to die from triple negative cancer. I'm not going to die from any kind of cancer. I'm going to be old and gray. This ain't going to be the thing that takes me out.

Ina Coveney
Welcome back to the podcast. I am so excited to have Rachel Luna with us. Rachel, thank you so much for being here. I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for coming to my city. Of course. Not my hometown, but my current present city. What's your city?

Rachel Luna
Jacksonville. And it is my pleasure to be here with you.

Ina Coveney
You have had an incredible self-made career. You've been featured in every place under the sun. You've been on Forbes. You have been on Latina Magazine. You have published a book, Permission to Offend. You have done live events that I have gone and actually got my earrings from Valencia Key event. All of my jewelry today is easily a Valencia key. So shout out to her. He's my worthy necklace. I got my Valencia key. We're going to give them a shout-out for sure. So you have done such amazing things. And I would love to know what is your relationship with success right now?

Rachel Luna
Well, first of all, you forgot to mention the Today Show. And I'm going to mention it because that was a dream come true. You said something about yourself-made and my eyes got big because I would never say that I am not self-made at all.

Ina Coveney
Oh?

Rachel Luna
Number one, God. God first, always in everything. Number two, there have been people who believed in me throughout the journey. And so I don't believe I'm self-made. Every single client, every single person on my email list, every single person that listens to my podcast, every single person that purchased my award-winning book, by the way—did you know that?

Ina Coveney
Congratulations.

Rachel Luna
Thank you. It’s an award-winning book. Every single person that purchased that book, every single client or student that has signed up for my programs, every single person that purchased a ticket to my events helped make me who I am today. So I would never dare say that I am self-made. And I actually get really annoyed when people say that about themselves. Like I'm self-made—no, you're not. Somebody gave you a chance. At some point in every single self-made journey, you will see evidence that there was an opportunity, there was a person, there was a situation, a circumstance that gave them their break, you know, to be clear on that.

Ina Coveney
The thing also I wanted to mention with the Today Show was that that was such a long time dream. That was 10 years in the making. And so my relationship with success is I understand that it's a journey. And you never actually really get there. You have exquisite moments of victory. And as soon as it's done, you know, if you're not really intentional, if you don't purpose yourself to just sit and receive it and receive it. Celebrate the work. The sacrifice, the preparation that you did, if you don't do that, you're going to feel unfulfilled. And you're going to be looking to the next thing.

Rachel Luna
And that was my many years I went through that, you know, unhealthy relationship with success, pursuit, pursuit, pursuit. And now it's like it's journey. It's journey and find the joy in the journey and everyone is suffering in some way or another, you cannot escape Earth without suffering, even Jesus.

Ina Coveney
Right.

Rachel Luna
Didn't get to leave without suffering.

Ina Coveney
So why do we think that we shouldn't suffer in our pursuit of success, please?

Rachel Luna
Foolish.

Ina Coveney
Can I ask you, what do you say to women who want to get everything they want out of life?

Rachel Luna
I love it. Yes, I co-sign on that. That's me. That is me. I want everything. You know, I love buffets. Why? Because you can get a little bit of everything. I don't like when people are like, do you want this or that? I'm like, can I have both? Can I just get a plate with both?

Ina Coveney
So I don't think that there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to have it all.

Rachel Luna
I think that the healthier approach is recognizing that you can have it all. And it really depends on the season of life that you find yourself in. But don't feel discouraged, right? Like right now, for example, you know, I speak at events. I love doing that. I love traveling. I love going on stage. For this upcoming year, I'm not traveling. I've canceled speaking engagements. I've given money back. I've stepped out and I'm not doing any more traveling.

Ina Coveney
Part of me feels like, oh.

Rachel Luna
But I also know that this is a season. I only have these next couple of years with my daughters and they don't like when I'm traveling. They're both going to be in high school. In two years, one is gone. She's off to college. In four years, that's it. This is a season. And when I'm done with that, then I can go back and still have it all. You get to change your definition of what having it all means. For me. Having the freedom to say, no, thank you, keep your money—that is freedom. That is having it all.

Ina Coveney
According to me, you just because you brought it up now, I feel like I’m totally skipping ahead because I need to tell you about something that happened.

Rachel Luna
Tell me.

Ina Coveney
In reading your book, *Permission to Offend*, you were talking about this story loop, which is part of this framework for freedom, where you basically get to acknowledge, get to identify what are the things that you want, why you are not doing them, what is the story that you're telling yourself about what are the bad things that could happen, and what are the facts, right? Going on a fact-finding mission. And you just mentioned spending time with your kids because they don’t like it when you travel. And I thought, holy cow. I decided to go through this exercise.

Rachel Luna
And what happened?

Ina Coveney
Literally, I was sitting there reading your book, preparing for this interview, and I thought, let me try this. And I had a breakthrough right there. In the book, you say one of your clients had a breakthrough in 20 minutes. I had one in five.

Rachel Luna
Oh, I love it.

Ina Coveney
As I was thinking about my podcast, I started wondering where I want to take this. What would be a really big vision? And suddenly, my mind expanded. I thought, I can leverage this for emceeing corporate events, interviewing high-profile people, getting on bigger stages, being on TV, maybe even becoming a presenter. My vision kept growing, but then, at one point, it just… stopped.

Rachel Luna
Why do you think that happened?

Ina Coveney
I felt like the walls were closing in. I thought, wait a minute, I can’t do that. That’s not for me. So I went through your exercise to figure out why. I realized that the lifestyle I was imagining would require a lot of travel. I have a six-year-old and a twelve-year-old at home. And even though they don’t care when I travel now—honestly, they think it’s fun because it becomes a “boys’ weekend” with pizza every night—I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t okay for me to enjoy being away.

Rachel Luna
So your mind told you, "If it’s fun, it’s not okay."

Ina Coveney
Exactly! If I was working a miserable job and had to travel, that would somehow feel more noble. But since it’s something I enjoy, it felt selfish.

Rachel Luna
Oh, that’s such a common story.

Ina Coveney
I know, right? I even told my husband I was coming here to Jacksonville, and every time I leave, he says, “This is like a vacation for you, isn’t it?” And I think, no, this is work! I didn’t even pack a bathing suit! But then he teases me, saying, “One day, I’ll just book a solo trip to the Bahamas.” And it reinforces that belief—that I shouldn’t be doing this.

Rachel Luna
I see exactly what’s going on here. First, your kids are fine with you traveling now, so embrace it. There will come a time when they might not want you gone, and that decision will become harder. So run with it while you can.

Ina Coveney
I know. I just feel so torn sometimes.

Rachel Luna
This is cognitive dissonance. You’re holding two opposing beliefs—one that says you should be doing what you love because it’s your passion, and another that says you shouldn’t love it too much, or it won’t be "real" work. It’s not true. When you love what you do, even the hard work feels good. Look at Olympic athletes—they love their sport, but they also put in grueling hours.

Ina Coveney
Yes, exactly.

Rachel Luna
And you’re doing that too. You’re working hard, and you just happen to love it. That’s the dream! Don’t let the lie tell you that you can’t have it all because you’re enjoying it. That’s what dreams are supposed to feel like—joyful.

Ina Coveney
Thank you for saying that. I needed to hear it.

Rachel Luna
And remember, God wants us to live with joy. The Bible mentions joy so many times. It’s a gift. We aren’t meant to live as martyrs—Jesus already did that for us. We just need to walk in our purpose.

Ina Coveney
I think you just gave me a breakthrough.

Rachel Luna
That’s the thing about breakthroughs—they make us want to do something right away. But it’s not about doing everything at once. Just take the next right step.

Ina Coveney
Right.

Rachel Luna
See the vision, but don’t stress about mapping out the entire future. Focus on what’s next.

Ina Coveney
What about women who feel trapped, who feel like the walls are closing in on them and they can’t make a change?

Rachel Luna
The first thing is to surrender to the season you’re in. Take a breath and assess the situation. Are you living in chronic fight-or-flight mode? Many women are.

Ina Coveney
How can they get out of that?

Rachel Luna
Start with deep breathing—diaphragmatic breaths. It’s not just about staying alive; it’s about being fully present. Also, little things like massaging your ear can calm your nervous system.

Ina Coveney
I love that.

Rachel Luna
And let go of the need to white-knuckle your way through everything. You need to get out of survival mode. Only then can you work on your goals.

Ina Coveney
What about advocating for yourself in the face of adversity?

Rachel Luna
It’s essential. Doctors, for example, have their agendas and biases, and they can lead with fear. But you have to advocate for yourself. I told my doctor, "I don’t agree with your prognosis. I’m not going to die from this." And I stood firm.

Ina Coveney
That’s incredible.

Rachel Luna
When it comes to your body, your treatment plan, and your dreams, if it doesn’t align with what you believe, don’t accept it. Go home, do your research, and make your own decisions.

Ina Coveney
What’s the one thing everyone should do in the next 24 hours?

Rachel Luna
Talk to God. Surrender everything to Him. Tell Him what you want, ask for guidance, and listen. Write down what you hear.

Ina Coveney
I love that.

Rachel Luna
And don’t think you have to map out everything. Just take one step at a time.

Ina Coveney
Thank you so much, Rachel. Where can people find you?

Rachel Luna
Come on over to racheluna.com, follow me on Instagram at @GirlConfidence, and grab my book, *Permission to Offend*.

Ina Coveney
You’re always such a pleasure to talk to.

Rachel Luna
I love you, friend. Thank you for having me.