In this episode of Catching Up with Corey, I am joined by Olivia Hayse, a marketing professional, author, and board member for the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA). Based just outside Wichita, KS, Olivia’s journey has taken her from the farm to the campaign trail and onto the stage as a ballet dancer. We explore her unique path of “multi-passionate” success and how she balances political activism with motherhood, faith, and the arts.
Olivia is the author of Crooked Paths Straight, a book detailing her personal journey of trusting God’s design through the unexpected turns of her life. A registered Libertarian since 2016, she ran for the Kansas State Senate in 2024 and now serves on the USA Board for LOLA, where she focuses on empowering women and spreading the message of liberty.
In this episode, we discuss:
Defining Success as Freedom: Why success isn’t just about money, but the autonomy to decide how to spend your time and energy.
The Power of “One Thing”: Olivia’s advice on overcoming overwhelm by picking one small, manageable goal to accomplish at a time.
Crooked Paths Straight: The story behind her book and the lessons learned from relinquishing control and trusting a higher design.
Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA): Her transition from a Senate candidate to a leader in an international organization dedicated to libertarian women.
Blazing the Trail: The importance of being “first” and providing representation for future generations, especially as a second-generation Mexican American.
Adults in the Arts: Her experience returning to classical ballet as an adult with Ballet Wichita and the sacred space of the dance studio.
Purpose Through Multi-Passions: How to find a common theme—like freedom—amongst many different interests to define your purpose.
The worst thing you can do when you are struggling with money is to go into debt. That, however, is what the popular advice tells us to do. When I joined the military, one of the first things I was told was to “have a credit card for emergencies.”
But I quickly learned that I couldn’t handle that responsibility. At that time in my life, I lacked a financial buffer, so everything felt like an emergency. The easy solution to a lack of funds is to qualify for more credit, but that only solves the immediate symptom, not the big problem. Even when I began to struggle, financial advisors suggested I open a new card. They were prescribing more of the poison as the cure.
The MacBook Disaster: An “Emergency” Test
Recently, my wife and I decided to save up and switch from PC to Mac. We had lived credit card debt-free for several years and were proud to finally purchase a MacBook Air. A short time later, during the hustle and bustle of a busy day, I spilled coffee on the keyboard. It began to spark as the liquid seeped through the internal components.
Just like that, our brand-new investment was dead. This was the last model Apple made with regular USB ports, and because I was confident in my gear, I hadn’t purchased AppleCare.
I called Apple for a repair quote. The representative told me it would cost $900 to fix. Since a brand-new replacement was $1,200, I was at a crossroads. I had to ask myself: Is this an actual emergency?
In the past, I would have panicked and reached for plastic. Apple even suggested I apply for an Apple Card to fund the replacement. But because we had a small savings buffer, the “emergency” lost its power. It was a problem, yes, but not a crisis. While I was leaning toward the cheapest repair option, I remembered a better way to protect my tools: insurance.
How the “Computer Rider” Works
Many renters’ or homeowners’ insurance policies include a “computer rider.” This is a specific add-on that covers hardware against accidental damage—like coffee spills. In my case, this addition only costs an extra $2 per month on my insurance bill.
Of course, you need to have it before you need it. I learned about this strategy from Robert Kiyosaki, who emphasizes that the wealthy insure their assets. By protecting the tools I use to generate income, I ensure that a mishap doesn’t stall my progress.
I saw the “cost” of missing this protection when working with a client recently. Her computer system failed, and it could have been replaced for $500. Her first instinct was to make payments on a new system—adding more debt to her plate. If she’d had a $1,000 emergency buffer, she could have replaced it outright. Better yet, if she’d had a computer rider in place, she could have replaced it for the cost of a small deductible.
Turning a Crisis into a Claim
When I realized my own MacBook was covered, the process was straightforward. I filed a claim, provided my receipt, and explained the damage. Because I had the rider, the insurance company covered the replacement cost minus my deductible.
What could have been a $1,200 blow to our savings—or a multi-year debt obligation on a credit card—became a manageable claim. I immediately called my client back to share this, but for her, the damage was already done. She didn’t have the rider in place.
Even if you aren’t using your computer to generate income, it likely holds vital information and serves as a primary tool for your daily life. Taking the “intelligent” route means looking beyond the credit card and toward your insurance policy.
In the grand scheme of things, $1,000 is not a lot of money. However, when you are going through a hard financial time, $1,000 feels like an impossible mountain to climb. By spending $2 a month on a rider and keeping a small deductible in an emergency fund, you ensure that a sparking keyboard is just a bad day, not a financial disaster.
When it comes to success, there truly is no one-size-fits-all road map to get there. For one thing, we are all chasing success differently. Meaning we do not all have the same dreams and desires. So the tools that we use to chase our versions of success is one thing that helps us to define it. One thing, however, is for certain: We all want to be thought of as a success.
I wish that I could give a simple 3-step process on what it means to be successful. But that would be based on what success means to me. That is why you will hear some gurus tell their listeners, “This is what works for me,” stopping short, but leaving it to your imagination for you to surmise that you must find what works for you.
The word success is a loaded term. And we all look at it as a destination. But the truth is, success is not someplace to get to. Success is what you achieve on your way towards reaching a place or a goal. Here is what I mean: Many chase the status of a millionaire to achieve their version of success. But there are plenty of millionaires who are striving to feel successful. They accomplish one goal, but their drive to succeed keeps them searching.
In his book, Will Smith said he thought he was a failure. As we see him today—actor, rap mogul, entrepreneur—Will Smith stands as a role model that many people are trying to emulate. Sure, there are areas that he has not shone as well as others, but there are very few people who would put the word “failure” and associate it with Will.
So, instead of looking for a roadmap or a specific person to try to recreate their success, what we need is a framework. Something that can not only help us define success but also show us what actions we need to take to live it. In truth, success is not where you end up. As Marcos Vazquez, author of the book Invincible, said: It’s the person you become while trying to achieve it.
I absolutely love Earl Nightingale’s definition of success. He says that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. While he goes on to explain the definition further, let me tell you what it means to me: If you have a desire to see something come to fruition, and you are working at it as if it were your life’s mission, you are on your way to becoming a success. As you work on and in that mission, you become a success.
Too many of us, however, lose focus on the real prize. Because we don’t see the results that someone else on the same track receives, we say we are not succeeding. If our results do not match our expectations, we say we have failed. When in actuality, our path simply gave us a lesson to learn.
For me, navigating those lessons and keeping myself on track has required me to look inward. I realized that if there wasn’t a universal roadmap, I had to develop my own set of internal coordinates. I started asking myself: Am I operating with Clarity about my own “worthy ideal,” or am I chasing someone else’s? Do I have the Courage to do it scared, even when the results are invisible?
I’ve had to learn that success is found in the consistency of showing up every day with the action-oriented habits that build momentum over time. And that it’s about the capital I’ve invested—not just in bank accounts, but in the deep relationships and the positive impressions of those who hold me accountable. And finally, it’s about control—taking the yoke of my own life and directing my time, my money, and my energy, instead of being a passenger to my circumstances.
When I look back at Will Smith’s admission that he felt like a failure, it makes sense now. From the outside, we saw the trophies, the movies, the music, the status. But success isn’t a museum where you hang your awards; it is the daily work of managing your life from the inside out. How we look at failure is dramatically wrong. If Will didn’t experience the one instance that caused this feeling, would he have the drive that helped him create the success he has today?
That is the hidden truth about this journey. You can be a millionaire and feel like a failure if you lack control over your own peace. You can be at the top of your field and feel lost if you lose clarity regarding your own “worthy ideal.” I’ve realized that I am successful not because I’ve reached a final peak, but because I’ve committed to the process. By focusing on what I call the Core 5 Framework (Clarity, Courage, Consistency, Capital, and Control), I’ve started looking at the tools in my own hands that can help me become someone that can say I am successful. These five pillars are how I measure my progress, regardless of what the rest of the world sees.
As Will Smith wrote in his memoir, “Living someone else’s dream is a special kind of hell.” Stop chasing their roadmap. Start mastering your own tools. If you are still moving forward, still learning, and still growing into the person you want to be, you are already a success.
The Core 5 Success Audit
Before you close this tab, take sixty seconds to check your own instruments. Success isn’t about the trophies on your wall; it’s about the person you are becoming today. Ask yourself:
Clarity: Am I working toward my own “worthy ideal,” or am I exhausted from chasing someone else’s dream?
Courage: What is one “audacious chance” I’ve been avoiding that I need to take—even if I have to do it scared?
Consistency: Am I showing up with action-oriented habits today, or am I waiting for “the right time” to start?
Capital: Who are the 2:00 AM friends I am investing in right now? Do I have the support system I need for this mission?
Control: Am I a passenger to my circumstances, or am I taking the yoke and directing my time and energy toward my goals?
If you don’t like your answers, don’t panic. You aren’t failing—you just found the lesson you need to learn to keep your momentum.
Corey Stokes 
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