April Henheffer's story is a compelling testament to the power of self-discovery and the courage to embrace change.

Growing up in a conservative Canadian town, April felt confined until she took a leap into the unknown. Her journey began with a hitchhiking adventure that led her to explore North America, transforming her perspective on life and self-identity.

The conversation is rich with personal anecdotes that highlight her growth from a reserved individual to a confident leader, inspiring listeners to take risks and trust in their abilities.

Her narrative serves as a reminder that the warrior spirit lies in the willingness to explore, adapt, and ultimately thrive in an ever-changing world. And April's philosophy is simple: "Growth should give you more life, not take it from you."

Takeaways:

• The journey from being a broke hitchhiker to a successful businesswoman showcases the value of resilience and self-discovery.
• Investing in personal development and skills is crucial for anyone looking to make a significant impact in their field.
• April's story illustrates that saying 'yes' to oneself can lead to transformative life experiences and professional success.
• The conversation highlights the significance of embracing discomfort and persistence to achieve personal and entrepreneurial goals.
• April's future goals include taking companies public and creating more passive income streams to enhance her business portfolio.

You can connect with April on her website at: https://cmoatlas.com/

& her social platforms at:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/cmoatlas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmoatlas/

The music in this video is copyrighted and used with permission from Raquel & The Joshua 1:8 project © 2025 All Rights Reserved. All rights to the music are owned by Raquel & The Joshua 1:8 project © 2025 All Rights Reserved. You can contact Raquel at https://YourGPSForSuccess.Net

I've walked through fire with shadows on my heels Scars turn to stories that taught me to feel lost in the silence found in the flame now we're my battle cry without shame this isn't the end it's where I begin A soul that remembers the fire within welcome.

Back to another episode of A Warrior Spirit brought to you by Praxis33.

I'm your host, Daryl Snow.

Let's dive in.

Hey.

As a transformational coach and personal consultant, I have the fortune to run in the same circles of some very high quality people.

But the beauty of what I do on this show is to learn about the person behind the title.

And I get to share those stories with you, my audience.

And today, I have the pleasure of speaking with April Henheffer.

April is a growth focused fractional CMO for online educational companies doing 2 to 5 million dollars annually.

But April isn't a coach.

She doesn't hand out advice.

She takes ownership of marketing outcomes so the founder can breathe.

And when she's not leading high performance marketing teams, you'll find her climbing palm trees, chasing the next next patch of shade.

Easy for me to say.

And scouting out trendy cafes.

So, April, I appreciate you joining me and welcome to the show.

Darrell, it is such a pleasure.

Thank you for having me on.

I am so excited to be here.

I am looking so forward to this.

And as I said, you are a very high powered individual and I always love learning from people like you.

What got you into fractional?

First off, explain what a fractional CMO is because I hadn't really heard of that term.

And what got you into being such a high powered individual working with businesses?

Yeah, of course.

Okay, so there's a lot of places we could go just based off of that same single question.

But what a fractional CMO is, is CMO being chief Marketing officer.

So I am a C suite executive that comes into again, online education companies that are typically doing between 2 to 5 mil in annual recurring revenue.

What that means is I come in and in a nutshell, we could say that I babysit marketers.

I spend my days babysitting marketers.

But the problem I typically solve for clients is reducing founder dependency.

And so, like, I don't know if this lands for you or not.

I'm going to assume that it does.

But you can have founder dependent bottlenecks across smaller organizations.

And so I'll come in and bring a level of leadership, strategy and rigor to the marketing department to reduce some of the pressure on the CEO so they can Go do other things that they need to and.

And not have to worry about their marketing crumbling.

What I love about your bio, if you will, is that you don't call yourself a coach.

You know, you don't hand out advice.

You just come in and you take ownership of the marketing and implement the deals, you know, that are going to best suit the company.

But what really impresses me a, you're extremely young for someone doing such high powered work.

So where.

And I know you're currently in Mexico, but I believe you were born in Canada.

Yeah, you're absolutely right.

So actually I am in Canada right now.

Typically I'm in Mexico.

I've been nomadic.

And also working on my Mexican residency.

So we'll hang out down there for as long as they let me.

You're going to be a dual resident Canadian and in Mexican citizenship?

No.

So I'm keeping my Canadian citizenship, I'm relinquishing my Canadian residency, and then I am getting residency in Mexico.

Okay, well, Mexico is warmer, so I don't blame you.

What.

What was life like growing up in Canada?

I mean, I want to say it's typical, but I caught myself and so typical is just like what you're used to.

I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, so very conservative, very like rural.

I don't know, like, pull up a map or whatever.

But it's a very large landmasser.

Growing up, there's about a million people living in it.

I grew up in a town of about 20,000 and so all like, very safe, very conservative, but cannot say that I lived a very exciting life growing up.

Lots of like, farms, lots of summer camps, that kind of thing.

And it wasn't really.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Go.

No, no, you're.

You're fine.

I was just wondering, did you have siblings that were enjoying this rural life with you or was it just you?

Yeah, absolutely.

I am the oldest of three.

I've got two younger sisters.

Oh, that's a houseful.

Yeah.

Having raised some daughters myself, I understand that.

But in Canada, I mean, I look at Arizona, where I live, and just the Phoenix area alone has a million people.

So to say our entire landmass had a million people.

You know, it puts it in perspective for me, but.

So how does a young April avoid getting in trouble?

Because I grew up in Iowa, so I know what rural life is alike.

My hometown had 7,000 people in the winter and about 15,000 in the summer when people would come enjoy the lake and whatever.

So how did a young April avoid the pitfalls of rural life?

Getting in trouble, partying, doing all that stuff.

Or did you?

I mean, I was very introverted.

I wasn't super interested in partying.

I wasn't super interested in, like hanging out with a lot of people.

I had a very tight knit social circle that I was just very happy in and was very disinterested in most other things or most other people.

And so it wasn't like it never crossed my mind to get into trouble.

In Saskatchewan, where I grew up, there were things called like, bush parties.

And so you would just go out into like a farmer's field or like the edge of a forest.

Not really a forest.

Right.

Just like some trees and just like have a bonfire and have some drinks and just like, that was not something that ever struck my interest.

Yeah, it's the same.

I mean, we used to do bonfire keggers at, you know, people's farms and in their little thing of the woods and whatever.

And that was our social media, that was our Facebook, like getting together with friends and, you know, having a beer and just hanging out, you know, watching the fire and enjoying each other's company.

So I can kind of see your vibe.

But what took you from that?

Because you said just a moment ago I wasn't very outgoing.

And what I've seen of you online and the energy you bring to what you do, how did you go from this reserved young woman to this vibrant, outgoing person that you are today?

So what is that, 10, 14 years?

Something like that.

And my first three and a half years traveling, I hitchhiked all over North America.

And so that chapter, that period of my life was really transformative.

And there's no way I would be where I am today without that period.

It's, it's reflective on a time when you could actually hitchhike, especially as a young woman across North America.

You know, not as easy to do or safe to do today.

I literally, when I was younger than you, I used to just throw a dart at a map and then wherever it landed, that's where I moved.

So I totally understand your nomadic heart.

What instilled that in you?

What made you want to just see the world?

I mean, that a is amazing and congratulations and I would love to talk more about that.

Because it's very, very cool.

But where did that come from for me?

I mean, I would say my dad's side of the family.

Both of my parents come from very big families.

So, like, five, six brothers, sisters.

So, like, big families.

And my dad's family was nomadic.

Not nomadic, but more adventurous.

And so I have, like, family in Thailand.

I have family in Australia.

Australia.

Like, I have family that have moved around.

So that's been part of the narrative and part of the conversation since I was very young and the way that I got started traveling, my youngest sister, and that's actually, I would call this, like, my origin story.

Like, this is really the epiphany story that changed, very literally changed the trajectory of my life.

But I. I'm going to back up and I'll get to the place of, like, how I actually got on the road.

But there was one morning where I just, like, could see my life clearly.

It was like a veil had lifted in some regard or some respect.

And I recognized that I was the only common denominator in all of these life situations that I did not love.

And if anything was going to change, I was going to have to change.

And it was maybe a day or two after that where my youngest sister came over to my place, to my apartment.

I was living in Saskatchewan at the time, and she asked me, do I want to go hitchhiking to the east coast of Canada?

And that would have been the very first time that I had ever said yes to myself for myself, without any concern of consequences or what I should do or what was age appropriate or what other people would think.

And that decision very much changed the trajectory of my life.

And how old were you?

How old would I have been?

23, 24?

Somewhere in that.

Or somewhere in that range.

So let's.

Let's step back a little bit younger, because if there's a commonality that you're involved in that you don't like, what are some of those situations looking like?

Oh, geez Louise.

Okay.

So at the time that I had that epiphany, I mean, I had ostracized myself from my parents for about, like, five years.

So that's not a small thing.

I was dating someone that I did not like.

I just.

I really did not like them.

I had, like, the female friendships in my life were based off of, like, gossip and venting.

And I did not know a better way to relate to women.

Like, I kept men around for validation.

I was working a job that, like, it was a shitty customer service job.

I was Inside all, like Saskatchewan, Canada in the winter has very limited daylight hours.

And so I was indoors all throughout the day.

I would go to work, come home in the dark, and there was just.

It was.

Yeah, I was the only common denominator in all of that.

And I recognized if anything had to change, it was me.

So let's, again, let's explore this because you're fascinating what precipitates ostracization from your parents.

Because if you're 21, that puts you at about 16.

So yeah, let's go back to 16 year old April and what ostracizes you from your family.

There was some rather like dramatic things that happened between my parents and my younger sisters, my middle sisters specifically.

And it just caused a really strong rift in my family.

Like being the eldest, I always took like a level of protection over my younger sisters.

And so there was just like some dramatic things.

I understand my parents were doing the best.

No one has a manual when they have kids.

But there were just some things that had happened that caused a rift between myself, my parents, my sisters.

My parents.

And I mean, yeah, I was dating someone at the time and I took both of my sisters, I had them both move in with me for a period of time.

Like, yeah, it was just, it was really dramatic.

It took a bunch of years to work through to get over.

I don't know that my middle sister ever really like healed her relationship with my parents.

There was a period of time where after I had left the partner that I was dating at that time, I moved cities.

And not too long after, both of my sisters moved up and moved in with me in this very tiny little like bachelor apartment, the studio apartment.

And the three of us just like lived together for a handful of months before they each like started.

Started off on their own.

When you were dating this individual.

And I don't want to stereotype anything, but it is common when there's rifts in the household to look for external validation.

So you said you were dating men for validation and for keeping them around for validation.

Oh, and like there would be like different partners that I was dating at the time.

Like at the time where I had the rift with my parents, I was dating someone differently, like a different person than when I had the epiphany moment.

So we're talking about like two different time periods here.

But actually just recently, after 15 maybe plus years, 17, probably pushing 20 years, I very randomly, very unexpectedly ran into the man that I was dating back during high school and just saw like a drastically different life like, flash across my eyes.

And the amount of gratitude that I had for young April to just be brave and do things that were not common for someone her age was just, oh my God, like, so, so, so grateful.

You actually lived the Garth Brooks song.

Unanswered prayers, like, you know, ran into my high school flame and nothing to say, right?

Sometimes you thank God for unanswered prayers.

At what point then did you go to college?

I'm presuming that you went to university or college.

No, did not.

No, I actually, I took one summer semester of university in Saskatchewan and by the end, there's a typical like, moment that happened while I was taking classes.

I took sociology and religious studies.

Those were the two summer classes that I had taken.

And there was a midterm that we were just finishing and reviewing in class.

And this just like blew my mind.

This blew my mind.

The professor, this would have been sociology.

We were talking about different midterm answers and he was referencing a specific student that got the first letter of an answer correct.

And he marked it like he gave them points for that.

He gave them like he just marked it correct.

Yes, I understand what you're trying to say.

Even though it was the first letter of the answer.

And in that moment I was like, no, no, absolutely not.

Like, I do not need this level of validation from an institution like this.

What I need are people who have done the thing that I am interested in doing and have the experience that I need in order to go do it.

Like, all I need behind me.

And this is like, I would have been 18, 18, 17, 18, something like that.

Like, all I need behind me are the results and the experience of what I am doing.

Not a piece of paper that validates and says that I can do what I can do.

If I can do it, then the world is going to believe me.

That is such high level thinking for an 18 year old.

It's, it's a, it's amazing because we are indoctrinated with, go to school, get a degree, get a family, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And to know just in your entire being, this is not for me and I do not need it to be successful is such a high level thought process.

Major kudos and respect to you.

So how does someone, especially in a world.

So I'll tell you, I'll share a little here briefly.

I didn't get my bachelor's degree till I was 35.

And I didn't get my bachelor's degree because I was in sales and I was in marketing and I was doing my thing and had built a couple businesses, but I wanted to be in the corporate world for, you know, security, which is bullshit in and of itself.

However, I got tired of these interviews, liking my experience, but because I didn't have a piece of paper, wouldn't hire me.

So I randomly one day woke up and I was working for a trade school here in the Valley, Collins College Art School.

And I just woke up on my couch one day.

I had just bought my home, I had moved in and had just this epiphany like, I'm gonna go back to school and get my degree just to shut these people up.

And I really like where I'm working.

I'll just get an art degree.

Like a visual communications bachelor in visual.

Now I had never.

I could barely draw a stick man with a ruler.

So art school was.

But I got, got enrolled in school and I finished third in my class.

Not because I was that great, but because I outworked all these young kids who were coming in with all this talent and all this experience, but they wouldn't do the work and so I outworked them and, you know, was finished third of my class.

Well, fast forward.

Not that this is my story, but not yours, but it kind of relates.

I didn't get my master's degree till I was 50.

And I again thought, yeah, I kind of like the university that I'm currently working at.

I'll get a master's in psychology.

Now, I had no purpose to use the masters.

I had no reason to, other than the fact that I love the human brain and how it works.

So then I got my master's.

But when I'm raising my children, I'm like, if you're not college material, don't go to college.

If you're trade school material, go to trade school.

If you're, yeah, yeah, work, go to work.

But you don't need that piece of paper.

So for an 18 year old to come to that conclusion on her own is deeply insightful.

So how did you, without that piece of paper, in a dominated world by paper, break into being someone who can speak with two and $5 million CEOs about their business?

I mean, yeah, that is a fun story.

So if we like keep going down or through that timeline, I mean, when my youngest sister came to me and was like, do you want to go to the east coast of Canada?

And I was like, yes, this is exactly what I want to do.

And I don't know if I can curse if I can't, please just Beat me out.

But I was like, fuck, yes, this is absolutely what I want to do.

We're adults.

And so we did that and we came back.

And this will like, tie to how I got to where I am.

So I'm just gonna take you on a bit of a journey right now.

I hope that's okay.

Yes, that's what we're here for.

But we traveled through the east coast of Canada, came back to Saskatchewan, lived with a family friend for a handful of months while we both saved up some money.

We bought a van the day that we left.

And so I spent three and a half years hitchhiking all over North America.

And that chapter of my life, that period of my life, I had a mentor, very hippie mentor, who taught conscious communication, conscious values.

And I basically used that three and a half year period of my life as a petri dish and explored and found, subsequently found a way to interact with the world that did not hurt me and did not hurt other people.

And as often as humanly possible, left both parties better for that interaction.

And so it was when I was in Northern California with a girlfriend and she had just picked up, picked up and came back from India, I believe she was.

We had gone to a festival in Virginia together and then hitchhiked across the United States, landed in California, loved the vibe of California, so decided to stay.

And her experience traveling before me and then after me and a handful of other things had told me that this skill that I developed could be valuable for other people.

So here I was in the back country of Northern California and I decided, I'm going to learn how to build businesses.

I'm going to learn how to build businesses online.

And hired my first business coach without ever talking to her, just went through checkout.

It was probably a 2k program.

Wouldn't have been that expensive.

Expensive, but poured everything, everything I had into developing that skill set.

And so started with a conflict resolution practice.

And after I had about 20k invested into that skill set, I like into learning how to build online businesses.

After I had about 20k invested into that, I had a little side hustle that did a combination of design, tech and marketing.

And after about six months of that side hustle, I had made more than in my previous year of doing conflict resolution.

So my business coach at the time was like, April, you need to pivot.

And I was like, I need to pivot.

And that me being a freelancer doing a combination of design, tech and marketing would have been the very, very earliest iteration of what I do now.

And So a decade later, $350,000 and counting into my skill set.

Here I am.

You.

You talk about the investment into yourself a lot.

And I think that's a part that a lot of people, especially entrepreneurs, miss.

Like, you really have to invest in yourself to develop your skill set to be of value to others.

And when I was teaching small business entrepreneurship at the, at the community college, you know, you'd have these individuals who would come in, you know, adult individuals trying to transition out of their nine to five to be an entrepreneur, and they would hate, like you talking about swearing, they would hate the four letter word work.

Like, if you.

And I told a lot of them, like, if you went to a nine to five and gave the effort that you're giving to yourself, you'd be fired.

Like, you have to go to work and you have to educate yourself and train yourself and invest in yourself.

People look at it as a cost.

But look, I've never met you until today.

We've been friends online for a little bit.

But I would venture to say that if you invested triple digits into yourself, you've more than earned that back.

Oh, yeah, by far.

It's an ROI that can a never be taken away from you and that can only be expanded upon.

And it doesn't matter that you're in your mid-30s, you have such insight and value and you talk in a business sense that most people don't hear on a regular basis.

So it is awakening.

Like, oh my God, I need to pay attention to this woman.

Like, she knows what the hell she's saying and she knows her stuff and she's bringing an essence to it that nobody's ever told me before that is going to transform my business.

So you've taken that investment in yourself and you've multiplied it and you've given yourself the things that a paper could never give you credibility.

Like, yeah, okay, you have a degree, but what's it mean?

You are giving real life credibility to what you do.

And something in you.

And I go back to the psychology of the brain.

Something in you is innately attuned to being better and helping others be better.

Where do you think that comes from?

In you.

Oh, geez.

I mean, Daryl, I don't know that anyone has ever asked me that question before.

So if I stumble around for a second, please forgive me.

You got an hour.

You go do what you need to.

I mean, where did that come from?

Oh.

I. I don't know that I have like a solid or strong answer.

It is just something that I Can recognize has always been there, even from like my youngest, my earliest versions.

Like I remember within my friend circle in grade school, like I was the one that people were coming to, to mediate, to solve problems, to help navigate things that they didn't know how to navigate.

Like, yeah, that was just consistently something that was happening consistently.

And I recognized.

Okay, yeah, yeah, okay, okay, I, I can answer this question.

So my motivation to hitchhike.

One of my motivations was to live a life that was honest and was free.

And there were multiple experiences that I had throughout, like that three and a half year time span that showed me the value in it and being able to live my life like that for such an extended period of time and consistently be safe and be okay.

Like, hitchhiking is where I learned to trust the world.

My business development was where I learned to trust myself.

And so understanding that I had given myself permission to live a life that was both free and honest and understanding that that was not a decision that other people or many other people have made.

Like, that's like, that's very much where it comes from.

Like, if there is a motivation, if there is a desire, if there is like an ingrained why in me, it is because I see the harm that we cause ourselves and the people that we love around us when we say no to the life that we actually want to say yes to.

That tells me as someone who is very in tuned with spirituality and the universe and connected with those around me.

My wife is a Reiki master and she's shamanic Reiki and she's a Hindu hypnotherapist and a healer.

And all this, and having grown in that time where I was just throwing darts at maps and going, I learned the same thing that you did.

You know how to trust the world, but trust in myself.

Because you always had to keep your head on a swivel and you had to always be aware and in tuned with everything around you.

You couldn't just put blinders on.

So that tells me that whether you want to use the word or not, you are an empathic, intuitive individual who has insight that normal people who haven't developed that skill utilize.

And if you were doing it at a young age where people were coming to you because you had the answers, you had the shoulder to cry on, you had the wherewithal to know how to navigate a solution that comes from a deeper internal spiritual connection with your higher self.

And to know that we are put on this earth for more than the world tells us we can be or should be is that deeper rooted connection.

So you may not come out and say it in that fashion, but I can see that as a pathway to that you've lived.

Does that make any sense to you?

I mean, Daryl, I am flattered.

I'm so flattered.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, I would say it makes sense.

It lands.

Yeah, absolutely.

Is it Myers, Briggs, the personality, like Matrix, infp, whatever.

There is both, like intuitive, empathic for myself in that profile.

So yeah, I would say you're at least relatively accurate in the ballpark.

That's all I can ask for for someone I've met for a half hour.

So where would you say the April of today differs from the april of age 21 that was hitchhiking across America?

Oh, geez.

I mean, like, I, I think about what I was able to do in my 20s and just like, so like proud and impressed with myself and like, how am I different?

I mean, I am drastically different if we take into consideration where I started.

Like, I was a broke ass hitchhiker.

I don't know if you know what like rainbow gatherings are, but I have been to a number of rainbow gatherings in my life where you don't trade money, you barter and you exist through like the generosity of the world.

And for a number of years I was like, I did not think that I needed money.

And then I got to a point and I was like, I, you know, I can see my life if I continue down this path.

And I think I've been broke long enough in my life.

Let's see what it is like to have money.

Let's see what that is like.

And like, I would say that's probably one of the biggest distinctions or one of the biggest catalysts that have helped shape myself in my direction.

Just understanding that money is a tool and that there is value in it.

And creating or keeping a victim mentality around it was not serving me in my life.

And so let us do something about it because we're the only one who can.

And flow.

I mean, everything's energy.

So it just flows.

Whether, you know, if you put a roadblock on it, it's going to stop the flow, and if you don't.

And I always am amazed at these people who talk about, oh, you know, money is the root of all evil.

No, the worship of money is the root of all evil.

But I don't care how generous your heart is and how giving you are, if I want to go into McDonald's and buy everybody a hamburger, I can't freaking do it.

Just because I'm a nice guy, I have to do it with the currency of trade, which is money.

If McDonald's was willing to barter with me, great.

But they're not.

They want money.

So I have to have money to offer my generosity to those around me, you know?

So you have to at least desire to be helpful, which means that you have to have some money.

Yeah.

Like you traveled around for three years.

You hitchhike.

You hitchhike for three years.

The people who helped you, the people who took you in, the people who gave you a ride or shelter or food, whatever, they couldn't have done it if they didn't have something of value to do that with.

Yeah.

So 100%.

Yeah.

And which do you like better, the broke ass you or the more wealthier you?

Oh, definitely this version of me.

Definitely this version of me.

By far.

Yeah.

The bohemian life is good for a moment, but it.

Yeah, yeah, there's definitely value understanding both sides.

But I would always and forever choose the version that has the resources that she needs.

Excellent.

Now, as a bohemian at heart and someone who just loves the world and travel, where have you not been that you really are putting on your life list?

And I learned this from someone we're both connected to.

She stopped calling it a bucket list and a life list.

Where would be that place on your life list?

There's two places that come up immediately.

I would really love to see Easter Island.

That has been something that I have wanted to see since I was young and I've just never really prioritized it.

So it hasn't happened and I haven't done Europe.

And so that's definitely something that I am curious to go like spend more time or spend some time in you in Europe.

I can see you just backpacking everywhere.

I took my wife to Lisbon in Madrid last year for our 10 year anniversary.

And I can totally picture you just backpacking and seeing it all.

It's.

It's right up your alley.

Yeah.

I actually have a girlfriend who lives in Lisbon, so I love hearing that you were there because I know like a tiny little bit about it.

Oh.

My wife's Portuguese, so it was like going back home for her.

So.

Are you familiar with the Azores?

No.

Tell me, tell me.

Well, they're a Portuguese island off the coast of the US about 500 miles from Boston.

So they're out in the mid Atlantic.

And that's the island that she was born on.

And then they moved to Boston when she was three.

But her island, her part of the island.

I should say, in her little village, they didn't even have electricity until she was.

So when she left as a young child, they still didn't have electricity in her little part.

I mean, the island did, but they were too poor to be in that part.

But yeah, so, yeah, very, very, very poor area.

But yeah, so she would spend summers in Lisbon and, you know, whatever.

So, yeah, you would.

You would definitely love it.

Go see your girlfriend.

No, I will.

I mean, that is wild to think about.

Wild to think about.

Yeah.

Think of a.

Think of a. I mean, you living in your, you know, rainbow, nomadic life.

Imagine.

Not.

Imagine going from that and then going to, like, an American grocery store for the very first time.

Oh, yeah, like, vastly different.

Definitely some culture shock, for sure.

So where's your favorite place that.

Not.

We're not going to count Mexico, because obviously that's really to your heart or you wouldn't be doing, you know, the.

The resident thing.

Take Mexico out of it.

Where's your.

Where's your favorite travel spot that you've been to?

Oh, I really love Southeast Asia.

Like, Bali definitely has a place in my heart.

And I would say Turkey.

Like, definitely the two of them are up there.

They're very different.

I mean, I picture Turkey and I picture.

That's two very different worlds.

Yeah.

And are you still relatively close with your sisters now?

Are they traveling still with you, or are they still in Canada?

Where are they at?

No, they're both in Canada because the business that I built, I've been able to sustain my travel for far longer.

And so both of them are in Canada after their own adventures.

They both lived in Australia for a year.

My one sister lived there for a couple years.

They both spent a bunch of time in Japan, but they are both in Canada and are in B.C.

so they're on the West Coast.

That's nice.

It's your whole family or your sibling.

Family got the travel, you know, nomadic bug and got to see the world and do all that things.

Have you.

Have you resolved the issues with your parents?

Oh, yeah, of course.

Yeah, absolutely.

It was really like my youngest sister's doing.

She got to a place just in her own journey where she was tired of the distance between them and so started doing work on her relationship with them, which opened the door for me to, like, do some work on my relationship with them.

So we are substantially better.

Substantially.

That's good to hear.

When you.

Now you.

You mentioned that you had a business coach that helped you with.

With that end of it.

Did you have any type of spiritual coach that helped you with your healing and your processing of what you've been through in your life?

Because we haven't unpacked virtually any of it.

And I know from what you haven't said that there's a lot of it.

So have you had that kind of mentor in your life that's helped you with those?

Yeah, absolutely.

I am very blessed to be very well loved and very well supported in my life.

And so we have had periods of both.

I can't say that I have gone, like, consistently deep on, like, the spiritual side.

I would say the chapter.

The period of my life where I did the most amount of that work was when I was hitchhiking, when I had the mentor who was doing the conscious values, the conscious communication.

But we, like.

I have done a lot of therapy in my life.

I've done a lot of breath work.

I've done a lot of meditation.

Yeah, I would say personal development is, like, something that I'm very comfortable with.

And so there's always, always more to unpack.

I don't expect to ever be done, but I have done my fair share, and I continue to do it.

I don't feel that the healing journey is a complete journey.

I think it's a.

It's a.

Not a destination.

It's a.

It's a pathway that we walk because there's always another layer to heal or grow from or.

Or learn from.

Yeah, if.

And I'm sure that this has happened to you.

You have young women, young men come to you, and they, you know, they.

They hear about your life or they see what you're doing, or you've been traveling on this, and because of who you are, you're bound to just quote, unquote, coach, whether you, you know, call yourself a coach or not.

We take our life's experiences and we help pass them along.

So when these younger people who are slightly behind you in the pathway or even age doesn't matter.

Just someone who's not as far on their journey as you are, when they come to you and they say, april, I see where you are and I see where I am.

How do I bridge that gap?

How do I get there?

How do I.

How do I transform my life so that I can give myself better because I deserve better, what do you tell those folks?

I actually, Darrell, like, you're spot on.

And I am really impressed with, like, your ability to just dive into something and really just.

Yeah, it's remarkable.

I don't know if I could do a Better job to describe it, but to acknowledge that because I think it's a really special skill and gift that you have that is important.

But you're right, I have those conversations often, whether it is on like a personal or a professional side.

I would say the conversations more so happen on a professional side.

But if it's a personal side, I think that is more so what you were pointing to.

So correct me if I'm mistaken.

No, either.

I don't.

You know, your advice is your advice.

You, you have.

And I, and I, I, I say this a lot.

They don't pay me to be Willy Wonka, so I'm not sugarcoated or anything.

And I don't blow smoke.

So when I say these things, it's heartfelt and felt out of genuine.

Our business, yours and eyes is filled with sharks and charlatans.

There's a lot of crap out there.

So when I come in contact with people who aren't that, it's very visible and very recognizable.

Which is why I said in the, in the opening, you know, I get to be around some very high quality people.

And what I love to do is learn more than what that title is, you know, so when I say these things to you, they are said from my own intuition and heartfelt of what I see in you.

So I don't care if we talk about it business or personal.

They kind of intertwine most of the time.

When you're good at what you do, what do you tell these people?

Yeah, of course, the personal side.

I mean, if there's someone who is just starting out, like on their journey, wherever they are.

Like, I always try to encourage traits of resilience, persistence, tenacity.

Like the only way you're gonna lose is by quitting.

And so just stay with it.

And the higher your pain tolerance, the more willing you are to wade through shit to get to where you want to go.

It's like you're going to get there and you are fundamentally worth the work.

And so just keep at it and keep doing it.

It's going to be uncomfortable.

It's going to be hard.

Like, if this was easy, then everybody would do it.

But like, fundamentally you are worth the work that it takes to get you to where you want to be and so continue to say yes to yourself.

What if they say, but I don't know how, April?

I mean, you make it sound easy.

That's great.

But what does that really, what does that really take?

Yeah, so who really knows how, like, when they first start, who really knows how none of us.

I mean, looking back on when I first started, I made it substantially harder on myself than what I needed to.

But that doesn't matter.

That is not the point.

Like, if we're talking about career development, if we're talking about business development, like, you are either going to learn or you're going to earn.

And both are valuable.

Like, both are a win.

And so it doesn't matter where you started, it doesn't matter how you start.

The important thing is to start.

And so if you don't know where or how, start with the best idea that you have.

Like, follow the level of curiosity that you have in yourself, like, where are you being pulled?

And see what blossoms from it.

And on a personal side, because that's really great advice for a business.

Do you think it same thing applies to the personal?

Yeah, 100%.

Like, when I started hitchhiking, I didn't imagine that I was going to end up here.

Like, I went on a whim because it felt right.

Like, the decisions that I make in my life are because I understand, like, right and wrong, good and bad are just code for, I like this, I don't like this.

And so what decision feels good?

What decision do you like?

And do that because of course you can change your mind.

I started hitchhiking because I wanted to, because I liked it, because it felt like a good decision.

I started a conflict resolution business because it felt like a good decision.

There's no, like, right or wrong way.

Whether we're talking personally or professionally.

There's ways that are going to cost you more or ways that are going to take more time.

But again, you're going to learn or you're going to earn.

And the experience is going to be something that you can take and add value to someone else and create shortcuts for them.

And so there's really like, no wrong way to go about it.

Just don't hurt people.

We do complicate it more than it needs to be.

That is pretty basic.

Like, do what feels right, but don't hurt people.

Like, that's not a difficult concept.

We make it more difficult.

I will say that you, you have said a very important thing that just kind of got skated over.

And I want to make sure that it's emphasized.

Learning the art of the pivot.

Don't continue down a road just because you've spent time or money down that road.

If it no longer serves you or where you currently want to be, pivot, get off of it.

Do something else.

You don't have to be a slave to that decision forever.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Are there some decisions that you made that you wish you to pivot it off of sooner?

Realistically, no.

Because any kind of decision that I would go back and change would influence or alter where I am.

And I am very stoked about where I am.

I am very stoked about where I am going.

As excited and grateful as I have been for the last decade, I am even more excited about the decade in front of me.

And so, no, I would say I am very grateful for the choices that I have made.

I love the.

Again, you're.

You're attuned to how life is supposed to work.

And we, you know, I realize that I would have never married my first wife if I would have been more healed when I met her, because I would never even married her.

I wouldn't have even dated her, let alone married her.

But out of that, I got my stepdaughter.

She was two when I came into the relationship.

She's still my daughter today, 25 years later.

And if I hadn't done the bad, I wouldn't have gotten the good.

And so if I go back and say, well, fuck, I wish I would have never married her, well, then I'm saying, I wish I would have never had this child.

And that I can't do.

So you have to take the good with the bad, but you just got to learn to pivot, right?

So what's got you stoked about the future?

I know you mentioned that your new business and where you're going, what's got you pumped about that?

Oh, I mean, if this is something that I would have done, realized, learned a decade ago, the amount of cash that I would have saved, a little bit heartbreaking, but it's okay because it's all a learning journey.

But I am making some business restructuring moves that I am very, very excited about that will allow me to drastically, dramatically reduce my tax burden.

And so I'm very, very excited about that.

As a Canadian citizen, I have recently bought my first US Based llc.

And so learning about that and what I can do with that, especially as a foreign international, has been really thrilling, really exciting.

That in combination with the kind of business that I have built and leaving the Canadian tax system and protecting myself against being taxed as a Mexican resident, I mean, it is really.

Yeah, it's just.

It's very thrilling.

By the time I am done all of this restructure, like, I will have a business that generates me a very healthy profit with very high margins, with drastically reduced like client responsibility than what I have had in the past.

And actually that's not 100% true.

My client responsibility has only increased with time, but the amount of clients that I am accountable to has decreased.

And so that still frees up my time, gives me more time, and it's a good life.

It's just a good life.

I hope many others get to experience the same, kind of.

Because you beam with joy and you exude high energy, and that's so refreshing in today's world.

So that leads me to the question, you're still relatively young, so this is futuristic, but what do you want the legacy of April Henheffer to be?

Oh, geez, Daryl, I don't know if I have an answer for a legacy question.

That was not what I was expecting.

But what I can comfortably say is, like, the next milestone that I have my sight set on for my career, I would like to get to a place where I know how to take companies public.

I think that would be like a very high leverage application of my current skill set.

Which is not to say that I would not need to develop more skills in that process or in that journey, but for myself, like, the next big milestone that I have my eyes on is taking companies public.

Even if I only do it like once in my career.

Sure, fine, whatever.

But if I could do it a handful of times, that would be very thrilling, very exciting.

And in learning more about US based business structures, there are some really exciting things that I am toying with.

I don't think I'll be in a place to move on them soon.

Realistically I would say within the next 12 months.

But there are opportunities in front of me to start building a portfolio of like, more passive based businesses.

My current business is very active and so there are definitely opportunities in the relatively near future we can say where I'll be able to start building like, more passive based revenue.

So I'm very excited about that as well.

And on a personal level, what do you want to be remembered for?

What do I want to be remembered for as a personal level?

Oh, there is very much like something inside of me that says that I could make a wider difference in people's lives if I were to get on stages and start talking more widely about some of the experiences that I've had in my life.

And so I would say if I can leave a greater impact, it would be to give people permission to live a life that is honest to them.

And I have an open door for you when you want to go deeper with those messages.

To come back here and share some of them, because I think it's going to change lives in ways that you can't even imagine right now.

And that's going to lead me to my final question to you.

What does a warrior spirit, or having a warrior spirit mean to April?

I lied to you.

That's not my final question.

I'm going to ask you about one.

That's a good one, though.

But I'm going to give you a chance to think about it.

Now that I screwed that up, I want you to talk about this for just a minute.

Fractional CMO for online educational companies.

Is this.

Is this the.

What's the name of your company?

Is this the name of your company?

What's the.

No.

So my company name is CMO Atlas.

Okay.

And.

But this is what you do for them, right?

Yes.

Yeah.

100%.

Yes.

Okay.

I just wanted to make sure that I got that up before we got you back to answering.

What does a warrior spirit mean to April?

I mean, like, what happens in my body, just as you asked that question, is like the ability of the belief in yourself, like, the level of self trust, bravery, the level of courage required to, like, forge a path for yourself, to find something to go down, like the path that is less chosen, less walked, and see what sort of gems it has for you.

Like, that, in my mind, is the warrior's path is doing a path that is less typical.

And you certainly have embodied that.

So I appreciate you taking time out of your journey to come share it with me and my audience and forever, if there's anything you need, just a phone call away.

So thank you for doing this.

Yeah, Darrell, it was a pleasure.

I can't say that I've had more fun on an interview and a conversation than this, and so I am extraordinarily grateful that you brought me on.

So thank you so much for letting.

Me share and I look forward to part two when you're ready to share that deep stuff.

Okay, deal.

Excited.

And if you'd like to get a hold of April or connect with her, you can do so on her website, cmoatlas.com or on our social platforms, Facebook and LinkedIn.

And as always, thank you for joining us on this edition of A Warrior Spirit.

We're now on all the major platforms as well as Roku via the Prospera TV app.

So be sure to like or subscribe to catch all the episode.

And as always, the journey is sacred.

The warrior is you.

So remember to be inspired, be empowered, and embrace the spirit of the warrior within sa.