Category: Purpose

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E#236 How to Grow and Scale Your Business with a Virtual Assistant

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How to Grow and Scale Your Business with a Virtual Assistant

How does engaging a Virtual Assistant (VA) help you to grow and scale your business?

By taking over the tasks that frustrate you, or that you’re not good at – like marketing and being consistent online! A VA helps you grow and scale by freeing up more time and helping you get more headspace to focus on your income-earning work.

As the next episode in a series on how to grow your business and revenue, I talk to Kristy Smith, Founder of Virtual Elves, to discuss what types of tasks VAs typically complete, the benefits and value of using a VA, what’s required to engage a VA properly, and how to hand over tasks to a VA among other things.

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* How Kristy Smith Started a VA Business
* How VAs can help you
* What onboarding a VA looks like at Virtual Elves
* How to hand over work easily to free up your time and energy

Kristy Smith is the founder of Virtual Elves and has worked with many businesses helping them to develop the strategies, methods and tools for effective outsourcing. She shows them how, with outsourcing, they can scale, grow and be profitable. She is known for her ability to see how businesses can operate in a more efficient way, and for walking business owners through the process. She uses her own business growth, mistakes and lessons learnt to give hands-on practical strategies that can be implemented immediately.

I’ll provide her contact details at the end of this episode!

Virtual Elves started in 2009 with just Kristy at the helm and now boasts an international team of over 50 virtual assistants, graphic designers, web developers and other various contractors.

Kristy is a popular expert in her field for guest podcasts and Entrepreneur education groups such as The Entourage and Her Business.

Prior to founding Virtual Elves, Kristy managed large teams and implemented front office processes and customer service training for private hospitals and 5-star hotels. A mother of two teens, she lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and family.

If you’d like to connect with Kristy Smith and/or Virtual Elves:

www.virtualelves.com.au 

www.facebook.com/virtualelves

www.twitter.com/virtualelves

https://www.instagram.com/kristysmithinc/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtualelves/

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#235 3 Proven Strategies to Grow and Scale Your Business

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3 Proven Strategies to Grow and Scale Your Business

In this current podcast series dedicated to business and revenue growth, let’s talk about three proven strategies you can use to grow and scale your business – even if you’re relatively new to the business and have a few paying clients. Two of these methods discussed today do NOT require you to find new clients – which is often the most costly and time-consuming way of building your business. That means you can improve revenue immediately!

Background

When your business reaches a certain size, you might find yourself working at full capacity in terms of the hours you can physically work or the clients you can physically service in your business.

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* Upgrading Your Systems
* Changing Your Prices
* Increasing the Offers

You may reach an upper limit of income or find that your start-up business systems (e.g. manual invoicing) are inadequate and time-consuming to manage.

While there are no immediate problems with either scenario, a business that relies solely on you presents a level of ‘risk’.

What happens to the business if you get sick? What if you want time off? And how can you outgrow your expenses and start making a real profit?

These are just three of many considerations that might inspire you to grow or at least improve efficiencies in your business.

There is a saying that goes, ‘If your business isn’t growing, it’s shrinking.’

If you want to grow your business and revenue, there are several options.

Here are three of the easiest options for businesses in the early stages of growth (‘seed’) who have some customers and are ready to expand their reach, sales and profit.

Upgrading Your Systems

Upgrading your systems becomes a relevant growth strategy if you have reached a limit as to how many clients you can see, and therefore how much money you can earn.

Before you consider upgrading, you’d want to make sure you have regular cashflow and enough profit margin to cover the costs you will incur via systems upgrades.

Two ways of upgrading your systems include:

– Getting specialist help (outsourcing) and

– moving away from manual systems into more automated ones.

Either or both of these can free you up to service more clients. Let’s look at each in turn.

Upgrading by Outsourcing

Thinking about the outsourcing, hiring specialist contractors is an easy way to get qualified help when you are busy or need help in a specific area. This is known as a ‘business to business’ arrangement whereby you engage another business to complete specific work or tasks within your business.

It is also helpful if you don’t want the burden of buying and setting up software (e.g. accounting software) and just want someone to do it for you.

If you are considering outsourcing, you might not have the workload or cash flow to employ someone permanently, but they could do some monotonous but important tasks for you, or cope with irregular busy periods, so that your time is freed up to service more clients.

For example:

· Hiring independent contract coaches can be helpful for irregular work e.g.

  • busy periods
  • when you go on holiday.

· Alternatively, outsourcing allows you to hand over specific tasks or regular roles to an expert e.g.

  • virtual assistant
  • bookkeeper
  • accountant
  • marketing consultant
  • IT professional.

I will be talking more specifically about VA’s in the next episode of this podcast.

If you do any outsourcing, you would need to have a formal signed agreement in place before work commences, which clearly outlines the scope of work, specific duties and payment arrangements.

You’d need to have some clear policies in place about privacy, conduct and other things that state your expectations around quality of work and expected behaviour, and procedures to help hand over specific tasks.

Upgrading by Automating Tasks

When you start a business, you’re often doing a lot of things manually. For example:

  • Creating invoices in Microsoft Word.
  • Keeping track of clients in a log book, or an Excel worksheet.
  • Posting your social media posts one at a time on each platform.
  • Manually writing individual, separate emails to your customers, before, during and after programs.

When you switch these manual systems to automated processes and/or use software, you can save yourself a lot of time and mistakes, which frees you up to coach more clients.

Examples include:

  • Using dedicated financial software like WaveApps (free), Quickbooks, or Xero
  • Using a social media scheduling tool instead of manually posting (e.g. RecurPost, HootSuite)
  • Using an email system like Mailchimp or Mailerlite
  • Using a booking system like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling. For more info on these, you can listen to episode #105 Best Essential Business Systems or episode #106 Best Advanced Business Systems.

Increasing Your Prices

When your business reaches a certain level, a very simple strategy to grow your income without any cost to you, or without working extra hours, is to repackage services and/or raise prices.

For example, you might decide to:

  • raise prices by 10% and may also offer a bonus downloadable training course with your program – which raises the tangible value of your services and makes the increase more palatable with only a one-off labour cost, or
  • raise prices by 15% and re-position yourself as a highly experienced specialist in one area of coaching –raising your tangible value, or
  • creating a group coaching model to increase ROI
  • develop a premium (high-priced) specialty service.

There are many pricing strategies to choose from.

Pick the one that best suits your niche, your level of expertise and your business and lifestyle (working hours) goals. Work with a business coach to create the right strategy for you. You might also be interested in my podcast episode #202 Should I show pricing on my website?

Increasing the Options

When you start out in business, you’re often just focusing on doing one or two things well, becoming known, and getting a good reputation.

As you start to get more customers, you will start to see more opportunities to work with people in different ways.

By increasing the number of service options you have, you can grow your business and revenue.

For example:

– A short, DIY program with email support provides a low-cost entry point for people who are interested in working on one small problem they have (e.g. establishing a bedtime ritual for better sleep).

This means you are getting some income for very little live client time and gives them a step into your main program. This equates to more money for less time and effort (note: you would still need to promote this program regularly in order to sell it).

– A 1:1 program is now available as a small group program

This means you are earning more money per session, and also building a community of like-minded people who work with you and connect with each other. They are more likely to want to stay connected.

– Your initial 8-week program is now followed up with a 6-month maintenance program (VIP high-end pricing for individuals or mastermind, or moderate price for groups) or a membership.

This means you are keeping customers longer, earning more money and/or over a longer period, and helping your clients get next-level results after their initial program has finished.

– A higher value program where you add specific resources, a welcome pack, or package up other services or products such as meditation playlists, or a recipe book.

This means you can earn more money in the same amount of time.

One important caveat is this – keep your number of available services to 3 or 4, maximum. Otherwise, you risk entering the paradox of choice, where customers walk away without making a decision as there are too many options or difficulties in making the best choice.

Summary 

When you are coaching enough clients that you hit a ceiling of available time or income, or if you notice opportunities to help clients more or for longer, there are a few strategies you can do to take your business to the next level.

We talked about just three of the options today, including

  • Upgrading your systems
  • Increasing your pricing, and
  • Creating more options for working with you (but not too many).

If you need help developing business and revenue growth strategies to suit your business and niche, contact me to join my private coaching waitlist, which runs for five months in February and June of each year.

My private coaching programs usually sell out within a week of advertising, and you need to qualify to be a part of them. To enquire or join the waitlist, hit up my contact page and I’ll get back to you!

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#234 The Connoisseur of Time: An Invitation to Presence with Dr Joel Bennett

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The Connoisseur of Time: An Invitation to Presence with Dr Joel Bennett

If you’re racing through your day struggling to manage your appointments and be present with your clients; if you’re stuck in your head worrying if you have enough clients, or whether you know enough; if you’re trying to get a lot done and procrastinating or experiencing overwhelm, then this episode is for you.

I’m interviewing Dr Joel Bennett, PhD, CWP, is CEO of Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems (OWLS), whose mission is to catalyse healthy cultures and communities from the inside out with science. OWLS programs, many tested in clinical trials, have reached over 250,000 workers.

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* Presence and resonance
* The inspiration for the book: The Connoisseur of Time
* How changing your relationship with time supports better coaching and business growth
* How being present creates more satisfying relationships

Dr Bennett’s programs, shown to reduce behavioural health risks and improve the work climate, have been recognized as effective by the US Surgeon General. Dr. Bennett is the author/co-author of over 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles and seven books, including “The Connoisseur of Time: An Invitation to Presence” (available for free at www.presencequest.life). He lives in Texas with his wife Jan and relishes mysticism.

If you’d like to connect with Dr Joel, please visit: Becoming present: www.presencequest.life Resilience Coach Training Certification: 

https://organizationalwellness.com/pages/resilience-coach-and-consultant-certification Stress management tools and toolkits:

Toolkits

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#233 Running Pilot Programs for Quick Revenue (and Growth)

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This episode is about running pilot programs for quick revenue (and growth)

Whether you’re starting out in business or thinking of a new service line, it can be tough to break into a new market. 

Pilot programs allow you to test a new service for the first time on a test audience in exchange for feedback but better than that – they are a great way to create business and revenue growth through live customer experience, results, reviews and referrals.  

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* Why Pilot Programs?
* How to Create Value in Pilot Programs
* Building Revenue with Pilot Programs

Why Pilot Programs? 

Pilot programs are a low-risk opportunity for you to test and refine your coaching or other program using live feedback from people in your niche or target audience.  

But more than that, running a pilot program is a pre-marketing activity. It is essentially a soft launch that creates visibility, interest, engagement and excitement around your new program. 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

What I mean is this: by running a test version of your final program, you’re giving people a live experience of what you do, which generates positive feelings and other outcomes (which is what people actually buy – feelings).  

You are showing you care about the customer because they’re helping you to make it exactly what they want and need. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect, and there is far less pressure for you as you work out the kinks and bumps with a willing audience.  

In return, they feel wonderful about helping you and they’re also getting a result in a structured, step-by-step process.  Then, they are going to tell people about what they’re doing – spreading the word for you. 

You can also share wins, photos, insights and progress along the way with your future audience to build their interest and excitement for your next program. 

That means you end up with a refined product that exactly suits your target market – ready to go for a full launch – and with plenty of eyeballs on the next intake of your program. Much more fun than a pile of ads for something you’ve never tried or tested! 

If you choose the right people for your pilot program, you’ll get relevant feedback to improve the final product and glowing testimonials that will attract more people to your business. 

I covered how to get the right people for your pilot program in episode #134 Five Top Tips for Finding the Right Pilot Program Clients. I explained why being selective is important, and how to find the right clients for your pilot program. 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

Now that we know why pilot programs are great, how do you get people to join your pilot program? Well, you need to create value by communicating the problem you help to solve, and the solution or outcomes people will get by participating. 

How to Create Value in Pilot Programs 

Two previous episodes of this podcast do a deep dive into creating value within the program. 

In episode #154, the Why, What and How of Pilot Program workflows, I talked about how to map out the steps of signing up clients, onboarding clients, and the key steps in delivering the pilot program to those clients, so that you can prepare properly, and then deliver a complete and wonderful experience to your clients that cover all the bases. 

In episode #155, The Value of Pilot Program Content and Emails, I described how to create value for your clients in different elements of a pilot program – basically, how to create value within the content of the program that you can then test with a pilot group! 

Building Revenue with Pilot Programs 

Someone asked me recently – does a pilot program have to be free or can it be heavily discounted? 

The short answer is – it depends on the niche clients, the size and urgency of their problem, their ability and willingness to pay, and the importance of change to them.   

If you think about it, someone with a big, painful, problem that disrupts their daily life will be more willing to pay, pay more, and get help, than someone with a minor problem that has little to no impact on their life. 

Let that sink in for a moment – it’s important. 

How do you feel about paying for something versus getting it for free? Several people have told me that they want to pay me for coaching because then they have skin in the game and will be more committed.  

And on top of that – as the saying goes – nobody wants a free kitten. Because then the question is – why is it free? what’s wrong with it? 

So how do you price a pilot program? Firstly, I think language is important. If you talk about discounting as it devalues what we do as coaches.  

I prefer to say that “this first program as a pilot will cost $X, and future versions will be $X”. This can help people decide to buy now or wait until later.  

Generally, I charge about 1/3 to ½ of the retail price for a pilot program, with a clear requirement for feedback along the way (which includes verbal and surveys). So if it will eventually be a $1500 program, a pilot version might be promoted as a one-time-only price of between $500 – $750. 

Remember that even within a pilot program, the right clients will get incredible value, assuming that you pick a niche, you’re clear on the problem they want to solve, and that the aim/outcome/result is clearly defined and exactly what they’re looking for. That is where the value is created – the old ‘what’s in it for me’. 

People love to help, and they love getting a sense of value (which is simply a function of the results they get – and how important the results are to them – in exchange for their investment of time and money). If they can get a result in your pilot program, they’ll be incredibly grateful and will spread the word. 

This is how pilot programs lead to business and revenue growth. 

Summary 

To answer the question – why pilot programs? – they are a great way to give people a taste of what you do, and to create initial revenue, results and reviews (traction) that lead to future sales. 

They are more engaging than the more formal and structured forms of marketing, in that they are experiential and give your customers a feeling. After all, that’s what people buy! 

I’ve linked you to two other episodes of this podcast to help you map out the steps, create valuable content, and take your idea to the world.  

Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

Learn more here:

Learn More

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E#232 The Work Habits of Self-Made Millionaires

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This episode is about the work habits of self-made millionaires

As a coach, you probably know about the power of keystone habits. But did you know that self-made millionaires share some keystone habits that helped propel them to success? This fourth episode about business and revenue growth highlights the importance of daily health-based routines as a foundation to show up with the right energy, mindset and well-being to achieve success more easily. 

It’s no surprise that being healthy and having healthy routines is the platform for business revenue and growth. 

If you think about it, how you treat yourself and what you do for yourself has a profound effect on your mood, attitude, energy, health, sleep and stress – and your ability to show up and do your work well, even on the hardest of days. And those things directly affect your business and revenue growth! 

In this episode, I’ll talk about 
* 5 Habits that Millionaires have in common
* How to get started with your own success habits

So what are the keystone habits that could bring you success? A 5-year study of 233 self-made millionaires and 128 poor individuals by Tom Corely, author of the book Rich, found some common habits that helped them achieve their success. 

This episode is on the edge of a bigger project I am initiating which I think you’ll like – and I’ll reveal more in about a year after I’m finished. 

For now, I will give you a hint about my project – while the points I’m about to mention are keystone habits of a bunch of millionaires – not EVERY millionaire surveyed had all of these habits. And rather than just following this list, I encourage you to come up with your OWN success habits. 

So let’s dive into the list of key habits. 

While you listen, reflect on how many of these do you do. Or, what’s your version of these?  

Reading 

In Corley’s study, 86% of self-made millionaires spent at least an hour reading after work, usually self-improvement books.  Only 2% of the average income earners were doing that. 

I loved this because I start and finish my day by reading. Marketing and business books in the morning, and fiction in the evening, is how I like to roll.  

For me, reading something non-fiction in the morning sets me up with a positive, inspired and focused mindset for the day. Reading non-fiction at night (and sometimes in the morning) helps me switch off from work or get lost in a story when I’m feeling a bit fragile. 

I think the upshot is that reading helps you to feel positive, to grow, to engage in stories, and to separate yourself from the stresses of life. It boosts your vocabulary and helps you relate to others in a similar way. 

If you’re not a reader, you might be into journalling, podcast listener, or e-book listener. Work with your learning style on this one. 

Or if you’re not into any of these – totally ok!   

Exercise 

Consistent exercise was another keystone habit of the millionaires in Corley’s study. 

This makes perfect sense. After a busy day (or before one), exercise gets you up, out of your head and into your body. It helps you to maintain good physical and metabolic health and to release endorphins that help you to feel good.  

During exercise, you get time to reflect, plan, dream, collect your thoughts and step out of the day-to-day stuff. You get a chance to blow off some steam and release tension. 

Exercise helps you to get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, helping you to stay competitive with yourself and perhaps others, too. This obviously helps to build self-esteem. 

Last week I went for a 5km run with a friend. It was tough but there was a sense of ‘instant gratification’ when we finished. In that 30-minute run, I got myself to finish, therefore I got a tangible result (doing the run), and I felt strong, amazing, invincible even! 

Exercise also helps you get into the habit of creating schedules. You also bring in an element of discipline both within the workout and in getting yourself to do the workout. 

Do you exercise? Why or why not? 

How does exercise make you feel? 

What are some of the benefits for you? 

Sleeping 

The Sleep Foundation shares a list of recommended sleep hours for each age group. Adults need 7 – 9 hours per day to function optimally, or at least a minimum of 6.4 hours per day. 

Corley found that the millionaires in his study slept at least 7 hours per night. 

Sleep research shows that sleep gives the body a chance to undergo a tune-up. At different times of night, the body goes through cycles of physical recovery and repair, processing and embedding memories, and mental rejuvenation.  

It’s no wonder that the amount of time you sleep is linked to success. It affects memory, mood, cognitive function and physical health. 

Interestingly, each person’s bedtime is unique, according to their chronobiology. 

How is your sleep? What is the optimal amount for you?  

Thinking Time 

It’s no surprise that most of the millionaires in Corley’s study carved out time to think or brainstorm. We spend so much time in the micro details of each day, that we rarely sit back to reflect on life, our goals, where we are going or whether we are investing time and energy in the right direction. 

Since blocking out thinking time for myself, I have noticed huge efficiencies in the way I work. The realisations and mental links I make in my time out have saved me from spending hours on pointless tasks and making impulse decisions. 

These days, my time out (usually walking, with or without a podcast) gives me ample reflection to get clarity, direction and focus for my next burst of work. 

The Mean of the 5 

Finally, millionaires choose their friends and mentors carefully. They spend time with supportive people who hold space for them, who have experience, and who are calm and not pushy or overbearing. 

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.  

If you’re running a business or just doing life, this could include the podcasts you have in your ears all day, the coach you hire, your significant other, your family, and the people you work with. 

If your people mix is not ideal, you can certainly make focused time with the right people, for enough time each week to keep your mind in the right place.   

This is something I’ve done, and it pays in spades. I minimise the people and social situations that drain me or add no value. I intentionally choose to spend my time with and cultivate relationships with, people who are smarter than me, better coaches, better critical thinkers, and who are thought leaders and knowledge leaders. That way, I know I am putting good fuel into my brain, having impactful conversations and building my mental and emotional energy. 

    Who are you surrounded by? How does that affect your energy? 

    How can you reduce your time spent with the negatives, and increase your time with the positives? 

    The Nutshell 

    While all these keystone habits are great, it is what they create that matters. 

    Effective habits are the ones that help you to feel inspired, invincible, strong, thoughtful, grateful, engaged, in flow, calm, full of zest, rational, creative, de-stressed, and empowered. 

    And why does that matter? 

    Because when you feel like that, you will show up with energy for your business, you will be consistent with the tasks that need it, you’ll be putting your best foot forward, you’ll overcome the hurdles more easily, you’ll be in a growth mindset, and you’ll feel the fear and do it anyway. 

    Summary 

    The habits discussed in this episode are based on a study of 200 people. We covered 5, but there were several more on the list. 

    The real point of this episode is that millionaires are committed to doing the habits that work for them. Their habits aren’t necessarily everything on this list – but their own secret formula. 

    As you reflect on what you’ve heard today, I encourage you to identify the habits that make you feel ready to tackle the world with the energy, enthusiasm and confidence you need to grow your business and revenue. 

    References 

    CNBC Online https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/tom-corley-top-10-common-habits-of-high-achievers.html Accessed 6.2.23 

    Cohen, Jennifer. Exercise is One Thing Most Successful People Do Every Day. https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/exercise-is-one-thing-most-successful-people-do-everyday/276760 Accessed 6.2.23 

    Corley, Tom. Rich Habits Study – Background and methodology. https://richhabits.net/rich-habits-study-background-and-methodology/ Accessed 6.2.23 

    Loudenback, T. 2019. 17 habits of self-made millionaires, from a man who spent 5 years studying rich people. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/good-habits-of-self-made-millionaires?op=1  Business Insider Website accessed 6.2.23 

    Suni, E. 2022. How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need Sleep Foundation Website accessed 6.2.23  

    https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

    Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

    Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

    Learn more here:

    Learn More

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    E#231 Annie Braendle on Health and Wellness Coaching with Athletes, an Integrative Clinic and Better Up

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    This episode is about Annie Braendle on health and wellness coaching with athletes, an integrative clinic and better up 

    Are you wondering if it’s possible to work full-time as a coach and earn the income you want? Are you interested in what a portfolio coaching career looks like? Are you interested in coaching athletes? Today’s interview with Annie Braendle answers these questions and many more. Annie’s working with clients in a face-to-face and global online capacity, leveraging partnerships, platforms and her own networks. This is the third in the season about business and revenue growth. 

    In this episode, I’ll talk about 
    * Annie’s Journey to Professional Coaching
    * Running her Own Business
    * Working in Integrative Medicine and with BetterUp
    * Coaching as a Lifestyle Profession

    Background 

    A lot of coaches think it’s not possible to earn a decent income as a coach. There are actually a lot of options available, and when you understand those options, it’s much easier to see the ‘how’ behind your what and why. 

    It’s clear to see Annie’s journey unfold – from pursuing a niche in her own business that aligned with her personal life circumstances to working with a similar demographic at the Change Room, before moving into an Integrative Medical practice and the BetterUp platform. The latter opportunities have reduced Annie’s time spent on marketing and given her a regular stream of clients. 

    This interview shows that coaching CAN be a lifestyle profession, that it is possible to create a viable career, that you can find ways to get variety in your work, that you don’t have to do it alone, and that marketing can be easier when you make the right connections. 

    Summary 

    Annie Braendle is a coach to watch. She is using her skills and strengths, such as her natural competitiveness, to set and achieve goals for herself and build a career that is rewarding, and satisfying and allows room for both personal and professional growth. 

    You can learn more about Annie here: https://sparkcourage.com.au/  

    You can learn more about BetterUp here: https://www.betterup.com/  

    https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

    Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

    Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

    Learn more here:

    Learn More

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    E#230 Finding Your Mid-Life Purpose

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    This episode is about finding your mid-life purpose

    If you’re into your mid-30s to mid-50s and are feeling a bit restless, let me say this – your life is about to change. It’s a time is a culmination of many things in your life and a curiosity about the future – away from the hustle and grind, what is your true purpose in life? To help you ease into this transition, I will share some of my tips to find your mid-life purpose more easily. And although it might not seem like it, this episode is the second in my season about business and revenue growth, and we’ll talk about that, too. 

    There comes a point in life where you wonder what the point of it all is. Often, it’s when you reach your late 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. From hormones to work and empty nesting, everything is up for discussion. You’ve had a wealth of experience in a career, and you may be entering menopause or andropause.  

    In this episode, I’ll talk about 
    * Step 1 – Skills, Strengths and Bucket Lists
    * Step 2 – Discover your Needs
    * Step 3 – How to Live or Work Purposefully

    There’s a new chapter of life ahead, and it makes sense that you might question who you are and what you’re meant to be doing – your purpose. 

    If you’re in this age group, you’re probably thinking about the years ahead – about your personal and financial security, how much money you need to retire, and how to build your assets. 

    For a lot of people, the shift involves taking your foot off the pedal and enjoying life more. You might be thinking about working smarter, working less or going part-time. And that raises a bunch of questions about how you will fill your days, or how to create a new lifestyle with more balance and financial security. 

    Aside from the amount of time at work, you might also be looking to switch to a new career where the work is more meaningful. You might be considering starting a lifestyle business or going to a completely different vocation – but giving back is often the key. It could be mentoring others around certain skills that you have or finding a way to help others in a way that uses your skill while giving you leveraged or passive income. 

    Why does purpose matter? A study by the University of Michigan found that people who had higher levels of purpose had better physical agility than their less-purposeful counterparts. Further, Washington University’s Purpose, Aging, Transitions and Health Lab found that more purposeful adults enjoy better cognitive function and greater longevity, and better self-care. 

    There are three themes emerging here. Mid-life purpose involves seeking greater freedom of time and money, and more purposeful work. The result is better quality of life, health and longevity.  

    I went through this at 35. After 15 years of hard work and burnout, I reinvented myself and stepped away from running a medium-sized business into a small business with no employees, working less and doing more meaningful and impactful work. Now, 16 years later, I am running a lifestyle business that gives back and affords me time off to be in nature and explore other avenues of joy. 

    The thing is, as you get older, your past behaviours can catch up with you and may result in health issues. I want to take action now and avoid health issues caused by any unhelpful or unhealthy beliefs, thoughts or actions, so I can live an exceptional and joyful life. 

    If any of this is resonating, then let’s look at a process of exploring your mid-life purpose, so that you can align your abilities and strengths with your aspirations for the future.  

    I want to share my process with you as an example of how you might explore your own mid-life purpose and figure out what’s next for you. 

    Step 1 – Skills, Strengths and Bucket Lists 

    Amidst a busy work and family life, it can be easy to lose your identity. Your work (or role in the family) can end up defining you. 

    This happened to me. I was a Director and General Manager of a medium sized business and because I became consumed by the role, my self-worth was pinned to it. When I moved to NSW in 2007, I felt like I was a nobody with nothing to offer. 

    To reinvent myself and craft a new identity, career and lifestyle, I had to explore my purpose – what mattered to me, and how I wanted to contribute. 

    An easy way to do this is to write down a list of all the things you love to do – or would like to learn how to do – but don’t seem to have enough time for. 

    Next, think about everything that’s on your bucket list of things to do before you die.  

    If you feel stuck, look to your past and your leisure time for clues. Consider what you loved doing as a child, what you do to relax, or what you do that comes easily but others find hard. 

    Think about the role models in your life and what they’ve done, that you would like to do, too. 

    Please put your fears and obstacles aside when you do this. Let your brain come up with all the crazy ideas unfettered and build a big list. 

    You might also like to do a strengths test, personality quizzes, or anything that helps you identify and acknowledge your skills and character traits. 

    It’s just a list!  But it’s also a starting point for change. 

    When I did this exercise, I realised that I was passionate about health and fitness, I loved being near the beach and being in nature. I liked deep conversations with the right kinds of people. I loved personal growth, psychology and leadership and listening to understand others. I enjoyed puzzles, mysteries and solving problems. I also realised I wanted to run a business on my own, not in partnership. 

    All of this led me to start looking at health-related business options, and then I stumbled across coaching as the methodology that combined many of my desires in one vocation. 

    Now it’s your turn. Block out some time to create YOUR list! 

    Step 2 – Discover Your Needs 

    Tony Robbins’ model of the 6 human needs explores core needs that affect what we do each day, and why we do it. In other words, every thought we have and resultant action we take is driven by one or more of these needs. 

    Robbins says that dysfunctional behaviours come from our inability to consistently meet these needs – but that they are also behind the good things that we can accomplish. 

    By understanding your core needs, you might discover a starting point for the next part of your life or identify areas that you’d like to work on to improve the quality of the rest of your life. 

    When I took this test, Uncertainty was high on my needs list – which means I tend to seek variety and excitement. This is true, but I know that at times, my need for variety and excitement means I get bored easily and delay finishing tasks, or I might take on too much, or be impulsive or rash when making decisions. That explains the burnout I experienced years ago – and thankfully I have developed strategies to reduce or avoid the negative side of Uncertainty. 

    For me, taking this test is about fine-tuning and going to the next level, as I am pursuing growth. 

    My recommendations were to focus on Growth and Contribution. These are definitely coming up as needs for my next stage of life.  

    My goal is to change my business model, so I am creating more impact and giving more, while working less and maintaining income, partly through leverage or passive income sources. With more free time, I can work on personal growth. I can also devote more time to spirituality, physical health, mental health, and socialising, which have been a bit neglected in the past 5 years. 

    I encourage you to take this test and see what is driving you, and any areas for improvement. It gives you some recommendations of what you can focus on to counteract any negatives that might show up in your behaviour. 

    And with your list of skills and strengths and needs, you are in a position to pull it all together and see what shakes out. 

    You’ll see some common themes in what you want, what matters to you, who you are, and how you work. So then, what do you do with all that? 

    Well, since we are on the topic of business and revenue growth in this season, I want to finish this episode with a couple of final points in that direction to help you explore options for how you work on purpose. 

    Step 3 – How to Live or Work Purposefully 

    How do you feel about working a job for someone else? 

    Your working hours are defined, and your remuneration is capped. Maybe you’re fine with it and it is a safe, secure and comfortable way for you to live your life. In this case, maybe your purpose is explored and expressed outside of work, via hobbies, charitable work, or simply being more involved in your community or in volunteer organisations. Great! Go explore those things. 

    For some of us with a more entrepreneurial mindset, we feel that our work is our best opportunity to give back and make an impact. We are the people who want to step away from working for others or in roles that feel constrained, or lacking in purpose.  

    We are the people seeking time and money freedom, creative expression, and an opportunity to do more purposeful work.   

      This is me, and I have created this in my business. I work in three key areas – teaching, business strategy and business coaching – and am on the board of our industry association. This gives me the variety and excitement I want. It allows me to work purposefully and provides the income and lifestyle I desire. I am now looking at leverage, so I can help more people and work less, give money to charitable causes and pursue personal health goals to set me up for a strong, healthy future. 

      Here are some ways that you can transition from where you are now, to start working more purposefully. They are all about you working in a way that you give incredible value to the people you work with. 

      By focusing on the value of what you do and your passion for it, you can usually ask for higher fees. 

      And depending on how you set things up, you can earn a regular income or a leveraged or passive income from any of these options.  

      The regular income version is simply having regular clients. 

      The leveraged version is working with groups. 

      The passive version is developing online training courses, new technologies or physical products. If you want, you can offer add-on services to these. 

      I want to share an example of how this can look, via copywriter Jay ‘Crisp’ Crow. 

      Freelancing or Consulting 

      Some people move away from their careers but then end up consulting back to the organisation they used to work for – or others like them. 

      This is a great way to stay in touch with your skills but pick the work you love to do best. It also means that you work with a few clients and get paid well to do high-level work that recognises the specific value you offer.  

      Just ask Jay Crisp Crow. Her first career was working in private school communications. She took a leap of faith into starting a business that was essentially a consulting business.  

      She wrote copy for small businesses so they could create exceptional landing pages and websites. And she was soooo good, she went viral, and she started upping her prices as the value of her work was realised and shared. At this point in time, she charges $6,000 per single sales page on a website. 

      Mentoring or Coaching  

      If your career has led you to be highly skilled in one or more areas, you have a great opportunity to give back to others. 

      Personal mentoring as an unpaid venture, or professional mentoring as a lifestyle business, are two ways that you can leave the 9 – 5 grind behind and give back to the rising professionals in your industry. 

      Either way, the joy of teaching others and helping them with their struggles can be super rewarding and fulfilling. 

      With her services being more expensive, Jay Crisp Crow created a coaching service to help people do it themselves, with her guidance.  

      At this point in time, a 1:1 session with Jay is $550 per hour. And these days, it’s application only.

      Online Courses (or Products) 

      If you wish to reach more people or build more revenue, then online courses (or products) are a great way to do that. 

      The OTHER side of online courses is that if your coaching fees are a bit high for some people, then your courses offer a lower cost option to get your support. This is great if you want to scale your business. 

      Jay Crisp Crow developed a bunch of copywriting resources that are free or low cost, and she also has a DIY program option for $750, full of teaching modules and masterclass recordings. 

      If you’re a coach and wondering how an online course works – it’s simply you focussing on a topic and asking people a bunch of questions to guide them through self-inquiry. 

      That’s a topic for another day. 

      Summary 

      Wow, what a jam-packed discussion this was today. 

      We talked about why people in their mid-30s to mid-50s get restless and start wondering ‘what’s next?’ 

      It’s a time of reflection and anticipation of your future identity, and real purpose in life. 

      I shared some tips to get clarity on what’s next: 

      • List and review your skills, strengths and bucket lists 
      • Discover your needs – what’s driving you 
      • Review those things and see what shakes out 
      • Decide on whether you will live your purpose either 
        • outside of work through hobbies, charity, volunteering or community participation, or 
        • through your work, via freelancing or consulting, mentoring or coaching, or online courses. 

      There are a LOT of options here. I explored them in depth not to blow your mind, but to help you see the options you have and give you a sense of how to navigate them. 

      Now, over to you. What’s ahead? What will you do next? 

      I can’t wait to see. Let me know! 

        

      https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

      https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

      Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

      Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

      Learn more here:

      Learn More

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      E#229 5 Quick, Effective Ways to Quit “Busy Working” and Have More Fun in Your Business

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      This episode is about 5 quick, effective ways to quit “busy working” and have more fun in your business

      This episode is the first in a season that focuses on growing your business and your revenue. 

      Are you a small business owner who regularly feels overwhelmed at all the things you must manage every day, every week, every month? Does it feel hard sometimes, and exhausting, and like you’re spinning your wheels? 

      Let’s take a step back and map out five quick and effective ways to significantly improve your work life balance and therefore, grow your business more easily. My goal for you in this episode is to help you have the impact you want in your business, more easily and with less stress. 

      In this episode, I’ll talk about 
      * Creating Clear, Specific Goals
      * Having More Fun at Work
      * Setting Clear Boundaries
      * Cultivating Hobbies (Flow) and Connections
      * Reframing the Day-To-day

      The Backstory 

      When I first started running a business back in 1996, I was a biological scientist who had no idea or experience about the ins and outs of running a business. But working closely with the founder, and being in a managerial role, I intuitively started seeing things we should and could be doing to be more efficient, effective, professional and profitable. 

      For example – not writing invoices out by hand on a pad of paper! Charging clients for photocopying and printing! Developing professional looking stationery and proposal templates!  

      As our client base and staff grew, I found myself flying by the seat of my pants in business, trying to manage all of the little details, and feeling like I was an imposter with no idea what I was doing. This was the dawning of the internet, when emails first came about, and the learning curve was steep. 

      The thing is, no matter when you start a business, it’s full of complexity and challenges that you can’t foresee. 

      For that reason, a huge part of the journey to succeeding without burnout is learning how to trust yourself, and back yourself, so that you can cope with all the curve balls that come up. 

      Right now, think about a time when you totally trusted yourself to be able to cope, to find the answer, to work it out, to get it done. 

      How did you feel? 

      And what’s the consequence of feeling that way? 

      For me, trusting that I knew enough and could cope, allowed me to take my foot off the pedal. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t slacking off – I just quit all the busy work and made more effective use of my time at work. 

      Busy work can include anything that sucks up time for little return.  This is a little avoidance rabbit hole that anyone can go down when they have fears, self-doubt or uncertainty. It’s our brain’s way of keeping us safe – but you often end up feeling like you’re groping around in the dark for an answer, and this creates more fear and uncertainty because you’re not doing anything concrete that’s getting you traction. 

      So what does busy work look like? It includes things like constantly checking emails or your social media profile, making website edits, poring over blogs, doing more courses, trying to perfect your elevator pitch, and anything else that gets in the way of marketing and servicing clients.  

      After all, it’s marketing and giving clients an exceptional experience that creates a profitable, viable and sustainable business. 

      So, what can you do to eliminate busy work, time-wasting or low ROI activities so you can enjoy your work, do it more effectively, and therefore improve your business growth, client base and revenue? 

      I’m going to share 5 things that have worked for me. And because of doing these things consistently, I now work fewer days and hours each week, I have greater clarity and focus on what needs to be done and where I’m going, and I work more effectively and efficiently.  

      Creating Clear, Specific Goals 

      It sounds like a no-brainer, but a lot of my business coaching clients have not set any specific targets for their businesses. 

      When you are really clear on the outcomes you want to realise in a specific time period, and the steps required to get there, it helps you to manifest the outcome.  

      How? Firstly, because you better understand the level of effort required to meet the outcome goal. Secondly, having specific outcome goals allows you to reverse engineer them to define the smaller milestones and actions that need to be taken, and in the right order. Go back to episode #227 – 90-Day Business Planning – for more info on how to do this. 

      In short – creating clear, specific goals and reviewing them regularly helps you decide in advance what you’re going and how you will get there, so you can then just follow the plan. 

      That is a MUCH easier way to work than trying to make it up as you go, or doing it on the fly. 

      Having More Fun at Work 

      I want to illustrate this point with a client of mine, who we’ll call Toni.  

      Toni was struggling in her coaching business with making videos and doing FB lives, as part of her marketing. She really wanted to do videos as she was good at talking, but she was super nervous about it. Wanted to be perfect. Did 100 takes of every video. Wanted me to review all the scripts she had written. 

      She kept telling me how hard it was. She told herself she was no good at it. These statements she kept making created and reinforced some limiting beliefs. 

      In one of our sessions, I asked her how she could leverage her strengths and make it more fun. 

      Toni found her solution. She realised that showing up nervous and fussy was creating a negative energy in her videos. They looked as awkward as they felt.  

      Toni decided that she would find a way to have fun with the videos and to show up with confidence and conviction. 

      It was as easy as tapping into her bigger ‘why’ – her passionate advocacy for women and women’s health.  

      As soon as she approached her videos with that energy, the words flowed. There was confidence in her voice. And funnily enough, her fears melted away and she started to look forward to recording videos! 

      And suddenly, this shift in energy created enquiries and engagement with her videos. 

      Just as importantly, Toni no longer spent hours preparing and perfecting scripts, worrying about the perfect lighting, hair and makeup. That was her busy work, and she let go of it, instead showing up with confidence and professionalism, on a mission to change the world.  

      This one shift saved her about 6-10 hours per week and she started sleeping better, feeling more energized and showing up with confidence. 

      Another coach I know decided that she didn’t like long, boring written business plans. She found them tedious, so didn’t do them. But not having plans was impacting her work. 

      Being a creative person, she decided it was more fun to create a one-pager with coloured bubbles highlighting her key goals, marketing processes and packages for the year. This was a fun way to plan, and it resulted in more ease, flow, clients and revenue. 

      Now she looks forward to planning and sees it as a creative process that allows her to have fun in her business. 

      Where can you have more fun at work? 

      Having fun creates flow, which helps you to feel just the right amount of challenge, play to your strengths, be more present in the moment, and experience positive emotions.

      Setting Clear Boundaries 

      If you are working from a place of fear, lack, uncertainty etc, then you might find yourself falling into the trap of working late, working weekends, seeing clients on any day or at any time, and being constantly on your marketing channels looking for leads. 

      This is ends up being a bunch of energy leaks that leave you feeling unfulfilled, drained and disheartened. 

      The better way is to set clear boundaries around your time. It might feel hard at the beginning, but that’s your brain trying to tell you that more time at the desk equals better outcomes. 

      We all know that’s a lie! 

      Having boundaries changed so many things for me. A few years ago I stopped working weekends, set a clear cut-off time on weekdays, and this year am only seeing clients and having meetings on 3 days per week as this allows me time to recharge my energy. 

        Now I’m actually making more money with fewer meetings and clients than I did previously. Most importantly, I feel calm, centred and energized.  

        That’s because having clear boundaries has allowed me to do more outside work to balance my intense focus of the day. 

        Imagine working without guilt or fear, knowing you have done enough, and having the time and energy to decompress and recharge. 

        It is a game changer. 

        It changes the way you show up to client meetings – calm, present, confident, assured, and professional. It changes the way you sleep – soundly and completely without a monkey mind. 

        And you love going to work each day, knowing that your way of working helps you to feel like this. 

        Cultivating Hobbies (Flow) and Connections 

        Leading on from the last point, creating time outside work means you have the time to cultivate hobbies, social connections and other flow activities. 

        Those types of things meet your needs in those other areas that are essential to your wellbeing.  

        I also believe that creativity is the opposite of stress. When you have creative flow in your life, it counterbalances the demands in your daily work. 

        On top of that, research shows that people with more hobbies end up at the top of their professions. The more diverse their experiences, the higher they go. I will share more of this exciting research in a future podcast!  

        Reframing the Day-To-Day 

        One last point is to keep watch over your mind. 

        A lot of the time, having a tough time at work is related to what you’re thinking, or in other words, the sentences you say to yourself each day. 

        When things get tough, the negative thoughts come out, and they create a downward spiral. They take up valuable time, space and energy. 

        By catching your thoughts each day, you can reframe them to change the conversation you have with yourself and with others, to make work more pleasant and enjoyable. 

        Here’s an anecdote. I recently started back at the gym after a long break. The long break was because I had a billion excuses not to go, and why I didn’t like it. 

        This thinking made it impossible for me to get there. I never found the time. 

        But then I changed the conversation I was having with myself, and I started looking forward to the gym. Now I seem to find lots of spaces in my calendar for the gym and I am desperate to fit it in. 

        One of the conversations was about becoming the strongest I can be at 51, to be a role model for other women of my age. To apply my love of challenge to see what is possible.  

        Another example is marketing. Years ago, I would say that I hated marketing. I was no good at it. It was hard. Guess where that got me? 

        Then one day I realised some important things. That marketing is a coaching conversation. That marketing is a creative activity. That marketing creates connections and offers hope and leads to services that offer real, tangible change.  

        Now I love marketing. I became curious about it, and it is one area that I research deeply on an ongoing basis because it’s so closely intertwined with both psychology and creativity.  

        What are the negative things you say to yourself? 

        How could you reframe those to totally change the game? 

        What will the benefits be of those reframes? 

        Summary 

        Sometimes work can feel like a grind. It can be hard or scary, and that can generate negative thoughts, feelings and a propensity to do busy work. All of that saps energy and affects your professionalism and presence as a coach and business owner. 

        But there are five things you can do to make work more enjoyable: 

        • Create clear, specific goals so you have a clear roadmap of steps 
        • Find ways to have more fun at work, to improve the way you show up 
        • Set clear boundaries, so that you get enough time off to recharge 
        • Cultivate hobbies and connections, so you can get into the flow, and meet other needs 
        • Reframe the day-to-day, catching and changing unhelpful thoughts so you can be your best every day 

        One last thought – don’t expect every day to be perfect, amazing and wonderful. Shit happens. Negatives are a part of life. 

        But if your day-to-day focus is on cultivating good, positive, fun and light-heartedness, you’ll be more resilient and better equipped with the inevitable curveballs in business and life. 

         

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

        Posted on by

        E#226 Building Your Coaching Business: Burnout in Health Professionals with Dimitra Mersinia

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        This episode is about building your coaching business: burnout in health professionals with Dimitra Mersinia

        How does someone with an economics degree become a dentist, and then a health and wellness coach for health professionals in midlife who are dealing with stress and burnout? This interview with coach Dimitra Mersinia presents a case study that describes this transition. 

        In this interview, Demi talks through her professional evolution: a landmark event that forged her direction, the path to getting there, and building her future with a pivot to health and wellness coaching, based in curiosity, compassion and empathy for others in her profession based in lived experience. 

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * Dimitria’s Pre-Coaching Background
        * From Dentist to Health and Wellness Coach
        * How Demi Started a Burnout Coaching Business

        Background 

        As a clinician for over 25 years, Dimitra combines coaching, mentoring and consulting as a personal health and wellbeing strategist and results coach. 

        Her varied skillset has been built on extensive experience in corporates, in the medical, dental and neuroscience fields. She has worked in the European Union on regional policies of Europe, in US multinationals, as a humble neuroscientist in a lab in London, travelled with the MSF (1) as a junior medic, and worked in public and private sectors as a dental surgeon in the areas of pain management and special care in 3 countries. 

        This experience gained together with coaching certifications (2), and with the insatiable attitude for continuous learning and development, has equipped her to work as a personal coach and healthy life strategist for re-igniting a healthy mindset and getting results in any area of life.  

        As a diagnostician, she helps find the real problem behind a presenting problem, demystifies and simplifies confusing health information and takes her clients through precise health and lifestyle medicine in her private practice in Sydney.  

        As the founder and CEO of “M.i.n.d Your Health”, she has set up a safe ‘hub’ for distressed healthcare professionals, supporting them out of burnout.  

        As a volunteer in different organisations (3), she is supporting teenagers make sense of the new world, expats with relocation stresses and culture shock and asylum seekers. 

        She believes Health is your Wealth and having a healthy mind and body, unlocks your potential to optimise performance in any area of your life and business. 

         

        (1) (medecin sans frontier/doctors without borders) 

        (2) (with Authentic Education, ICF, Tony Robbins Leadership academy, Mental Health First Aid and Health & Wellness Coaching Australia) 

        (3) (raise.org, Roses in the Ocean, the Red Cross) 

        Summary 

        Demi Mersinia is an inspiring example of how you can build a health coaching business with empathy, curiosity and compassion. She has drawn on her personal and professional strengths to create a business in her own unique way. 

        If you would like information about the next intake of my Passion to Profit course, or to enrol, follow this link: https://www.wellnesscoachingaustralia.com.au/business-resources/passion-to-profit/  

        You can connect with Demi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitra-mersinia-97104944/  

         https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

        Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

        Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

        Learn more here:

        Learn More

        Posted on by

        E#225 Letting Go

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        This episode is about letting go

        This is the perfect time of year to make plans. It’s also the best time of year to let go of things that no longer serve you in your business. We know that 20% of our efforts generate 80% of our results. It totally makes sense to let go of some things, but it can be much more challenging than you think! Today we’ll talk about why it’s important to let go, what the obstacles are, and how to examine and evaluate your business, then execute your decisions without guilt or scarcity, and with full clarity, confidence and certainty that you’re making the right decision. 

        The Pareto Principle – Why Letting Go Makes Sense  

        Have you heard of the Pareto Principle? Named after economist Vilfredo Pareto, it states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. 

        The principle was derived from the imbalance of land ownership in Italy, and it’s often used to demonstrate that not things are equal, and the minority owns the majority. 

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * The Pareto Principle – Why Letting Go Makes Sense
        * What Do You Need to Let Go of in Your Business?
        * Why It’s Hard to Let Go
        * How to Let Go and Feel Good About It

        This principle is very relevant in business. In teams, it tends to be a small group of people who generate the majority of outputs. In your business, if you look at all your income-generating activities, you’ll find that 20% of your services generate 80% of your revenue. 

        This is why letting go makes sense. 

        Imagine all of the little things you are doing to earn money as a solopreneur, and how much time and energy it takes to offer all of those things. Is it worth it?  

        What if you chose to focus on doing fewer things better? You might have less variety, but you’d also have greater depth, probably make more money, and be able to do it in less time as you’d be streamlining things. 

        Translate that into this moment, when you are looking at the year ahead. Most of us end up planning next year to continue as the last, or to not do any planning at all. 

        Without planning, you might end up doing the same old things next year including all the stuff that takes time and energy for little return (which could be money, meaning, fulfilment etc). If you are hanging onto things that don’t serve you, it can become unfulfilling and draining. 

        It can breed discontent, resentment and dissatisfaction. 

        By letting go of what’s not working, what’s outdated, or what’s downright uninspiring, you have an opportunity to change course, tighten things up, improve, plan a better year and create more fulfilment in your business and therefore your life.  

        For me, any sense of resistance in my business, and any sense of deep fulfilment and meaning, is a trigger for me to evaluate what’s going on. 

        So instead of just planning, I explore my feelings first and then create my plan. 

        What Do You Need to Let Go of in Your Business? 

        I’m going to talk you through a three-step process of examining and evaluating what you might need to let go of and executing decisions. 

        Before jumping into planning, examine what you of the past year. I discussed this my previous article, which talked about checking in with how you felt about the year, what worked, what didn’t, what felt irritating, and what your achievements were.  

        In other words, you’re finding out what’s most important and meaningful for you to continue and identifying anything that might be holding you back from those things. 

        Next, I recommend doing an evaluation of where your income is coming from. 

        If you use an accounting system like Xero, you can generate a report showing a breakdown of everything you sold and how much revenue you earned in each area, so you can evaluate that. 

        If you don’t use an accounting software, you could do the same sort of thing in Excel, or with your client booking system if you use Acuity Scheduling or Calendly or Google calendar.  

        If you book your appointments using standard session names, it’s easy to open your digital calendar and search for each of these session types, and it will bring up a log of what you sold over the year. 

        Then, having checked in with your own feelings about what you enjoyed and disliked doing, your financial data, and your session logs, you can clearly see where your 20% of joyful and productive work sits. 

        Do this work with compassion for yourself. Understand that sentimentality aside, we are all growing, improving, and sometimes outgrowing things in our lives. Our priorities and values change with experience and wisdom, so it makes sense to let go of anything that no longer fits. 

        Imagine how liberating it is to know you are working in alignment with your values and priorities! When you examine and evaluate everything from this lens, you become fully informed and have the clarity you need to make decisions about the next year – then execute on those decisions! 

        It sounds simple – but at the same time, you might find it hard to let go. 

        Why It’s Hard to Let Go 

        You might be aware of things that aren’t sitting right, so why aren’t you taking action? Why aren’t you executing on your decision? 

        Probably because your wonderful brain might be making ‘yes, but’ thoughts in your head like: 

        • Yes, but if I don’t deliver that service, I am letting down those four clients who have loyally been coming for years! 
        • Yes, but that program really has potential, and if I stop doing it, I might lose an opportunity! 
        • Yes, but if I stop doing those things, I won’t have as much variety! 
        • Yes, but if I stop offering those services, people will think my business is in trouble! 
        • Yes, but what if I’m no longer the go-to person for….? 

        Your brain loves the safe, comfortable and familiar. Stepping away from that into the unknown can bring up fear. Your brain is trying to protect you by getting you to hang onto things – all things – and that’s why you’re conjuring up all those reasons to keep doing those things that no longer serve you. 

        All of your emotional reasons start to come up.  

        There’s the sense of letting others down which leads to a feeling of obligation or guilt. 

        There’s the sense of having wasted all that effort of what you’ve previously built – the attachment and sentimentality. 

        There’s fear of the space left behind – the scarcity mindset, the uncertainty about the future including income. 

        But there are also things that may not align with your values, and which generate a general sense of discomfort. 

        There’s the sense of ‘who will I be if I stop doing that?’  

        If you are feeling any of these things very viscerally, ask yourself – are they serving you and your business? 

        Are they good enough reasons to hang on? 

        What is the cost of hanging on versus letting go? 

        These are some important questions to ask yourself or to work through with your coach if you have one. I encourage you to be kind and gentle with yourself, to be compassionate, and reflective. 

        Right now, think of all the other times in your life when you held onto things that didn’t serve you. The relationships that were unhealthy, the job that was unsatisfying, the tasks that you felt obliged to do.  

        What happened when you let those go? When you closed that door, which door opened for you? 

        What were the lessons learned? 

        I would like to share a little story about this. 

        When I moved from Perth to Mossy Point, I started out as a Personal Trainer and Bellydance teacher in my local area. I didn’t want big boot camps, I wanted small, intimate classes where we could focus on technique. I ran three classes per week, and a couple more in the busier summer months. 

        After 3 years of this, I didn’t have enough clients for a full-time income, and I realised that juggling a business coaching/consulting role with these PT and dance classes was pulling me in different directions and sapping my energy. I was spread thin, and not bringing enough energy to anything, consequently, I felt like I wasn’t doing a good job at anything. 

        BUT I had these loyal PT and dance clients! But we had a wonderful connection! But it was giving them value! But I was serving the community! But it was fun! But it was giving me exercise too! But what if I couldn’t make up that bit of income! (And let’s face it – it was only a bit of income).  Who will I be if I’m no longer the belly dance teacher? 

        As you can see there was a surprising amount of emotion tied up in this. I had a strong urge to let this go to pave the way for better opportunities, but a fear of letting go. There was a sense of losing my identity in the community.  

        But deep down I knew that my future was in another direction. I knew that the existing way of being didn’t align with my passions, my vision and my values. 

        My indecision and hanging onto what was no longer serving me was becoming an ongoing, low-level stress that was eroding my energy, enthusiasm and creativity. 

        One of my strongest values was showing up with energy and delivering an exceptional service.  

        Think about that for a moment – you can only really show up like that if you are fully invested in what you’re doing. I was feeling very inauthentic because I couldn’t show up, and that was actually my tipping point. 

        In other words, my decision was about two key things – living in alignment with my purpose and delivering exceptional customer service. 

        It was much easier then, to let the classes go. When I did this, everything changed. Relief rushed in to fill the space, and I felt inspired again. I was flooded with insights, creativity and energy for my next venture, which ended up becoming a 6-figure coaching business. 

        Hindsight is a fabulous thing. I can see now that if I’d been let go earlier, I would have still had that short period of uncertainty and fear, but I would have reached my goals sooner and felt more fulfilled and less anxious about money. 

        I wish I had used a process to examine and evaluate my business, and then execute my decision with full clarity and confidence, like the one I’m describing here. 

        This is why stepping out of the emotional stuff and looking at the facts, as I described earlier, is so important. 

        It gives you the chance to explore all of your logical and emotional reasons for your current activities and decide how you will go forward, consciously and intentionally.  

        How to Let Go and Feel Good About It 

        If you decide to let go of things in your business, how can you do that and feel good about it? 

        Firstly, you can examine your fears or other obstacles and ask yourself – is this real? Is it true?  

        And if so, what are all the things you can do about it?  

        How can you approach it? 

        What are the values that sit behind your decision? 

        What I recommend is that you write down all the reasons why you’ve decided to let something go, just so you’re clear on this for yourself. 

        Then, you have gotten your story straight in your own mind and it’s easier to communicate it honestly and authentically with others. 

        Here’s how I stepped away graciously from my PT and dance classes. 

        I worked out how much income I would lose. As it turns out, it wasn’t as much as I thought. Who knew! Knowing this meant I was able to figure out if I could survive without that income, and also make a plan to recoup that amount in other ways. 

          I did this first as financial security was a concern, so I needed to calm down my brain and help it to be rational and realistic about the money side of things. 

          Next, I worked out how to talk to my wonderful, loyal clients who had stuck with me for so long. 

          I decided to be honest and say something like this:  

          “You’ve been wonderfully loyal and supportive, but I have made the difficult decision to close these classes as of the end of this month (it happened to be December). 

          I’ve realised that I want to consolidate what I’m doing and move in a new direction. If I continue like this, I won’t be able to show up at my best, and that is really important to me. 

          I want to thank you for supporting my business, showing up to class even on the coldest, and darkest nights, and becoming my friends. You’re all wonderful people, and I’d love to finish our time together with an end-of-year party. Bring your friends and family so we can celebrate our achievements and our valuable time together!” 

          This came from the heart, and it worked just fine. Your version might be different, but the sentiment will be the same. 

          It is borne in gratitude, authenticity, honesty, and celebration. 

          Summary 

          Today we talked about letting go of things that no longer serve you in your business.  

          Thinking logically, we know that roughly 20% of our efforts generate 80% of our results. That’s the Pareto Principle. And while it logically makes sense, emotionally, you might end up holding yourself captive to activities that are draining your energy and affecting your business. 

          It can be hard to let go, for lots of reasons – guilt, fear, scarcity and identity. 

          But we can more easily let go by checking values, being compassionate, and by working out what matters most. 

          The three-step process I discussed is to examine the past to work out what’s important to you (previous episode), evaluating what you might need to let go of and why, then executing your decisions without guilt or scarcity, and with full clarity, confidence and certainty that you’re making the right decision. 

          Hopefully, you feel equipped to do this for yourself. 

          But if this feels challenging and you’d like some coaching, get in touch to enquire about my 2023 private client intake, or to get a referral to another business coach who can help you. 

          References 

          Investopedia, 2022. The Pareto Principle. Investopedia website, accessed 8/12/2022.  

          https://anchor.fm/dashboard 

          https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/habitology-success-habits-made-easy/id1449277541 

          Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

          Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

          Learn more here:

          Learn More

          Posted on by

          E#222 What to Stop and Start Doing in 2023

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          This episode is about what to stop and start doing in 2023

          Do you have this nagging sense that there are things you should stop doing, and things that you should start doing in your business? Does business feel like a grind at times, sapping your energy and creativity? If so, then it’s time to create your business plan for the next year to work out the kinks and start getting what you want with more ease and flow. That’s what I’m here to help you to do by sharing my 4-step process to developing a 2023 business plan. 

          It’s that time of year I start to think about the year ahead and start creating some plans for my business. I figured that you would be doing that too and that you might be wondering what sorts of goals to set.   

          Sharing my process will help you get clear on not just how to create a plan, but how to make an exciting plan to get you where you want to be. 

          In this episode, I’ll talk about 
          * Two steps to get clarity
          * How to map out new ‘business habits’ for 2023
          * Defining your achievable outcome goals

          Step 1 – Reflect on the Past 12 months 

          A good starting point is reflecting on how this year went for you and what you’d like to do more of and less of. 

          When I do this process, I start by thinking about what I really loved doing this year and why I loved it, and which strengths I used. I sit with the feeling of my favourite types of work and the things that I’ve achieved and what I did to get there.  

          For example, this year, I loved doing the strategic thinking work behind projects and business ideas, because that taps into my strengths of creativity, innovation, problem solving and brainstorming. 

          Next, I think about the things that drained my energy and dragged me down or that I found awful and difficult. 

          For example, this year, I found it really draining to do very detailed intricate work, logistical stuff, and anything that required a lot of very deep research-based work.  

          I really sat with that and thought about why I didn’t like doing that work, and it was because it created a lot of anxiety and stress. It dampened my creative thinking. Anything with too many detailed moving parts create a sense of anxiousness that I might have forgotten something or not done something properly.  I do like some types of detailed work, but not many. 

          Thirdly, I look at where I earned money and spent time. I spreadsheet this based on time documented in my calendar. Funnily enough, the work I love to do most takes the least time and earns me the most money. The work I dislike the most takes the most time and earns me the least money – probably because I have to do the grind to complete it. 

          Finally, I reflect on my most important achievement of the past year. This is important because it shows you what your toil created that you are most proud of and gets you thinking about the bigger picture. If you don’t look at the bigger picture you might end up just planning another year of doing rather than thinking about your overall direction first. 

          My greatest achievement this year was fulfilling four important professional roles, and even though the juggle was hard at times, it gave me a bigger picture view and understanding of two important knowledge areas (menopause and mental health), and of three bigger macro trends (psychosocial risk legislation, supporting and recognising women at work, and improving mental health at work). 

          With this knowledge, I have a good idea of which business ideas will succeed in 2023, where the focus and money will be in the broader economy, and what my best opportunities are. Those insights allows me to set some tangible and meaningful goals that leverage these opportunities. 

          When you reflect on the past year, ask yourself these questions and write some notes; 

          1. What did you love doing in the past year and why? 
          2. What drained your energy in the past year and why? 
          3. For every type of work you were paid for, which was the best return on investment in terms of time and money? 
          4. What was the most important outcome you achieved this year? 

          This should give you a good summary of your past year, what worked and didn’t, in less than a page. 

          Step 2 – What did you learn about yourself? 

          When you reflect on what you learned about yourself, you can potentially see the work that you need to do and the obstacles you need to face, and the skills and strengths you can leverage. 

          I learned a bunch of things about myself this year. 

          Firstly, I am persistent and can work hard to get things done. 

          I’ve realised that I am a sore loser – and this costs me emotionally and energetically. 

          I’ve noticed I prefer to fly solo so I can create my own ideas, I tend to avoid groups, but I do enjoy collaboration if it is a bit hands off and not too intimate or intense. I’ve always known this at some level but have really experienced and felt it this year. 

          My greatest strengths are creative brainstorming at a strategic business level and with clients, and summarizing, simplifying, and creating processes to get things done. When I do these things I am truly in flow. 

          Finally, I can do about 10 coaching sessions or meetings a week before I start to get overwhelmed and find it hard to focus and be present. 

          Having given you some examples, I now invite you to reflect on your year.  

          • How were you operating when you were at your best? 
          • What are your greatest strengths and moments of flow? 
          • In which situations do you thrive? 

          Once you’re clear on steps 1 and 2, we start to consolidate. 

          Step 3 – Map out your new business habits for 2023 

          It’s one thing to think about what you have done and achieved and loved doing or being drained by in the last year.  

          The first two steps in this process allow you to evaluate the past, so you can look ahead with clarity and map out your new business habits for 2023. 

          In other words, it’s time to use your reflections define what you want to keep doing, stop doing or start doing next year.  

          Some people like to start with their outcome goals first, and you can certainly do that. To me it makes more sense to find my flow in the process – then decide what I will create with that new way of working. 

          I’ve learned in my first two steps that what’s important to me is to work more strategically, to simplify things, and to scale, so I can earn comfortably and remain in flow, and be at my best with the clients I work with.  This is how I will work. 

          Tangibly, to define the habits I’ll stop, maintain and start, my next stage of planning is to: 

          • Knowing I dislike some types of detail work, I will evaluate the detailed tasks I do each week and decide which ones I can delegate or stop doing. A really easy one for me is checking email once per day instead of 4 times. 
          • Knowing how I feel about being in groups, I’ll review the group work I have tentatively planned for next year and decide what I’ll commit to and how I’ll show up (this is both professionally and personally). 
          • Based on what I learned in 2022 (knowledge and market trends), I will decide which areas I want to focus on in 2023. 
          • I will rewrite my vision, mission, value proposition and elevator pitch so I’m clear on what my focus is and how I work with people  
          • I will ask my VA to update my online platforms to reflect the updated pitch 
          • To become a better loser, I will start journalling about challenging situations where I lose, or fail, to change my perspective and rewire my beliefs about those things. 
          • To manage my volume of appointments, I will change my booking calendar to allow a maximum of 12 meetings or coaching sessions per week, which should be achievable when I make the other changes I’ve decided on. 
          • To manage my volume of appointments, I will also put out an invitation to my hand-picked 1:1 clients with the terms of engagement for 2023. 

          What would your next stage of planning look like? 

          • What would you decide to stop doing, or delegate? 
          • How will you choose to work – for example more networking and groups, or more 1:1, more strategic or more detailed?  
          • How might your weekly schedule change as a result, and how will you maintain those boundaries? 
          • How do these changes affect your vision and value proposition? Do they need review? 

          Step 4 – Defining achievable outcomes goals for 2023 

          Having completed the previous three steps, you’re ready to think about outcomes you will be able to realistically achieve with this new way of working. 

          I personally feel it’s important to keep the goals simple and few, so you can do a few things really well. As Robert Kyosaki says – the word FOCUS stands for Follow One Course Until Successful. 

          My outcome goals for 2023 will be achieved if I do the things previously mentioned. Here are mine.  

          In my business, I will be: 

          • Working 20 hours per week, Tuesday to Thursday to earn my target income. 
          • Helping my VA to earn a comfortable living doing the tasks that I dislike, that she is good at 
          • Working collaboratively with intelligent, energized people for a common purpose 
          • Supporting 100,000 professional women to thrive at work through appropriate education, coaching, allied health services and resources 

            In the area of coach training and advocacy for our industry, I will be:  

            • Teaching 2,000 health and wellness coaches to create sustainable businesses that they love, in their unique way, leveraging the coaching methodology 
            • Advocating (through HCANZA) for appropriate standards, definitions and consistency in our industry, and promoting the benefits and quality of what we do as professionals 

            In my personal life, I will be: 

            • Tackling one hard thing each quarter, focusing on a consistent practice in a creative pursuit, and reframing my negative thoughts 
            • Exercising daily in nature to give my brain a break and recharge 
            • Completing 20 hours of personal or professional development (including working with my own coach) each quarter. 

            This is my plan, now over to you. 

            What are the outcomes you want to achieve next year in your business? 

            What are the impacts you want to have in the world? 

            What will you do in your personal life to grow and evolve, show up better and function at your best? 

            I look forward to seeing what you create, with intention and purpose, in 2023. 

            Summary 

            If a business feels like a grind at times, and you have that nagging sense that things need to change, you now have a four-step process to start getting what you want with more ease and flow. The steps to follow are: 

            1. Reflect on the highlights and lowlights of the past 12 months 
            2. Reflect on what you’ve learned about yourself 
            3. Map out your ‘business habits’ for 2023 – what you’ll stop doing, maintain and start doing 
            4. Define your achievable outcome goals 

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

            Posted on by

            E#220 Rebecca Taylor – Coaching Compassion Fatigue

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            This episode is about Rebecca Taylor – coaching compassion fatigue 

            Are you curious about what compassion fatigue is, the signs of compassion fatigue, and how to coach around compassion fatigue? 

            We answer these questions in today’s interview with Rebecca Taylor of Exploring Wellness with Coach Bec. Bec is a vet nurse with 13 years’ experience in vet clinics and animal shelters and a recent graduate of Wellness Coaching Australia. 

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What is compassion fatigue?
            * What are the signs of compassion fatigue?
            * Compassion fatigue vs burnout – what’s the difference? 
            * How are you getting traction as a coach?

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

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            E#219 Becoming a Confident Coach

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            This episode is about becoming a confident coach

            Despite extensive training, a lot of professionals talk about having impostor syndrome and fear of not being good enough. But what do you do about that? How do you flip that on its’ head and tackle impostor syndrome so that you can become a confident coach?  

            Why you need to be enough 


            Impostor syndrome is rife in many professions – I know, because I’ve been through it, and I’ve spoken to a lot of people who struggle with it. 

            Today I want to talk to you about WHY you need to be enough and stop impostor syndroming yourself.  

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Why you need to be enough
            * What a digital legacy strategy is
            * Four steps to creating your Digital Legacy Strategy

            I think the key reason that you need to feel that you are enough, good enough, worthy, and competent, is that then you can switch your focus off your own shortcomings and onto your clients. 

            Let’s face it, if you’re worried about your own performance, then you’re not giving all of your attention to the people you are purporting to help and support.  

            I think this is SO critical. This was a realisation I had when I started coaching. I was so busy worrying about what to do, whether my questions were good enough, whether they got something out of the session, whether they were engaged and so on, that it was taking up a LOT of real estate in my head.  

            I was feeling anxious and would be nervous going into each session. 

            THEN one day I reflected on how my feelings and energy would be seen and felt by the people I was coaching. What would they say? 

            By worrying about my performance, I was creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was creating tension where there wasn’t really any. 

            But most importantly, I realised this behaviour was about me spending too much time thinking about ME and my shortcomings, rather than my client. 

            This aha moment flicked the switch for me and allowed me to totally change the way I showed up, coached and the impact of my coaching. It was amazing. 

            Here are some benefits and outcomes of dealing with your impostor syndrome. 

            Giving your best to clients 

            Firstly, when you invest in overcoming your impostor syndrome you become more confident as a person and as a coach. You feel good about what you do and your ability to give value. That means that you invest more time thinking about the people that you’re helping, rather than your own shortcomings. It means that you are flipping the switch from a focus on you into a focus on your clients.  

            Imagine how that changes their experience of working with you. Imagine how that changes their relationship with you in a coaching sense. And imagine how that therefore impact their results that they get from the coaching relationship. 

            Secondly, if you deal with impostor syndrome and start believing that you can do this, that you are good enough, you be willing to invest enough in your own personal and professional development – because you know that it is worth it for your clients, and that you are worth it. The ripple effect is more advanced skills that will make you a better coach, giving your clients better outcomes. 

            I think it’s really important when you’re starting any new career to know that you are not going to get it right all the time – ever. It’s important to manage your own expectations and to know that you will do things wrong and get things messed up along the way. And that’s totally okay. 

            What’s more important is your commitment to investing in your own self-belief, personal development and professional development so that you can deal with those mistakes more easily, with grace and candour. 

            So how do you get there? How do you beat it and become the best coach you can be, so that you can help people create their desired outcomes and impact the lives of more people? 

            How do you beat impostor syndrome? 

            Personal Development 

            Start by working with your own coach. That way, you will improve your own thoughts habits, well-being and sense of purpose, so that you can be a role model for your clients. Being a strong role model promotes self-confidence. 

            A reflective practice is also a must for all graduate coaches. After each coaching session, reflect on what went well, how you used your strengths, the verbal and nonverbal feedback from clients, and any areas for work. Write it down. Then, set specific goals to polish up any areas. One thing I like to do is focus on a particular coaching skill for all clients within a given month, so I can build and hone my craft. 

            Ask for feedback and testimonials from your clients. Their feedback is really valuable as it tells you what they liked and didn’t like. Make sure to ask how things have changed for them – not just an assessment of your skills (remember, it’s about them, not you). 

            Start hanging around more experienced coaches and having conversations and unpacking challenges so that you can more easily develop the habits and language of a masterful coach. 

            Professional Development 

            You can also do deep-dive training courses into specialty areas and practice those with your clients to become a better coach. For example, mental health first aid training if you are working with clients who have stress, anxiety and so on. 

            There is a caveat on that. A lot of people see education as a tick box thing and they get really interested and they do more and more and more courses but without actually applying the learnings. And I think impostor syndrome comes from this too.  

            I know some incredibly smart people who have numerous qualifications, who are full of self-doubt because they haven’t actually used their knowledge and practised with clients and seen the sorts of results that can be gained. 

            If you complete a lot of educational courses but you never apply it, then you become potentially a very good teacher but maybe not good at the practice that you have studied.  

            I recommend that you invest in practising new skills with clients. Ask permission to try new methods if you know them well, or find practice clients to test new skills and education with.  

            Always, always, do market research – keep asking your clients what they need and want – keep learning about other people and their lives and how you can help them – that’s where you can overcome your own self-limiting beliefs, shift the value to what your clients want, and find ways to give it to them. 

            Summary

            Today we talked about why you need to beat impostor syndrome and start stepping up to be a more masterful coach.  

            In short – if you’re focussing on yourself, you can’t focus properly or be present for your clients. 

            Flip the switch by investing time, energy and money as needed into personal development and professional development. 

            When you do this, you’ll feel more confident, and be able to truly serve your clients in a more authentic, impactful way – because your work will truly be about them. 

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

            Posted on by

            E#218 Benefits of Niching Down

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            This episode is about benefits of niching down

            A lot of trainee coaches I meet are terrified of niching down and just want to help everyone, being afraid that they will have fewer potential clients. Today, I’ll help you understand what it means to ‘niche down’, six benefits of choosing a niche and what coaching a niche involves. 

            When you’re starting out as a health and wellness coach, the experience you get with practice clients and your first paid clients will help you develop a niche that you can focus on, and market to directly. 

            Starting more broadly is ok, but please know that it can be hard to find clients who want to coach with you if your marketing is not specific. 

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What it means to niche down
            * Six benefits of choosing a niche
            * What coaching a niche involves

            Why? 

            Because, unless you can clearly explain the benefits of coaching (see the previous episode of this podcast) then they won’t understand the benefits and value of coaching. 

            That’s why I recommend starting to niche down as soon as you have some clarity. Let’s talk about what that means, and how it works. 

            What it means to niche down 

            Let’s start with the definition of a niche market. A niche market is a subset of a target market. It is a specific group of people that are desperate to solve a specific problem. 

            When you hear the phrase “niching down”, it simply means getting more specific and targeting a certain segment of the group of people you want to work with. 

            Why do this? 

            Because people are VERY specific when they’re searching for an answer to their problem. They will be ultra-specific about the detail of their problem. And if they find someone who can help them with that specific thing, they’ll be much more interested than finding someone who does ‘all areas of health and wellness.’  

            For example, I recently Googled ‘night sweats and insomnia in menopause’ – which is super specific. If I was looking to work with a coach, I’d be choosing someone who works with women in menopause, either listing those specific types of symptoms, or at the very least, indicating she works with business owners. I wouldn’t look for a ‘general’ health and wellness coach, because they wouldn’t necessarily understand what I’m going through!  

            Let’s just be clear – you won’t necessarily be able to choose a niche right away, if you are just starting out. You will need to practice with people and work out who your people are and what challenges they’re facing. 

            In other words, niching down is a journey. I recommend that you start out by picking what’s called a target market – which is a broader category of either person or type of problem that the market is spending money on. 

            Spending is the key – if they’re not spending money to solve the problem, it’ll be hard for you to engage with them for coaching (they may not be ready, willing and able to buy – or the problem may not be big enough). 

            Here are some examples of target markets: 

            • Weight loss for women 30 – 40 
            • Weight loss for women in menopause 
            • Stress management for men in white collar roles 

            Do these sound specific to you? Actually, they are pretty general! 

            As you coach people in a target market like this, you quickly understand that not all people in that group are created equal. There are subgroups! And they are very different. 

            For example, the target market may differ in terms of their demographic, take-home income, family situation, and circumstances that are causing the problem. 

            But that’s ok – start broadly and then you can get more specific as you get to know the people you are attracting. 

            For example, more specific niches in weight loss for women in menopause could be things like: 

            • Female corporate leadership roles who are tired and listless, struggling with sleep 
            • Primary school teachers who are struggling to lose weight due to stress 
            • Women in the beauty industry who want to lose weight because looks are important, but they’re going to lots of lunches and drinks 
            • Women who are emotional eaters. 

            ANY of these could be viable and more specific menopause niches. 

            If you can’t pick an area of health and well-being, start with the type of person that you want to engage such as introverted women in corporate jobs, or mothers with two young kids, and find out what their problems are. 

            Six benefits of choosing a niche and niching down 

            Thinking about the more specific menopause niches I mentioned earlier – let’s say you are running group coaching and you put that bunch of women into a group together. 

            They’d all think and behave in slightly different ways. For example, you’d have the teachers who are overweight in part due to stress, corporate leaders are overweight in part as they are tired and struggling to sleep, and emotional eaters. 

            They might have some common ground, but they’ll potentially all be interested in different things.  

            And while that doesn’t matter too much in a 1:1 scenario when you are starting out, any groups you run will be WAY more cohesive and MUCH better equipped to create a community if they can relate to each other on a personal level.  That’s benefit #1 of niching down. 

            Number 2i s that you’ll find it much easier to coach even in a 1:1 setting because you’ll be dealing with similar types of people or problems, rather than being stretched in lots of different directions. 

            No wonder new coaches think they don’t know enough! Having to face a barrage of different people and issues can make that worse. 

            Benefit #3 – imagine you have picked a niche and narrowed it down so it’s more specific. What does this mean for your business? Suddenly you are seen as a one-of-a-kind, unique business. It’s SO much easier to speak specifically to your audience, stand out from the pack and to become a trusted go-to source of support.  

            Benefit #4 – you’ll become a proficient and confident coach much more quickly and easily. As you really get to know your audience, you’ll realise that you have really started to master the key areas that matter to them, the main coaching approaches that work, and the interactions with those clients. 

            Benefit #5 of niching down – you’ll be working less and achieving more. That’s because you won’t be customising your marketing content for different types of clients or needing to source tons of different resources – you’ll be diving deep into one area and using the same sorts of content and resources for all your clients, saving you LOTS of time. You’ll be marketing in one or two places where your niche hangs out, rather than all over the place, hoping someone will respond. 

            Benefit #6 is that you will have a bigger number of clients and more loyal, committed clients because you know them so intimately and deeply. In fact, your sales call conversion rates will be much higher because the more specific niche trusts that you know a lot about them and really understand what their problem is. 

            These are six great reasons why niching down is beneficial and valuable.  

            But start walking before you run – choose a target market at first, and with practice clients, start to really listen and learn more about them.   

            Now, let’s look at what coaching a niche involves. It’s actually not what you think! 

            What coaching a niche involves 

            Coaching a niche isn’t really much different from coaching different types of people more generally, or in different niches. 

            That’s because no problem exists in isolation. 

            Let me say that again – no problem exists in isolation. 

            No matter who you are coaching, and what their key problem and goal is, there are a lot of other areas of health and that they will need to be coached around.  

            For example, weight problems are influenced by sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress and mental health/mindset. Or some combination of these. What changes is the order of priority! 

            Or, for example, stress/anxiety problems are influenced by sleep, nutrition, mental health/mindset, and exercise. Same thing – it’s a particular combination, and order of priority. 

            Not all areas will be relevant for every person. 

            But what the CLIENT is thinking about is the bit that matters to them. Speak to that in your marketing, honour that in your coaching, and know that you will invariably be working around the other areas to some degree, anyway. 

            In addition, the likelihood is that the reason behind their perceived problem is a general skills gap. 

            For example, someone who is stressed and overwhelmed is likely not very good at setting boundaries, being kind to themselves, and/or making enough time for themselves.  

            Those three skills are also relevant to many other areas like eating, exercise, sleep etc. 

            So when you work with a niche, you are actually helping a client fill specific skills gaps (they develop the skills through experimentation) that will help them to solve many different problems they’re facing – all because of the same reasons. 

            As the saying goes, “the way you do one thing is the way you do everything”.  

            Summary

            Today we covered what niching down means, and six of the benefits of niching down (there are others!) 

            Those benefits are: 

            • More cohesive and connected clients when coaching groups  
            • It’s easier to start with similar types of problems/people rather than being stretched 
            • You’re seen as unique, one of a kind, standing out from all the other coaches 
            • You’ll become proficient and confident more quickly 
            • You’ll be working less and achieving more as you’ll save a LOT of time not customising marketing content and resources 
            • You’ll have more loyal clients and higher sales conversion rates. 

            Finally, I discussed the fact that no problem exists in isolation. So while your niche thinks they have a specific problem (which is an area they want to focus on and which you might market to), you will end up coaching them around other areas. In other words, you will actually be helping people to develop skills in one area that are transferrable to many areas of health and wellness. All that changes is the priority!

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

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            E#216 Why and How to do a Coffee Detox

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            This episode is about why and how to do a coffee detox

            Are you struggling with energy rollercoasters, anxiety or poor sleep? A coffee detox might be part of the solution. It may be a helpful way to give your nervous system a break and feel calmer. Going cold turkey on caffeine can be hard, so this episode outlines how to do a coffee detox so that you can go through the process with ease. 

            On my investigation of nervous system health and calming down, I’ve decided to do a coffee detox. 

            This isn’t one of those fad things – I’ve had a few important realisations and am doing as an experiment to see if it can help me to unwind anxiety, feel calmer, and improve my sleep quality. 

            Part of this is working out whether I’m consuming too much caffeine for my body weight, and whether removing coffee all together has a bigger impact on my symptoms. 

            So today let’s look at recommended caffeine intakes, who may be susceptible to negative impacts of caffeine, and then, how I’m doing a coffee detox. 

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Recommended caffeine intakes
            * How do you respond to caffeine?
            * Do you need a coffee break?
            * My Coffee Detox Plan

            Recommended Caffeine Intakes 

            Food Standards ANZ states there is no acceptable daily intake of caffeine but mentions evidence of increased anxiety levels with caffeine consumption at about 3 mg/kg body weight per day. 

            This equates to: 

            • About 120 mg per day in children (about 2 cans of cola) 
            • About 240 mg per day in adults (about 3 cups of instant coffee). 

            These are based on standard body weights, so you’d need to work out your recommended intake based on your own body weight. 

            For example, I weigh 52kg, so at 3 mg/kg, I can have 52 x 3 = 156 mg caffeine per day. 

            The challenge is partly that caffeine can come from different sources and in different amounts, so it may be hard to keep track of what you’ve consumed. 

            To make it a bit easier for consumers, Food Standards Code restricts caffeine in soft drinks and energy drinks and requires labelling of all sources of caffeine, including guarana, tea, coffee etc.  

            Soft drinks must not exceed 145 mg/kg of caffeine in the drink, whereas energy drinks must not contain more than 320 mg/L of caffeine. This is the amount in the volume of drink – you then must convert that to what’s reasonable for your body weight. The label should state the amount of caffeine per serve.  

            Foods that contain caffeine include chocolate, cola drinks, sports supplements, energy drinks, kola nuts, cocoa beans, coffee beans, tea leaves (and all kinds of tea including green tea), and many weight loss supplements. 

            Typical amounts of caffeine in different foods are: 

            • 145mg caffeine in a 50mL cup of espresso 
            • 80mg caffeine in an energy drink or caffeinated beverage 
            • 80mg in a cup of instant coffee 
            • 58mg in a long black (100mL cup) 
            • 50mg in a cup of black tea 
            • 36.4mg in a can of caffeinated cola drink 
            • 13mg in a cup of green tea 
            • 12mg in 20g of dark chocolate with high cocoa solids 
            • 10mg in a 50g bar of milk chocolate 
            • 6mg in a 200mL cup of hot chocolate 

            So if my caffeine intake is recommended to be 156 mg per day, I can get that amount from either: 

            • One espresso and 20g of dark chocolate 
            • Three cups of black tea 
            • A cup of instant coffee, a cup of black tea and a chocolate bar 

            You get the idea – it’s about quantity. 

            How do you respond to caffeine? 

            Everyone response differently to caffeine. 

            Some people get the jitters after one weak coffee, and some can drink 8 coffees a day and still have a solid night’s sleep. Why is that? 

            Well, your weight sets the scene for your recommended intake as I’ve just described. 

            On top of that, you might either process and get rid of caffeine quickly or more slowly than other people. On average, it takes between 3 – 12 hours to metabolise and excrete caffeine. 

            What you eat can affect caffeine metabolism and clearance. For example, large quantities of vitamin C and eating brassica vegetables can speed up your caffeine clearance, whereas alcohol or grapefruit consumption can decrease caffeine clearance. 

            Depending on your genes, you may be a fast clearer or a slow clearer, and some genotypes are less sensitive to the effects of caffeine. 

            I had a genetic test years ago that indicated I was a fast metaboliser, but I know that I am sensitive to caffeine because it gives me a noticeable lift and I start talking, thinking and doing fast – sometimes too fast. 

            More recently, my HealthType test shows I am a Sensor type, and coffee is generally recommended to be avoided, or consumed about once per month. 

            Do you need a coffee break? 

            Coffee or caffeine can certainly help you feel pepped up, but caffeine is addictive and withdrawal can have side effects including depression, low energy, shakiness, anxiety, headache, irritability, fatigue, trouble concentrating and/or constipation.  

            I recently discovered that going from one espresso to none triggered a terrible headache, brain fog, trouble concentrating and irritability 

            And having gone through burnout, have been regularly experiencing anxiety and insomnia, and more recently went into menopause, I suspect my adrenal glands have been working overtime and my nervous system has been heavily taxed. 

            This probably explains my night sweats and some of the other symptoms I’ve mentioned.  

            I decided I didn’t want coffee controlling me, and it might be worth experimenting with a detox to see how I feel when I don’t regularly drink coffee or consume caffeine, especially during menopause. 

            Here’s is my protocol for giving up coffee temporarily to see how it affects me. I will update you once I’ve done a few weeks without coffee on what has changed! 

            My Coffee Detox Plan 

            There are lots of ways to do this, but I will be starting slow and tapering gradually down to zero so I minimise any withdrawal symptoms mentioned above. 

            Also, I will be making sure I reduce caffeine from other foods sources at the same time. When I tried quitting coffee last time, I found myself wanting more chocolate – obviously my body was looking for sugar and caffeine as a source of energy. 

            Step 1 

            Taper from 2 – 3 coffees per day down to one espresso daily for at least one week. 

            At the same time, I’m making sure I’m getting 2L of water into my diet to ensure good that my digestion and elimination is not affected. 

            I’ve done this step already at the time of writing. 

            Step 2 

            I have previously started mixing regular coffee with decaf in my espresso and that has worked, but this time I will swap to black and green tea and taper that way. 

            So my step 2 will be to have two black teas per day, and I’ll do that for up to a week depending on my symptoms (or maybe longer). I’ll start this tomorrow. 

            Step 3 

            Next, I’ll reduce to one black tea per day. 

            Step 4 

            Finally, I’ll go down to rooibos tea only. 

            I will stay caffeine free for 3 or 4 weeks to see what changes for me, knowing that after my body has adapted, it will take up to 3 months being caffeine free before I see the full physiological effects of reducing caffeine. 

            Summary

            Today we talked about the recommended caffeine intakes and how caffeine may affect different people differently, especially in terms of anxiety, insomnia and other symptoms.  

            We covered why some people might want to reduce caffeine, and how to taper gradually and take time away from coffee and caffeine. 

            You can develop your own protocol for this, I’ve given mine as an example, and hopefully, this helps you to experiment and discover how coffee and caffeine affect you, and whether it’s something you want to continue using. 

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

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            E#213 How to Set Up a Co-Coaching Agreement

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            This episode is about how to set up a co-coaching agreement

            If you’re a coach, it is essential for you to have your own coach. But what if you can’t afford to pay a coach? Co-coaching – or swapping sessions with another coach – is a great way to give and receive coaching and gain the benefits. Coaching is much more effective if you are working with the right person – and today I’ll describe how to set up a productive, connected co-coaching agreement with a fellow coach.

            Why Do Coaches Need to be Coached?

            A lot of coaches finish their qualification and start looking for clients but have not been coached themselves.

            Why is this important? There are a few good reasons.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Why coaches need to be coached
            * How to do a ‘good fit’ call
            * How to set up a co-coaching agreement

            Firstly, if you’re going to communicate the value of what you do as a coach, you really need to speak authentically and from experience. Imagine trying to sell a car if you didn’t drive one yourself? Imagine trying to sell a skincare product that you didn’t use yourself?

            Being coached yourself gives you authenticity and credibility.

            Secondly, when you decide to be a professional coach, you are pretty much committing to your own personal growth.

            Once again this is about authenticity. If you are not willing to grow and change yourself, how can you be trusted to help others to develop new habits and pursue their own personal growth?

            As one professional coach in the US says – you can only take a client as deep as you have gone yourself.

            Thirdly, everyone has blind spots. Yes, you can coach yourself through the process of self-talk, reflection and journalling, but there are things about yourself and limiting beliefs that you can’t see. So, no matter how good of a coach you are, you can’t do it all on your own.

            Finally, it is through the process of coaching and experiencing the discomfort of change that you really appreciate what your clients are going to go through, how to describe the benefits and value of coaching, and to gain lived experience in problem solving, navigating a journey and defining success on your terms. By working with another coach, you might also learn a few new coaching techniques as you get to increase your skills and go deep on areas that are important to you – perhaps deeper than you would on your own, or with your own clients.

            All of this leads to greater resonance with your audience, more impactful marketing, and better coaching skills.

            To work with a coach, you have a couple of options.

            You can hire a coach and pay a fee for service which suits some people.

            Alternatively, you can find a peer coach to work with and do a barter, swapping sessions with each other – which I like to call co-coaching.

            The great thing about co-coaching is that the coaching itself is often easier because you are both familiar with the concept of coaching, the language of coaching, and how a session is run. This makes things feel more comfortable and it’s easier to get into a flow. Great if you are new to coaching and lacking a bit of confidence!

            Also, co-coaching has zero cost. If you are on a budget, co-coaching is a cost-effective way to help you get some practice, experience and personal growth.

            Like any coaching relationship, it’s important that you make sure you have a good fit with the person you are going to work with.

            You can identify a co-coaching partner through your coach training school and/or alumni, or through your industry association (e.g. HCANZA).

            Once you’ve identified someone you might like to work with, it’s important to make sure you are a good fit for working together.

            I like to have a good fit call with any prospective client, and it’s great practice to do it with a potential co-coaching partner.

            How to do a ‘good fit’ call

            A good fit call is a short conversation (usually around 30 minutes) where you gauge your suitability for working together.

            You can use this same process for a co-coaching relationship or to qualify your prospective clients!

            The goal is to see if you have the right chemistry – that is, rapport and relationship – and both feel willing to coach each other.

            There is no set-in-stone way to run a good fit call, but it might generally involve asking each other some general questions to get a sense of who the person is and what is important to them.

            Here are some sample questions you can ask:

            · What’s the main area or habit you’re looking to work on right now?

            · What are your objectives for the coaching partnership? (e.g. to help you achieve…..)

            · How do you want to be coached? (e.g. plenty of silence, direct, empathetic etc)

            · Tell me about yourself and your life right now? (e.g. looking for common ground)

            · What are your top two values, and why do they matter to you?

            Asking a few questions like this is usually enough to get a sense of the person and how aligned you are in terms of demographic, personality, values, priorities and stage of life.

            Be very present in the conversation so that you can do the essential piece – which is checking in with yourselves about the chemistry you have with the other person (somatic awareness).

            There are three questions you can ask yourself during the conversation:

            · How is my body responding in this conversation?

            For example, do you notice tightness or tension in your body, or a tingling, free-flowing feeling? Where do you feel that?

            · How do I feel in the conversation?

            For example, do you feel overwhelmed, tentative or drained, or do you feel calm, open and energized?

            · What am I thinking during the conversation?

            For example, are you thinking this person seems like hard work, or I’m not sure about them, or they’re too soft/driven for me, or are you thinking this person is aligned, we are getting on well, I feel good about this?

            This checking in process leads to one of two outcomes – you’re not a fit, or you are a fit.

            There’s really no in between.

            If you feel that the two of you are not a fit, that’s ok, you can decide together openly and honestly. In this case, you can be honest and let them know that you don’t think it’s the right fit but it was lovely to meet them and have the introduction.

            If this was a client, you might say that you feel there is another coach who would be a better match for them and be able to give better and more relevant support, and would they like you to pass on the other coach’s details?

            If you feel you are a fit, you can establish an agreement – I would recommend for a set number of sessions and then review. Allow enough time and sessions for the person to establish (or get back on track) with at least one habit

            How to set up a co-coaching agreement

            Once you have established that the rapport and relationship is suitable, it’s time to set up a co-coaching agreement.

            With a client, you would normally agree on the terms, payment and duration of coaching, and it’s a similar process for co-coaching (without the payment).

            It’s important to have agreement up front so that you can ensure you both achieve your goals and are committed to the process. This can be even more important when no money changes hands; as financial investment can strengthen commitment.

            The last thing you want to do is start cancelling or postponing sessions, losing enthusiasm and getting to busy.

            Treat your co-coach with the integrity and respect that you would a client.

            You could either ask the coach to complete your normal client agreement, or, you can establish a less formal written agreement in a document stating the terms of the arrangement so you are both clear on the expectations and commitment.

            Your agreement would normally be a minimum of 8 weeks (at least 5 sessions) for working on one or two new habits.

            If you were just getting an existing habit back on track, you’d be looking at a minimum of 6 weeks (at least 4 sessions).

            You can decide on the cadence of sessions depending on how much support you feel you would need. Starting weekly is a good idea for at least 3 weeks, then you could continue that way, or perhaps move to fortnightly at the time if you both agree.

            It’s also a good idea to schedule at least three sessions in advance so you both clear your schedules to make time to focus and give your energy to the coaching relationship.

            Summary

            Today, we discussed the many reasons why it’s so valuable for coaches to work with their own coaches, including depth of experience, skill development, authenticity, personal growth and marketing insights.

            We also covered how to conduct a good fit call to ensure there is suitable rapport and relationship between you, including sample questions to ask each other, and three questions to ask yourself to honestly reflect on the chemistry and suitability of this partnership.

            If you’re not a fit, be honest and thank each other for the conversation.

            But if you are a fit, you can set up a co-coaching agreement that covers how long you will work together, the cadence of sessions, and which days and times suits both parties. Having something in writing ensures the commitment of both.

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

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            E#211 How to Succeed by Showing Up

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            This episode is about how to succeed by showing up

            Are you struggling to find enough clients, do a good enough job, or achieve your goals, and wondering how to make it happen? Let’s look at why showing up is the key to your success.

            What is showing up?

            Showing up refers to your ability to do things consistently and to be accountable to yourself for that. It’s a simple as that, but it’s also essential for achieving any outcome goals you have.

            Losing weight.

            Launching a successful business.

            Attracting clients.

            Completing a qualification.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What is showing up?
            * What does showing up create?
            * How do you commit to showing up?

            It doesn’t matter what you are trying to achieve – it’s the same principle. Showing up is required for success, and it means that you are committed, disciplined, and consistent with your efforts no matter what, which makes the results possible.

            A lot of people I meet come to me for coaching because they are getting half baked results or no results. A lot of the time it’s about not showing up for yourself consistently.

            A lot of things happen if you don’t show up.

            For example, in marketing one of the keys to becoming visible and known is that you show up regularly and keep your promises to yourself and your audience. It might take 6 to 12 months before somebody even knows that you exist, so you need to be putting yourself out there consistently and regularly in the same places over a long enough period of time that people can start to see you and get to know you, let alone want to buy something from you.

            A lot of coaches I meet try something here and there for a month and then give up saying that nobody is interested. Not long enough! And likely, not consistent enough.

            The same goes for eating and exercise for example. If you want to be athletic, to lose 5 kg of body fat, to gain 3 kg of muscle, to run a marathon or to consistently follow a Mediterranean diet, then you need to show up for yourself and exercise, eat well or train several times per week and every week consistently for a period of time – usually at least 3 months.

            It’s great to start with planning to do something, but that is the easy bit. You feel excited at the prospect of achieving the result. You feel satisfied that you’ve mapped out all of the steps appropriately. You feel like you are ready to go.

            But the reality is, as you start to implement your plan life is going to throw you curveballs. That’s a definite – and showing up requires you to figure out how to keep showing up for yourself, or for others, or both.

            I know for myself for example, at least two or three nights a week I sleep poorly at the moment. And while it might be tempting for me to take a day off the next day, I have responsibilities and things that are important for me to do so I dig deep, and I show up. I make myself get up on time, shower, get dressed in colourful clothing, eat something nutritious, and prepare myself mentally for the meetings and tasks ahead. Obviously there are exceptions, like if I am really sick, but otherwise I just get over the mind games and move forward.

            ALL of us have obstacles in life that prevent us from showing up and that is why working with a coach to be so helpful because it’s about learning how to navigate, troubleshoot, and problem solve those obstacles so that you can be consistent and get the results you want.

            Why is it sometimes hard to show up? Simply, because our brains work against us. Our brains are wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain and expend as little effort as possible. This is why we tell ourselves all the lies and excuses that stop us from taking action!

            But if we work with our brains, we develop better habits that help us to show up and create results.

            What does showing up create?

            So, what happens if you do manage your brain better and show up consistently?

            Well let’s look at some real life examples.

            I have been running this podcast every week for over two years. I have committed to consistently publishing episodes every week no matter what. For example, my father just passed away a couple of weeks ago, and knowing that he was unwell I recorded a couple of episodes in advance so that I could keep showing up.

            Some days I don’t feel like recording a podcast but I do it anyway because I am committed to this activity.

            People ask, where do I get the motivation? Well, I have learned to embrace this process because it builds my audience over time with more and more people listening to this podcast. I don’t want to let them down by not showing up. If I don’t do an episode or two, or if I’m late, people will get the impression that I’m unreliable and untrustworthy – definitely not helpful! Therefore, I have strategies in place to make sure that I show up every week no matter what.

            Actually, weight loss is a really good example of what’s required for showing up. In my experience of coaching people around weight loss, it often takes several weeks before they start to see the impact of habit they have changed. In the meantime, they may get sick, lose motivation, feel overwhelmed with stressors or feel tired as their body changes. But by committing to themselves they can overcome those challenges and still show up for themselves in order to achieve the result that they want.

            The interesting thing is that it’s actually not so much about the result because that is a one-off thing. Showing up is actually about embracing the process and developing the habits that will make you a success.

            Those habits become who you are, your new identity, and a new way of living.

            In the weight loss example, people talk about losing weight and then gaining it again. It just means that they stop showing up for themselves and go back into their old habits which no longer serve them.

            In another example, I think about myself as a business owner running my signature weight loss program in my local area for 3 1/2 years.

            It didn’t matter how tired I was, or down, or what the weather was like, I showed up consistently for those groups of clients and got myself into a positive mindset to foster an exceptional experience for those clients and hold the space for them so that they could achieve their goals.

            Sometimes I definitely didn’t feel like running those group sessions, but I had strategies in place to make sure that my clients got incredible value from those sessions and from working with me. After all, it was the results they got and the way they felt in those sessions that created multiple referrals and sold-out programs every time.

            What do you think would’ve happened if I cancelled sessions because I didn’t feel like going, or if I showed up half hearted and listless?

            Showing up – or not – creates your results.

            How do you commit to showing up?

            So how do you commit to showing up for yourself and for other people?

            It’s really all about managing your mindset, your energy, your motivation, and maintaining your level of commitment to yourself and or other people.

            If you want to show up for yourself or others consistently, the first thing you must do is to define a really good reason why you want to do a particular thing. In my example of podcasting, this is tied in with my ability to have an impact on the lives of other people and to help people to bring their greatness to the world. This is a huge part of my purpose, so if I don’t do this podcast consistently, I might lose my audience, and that might mean that I don’t get to fulfil my purpose.

            The nutshell is that having a big why or lots of whys is really important for committing to something.

            The second thing is that you have to be doing something that is truly meaningful and important to you. If you are trying to do something that you think you should be doing but don’t really want to do and then it’s going to be hard to stick to. This ties into your why, but is slightly different.

            For example, reaching my audience is important to me, but my actions for getting there must be meaningful and aligned. When I tried to run a Facebook group over about a 14-month period, I struggled because I absolutely hated being on Facebook and so I wasn’t able to make myself be consistent and show up for that and I learnt a really important lesson by failing at that. I realise that I was doing something that I thought I should be doing but didn’t really suit me or feel right and it didn’t suit my audience either.

            So, choosing activities and goals with importance and meaning is an essential part of showing up.

            The third thing is that if you want to be able to show up for yourself or others consistently, choose habits or activities that play to your strengths, or find ways to use your strengths to complete those activities. It’s much easier to be consistent when you are doing something that you are good at or have the potential to develop skills in.

            The fourth thing, and this is probably a really important one, is that you just have to stop overthinking things. It’s really easy if you’re tired or stressed to want to give up on yourself and to tell yourself stories about why you can’t do something. That’s just your brain trying not to make the effort.

            If you think about it, it’s actually the discomfort of doing something under adversity that helps you to come out stronger and with a greater sense of self belief. If you give in every time and don’t be consistent, then you are just proving to yourself that you can’t. If you grit your teeth and get

            through something challenging, you gain a sense of pride, efficacy and a glimmer of hope that you can do it again. This gives your untrusting brain the proof it needs to believe you can succeed.

            It’s way better to find some strategies and cues and just make yourself do something and get across the line to prove to yourself that you can because that will create momentum and an upward spiral.

            My best strategy to overcome mental hurdles is talking myself into doing the activity and outlining all the reasons it’s important.

            The fifth thing is that planning is really important in terms of being able to show up for yourself. Imagine if I was trying to record a podcast every week but didn’t have any sort of activity put into my calendar. I’d probably forget will be trying to squeeze it in around other appointments or double booking myself and then it wouldn’t get done. Planning means you are intentionally making space – a dedicated time slot every week – to recording an episode, doing the gym workout, or posting on LinkedIn – whatever it is you want to commit to.

            Planning offers you more than just the ability to complete the task. By making space for what matters to you, it prompts you to clear out the low return tasks so that you don’t waste time and become more efficient and productive. When your schedule is based around important but not urgent tasks and not too many of them, then it’s much easier to show up for yourself.

            The sixth thing I want to talk about today in terms of showing up is that sometimes you’re going to need support from another person or some sort of system to help you show up. It could be a coach. It could be an alarm. It could be a ritual or process you used to get yourself into the right headspace. But whatever it is, if you find it hard to be self motivated and self disciplined at times, think about the things you can do to help you show up for yourself.

            Using this podcast as an example once again, if I’m not in the mood or am lacking inspiration, I have a few uplifting podcasts that I listen to that help me to come up with a more positive mindset and create some of my own ideas for content. I also have content that I’ve created in the past and I can always go back to that and re-purpose it for a podcast episode if I need to. I have a system of dictating into my iPad or phone so if I get an idea while I’m on the run I can capture it in a document using the microphone function and that means I am constantly adding to the content when the ideas strike me. These are three of my personal strategies for making sure I show up and do this podcast every week no matter what.

            The seventh and final thing that will help you to show up is the 7-minute rule. In the practice of yoga, there is a saying that if you just do 7 minutes then you will likely keep going. I apply the same principle to anything else that I need to show up for. Just seven minutes writing some notes for a podcast. Or just seven minutes getting my mind in order so I can still see my clients today and not cancel any appointments. You get the idea. Doing a tiny amount of something means that you get over the initial hurdle of starting, and that you are more likely to keep going

            Summary

            Today we talked about what showing up is and why it is important.

            I also talked about seven ways to help you show up for yourself:

            1. Define a specific why, or many whys

            2. Focus on activities that are meaningful and important to you (linked to the why)

            3. Choose activities that play to your strengths, or find ways to use strengths to complete them

            4. Stop overthinking things and just do them with the help of strategies and cues.

            5. Planning specific activities for specific time slots

            6. Get the support you need from others, systems or tools

            7. Commit to just 7 minutes so you get over the hurdle of starting.

            Showing up for yourself means that you can do meaningful things in your own life and succeed at those things and feel like you are living a purposeful and intentional life.

            It is about learning to embrace the process and become good at that, rather than just focussing on the result. This not only helps you achieve the result, it also helps you to become committed to the regular actions that create your results!

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

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            E#210 How to Start a Health Coaching Business

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            This episode is about how to start a health coaching business

            When you’ve qualified as a health coach, what are the steps you need to take to get started? Should you set up a website, or hire a coach? What should you do first? It can be really confusing, especially if you’ve never run a business before. By the end of this episode, you will have an outline of how to start a health and well-being coaching business, so that you can get clear on your priorities and start taking action.

            Before you start your business

            While this episode outlines how to start a health coaching business, you need to consider a few important factors if you want your business to be successful!

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Before you start your business
            * The first three essential, foundational steps
            * Developing your marketing materials and sales funnel

            Imagine your business is a new puppy. It needs to be fed, toilet trained, cuddled, trained and nurtured so it can grow into a happy, healthy dog that knows how to behave.

            Think about the responsibility involved in raising a puppy. If you want to succeed in your business, you need to clear the same amount of time, space and effort in your life to dedicate to your business and ensure it works.

            A lot of people are ok with planning in business, but they struggle to implement perhaps due to life circumstances, personal trauma, trying to do too many things at once, or simply not dedicating enough time or being realistic about what they can achieve.

            Others don’t research, define or commit to a niche and a clearly defined problem, which means they don’t have a clear value proposition and that their marketing efforts are ineffective.

            If you want to start a business, make sure you have set aside at least 6 hours per week, increasing over several months, to start and develop your business.

            The three foundational steps

            1. Define what your business stands for (vision and values)

            Like any good roadmap, you need to start with the end in mind.

            If you know what your business stands for and what it brings to the world in terms of the results and outcomes it can create, you will be able to attract the right clients, and get your daily work priorities right and feel motivated to show up each week.

            For me, my vision and values create the compass that help me work out whether something is worth pursuing or not – be that a program I develop, a contact I am introduced to, or a client enquiry.

            2. Define your value proposition (what will they get from your program?) and offer (what is the thing they buy?)

            This is really important for explaining the value of what you do and feeling a sense of value in your own work, and confidence in your ability to invite clients to work with you.

            In the words of one of my recent Passion to Profit students, who worked on her value proposition:

            “I have actually enjoyed it; I go back to it regularly just checking in on some of the points. It centres me back into the why and what. Kind of helps get those creative juices going, thinking of how to place together information for marketing.”

            Each service you offer has its own value proposition.

            For example, an 8-week coaching program might have a value proposition that is about creating a transformation of some kind and a path to rapid change.

            In contrast, a monthly membership that follows the program might have a value proposition about helping people stay on track and be consistent and develop deeper insights and changes that help them step into their future self.

            These are very generic examples, and you would want to be way more specific and relevant to your niche. But what you can hear is that the value of each is very clear and will appeal to different people depending on their stage of change.

            In order to get your value proposition right, you need to speak to your target market and understand the results and support they want, need and will pay for. Your value proposition is based around that. You can do this in casual conversations, free coaching sessions, or social media conversations.

            3. Outline what you will charge per program/membership and how many you need to sell to meet your income goal (simple math)

            The third foundational step is to be really clear on what your income will be and also the timing.

            For example, there are many ways you can earn $100,000 per year.

            You can sell 2 x $50,000 programs (they’d be one year long for that price, and highly transformational).

            Or you can sell 10 x $10,000 programs (probably also around 12 months long and transformational, or very personalised).

            Or you can sell 100 x $1,000 programs, which might be a series of groups each school term and/or a few individuals.

            Or you can sell 208 memberships at $40 per month (assuming 12 months).

            Or it could be any combination of these. These are examples, but it’s important that you get clear on what you’re offering initially.

            It will likely be one core program that you offer, with a group and a 1:1 pricing, and you’d focus on selling that and becoming good at it, and known for it, and to learn more about your audience.

            Once you have these steps mapped out, you can get on with other business building tasks.

            Developing Your Offers, Marketing Materials and Sales Funnel

            Once you know who you are talking to and what you are selling, you are ready to develop your marketing materials and sales funnel.

            4. Create a splinter/taster service – low risk way for people to try before they buy (< $100)

            The marketing gurus say that if someone spends as little as $1 with you, they will more likely buy something more expensive.

            Your splinter service is your first, lowest cost offer. It should be priced between $27 and $97, and it should offer tangible value to the audience. That value is likely to be creating an aha moment (the first condition of change), and perhaps an outline of the steps they need to take.

            With this information in hand, your target market will be positioned to decide if they are ready, willing and able to change right now or not – and whether they want to do it with you.

            5. Decide on your free thing (is it a FB group, a challenge, a webinar you run or talk you do regularly etc?)

            Most people need to spend time getting to know you before they will spend anything with you, especially for a personal service like coaching.

            Create a free thing that gives people the chance to get to know you – this is your free, no risk offer.

            Make sure your free thing is something that plays to your strengths so you can keep showing up and offering value. E.g. don’t do a group if you hate FB. If you love speaking, do Youtube or Insta reels or live workshops or challenges instead.

            Make sure it offers value to the audience. Don’t give away everything, but help them start forming a specific habit, such as giving up alcohol, developing a meditation practice, or something else that will help them achieve their ultimate aim.

            If they can get some quick wins on this free thing, they are more likely to want to continue the journey in your full program or at least consider your splinter service.

            6. Create a marketing schedule for VISIBILITY/awareness

            Once you have your offers mapped out you are ready to create a marketing schedule. This schedule has three aims:

            1. To help you become visible and build awareness of how you help people,

            2. To ensure you show up consistently with your marketing so that you build trust, rapport and interest that lead to enquiries, and

            3. To ensure you are regularly making free and paid offers so people have something to try or buy.

            Depending on whether you are marketing online or offline, your marketing schedule should include:

            1. Regular posts or content that offer value to the niche and/or

            2. Regular networking events that introduce you to your niche or niche referrers (and book follow up coffee chats)

            Don’t try to do 100 things in 100 places, just start with one or two tactics for at least 6 months. Give it enough time to see what works, and test and measure as you go.

            Focus on building connections first to build the audience over 1 – 3 months, then start promoting offers once you have an audience.

            When you these activities, you will be experimenting to see what sticks. You will shape your content around that feedback and then start building your audience.

            Then when you have built the audience you are ready to start making offers (not before – know the audience first to fine tune the offer so it is relevant – and give first in order to receive).

            After you have built some trust and a following, you can do fortnightly to monthly promotions for

            c. Your free lead magnet (e.g. challenge, group, webinar, talk etc), and

            d. Your program / membership or whatever your core service is.

            Remember that people who sign up for your lead magnet should be offered the next level of service after the lead magnet has been delivered.

            For example, if your lead magnet is a downloadable ebook, you would make another offer e.g. for a good fit call within a few days.

            If your lead magnet is a live challenge or a workshop, you would make the next offer e.g. for your program at the end of the challenge or workshop.

            Notice that trust, rapport and relationship are built more quickly in a live environment so it’s easier to make a bigger offer.

            With some careful planning, you could do an ‘intake’ (offer with a start date or week) so that you can manage your work time if you are working at the same time as building your business.

            E.g. you know you can handle one group on a Saturday morning, so you promote that, fill the group, then run it and use feedback to refine the program if needed.

            Then, decide if you will take paid or unpaid leave for the next group – or run two on a Saturday morning and afternoon.

            7. Make sure your systems are in order to deliver the above elements.

            Finally, once you have these elements in place, you can look at the systems you will need to deliver the essential parts of your business, such as:

            – Email systems

            – Invoicing and bank reconciliation systems

            – Client onboarding processes

            – Program delivery processes

            – Feedback and improvement processes.

            This overview covers the key things you need to do at a high level to build a successful coaching business.

            Summary

            If you want to build a successful health coaching business, you need to get a few things in order.

            You’ll need to complete some foundational tasks to make sure you are ready and committed to building your business.

            Then, you’ll need to do some research and foundational tasks to create a vision, mission and define a viable niche who is ready, willing and able to spend money with you to solve their problem and meet your business and income goals. By doing research with your target market, you will be able to create some specific value propositions for each service that you offer.

            Finally, with a clear knowledge of who you are speaking to and how you help them, you are ready to create your offers, marketing materials and sales funnel to help people get to know you, like you and trust you enough to work with you.

            If you feel like you are ready to do this now, check out my Passion to Profit course which starts on 27 September.

            https://www.wellnesscoachingaustralia.com.au/business-resources/passion-to-profit/

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More

            Posted on by

            E#209 How Long Does It Take to Form a Habit?

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            This episode is about how long does it take to form a habit?

            Are you thinking about making change but lacking in motivation, and wondering how long it will take to form a new habit that happens automatically and effortlessly?

            By knowing how long it takes to form a habit, it can help you to manage your expectations, decide if you are ready to start, and hang in there long enough to be successful.

            I’m sure you know what it’s like. At some point in your life, you have wanted to lose weight, or tone up, or establish a better sleep routine, but it can be hard to get started when you’re not clear on how long it will take, and whether you have enough time and energy to even start.

            If you search the internet for “how long does it take to form a habit”, you will find a range of answers. Today I want to share the most recent research to answer this question, with caveats included!

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * The Architecture
            * What Type of Habit Do You Want to Change?
            * What Type of Person Are You?
            * What is Your Situation? What is Your Mindset?
            * What Does the Research Say?

            The Architecture of Habits

            To set the scene, let’s look at the architecture of habits. I have done a deep dive on this in previous episodes, so for now let’s recap.

            Firstly, any habit has a cue or trigger – something that causes it to happen.

            Then there is a routine or process that you go through.

            Then, there is a reward you receive by going through the process.

            The craving for this reward can motivate you to keep coming back.

            What this means for you is that if you want to change a bad habit or form a new habit, you need to work the elements of this ‘habit loop’ to help you get there faster.

            Let’s look at how to do that, with some examples.

            What Type of Habit Do You Want to Change?

            Firstly, consider that the type and complexity of habit that you want to change. Let me give you two examples from my own life so you can see the difference.

            If it’s a simple habit you want to form like flossing your teeth once per day, then you can bet that it will happen a lot sooner and become automatic more easily compared to a more complex habit.

            A few years ago, a friend of mine told me he had started flossing his teeth each night. This is something I’ve wanted to do for teeth hygiene reasons, but never quite found the motivation and

            momentum to be consistent. This is probably because I found it to be a rather fiddly and sometimes painful task, and I had told myself that I hated flossing my teeth, or that I couldn’t be bothered.

            But as soon as my friend mentioned he was doing this, I decided that I’d have a go too. I didn’t tell him or anyone else – I just decided one day that I would have a competition with myself to do it every night for 12 weeks, as an experiment to see whether I could turn this into an automatic and effortless habit.

            The trigger part of the habit was easy – I would floss before brushing my teeth each night. This is called habit stacking, or as I like to call it, piggybacking. I simply put a package of floss next to my toothbrush and voila, I remembered to even think about doing it each night!

            I got off to a good start and in the first few weeks, I realised a few things.

            Firstly, I realised that each night I was approaching this habit in the wrong way.

            When I got ready to floss, I noticed that I was thinking about how annoying this was, or how I didn’t feel like doing it, or how yukky and gross it was – unhelpful thinking! Instead, I decided to come up with more neutral or positive thoughts as I was flossing. I started thinking things like “I did another night! Yay!” or “This is good for my teeth!”

            Secondly, I realised that if I was going to be consistent with this, I would have to be clear on the process. I had recently been to a new dentist, and they’d provided some written instructions on how to brush and floss your teeth. To make it more interesting, I decided to geek it up and deep dive into technique, trying to bring some fresh energy and interest into the process.

            I learned about flossing on angles and how long it should take.

            Those two things kept me going in the beginning.

            Then I started thinking about the reward in earnest, rather than just having that sense of achievement. Sure, that was a reward, but I also ran my tongue over my teeth and made a smug ‘ah’ sound, really celebrating the clean teeth and how I was maintaining the dentist’s good cleaning work.

            Something funny happened about 11 or 12 weeks into the routine. I had had a late night and a few drinks and was getting ready for bed. And even being so tired, I realised that I simply couldn’t go to bed without flossing my teeth before brushing.

            It was a huge win! I could celebrate more than just the fact that it had become automatic and effortless – I also wanted to floss my teeth because I had created an attachment to the rewards of achievement and cleaner teeth (as opposed to the old rewards of getting out of a boring task).

            Now compare that with something like giving up smoking. Smoking is something you do multiple times per day, and your desire to smoke might be triggered by multiple different things.

            I smoked socially in my late teens, and in earnest when I was 21 years old after a stressful series of events. It had become a coping mechanism and a way of fitting in socially (these were the rewards).

            After a year, I decided it was ridiculous to smoke and I wanted to give up but it was difficult! This wasn’t just one habit loop – it was many habit loops happening in tandem.

            For example, there were various cues or triggers for smoking.

            After breakfast. While driving. After lunch. When stressed. While hanging out with certain friends. While drinking alcohol. At a pub or nightclub (a common hangout when I was this age). At the end of the day as a pleasant wind-down ritual on the balcony of my unit. Looking cool in front of boys (or so I thought).

            Coupled with the perceived rewards of coping better and looking cool (yes, I am groaning about these), I also had a serious nicotine addiction by now so had chemical drivers.

            This habit was a lot more complex than teeth flossing!

            In the end, I dismantled my smoking habit one piece at a time.

            Firstly, I switched from menthol cigarettes (tasted better) to plain cigarettes and the worst-tasting ones – in other words, I made the habit more unpleasant.

            Next, I substituted those cigarettes to ones that tasted bad AND had the lowest nicotine.

            Then, I started delaying my first cigarette. So instead of around 9am, I would wait until 10am, then 11am, then after lunch.

            By now I was smoking fewer per day, so I started buying smaller packets.

            I started hanging out with different friends – friends who didn’t smoke. This was a game changer for this habit because it removed temptation and also helped me frame a healthier identity – by hanging around people who placed a higher value on health.

            I was going to nightclubs to dance instead of smoke. I was going to the beach in the daytime instead of pubs to play pool.

            By the end of about 6 months, I was down to one cigarette per day – the one on the balcony late afternoon. This was the hardest one to give up because I had a positive ritual and feeling of me time. However, I made the decision to stop and do something else at this time.

            Voila, the habit was gone.

            I had cravings for a while, but it was easier to ride them out once I got this far.

            As you can see, more complex habits take longer to break or form and are more involved.

            Some people go for substitution for gum or other things, but for me, I wanted to break the habit and rewire all the different areas of my life rather than swap one vice or habit for another.

            What Type of Person Are You?

            Complexity aside, I think a lot comes down to the type of person you are.

            If you are motivated, focused, achievement oriented and proactive, it’s probably easier for you to form a new habit or break a bad habit.

            Some people have more addictive personalities – and I am one of these (as revealed in a genetic test I had done a few years ago to look at disease risk factors).

            Some people like putting others first and even at their own expense, which can get in the way of forming new habits.

            These are all factors that affect your ability to form new habits and the time that it takes.

            What is Your Life Situation?

            Your life situation impacts your ability to form a habit and the rate at which it happens.

            Why? Because making change is hard. It requires a lot of focus and energy from your brain, and brains like taking the easy, low-cost, low-effort route.

            That means if your life situation is busy, overwhelming, stressful, painful, difficult, or involving major shifts or even crises, forming a new habit is going to be pretty difficult. Not just in terms of starting but in persisting.

            The best time to form a new habit is when there’s little stress in your life, when things are on an even keel, and when there aren’t many other pressures in life.

            This is not always possible, but at least you can clear the decks to make time and energy to focus on doing something new, or something different.

            The less stress you have, I believe the faster and easier change will be.

            This is where working with a coach can be so helpful, because they help you make the time and create the focus, and clear the decks, so that you have enough brain power for forming a habit.

            And not too many at once!

            What is Your Mindset?

            Finally, your mindset is a critical piece of the puzzle.

            You heard me say earlier in the teeth flossing and quit smoking examples, that I had decided to do it. And after 13 years of coaching, I can say that the majority of my clients use similar words.

            They say that they have decided, or they are in the right headspace, or they are really ready. There is determination in those words.

            And to be successful and persist for long enough so that you can form and automate a habit, you need to have a good enough reason which is meaningful to you, because this is your motivator to keep going.

            What Does the Research Say About Time Required to Form Habits?

            I’ve just given you a lot of backstory about habit formation that sets the scene for discussing the research.

            A 2009 paper by Phillippa Lalley et. al. was published in the European Journal of Social Psychology.

            The study involved 96 volunteers over 12 weeks. Those volunteers chose an eating, drinking or activity behaviour to carry out daily in the same context (e.g. after breakfast).

            The time it took to form the habit and for it to become largely automatic was 18 – 254 days, with an average of 66 days (9.5 weeks). A huge range!

            It is known that behaviour is likely to become habitual when it is frequently and consistently performed in the same context, this study found that a habit could be formed and become automatic even if it was missed a few times.

            More recently, a longitudinal field study considered how self-control capacity affected the development of habits over a period of 90 days.

            Contrary to expectations, self-control capacity did not seem to affect the habit formation process and opened the opportunity for future research.

            The recent research reveals a few keys to easier and potentially faster habit formation and habit automaticity:

            · Habit strength increases steeply at first then levels off

            · The more often the behaviour is completed, the quicker the habit forms

            · The more inherently rewarding the behaviour, the easier it is to form a habit

            · If the environment is comfortable (no threats/obstacles), habit formation is easier

            To me, these findings back up my experience with my own habits and with clients.

            The recipe for success seems to lie in the goal-setting process and the situation, as described earlier.

            If you clear your decks to make time, set specific goals around behaviours that are rewarding, and you commit to doing them frequently, you will more likely succeed.

            Having the support of a coach will probably help you get there faster!

            Summary

            Today we talked about how long it takes to form a habit and covered some of the factors that influence the timing and ease of habit formation.

            There is a lot of scope for future research in this area, with the most recent studies having shown that your capacity for self-control is not critical to the process!

            Rather, the intrinsic reward, frequency of behaviour, commitment, environment and in my experience, situation, mindset and personality, might all play a role in the timing.

             

            References

            Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W. and Wardle, J. (2010), How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 40: 998-1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674

            van der Weiden Anouk, Benjamins Jeroen, Gillebaart Marleen, Ybema Jan Fekke, de Ridder Denise. (2020). How to Form Good Habits? A Longitudinal Field Study on the Role of Self-Control in Habit Formation. Frontiers in Psychology 11. URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00560

            Ready to get clarity on your pathway to success?

            Understanding who you are and what you need will allow your business to thrive! If you’re truly ready to break old habits and get out of the rut I encourage you to check out the Habitology membership.

            Learn more here:

            Learn More
            Posted on by

            E#199 How Does Diet Impact Mental Health

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            This episode is about how does diet impact mental health

            In the 20th Century, we have seen global shifts in dietary intakes, with people eating more sugary, fatty, high-energy food and snack foods, and a decrease in fibre-rich and nutrient-dense foods, especially in younger generations and those who are ‘busy’ and looking for convenience.

            But what impact does diet have on mental health?

            Today I want to explore the latest research that links diet and mental health, and to discuss some opportunities for health coaching in this space.

             

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Global Research from Nutritional Psychiatry
            * What the Research Means for Mental Health
            * How Employers Can Support Better Nutritional Health

            Nutrition and Mental Health – Global Research from Nutritional Psychiatry

            We know that many ‘common’ mental health disorders are associated with chronic health conditions. We also know that lifestyle behaviours including eating habits are intrinsically linked to physical health. Recent research is defining these relationships and revealing opportunities to improve mental health through diet.

            Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging field that recognises the consistent link between better quality diets and a reduced risk of depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.

            Most of us are familiar with the longevity and good mental health associations with Blue Zone diets – think the centenarians from Ikaria and Okinawa – and this association is supported by research. Here are some examples.

            A study of Norwegian men and women who followed a traditional Norwegian diet reported more favourable mental health compared to those on a typical Western diet, even after adjustment for variables including age, education, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption (1).

            An Australian study of 8,660 healthy men and women showed that a Mediterranean-style diet was associated with lower psychological distress as measured by a K10 score (2).

            A systematic review of both observational and interventional studies of nutrition and bipolar disorder found that the intake of certain nutrients is associated with a reduction of bipolar disorder

            symptoms. Those nutrients include omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid and zinc. Promising results were also indicated for coenzyme Q10 and probiotics (3).

            Many studies show that lower socioeconomic circumstances partly explain poor eating habits and depressive symptoms, but there is also evidence that depression is directly associated with long-term exposure to an unhealthy diet, independent of socioeconomic status (4).

            What Does This Mean for Mental Health?

            Medication, exercise and psychological intervention are well-known approaches that play an important role in treating and managing mental health disorders.

            The research findings from nutritional psychiatry show that healthy eating is another impactful ingredient in maintaining brain health and mental health. It is important that we recognise these links with the rise in mental health disorders and body weight during the Covid 19 pandemic, and, that we apply these learnings in practice.

            To that end, it is promising to see that the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry guidelines (2020) and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (UK) guidelines (2022) now recommend dietary improvement and other lifestyle modifications as a foundational treatment for mood disorders.

            This is a positive starting point to augment the existing approaches to mental health. Yet there is still more that can be done on a day-to-day basis to improve eating habits and food choices toward better health, lifestyle and productivity.

            Can Employers Play a Role in Better Eating Habits?

            Dietary changes typically happen in our own households or via a medical setting, but there are also opportunities for workplaces to be involved in improving eating habits of the workforce for better mental wellbeing, productivity, focus, concentration and general health.

            These days, it is an employee’s market with thousands of job vacancies on the market. This means that employees are looking for workplace benefits to entice them into a workplace, or to make it worth their while staying in an existing workplace.

            Any opportunity to improve health could be seen as a value add, and a sign that the employer cares about their workforce.

            What might this look like in a workplace?

            Well, assuming you would do a needs assessment first and find out what sort of service is desired, there are a few ways you can package up your services for a corporate market. In other words, there are a variety of ways you can add value to workplaces in terms of employee nutrition.

            Firstly, educational and coaching programs can be offered to any employees to help them understand the benefits of healthy eating and to empower employees to develop of healthier eating habits. If you don’t have a dietetics or nutrition qualification, education can be based around published government guidelines in an interactive, workshop style arrangement.

            If you’re working with a rural or remote workplaces where the workplace provides meal, one offering you could make is to help them develop a strategy to improve the nutritional quality of foods on offer at the workplace and reduce the availability of unhealthy options. This is an important consideration where employees don’t have access to healthy food other than at the workplace.

            Routine medical clearance and fitness for work checks can monitor body weight and waist-to-hip ratio as one indicator of nutritional health and can facilitate referral to a dietician or health coach to support behaviour change. Partnering with the EAP or medical service that the employer uses is another way to add value to the company.

            In some cases, running workplace challenges can also offer individuals the chance to improve their nutrition in a supportive team environment.

            Of course, individual coaching is also appropriate as an on-sell from or adjunct to any of these types of initiatives.

            The evidence is clear – eating habits play a significant role in brain health and mental health.

            And aside from medical and psychological support programs, there are many other opportunities for coaches to help organisations to improve the eating habits of their workforce, and consequently, improve their quality of life, health and work performance.

            The Opportunity for Coaches

            If you are a coach running a business that focuses on either nutrition, mental health or both, there are opportunities for you to approach workplaces to implement education and coaching strategies that will boost employee health, wellbeing, focus, productivity and performance.

            Citing the statistics and research is a great way to position your services to employers and gain their buy in. It answers the ‘what’s in it for me’ question – why should I invest in your services?

            Summary

            Today we covered some of the groundbreaking research in nutritional psychiatry that demonstrates the links between nutrition and mental health.

            I also talked about some opportunities for employers to have an impact on employee wellbeing – especially important in times when employers are trying desperately to retain their talent.

            By presenting the facts and figures on the impact of nutrition on mental health and performance, and by outlining affordable opportunities for employers to offer a value add, you can position your coaching business to enter the corporate space more easily.

            If you have questions on this episode, hit me up on my contact page.

            (1) Jacka, F.N et. al (2011). The association between habitual diet quality and the common mental disorders in community-dwelling adults: the Hordaland Health study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21715296/

            (2) Hodge, A. et al (2013) Patterns of dietary intake and psychological distress in older Australians: benefits not just from a Mediterranean diet. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23199436/

            (3) Fernanda, C Gabriel et al. (2022). Nutrition and bipolar disorder: a systematic review. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1028415X.2022.2077031

            (4) Jacka, F.N et al. (2014) Dietary patterns and depressive symptoms over time: examining the relationships with socioeconomic position, health behaviours and cardiovascular risk. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24489946/

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