Tag: Business Process

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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

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    E#227 90-Day Business Planning

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    This episode is about 90-day business planning

    Are you struggling to get organised and stay focused in business, procrastinating, or simply feeling a bit stale? Developing a 90-day Plan is the secret to staying on track, fired up and productive. In Episode 5 of this podcast, I helped you create a foolproof 30-day plan. Today, I’ll reveal how I do one of the bigger picture steps, and how this helps me get more done, more effectively and efficiently. 

    Why a 90 Day Plan? 

    You might be wondering why a 90-day plan matters, and why not just a one month, or one year, or five-year plan? Or do you even need to make all these plans? 

    In this episode, I’ll talk about 
    * Why a 90-Day Plan?
    * My 3-step, 90-day Planning Framework
    * 30-Day Plan

    I consider myself to be a good planner, but for a long time, I planned mostly for other people and less for myself. 

    While I was getting some good results in my business and life, I found that by planning, my productivity, efficiency and effectiveness went to a whole other level. 

    I went from dithering around checking emails and wondering which task to start, getting scrambled and switching from task to task, to a very focused workday with clarity, clear focus and execution through the use of planning. 

    As a result, I was able to 10x my output, smash procrastination, create consistent revenue and achieve my goals more easily. 

    Saying this aloud sounds like a sell job – but I’m not selling anything except the benefits of good planning.  

    The 90-day plan is a subset of your bigger plans, like your 5-year, 3-year and 1-year plans.  

    The reason you create 90-day plans each quarter is so that you are super clear on what you are aiming for in the next little while, and all of the steps required to execute and achieve those outcomes. 

    But the REAL value of a 90-day plan is that you get to map out the medium-sized steps so that you can schedule enough time for the smaller steps within. 

    Think of it this way. You start with your vision, which is the outcome you want to achieve. That sounds easy in the big picture. But as you drill further down into the individual actions that you need to take to get there, you end up going from a simple vision statement into a long to-do list. 

    In other words, if you work backwards from an outcome, the planning tends to become more and more detailed as you get closer to the current date, and the number of tasks tends to balloon out into a huge list. 

    That’s why I think it’s good to keep your bigger-picture goals and your 90-day planning very simple and focused so that the weekly to-do list you’ll use to get there is achievable, not overwhelming, and very clear and possible. 

    My 3-Step, 90-day Planning Framework 

    Step 1 – Map Out One Year 

    Every financial year, create a 1-year plan. For each quarter in that year, establish one key outcome that is a milestone towards your longer-term vision.   

    These higher-level plans should be simple, less detailed, and focus on one key thing. This is the secret to your success because doing it this way feels less onerous. What I mean is, that it gives you a feeling of flexibility to make changes during the year as needed. 

    Also, rather than bogging yourself down with 1000 things to do and feeling overwhelmed, you feel 100% in control and organised if you just add the right amount of detail to the next 90 days ahead. 

    What I’ve noticed is that when people write super detailed 1 – 3 year plans with specific actions for every month, they feel like they can’t change it, or it feels to overwhelming, and they give up. I have never seen anyone succeed this way. 

    For example, my overall purpose is to bring the impact of coaching – and especially the skills of critical thinking and self-responsibility – to the world. 

    As part of my bigger 5-year plan, my one-year goal for this financial year is to establish a certain % of leverage in my business, so that I can work fewer hours, work more effectively, maintain my income and help many more people to become empowered and take charge of their health. 

    I have then mapped out one key milestone for each quarter, that will be broken down further in my 90-day plan. 

    See how simple that is? 

    Here’s what that might look like. 

    Your one-year outcome goal might be to secure three corporate clients who buy a package of health and wellness coaching programs or services for their organisation. 

    Let’s break that down into a single outcome for each of the four quarters. And let’s assume you are starting from scratch in your business, with a few existing relationships in the corporate space. 

    In the first quarter of the year, your outcome goal might be to complete the research required to develop the framework of your offerings and develop the framework.  

    In the second quarter of the year, your outcome goal might be to develop your sales strategy and content for your corporate wellbeing strategy and program, and you’d be getting opinions from people in your target market along the way (co-creating) to make sure it’s what the market wants and sees as valuable. 

    In the third quarter of the year, your outcome goal might be to develop a marketing campaign based on core strategies and tactics, and then, start implementing the campaign. 

    In the fourth quarter of the year, your outcome goal might be to convert prospects to leads and leads to sales according to the sales strategy and tactics you outlined in your campaign.  

    In this example, and assuming you were starting from scratch and had some people in your network, if you were to focus on these four outcomes in this sequence, then you have done what is required to secure three paying clients. 

    This is just an example, but hopefully, it gives you an idea of how to map out the steps. Best of all, you have only laid out a high-level outcome for each quarter, so you have plenty of flexibility to change things if your circumstances change. 

    Step 2 – Map Out the Next 90 Days 

    Just before the start of each quarter, create your plan for the next 90 days.  

    Start by defining the outcome for that quarter. If you’ve completed the one-year planning step I just mentioned, then your outcome for Q1 could be copied straight across from that 1-year plan. 

    Write that outcome at the top of your page. 

    Now, break it down into an outcome for each month. 

    Let’s use the example we just discussed. Let’s say that your 90-day outcome goal is to complete the research required to develop the framework of your offerings, and then develop the framework based on your research. 

    You’ll start by creating an outcome goal for each month. These are high level outcomes that describe what you need to achieve each month in the quarter to reach the 90-day outcome. 

    • Month 1 might be: Complete 20 hours of research 
    • Month 2 might be: Map out the core components of your corporate well-being strategy, programs and sales process based on your research. 
    • Month 3 might be: Develop the outline of your corporate well-being strategy and programs. 

    From there, you break the first month down into a 30-day plan. 

    30-Day Plan 

    Now that you know the outcome you want to achieve for your first month of the quarter, let’s map it out in smaller steps so you can schedule them. 

    We break the first month of the quarter into weeks, then describe actions to be taken in each week. You’ll notice here we are no longer talking about outcomes, but actions. Make sure you allow enough time for each action. 

    In our example, we discussed the Month 1 goal of completing 20 hours of research (toward developing your corporate wellbeing strategy and program, and sales cycle).  

    You might think this sounds like a no-brainer, but as you unpack this, you’ll find there’s more to the task than meets the eye. 

    Ask yourself some questions like – what sort of research will I do? Where do I need to look? Who would I refer to? 

    Then you’re clearer on how to allocate those times, and what the tasks are.  Here is an example of how it might play out, based on the example I’ve described already: 

    Week 1 of Month 1: Schedule in your diary: 

    • 1 hour to develop a project plan where you will keep track of your research, outcomes and processes, 
    • 1 hour to identify similar competitors and write notes,  
    • 1 hour to review legislation or guidelines, and  
    • 30 minutes to list 3 people you could speak to about their experience with corporate well-being strategy and programs – then reach out to them to book a catch-up. 

    When it comes to legislation or guidelines, some industries are regulated or work with specific codes of practice, so you’d want your program to be aligned with those. 

    Week 2 of Month 2: Schedule in your diary: 

    • 3 x 1-hour meeting times with contacts you reached out to in week 1. 
    • 2 hours to reflect on and document your findings. 

      Week 3 of Month 2: Schedule in your diary: 

      • 4 hours to research competitors online and make notes about their processes, promised outcomes, fees, where they promote online, their target audience, types of messages they use, which posts/messages are getting the most engagement 
      • 1 hour to speak to governing bodies on the phone about their codes of practice and any new legislation. 

      Week 4 of Month 2: Schedule in your diary: 

      • 1 hour to review your brand guidelines and business position 
      • 2 hours to map out a draft corporate well-being strategy 
      • 2.5 hours to map out your corporate well-being program or programs 
      • 1 hour to map out the sales strategy you will use. 

      As you can see, we’ve fleshed out all the tasks within the 1-month goal across 20 hours and created scheduled, bite-sized steps that will lead to the achievement of that goal. 

      Now you have an actionable schedule of tasks to work through to achieve the goal. If anything comes up that changes the trajectory, you can easily rework your schedule and the tasks. 

      For example, the tasks you complete in week 1 might identify that some of the week 2 tasks are not relevant and need to change, or are redundant. Great! Simply review your outcome goal for the month, and if necessary, change it and/or rework the remaining week’s goals. 

      Summary 

      Today we walked through my simple process of 90-day planning to help you achieve business goals.  

      When people make complex, detailed, long-term plans, they get attached to following them even if things change. That’s why in my method, I intentionally keep it simple and focused on outcomes except for the first month, where you get specific on actions. Doing it this way saves planning time and allows for adjustments to be made.  

      Need help with 90-day planning? Hit me up on my contact page – I can offer a one-off session to help you solve this and get on with your quarter!  

      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#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

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        E#224 Celebrating Success; Christmas Boundaries

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        This episode is about celebrating success; Christmas boundaries

        Today I’d like to congratulate you on a wonderful year and remind you of how you succeeded. I’ll also talk about how to set Christmas Boundaries in your business so you can get adequate rest and recovery, so you’re ready to charge again in 2023. 

        Congratulations on Your Success! 

        I just want to say congratulations on all of the hard work that you’ve put in this year, no matter what sorts of results you have achieved. The reason I say it this way is because by doing the work and following the process you get results in your life.  

        So if you have persisted and followed those processes, it means that you’ve made an effort on behalf of yourself to do something that is important to you – and to me, that is worthy of congratulations.  

        In this episode, I’ll talk about 
        * How to Celebrate Success in Your Business
        * Setting Christmas Boundaries

        Next, I want to say that no matter what results in you got this year, I want to applaud you on your successes and failures.  

        The successes that you achieved show what you’re capable of. Maybe you helped one person make a significant change in their life that affected not only their own life but the quality of life and the relationships they have with the people around them.  

        Even if it’s just one person, that is a significant achievement and it will have a ripple effect on the lives of so many other people.  

        Sometimes that one aha moment can lead to a decision that creates a cascade of events and an upward spiral that become life changing.  

        For example, one coach I know of made one decision just over a year ago that propelled her business into the stratosphere. If she hadn’t made that decision, she would not be the success that she is today.  

        Right now, I invite you to explore and recognise those single decisions that made a big difference in your life or someone else’s life this year.  

        I want to recognise and celebrate the failures you had this year, because these are the things that make you stronger, tougher and more determined.  

        Your failures give you the opportunity to learn about what you’re made of.  

        They give you the chance to show you that you can persist, to see where your blind spots are, and to learn new skills.  

        Failures show you that you are human.  

        Failures show you what your potential is. They show you that you have the opportunity to be bigger and better than you are right now. And these are some of the great things that failures can give you – they are lessons in business and life. 

        Here are some of the things I succeeded at: 

        1. Completing the accreditation process with ICF to gain my PCC level accreditation which was a huge undertaking and I feel really great about having achieved that. 
        2. Putting around 70 students through my Passion to Profit course which runs three times per year through Wellness coaching Australia. Some of those were in the planning stage and will  launch next year. Some have gone on to start viable businesses which I’m really excited about, and a couple have used what they learned to gain experience as a coach and subsequently get a job as a health and wellness coach. 
        3. Attending and speaking at the HCANZA conference earlier this year, which was a significant milestone for our industry. 
        4. Collaborating with the HCANZA board to develop an amazing and ambitious business plan for this current financial year, 2022/23 and we are really going to put health Wellness coaching on the map in Australia and NZ which is super exciting. 
        5. Increasing my income this year for fewer hours doing more of the work I love. 
        6. Finding new ways to bring coaching into other arenas and to innovate new service ideas which will become launched businesses in 2023 in the areas of mental health and menopause. 
        7. Supporting individual business coaching clients to stay motivated, to simplify their businesses, to systemize their businesses, and to clear the space for more effective thinking and planning. 
        8. Supporting my family when my dad passed in August through those difficult couple of weeks following. I was very thankful to be with my family at that time and to bring my strengths to complement theirs. My sisters had done a lot of heavy lifting during the year so I was grateful to be able to step in and help. 
        9. Made some amazing new connections with some really incredible people this year and I’m excited to be collaborating with those people further next year. 

        Setting Christmas Boundaries 

        It’s so great to celebrate all that you have achieved and I hope that you have found a lot of things to be celebrating and thankful for. If you want to be able to work at that pace and to produce great work next year, then you’ll need to think about setting some boundaries for time off over Christmas so that you can refuel, recharge, and get enough rest to replenish your own energy and resources. 

        So how do you do that? Here are my hot tips. 

        1. Contact everyone in your list and let them know when your closing dates are, thank them for being your amazing clients and wish them happy holidays. 
        2. If you’re on Google Maps or social platforms, then you can set your holiday hours there as well, so people are really clear not to bother you during that period. 
        3. Set up an out of office auto responder for the time that you will be away from the desk will stop I recommend making a commitment to yourself not to be checking emails everyday but to be clear that you might do that once a week to tidy up but otherwise take a very good rest. 

        4. You can also email your current client list or any new leads and invite them to work with you next year. Let them know when you’ll be starting again and ask them to let you know what they decide to do. For example, I have reached out to my existing clients and some new clients to offer the spaces that I have available starting on a certain date, from February to June inclusive. This means that before I wrap up for the year I’ll be clear on what the start of my year looks like. I have a 3 – 6 month work horizon at any given time, partly because I’ve prepared in advance. 

        5. The other boundary you need to set is with yourself. It can be tempting to go to your computer or check your emails or do things that he wouldn’t normally do while you’re on holiday. You might like to keep a notebook so you can jot down ideas and not have to turn the computer on, you might like to keep yourself busy with activities, or you might like to schedule a couple of hours each week to do some working on the business activities or special projects. 

        6. I highly encourage you to go out and have fun and find a hobby or a skill you’d like to learn, either of which you can start during holidays and continue during the year. Why do I suggest this? Simply because all of the tired exhausted and burnt-out entrepreneurs I’ve met have one thing in common- they don’t have a hobby and they don’t do anything for fun. I’m suggesting you invest a bit of time in your holiday to choose that hobby and find fun things that you can keep doing to maintain resilience, work-life balance, and a sense of ease and creativity at work. 

        Thank you for being with me during the year, for listening to my podcast, and for asking the questions that make these episodes possible. I choose to have no advertising on our podcast so that you don’t have the irritation or disruption of being sold to, and this is one way I bring value to the world and visibility to our profession. 

        This is how I can help you for free to build a business in life that you love, that’s built around sustainable habits that you enjoy doing and that will create the success that you want. 

        If you want to know more about my February intake of the Passion to Profit course so you can learn to set up your business your way, and in a sustainable way, click the link in the show notes to request a course guide.  

        If you’d like to inquire about working with me one to one, you can hit up my contact page and ask about my June client intake because February is fully booked – my books for 1:1 clients are closed until June. 

        Have a very merry and safe Christmas, I hope you get a lot of time to reflect on your successes, enjoy time with loved ones, and two feel excited and refreshed about what 2023 has to offer.  

        Remember that the world needs your greatness – I hope that you know that – and that you are working to realise your full potential in your business and your 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

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          E#223 How to Prepare for the NBHWC Exam

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          This episode is about how to prepare for the NBHWC exam

          Are you registering for the next NBHWC exam intake and wondering how to prepare for the exam? I get asked this a LOT, so I wanted to cover the key steps I took to prepare when I sat the exam, and help you understand what to expect.  I have included some links at the end to help you navigate the exam prep resources that NBHWC provides. 

          What is the NBHWC exam about?  

          The NBHWC exam (National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches) is a process that qualified health and wellness coaches can go through if they have completed a recognised training course and want to be accredited with the international governing body. 

          In this episode, I’ll talk about 
          * What is the NBHWC exam about?
          * How do you prepare for the NBHWC exam?
          * What can you expect on the day?

          By sitting and passing the exam, you essentially get certified as a professional who has a certain standard of demonstrated knowledge and practical skills in relation to the core competencies of health and wellness coaching. 

          It’s a great thing to do if you want to work for a digital health/coaching company such as BetterUp, or if you want to work internationally where the qualification is recognised. In any case, a formal certifying exam proves your competence as a coach and that can be a credibility boost for you and your business. 

          The exam competencies cover four main areas: 

          1. Coaching structure 
          2. Coaching relationship 
          3. Health and wellness knowledge 
          4. Ethics and conduct. 

          The exam itself is a 4.5-hour session where you answer multiple-choice questions on a computer, in a secure and monitored test facility in your nearest capital city. 

          The questions aren’t about your knowledge, but more about your ability to know which skills to use and when in a variety of health and wellness coaching scenarios.  

          Now, I’m going to walk you through the resources and how I recommend using them to study. 

          How do you prepare for the NBHWC exam? 

          There are three parts to preparing for the exam: 

          1. Reviewing the requirements and study materials 
          2. Creating and implementing a study plan  
          3. Application administration. 

          To prepare for study, let’s start by walking through the exam resources that NBHWC provides, as this information will prepare you for study. 

          First, go to the NBHWC website and allow about 30 – 45 minutes to review the resources that I am about to describe.  

          To find them, go the top menu bar and find the Board Exam section, then click into the sub-menu area called Exam Prep Resources.  

          Let’s take a high-level tour before diving into the detail of study planning. 

          Upcoming Events 

          I highly recommend booking in for an upcoming NBHWC Exam Q&A to learn about the process of applying and examination in a live setting, where you can ask questions. 

          The Certifying Examination Content Outline 

          First, download the Health and Wellness Coaching Certifying Examination Content Outline. This is a booklet that outlines the content that will be examined. 

          Please note that this is not a test of knowledge, so you can’t rote learn for this exam. It’s a test of your ability to apply knowledge in a real-life situation. The multiple-choice questions focus on assessing your ability to take the right approach in different contexts. 

          I suggest you spend about 5 – 10 minutes looking through the content that is assessed so that you have a good overview. Here’s the nutshell of what’s in the guide. 

          The first section being assessed is about the coaching structure. In this section, you’ll be expected to demonstrate that you know how to prepare for a session, the coaching skills that you will use in a first or regular session, and how to close a coaching program in a final session. 

          In the coaching process section, you’ll be asked questions about coaching relationship, communication and coaching techniques. This is the biggest section as it covers multiple areas. 

          You’ll need to show that you know which specific skills are relevant and used in different scenarios, and sometimes, how they are used. For example, how do you use reflections and how often? It depends on the client’s stage of readiness to change, how they show up to the session, the focus of the session and possibly which session it is. 

          Next is the Health and Wellness section. This has a few more rote-learning style questions where your knowledge of specific guidelines and chronic disease is tested. You might need to quote guideline levels (note that it’s US guidelines being tested, no matter what country you reside in), plus an understanding of symptoms, different types of risk factors and basic facts about each condition. 

          The final section is about ethics and legal, and you’ll be tested on knowledge of professional conduct and ethics. Once again, the focus is knowing how to apply this knowledge in a real-life situation. 

          We’ll come back to this in a moment; for now, let’s look at the next resource that NBHWC provides. 

          The Practice Exam 

          Once you’ve had a look through the booklet, take about 10 – 15 minutes to look through the Health and Wellness Coach Practice Exam.  

          It is set up in the exact format that you will see at the testing centre.  You can come back to this during your study. 

          The Bulletin of Information (Application Administration) 

          Next, spend about 5 – 10 minutes looking over the bulletin of information. 

          It covers the logistics of the examination, including test delivery, test centres, scoring and reporting.  

          The steps in the application process are clearly spelled out on page 13. 

          I recommend using this Bulletin to schedule any key dates into your diary for actions that you’ll need to take in the weeks leading up to the exam. 

          One thing I recommend you do as soon as you can is to book your exam date and time via the Prometric Test Centre link, because there are limited test centres in Australia, and spaces are limited and can book out quickly! 

          The Code of Ethics, Scope of Practice and HIPAA Privacy Rules 

          These are resources to help you study and prepare for the ethics/legal section of the exam. 

          Job Task Analysis 

          This paper gives some background into the NBHWC and the role of the health and wellness coach. 

          Studying for the exam 

          Once you’ve downloaded the Certifying Examination Content Outline, you’re ready to map out your study. 

          I prepared by studying for 2 – 3 hours each week over 15 weeks, and this was adequate time to cover elements being assessed. 

          Based on how you learn and how much time you have available, you can follow a similar or more condensed or expanded schedule. 

          The content outline contains 26 main sections, each with sub-sections. If you allow 2 – 3 hours to review and study each section, that’s roughly 52 – 78 hours of study. This helps you to work out roughly how time to set aside each week before the exam. 

          I suggest getting some of the standard coaching textbooks to help you review. For example:  

          1. Coaching Psychology Manual by Tshannen and Moore,  
          2. Wisdom of the Whole by Bark,  
          3. Motivational Interviewing by Miller and Rollnick, and  
          4. Wellness Coaching for Lasting Change by Arloski. 

          Each one of those will have a few pages dedicated to most or all of the sub-topics in the Content Outline. 

          I studied by getting my books together, finding the relevant sections in each book, then reading what each has to say and writing some summary notes into an A4 notebook. 

          I also went back to read over my notes and then reflect on what that might look like with a client in a first, third, tenth or other session, depending on how they might show up to the session (e.g. deflated, happy, etc). 

          What can you expect on the day? 

          When you enter the test facility, you will be asked to secure your possessions, prove your identity and show that you have no way of cheating. 

          You’ll be given a locker to store your wallet, any food you want and personal belongings, which will be checked first to ensure you have no cheat notes. 

          You’ll then need to show your driver’s license or other ID to prove who you are, and probably need to provide a printed record of your test application and fees paid (check the Bulletin to confirm). 

          Finally, to prove you won’t cheat, you’ll have to pull your sleeves up to show that you’ve got nothing written on your arms, then turn your pockets out, or pull up your pants legs.  

          You can take a break during the exam but there are rules about this such as only a certain number of people can leave the test room at the same time – check the Bulletin for current information. 

            I recommend flagging any questions you’re unsure about and keep moving on to manage your time properly. You can revisit flagged questions at the end, it’s better to keep going. 

            Once you hit submit, you’re free to go. While 4.5 hours is allowed, you might do it quicker. For me, multi-choice is easier than regular written exams and it took me 2 ¾ hours to complete it. 

            Summary 

            Today we talked about some of the things you need to do to prepare for the NBHWC exam. 

            Some key points I recommend are to: 

            • Visit the NBHWC website and download all the resources 
            • Diarise key dates for administrative actions, like paying fees, printing out confirmations etc, and especially to book your test spot as early as possible – remembering that you may need to travel to another city to sit your exam. 
            • Create a study plan for the 26 main sections, over a period of weeks (I’d allow 15 weeks at 2 – 3 hours per week, or a more condensed version if you prefer) 
            • You might need to buy textbooks to help you study – that’s up to you. 
            • If you’re travelling interstate, get there a day early to prepare mentally. 
            • On the day, take limited belongings with you and prepare to show identity and be searched for cheating notes! 
            • Take a deep breath and get started. 

             

            NBHWC Exam Prep Resources: https://nbhwc.org/resources-for-coaches/ 

            Selection of Recommended Text Books (Amazon.com.au links – non-affiliate): 

            1. Coaching Psychology Manual by Tshannen and Moore,  
            2. Wisdom of the Whole by Bark,  
            3. Motivational Interviewing by Miller and Rollnick, and  
            4. Wellness Coaching for Lasting Change by Arloski. 

            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#221 How to Find a Good Small Business Coach to Suit Your Needs

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            This episode is about how to find a good small business coach to suit your needs

            When you’re running a business on your own, it can be super helpful to have someone to help you to develop your strategy, work out your priorities, learn new skills, and overcome the obstacles to taking action. But if you’re shopping for a business coach, how do you find the right person? Here are 8 things that can help you find a good small business coach to suit you and your needs. 

            By the end of this article, you will have a checklist of things that you can use to evaluate potential business coaches that you might want to work with to help you make the right choice. 

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Why chemistry is essential
            * Key skills, traits and services to look for

            1. Check the Chemistry, Rapport and Coaching Presence  

            Like any close working relationship, chemistry is key. Check their being skills and presence in the conversation, the match of energy, and that they’re speaking the same language.  

            Your best business coach is someone who is not overbearing, they MUST be a good listener and able to respect and acknowledge your needs and ideas and understand your point of view. 

            Doing some sort of a strategy session or a good fit call gives you the chance to get the sense of their coaching presence and being skills, how that person is being alongside you. Here are some questions to ask yourself:  

            • Are they come to they help you to feel calm and settled?  
            • Do they show up with empathy and warmth?  
            • Can they be playful?  
            • Are they connected and truly there and listening to you?  
            • And what’s going on for you?  
            • Do they have that presence in the conversation?  
            • Do they match your energy?  
            • Do they speak the same language?  

            These are some of the things that you need to feel when you first meet somebody to see if they’re the right person for you. 

            Probably what I would steer away from is somebody who is more energetic than you to the point that it’s a bit overbearing or energy draining. That can be really challenging, if you’re working with a business coach they must be a good listener and they must be able to respect and acknowledge your ideas and needs and understand your point of view.  

            I say this from my own experience at having talked to potential so called business coaches who were much higher energy than me and were quite overbearing and pushy. And I decided not to work with them because I could see that they weren’t really invested in me and what I needed, they were more invested in telling me what they thought I shouldn’t do.  

            Any coaching relationship needs to have that two-way connection if you know what I mean.  

            I think the other part of that is it’s not just somebody who fits well and has that chemistry, but they also need to be kind of firm, but fair. And what I mean is that they’re honest with you, and then give you direct feedback.  

            It’s really important because you don’t want to be heading down the wrong path in your business, for example, but have your coach not saying anything. Or perhaps knowing that you have a knowledge gap or a lack of experience and trying to draw an answer out of you when actually they could tell you straight up that something is unlikely to work and then work with that. 

            Having said that, a good business coach has the skill of drawing out your own ideas, they honour your needs, your strengths, your skills and your wishes rather than trying to make you do things their way. 

            A good analogy of this is parenting. We sometimes see parents who want their kids to do the things that they could never do themselves. They end up steering their child to do things in a certain way or to be a certain thing.  

            This comes back to the whole idea of coaching presence. It’s really about letting you (as the client) to choose the agenda and helping them to use their skills, strengths and insights to do business in your way. After all, it’s your unique method, your unique persona, your personality, that makes your business different from everyone else’s.  

            2. You align with the service being offered – mentoring vs coaching vs teaching 

            When you’re looking for a business coach, you need to be really clear on and aligned with the services that they’re offering. People who call themselves business coaches often share different sorts of ideas and information and they work in different ways.  

            There are three main ways that a business coach works; 

            1. They mentor you and share what works from their own experience,  
            2. They coach you, drawing the answers out of you and helping you develop your strengths, or  
            3. Teaching which is instructing you how to do certain principles, processes and techniques.   

            You need to figure out what you want. To do that, ask yourself these questions.  

            • Do I need or want to learn from and build on someone else’s example? 
            • Do I want to have my own ideas bought out of me, and fleshed out? 
            • Do I want to learn specific principles, processes, skills and techniques? 

            You might want someone who is skewed towards a specific area, for example, you just want to learn how to run an Instagram profile and build a big following on Instagram. So that’s clearly around principles, skills, and techniques, and perhaps someone else’s experience.  

            But if you want to look at your whole business you might not be looking for that kind of a person.  

            Get really clear on what your goal is for the business coaching and then evaluate how suitable they are for you, by asking them questions about how they work with people.  

            Most people need a blend and also, bonus points for someone who is agile and experienced enough to coach you around confidence, self-care, resilience and mindset as needed.  

            After all, business is rarely independent of feelings and emotional balance. Your business and your emotions are intrinsically linked because your business is your baby, plus as a coach, you’re potentially dealing with vicarious trauma, health issues, mental health, and compassion fatigue.  

            So if you’re running a health and wellness coaching business, part of what you need is also to maintain that emotional balance. It’s ideal if your business coach has the skills and experience to help you around those softer skills of business, but also your own health and well-being so that you can maintain your own emotional balance and show up for your clients.  

            Some coaches do what’s informally known as ‘moaching’, which is they call themselves a coach but they actually mentor and coach.  

            In summary, consider whether you want mentoring, coaching, teaching, and mindset or health and wellness aspects as well for emotional balance. 

            3. Qualifications and experience 

            Qualifications can be helpful but what really matters is that they’ve done it themselves, even better if they’ve done it in multiple settings.  

            This is because different industries have different ways of operating businesses and their depth of experience and knowledge is likely to be greater and less restricted.  

            For example, a health and wellness coaching business operates very differently to a traditional business. Many of the principles are the same. But until you’ve worked in a health and wellness coaching business, you don’t really see that it is quite unique. You might find a business coach who has worked in other areas (e.g. selling programs online, or working in another industry) but may not have the same relative and relevant experience.  

            I’ve even seen people who have very high-level business qualifications, like an MBA, Masters of Business Administration, not really understanding some very basic principles. I’ve seen that same thing in different areas of science too. In summary, qualifications can be a useful indicator that somebody’s done training and hopefully that translates to skills and knowledge that can help you.  

            But in my opinion, the most relevant qualifications are related to coaching, and experience in working with clients themselves and running businesses in the same industry is the best thing to look for. 

            4. Proof of success (and acknowledgement of failures)  

            Failure gives important lessons, so if someone hasn’t failed, they may not have as much depth of experience or be able to empathize and connect. 

            So many of my clients say they have felt heartened by hearing about my failures, and it’s helped them feel more hopeful about their own chance of success. 

            Similarly, though, proof of success is important. For example, a business coach might have run their own business successfully or helped others to do the same. They should be able to show examples of either of those.  

            An important point about business coaching and coaching, in general, is that success is actually dependent on the person doing the work themselves. So if you’re working with a client, and they don’t succeed, but they haven’t done all of the work, or they haven’t put in all of the efforts, or they haven’t been the kind of person who’s been able to attract people, it’s not necessarily a reflection of the person who was coaching them. 

            In any field, there’s going to be probably a small proportion of the total population of people who are successful. When you’re talking to somebody about their successful clients, as a business coach, what you can realistically expect is that only a small percentage will be superstars. Many will be in the middle of somewhere, and a few will have failed or not completed things.  

            That’s a really honest evaluation of the client base of a business coach. For the most part, there might be a few exceptions to that. But I would say the signs are in any coaching, area, even health and wellness, you might find a few people who are really significantly successful in their client cohort. 

            A good coach will be honest about that, and not promise you that you will be a superstar because of them. That’s a really important point because it is actually up to you to make the business work. 

            5. Connections and referrals 

            A good business coach can connect you with other people who can help them or help you find clients, and they can refer people to you who will refer you to others.  

            That means a good business coach has an established network of professional and personal contacts, who can somehow help you grow your business. Ask them about their connections and network to see what sorts of connections they have and how they are relevant to you. 

            6. Alignment with proven business principles – but flexible, not cookie cuttered  

            A good business coach will have alignment with proven business principles. But they would ideally also be flexible and not have a cookie-cutter mentality.  

            Think about it this way – yes, there are rinse-and-repeat ways that are successful, but they don’t work for everybody. There are principles that are proven to work and some that don’t. So being really clear about that is important.  

            You can ask the business coach questions like: 

            • what sorts of principles do you follow in business that are proven and reliable?  
            • how do you work with people? Do you make them follow a specific method? 
            • Do you have flexibility in how you help people set up their businesses?  

            A great example of this is I’ve been involved in groups with people who run, how to run Facebook groups or how to nail it on Instagram or to be a public speaker in order to build your business. But that’s all they do, and they say that’s the only way to do it.  

            That means if I don’t want to build a business in a Facebook group, I don’t have any other options for working with that person. They might say that they do work with people in other ways, but they tend to have these specialisations or biases towards certain methods.  

            Plus, these are specific marketing tactics, which often don’t cover other important aspects of business. 

            I believe that it’s better to work with someone that uses general principles but can draw on examples that might be relevant for you, or point you in the direction of specialist marketing courses so that you can build business your way using proven principles.  

            Having said that if you want to smash it on Instagram, then definitely get that specialty training. Just know that that’s about marketing and it’s only ONE part of running a business.  

            We know in coaching that when people come up with their own ideas, they’re more likely to stick to them, right. It’s this combination of flexibility within a proven framework. 

            7. Helps you create accountability around your goals 

            A good business coach helps you to create accountability around your goals. This means that you have clear SMART goals at the end of each session as in actions that you’re going to take an outcomes from the session, but also that you have a method of being accountable to yourself. 

            Now that might sound a little odd, because you might think that part of the role of the Business Coach is to help to keep you accountable, and it is. 

            But if you want to grow as a person, if you want to become successful in business then you need to learn to become accountable to yourself. A coach can help you to develop that skill of self-accountability is really important, as well as helping you be accountable to setting and achieving your weekly goals.  

            In other words, business coaching it’s not a forever relationship. It’s a relationship where you grow. And you might even outgrow that business coach after a period of time. 

            8. Has the strengths that you lack 

            Finally, look for a business coach that has strengths that you lack. The reason that you’re going to a business coach is because you have questions, you have stumbling blocks, and you have things that you’re finding challenging. Ideally, you’re going to work with someone who has really great skills in that area.  

            For example, when people work with me, they say that I helped them to get clarity, feel hopeful and excited and develop the systems and processes they need to make their work and their business run efficiently and effectively.  

            They’re all strengths that I have. I’m a listener and a summarizer, I like structure and I like getting to the heart of the matter quickly. That means I ask questions that probe and help people clarify what they want and need and why and how they’re going to get it.  

            I’m very process-driven myself, I like a few simple steps to achieve an outcome. That means the people that come to me tend to like structure or want more structure and want to figure out how to integrate their business into their life so that they can have a work-life balance.  

            So those are my strengths. And that’s what I tend to help other people with.  

            Whatever you’re looking for, it needs to be ideally with someone who has a strength in that area to counteract the challenge that you’re having. Rather than somebody who just can do a few different things and a bit of everything, but doesn’t really specialize in a certain area, you’re going get a lot more value out of your business coach, if they have those certain strengths that you lack. 

            Summary 

            There’s a lot to think about when you hire someone for any sort of professional service. And when it comes to building a business, there are several principles you can use to find a business coach who is right for you. 

            Today I shared 8 principles: 

            1. There’s good chemistry (rapport and relationship) and coaching presence 
            2. You’re clear on the offering: mentoring vs coaching vs teaching 
            3. Appropriate qualifications and experience 
            4. Proof of success (and acknowledgement of failures)  
            5. Connections and referrals 
            6. Alignment with proven business principles – but flexible, not cookie cuttered  
            7. Helps you create accountability around your goals 
            8. They have the strength that you lack 

            If you are looking for a business coach and are interested in exploring a potential coaching relationship with me, please reach out to book a good fit call to see if we could work together. I am taking on a few individual clients from late January, 2022. 

            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#217 How to Describe the Benefits of Coaching

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            This episode is about how to describe the benefits of coaching

            How good are you at describing the value and impact of coaching to potential clients? In this episode, I am going to help you to unpack the benefits of coaching in a way that gets prospective clients interested in learning more and working with you. 

            Recently, I was having a conversation about coaching in a workplace context, in terms of mental health, seeking support and duty of care for your own wellbeing.  

            As I was describing how coaching works with an employer, his eyes lit up as he totally ‘got’ the way coaching could support his workforce. It got me thinking about how we often describe coaching, why that falls flat, and then what to do instead. 

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * How do you describe what “coaching” is? (what not to do)
            * What drives people
            * How to describe the value of coaching

            How do you describe what “coaching” is? (what not to do) 

            A lot of coaches struggle to sell their services because they find it hard to describe what they do and how it works.  

            I’ve done several previous episodes about this, such as episode 116 Explaining Your Coaching Services with Fiona Cosgrove and more recently, episode 205 How to Create a Magnetic Value Proposition. 

            And the problem is exactly what I’ve just said – we try to describe COACHING – not the value or benefits of coaching. 

            What I mean is this – we get caught up trying to explain what we do as a profession or HOW coaching works, so we end up talking about US and our modality or methodology, rather than THEM – the value, benefits and results that THEY want to achieve.  

            If we focus on how we do the method, then people are, therefore ‘informed’ about us and our method, but they have no idea what’s in it for them. So that’s what NOT to do. 

            The way to communicate value is to answer the question – ‘what’s in it for me?’ – and this is what I want to talk about today. 

            Back to that conversation, I had recently with an employer about coaching in a workplace context, the conversation was about mental health, seeking support and duty of care for your own well-being.  

            We were discussing psychosocial risks, and how they impact worker safety. I positioned coaching as part of the solution, by explaining that the two key goals of coaching are to raise self-awareness and to help people generate self-responsibility. By coaching around these two aspects, we could empower workers to be more aware and proactively seek help or take action themselves, therefore improving the individual’s duty of care and as a consequence, reducing mental health risks and incidents at work. 

            He really got the importance of coaching to HIS organisation. I used language that the employer was familiar with, and that tied into the ‘industry vernacular’ that he was familiar with – and showed how coaching can help him achieve the benefits and outcomes he wants. That said, he really understood the value of coaching and his eyes lit up.  

            The way you describe ‘value’ is probably different for different market segments, but the point is that you need to use the clients’ language and talk about what’s meaningful to them, to the results and benefits they are after so that the value of your services is really obvious. 

            It’s time to think differently about how you communicate value.  

            In the example I’ve just described, I thought about the fact that mental health problems are initially hard to see, so it makes sense that self-awareness is valuable. 

            Currently, workplaces are focussing on identifying mental health risks and priorities, so it makes sense that helping people self-identify is half the battle won.  I didn’t waste time trying to explain coaching – I described coaching in terms of the benefits and impacts it can create. 

            See how unpicking the market’s problem helps you talk about the value? 

            What drives people to change (and buy) 


            In what I’ve just explained, it’s clear that the value of coaching needs to be positioned around what drives people to change and to pay to get your help. 

            Have you ever wondered what those drivers are, and how to know when someone will pay? 

            Here are four conditions for change and for buying. 

            As you learn in coaching, the first condition of change is ‘a sense that something isn’t right’- in other words, self-awareness is the first step, because if you know or are self-aware that you have a problem you will more likely do something about it or seek help. 

            A lot of the general marketing a business does is to make people ‘problem aware’ – and some of the ways we do this are with quizzes, case studies, stories and questionnaires, and by inviting reflection. 

            Knowing you have a problem is one thing but doing something about it and paying to get help is another. 

            So the second point is, in my experience, that the problem the person has identified needs to be big enough that it is disrupting their daily lives – they can’t ignore it (and they describe the impact on families, relationships, work, and their own wellbeing). Most people are reactive, so they tend to wait until things get really bad until they seek help. 

            Thirdly, they feel they can’t tackle this on their own (and they use feeling words around this like frustrated, helpless, irritated, guilty etc). They have obstacles that are situational, behavioural, cognitive or emotional and often talk about what’s hard, or what’s getting in the way. 

            Fourth, feel ready, willing and able to get help to make the change (and there are positive feelings they want to have right now). 

            These are the four general things that drive people to buy and to pay to get help. 

            When you have spoken to people in your niche and truly understand these four elements from the niche perspective, using their ‘feeling words’, then you can use the information to formulate a statement of value that aligns with them. 

            How we need to start describing the value of coaching 

            To sum it up, we need to start describing the value of coaching by talking in more specifics about the things that matter to the niche client and how that feels, rather than talking about us and our tools or methods.  

            For example, when I used to coach in weight loss, a lot of clients talked about not being able to commit to themselves or be consistent and loathing themselves for that. 

            If I was speaking to one of those types of people, I’d be talking about how coaching helps you to make a solid commitment to yourself and then learn how to honour that commitment so that you can be consistent, authentic and living with integrity, feeling aligned with who they truly are, and feeling proud and confident.  

            Can you see how that very different explanation could be very valuable for someone who really wants to commit to themselves and be consistent and stop beating themselves up? 

            There’s no description of visions and goals or what coaching is – just a clear, feelings-based description of what coaching can help the person to achieve, using their language. 

            What I’m saying is this – think about the outcome that people want, because it’s a key part of the value of what you do – in your niche client’s eyes. 

            A final word 

            To really get into the client’s shoes – get coached yourself. This is essential for a few reasons – so that you can be a role model for change – but also experience what it’s like to make and honour a commitment to yourself. 

            Then you can authentically talk about the value of coaching from your own experience.  

            When people want to know HOW coaching works, you can speak honestly about what it’s like to make a commitment to yourself, how it feels, and how you develop certain skills (e.g. self-regulation, self-discipline, consistency, scheduling, self-accountability) that can transfer to other areas of life. 
             
            When people want to know WHAT the RESULTS are, you can speak emotionally about the feelings and changes you experience. For example, you will finally stop quitting on yourself and feeling guilty. You’ll be aligned with your values and dreams. Having some wins in one or two areas builds your confidence to do more and build on those wins. And how, when you are living in line with your values, it is living with integrity which gives you a sense of self-respect and self-worth. 

            In other words, we are communicating how forming a few simple habits can give important skills and insights that can be applied to other areas, so they don’t have to doubt themselves anymore or rely on experts anymore. 

            Now, how would you feel if someone describe coaching like that to you? 

            Summary

            Today we talked about how we often get caught up describing “coaching” when we should be describing the VALUE of coaching. 

            To do that, you need to know what drives people in your niche, and even better, get coached yourself so that you have the lived experience. 

            Then you can more easily craft a statement that describes the value of coaching with such richness that people are excited to join you on the journey.  

            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#214 Six ways to boost your professional credibility

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            This episode is about six ways to boost your professional credibility

            Are you finding it difficult to gain credibility with other health professionals? Are they confused about what you do, or facing lots of questions about your qualifications? Today I’ll outline six ways you can boost your professional credibility so that people understand what you do and have trust and confidence in your qualification, training, skill set and capabilities.

            I wanted to create this episode today because I’ve had two conversations recently that really got me fired up.

            In one conversation, a recent graduate who is out marketing her services said she’d been constantly questioned by professionals about her qualifications – not by potential clients – but by health professionals.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What professional credibility mean
            * Why people question your qualifications
            * Six ways to boost your professional credibility

            In the other conversation, a seasoned coach is starting a degree, following what I would call professionally bullying – being told by a health professional that she isn’t qualified enough to have enough expertise in wellness, and needs to do higher education.

            After I got up from pounding my fists on the floor, I decided to develop this episode to help you to understand why these sorts of things happen, and what you can do about it.

            What professional credibility means

            To set the scene, let’s define professional credibility.

            It can be simply defined as your education, experience, performance and demonstrated professional development in a particular field.

            This definition gives some clues about what it takes to be a credible professional that is trusted and respected. Let’s dig a bit deeper.

            Why people question your qualifications and professional credibility

            According to an article in the Organisational Behaviour in Health Care book series, “…professional credibility is a source of legitimacy.” The chapter says that when professional credibility is combined with leadership, you can create respect and trust by peers, and engagement with followers.

            So, when people question your qualifications or professionalism, they are looking for evidence that you’re trustworthy, capable, and skilled.

            In a healthcare setting, it’s understandable that people might question anyone’s professional credibility because you may be dealing with people in health critical or l

            complex medical or psychological conditions, and other professionals with significant experience in patient care and medical systems.

            Somebody showing up with a coaching qualification may not fit into their paradigm.

            In Australia, Health and Wellness Coaching is a relatively young profession and people don’t understand what it is or how it fits with existing medical frameworks, or within health professions.

            Part of the challenge is the range of untrained and unexperienced people giving themselves coaching-related titles and offering services that are clearly not coaching related.

            Another part of the challenge is the diversity of coaching professions around – you can be a life coach, a wellness coach, a health and wellness coach, a health coach, an executive coach….and so on. What’s the difference? Which is the appropriate setting for each one?

            I’ll address these three issues in a moment.

            But to finish up this section of today’s topic, I wanted to say that there is something of a turf war going on in Australia. I have heard of this first-hand from a psychologist a few years ago, who told me that psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors are fighting about who is credentialled enough for what.

            Let me ease your mind a bit by saying that professional skills are important, our profession definitely needs some good promotion and PR, our scope of practice needs to be clear, but please also know that human ego and professional bullying exists and is potentially always going to be there, no matter how well known, recognised and accepted our profession is.

            In fact, the reason I left my previous career as a biological scientist is that I was sick of all the egotism, barrow-pushing and bullying that was going on in my industry back then. I wasn’t personally affected but I was disheartened by the behaviour, generally.

            That said, there are things going on and that you can do to move past the questions and to gain the credibility and respect you deserve.

            Six ways to boost your professional credibility

            Let’s look at 6 ways you can start boosting your professional credibility.

            HCANZA – Look for the Logo

            If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you might remember an episode I did in May 2022 called how to boost your professional credibility. This episode was about showcasing the health coaching profession at the inaugural conference of our industry association, Health Coaches Australia and New Zealand association (HCANZA), and how attending could give you ideas on how to communicate what health coaches do, and what our profession is achieving.

            As a current board member of HCANZA, I can say that HCANZA is working hard in the advocacy of our profession at the highest levels of government, insurance and medical sector in Australia and New Zealand. HCANZA serves multiple purposes, including building the knowledge, understanding and reputation of health coaching in Australia and New Zealand. We are running a Look for the Logo campaign that educates the public and health professionals on how to choose an appropriately qualified health and wellness coach.

            If you are a member of HCANZA, then you have access to resources to help you also advocate for our profession, and to promote yourself in a professional way. Hot off the press, HCANZA members now have access to a 25 page booklet called The Doctors Guide to Health Coaching, authored by Sandra Sheinbaum from the Institute of Functional Medicine and provided to HCANZA members for the purpose of awareness-building, advocacy and promotion of our profession.

            If you’re a current member, this would have been sent to you by email and it’s available in the member toolkit. The document has been sent to 2,000 doctors in this past week.

            Professional branding

            Whether we like it or not, first impressions count.

            That means that any imagery, documents, flyers, email footers, social media pages, websites etc that you have need to look professional.

            Professional branding can cost as little as $200 or up to $15,000 but before you leap in, you need to work out your target market and ideal customer and get to know them intimately.

            Why? Because your branding colours and styles need to appeal to your specific demographic, psychographic and desired feelings.

            Before tackling branding formally, when you are getting started, at least develop a professional looking email signature and a formal LinkedIn profile with a professional headshot and a well written bio on it.

            Mentioning your qualifications, training and HCANZA membership is valuable for your professional standing and to raise awareness of our industry association.

            Your main goal initially is to have consistent visuals and messaging across any promotional material. If you start with LinkedIn and an email footer, and any other online presence, they should all look similar, use the same fonts, and have the same feel about them.

            If you are a HCANZA Professional member, log into your account and look inside your member toolkit for tips on creating a professional bio, getting noticed on LinkedIn, where to use your HCANZA logo, and crafting an elevator pitch (who you work with and the general area – e.g. I help professional women in their 40’s who are struggling with menopause). We also have a HCANZA-badged brochure that talks about the benefits of working with a HCANZA-accredited coach.

            A clear value proposition

            When you can clearly and confidently describe who you work with (elevator pitch) and how you help your niche (value proposition), it lends credibility and professionalism – and legitimacy.

            A value proposition describes the tangible results someone will get from using your products or services. I did an episode unpacking how to do this recently using a tool called a Brand Ladder, which you can listen to, here.

            A value proposition might be longer than an elevator pitch and speak more specifically to the tangible results. For example, comparing to the elevator pitch I just mentioned, a related value proposition might be something like:

            “I use an evidence-based methodology help menopausal women to become aware of what impacts their menopausal symptoms, and to develop health-giving routines to help them reduce their symptoms naturally and feel healthy, productive, energized and calm”.

            When you can clearly explain how you help people, they see the value in working with you.

            It’s clear that you know what you’re talking about, and that you are confident in what you do and how it helps people.

            Endorsement

            Personal or professional endorsements are great ways to build credibility. If someone else likes and trusts you, and if you have proven success, this builds your legitimacy as a coach.

            Endorsement can take on various forms, such as:

            · Being a HCANZA Professional member and listed on their website

            · Client testimonials (on your website or social media platform – or a widget like TrustPilot)

            · Client case studies

            · Professional recommendations (LinkedIn is a great example)

            · Media references

            · Employer references

            · Corporate or business client case studies

            Even as a new coach, you can cover at least some of these.

            Professional networking

            While networking itself isn’t necessarily credibility building, the act of consistently showing up in professional networking spaces creates visibility and recognition and helps you to build relationships with like-minded people who can become your allies and advocates.

            For example, when I started my weight loss coaching business, I made an effort to send introductory letters to prominent health professionals in my area and meet several of them for coffee afterwards.

            I also attended various events and presentations in my local area such as Medicare presentations, health expos and health practitioner lunches, where I could leverage those initial contacts and become known in the area.

            Also, I started my business by running a pilot program that involved my clients seeing their doctors or health professionals for a health clearance before starting. This gave those professionals firsthand experience in the success of my coaching program, and therefore professional endorsement and recognition.

            In the end, GP’s and podiatrists, chiropractors and diabetes educators were referring people to me for weight loss, having seen improvement in my clients weight, BMI, blood pressure, insulin, etc.

            You can do this in your local area (four or five surrounding suburbs) or nearest health hub.

            Publishing and speaking

            Finally, being published in online articles, interviewed on the radio or podcasts, published in print newspapers or magazines, all give you visibility and credibility.

            After all, nobody will publish you or interview you if you’re not credible.

            While this is a marketing activity, it also gives you a chance to be seen, heard and known by different audiences, so they can validly assess (in their own minds) how professional you are.

            Summary

            Today we talked about the challenges we face in being recognised as credible professionals. The truth is, no matter how experienced and qualified you are, someone will always take a shot at you or doubt your credentials.

            That aside, there are six things you can do to boost your professional credibility right now:

            · Being a HCANZA member

            · ensure you have professional branding

            · develop a clear value proposition

            · gain endorsements

            · professional networking

            · publishing and speaking

            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#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#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

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            E#205 How to Develop a Magnetic Value Proposition

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            This episode is about how to develop a magnetic value proposition

            A lot of coaches find it hard to really communicate the value of what they do in their marketing and craft a viable value proposition. Today, I want to unpack the ‘brand ladder’ with you – a helpful marketing tool that helps you define what motivates people to buy and craft a compelling value proposition that is guaranteed to attract new clients.

            Before you develop any marketing strategies to get out there and start becoming known, liked and trusted to attract clients, you have to know what to say and how to describe the value of what you do. A solid brand ladder will make all the difference. It’s what will rocket fuel your opportunities.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What is a Brand Ladder and Why Do You Need One?
            * The Five Step Brand Ladder Process
            * Crafting Your Value Proposition

            What is a Brand Ladder and Why do You Need One?

            In all marketing and advertising, we want to write, speak or engage with emotion and values that are aligned with what the clients want to feel and be, because this is appealing and attractive to them.

            If you listened to my last episode, you might have heard me mention that 90% of a buying decision is based in emotion, and only 10% is based in logic.

            So, how do you create that emotively based value proposition?

            Brand laddering is one exercise to help you uncover the right language to develop your value proposition. This tool helps you to unpack the mental and emotional process your potential client goes through as they are becoming engaged to buy, and it leverages coaching concepts including positive psychology, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and unpacking the “why behind the why”.

            They start from outlining your service’s most important feature, then it’s benefits, the emotional value to the person, and how those benefits and values might change someone’s life.

            The Five-Step Brand Ladder Process

            Let’s walk through the five-step brand ladder process, so you can use this to create compelling copy and a rock-solid value proposition that is irresistible to potential clients.

            Bottom Rung – Features

            Features are the factual statements about your service, about what it can do or what it includes, and why it’s the best choice.

            This rung answers the question – “so what is this program, and who is it for?”

            If your service is a coaching program, then factual statements might include:

            · Weight loss program tailored to women in their 40’s

            · 8-week, evidence-based program to help you reduce stress at work

            You can hear the points of difference here – firstly both are specific to a problem, the weight loss program is tailored to a specific group, or the 8-week program is evidence-based.

            These types of statements speak about the strengths or differences of your service and therefore why it is a better choice.

            You will notice that the wording is specific, not general. That way there’s no room for misinterpretation or misunderstanding. This is important for all rungs of the ladder.

            Second Rung – Functional Benefits

            Next are the functional benefits that these features provide. These are the end results of what the service can accomplish for your client.

            This rung answers the question – “so what do I get?” or “what’s in it for me?”

            Functional benefits are things that help people to:

            – Stay connected – e.g. friends, family, socially

            – Save money – e.g. reduce time, add value, track success, reduce costs

            – Make you smarter – e.g. build skills, support, information, step-by-step process

            – Help you be healthier – e.g. prevent, restore, mental health, lose weight, exercise

            – Work better for you – e.g. faster, safer, evidence based

            – Help you take action – e.g. awareness, motivation, confidence

            – Simplify your life – e.g. efficient, easier, time-saving, streamlined, organised.

            For a coaching program, these could be things like:

            · Making simple changes to your eating habits to help you achieve a healthy weight

            · Learning how to better manage your schedule and leave work on time, so you can switch off more easily and have the energy for friends, family and fitness after work.

            Notice once again that the language is specific to the client and what their daily life experience might involve. Market research and conversations with your client can help you get there.

            Third Rung – Emotional Benefits

            Next are the emotional benefits that these functional benefits provide.

            This rung answers the question – “how will this make me feel?”

            It’s a bit like peeling off another layer of the why in a first coaching session, asking “so if you were to achieve that vision, how would you feel?”

            Emotional benefits are commonly things like:

            • Curiosity for knowledge – e.g. competent, smarter, aware
            • Sense of optimism – e.g. motivated, successful, inspired, special
            • Feeling comfortable – e.g. relaxed, nurtured, compassionate
            • Feeling free – e.g. alive, excited, exhilarated
            • Getting noticed – e.g. playful, popular, sexy
            • Feeling liked or self-assured – e.g. friendly, happy, fulfilled, confident, empowered
            • Staying in control – e.g. respect, safe, trust, reliable
            • Feeling myself/my values – e.g. honest, standards, purpose, family, authentic
            • Feeling revitalised – e.g. active, more energized, youthful, getting the old me back
            • Having a sense of pride – e.g. leadership, overcoming, accomplishment

            For a coaching program, these could be things like:

            · This program is designed to help you feel more confident, comfortable in your own skin and aligned with your values

            · By mastering your work schedule, you’ll feel more in control of your time, gain a sense of achievement and have a more relaxed time with the ones you love.

            Notice how we are tapping into the client’s aspirations here. We are not promising that the program does this – we are saying how they might feel if they can get on top of their obstacles.

            Working with your niche clients to help them create a vision can help you to work out these ‘feeling words’ more specifically.

            Fourth Rung – Transformational Benefits

            Next are the transformational benefits that are possible when a client can make lasting change.

            This rung answers the question – “how will this change my life?”

            This is like peeling off yet another layer of the why in a first coaching session, asking “Why is this vision so meaningful for you?”

            For a coaching program, these could be things like:

            · I’ll be a better, healthier role model for my kids and know that I am doing the best for my health

            · I’ll have better, more meaningful relationships with my family, have more fun in life, and perform better at work.

            Notice how we are tapping into the client’s deeper values and motivators here. Reflect on how you feel even just listening to these transformational benefits!

            (Sometimes) Fifth Rung – Social Impact

            Some brand ladders have another layer – related to social impact of the company or even of the person using the company’s services.

            This rung answers the question – “how does this change society?”

            In a coaching context, this might only really apply to specific niches, but it could also speak to the values of your business and it’s greater mission in the world.

            For example:

            · XYZ Coaching is on a mission to put an end to diabetes and other avoidable lifestyle diseases. This is your chance to be part of the change and inspire your friends and family with healthier choices for a healthy weight.

            · Burnout is a global problem. For every program purchased, we will donate $10 to Beyond Blue, an organisation that supports and advocates for better mental health.

            By now, your potential client will feel on a high and be excited to work with you!

            Crafting Your Value Proposition

            So, how do you use this information to craft a value proposition?

            It’s about pulling together the key elements of the ladder into something that speaks to the value of what you do.

            Using the weight loss example:

            If you’re a woman in your 40’s who is struggling to lose weight, XYZ coaching will take you through a step-by-step process to make weight loss easier. You’ll finally start to feel more comfortable in your own skin and be the role model you want to be for your family.

            Using the stress management example:

            If you’re sick of feeling overwhelmed by workplace stress, this evidence-based program will help you to manage your time better and feel more energized so you can switch off more easily and have more quality time with the people and things you love.

            Summary

            The brand ladder exercise is a great tool to help you unpack a statement that truly conveys the value of what you do – your value proposition – and taps into your prospective client’s emotional drivers.

            You can build a brand ladder using the words your clients use in their initial vision sessions, by peeling off the layers of the why.

            Assuming that you have the best intentions for your client and will do your best as a coach, this is an authentic way to get excited about what you do and the difference you can make in the world.

            It helps you to stand out and be emotionally engaging to the right people.

            And if you get this right, you’ll easily have more clients heading your way.

            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#192 How to Network Effectively at Events

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            This episode is about how to network effectively at events

            I have a slew of networking events coming up and I am mapping out my business and marketing goals for these events so I can network effectively and make the most of my time there. Today I’ll take you under the hood and share my top tips for effective networking at events.

            If you’re like most people you might attend networking events, listen to the speakers or meet a few people, swap a few business cards and then go home. You might spend a lot of money or time to get there, for little or no return.

            I want to walk you through a process to make the most of any networking events that you attend so that you do more than just show up – you learn how best to network effectively, exchange value and gain important insights that will help you grow personally and/or professionally.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * Finding relevant events
            * Starting with the Why – and Clear Goals
            * Speakers and Attendees
            * Breaking the Ice and Connecting
            * How to follow up

            Finding Relevant Events

            It’s one thing to decide that you’ll attend events, but I suggest that you focus on finding truly relevant events that are going to give you the most impact on your business.

            For example, it might be tempting to attend events that are short, cheap or purely online, when it actually might be better for you to attend live events or to pay more money for bigger or better events that will progress your business.

            You’d be looking for events that interest you, are related to your specialty, and might link you with potential clients and/or referral partners. The idea is to maximise your exposure to quality people and good opportunities for collaboration, introduction to clients or professional visibility and reputation.

            Most industries have lists of events that occur throughout the year. For example in coaching, you can find relevant events in a few different ways:

            – Search online for ‘coaching conferences 2022’,

            – Join a newsletter list of a coaching organisation that regularly hosts events e.g. HCANZA, ICF, Institute of Coaching, so you can see what’s coming up and find something relevant.

            – find events in your niche area that might attract niche clients or collaborative businesses. o Event Brite is a good place to start o LinkedIn Events is another great option.

            Start With the Why – and Clear Goals

            There’s generally at least one good reason why you decide to attend a particular event.

            Rather than just showing up to the event ‘because it’s interesting’ like a lot of people do, I encourage you to unpack all the whys for attending in advance. Doing this might help you to identify some marketing or other opportunities to make the most of your time at the event, which enables you to set some really clear goals for the event.

            For example, I am presenting at or attending three events soon

            – The Share Your Brilliance Online Summit (May 23 – 27) (Free tickets here!)

            – The Digital Health Festival in Melbourne (May 31 – June 1), and

            – the HCANZA Coaching Conference on the Gold Coast (June 2 – 3).

            I have mapped out a why for each of these events so that I make the most of my attendance.

            For example, I have three marketing goals for the Digital Health Festival:

            1. To connect with like-minded people who are working to advance remote monitoring in mental health, so I can stay abreast of cutting edge knowledge that might help the company I work for (Philia Labs),

            2. To meet some important networking contacts who can refer potential partners or investors, or who can provide support to Philia Labs, and

            3. To secure a certain number of appointments for demonstrations of PhiliaLabs’ product.

            Also, I have three goals for the HCANZA conference (tickets here!):

            1. To inspire coaches in my presentation by explaining how to break ground and create an impact in your coaching businesses (with some great case studies)

            2. To meet network connections and potential collaborators on digital health and women’s health projects I’m working on, and

            3. To engage with my students and clients who I have only ever met online, catch up on their business progress and identify how I can best support them or connect them with opportunities.

            For each event, I have worked out which people I want to talk to and how many follow up appointments I’d like to book.

            Having these more specific targets means that I can show up and network purposefully and professionally and achieve some goals that will progress my business activities and growth

            Speakers and Attendees

            As you’ve heard with my goals, it’s great to identify both speakers and potential attendees at an event you will be attending.

            For example, at Share Your Brilliance Summit, I have identified some wonderful speakers who could help me or my clients with different specialist areas of business.

            At the Digital Health Festival in Melbourne, there are definitely speakers I want to talk to, but I also know that potential clients, competitors or collaborators might be wanting to see those same speakers. That means I’ll be primed to network with the audience at some of those presentations.

            Breaking the Ice and Connecting

            It’s one thing to attend an event and identify people you want to meet – but on the day, you need to be clear and confident about how you will approach them! It’s great to think about some interesting ice-breakers to start conversations and to practice your elevator pitch, so you feel ready and confident with engaging.

            Check out the link in the episode notes.

            Once you get past that first hurdle of breaking the ice, then you’re ready for connection – simply put your coaching hat on and ask, listen and reflect.

            See if you can work out the person’s needs, wants, gaps in knowledge, common ground or synergies.

            And if they seem like someone that you’d like to build a professional relationship with – invite them to follow up.

            Those people would probably fall into one of six categories:

            – Ambassadors for your business

            – Influencers to help you gain visibility,

            – Referrers (to clients or opportunities)

            – Collaborators or partners

            – Leads (potential customers), or

            – Prospects (engaged and interested in buying).

            It’s great to keep notes of the people you like (perhaps in your phone) – add their name and perhaps their website, phone number and also the category you’d assign them to.

            Following Up

            You’d probably be looking to create follow-up situations in one of several ways.

            At a live event, swapping business cards is a great way to follow up – but take it one step further and agree on a date for a ‘coffee catch up’ online or in person.

            The way you decide to connect would depend on the type of category that person falls into

            For example, if you met an ambassador who wanted to showcase you or an influencer who wanted to mention you, then following them on social media and sending a private message would be one way to stay connected to them. You might also share some of their posts.

            For referrers and collaborators, you might organise a Zoom meeting or a coffee date so you could talk about how you could help each other out.

            For leads and prospects, you might invite them to follow you, and you might email them an article or podcast you created that might be interesting and valuable to them. Following that, you could organise a Zoom meeting or a coffee date to follow up.

            Summary

            As you can see, there’s more to events than just booking one and attending.

            They present an opportunity to create connections that can help you to grow and build your business.

            As we discussed, it’s about finding relevant events that give you the best opportunities first, then working on your why, your goals, who is attending, and how you will connect and follow up.

            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#191 Share Your Brilliance!

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            This episode is about sharing your brilliance!

            Today I want to talk to you about sharing your brilliance. After all, you are an amazing practitioner who wants to change the world, and therefore, you need to be able to let people know how you do this, and then, to do it well.

            I am talking through the lens of a summit I’m speaking at shortly and will share some tips and insights to help you get your brilliance into the world!

            In the show notes, I’m sharing a link to your FREE ticket to the Share Your Brilliance Summit, being held from May 23 – 27, 2022.

            In this episode, I’ll talk about 
            * What Sharing Your Brilliance is All About
            * What Gets In the Way of Your Brilliance?
            * The FREE Share Your Brilliance Summit
            * Three Steps to Share Your Brilliance

            What is “Sharing Your Brilliance” All About?

            Brilliance means splendour or magnificence. And in a business context, I think that sharing your brilliance is about bringing your greatness, your zone of genius and your special skills and talents into the world.

            Why does this matter?

            Because as an authentic person who is in the business of helping and supporting others, you are on this world to make a difference, to have an impact, to help others to overcome their fears, challenges and find the joy and fulfilment they deserve.

            Further, if you have greatness and the power to help others, it would be an absolute travesty if you DIDN’T share your brilliance.

            Everyone would be missing out on the impact of your superpowers!

            What Gets in the Way of Your Brilliance?

            I think you and I both know the answer – it’s the stuff between your ears. Your fear, your lack of confidence, your scattered thoughts, your impostor syndrome.

            Feeling not good enough.

            Not knowing where to start.

            And when you say those sorts of things to yourself repeatedly, they become beliefs. This is how beliefs are formed!

            Now, I know how confusing business can be – especially if you are running an online business.

            You’re on the journey of building a client base and getting things right in your business. But if you have any sort of impostor syndrome or self-doubt, there are a billion people out there trying to sell you the magic solution.

            With SO much noise and information out there, so many people to compare yourself with, so many shiny objects….it can lead you away from your integrity.

            It can be a challenge to work out how to get started and succeed in sharing your brilliance, and, find business strategies that suit multi-passionate, intuitive types like us.

            The Share Your Brilliance Summit

            That’s why I’m so excited to tell you about the Share Your Brilliance summit from May 23 – 27!

            Most importantly, this event is totally, 100% FREE. No cost.

            For 5 days, May 23 to 27, Natasha Berta of Connected Marketing is bringing you presentations from 25+ heart-led business owners who have found ways to grow their business without selling out on their soul. You’ll hear about everything from mindset, sustainable business foundations, content creation + creativity, your offer, how to reach more people, and more.

            It features 25+ amazing presenters who are ready to teach and mentor you on how to book more sessions and have greater clarity about your value.

            Let’s face it, these things are the secret sauce for building a purposeful, profitable business. Communicating your value and booking more sessions with paying clients.

            The goal for this summit is different than most. It’s going to be more like an online retreat than a summit with morning movement sessions, daytime learning sessions and wrapping up each day with a sound healing to integrate it all.

            Plus, there is a theme for each day tailored to people in business who are just like you – waiting and wanting to share YOUR brilliance.

            For example, I am going to be speaking at the summit, on How to Create a Client Centric Program that Sells.

            I am so excited to be featured alongside some pretty big names in business, including:

            · George Kao
            · Danielle Gardner
            · Karen Humphries
            · Lucine Eusani
            · Bridget Avgoustakis
            · Claire Kerslake
            · Aesha Kennedy
            · Chantal Khoury
            · And a whole lot more

            There’s a free option and an affordable VIP pass with tons of goodies.

            Each presentation will be available to you for 24 hours, but you can also get lifetime access (along with some other amazing bonuses) by grabbing the VIP All-Access Pass.

            There’s more I’d love to tell you about this summit, but I’ll let you check out all the details for yourself – and you can grab a free ticket for the Share Your Brilliance Summit using this link!

            How You Can Share Your Brilliance

            So, how do you share your brilliance?

            Here are some ideas to get started.

            Firstly, clarify the value of working with you and the service you offer.

            1. Write down all the skills and strengths you have – think about the things that come EASILY to you but are hard for others to do.
            2. Make a list of your top three strongest values. What drives you, and what makes you passionate about your work?
            3. Write down three important reasons why your work is so meaningful. If you can do this work, what sorts of impact or result does it have?

            Secondly, define the turning point that causes people to reach out for help.

            1. What is the moment of realisation that they need to change? Where are they, and what is the situation?
            2. If you’ve been on the same journey, what was YOUR turning point?
            3. What is the pain that becomes so big, that the person reaches out for help?
            4. What is the result they know they desperately want?

            Finally, work out who your target audience is, and where they might be. 

            1. Think about the people that light you up, who ‘get you’, and who you love to be around. What kind of people are they? 
            2. The saying goes that your niche is the version of you from 5 years ago. What kind of person are you?
            3. Think about where you like to hang out and find out about or buy services in your area. Where would you go, and what would your requirements for buying be – would you need to follow someone on LinkedIn for a while before speaking to them, or would you listen to their podcast, or something else? 

              These three sets of questions help you to define your value, your people, what they need help with, and where to find them. Feel free to write out your own set of questions in these areas to help you get clarity. 

              Also, go back to my previous episode 186 Three Proven Marketing Roadmaps for Coaches to help you get clarity on using your communication strengths to build your audience. 

              Summary

              Today I talked about what sharing your brilliance is, and some of the things that get in the way of that. I mentioned a totally FREE summit in May 2022, with over 25 experienced speakers to help you learn how to share your brilliance. A link to your free ticket is in the show notes.  

              Finally, I walked you through a three-step process to share your brilliance. What are you waiting for? Get out there and share your greatness with the world. I dare 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#183 How to Invite People to Market Research Interviews

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              This episode is about how to invite people to market research interviews

              Are you struggling to work out what your niche is, refine your messaging or get clarity on your offer? Market research interviews with your niche are the key to getting these things right. But it can be tricky to find people who are willing to talk to you, and you may feel uncomfortable about asking.

              Let’s talk about some easy, non-threatening ways to ask people to do market research interviews with you, that they find hard to resist!

              Market research is a critical part of creating a client-centric business. It is a process that allows you to understand your client and their specific problem in great depth.

              In this episode, I’ll talk about 
              * Why Market Research Matters
              * A Simple Written Formula
              * Two Other Methods That Work

              You will get a sense of what they want and need, why that matters, their triggers for seeking help, the results they want, what they’ve tried before, and what stands in their way.

              When you know these things, you will be able to build a business that people love, where they felt heard and understood, and that truly serves them.

              As you can see, finding out what people want, why and how, is an absolutely essential part of your success.

              Market research can involve searching online to understand buying habits and main trends but speaking to people in person gives you much more information.

              You get to hear the emotion in their voice, see it in their body language, and truly understand what matters to them. Plus, you build rapport and trust in live interviews that might be lacking in a written message or survey.

              Once you have done those interviews, you can look for common trends, common words used, and which parts of the conversation created heightened emotion or a more in depth response from the client. These are the more important parts that matter to the interviewee. They give you clues as to where to focus your programs, marketing content and support.

              This episode came about because a student in my current Passion to Profit course asked how to approach people to take part in market research interviews, and it was such a great question I decided to podcast on it.

              A Simple Written Formula

              In response to that student, I created a ‘template’ – a simple written formula that could be used in an email, private message or post to invite people to do market research.

              You can adapt this to suit your niche and needs. Here it goes.

              Do you want to (stop/start doing something/solve problem), but aren’t sure where to start or are finding it hard to stick to?

              I would love to have your help. I am a student Health and Wellness Coach with a passion for YOUR PASSION (which relates to the problem).

              As part of the course, I have an assignment to speak with 5 people about their opinions, needs and challenges in these areas so I can more easily help people with these struggles to achieve (result).

              If you are available for a private 20-minute phone conversation with me (no strings attached), please contact me before (date).

              This is really short and sweet, and it contains elements that get people interested in helping you.

              These elements are:

              1. Starting with a question engages interest.

              This question qualifies the person who is not just struggling but is ALSO ready, willing and able to get help. This screens out tyre kickers and time wasters, or people who are ambivalent. You want people in the preparation stage of change, so your question should speak to them specifically.

              2. People love helping and giving opinions. This is a key hook in this formula.

              3. Mentioning the results that they want gets them more interested.

              4. If it’s a short, private conversation, they might be more willing.

              5. Be clear that there are no strings attached and no pressure to buy anything. It’s just an assignment.

              6. The due date compels them to take action.

              When you get this right, you get people engaged and ready, willing and able to help.

              Two other methods that work

              Beyond sending out an email, message or broadcast, there are other methods you can use to engage people in market research interviews.

              1. Make it a competition, with a prize

              People love competitions, so if you offer a $20 gift voucher or similar, it might appeal to the right person.

              To make sure they’re not just in it for the prize, you might want to be more specific about who the offer is targeting, and who it’s not for. In this case, it’s totally ok to list a few more criteria about the person you want to interview.

              2. Offer a freebie in exchange for their time

              Some people might be attracted by a free coaching session or a tool or resource that will help them with the specific problem you are interviewing about.

              Summary

              Today we talked about how market research interviews give you so much valuable information and can help you to clarify, understand and market to your niche more effectively.

              But it can be hard to engage people to help.

              There are a few things that motivate people to do interviews like these – the idea that they are helping you, getting the chance to be heard by giving an opinion, or that they receive something of value in exchange for their time and insights.

              I covered these things in a simple written formula that you can use to invite people to speak with you on various forums.

              We also covered two other methods that involve an exchange of value:

              1. Creating a competition, and

              2. Offering something of value in exchange for the session.

              In any case, your success in securing interviewees depends on you going out and speaking to people to proactively invite them to do you a favour.

              Some people will say no, but some will say yes. Ultimately it is a numbers game.

              Rather than focusing on the potential rejection, I encourage you to focus on the number of invitations you make, knowing that is actually your secret to success. If you need help to prepare for market research interviews and analyse your results, book a good fit call to see if I can help you. My books are closed to personal clients until July, but I have space in my June Passion to Profit program if you need help to build the foundations of your business.

              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#171 Pull Marketing – Attract Clients with Confidence

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              This episode is about pull marketing – attract clients with confidence

              I was asked recently for tips on how to ask clients to work with you, or engage people in a sales process. This episode covers what I call a coaching approach to attracting clients with confidence and creating clients with ease. 

              What is Pull Marketing?

              I use the concept of ‘pull’ marketing. It means creating demand for your services or products, rather than pushing them onto people.

              If you are a coach, you are perfectly equipped with the coaching skills that can help you do this easily. All you need to do is to flip your thinking and redefine the words that currently seem icky and uncomfortable, like “marketing” and “sales”. 

              In this episode, I’ll talk about 
              * What is Pull Marketing?
              * The 4 Step “Pull Marketing” Process
              * How to get it right?

              The essence of pull marketing, from a coaching perspective, is to speak with conviction about your why, to be aspirational and inspirational, and to build or tap into a community around that. Then to match your values and services with the people who need them, and offer to support them through a journey if and when they are ready to take it.

              Here is a rough 4-step process that I use, that others have used, and that really works.

              4 Step “Pull Marketing” Process

              Step 1 – Start with the Why

              Pull marketing starts with clearly communicating your big why and your bigger mission and really unpacking it.

              The why naturally speaks to a huge problem that people want to solve – confidence, fear, isolation, self-doubt – or whatever it is. 

              It paints an aspirational picture of what’s possible (and what we can achieve together). People see themselves in that and create a shared vision.

              Speaking to the why regularly ignites the fire in people who are thinking about change but are afraid (it’s not you, it’s them!) – they move through the stages of change to become ready. 

              They sit up and take notice. Your inspirational and aspirational approach gives them a sense of hope, of potential, and that you are the leader who can help them.

              Step 2 – Give a Vehicle for Engagement

              By communicating your why in your content, people are attracted and engage with you as they become readier and readier to change (and therefore buy).

              They want to stay connected because it feels good to be around you.

              They may not be ready to buy yet.

              So, create a vehicle for engagement. Give them a place to go to stay in touch – a meetup group, a LinkedIn group, or some other ‘container’ for like-minded people.

              They will want to be part of that community and they will have ownership if they can co-create it with you (and this is the coaching way). 

              In that container, you can speak more to the journey they are on and help them solve day-to-day problems that they’re facing, and to get peer support.

              Be authentic, and speak to both obstacles and wins. Keep the positive momentum going.

              The community will become very problem aware, and solution aware, and are equipped to evaluate how important it is to change at this time.

              Step 3 – Add More Value

              With the help of your content in steps 1 and 2, some of the people in your audience will become more ready to change and will start to prepare for change.

              You can add more value in an event of some kind – a workshop, webinar, etc.

              In that session you would unpacking your why (related to their problem), and then introduce how you help people solve that problem. What has worked for you, and/or your clients?

              What you are selling is support to walk people through a 4-step process or formula for helping them go from point A (problem) to point B (solution).

              Engage the audience and make them part of it. Make the content specific and relevant to them. And right up front, let them know that at the end you’ll let people know how to work with you if they want to.

              Step 4 – Make a SMART Offer 

              There is an offer at the end of this event (and you can make this offer once a month at least, for your general audience). The offer is your vehicle to actually help those people to find the confidence and support they need on such a big journey.

              The offer is essentially formulated like a SMART goal (I am patenting this idea) 

              It talks about the:

              1. Specific problem you are helping with and type of people who have that problem 
              2. Two Measurable elements – how long it is (e.g. 8-week program) and how many people you have capacity to work with (e.g. 5 clients)
              3. Actions that 
                1. people need to take e.g. must be committed to attending weekly sessions, and, 
                2. the actions that you will take to help them overcome their obstacles and objections
              4. Realistic results that people will get if they take the actions – and the outcomes that those actions will generate e.g. have a bigger impact, be a role model for their kids
              5. Timing of the offer – e.g. contact you by a specific date, starting on a specific date

              Then, you must have the next steps mapped out clearly to enquire or take up the offer.

              I like to have a good fit call to see if the person is truly ready to change, and if they are a fit for working with me.

              If they aren’t interested, it might not be the right offer or the right time.

              If they aren’t a fit, you can refer them to someone or something else.

              In either case, you can STILL offer them value through ongoing connection with you on (LinkedIn, email, community etc) and you can invite them to share the message with others who need the courage and confidence to navigate the journey.

              Getting it Right

              This method works for me, and others. 

              Your courage to do it is borne from your bigger why, the thing that you MUST do no matter what – which is the kryptonite for your fears.

              If you can engage people in your why and share the dream with them, and co-create a vision, you will both be able to put the fear of marketing and sales aside and focus on making a change, and a difference. 

              Summary

              Attracting clients and selling programs is a big challenge for a lot of coaches. There are mental and emotional hurdles and often limiting beliefs in the way.

              Your courage to make offers is borne from your bigger why, the thing that you MUST do no matter what.

              Pull marketing is a strategy that leverages coaching skills and strengths.

              The four-step process I shared today includes:

              1. Starting with the why (as the focus for all your content) 
              2. Creating a vehicle for engagement where you dive into the what 
              3. Adding more value by offering events that truly help the people who are becoming ready to change
              4. Making a SMART offer that helps people connect with you so they can benefit from your skills, abilities and support.

              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#162 The Link Between Stress and Mental Health Issues

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              This episode is about the link between stress and mental health issues

              Mental illness is a significant global issue. If we want to take a preventative approach, we need to understand the factors that lead to mental health issues. 

              In any one year, 1 in 5 Australians is affected by diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health issues.

              Mental health is a global issue, having the third highest disease burden of all diseases in Australia and globally. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that depression (in particular) will be the leading health concern in both developed and developing nations by 2030[1].

              In this episode, I’ll talk about 
              * What causes mental health issues?
              * How does stress affect mental health?
              * What we can do about mental health and stress

              We know that mental health issues affect a person’s thinking, emotional state and behaviour and disrupts their ability to work, carry out daily living activities and engage in healthy relationships. We also know that early, effective prevention or intervention programs maintain good mental health[2].

              In that sense, if we can understand the causes and etiology of mental health issues, we are better placed to reduce and manage them better.

              What Causes Mental Health Issues?

              If we are to intervene early and effectively to prevent mental health issues, where do we start?

              A logical place is the link between stress and mental health. There is overwhelming evidence that stress is a precursor to mental health issues and is tightly linked to mental health decline. Stress is also strongly related to depression[3].

              Since 15 – 45% of mental health issues are attributable to workplace conditions, understanding the workplace risk factors seems to be a logical next step[4].

              How Does Stress Affect Mental Health?

              One model of stress and ageing/disease suggests that an individual’s perception of stress and prolonged exposure to stress can change the brain, body and behaviour, all of which perpetuate a vicious cycle of excessive response, damage and poor recovery3.

              In the brain, an enlarged amygdala and diminished hippocampus are related to memory loss, reduced learning ability, and depression. The longer a person is highly or chronically stressed or depressed, the smaller their hippocampus gets.[5]

              In the body, elevated cortisol levels and a chronically active fight or flight response can cause symptoms such as elevated resting heart rate or blood pressure.

              A chronically stressed person may change their behaviour to help them cope or adapt[6]. Behaviour changes may include decreased exercise and sleep, increased smoking, changes to diet and reduced adherence to medication, all of which contribute to mental and physical health decline.

              In other words, an employee who faces stressors such as constant overwork, prolonged screen time, sedentary work behaviours, feeling pressure to work or respond to emails outside working hours, discrimination, bullying or harassment, constantly facing disgruntled customers or workers, or long/irregular working hours, is at risk of chronic stress, and both physical and mental health issues[7].

              The initial signs of mental health decline in the workforce may be subtle and therefore hard to detect at first, but over time will become more obvious in terms of health metrics and behaviour change.

              Workplace Impacts

              Chronic stress and mental health concerns in the workplace result in increased absenteeism, reduced contribution and participation, reduced productivity, reduced cohesiveness and cooperation and high staff turnover.

              There are concomitant increases in the cost of health services, insurance and supplementary employment benefits to the tune of $17.4bn per annum in Australia4.

              What We Can Do

              As a starting point, the hierarchy of control is a useful framework to identify and reduce stressors in the workplace, to reduce the risk and development of mental health issues.

              If workplaces can eliminate, substitute, or reduce exposure to stress and mental health hazards, provide protection and treat the negative impacts, then we may start to see mentally healthier, happier workplaces.

              But let’s go one step further.

              We all know that prevention is better than cure. From a preventive standpoint, workplace programs and initiatives that are proven to build employee resilience and improve individual stress responses will create a workforce where employees cope well, bounce back better, are happier and more productive in their roles.

              Summary

              Mental health issues are a global concern, and they have a significant impact on both quality of life and workplace productivity.

              An individual’s perception of stress and prolonged exposure to stress are key factors in the development of mental health issues, via changes in the brain, body and behaviour.

              We know that workplace conditions strongly linked to both chronic stress and the development of mental health issues. This provides us with a golden opportunity to get on the front foot by better-managing existing risks and by taking preventive action to improve resilience and create healthier, happier workplaces.

              [1] https://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_full.pdf?ua

              [2] https://mhfa.com.au/

              [3] Epel, S. et al., (2018). “More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science,” Front Neuroendocrinol, vol. 49,   pp. 146-169, Apr 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.03.001.

              [4] Carter, L and Dr Stanford, J (2021). Investing in Better Mental Health in Australian Workplaces. The Australia Institute, Canberra, ACT.

              [5] Doidge, N. (2007). The Brain that Changes Itself. Scribe Publications, Melbourne, Australia.

              [6] Cohen S, Janicki-Deverts D, Miller GE (2007). Psychological Stress and Disease. JAMA. 2007;298(14):1685–1687. doi:10.1001/jama.298.14.1685

              [7] Johnson, a. et. al (2020) A review and agenda for examining how technology-driven changes at work will impact workplace mental health and employee wellbeing. Australian Journal of Management

              2020, Vol. 45(3) 402–424

              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#156 Overwork vs productivity

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              This episode is about overwork vs productivity

              Today I’d like to talk about how overwork impacts your productivity and how to flip the switch so you can enjoy high productivity and balance.

              What is overwork?

              A lot of people have the belief that you must work hard to succeed. And while this is correct in many ways, I want to split the hair and separate working hard from overwork.

              When you hear the phrase ‘working hard,’ what comes to mind? What does it mean to you?

              Does it mean working to produce an outcome, or working long hours or to the point of exhaustion?

              In this episode, I’ll talk about 
              * What is overwork?
              * What is productivity?
              * What leads to overwork or productivity?

              Our ability to work with balance starts by what we make things mean – in other words, the meaning we assign to words and phrases.

              To me, working hard is staying focused on a task, giving it my sole attention and finishing it in the allocated time. I define working hard as focused work that has an outcome of positive, empowered productivity without burnout. It is punctuated by dates, boundaries around a finishing time, and working to a step by step plan mapped out in advance.

              That means I define overwork as the opposite of that. 

              To me, overwork means spending long hours on a task and driving yourself to do it, with insufficient breaks, and with diminishing returns. 

              To me, a hallmark of overwork is long hours for diminishing returns. In other words it is inefficient and ineffective. We know that your productivity and focus declines after x minutes. So working longer usually means working softer, being less efficient and less productive.

              Overwork doesn’t mean high quality, and it may not even mean high output. It often means the opposite – a low to moderate volume of low to moderate quality work.

              Very few people who work long hours for long periods, are able to generate high quality work. Or if they do, it comes at an emotional cost.

              What is productivity?

              Productivity is the art of working in a focused way to produce tangible outcomes and results.

              It is not about the number of hours you spend. It is about the quality of focus and results that you create.

              Here are some hallmarks of productivity.

              I think a big one is the fact that you feel good and like you have accomplished something.

              Another hallmark of productivity is that you can see a tangible output. You’ve completed something. There is something to show for your efforts.

              A simple way to sum this discussion up is that productivity is about quality, not quantity. Overwork tends to be more about quantity, not quality.

              The problem with overwork

              Overwork causes problems for both individuals and organisations.

              At the individual level, overwork often leads to excessive stress. When someone becomes stressed, their behaviour changes. 

              They are prone to become emotionally imbalanced and reactive towards other people and situations. They feel negative emotions more often, such as irrationality, frustration, irritation, resentfulness. They more likely take things personally, and more likely catastrophise or amplify problems. 

              Thinking patterns of rumination and worry can result.

              Since the human brain can’t multitask (yes, that’s a myth), it makes sense that with all of those things going on in your brain, you have very little space left for productive work.

              Imagine the impact of this if you are running a solo business? It means that you’re left feeling flustered, lost and not getting anything done, and doubting yourself.

              Now, imagine the impact of that person within a team or an organization?

              If that overworking person is a manager (and I’ve worked with these) then their team ends up walking on eggshells to appease their boss and avoid getting sprayed. The team may feel pressured to also work long hours, may lose confidence in themselves. Everyone in the team feels stressed.

              If that overworking person is an employee (and I’ve worked with these), they may feel entitled to more money, better conditions or elevated status. But remember that overwork usually means poor quality output, and possibly a low volume of it, so the person who overworks 

              The overworking employee might become a prickly person who is hard to connect and interact with. Or they may become withdrawn or morose. None of these outcomes is favourable for team or client relationships.

              What leads to overwork…or productivity?

              Simply, it’s all about your values, beliefs, thinking patterns and expectations.

              If you value hard work and believe that you must work hard and long hours to get an outcome and that it must be perfect, then you’re probably on the path to overwork and actually lower productivity due to burnout.

              If you value tangible outcomes and efficient use of time without distraction, with a sense of balancing your energy on the journey to getting there, even accepting imperfect results, then I believe you’re more likely set up to be productive.

              Resolving overwork

              Since overwork is founded in beliefs and may be driven by workplace culture and policies, the answer to resolving it is two-pronged.

              Firstly, businesses (even solo businesses) can create policies that set boundaries around working hours, and can introduce initiatives to help people better structure and plan their work. 

              In other words, workplaces (and solo business owners) can change their work environment to make it more conducive to breaks, to manage expectations and to send a message about the importance of time off to rejuvenate.

              We’re talking about a positive workplace culture.

              But a lot of the resolution is in the hands of the individual.

              So the second prong is supporting individuals to set boundaries around their work and personal lives, to review their own expectations of themselves, to challenge old thinking patterns, and to better manage urges.

              Let’s use my old workplace as an example, in the 1990’s.

              I managed a business where we had very clear boundaries around personal time off, and encouraged employees not to work on weekends. We allowed them  to take some of their sick leave as ‘well days’ if needed so that they could rejuvenate themselves. 

              We were very progressive, and our CEO was big on creating a supporting culture that rewarded hard work and encouraged enough time to rest and recover.

              This went against the grain in our industry, because many other firms like ours were requiring their salaried staff to work many hours of overtime to finish work that was over budget.

              Our approach was to quote for jobs very accurately, to teach our staff tightly manage time budgets, and to ensure we have the right people for the right job so that they could work efficiently and effectively in their zones of genius, which is much more time efficient than trying to make somebody do a job that they’re not very good at.

              So as a workplace, we created the environment and policies to support productivity, and we created a culture that upheld those same values.

              That is the bit we could control. We also encouraged employees through our performance review system to work productively rather than excessively, and we engaged staff who fit this way of working.

              Summary

              As I mentioned earlier, simple way to sum this discussion up is that productivity is about quality, not quantity. Overwork tends to be more about quantity, not quality.

              You may be driven to overwork or to be productive in a balanced way, depending on your work environment, your beliefs and your values.

              If you’re in an organisation, the policies and structures can drive overwork or productivity.

              If you’re a solo business owner, then it’s up to you to create this framework for yourself.

              But as an individual, your values and beliefs may require examination to discover what drives you and if necessary, how to develop a more positive, self-sustaining perspective that promotes work life balance.

              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#155 The Value of (Pilot) Program Content + Emails

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              This episode is about the value of (pilot) program content + emails

              Program content and emails are important program resources that help your clients to know what to do, grow into their new identity and make positive, lasting change. The right amount and type of content and emails can make your clients’ ‘know, grow and change’ journey more impactful, therefore adding incredible, tangible value to an intangible service – at least initially, before clients truly experience the value of coaching itself. 

              When creating content and emails, it’s essential to consider the customer journey and user experience so that you can meet clients where they’re at and meet their needs and wants.  

              Simply listening to and addressing needs is another great way to add value!

              I like to call content and emails ‘assets’ – the definition being ‘things that you own (e.g. your IP) that has an economic or other value. 

              In this episode, I’ll talk about 
              * Getting started guide
              * What are the monitoring tools that can really help?
              * How your personal experience can help you come up with great content?

              Content Assets

              Here are some of the content assets that you can create and use in your pilot and completed programs.

              Getting Started Guide

              This is a program road map and welcome guide for your clients, all in one. It explains briefly how the program works and includes housekeeping items like how to book appointments, log in, whitelist your email, etc. 

              Written and Verbal Quizzes

              Everybody loves to learn more about themselves. Everybody!

              And as coaches, we know that self-awareness is the first step to making change. It’s an essential pre-requisite for creating a compelling vision (where I am now, vs where I want to be).

              Quizzes, questionnaires and reflective worksheets are effective tools for raising self-awareness and/or changing perspective and negative thinking patterns that keep us stuck. They are fun and interesting methods of bringing curiosity and attention to who we are, what we like, and what we are capable of.

              As clients become aware of the symptoms, thoughts, feelings, behaviours and situations that they experience, and identify those which affect their motivation and habits, they will start to really ‘get it’ – that they have unique lifestyle challenges that they must master on their own terms. 

              In coaching programs, we tend to use quizzes more in the pre-work and first 2 – 3 weeks of a program (in the awareness phase), but they are also useful going forward for ongoing discovery.

              Quizzes can be sourced externally or you can create your own (Word doc, quiz software, Microsoft forms, Google forms).

              Examples include:

              Monitoring Tools

              We know that recognising success makes you feel like you are getting somewhere, and achieving a result – and that creates a sense of value.

              Yet so few of us take the time to recognise our efforts, our progress, and our incremental results.

              We live with ourselves every day, so the subtle changes that occur may be hard to see and acknowledge.

              Monitoring tools offer a powerful way to help your clients recognize some of the more subtle but important changes they are creating in life, body and/or mind.

              You can use monitoring tools from the first week of your program to help your client feel good and see hard data to show that your program gives specific benefits and results. 

              Useful tools include:

              • Weekly, in-session monitoring tools like a rating of 1 – 10 in any area, like energy, stress, hunger, sleep etc. Discuss and get the client to write them down.
              • Weekly goal review, including % success
              • Goal review (mid-program & final week) to give a big-picture view of change.
              • Wellness wheels (good ‘before and after’ visuals)
              • Reflective journals
              • Blank meal plans or other schedules
              • Checklists
              •  Progress charts or spreadsheets (e.g. for workouts done, glasses of water etc)
              • Anything else that helps a client ‘tick things off’.

              Homework Tasks (in Email, or Portal Resources) 

              In addition to a client’s own weekly goals, you may like to offer optional homework such as some activity or experiment you determine with the client in their session.

              Homework generally falls into the category of skills development (self-efficacy), challenge, or self-awareness.

              Here’s an example of each:

              • Skills development – invite a client to create their own tool for monitoring exercise based on their learning style, or to practice reframing negative thoughts.
              • Challenge – invite a client to say no to something, or set a boundary with a person, or themselves at work. Or, in a group setting, create 2 or 3 teams to complete a fun task such as highest total number of exercise minutes. 
              • Stretch – invite a client to complete one of the goals they set, with the option to stretch beyond it and do a little more (e.g. 5 more minutes of exercise.

                Other examples of homework tasks for coaching programs include:

                • Complete the VIA strengths inventory and identify one way they have used their #1 strength this week to help them with their goals.
                • Writing down 3 successes every night. This is a quick exercise that reinforces positive change – which is good for the client AND the perceived value around your program.
                • Saying ‘you’re worth it!’ into the mirror each morning.
                • Keeping a gratitude diary.

                Coaching tools

                Coaching tools are used to help clients get unstuck and/or otherwise facilitate change. 

                Like regular quizzes but with more of a coaching flavour, these tools can help to enhance a client’s self-awareness and facilitate a shift in perspective. Both are essential parts of change. 

                They may include: 

                • Decisional Balance, 
                • the VIA Strengths Test, 
                • Appreciative Enquiry, 
                • Energy Drains and Boosters, 
                • the ABCDE model, 
                • Reframing
                • Socratic questioning, 
                • a Positivity Rating. 

                Emails (or private / video / audio messages)

                Used wisely and in the right amount, emails, private messages and/or audio/video messages can add value to coaching programs.

                They can make it easier and more convenient for clients to remember to do this, such as:

                • log in to the coaching call each week
                • remember to complete their homework

                I once had a program for busy people and many of them wanted to remember to do a small daily task during the program. 

                To help them, I created an email autoresponder series was optional for my clients to subscribe to. It sent a simple email at 6am every day for 6 weeks, reminding them to do their activity. 

                It finished after 6 weeks, and didn’t sell or subscribe to anything else. They found it extremely useful!

                Emails, messages and personal video or audio messages can build connection, rapport and trust, if you use them to:

                • check in with progress on goals
                • let them know that you’re thinking of them or are ready to support them if they’re having trouble.
                • be a cheer leader for them
                • acknowledge their progress.

                In short, emails can support a client to deliver content, but also to remember to do things, feel supported in tough times, and feel acknowledged and valued.

                Experience Content

                Your own experience – what you did, what worked for you, how you felt at the time, and what worked for your client – is super helpful content to share with program members.

                It could be delivered as live or recorded videos, audios, blog posts or small snippets.

                There needs to be context added, for example, how you overcame a mental hurdle along the way, or a specific tool your client used to finally get out of bed at 6am, or a story of how someone redesigned their environment so they were no longer tempted.

                Stories are powerful and they help people imagine themselves in the same position, and succeeding.

                Value Adds

                Value adds are those unexpected little things that delight and surprise you – and add tangible value to a program, simply because you’re showing that you care.

                The goal is to make the client feel personally valued, supported and/or rewarded

                A great way to enhance ‘user experience’ (UX)! 

                Examples include:

                • A physical welcome gift (goodie bag, book voucher etc)
                • A personalised welcome letter
                • A blank journal and a branded pen (easiest to start) 
                • A beautiful worksheet that you create
                • Recipe booklets
                • Recommended Reading lists
                • Links to relevant Ted talks
                • Offering a private 15 minute chat
                • Links to ‘how to’ or ‘why’ style blogs or podcasts you’ve created (or others)
                • A completion certificate
                • A completion gift
                • A personalised thank you letter
                • A follow up postcard (e.g. 4 weeks after the program)

                For value-adds that can be used within a program, getting your clients to use them – in session, and for homework activities – can significantly boosts their self-awareness, achievements and results. 

                Value-adds used outside a program help a client to feel heard, acknowledged and valued.

                In a pilot program, actively taking on feedback and making changes to a program also demonstrate respect for and acknowledgement of your program clients. This is a way to add ’emotional value’ and to build trust and rapport.

                Summary

                Content and emails (and other media) aren’t about pushing your story or information on people, or forcing them to do or buy anything. 

                Content and emails (and other media) are an opportunity to truly support and help your client on a sometimes-challenging and uncomfortable journey to change and, to demonstrate that their journey and success is your priority.

                Best of all, you don’t need reams of stuff. You just need a few pieces of super useful stuff to support the journey to know, grow and change. 

                Based on what you know of your ideal clients, what could YOU create that would add the most value to your clients’ journey?

                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#154 The Why, What and How of Pilot Program Workflows

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                This episode is about the why, what and how of pilot program workflows

                When you’re creating a coaching program or an educational program, there is SO MUCH that needs to go into the finished product that you don’t even realise. It’s like thinking you are putting together a 50 piece jigsaw and realising it’s actually a 5000 piece jigsaw. 

                In this episode I’m going to help you sort out the pieces of your program jigsaw and map out the basic roadmap or workflow of your pilot program so you can build it quickly and efficiently.

                In this episode, I’ll talk about 
                * What pilot programs?
                * What are workflows, and why create them?
                * What is it that you are mapping out?

                Why pilot programs  

                I did a compete episode on the benefits of pilot programs a while ago. But to recap, in my experience of over 3500 coaching hours, I have had the best results in programs that have started with a pilot version. 

                Now, I firmly believe that you should always run a pilot program so you can develop and test a draft version of a program with real clients before you launch it so you can feel more confident, professional and give clients exactly what they want.

                The starting point for any program is to map out a workflow which helps you to develop a professional program outline that captures all the key things you need to do, in a way that maximises your clients’ experience and results.

                In this episode, I’ll briefly map out the Why, What and How of pilot program workflows to help you capture the key elements and make the build out a little easier.

                What are workflows, and why create them? 

                Workflows are essentially planning tools that help you think through and map out the individual tasks you need to do to build your pilot program from both YOUR perspective AND considering the needs and wants of the clients you will serve. 

                Workflows help you build your program in a way that is very time efficient – aiming to capture all the important steps and do them in a logical order, so you know exactly what to do and how to do it.

                For example, building a program isn’t just about working out what you are going to do in a session and what content you might need to create. 

                It’s also looking at those things from the clients perspective – like how to make your client feel excited and comfortable when they attend the session. Consider also the format and delivery style of content in your program.

                For example, some social media Guru might have told you that you need to send three emails each week with a long story to engage your reader. How is your ideal client going to feel if they hate getting lengthy emails? The answer is simply, turned off.

                Or, what if you want to build out some fancy expansive platform to share coaching resources with your clients, but they are virtually IT illiterate and hate being online?

                As you can see, workflows are definitely about creating your own step-by-step roadmap for building your program, but more importantly they’re about making sure that your client has an exceptional service experience with your business.

                After all, it’s exceptional customer service that creates raving fans, transformational results, and plenty of referrals.

                In summary, workflows are all about good planning and customer service. They ensure you don’t miss anything in the build, and to co-create the program and build it in exactly the right way for your niche clients to have the best experience and results.

                What is it that you are mapping out?

                Since you want your clients to have a great experience in working with you (UX = user experience), you want to break your program into chunks and ensure that the customer experience in each area is easy, seamless, and enjoyable.

                There are three main areas to map out with workflows:

                1. Key steps in the promotion-to-sign-up phase
                2. Key steps in the onboarding phase (payment, welcome, engagement)
                3. Key steps in how the program will be run and what needs to be delivered, and when.

                Along the way, you can liaise with a niche focus group to get their opinions at each step of the way. Here’s how that could work.

                Once you’ve mapped a workflow for the areas above, test each one out yourself, as if you were a customer. 

                What was the experience like to sign up, be welcomed, pay, receive the info etc?

                How did you feel as you did it?

                What could be different/improved?

                Refine the process if needed, then, ask a couple of focus group members to talk through it or walk through it with you to see if you’re on the same page.

                No need to ask the WHOLE focus group to do all three aspects – just a couple for each is enough.

                How do you create workflows?

                The workflows themselves can be as simple, visual or detailed as you like – YOU decide.

                Some people (e.g. visual learners) like to use post it notes. 

                They write one step on each post-it note, then rearrange them on a mirror, wall or window until it seems like all of the steps (for signing up, on boarding or working through the program) are in a logical order, easy to undertake without any frustration, tech issues or time wasting.

                Alternatively, they may like to draw pictures.

                Some people (auditory or interactive learners) prefer to talk through things.

                Asking clients for their opinions might be the best way for you to map things out – or to talk through it aloud on your own.

                Some people (visual / detail learners) prefer to write answers and/or use spreadsheets.

                Working through a series of prompt questions might be helpful to identify all the considerations.

                Having a detailed, step-by-step project plan in a spreadsheet might help you to capture all the steps and schedule/allocate time to each task.

                Remember, they can be as simple or detailed as you like.

                Some people are happy to go with the flow and build things on the fly as they go, so might prefer to start with little detail and just some main ideas.

                Other people feel like they need a detailed, step-by-step list of tasks in order to do it properly and feel confident enough to launch.

                Summary

                Pilot programs (and eventually, full programs) contain a lot of moving parts.

                Workflows are great tools to help you capture all the steps and put them in the right order for three critical areas: sign up, onboarding and program delivery.

                As you create workflows, it’s important to get client opinions, test them yourself as if you were the client, and even get clients to talk through or walk through the ideas with you. That way you build more than just a great program – you build a program that gives your niche the best possible experience in working with 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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                #152 7 Considerations for Choosing a Program Platform

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                This episode is about 7 considerations for choosing a program platform

                When it comes to offering a program and content to your clients, there are SO many ways you can do it. Today, I want to help you break it down and get clear on how to choose a platform that is right for you.

                What is a platform?

                The word ‘platform’ refers to the online space that hosts the content for your program for both you and your clients to access.

                Ideally, a platform provides content in a way that is easily accessible, visually appealing and in a logical order/layout. 

                In this episode, I’ll talk about 
                * What is a platform and its main functions?
                * What your audience wants?
                * What doesn’t the platform do?

                Platforms are many and varied. They perform different functions and have different levels of complexity.

                Here are seven main considerations for choosing a platform for YOUR program.

                What is the main function of the platform? 

                Is it primarily for delivering content, or creating a community, or facilitating communication between you and your clients – or a mix of these? 

                This is a huge consideration when picking a platform. It needs to be fit-for-purpose.

                What does your audience want?

                Do they prefer to go to a platform they’re familiar with, or something else?

                This is the second biggest consideration. If they don’t like the platform you’re using, or if it’s hard to use, they won’t use it.

                How user-friendly/intuitive is it?

                Trialing a platform before you buy/sign up is important. 

                If it’s not intuitive or doesn’t quite fit the structure you want, then it will be hard for you and your niche clients to use it.

                You can ask focus group members to test it for you during the trial phase (screen share on Zoom, or send them a test link) and again once you start building it out.

                How secure is it?

                Platforms have varying levels of security and this is a key consideration, especially with regard to national Privacy Acts, GDPR, etc – AND your intellectual property.

                Example: when you load content onto a WordPress website on a ‘hidden page’, it may be discoverable by random keyword searches.  Make sure you choose a system that doesn’t expose your IP or the confidentiality of your members.

                Also, ensure you have clear disclaimers and policies about privacy, use of personal information and precautions taken (including liability).

                What DOESN’T the platform do?

                If you like a platform but it doesn’t cover all the functions you need, look at what it integrates with, and/or what you might need to set up as a separate system.

                Examples include Zoom meetings, payment gateways, landing pages, email functionality, automation, booking links.

                This will help you decide whether you need to switch platforms, and/or set up associated systems to deliver your pilot.

                How tech savvy are you and your audience?

                Simpler platforms (even the more manual sharing of a Google Drive folder, or printing worksheets) might suit some demographics and live audiences better. In this case, YOU will still need a digital platform to store and create files in a logical, sequential order. 

                If your audience is familiar with tech, they may be interested in something more complex. 

                How long will it take to set up? Do you have the knowledge? These are two important questions to ask yourself.

                You can always pay someone to set up a platform for you – but this is a cost and, I think if you need to pay someone to set it up, that’s an indication that it’s too complex or big for your needs right now.

                How much do your niche want, and in what format?

                If your audience wants a lot of content, consider what the platform allows in terms of storage, and if web-based, how it might affect speed.

                Example: website membership plug-ins are great, but a lot of video files loaded onto a website take up space and slow site loading. In this case, you’d be better to host videos externally (e.g. Vimeo) and simply provide links within the platform.

                Some platforms allow hosting of a variety of content while some are restricted.

                Example: Facebook groups allow live videos, uploaded videos, written content etc).

                Example: you can’t upload audio files to Mighty Networks directly, you have to use a third party program like Soundcloud to store the file.

                Summary

                This is an overview of considerations when choosing a platform to host a coaching program.

                There may be other considerations not listed here.

                The message is – don’t jump in too quickly. Think about how it will actually work when you are ready to use it. Test it. Get your clients to test it.  

                Pick something that is the best fit, and then, start building it out in collaboration with your focus group clients.

                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