The Happiness Habits Transformation Podcast: Recent Episodes
Michelle Reeves
What if your routine made you happier every single day? Discover the happiness habits that inspiring women have used to transform their daily routines, bringing them clarity, peace and joy. Hosted by former life coach and author of The Happiness Habits Transformation, Michelle Reeves.
In today's episode, I’m joined by former professional dancer and founder of Dance Box, Illana Gambrill for an inspiring discussion about moving our bodies with acceptance and joy!
Illana started Dance Box after experiencing the immense healing power of dance after a challenging childhood and wanting to change the narrative for herself and others.
Illana says “I grew up believing that I was nothing, that I wasn’t deserving of holding my own place in the room. I was very anxious and I just knew that I couldn't continue. I made the decision to heal it. And I chose to heal it with other people as well. It was difficult to rewire but knowing I could help others spurred me on.”
In our conversation today you’ll hear about:
- Illana’s own journey of healing through dance and how the reality of the professional dance world didn’t bring the joy that she expected it to
- Movement as a raw and natural expression and one of the most natural forms of medicine that can help us to ‘release the mask’ we wear in public and on social media
- How Illana is teaching women to be unapologetic in their passion and truth and the authenticity and confidence that comes from releasing ourselves in dance
- Dispelling the narrative ‘I can’t be sexy because I’m a Mom'
- The habits that help Illana to maintain her own power and energy on a daily basis following a mental breakdown in 2020
- Illana’s DanceBox App that allows anyone to join a dance class from anywhere in the world.
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
My guest on today’s episode is Marjorie Nass, who for two decades has helped thousands of women successfully navigate perimenopause and menopause and to feel healthy, vibrant, and energized.
In our conversation today you’ll discover:
- How Marjorie’s own physical and mental health issues in her mid-late 30s as a feverishly busy corporate executive led her to discover the power that yoga and breathwork could have in healing her body and mind
- The different branches of yoga often overlooked by Western practitioners that can have a profound impact on our health and well-being, particularly perimenopause symptoms
- Why perimenopause is a stage rather than an age and why listening to our bodies is so important before we start making changes
- A breath and body scan practice that you can do right along with us during the episode
- Why lack of sleep causes a ripple effect that can impact all of our lives and how and why we need to be kinder to ourselves as we age and our body transitions into a new stage
- The habits and non-negotiables that Marjorie has adopted in her routine to manage her own wellness - and not just what she does but how and when she does it which is really interesting.
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my website http://michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Hey there, friends, welcome back to The Happiness Habits Transformation podcast, the place to discover the happiness habits that inspiring women have used to transform their daily routines, bringing them clarity, peace and joy.
Now, if you’re anything like me, or the thousands of women who struggle with managing their weight, and their relationship with food and nutrition, particularly during perimenopause, then I think you’re really going to enjoy today’s episode.
I’m joined by food and eating psychology coach Josie Jones, founder of The Mindful Cook and creator of The Non-Diet Method. She works with women to help them to break free from restrictive diets and discover how to use nutrition and mindset skills to feel more energised, stronger and body confident. This is such an important topic and I’m delighted to have Josie back on the show.
In our conversation today you’ll learn about
- The journey that Josie herself took to overcome her own unhealthy relationship with food
- The impact that our pervasive diet culture has had on generations of women and how restricting calories can actually slow down weight loss
- The link between our psychological response to ageing and our relationship with our bodies
- How we become more sensitive to cortisol during perimenopause and the impact this can have on our bodies including weight gain and cholesterol
- How stress can impact our absorption of nutrients and have a huge impact on our emotional response to food, and tips from Josie to help regulate our nervous system in just 10 minutes a day
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website http://michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
In today's episode I’m chatting with Lucy Wahl, a professional organiser from LMW Edits, who believes that being organised is a superpower which can help us to shape our environment to support the positive habits we already have and encourage the habits we want to adopt. As someone who is naturally quite organised (ok, I admit it, I’m obsessed with all things organisation and planning as my coaching clients would probably tell you!), this topic is a favourite of mine but I love the extra dimension that Lucy brings to it.
You’ll learn:
- How our environment can raise our cortisol levels, increasing stress and overwhelm - particularly relevant during perimenopause and menopause
- How an organised home can help to reduce friction in our daily life, relationships and mental health and make it easier to get positive habits in place
- How to separate our work and home environments - even if they’re in the same house
- The principles we can follow to start shaping our environment, whether we’re a naturally organised person or not
- The habits that Lucy has cultivated to support herself after nearly fainting at a client appointment
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website http://michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
PERSONAL UPDATE
But before we get to today’s interview, in this episode’s personal update I’m working through the audio book version of The Happiness Habits Transformation which, if you listened to episode 91 you’ll know is being created using AI, specifically Google Books' ai reader Madison. When I was choosing the reader’s voice it was really important to me that I’d enjoy listening to the sound as well as the content. I love the timber of Madison’s American voice, it’s soft and slightly deeper than my own voice which I think makes it easier to listen to for a longer period of time. Like most people I really don’t like the sound of my own voice! Anyway, you can let me know what you think when it’s published later on this year.
In other news, I’ve started the cut phase of my weight training programme after a long gain phase. At the moment that means keeping the weights part of the programme the same, adding in 20 minutes more cardio and eating a few hundred calories less, which I’m very happy about, I didn’t enjoy how I felt eating the amount of calories I needed to for the last muscle building phase. I’m excited to see what shape my body is in when we finish this new phase, but it’s definitely part of a long-term muscle building programme for me helping to support my bone density, something we all need to think about during perimenopause and beyond.
I’m also really excited to have just finished my first virtual blog tour with Love Books Tours as a self-published author. I’ve worked with Kelly from Love Books Tours before and I’ve met some absolutely lovely bloggers who have been very kind in their reviews of my book. I’ll put a link to Kelly’s website in the show notes if you’re an author and are interested in finding out more.
And while we’re on the subject of reviews, just to say that they are probably the most important gift you can give an author, including me! The algorithms on online stores are biased towards books that have a larger number of reviews so if you enjoyed reading The Happiness Habits Transformation please do pop a quick review up on Amazon or Goodreads or wherever you found your copy. It would mean the world to me and help other readers find the book.
Enjoy the show!
We all have habits. Some help us achieve our goals, while others can hold us back. Since 2009 I’ve learned a lot about the activities that boost my everyday happiness and I’ve written about them in my book The Happiness Habits Transformation. But knowing the things we need to do to make us happier and actually DOING them are two very different things. After all, if we’re honest we all know that eating junk food, drinking too much alcohol and not exercising regularly doesn’t constitute a healthy, joy-inducing lifestyle. In the past when I was working with a coaching client, they were often fully aware of what they needed to do to make a significant change in their lives, but for whatever reason (and there can be many) they weren’t doing those things. The knowing just isn’t enough.
I’ve been fascinated with habits for some time - after all they’ve helped me and my readers to become happier people - but I’m also fascinated with technology. I do like to geek-out on the latest apps and tools! So I thought it might be fun in this episode to take a look at how technology can help us to build stronger habits.
While you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practise. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and tools I mention, details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series in the shownotes at michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Today’s episode has a Hollywood gleam about it as I welcome the wonderful Andromeda Godfrey to the show!
Andromeda is an award-winning actor and producer who began forging a career in the entertainment industry in her 40s. Her most recent acting credits include Bridgerton, The Crown and Love At First Site. Her company Makelight Productions (founded with Juhr Debenedetti) aims to elevate women and other marginalised communities in front of and behind the camera and a brand new midlife comedy drama, ‘Jodie’ is in currently the works.
In our frank and honest conversation today, Andromeda shares:
- Her journey to discover her dream career
- The challenges she has faced (and continues to face) in an industry dominated by the cult of ‘youth’
- The value-aligned habits that serve her every day
- Her experience of perimenopause and how we need to reclaim the narrative around midlife
- Tips for building resilience and adding new habits into your own life.
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practise. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my website: michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
In today's episode I’m delighted to welcome Nadine Hill, body positive yoga teacher with a passion for joyful movement and cultivating everyday mindfulness. Nadine shares her personal journey of midlife reinvention, how she overcame a very negative self-image and how yoga opened her up to both an inner and outer transformation. It was really lovely to reconnect with Nadine again - we’ve been in the same blogging circles for over ten years! In our conversation today, you’ll learn so much including:
- The moment that changed Nadine’s life and how she followed her gut to seize that moment for her future happiness
- How Nadine eventually found the self-belief she needed to thrive after a very challenging childhood
- The habits that Nadine practices daily that keep her moving forwards
- Nadine’s tips for winding down to sleep and removing anxiety
- How celebrating the strength in our bodies can empower us no matter our shape or size
- The question that Nadine asks herself whenever she faces a new opportunity
While you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practise. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
For today’s in-between interviews episode, I want to talk about radical self-care.
Often as women, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, creators and business owners, so much of our daily routines revolve around everyone but ourselves. We pour our love and attention abundantly over others but leave only a few drops for ourselves.
Just one more push, we tell ourselves. This is hard enough when we’re in our 20s and 30s but when we hit perimenopause the symptoms we can experience as estrogen and testosterone levels drop can make that extra push feel like shoving a boulder up a mountain with a 50-kilo pack on our backs.
It's absolutely crucial that we take the time to care for ourselves, replenishing our well of self-love regularly so that we don’t become exhausted, overwhelmed and even resentful, and run to the instant highs of Netflix sugar fixes and flexing our credit card muscles.
I believe self-care isn't just a nice to have. It's a necessity for us all. Self-care isn't selfish. It's sustenance.
But for me, radical self-care doesn’t just mean taking a bath with candles and a glass of wine to relax. This can be self-care as a band-aid, papering over our symptoms without solving the heart of the problem. We get out of the bath and dive straight back into the maelstrom of our lives.
So in today’s episode, I wanted to share ten strategies for practising radical self-care in our daily lives.
Buy a copy of my book The Happiness Habits Transformation: 2nd Edition at michellereeveswrites.com/buy-my-book
In today's episode, I’m joined by journalist and visibility coach Julie Brown. Julie provided two brilliant case studies for the 2nd edition of my book The Happiness Habits Transformation and in conversation today, she shares more about the habits that help her to be more successful as an entrepreneur.
Listen in to discover:
- How Julie went from full-time publisher to self-employed and her top tips for anyone else who’d like to make this transition
- The habits that Julie put in place to make her more successful as an entrepreneur
- How Julie uses the natural world to kick-start her inspiration when she struggles with creative blocks
- A trick for feeling more confident in your life and work
- The key habits that business owners need to boost their visibility
And while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always, you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website: michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Let me ask you a question, are you a doodler? I have always loved being creative, whether that’s through painting, sketching, doodling or writing - I always joke that I was born with a notebook and pen in my hands and as a child I was obsessed with the TV art show Take Hart with Tony Hart - so chatting with today’s guest, Karen Light from HowDoodle was so fun for me!
Karen has been an artist her whole life, marking art with others, with over two decades of teaching, mentoring, and coaching thousands of people of all ages and all backgrounds, running two businesses, studying community arts, social justice activism, and connecting with ideas and people in the realm of empowerment and expanding consciousness. She is absolutely passionate about helping others to use art as a means of self-discovery.
But following a block with her own art, Karen upended her life to travel and rediscovered a love of simple doodling as a tool that reawakened her own creativity, leading her to create a children’s book and set up her coaching business, HowDoodle, where she coaches individuals and teams and runs fun doodle workshops to help others with their own creative, mental and emotional challenges.
In our conversation today you’ll learn:
- How art and doodling used therapeutically can to help you overcome obstacles and understand yourself better
- How to get started with doodling as a tool
- Karen’s 5 amazing C’s for inspired action
- How curiosity lights up certain parts of our brain and the implications of that for our creativity
- How to overcome your inner perfectionist when you want to be creative
- The steps to interpret your own doodles for personal discovery and understanding
- The habits and practices that Karen uses on a daily basis to make her more successful in her life and work
- Karen’s top tips for starting a creative practice in your own life
Now, if you’d like to join us in a short doodle practice during the podcast, be sure to have a pen or pencil and something to scribble on - it can be just the back of an envelope or a scrap of paper. No experience needed!
And while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always, you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website: michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
You can also buy a copy of my new book The Happiness Habits Transformation 2nd Edition using the links at michellereeveswrites.com
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” – Zig Ziglar.Even when we know how important it is to make personal growth and development a regular habit, it's easy to let it slip in our schedules. The hustle and bustle of life and work means that maximising our mindset and boosting our skills and capabilities often takes a back-seat. You find yourself thinking “I’m definitely going to spend some time finishing that book,watching that training series or working on my thoughts this week”.But then you take a look at your to-do list and your calendar and all that learning drops to the bottom of the pile.But here’s the thing, when you don't make learning and growing a priority, you’re not making your potential future a priority.So in today's episode I'm sharing 6 tips for making your personal growth and learning a priority.
SHOW NOTES
You'll find the show notes, previous episodes, free resources and all about my new book The Happiness Habits Transformation: 2nd edition at michellereeveswrites.com
In today's episode, I'm welcoming back the wonderful Zaz Grumbar, better known as Yoga with Zaz, for an inspirational conversation that's just perfect for the New Year. Zaz is a yoga teacher practising online at yogawithzaz.com and in person with over 20 years experience and over 23,000 followers on Instagram where she inspires people to unfurl both their bodies and their minds. Zaz is also a true friend so if I'm honest this was less like an interview and more like a couple of girlfriends having a chat!
In our wide-ranging conversation today, you'll discover so much including:- the habits that Zaz uses to bring power, positivity and awareness into her day- the #1 thing she believes we ALL need to make a non-negotiable in our lives- how fitting habits into your routine is like a doctor's appointment- Zaz's experience of perimenopause and how it's shaping her mindset now- how to flip the switch away from negative thought spirals- the new habits that Zaz wants to add to HER routine this year
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always, you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website: michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Hey friends, it’s the middle of December as I record this and Christmas is just around the corner. I love this time of year! The kids are off school, the fire is on in the barn and the tree lights are twinkling. it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with my favourite pen, a fluffy blanket and a mug of something yummy, and start making plans for next year.
So I thought why not record a special episode to share that process with you, my lovely listeners? I’ve also made a brand new Reflect and Reveal 32-page workbook which will support us as we create your our ahead with calm confidence and inspirational intention. You can download it now at michellereeveswrites.com/reveal2023 or just grab your favourite journal as I walk you through each section.
We’ll start with a gentle reflection on the past year and celebrate all the lessons and blessings we’ve received. Then we’ll move on to reveal those exciting dreams for the year ahead, realigning our intentions with what matters most, setting realistic goals and beginning the plans that turn our thoughts into actions and achievements.
But before we get started just a reminder that the second edition of my book, The Happiness Habits Transformation, is out on 26th January 2023. You can pre-order a signed copy now and get a bonus bundle of resources from me to help you implement what you learn straight away. Head over to tinyurl.com/happinesshabitstransformation for all the details.
And as always all the links from this episode will be in the show notes at my website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Hey there, friends, welcome back to The Happiness Habits Transformation podcast.
In today's very personal episode, I'm delighted to be joined by award-winning photographer, radio presenter and blogger Victoria Welton. Vic shares the incredible challenges that she has had to overcome, from removing herself from an abusive relationship and battling endometriosis to discovering she carried an extremely rare chromosome disorder that affected her fertility journey with her current partner, and filming that journey hoping it would help others. In this emotional interview, Vic also shares her experiences of miscarriage, IVF, pre-eclampsia and how she and her husband have coped through his own recent health issues and Vic beginning her perimenopause journey.
In our conversation, you'll hear about:- How Vic discovered her love of photography after years of trying different creative pursuits and how her life experiences and challenges help her connect so strongly with her clients- How implementing one particular Happiness Habit (after reading my book) helped Vic during the perfect storm of Covid lockdown, her husband's extreme health issues, Vic's menopause symptoms, all while raising a teenager and a toddler- Why Vic had to re-prioritise and remove elements of her life that no longer served her to enable her to move forward with her passion for photography- The importance of Vic's personal and family routines and habits - in particular the habit of connection - and how they support her daily- Vic's #1 tip for staying positive...and how Ed Sheeran helped her during labour!
This is such an inspirational interview and one that I hope you enjoy listening to as much as I enjoyed recording it with Vic.
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
And as always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
In today's episode, I chat all things Happiness Habits with Lucy Hutchinson, co-owner of Any Little Thing Ltd, a home help service for the elderly, an author, podcast presenter of The Ultimate Mums Club and Mum to four-year-old Sebastian.
Lucy is a contributor to the second edition of my book The Happiness Habits Transformation and she and her business partner were clients of mine when I ran my coaching business. It was so lovely to have her on the show sharing the amazing journey that she's been on and the lessons she's learned.
In our conversation today you'll learn the importance of: - being surrounded with positive people who support your goals and intentions - removing habits that don't serve us as well as adding positive habits to our daily routines - being mindful of what you tune into in your day - starting the day the right way to set yourself up for success - time-blocking and planning ahead as a small business and why just having a list of tasks makes you less productive - using questions as part of your planning to overcome procrastination and fear or failure - looking backwards to lay a positive path for the future.
As always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Today's episode shares a wonderful conversation I had this Summer with personal trainer and fellow writer, Angela Bailey. Angela is the author of the magical fantasy book Believe, which was a finalist in three categories of the Readers' Choice Awards, (Best Children’s Book, Best Teen Book, & Best Adult Book) & was also awarded the Literary Titan silver book award.
Angela talks about how rediscovering writing at a very challenging time of her life helped her to regain her self-confidence, reconnect with her body and allowed her to prioritise herself again.
In our conversation today, you'll discover: - The surprising similarities between writing and exercise - How creativity can provide a personal space for reflection - The small daily habit that kick starts her day with achievement - How ditching one emotion became a fundamental part of her new routine - The link between realistic expectations, habits and success - Angie's own end of day gratitude practice
Angela also talks about how she didn't feel she was good enough to be a writer and how she overcame that imposter syndrome - if you've ever wanted to write a book, this episode might just give you the inspiration to get started!
And as always, you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website: michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Hey there, friends, welcome back to The Happiness Habits Transformation podcast, the place to discover the happiness habits that inspiring women have used to transform their daily routines, bringing them clarity, peace and joy.
In today's episode, my guest Nila Mistry shares how she overcame tremendous challenges in her life and work using a framework of supportive habits.
Nila is a financial life planner and certified money coach who helps people feel more confident and in control of their finances. She is also one of the fantastic contributors in the second edition of my book which will be out in 2023. As you'll hear today, Nila's challenges led to a complete lack of confidence and in particular body confidence.
In our conversation you'll learn:
- What freedom in a framework looks like and how to apply it to your life
- The 'domino' habit that helped Nila unlock all the other habits she needed to meet her goals
- How to make habits more sustainable by connecting them to your
- values and
- How habit stacking can cement habits into your daily routine.
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
As always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
In today's very special launch episode, airing on World Menopause Day, I'm delighted to welcome to the show Dr Shashi Prasad.
Dr Shashi Prasad is an experienced GP, British Medical Society accredited Advanced Menopause Specialist, a member of the British and International Menopause Societies, and a certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician. She is passionate about providing evidence-based menopause care and combines Hormone Replacement Therapy with Lifestyle Modifications to help transform the lives of her clients, balance their hormones and make them feel like their best selves.
Now, you might be wondering why this topic is related to happiness habits - it's a topic that's very close to my heart because during the height of the Covid pandemic I started experiencing perimenopause symptoms myself. Not knowing why I was feeling the way I did, I started to spiral downward - I'm sure that if I'd known more about perimenopause and menopause at the time I would have put two and two together more quickly than I did.
Thankfully there is more awareness about this natural but often challenging season of our lives now, and because I'm still a huge believer in us sharing our own stories to help others, I've written a brand new chapter about my experiences for the second edition of my book The Happiness Habits Transformation which I'm excited to share is coming out next year.
Dr Shashi contributed to this chapter and I'm delighted to welcome her to the show today for what I'm hoping will be a sort of Menopause 101, answering some of the questions that I had when I started this journey in the hope that it helps you with yours.
Please be aware that in this episode we discuss a lot of perimenopause symptoms including the impact on body functions and sexual libido so if you're of a nervous disposition, you've been warned!
Now, while you're listening today, think about how you can take what you learn and put it into practice. Take action in any way that's meaningful for you.
As always you’ll find the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at my new website michellereeveswrites.com/podcast
Welcome to The Happiness Habits Transformation podcast, the brand new name for The Ideal Life Club podcast! In this introductory episode, I bring you right up to date with everything that's happened since the last episode and give you a flavour of what to expect in the new series. If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you over on Instagram where you'll find me as @michellereeveswrites. Bye for now!
Do you feel sleazy when you try to sell in your business? Friends, let's talk about SALES. It's probably the #1 challenge business owners face, particularly heart-centred business owners like us who break out in a hot sweat at the thought of sleazy sales tactics and tacky self-promotion, am I right?
But without sales and importantly without a solid PROFIT, we don't have a viable business, so all the marketing in the world won't make a difference if we don't learn how to sell.
And that's why I'm so excited that my guest today for this final episode in the current series is Annie P Ruggles, founder of the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy who is anti-hard sales, anti-tacky self-promotion and instead guides business owners to grow their businesses through deeper connections and genuine, service focused and friendlier but still lucrative sales conversations.
In our conversation today Annie shares so many great nuggets of wisdom including:
- Why just being more visible IS NOT enough and why sales avoidance is a chronic condition that will stunt your business growth
- How the martyrdom of over-serving without selling is teaching your customers NOT to buy from you and can lead you down the path to resentment
- Why not learning how to sell is driving your ideal clients to your competition who probably won't care as much as you do
- Why silence and pain are the missing pieces of the sales puzzle and the questions you need to ask after you speak your price
- The sales baggage that you need to let go of BEFORE you learn to sell without the sleaze
- How to deal gracefully with ‘no’ in your sales conversations.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Brian Hilliard is my guest on today's show for a conversation about how we can all be more successful - and who doesn’t want that!
Brian left corporate life after stress began affecting his health. He’s now a popular speaker, author of seven books including Networking Like a Pro and How to Overachieve Without Overcommitting and host of the podcasts Brand and Grow Your Coaching Practice and Everyday Success Habits. He works with busy entrepreneurs in the areas of Marketing, Mindset and Personal Achievement and has multiple coaching programmes.
In our conversation today Brian shares how success is not just about learning new things that work but unlearning old habits that don’t work, how the dual prongs of commission and omission can make anyone more successful (or less successful), one thing you must have before you use the Pareto Rule, how not to let ‘the tyranny of the small overcome the power of the impactful’, and the right way to sell for anyone who wants to grow their business without feeling sleazy.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Hey, there friends, Michelle here and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club podcast!
Recently I was invited to join Ros and Mike on the wonderful Coaches & Mentors Unwrapped podcast to talk about self-doubt. In our conversation, we discuss the relationship between expectation, fear, comparing ourselves with others, self-doubt and not meeting our big dreams and even everyday goals. I also share my favourite tool, the STEAR model, that can help anyone become more aware of how their thoughts affect their results and how to use it to overcome self-doubt and move forward.
And as always you’ll find all the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
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Failure. What happens when I say that word, friends? I'm guessing you feel it waaaay deep down in your gut, because it's something that everyone who's a business owner has experienced from one time to another. Can you relate? I know I can. But how we come BACK from failure is what separates the most successful entrepreneurs. And today's guest on the show is a fantastic example of that.
Kristin Molenaar went from making $5k over 14 months as a VA to launching her agency YesBoss and bringing in $100k in just 10 months. She is on a mission to work less and make more and to help limit overwhelm for entrepreneurs. In our conversation today Kristin shares so many great strategies and tips including:
How to create a simple business vs a complex business The importance of niching Why resilience often comes in hindsight and what she's learned from failing Focusing on essentials - from marketing to monetisation Aligning with your zone of genius The power of automation and delegation and how to combine them to create a positive ROI for every member of your team
Grab your journal, and get ready to burn out some notes, friends!
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Recently I joined best-selling author Mark Stinson on The Unlocking Your World of Creativity podcast, where people in publishing, film, animation, music, restaurants, medical research, and more share their inspiration, tools and exercises to organize your ideas and get them out into the world.
In this episode, I chat with Mark about tools and models to help capture your creative projects and break them down by yearly, quarterly, and monthly goals and daily tasks that will get your project launched.
There's a big shout out for the #ThisIsMyEra planners for sure, but lots more too including:
- Where you have to start when you want to be successful
- The importance of staging posts along your creative path and relating daily tasks to your biggest goals
- How goals create a container for our creativity and allow us to create in a space that has intention which in turn stops us from getting lost and despondent and
- The relationship between our self-doubt, expectations and comparisonitis
So, pop your headphones in, stop questioning yourself and let's get you overcoming the obstacles that are keeping you stuck!
Find the show notes and all the links at: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
My guest today is an old friend and all-round powerhouse of a woman! There are so many powerful lessons in this episode friends, I can't wait to share it with you!
Zaz Grumbar from Yoga with Zaz, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and came to the UK in her early teens, settling in London, after moving around A LOT with her family. She discovered yoga due to back injuries, after a motorcycle accident in her early twenties left her depressed and in pain and added to her eating disorder struggles.
It took her nearly 16 years as a student - and an epiphany that her Nanny was taking home more money than her mortgage - before she dared to change careers entirely from working as a marketing manager with luxury fashion and beauty brands, to following my heart and becoming a yoga teacher.
Listen in as Zaz describes how leaping from her high heels to the yoga mat in front of a room full of students has been the most fulfilling thing in her life - apart from her two kids of course - and the challenges that she's had to face along the way.
Zaz shares such powerful lessons about failure, growth, the pressure to be perfect, celebrating our wins, systematic self-care and the importance of putting away our ego to truly open up to what we need.
As always you'll find all the links and notes from this episode at www.michellereevescoaching.com/listen
If you've ever wondered about my backstory then today's episode is for you! Recently I was invited to join Morgane Roos-Carreira on her show, The Way of Living podcast and we dove deep into my personal story, friends.
In my chat with Morgane, we talk about my personal journey, wearing lots of hats and how personal development came into my life at a time when I needed it most. I definitely go deep into some of the more difficult times and I honestly believe it's so important for us to talk about our challenges and how we overcome them. It can sometimes feel like we're alone in our struggles, so I hope that by sharing my own experience of depression and how I had to leave behind the person I thought I should be, to step into the person I needed to become. You'll hear about my views on lifelong learning, the importance of routine in creating a healthy structure in our lives, the difference between reaction and intention, why managing our mindset is a fundamental piece of the progress puzzle, and how to deal with the inevitable working mom guilt. I also walk Morgane through the STEAR model which is my favourite tool for managing my mindset.
And as always you’ll find all the links and show notes for this episode and the other shows in this series at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
LINKS
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Michelle's book The Happiness Habits Transformation
Michelle's course Reboot Your Life
Start your FREE trial of Practical Podcasting for Beginners today and start a podcast that will boost your brand and grow your business!
As I'm sitting here recording this episode, we are still in the throws of the Covid-19 pandemic. So many of us have had to deal with uncertainty and challenge in our businesses, figuring out how to pivot to keep serving our customers and clients while responding to everything that's going on around us... if that resonates with you, you are definitely not alone.
In fact, my guest on the show today had precisely those challenges. Helena Mitchell is an actor and voice-over artist who was performing in the live UK tour of Milkshake! Children’s TV show Monkey’s Musical when lockdown hit. She lost a year of income in a single day due to the pandemic.
In our chat today you'll hear how Helena had to pivot multiple times to replace that income, the challenges she overcame, and how she now teaches business owners the key vocal techniques they need to run their businesses using Zoom.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
FREE trial of Practical Podcasting for Beginners - learn how to start, launch and grow a podcast that skyrockets your business without stress and overwhelm! Join now: michellereevescoaching.com/podcastfree
If you’re a coach who has struggled with building and growing your business then this is the episode for you! But if you’re a service-based business owner then don’t switch off because you’ll likely still get a ton of value out of this episode.
At the end of last year, I was absolutely delighted to join Brian Hilliard on the Brand and Grow Your Coaching Practice podcast to chat about the six must-have systems for any coach to start, run and grow their business - to create structure and growth, ditch overwhelm and conserve your energy for doing what lights us up - working with our clients!
And as always you’ll find all the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Hey there, Michelle here, welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast and welcome to a shiny new year and a brand new season of episodes!
Wow what a difference a year makes, hey? This time last year I remember mentioning that we’d had the whole family over to The Barn, which was so much fun, and that everyone hung out in the kitchen while we cooked - looking back now we had so much to be so grateful for and little did we realise what was in store for us all.
A lot has changed over the past 12 months and I hope that you and your loved ones have stayed safe and well. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that I’ve been hearing a lot about New Year’s resolutions again. I’ve already lost count of all the conversations I’ve overheard or had with clients and friends resolving to lose weight, get healthy, find a new job or finally feel successful in their businesses this year.
Well for the second time in 2 years I’m calling TIME on allllll that. In fact, I want I’m recording this episode as an encore to 2020 because I want to rekindle the fire of the resolution revolution I started last January. NO MORE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.
Ok, I know this is going to make me sound all baa humbug like a New Year Mrs Scrooge but I’m serious because for 92% of people resolutions just don’t work.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make change in our lives and businesses, most of us have some sort of fresh start in mind this time of year and I’m all for that, but there are some key reasons why resolutions DON’T work and some very specific steps we can take instead to make lasting change. And I'll be sharing them in this episode.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
If you’ve ever wondered how to move from content creation to making bank with enough money to support your lifestyle, I think you’ll really enjoy the lesson’s that my guest today learned on her journey. Nikki Webster is an award-winning vegan food blogger and now two-time author who has transformed her passion for vegan food into a successful business through content creation.
In our conversation today Nikki shares
- How she started creating content and learned what resonated most with her audience - while she was still holding down a full-time job
- How having her blog Rebel Recipes helped her to crystalize her message and find her voice while she was still learning her craft
- Why it’s not enough to be passionate about content - you need to be aware of the transformation you want to affect in your readers, viewers or listeners
- How she almost turned down a major styling contract in India because she thought the email was spam
- How she diversifies her income streams to alleviate the risk from the inevitable peaks and troughs of running an online content business
- Her publishing journey to her two books and how she went from a good offer to a great offer with her first book proposal
- How Nikki balances work and self-care and her top tips for aspiring authors, including what to be aware of and how to get started
And as always you’ll find all the links and details of today’s show and all the other shows in this series at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
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Today’s show is full of sparkle and love thanks to my fabulous guest, The Gorgeousness Coach Tristan Lee.
Tristan is a health and wellness coach on a mission to help us all look good, feel great and regain our sparkle, no matter what our age - and let’s face it who doesn’t want to feel more gorgeous, right friends?!
Tristan is an incredible advert for his own personal brand of wellness having transformed his life in his late 30s, overcoming mental health issues and redefining what mattered most to him and then beginning to coach others to do the same.
Having spent most of his life desperate for other people’s approval, Tristan embarked on a journey which he admits was “a journey of personal growth and healing that just happened to be disguised as a business” as he took responsibility for his own approval and rebuilt his self-esteem.
He’s proved that regardless of age, you can still look great, feel fab and have amazing self-esteem - so I just had to invite him on to the show to share his journey and special brand of magic with you.
You'll find all the links and the special offer I mention in the shownotes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today's show is for you if you’re anything like me and you’ve been dealing with a ton of emotions over the months we’ve been living with the Covid 19 pandemic.
Having the tools to manage our emotions in a healthy way is important for all of us and my guest today, Nadia O’Boye, has brought along a toolbox of tips to help us become more conscious of our emotions and how to manage them in the best way so they don't end up overwhelming us.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
FREE podcast course lessons: michellereevescoaching.com/podcastfree
Have you heard about the power of storytelling in business but wonder how to use it successfully? If so you’ll love this episode as my guest today shares her tips and waaaaay more.
Now, if I was going to bake something with today’s guest as the ingredients, the recipe would be pretty impressive! From discovering her passion for storytelling and presenting at just six years old to reading for Chris Moyles and Sarah Cox on Radio 1, interviewing celebrities on the red carpet on BBC3, heading up PR for three TV channels at UKTV, starting not one but two businesses and writing FOUR successful children’s books, Nicola Rowley’s journey is inspiring for sure. But it also has a single theme running through it: Storytelling.
In our interview today, Nicola shares her tips for balancing work and motherhood, the importance of being visible for your audience, how to get started with PR for your business, leading with service rather than selling, and ultimately how to harness your zone of genius in a variety of ways to create multiple income streams and a life you love.
You'll find all the links in today's episode at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today I want to talk about drivers. Not the guy behind the wheel of that gorgeous convertible you wish you had in your garage, but three common psychological drivers that can stop you from hitting your biggest goals in your life and work, how to recognize them AND how to stop them from stopping you.
When I was first starting out in my coaching business I really struggled with taking time off.
Whenever I booked a day off in my calendar to chill out, I felt a bit anxious. My inner ‘boss’ got all up inside my head saying “You can’t take a day off. You’ve got too much to do!” and I almost canceled. Does that resonate with you?
Thankfully I recognized that one of my psychological ‘drivers’ had sprung into action and was trying to hold me back, and I was able to stop it from stopping me take that all-important mental time-out.
The thing is, most of us have one or more of these drivers working against us, but we’re usually unaware of them. These drivers create the exact opposite of what we want in our life and work - whether that’s getting more visible in our businesses going live to promote our new offer, launching a podcast or pressing send on that email campaign OR stepping our of our comfort zone in other ways like starting a new hobby or finally committing to that 5k we’ve promised ourselves we’ll train for.
They can damage our feelings, our relationships, our self-esteem, and even our health. And they can wreak havoc with our businesses. But when we recognize the drivers for what they are, that awareness can help us to tame them and lessen their impact.
In this episode I’m going to focus on three of those drivers: the hurry up driver, the be perfect driver, and the be strong driver.
LINKS:
Start a podcasting to build your brand and promote your business with Practical Podcasting for Beginners - FIND OUT MORE HERE
Do you ever feel less than confident about creating videos? If so this episode is for you as my guest today shares EVERYTHING you need to know to get started with video for your business.
Screen queen XayLi Barclay is in the house today! She is a visual content creation coach & Thinkific expert for online course creators, specializing in helping entrepreneurs effectively stand out and make a genuine impact in the digital space by connecting on a deeper level with their audience. Who doesn’t want that, right?
In our interview, XayLi breaks down why video is so important for us to use in our businesses, how we can all feel more confident in front of the camera, how to get started with online courses as an additional revenue stream and her own tried and tested recipe for ‘Cam-Confidence’ - the 5Ps that you’re definitely going to want to bust out your journal to make notes on.
Friends, you know I love chatting to ALL my guests but this interview was very, very special!
LINKS:
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen.
XayLi Barclay - https://xaylibarclay.com
My guest today is James Mulvany, serial entrepreneur and founder of Matchmaker.fm a platform that connects podcasters with potential guests for their shows. Since it’s launch just 5 months ago, Matchmaker.fm has already signed up 5,000 members - an incredible achievement!
In our interview, you’ll hear James’ entrepreneurial journey for sure - including how he started out with his first business at just 16 years old - but you’ll also hear James’ view on the traits you need to have as a business owner, the #1 thing that’s more important than revenue in your business, how he tested the concept for Matchmaker.fm and began building the brand before he actually launched it (a key lesson for all of us launching new things in our businesses) and why James believes that podcasting is THE channel that business owners should be focusing on right now.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I always find it reassuring when I hear that other successful business owners have had to deal with failure in some way and listen out because James definitely spills the beans on one of his biggest failures too.
I really enjoyed chatting with James! And of course, as always, I will share all the links that we mention in this episode on my show notes page at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
So, friends, it’s the beginning of July and that means we’re halfway through the year. For me, this is the perfect time to pause and take stock of where I am in relation to my big goals and that means doing a half-year review.
This is a practice I’ve been doing for a while now and really has made such a difference to my motivation and productivity. Now, if you’ve been listening to the show for a while now, you might remember that back in episode 25 I shared this process with you, and as that was one of my most popular episodes it felt like the right time to bring it back, with a couple of little tweaks and do a reprisal.
Plus, because you know I’m all about making my episodes as practical as possible, there is a freebie for this episode. My half-year review workbook includes all the steps I walk you through in this episode plus spaces for you to do your own reflection and start making plans for the rest of the year.
LINKS:
My FREE Half Year Review Workbook: michellereevescoaching.com/halfyearreview
Practical Podcasting for Beginners online course: Find out more here
So today’s episode is for you if you’ve ever thought about starting a podcast that promotes your business. I’m going to be talking you through 6 steps to go from scratch to confidently planning, creating, and launching a podcast that you can be proud of.
LINKS:
Show notes
Practical Podcasting for Beginners
Have you ever wondered how to turn one of the skills you’ve learned in your career or your life into a sustainable business? Perhaps it’s a skill that comes easily to you but others don’t enjoy or find challenging?
Well, my guest today did just that. I’m joined by Jenni Dunman, founder of award-winning first aid company, Daisy First Aid, which numbers celebrities amongst its clientele.
In our interview, you’ll hear how a potentially life-threatening event became a light bulb moment which led to Jenni starting her business. You’ll also hear how she pretty quickly realized that her first business model didn’t allow her the flexibility she needed to fit in with her family life and how that led her to switch to a brand new model that initially, she didn’t know anything about.
I don’t know about you, but I always find it reassuring when I hear that other successful business owners have had to deal with mindset challenges like imposter syndrome, fear of public speaking, networking nerves. And Jenni is so open about how she’s had to face these issues in her own business. Jenni also shares two key things that have changed her life as a business owner (and it’s perhaps not what you’d think), why it’s key to have a strong niche and to know what makes you different from other providers in your industry, why it’s important to focus on one thing and perfect it before you move on to other areas and how her business has had to pivot to respond quickly to the Coronavirus pandemic.
If you enjoyed today's episode please do add a rating a review on iTunes so more listeners can find the show, thank you x
SHOWNOTES: Read the show notes here
SPONSOR: My brand new course Practical Podcasting for Beginners
Hey there, Michelle here and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast. So today’s episode is for you if you’ve been struggling to hit your goals or to see the success in your life or work that you’d hoped for. I’m going to be unpacking two key things you need and how to get them, PLUS there’s an exciting announcement coming up towards the end of the show too that you’re not going to want to miss.
Now before we started with this mini-training episode, if you’ve been listening to the show for a while now you likely know a bit about my background and why I’m passionate about helping business owners to feel freaking proud of themselves again in their work AND their life. But we’ve had some new listeners joining us recently, so if you’ll indulge me, I just wanted to take a moment to say a big welcome to the podcast and just share a little bit about me for those of you who DON’T know me.
So I’m a business and life coach, author, online course creator and I live here in the UK in a 16th century barn that has more holes than a cheese grater with my husband Stewart, my two kids and four crazy Indian runner ducks. If you’re following me on Instagram you’ll have seen a post from me recently with three things my ducks have taught me about business so, yeah, they’re pretty much a fixture in our lives. Life is good and while I’ve had to work hard over the last 10 years to get where I am today, I do feel blessed and so grateful for all that I have.
But here’s the thing, it’s not always been that way for me. I know what it’s like to not understand how things got so turned upside down, to feel lost and overwhelmed and to wish I could just make a fresh start. 10 years ago I went from a successful career in marketing working for major household names to not being able to get out of bed in the morning. I was living in China as an expat, dealing with severe birth trauma after the premature birth of our baby daughter, Amelia, and an epidural that didn’t fully work, which led to postpartum depression and me frankly being unable to deal with everyday life. I was completely overwhelmed and after an intervention led me to therapy I managed to get from non-functioning to functioning but I needed so much more than that. I was determined that I was going to get back on my feet, to become the woman I was before. I needed to do that for myself, for my husband and to be a role model for my baby daughter.
And that’s where my journey of personal development began, and after I discovered the step by step process to rediscover my inner fire, to reignite my passion for life, I realised that my journey was also my purpose - to help other people take back control and start living THEIR ideal life, to become the person THEY want to be, to start creating success on THEIR terms.
When clients come to me, they often say that the thing they’re missing in their life, the thing they need most to get back on track or to hit their goals, is confidence. But I know without a shadow of a doubt from my personal journey, that confidence ISN’T the main thing we need to get that kick-started, there are two other things that we need WAAAAY more than that. And I want to share them with you in today’s episode.
LINKS:
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Join the Reboot Your Life program today for just $97: michellereevescoaching.com/rebootyourlife
Hey there, Michelle here and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast.
When I started this podcast, this little space in sound waves, it was really important to me that there was content in each and every episode to help you take action in YOUR business. And oh my, today’s episode is the poster child for that vision!
I’m joined by Corrie Jones, CEO and founder of Social Media Agency Untapped Digital for what might just be one of the most actionable episodes I’ve recorded so far. It's practically a social media masterclass.
In our interview, you’ll hear about Corrie’s brave jump into running her own business at only 23, how important it was for her to get solid advice from mentors who had been there before her and how age doesn’t have to be a barrier to success in business. But you’ll also hear a TON of top tips and the latest advice on how to use social media in your business, Corrie’s view on whether we should still be selling in the current Covid-19 pandemic, and what you need to be prioritizing in your content strategy right now. This episode is so packed with tips you’re definitely going to want to pause and grab and notebook to take down some killer notes!
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
My brand new podcasting course for business owners: michellereevescoaching.com/podcastcourse
Untapped Digital: Website
So if you joined me for the last episode, you’ll remember it was all about how to be more productive while we’re all working from home. And I promised that wasn’t the end of my tips on productivity. I know this is a hot topic for so many of you right now - and let’s face it I’m in the same position as you, trying to do all the things with a houseful of people when I’m used to working on my own most days while the kids are at school - and I’m so passionate about bringing you the help you need right now. So I went out to my network and asked them to share their top productivity tips too. I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who jumped on board to do just that because we have some great tips in today’s show!
Shownotes: You'll find all the links for today's guests at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Show sponsor: Practical Podcasting for Beginners
Recently I spoke in one of my favorite membership groups about productivity in the strange new normal that we’re all having to navigate right now, and I shared my 10 strategies for being more productive while we’re working from home. So I thought it would be fun and useful to share that whole presentation with you on today’s show. As always you’ll find all the links I mention in this episode at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Hey there, Michelle here and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast.
Ok, so if you’re a regular listener you’ll know that one of my goals for this podcast is to share real-life stories of women who have overcome challenges to live their ideal life or help others to do just that. My aim with these interviews is to inspire YOU to find your passion, step out into your power, set yourself exciting goals and know that you have the strength inside you to overcome your challenges and start living YOUR ideal life.
Today I’m joined by one of the loveliest and wisest women I’ve had the pleasure to meet over the past year. Kate Evans is an image consultant and life coach with over 14 years experience helping her clients to look, feel and be the most confident and effective version of themselves.
Following a background in teaching and interior design, Kate had her colours done and loved having a plan to work with when she was choosing her clothes - knowing what styles and colours suited her made shopping for outfits so much easier. In fact she loved it so much she trained as an image consultant.
In our interview you’ll hear how, following a personal crisis in her family, Kate had to accelerate her business way faster than she was expecting to and is now booked out months in advance. You’ll hear her personal rant about fashion influencers, and if you’re someone who’s interested in diversifying your income and pivoting into different channels you will love listening to Kate share how as well as working with one to one clients she now runs an online membership program for people who want instant help and advice as well as working with corporations, helping their employees tap into the transformative power of a carefully considered working wardrobe, dress professionally and in a style that’s aligned with how their company wants to be represented.
You’ll also hear about the six daily habits and practices Kate uses to keep herself productive while working from home. And of course I had to take the opportunity to pick Kate’s brain for her top tips to overcome the challenges we, as business owners, have dressing to represent our brands… she has some great advice you don’t want to miss here and we also talk about what happens if you make a change like cutting your hair - something close to my heart right now which you’ll know if you follow me over on Instagram.
Show notes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today’s guest on The Ideal Life Club podcast really needs no introduction because she has become a household name in the passive income industry - indeed she is the queen of passive income!
Lisa Johnson went from corporate life to setting up the biggest known urban wedding planning company in the UK before launching and growing what is now a 7 figure coaching business. Seriously, when this lady speaks you wanna listen!
In our chat you’ll hear Lisa’s journey for sure, and oodles of advice about starting your own passive income stream but also so much wisdom for business owners and prospective business owners including:
a great tip for dealing with the perfectionist mindset that let’s face it, we all deal with from time to time; how self-sabotage almost stopped her from pursuing her dream; how you can use adversity to fuel you the choice we have in reacting to how other people behave how the standard definition of success led to Lisa burning out but led her to spending over $100k on learning how a particular type of passive income could change her business model entirely so that 90% of her business was through that channel the first key steps that Lisa would do if she was starting her business again from scratch AND the daily practices and one brutal question she asks herself to make sure she stays as productive as possible.
Lisa also talks about her terrifying experience of being bullied as a child which has led to her being an anti-bullying crusader, the impact bullying had on her life and relationships, how she overcame that and her top tips for dealing with online bullying.
And yes you’re going to hear me fangirling a bit too. I can’t lie, I was so inspired batting to Lisa! So bust out your journal, make sure there is plenty of ink in your pen because I just know you’re gonna love this episode my friends.
TELL ME: have you thought about using passive income in your business?
SHOWNOTES & LINKS: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today in this bonus episode, I wanted to reach out to anyone feeling overwhelmed...
With the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe, schools closing, travel plans being cancelled and the situation around us changing daily, it's no wonder that many business owners, and particularly small business owners are starting to feel overwhelmed and anxious about how to keep their businesses going.
There's a lot which is out of our control at the moment and clearly we're having to react to decisions which have been made for might have a big impact on us. But that doesn't mean that we can't do anything.
So I wanted to record this bonus episode for you with award-winning entrepreneur, Charlie Day, a multiple business owner with over 60 franchisees, to share some strategies that you can use to stay proactive in your business during this challenging time.
LINKS
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Book a free 45-min Clarity Call with Michelle here: michellereevescoaching.com/clarity
Connect with Charlie Day on Instagram
Join Charlie's Sales Made Easy Facebook Group
Join Charlie's Sales Made Easy Membership
Well now let me just say that today's is an extra special episode because it is our 50th show - I can’t believe it! I’m so grateful to you for listening and sharing your thoughts and comments since I launched the show in January 2019. It’s been my absolute pleasure sharing the journeys of some incredible women in business and I know that you’ve loved hearing about the challenges that they’ve faced and how they overcame them.
So to celebrate our half-century (that just makes me tingle even as I’m saying it), I thought it would be fun to do something a little different for this week’s show and share some of my favorite tips from the top 10 episodes so far.
Now, frankly I had to cut this episode right down because I could have just gone on and on for hours, there are so many great tips in ALL the shows, but I know your time is precious and I do try to keep each episode under an hour for you so that you can listen at the gym or when you’re driving as I know many of you are.
So I went into the show statistics (which I can do at Podbean, my podcast hosting platform, which I absolutely recommend if starting a podcast is on your goals list this year by the way) and I picked out the top 10 shows in terms of the number of downloads that they had - interestingly 7 of those were interviews and 3 were the shows that I record for you with my own hints and tips - but anyway, these are the shows that YOU, my listeners, have voted for with your ears so that felt like a good way to cut down the list.
Enjoy the show!
Giveaway
Plus to make this episode EXTRA special I’m running a giveaway where one of my UK listeners will receive a bundle of goodies. Full details are on my instagram page at: instagram.com/michellereevescoaching
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
When I was working in my corporate career I never anticipated that I’d be running my own coaching business one day, but if I had, I know I would have wondered how easy it would be to make that transition.
My guest today did just that, switching careers from a successful career in finance and working on a trading floor to running her own business in a completely different industry. Following personal parenting struggles, Heather Rutherford launched The Parenting Partnership to help parents overcome the challenges that parenting throws at us.
In our interview you’ll hear the key practices Heather has to make sure she stays productive when she works from home, the very first steps she took to get started in her business, the importance of being visible, even when it’s scary and knowing when and where to ask for help to move up to the next level in our own businesses.
As a parenting coach Heather also shares invaluable tips for those of us who are working parents, how to balance work and family without parental guilt and how to come back from those tricky times when things don’t go to plan.
I had some real light bulb moments chatting with Heather. For example when she said if we point out all the things our kids get right, we’ll get more of what we’re looking for but that the OPPOSITE is true too. I don’t know about you but I am definitely guilty of that sometimes. And the other light bulb moment for me was the concept of our kids practicing dropping their guard and perhaps behaving in a way that we don’t want in the safe space that we create for them at home and how if we remain calm and don’t take that behavior personally it helps them learn how to manage their emotions. I just loved hearing all Heather’s wisdom and will definitely be putting her tips into practice.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today’s guest is the founder of a business which is empowering women to take ownership of their health and fitness. Sarah Bolt is the founder of Forth - a company which enables you to measure and optimize your health with at home blood test kits, with analysis at accredited labs and an unrivaled results dashboard that helps you understand the health markers that really matter. Sarah is at the forefront of a movement which sees people beginning to turn from passive recipients of healthcare to active consumers of preventative care. This is a subject that is close to my heart as I have personal experience of managing two medical conditions proactively without any medication.
In our interview you’ll hear how Sarah realized she wasn’t living her ideal life and how she motivated herself to pivot towards her goals, you’ll hear how she had to step out of her comfort zone to convince people to invest in her business and the mindset challenges that led to, the bad habits that she had to break and her key tips for raising funding for your business.
Now, let me just say that even if you’re not planning to use crowdfunding or another route to get investment in your business Sarah shares so much wisdom in this interview that I know you’re still going to get a LOT of out it. And as always I’ll pop all the links into the shownotes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen so don’t worry if you’re at the gym or driving, as I know a lot of you are when you listen to the show, because you can grab all the details later on.
I hope you enjoy this episode! If you do it would mean the world to me if you could rate and review it on iTunes so that more amazing women can find the show. Thank you!
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today I have a fellow author and coach on the show and someone who I respect SO much, in fact I’m reading her book right now and soaking up all the knowledge. Cai Graham is a parent, parenting coach, therapist, founder of Peak Parenting and author of The Teen Toolbox, an invaluable resource to equip parents and teenager with the tools for navigating adolescence.
Cai has a degree in Business and was an IT project manager before she became a mother, when she quit her city role and eventually set up her first passion-based business as a family photographer until her father sadly passed away. It was working with a life coach that showed her that her values for her work and life were very different and she gave herself permission to do something that she felt passionate about - being a life coach for women. Over time she realised that there was a gap in the market for supporting parents with teenage children.
As you’ll hear in our interview, Cai’s journey mission is to empower parents and teenagers with the tools to navigate what can traditionally be a challenging time, to create a mentally healthier and happier generation of young people. How incredible is that? And as you can imagine Cai has so much wisdom and some great top tips to share so grab your journal and a pen because you’re not going to want to miss them!
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/47
GRAB MY FREE CHEATSHEET: michellereevescoaching.com/9questions
Today I have another special bonus episode for you. It was so much fun sharing my book The Happiness Habits Transformation at events around the UK last year and back in episode #14 I shared two chapters with you right here. Well today, I’m sharing another chapter - this time it’s all about my 3rd happiness habit.
I’m still so proud of this book, it’s was endorsed by Dr Juliet Mcgrattan, health expert and author and also by Vicki Psarias Broadbent founder of the multi-award winning website Honest Mum, who full disclosure is a pal of mine, and she said it was “a brilliantly engaging practical guide on changing your mindset and improving your life.” Thank you so much ladies, I’m blown away by your lovely words.
But to be honest writing this book wasn’t that easy. Going back and reliving my journey and personal experience of depression to share how I rebuilt my life through a combination of 8 simple happiness habits took me right back to that point in my life when I was at ROCK BOTTOM.
Ten years ago I quit my corporate job in marketing, my husband and I put our lives into storage and travelled 5500 miles around the world to Shanghai in China where our exciting future lay before us, full of wonder and possibilities.
But fast forward 24 months and I was unrecognisable to myself, let alone anyone else, in the grips of post natal depression with a six month old baby who’d been born prematurely and not slept much since, a shell of the confident woman I’d once been.
And now, 10 years on, here I am, a certified life and business coach, author and podcast host, working with incredible entrepreneurs who are making huge changes in their businesses AND their lives. It’s incredible and something I’m so so grateful for.
And that’s very relevant to today’s episode as you’ll see that my 3rd happiness habit is all about having an attitude of gratitude. I hope you enjoy it!
Buy The Happiness Habits Transformation on Amazon here
Josie Buck is the founder of The Mindful Cook, which brings together Josie’s love for food and cooking with her expertise in eating psychology and applied nutrition to help other women nurture a better relationship with food. Through her online courses, retreats and coaching Josie is empowering others to leave behind yo yo diets and faddy trends with the knowledge they need to make the right food choices for their body’s needs.
I don’t know about you but I’ve REALLY struggled in the past with knowing what to eat to counteract indigestion and food intolerances - there is so much information out there and it can be pretty confusing right? But Josie is great at laying everything out so simply, which I just love.
In our interview you’ll hear how we met for sure, but also how losing a dear friend became a catalyst for Josie to make a HUGE shift in her life and work, the courageous step that led her to finally find her passion and purpose and how that translated into launching her dream business. And you’re going to want to have a notebook ready because Josie shares some top nutrition tips straight from her online program “Healthy Mind, Healthy Body” including what most people need more of and what we should avoid.
SHOW NOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
CONNECT WITH JOSIE: themindfulcook.co.uk
One of the things you might not know about me is that I love public speaking. That’s not to say it doesn’t scare the pants off me sometimes, because I get just as nervous as anyone when I’m on stage, but I just love sharing the lessons I’ve learned and helping others to live their best life. Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to be the keynote speaker at the What’s On 4 Kids Business Huddle Conference, where I spoke about a concept that I call ‘The Messy Middle’.
The Messy Middle is that space between those exciting ideas we have as business owners or creators and actually seeing them come to life. It’s where fear sits, it’s where doubt sits, it’s where failure sits. But there IS a way through the messy middle and that’s what I shared in this talk. I thought it would be fun to share with you in today’s episode too.
Now, this was a live talk so you’ll hear some laughter and clapping and the sound is a bit different to what you might be use to on the show, but I hope you still enjoy it. Oh and do listen out for a story I tell about my close encounter with a major soccer team.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
My book: The Happiness Habits Transformation
From a difficult childhood to an award-winning anger management coaching business, Tanya Heasley is a perfect example of how you can transform a negative personal experience into your purpose and passion, and I’m delighted to have her on the show today.
Tanya combines anger management, counselling, coaching and positive psychology (and yes she has trained in ALL of these areas and more) to help young people, parents and teachers to deal with their own challenging emotions and behaviours.
In our interview you’ll hear the steps Tanya takes to overcome the negative beliefs which can hold us all back - including her fabulous superhero post, which I love - how she changed the structure of her business so that a percentage of her profits could help young people who couldn’t otherwise access her services and how one particular internal dialogue can be so destructive for us all.
You’ll also hear how Tanya stays productive and focused even though structure and discipline don’t come naturally to her, who inspires her in her business plus key tips we can all use to help us manage our anger better.
As always you’ll find all the links for connecting with Tanya in the show notes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Let's continue the conversation! Join an awesome group of women who love growing their businesses AND themselves in The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group at https://michellereevescoaching.com/ideallifeclub
You can find me on social media @michellereevescoaching (@mreevescoaching on Twitter) and don't forget to check out the other episodes of the podcast and subscribe here:
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ideal-life-club-podcast/id1449048288
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1D3SE78ImfnwlNxvmiEcTG
Welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast and welcome to not only a shiny new year but a brand new decade!
Now, one thing you’ve probably already heard a lot about over the past week or two is New Year’s resolutions. I’ve already lost count of all the conversations I’ve overheard or had with clients and friends resolving to lose weight, get healthy, find a new job or finally feel successful in their businesses.
Well I’m calling TIME on all that. In fact, I want to start a resolution revolution! No more New Years resolutions. Ok, I know this is going to make me sound all baa humbug like a New Year Mrs Scrooge but I’m serious because for 92% of people resolutions just don’t work.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make change in our lives and businesses, most of us have some sort of fresh start in mind this time of year and I’m all for that, but today I'm chatting about some key reasons why resolutions DON’T work and some very specific steps we can take to make lasting change instead.
Download the transcript for this episode by heading to the shownotes page at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today on the final episode of The Ideal Life Club podcast for 2019, I’m joined by a business powerhouse… from a baptism of fire at the age of 24, turning around a loss-making wine bar to profit in the heart of London, to founding and running guerrilla comms agency Oggadoon PR, Caroline Macdonald’s entrepreneurial journey is a lesson in learning the fundamentals of business and applying those principles, alongside your values, goals and a whole heap of self-belief, to create a unique, successful and inspiring enterprise of your own.
In our interview, Caroline shares the importance of creating something that allowed for a balance between her work and life, refusing to compromise on her own values, her belief that while we don’t have to be alpha-females to be successful, we do have an Achilles heel as women in business and what that is, why PR isn’t just a nice-to-have and some must-have tips for all small businesses who want to promote themselves in the media including what journalists are really looking for.
I couldn't have wished for a better episode to round off 2019! Enjoy listening and see you in the New Year x
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Let's continue the conversation! Join an awesome group of women who love growing their businesses AND themselves in The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group at https://michellereevescoaching.com/ideallifeclub
So assuming you’re listening to this episode when it goes live, we have 12 days until Christmas. And while I don’t have a partridge in a pear tree for you today, I do have a gift of sorts. And I really do love this time of year actually, especially the promise of a new year coming up and planning ahead for all the fun things I want to do in my business.
But there is a natural tendency, I think, for us to start going into hibernation mode in December. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love the feeling of hunkering down, sitting in front of a fire, relaxing and daydreaming about what's going to be exciting in the upcoming year and all those goals and plans. But I also want to just offer to you that that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s too late for you to do anything productive over the next few weeks.
You still have a great opportunity to lay the foundations for your future success. So today I’m sharing 3 steps you can take now, before 2020 begins, to kick that off.
Today I’m really excited because my guest on the show is award-winning, record-breaking, best-selling double classical #1 selling soprano and all-round beautiful human Joanna Forest.
Joanna shot to fame in 2017 when she became the 1st independent artist to go straight to #1 in the official classical album chart with her DEBUT album. She is a phenomenally successful as a classical crossover artist with fans of all ages and also an ambassador and volunteer for Cancer Charity CoppaFeel following her own diagnosis at the very young age of 21. Joanna is passionate about bringing music back into schools and believes it is a vital part of children’s education, inspiring creativity and imagination which are key skills. In fact, we met over a workshop that she ran at my children’s school so I know first hand how powerful this can be!
In our interview, Joanna shares SO much wisdom from how to deal with rejection and be more confident, to celebrating even your smallest successes and shares her top tips for turning YOUR passion into a business.
Now I just want to apologise for some of the sound in this interview - we had a bit of interference on the line, but hopefully, it won’t stop you enjoying our conversation.
And you’ll find all the links we discuss and for connecting with Joanna in the show notes at michellereevescoaching.com/39
When I was thinking about what to talk about on today’s podcast, I had a look through my most read content over on my website and I got a bit of a shock when I saw what one of the most popular posts was about - can you guess? Not how to overcome mindset issues, become more confident or smash your goals, all topics you might expect, but a post I wrote with my top tips for how to ace your first radio interview.
Now clearly appearing on the radio is great for raising your profile and can do wonders for your business, but nevertheless, I was a bit surprised that this post got so much attention.
But then I remembered how I felt when I first appeared on the radio. Back then I was a full-time writer and blogger and the face of the Noom healthy living mobile app and I was interviewed about the app on a popular local radio show. I was so excited to get the call inviting me to appear on the programme but once that excitement died down, the nerves started kicking in for sure. Appearing on the radio can be a daunting experience - after all, you’re entering the homes of thousands of people LIVE – a real privilege and a fantastic opportunity to get the message out about your product, your service, your client or your blog, but also the potential to turn a lot of potential clients, customers or readers off.
So I thought it would be fun and hopefully useful to share my tips for how to prepare for your first radio interview in today’s show. And even if you’ve done a few radio appearances, there will probably be a few tips in here that you can use too.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Get 2020 Ready Planning Workshop: michellereevescoaching.com/2020
My favourite social media scheduling tool: michellereevescoaching.com/promorepublic
Today I’m delighted to welcome actress Lisa Tyrrell to the show. Lisa has appeared in Four Kids and It (with Michael Caine), Urban Traffik and TV series Ripper Street plus the highly acclaimed play “AFearAndLoathingActorInDublin” at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to name but a few.
As you’ll hear in our interview, despite her acting credentials Lisa has had to deal with some major mindset challenges and took an interesting path to overcome them, leading her to travel abroad and change her whole life. Lisa shares her thoughts on mindfulness, on taking personal responsibility for your craft, showing up every day to do the work, why you shouldn’t always believe your thoughts and a sneak peek into another major change she’s making soon.
You’ll find all the links for this episode in the show notes at michellereevescoaching.com/37
Get 2020 Ready! Virtual online planning workshop: michellereevescoaching.com/2020
Get $30 off an annual plan with social media scheduling tool PromoRepublic until the end of the month at michellereevescoaching.com/promorepublic
Let's stay connected! Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and don't forget to join me in The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group.
In this shorter than usual episode, I'm chatting about pain. We tend to think of it like that 'ouch' when we tread on a toy in the middle of the night but as entrepreneurs trying to start or grow our businesses, it can be so much deeper than that. I'm also sharing 5 quick tips for moving from pain to progress.
If you have any comments or questions do get in touch by email to michelle@michellereevescoaching.com or connect with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter - come and say hi!
Today I’m delighted to welcome Kirsten Rees to the show not only because she helps business owners and other authors like me to make sense of the craziness in our heads and get it into a book we can share with the world, but also because her own business journey is one that I find very inspiring and I think you’re going to love it too.
Kirsten is now a coach for authors, a book editor and the founder of “Make Me A Success” but her work life didn’t start there. In fact, as you’ll hear in our interview, Kirsten took a while to find her passion and when she did, she still had a lot of things to figure out as she built her business. PLUS she had a series of incredible challenges in her personal life that she had to cope with at the same time.
In our interview you’ll hear about the mindset struggles Kirsten had to overcome, the medical diagnosis that changed her life, the habits that help keep her balanced and successful and why she had to create her own support community that she can call on when times get tough.
And if you feel like you have a book inside you that’s just waiting to come out, you won’t want to miss Kirsten’s great tips for getting started - they are golden.
You’ll find all the links for connecting with Kirsten in the show notes at http://michellereevescoaching.com/35
In episode #31 I shared some of my favourite tools that I use in my business and that episode seemed to strike a chord with a lot of you. I’m guessing that being productive is something that’s as close to your hearts as it is to mine, so today I’m going to be talking all about productivity and time management.
If you’ve been following me for a while you know how I love to be organised so this one is definitely right up my street. I’ve created a freebie for you which is a bumper ebook containing all the tips I go through plus practical exercises to help you put them into action for your business. Stay tuned to the end for the link where you can download your copy.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
One of my goals for this podcast is to share real-life stories of women who have overcome challenges to live their ideal life or help others to do just that. They may not be film stars or celebrities but they have become the heroine in their own life story, living their dreams and empowering others while staying true to themselves.
My aim with these interviews is to inspire YOU to find your passion, step out into your power set yourself exciting goals and know that you have the strength inside you to overcome your challenges and start living YOUR ideal life.
Today I’m really excited to welcome Sam Willoughby to the show just one day before one of the biggest days in her business calendar! Sam is the Managing Director of the multi-award-winning What's On 4 organisation which includes the hugely popular What’s On 4 kids online directory for children's activity providers across the UK.
When Sam left corporate life because her employer was not interested in offering her flexible working arrangements after she had her daughter, she became passionate about building a business that gave her and her whole team a better balance between work and family life. Millions of parents have used the What’s On 4 websites to help them with family life and over 20,000 have attended their live events too.
Sam was also shocked to find out that most organised children’s activities have no specific regulations and so in 2014, she brought together a Founding Team of children's activities providers and experts to launch the not-for-profit Children's Activities Association to put in place the first independent standards for all children's activities and much more to help parents, schools and nurseries across the UK.
In this frank interview, you’ll hear how Sam took the skills she’d acquired in corporate life and applied them to her new business, how she learned the hard way to create the right working environment for yourself including building in self-care early on, the importance she places on working with clients and colleagues that you really WANT to work with and how a business coach helped her to overcome some of the challenges she’s faced building the What’s On 4 brand.
As always you’ll find all the links for connecting with Sam in the show notes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Can you run a business with YouTube and a blog?
Today I’m delighted to welcome to The Ideal Life Club podcast a YouTuber who has over half a million subscribers and whose videos regularly get millions of views! Maggy Woodley, more widely known as RedTedArt is also an award-winning blogger and author passionate about inspiring parents to get crafty, try something new and explore art with their kids.
Maggy took the transferable skills from her time as a management consultant and applied them as she grew her business, building on her own passion for crafting with her children. Her 6-figure business now supports her family while still fitting in with her life.
In our interview you’ll hear how Maggy made the decision to shift out of corporate life, the steps she took to make that transition including the small, but realistic goals she set herself, the support community that she relies upon in her personal growth and development, the importance of experimenting in your business and capitalising on your strengths.
Maggy also shares her tips for getting started on YouTube without being overwhelmed, how to write a book when you have NO time, how comparing ourselves with others can be a major barrier in this and other areas of our businesses, the daily practices and habits SHE uses to maintain her energy and her tips for starting or growing a business around your passions.
You'll find the show notes and all the links at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
One of the questions I get asked the most is what the tools are that I use in my business and I have to admit I tend to gravitate towards those types of posts and podcast episodes myself too - I’m a productivity nerd for sure - so I thought that in today’s episode I would walk you through the main tools that I use day in day out in my business to improve my productivity, to manage my sales and service processes and help me manage my content, namely this podcast and my social media channels.
But I also know just how easy it is to get all gooey-eyed over NEW tools or apps for your business. I’ve definitely been there, getting all excited about a new tool that I think is going to make ALL the difference to a system or process in my business - hello shiny tool syndrome! So I'm also sharing my 5 tips for managing shiny tool syndrome so it doesn’t distract you from your key priorities, and for evaluating whether a tool is right for you.
You'll find links to all the tools I mention in the shownotes for this episode at michellereevescoaching.com/31
When Rebecca Newenham took a career break from her job as a retail buyer she began a journey of discovering what the right business was for her. In our interview, you’ll hear how she didn't want to settle for a career that didn't suit her lifestyle and was passionate about creating something bigger than herself. Rebecca shares how she overcame her fear of scaling and launching her franchise business, how working with a coach has been such a game-changer in her life and work, why she doesn't feel guilty for taking time out of her business for herself and her top tips for both starting your own business and how to start outsourcing to a support team so you can focus on the revenue-generating tasks that will build your business.
As always you’ll find all the links for connecting with Rebecca and the apps we talk about in the shownotes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
FREE Vision Board Workbook: MichelleReevesCoaching.com/visionboard
Are you struggling to get back-to-school ready in your business? I have to confess, I LOVE September - there's a certain excitement I always feel this time of year that makes me want to go out and bulk-buy notebooks and pens and plan ALL the goals. It's like there's an air of expectation, inspiration and optimism around - like the rest of the year is a blank page ready to be written.
But look, if September arriving on your doorstep made you stop and weep because you haven't made as much progress on your goals so far this year as you’d hoped, you're not alone. It can be crazy hard to leave the summer behind and buckle down in your business.
So in today's episode, I'm taking some fun inspiration from that back-to-school feeling and sharing my top six tips for getting back to school in your business. Plus, I'm sharing 6 nasty goal gremlins that can hold you back and how to stop them from axing your ambitions for the rest of the year. There’s also a great freebie for this episode which will save you time AND effort in your social media planning!
LINKS:
Overcome Overwhelm FREE mini-course
EP #12: My simple four-step system for success
FREEBIE: 31 days of social media prompts - grab your copy in The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group
Welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast. When Sally Bunkham launched Mum’s Back, a gift hamper company focusing on New Mum’s, she wanted to focus on all the delicious treats that we have to avoid during pregnancy, but more than that, Sally wanted to launch a social enterprise that raised awareness of postnatal depression, something that she herself suffered from.
In our interview you’ll hear how passionate Sally is about breaking down the stigma of mental health issues, how starting Mums Back became a kind of ‘creative cure’ to help her cope with the feeling of losing her identity when she became a Mum and the steps she took to start her business without investing a ton of money upfront. Sally also opens up about the guilt she struggles with, shares how important having a business coach was for her, how she finally started being visible in her business and a particular way of planning her work which keeps her productive with less pressure. Finally as the queen of PR, Sally shares some killer tips for getting your business visible in the media.
As always you’ll find all the links for connecting with Sally in the shownotes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
The Ideal Life Club Podcast is taking a mini-break for August and will be back in September with more amazing guests and tips for living your ideal life.
Hey there and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast. Have you ever created a vision board? If not, or if you haven't always been satisfied with your results, today's episode is for you. I’ll be sharing why you should have a vision board, what it is (and what it isn't), the steps you must take before you get creative, how you can use vision boards powerfully in different areas of your life to empower and drive your vision, and exactly what tools and materials you need to get started.
Plus there’s a great freebie for this episode that you can download to help you get started creating your OWN vision board TODAY.
LINKS:
Free Vision Board eBook: michellereevescoaching.com/visionboard
Free Overcome Overwhelm online course: michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
Join the Ideal Life Club Facebook Group at michellereevescoaching.com/ideallifeclub
One of my goals for The Ideal Life Club podcast is to share real-life stories of women who have overcome challenges to live their ideal life or help others to do just that. They live their dreams and empower others while staying true to themselves. And this week's episode is NO exception featuring the amazing @julietmcgrattan.
Following a 16 year career as a GP, Dr Juliet McGrattan took a long hard look at her life. Taking a career break led to a complete life change where she has had to overcome financial challenges, fears about other people’s opinions and guilt about leaving her GP practice. She is now the author of an amazing book which I think is a must-have for any woman’s bookshelf, the global women’s health lead and UK Director of running organisation 261 Fearless and a passionate advocate for improving women’s health through being active.
In our interview, you’ll hear how Juliet discovered the transferable skills she didn’t realise she had when changed careers, how making mistakes and was an important part of learning the NEW skills she needed and some top tips for staying productive without working ALL the hours. Juliet also shares how much exercise we REALLY need to do each week to stay healthy and just how easy that can be to build that into our working day.
LINKS:
Juliet McGrattan: Facebook / Instagram / 261 Fearless / Sorted: The Active Woman's Guide to Health
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Michelle's Book: The Happiness Habits Transformation
Can you believe it's the middle of the year? With my two little people already on Summer vacation, I've been planning how I'm going to get ALL the things done while still having a ton of fun with the kids. If that resonates with you, you'll love this episode where I'm sharing how I make sure I hit my top goals for the rest of 2019 without sacrificing the summer or my sanity. I walk you step by step how to review where you are right now, where you want to get to and how to get there - grab your journal because this is an actionable episode for sure!
LINKS:
Grab my free Overcome Overwhelm mini-course at michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
Have you ever felt 'alone' in your business? Or had a burning question you wish you could ask someone in a supportive space without feeling stupid or paying a huge consulting fee? If you have you are definitely not alone and you will love this week's episode of The Ideal Life Club podcast with Laura Ludlow, founder of one of my favourite networking communities, DiscovHer.
We dive deep into what led Laura to create this unique membership group including her journey from corporate life to successful business owner and the challenges she faced as a new Mum without the support network she craved.
Listen out for Laura's refreshing perspective on work/life balance, the apps that help her most in her business and the #1 piece of advice that she'd give to any aspiring entrepreneur.
LINKS:
DiscovHer.com
Overcome Overwhelm - my free mini-course to help you ditch overwhelm and get back on track fast.
Hey there, Michelle here, and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club podcast.
This week I wanted to take some time to answer a question I was asked recently and I realised I've never actually talked about it here on the show which is a major oversight on my part so apologies for that. And the question I was asked is “how exactly do you work with your clients”.
Now the reason I consider this to be a major oversight on my part is that i’m always recommending that the business owners in my ideal life club get out there, get visible and talk about what they do, however comfortable it might make them feel. And of course you already know that I'm a life and confidence coach that I’m an author, I host this podcast and I run the ideal life Club Facebook group.
But while that explains what I do it, doesn't explain how I do it.
So in this episode I'm sharing my simple 4-step framework for sustainable success and a piece of bonus content - 9 questions to ask yourself before you invest money with a personal coach this year.
LINKS:
Book a free 45 min clarity call with me here: michellereevescoaching.com/clarity
Today I’m delighted to be joined by Lucia Knight; Career Satisfaction Coach, founder of MidlifeUnstuck and author of XChange - how to torch your work treadmill, retire your boss, dump the ingrates, torment the passive-agressives, escape the toxic office, get your fierce on and design the career that lets you live, love and laugh after 40. Which might just be the best book title ever!
Lucia combines her head-hunting, management, coaching and psychology experience to help other mid-lifers to write a new career future that includes more satisfying and enjoyable work.
In our interview, you’ll hear why Lucia believes more education isn’t always the answer when you’re feeling dissatisfied in your business or career, the importance of understanding your personal ‘superpowers’ to guide you and a cool framework for finding out what YOUR superpowers are. We also talk about the difficulties she had in stepping out into the world as a new business owner, the reasons we stay often stay stuck in a job we don’t love and the steps we should - and shouldn’t - take when that happens.
Lucia also shares some of her favourite apps and books in this episode and as always you’ll find all the links in the shownotes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
How to contact Lucia: Website: www.midlifeunstuck.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-knight-midlifeunstuck/ Her "Where to Start" Guide to successful career change: https://www.midlifeunstuck.com/how-i-work Her Book XChange: How to torch your work treadmill...https://amzn.to/2WTeqYe
DO YOU PUT YOURSELF ON TRIAL?
Ok, I admit it, I’m a HUGE fan of courtroom dramas. I love the glamour and drama, the swagger and wordsmithery of the legal teams, the tension of the final decision by a jury.
And it got me thinking this week about how many of us live our lives in a courtroom because we’re constantly putting ourselves on trial!
So, in today's episode, I'm sharing 7 simple strategies to help you break free of YOUR inner judge and jury.
LINKS:
Join us in The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group
Today I wanted to tackle another topic that I’ve seen show up time and again for my coaching clients - how to deal with criticism. It's so easy to let other people’s opinions make us doubt ourselves and stop us in our tracks! Listen in as I share my top tips for stopping criticism from crashing your confidence.
Links:
Buy The Happiness Habits Transformation on Amazon
Join The Ideal Life Club Facebook Group
Review and rate this podcast on iTunes
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Today I’m delighted to be joined by Dara Ford, fashion designer and contemporary bespoke tailor for women.
As a teenager, Dara became an apprentice to Haute Couturier Elise Topell and then studied Fashion Design at the University of Westminster in London. Her Graduate collection featured in the Guardian and Evening Standard newspapers and she worked on collections for Julien MacDonald shown at London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks. After graduating, she worked in the fashion industry for several years but left behind the fast-paced world of designer fashion to pursue a slower, more sustainable path. She was tired of the limited view of beauty she saw in the world around her and wanted to create clothing that would cater to women of any age, shape and style. And so Dara Ford Designs was born. Dara’s motto is There is no perfect size. There is only the perfect fit.
In this interview, Dara shares her passion for encouraging women to make themselves a priority and her mission to help women feel great, especially at work, so they can boost their confidence, play bigger and get into the top levels of their businesses.
She also talks about how joining a networking group was a turning point for her in terms of support and the transformation she had after investing in a coach to boost her mindset, set clear goals and take action in her business with someone cheering her on.
Dara opens up about the biggest roadblock you’ll face when starting a new business (and how to overcome it), how she continues to work on overcome her own confidence issues, perfectionism and self-doubt (something that I’m sure will resonate with all of us) and shares her productivity tips, including the top 3 apps she uses on a daily basis.
And as always you’ll find all the links for this episode in the show notes at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
LINKS:
Website: https://daraford.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/daraford
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daraforddesigns/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daraforddesigns/
FREE good fit guide: www.daraford.com/good-fit-guide
Dara's top apps: Toggl / Todoist / Lucky Bitch app
Welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast. As this week is Mental Health Awareness Week, I’m sharing a special interview I did with Louise Humphrey for the Weekly YouTube Show - Pilates for Busy People.
Louise Humphrey has been teaching pilates for 17 years and is the owner and founder of Studio 44 Pilates, an online membership for Pilates practice with 10 minute only videos so there’s no excuse about fitting into your daily life. Louise is passionate about keeping the nation moving and in her weekly YouTube show she shares tips and ideas for adding movement and time for you into your busy day. In this episode of the show, specially recorded for #mentalhealthawarenessweek, she interviews me about how moving my body daily was such an important part of my mental health journey.
LINKS:
Sign up for my FREE overcome overwhelm mini course
Studio 44 Pilates - www.studio44pilates.com
Louise's weekly YouTube show
Today I’m joined by Liz Wilson, a teacher, passionate home cook and the founder of Ma Baker, an award-winning Bread Bakery.
In 2014 Liz split up with her long term partner and father of her three children. She found myself in a small house, working at the local primary school. She took a bread course as a treat, became bread obsessed overnight and eventually Ma Baker was born. She now bakes, sells and delivers up to 100 loaves on a bake day and teach bread classes 3-4 times a week that are transforming people’s lives. She’s won World Bread Awards, Great Taste Awards and was voted Best Sole Trader at the 2018 British Business Awards.
In this fascinating interview Liz shares the challenges that she’s faced starting her own business, the expectations and pressures that she had to deal with working from home, the practices that keep her sane and how she’s managed to create a work/life balance that works for her and her family. Liz’s passion for what she does and for serving her community is SO infectious and I know you’re going to love the discussions we get in to and the tips that Liz shares for starting and running a business including setting boundaries with your children, knowing when to say ‘no’, when to push forward and when take your foot OFF the pedal and how to promote your business without being sleazy or salesy. She also shares some specific tips for starting a food-based business which are golden!
But before we get started, I have to apologise for the sound at the beginning of this interview, Liz and couldn’t figure out what was causing the noise! Turns out it was the fan on Liz’s laptop… who knew it could be so loud! Stick with us though because we do fix it just a few minutes in. Progress not perfection right? But I know it’s hard to listen to podcasts when the sound isn’t 100% great so thank you for persevering with us.
FREE MINI-COURSE TO OVERCOME OVERWHELM:
www.michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
LINKS:
website: www.mabaker.london
Twitter: @mabakerbakes
Instagram: @mabakerbakes
Facebook: @mabakerbakes
Hey there and welcome back to The Ideal Life Club Podcast. I’m you’re host Michelle Reeves and today I want to chat about something that comes up time again both for my coaching clients and in our Facebook Group. In fact, it’s one of the most common issues that women in business face - self-doubt and comparing ourselves with other people.
Have you ever suffered from comparisonitis? It's so easy to compare ourselves with others but it can REALLY hold us back. So in this episode, I'm sharing why self-doubt and comparisonitis often go hand in hand and the key strategies we can use to get back on track - comparison doesn't have to be the thief of joy!
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
FREE Overcome Overwhelm minicourse: michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
Today I’m joined by former actress turned entrepreneur Charlie Day, co-founder of the franchise business Sounds Right Phonics Classes For Kids.
Sounds Right Phonics has grown from just a few classes a week to now over 40 franchises in the UK and with plans to take the business overseas, Charlie is INCREDIBLY busy. But she and her sister were always keen to ensure that their work fit around their lives as parents, and this led to their ethos and passion for empowering other women and creating flexible working opportunities for Mums.
In this candid interview, Charlie shares the tips she’s learned about being more productive including how to plan in self-care, goal-setting, time management and overcoming the fears we all have as women in business, even though she’s not naturally an organised person herself. She also talks about the importance of having a personal support community and how her training as an actress helps her deal with ‘performing’ as an entrepreneur.
And full disclosure, I have to apologise for the few ‘bongs’ you’ll hear from Charlie’s notifications - she’s a busy lady for sure!
Charlie was such fun to interview and I have to mention up front her that she is a HUGE fan of Rachel Hollis so a big shout out to her and I will put all the links that Charlie and I mention in the show notes for this episode at michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Find out more about Sounds Right Phonics Classes for kids, and follow Charlie on Facebook and Instagram.
It’s been so much fun sharing my book The Happiness Habits Transformation at events in the UK this year and today you're getting to listen to the first two chapters here on this bonus episode of The Ideal Life Club Podcast.
Also, as a special extra bonus for my listeners, I’m giving away 3 copies of The Happiness Habits Transformation. For your chance to win, share this podcast episode on social media with the hashtag #HAPPINESSHABITSTRANSFORMATIONBOOK and tag me. I’ll announce the winners on the podcast on April 25th. So tune in next week to see if you’re one of the winners.
This episode is brought to you by my book The Happiness Habits Transformation - what if your routine could make you happier every single day? Order your copy on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2SXKkxB
(Prize Draw Terms & conditions: one entry per social media channel (max 3 entries per person, one on each channel below), over 18s only, not transferable, no cash alternative, only entries which tag me and include the hashtag above will be included in the random draw.)
Facebook: facebook.com/michellereevescoaching Instagram: Instagram.com/michellereevescoaching Twitter: twitter.com/mreevescoaching
Today I’m joined by author, allergy educator and professional blogger, Emma Amoscato. Emma shares her journey from being a national features journalist who has written for The Times, The Guardian and The Independent newspapers here in the UK, to her son’s anaphylactic reaction in 2014 which led to her passion for empowering people with allergies and raising awareness to keep them safe and included.
As you’ll hear in this interview, Emma is no stranger to challenge and adversity, having had to manage not only two children with severe allergies but also her husband’s kidney cancer diagnosis, but she has turned so much of what she and family have been through into a positive resource to help others.
Emma talks openly about her own struggles with staying positive, the importance of having a personal self-care routine and how you can inform and empower yourself in the early days after receiving an allergy diagnosis AND in the following weeks and months.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
As we’re coming up to the end of the first quarter of the year, it's a great time to start planning ahead for quarter 2. So today I want to share with you my Simple 4-Step System for Planning Success. This episode is for you if you want to get crystal clear on what your big hairy goals are for the next quarter, getting into the detail of what you want to achieve AND how you’re going to get there. Plus I have a great freebie that you’re not going to want to miss out on!
Shownotes and freebie: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Today I’m joined by interior designer Sarah Davies, founder of Floella Interiors. Sarah has brought a wealth of Interior Design experience to the Cotswolds, following a career in London spanning twenty years.
In this intimate and inspiring interview Sarah shares not only the challenges of leaving behind her position in a well respected London design practice and setting up her own business, but also her own personal story including how, a year into her business, a huge and sudden personal tragedy made her see her whole life differently and led her to make some crucial changes for her happiness and her family’s future.
Sarah also shares the habits and practices that keep her positive, her top tips for overcoming the fears that so often hold us back, money saving tips for anyone who’s planning a room or home redesign and how to add colour and texture in the spaces we live and work in without breaking the bank.
As always all the links Sarah shares are in the show notes which you can find at michellereevescoaching.com/listen.
Sarah is one of the most courageous women I’ve had the pleasure to interview and I feel privileged to share her story in this episode. I hope you enjoy it too.
SPONSOR: Launch Your Blog! online course from Mothers & Shakers - discount code: MICHELLELYB
Do you know your worth? Do you see your sparkly value? Do you understand your incredible importance in the world? If these questions make you feel a bit uncomfortable, this episode is for you as I share 10 ways to help boost and maintain your self-worth.
One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the gift of believing in our inherent worth as amazing women. Without a clear understanding of our self-worth, it’s SO much harder to move forward and touch other people’s lives in a beneficial way, to be the role model that we want to be, and we can end up settling for less than we truly deserve in life.
Allowing-in toxic relationships, tolerating situations that make us unhappy, letting other people’s expectations rule our decisions… none of these things serve us. But we can let ourselves believe that somehow we’ve caused those things to happen so we have to own them.
Our identity and our value can be tied to what we believe others think of us, to what we most recently achieved (or didn’t achieve), to past situations or the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves.
But all of that masks an incredible TRUTH. The truth that we are worthy just as we are right now, with all our perfect imperfections, regardless of our baggage, our past and our future.
Shownotes and FREE Vision Board eBook: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Free Overcome Overwhelm Course: michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
My book: happinesshabitstransformation.com
In this episode I’m joined by marketing expert Janine Coombes. Janine helps small businesses create simple marketing that works, using the processes she honed in her 15 years working with big brands like EE, Orange and Europcar so you get more results from the marketing efforts you put in.
In this interview, you’ll hear how difficult Janine found the transition from corporate life to running her own business, the mindset challenges she had to overcome, including battling the feeling that to be a good mum she had to replicate her own Mother’s experiences, and how she still has a wobble whenever a new opportunity arrives in her business.
We chat about the importance of being authentic in our businesses, Janine shares her tips for focusing on the fundamentals of business strategy and the aha moment that changed her life and led her to not only become more intentional in her life and work but to fronting her own band!
This was such a fun interview to record with Janine, grab a pen and paper to write down all the great nuggets she shares, and I hope you enjoy listening to it.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Free mini course: michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
Janine Coombes: janinecoombes.co.uk and linkedin.com/in/janinecoombes
Do you find yourself struggling to make decisions? Do you worry that you’ll make the wrong choice or what people will think about your choice? And why do we find it so hard to make decisions in some areas of our lives, but not in others?
If you’re anything like me, there’s been times in your life when you’ve really struggled to make a decision about something. Perhaps it was whether to apply for a new job or switch careers, what your next move should be in your business or even what to wear for a special occasion.
Now, you might think you struggled with those decisions because you’re just an indecisive person, right? That it’s part of your make-up. But decision-making is actually a skill and one that everyone can learn to be better at.
Listen in to this episode for my 8 simple steps for problem-solving.
Shownotes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Join the Ideal Life Club: michellereevescoaching.com/ideallifeclub
Sign up for my FREE Overcome Overwhelm mini-course: michellereevescoaching.com/overwhelm
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Rosie Knowles. Rosie is a practising GP, author, speaker, Mum of 2 and founder of the Sheffield Sling Surgery and Library. Her business grew from her passion for educating parents about the benefits of baby-wearing and now she lectures on the topic as well as maintaining her doctor’s practice.
Rosie is also deaf and in this candid interview, she talks about both the physical challenges she faced, setting up her fledgeling business and the difficulties she had combining all of her various roles in life.
Rosie shares her top tips for getting going when things get tough, how the right mindset helped her overcoming those challenges, the tell-tale signs that you’ve got your work/life balance wrong and the importance of not trying to do everything yourself.
Show notes & transcript: www.michellereevescoaching.com/listen
Happy Valentine's Day! Now I know traditionally Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating that significant other in your life, but in this episode I want to shake that up a bit and share with you my top 10 strategies for giving YOURSELF a bit of love today and every day.
Often as women, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and business owners, so much of our daily routines revolve around everyone but ourselves. We pour our love and attention abundantly over others but leave only a few drops for ourselves.
In our always-on world, we’ve elevated busy-ness to new heights, judge success in terms of status symbols and use social media to compare ourselves with hundreds of other women we barely know. We run ourselves into the ground, feeling guilty for taking time out for our own dreams and passions and remain last on our to-do list.
If we don’t replenish our well of self-love regularly we can become exhausted, overwhelmed, resentful even, and run to the instant highs of Netflix, sugar-fixes and flexing our credit-card muscles.
I believe that self-love isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity for us all.
Self-love isn’t selfish… it’s sustenance.
SHOWNOTES: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
In this episode I’m joined by Karen Martin, founder of award-winninng UK business My Pets Ashes. You’ll hear about the challenges Karen had to overcome to quit her corporate life and start her own business with three young children and a partner who worked away most of the week.
Karen shares the difficulties she had overcoming negative attitudes when she returned to work part time after maternity leave and the impact that had on her own confidence, how she created a business based on her own experience that now helps other people, her top tips for staying productive, the women that inspire HER and the lessons that she’s learned on her journey.
Karen also talks about her passion for changing people’s attitudes to talking about bereavement and death, particularly pet bereavement, and how important it is to have these conversations sooner rather than later.
Show notes: www.michellereevescoaching.com/listen
This week on the Ideal Life Club #odcast I'm talking about how we can begin to honour our purpose and passions more intentionally in our lives and sharing a couple of exercises that YOU can do to explore this for yourself.
In this episode I interview Claire Grace, founder of The Assistant Quarters. Claire talks candidly about the challenges she had to overcome when starting her business including coping with the grief and loss of multiple miscarriages. She also talks about the importance of having clarity and vision and shares tips and apps for staying productive, motivated and organised. Show notes: michellereevescoaching.com/listen
I am definitely Anti-New-Year’s-resolutions! So in this episode, I’m going to share with you an alternative way to stay inspired and motivated about your goals - PLUS I’ve created a free workbook you can download to get started right away.