Client Experience with Helen & special guest Sarah

I just assumed that confidence was all these things that in my head, they were just, it wasn't any of these things that I built it to be. You're not meant to know how to everything, you know, but we have this pressure upon us that it's as though we should do. And such a small thing really stuck with me. Who wants to be an entrepreneur?

This isn't a quiz show. This is reality. A real-life discovery of what it really takes to be an entrepreneur. Hello, everyone.

I want to welcome you to an amazing client of ours and mine who's worked personally with me on her one-to-one coaching, personal development, and everything that we can customise as growth within this individual. Sarah, welcome to the Hope to Be an Entrepreneur podcast. Sarah is um based over in the the northwest of England have we had any sun over there today Sarah have you been yeah it's been lovely I've been making the most of it this afternoon for a couple of hours once I finish work I cannot fault you at all well done you and that's definitely banked into your hashtag you first health bank um for taking some time out for yourself and the sun has been um fantastic over here in there in Yorkshire too but I've not been out in because I'm suffering massively from hair fever right now.

So I'm glad somebody's enjoyed some of this. But Sarah and listeners, I want to bring to you this amazing client insight and perspective about coaching. We've run several of these interviews before and had several people on the podcast so that others can understand the process, because obviously a lot of coaching is done behind the scenes, right? We have our private sessions in person or via Zoom, one-to-one, where other people don't get to find out, and rightly so, what we discuss, what we cover, and what we kind of unpack and work on for you.

So I'm just going to set the scene a little bit. You was introduced to us by your partner, wasn't you? and actually bought a ticket to one of our online workshops, because this was in COVID times. COVID times.

We sound like mega historians, don't we, when we say that? But you was bought a ticket for an online workshop with us at Christmas 2020. So that's when you was introduced to us as the brand and our workings and what have you there. Then fast forward a few months, and you took the plunge, basically.

to have personal development coaching one-on-one with myself back in March 21. You came to me Sarah with a couple of reminders here you probably don't need reminding this is for the context of other people. Lack of confidence right ranked high on your list of what you wanted to address. Judgment and judgment of others, the fear of judgment and feeling undervalued in your current scope your current position etc etc okay I want you to just explain a little bit more about those and do those situations now feel alien to you when you hear those um they don't now it's very bizarre um so I remember my first session with you was all about confidence everything around confidence and it was very eye-opening to what confidence is um as you just assume you just I well I just assumed that confidence was all these things that in my head they were just as it wasn't any of these things that I that I built it to be um and it took me a long time um and I'm still working with confidence um but now confidence yeah I've just grown so much in confidence it feels like it was a lifetime ago that we had that um coaching session and in terms of how far I've come with it all um so yeah that's that's just been huge what was it that you pitched on um confidence what was it that you thought was kind of like unreachable for you um I just had so many fears um that I just built in my head that all these things that I wanted to achieve I that I couldn't do because it was it was my limiting self-beliefs basically um I stopped myself from feeling confident maybe other people's perceptions things that have happened in the past that have not my confidence and I've instead of not focusing on them because they're not serving me going forward I've just kind of been like well this situation happened and because this one person has said one thing to me that means like I'm not good at that and I don't know how to move forward and make any changes on that front whereas now if somebody says something to me and I'm just like right that's your opinion this is how I feel and you know I move on from it and I don't dwell on these things like I used to I used to really dwell on them and it used to really affect my um my confidence and my ability to be able to do things and this was incredibly important for you at this time um work-wise and the employment that you was in um at the time and then you also came um to me with the fact that you wanted to back yourself and start your own business branding photography and get all set up in that respect but because then confidence lacked within you and your belief systems you know we had to work through that to ensure that that then happened so you know the vision that you did have and the dreams and things that seemed a little bit out of reach for you we put into practical reality for you of well why can't you do that yeah absolutely um and it wasn't even like they felt like they wasn't really in reach it felt like they would never actually happened like it didn't feel possible for it to happen because to sell your own business is one thing but having no experience um no real knowledge about business um so then be like oh yeah I gonna go and set up my own business which is absolutely terrifying for me um and having met um my partner Adrian he was the one that has given kind of started the building my confidence around things being able like to push me um and it was actually during um the goal setting workshop that um that I attended with yourselves and that I can't remember it was you or Lauren but one of you said change nothing nothing changes and such a small thing really stuck with me and it was from there that I was like I've been in my job for at the time I think it was about 12 years and I was like I can't carry on like this I need something to change but I didn't know how to make the change which is why I joined yourself for the coaching because I knew I needed the change I just didn't know how to get there yeah but you're always very open-minded with that and you know a lot of people don't necessarily know the how because that's the stuff that you feel as though you're meant to know but you don't and nothing's easy unless you know it right and anything like that you know is daunting anyway I can remember when you know when I first came out of um my sort of employment situation in the corporate world as it was um I didn't know how you know I reached out got support I was um I was under mentorship I had coaching myself I'd got I'd gone to events I'd gone to much like you have when you've then specialized and trained in your your industry and your sector of what your business and your brand is now is now live in you know it's exactly the same and it's like you're not meant to know how to everything you know but we have this pressure upon us that it's as though we should do but you were always very open-minded over growth you was very open-minded over how we get there when we get there and and trusting in that respect and you wanted to change you did want to change no matter how petrified you were of that change and I remember in the early days and I'm sure you won't mind me you know sharing this I'm not I'm not saying it's a embarrasser in any way but I remember how scared you was yeah whereas now I could I would absolutely put money on it if I said to you and set you a challenge are and you just do it you're like awesome yeah you know get your teeth stuck straight into it um and get straight onto it um but you were genuinely scared weren't you up front like yeah you know like the fear did set in you you know we discussed things and you know you would be you would be I could see the fear within you and that that you know that came out in terms of like emotional senses and things like that but you did want to change and it's that want to change which in my mind is imperative how important was that want to change regardless of how scared you were to change how important was that to you that that was that overpowered the fear because I knew like I said that quote just really and it still to this day sticks with me um that if you want something to change but you keep doing the same thing every single day I was going to the same workplace I was around the same people nothing was progressing in my life into in that sense and yeah you have to want to change you have to it needs to be that needs to be your soul focus Because if you want to make the change, then you just kind of got to start taking small steps towards it rather than keep doing the same thing every day.

And I think that's one of the things, one of the many things that I learned as well is, you know, it doesn't, wanting change doesn't need to be this big end goal. And like, because that's absolutely terrifying. Like if you told me 12 months ago that my studio and my photography would be where it is now, I'd be like, yeah, whatever. I would not believe it um and I remember the fears around my first shoot and how terrible like I couldn't sleep for that week before because I was just so terrified about how wrong it was going to go and I just wanted it to be the best um I wanted to make sure my clients were happy and you just need to remember that you're learning and it's growth and you're never going to be perfect but as long as you're taking them steps and you're making small changes that you will eventually get to the next level and then you get to that level and you're like wow how did I get here and then it's kind of like and then that builds that confidence because now I'm like right okay now I've got that next step that I didn't think I could achieve what can I achieve from that and it's just some small steps constantly um that just pushes me forward and just keeps that motivation in me and seeing my change but you have to be so open you have to just especially with the coaching you just kind of have to let go of everything that's happened you have to break everything down and you know address things that have been issues that still um affect you now um and it's addressing them and letting go of them and moving on from them that I find quite difficult at the time and now it's funny because when I think back over some of the sessions we had and like how at the time some of these sessions like some of the things we might have discussed might have been quite minor to some people but for me they were huge and overcoming them and just like look back now and I'm like as if that was even a deal like as if that was even bothering me yeah it's just crazy but that said as well it's like and obviously I'm not going to go into detail because that you know that is confidential but that said over those issues that you then say was that even a deal because you look back at it there were actually things that you were holding on to and have been carrying around for like life yeah you know and they they did hold you back and you know there were times when we had some real frank open honest transparent discussions where you're just like you laid everything out on the table to me and this is what I'm saying in terms of you being open-minded you know wanting to change and actually committed because this is not anything that you can just achieve over having a couple of um motivational sessions you know taking a few quotes towards things this is like serious internal work for you um and you know you did that with with so much level of decorum and trust in me that you know you can probably look back on it now and go I can believe I carried that around with me for all my all of those many years um because it does manifest into something more than what it actually is when you do unpack it all doesn't it yeah um and you know you hit the nail on the on the rest of it Sarah what you hit the nail on the head on the rest of it what you said um over you know what it requires from you and the motivation is kind of sometimes there and sometimes not um because there were times over the 12 months weren't they where you know you are taking three steps forward and sometimes it felt like four steps back and you're just like well I'm in a worse off situation or I've gone I've gone backwards on things and how did you manage that you said about the small steps and reminding how far you've come but how did you manage it for you and your own sort of mental state at the time um I remember having some sessions and I joined the session and you'd be like how's your week been and I'd be like okay and you knew instantly you were like it's not been okay like let's you know it's like let's go over it and I can't remember how many sessions we had like that um and it's like yeah it was fab that you could pick up on you know that you knew instantly that that it hadn't been a good week um but then I also had the weeks where I was just like flying I was just oh my god this has happened and like I was so excited I couldn't wait for my call to like tell you all these things that had happened and um I remember the the weeks that it just felt really hard and but it really didn't it was hard um gosh I'm getting a bit it's okay don't worry do you know what though I'll just kind of cover in there where you just compose yourself um it's it was hard Sarah because you put the work in you weren't you weren't sorry for swearing here but you weren't bullshitting yourself yeah you knew there were things that you had to deal with and overcome and that does get kind of like pulling on the heartstrings and pulling on the sentimental stuff and the emotional stuff and there's nothing wrong with that yeah you know I said to you from day one your commitment and your level of allowance around your vulnerability is what has moved you forward yeah without a shadow of a doubt and that is what you should be proud of and I know you are immensely proud of yourself and you've even said to me in the past I'm so proud of myself I didn't even think I could be as proud of myself as I am yeah yeah I know you said that and you should be and that is because you've allowed all of that to happen you've allowed that growth to happen and if that still brings tears out and leaks in your eyes then allow that to happen every day of week because you know it's absolutely fine to do so yeah so I think like when I when it when it was hard um you've just it's lowering yourself time taking time out I think that's the biggest thing because if I ever joined a session with you and you and there was a couple of times when you was like we can't carry on today because you it would just like I said it would just I would just been overwhelmed you couldn't give me any more information and to just take some time out for myself and you know there was a couple occasions where I would just literally end the call with you and I'd go and get my walking boots on I'd go for a drive and I'd go for a walk and I was just like and then it was just kind of like just being out in nature I love being outdoors anyway but just having that time out to just evaluate evaluate what had happened why I was feeling the way I was feeling um and then kind of being like right how can I move forward from that because although this is how I am emotionally feeling towards something that doesn't mean that that's got to carry on and keep affecting me and yeah it was just kind of giving myself time to understand why I was feeling a certain way and then how I could move forward from that um because otherwise otherwise you're like oh I need to do this I need to get this done and then you just become overwhelmed with too much information you don't digest and take anything positive from it um and I remember when I did have them weeks were really hard and you're like they'll get easier like you'll have a dip but it won't feel like you've hit rock bottom and it was only when it happened a few times I realized like when I did dip it was nowhere near as bad as the time before because I'd learned to deal with it better so my emotions everything that I did how I responded to something everything changed so that it wasn't as difficult but at the time when he was like it won't be as bad next time and I'm like well I don't want this to be next time to start with but it I didn't quite understand it until you start doing it and I think that that's you know um something else is like until you start your journey into change and moving yourself forward and building on your confidence and all these other things that I've learned about my mindset um just so many things um and set myself goals I mean I had um a few goals that I'd set myself that um I achieved that I thought was unachievable and that was once you start doing things like that you start to achieve these goals and you're like I really did not think that would ever happen it kind of you know it's just all these things that you do that just build on that confidence and just remind you of where you're going you are absolutely a transformation in yourself and you know you worked with me for just over 12 months um in the end and even you know going on from that and hearing how you deal with things what you've learned you know how you how you construct all of that in your own mind how you use your toolkit you know what's resonated with you and you still pull out to use today um it it blows my mind but I know I know it because I know this stuff works But when I see you and I see how far you've come in yourself, in your own confidence, being comfortable in your own skin and relaying everything over what you've just done and learn and continue to learn makes me feel immensely proud of you.

So much so. I want to ask you what been your biggest learning I think taking the first step and you just go in I honestly mean this, if you are considering coaching, just do it. It's such a difficult thing because I remember with Adrian and he was like, I don't know what I'm going to get from it. And he was just all these fears.

you know we need and I was the same I was like I don't know what I'm going to get from but I need change I need something to happen and it was honestly it's the best thing that I've done because although I was on a I was on my own journey and I was moving forward and I was doing things that were building my confidence I wouldn't be where I am now without the coaching with yourself and because you just helped me just work on so many things that just had such an impact on me that just stopped me from moving forward and um so yeah I think it's just going with it you know just kind of make you know just just being like just go just do it and yeah it's just all on a whole like everything has just been amazing like I can't really pinpoint um one certain thing yeah it's quite it's quite difficult is there anything that you would say surprised you the most?

Just how I am today, just how confident I am, just how my business is growing and the value and so having done the coaching with yourself I've realised that I need to spend more time and money on myself in terms of self-development and my business and so I've been investing in training for my photography training for new bones for weddings 12 months when I sat my coaching with you you know that was a massive step financially wise that was a huge step for me but having seen the value of it it's now I know appreciate and I am now you know doing training in other areas that I know are helping me and my business grow even further so amazing amazing so talk to us now just to work to end this and and kind of wrap everything up um you've told us about how you smashed through some goals that you'd set originally um which is incredible and I remember the days when those happened and you know you were straight on the phone to me and updating me on things and yeah just I feel like I've been through every step of that journey with you um but where are you now for goals like what's next and um yeah what is set for the next sort of 12 months onwards um so my so I have come out of the job that I wasn't happy in I spent to the end 13 and a half years um in one workplace and felt like d-day um I am now employed as a photographer and funnily enough um I actually set myself a goal at the beginning this year and my um it was the HEW goals as well I still use that format and my um my goal my main goal for this year was um and it's in my bedroom still is to be new career and it was input of photographer that that was my goal um didn't know how that was going to happen and that happened within two weeks of me writing that um so yeah I am now employed as a photographer I also have my own business um that is growing um from strength to strength um I just absolutely love um everything around um what I'm doing and um yeah it's just the business is just like just come on so much I just it literally blows my mind it sounds ridiculous but how far I've come with that with the photography because I was absolutely terrified last year when when I started it up properly and didn't know how it was even going to happen and to where I am now it's just come on so much um and yeah so and then um possibly traveling um but like the idea of going taking six months out and we're in a position where that could essentially happen um by the end of this year so um yeah it's just keep growing my confidence and just keep pushing to to have a better lifestyle and enjoy enjoy it while while we're here so yeah and that is important on what you've said about enjoying it and enjoying that process even though sometimes it can be challenging but really appreciating you know what you've got how far you've come and what else there is to achieve you know your even your own perception now over goal setting and the perspective over where you are in life what comes next and everything else has changed dramatically hasn't it I know saying off camera before we uh we press record on here about um you know what's next and it's it's you know that anything now is possible because you've overcome that first huge obstacle over thinking that right okay this is my life and how can I you know how can I change it is change really for me that's been your first one now so basically you've opened the floodgates of possibility and that belief and you have been the epitome of stepping into your own excellence and now you moving on through wherever you go whether it's going around the globe for six months and and experiencing things or it's you know um expanding your business further coming out of career whatever it is you know now what is possible and you can make that happen yeah so awesome thank you so much for joining us and sharing your experience and your coaching insights and all of the positive stuff that you've shared as well on how HEW has helped you forward but I promise you everyone we have not paid for that and we do not prepare any of these and script them in advance over what any clients have said on camera or how they have divulged and shared their experiences.

So Sarah, it just leads me to say thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. And you've been an absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you.

It's been amazing working with you. Thank you. Who wants to be an entrepreneur? This isn't a quiz show.

This is reality. A real life discovery of what it really takes to be an entrepreneur.