https://www.helencollard.com/pathway

I use AI most days. I use it to help me think things through, organise my ideas, write things, create things, troubleshoot things and, occasionally, to tell me where the bloody button is in Kajabi. 

But I’ve also learned that you have to be very careful about how much you let it take over.

In this episode, I’m talking about how I actually use AI in my business — including some of the times ChatGPT has been brilliant, some of the times it has been spectacularly wrong, and some of the times I’ve had to say, “No. That isn’t what I said.”

I talk about using ChatGPT as a thinking partner and a kind of mirror: something that can reflect patterns back to you, challenge your assumptions and help you see what you’re repeatedly talking about. That was part of the process that helped me articulate what eventually became The Next Chapter Pathway.

But there’s a big difference between using AI to help you think and asking it to do the thinking for you.

I also share what I’ve learned about AI making assumptions, hanging onto outdated information, being far too confident when it doesn't actually know the answer, producing content that sounds unmistakably AI-generated, and even completely losing the plot when I ask it to make a tiny change to an image.

And there’s a serious point underneath all the stories and the swearing.

AI can be incredibly useful. But it doesn't know what you want from your life. It doesn't know which direction is right for you. And it doesn't get to make the decisions.

Use AI as a mirror, not a map.

Let it help you explore, question, organise and create. But keep your own voice, your own judgement and your own ideas firmly in the driving seat.

Because otherwise, before you know it, you're asking a chatbot what you should do next with your life.

And frankly, that's a job for you.

In this episode I talk about:

The big takeaway:
Use AI as a mirror, not a map.

Let AI hold up the mirror. Don't let it take the wheel.

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Sometimes we don't need to completely overhaul our lives.

We don't need a new routine, a five-year plan or to become a completely different person.

Sometimes we just need to do one small thing that makes today feel a little bit better.

In this episode of An Ordinary Tuesday, I'm sharing 10 simple life hacks I've picked up from books, experience and the work I do inside The Next Chapter Pathway. They're practical things you can try today to clear your head, make a decision, change your environment, look after your future self and feel a little more in control.

And because I couldn't quite stop at 10, I've added a bonus tip at the end — one of my favourites.

In this episode

1. Choose your one thing Ask yourself: What's the one thing I could do today that would make the biggest difference?

2. Do a 10-minute life dump Get everything that's occupying your brain out onto paper — and then identify some things you can stop carrying.

3. Change one thing in your physical environment You don't need to declutter your entire house. Just fix one small thing that's annoying you.

4. Change the way you talk to yourself Notice the stories you tell yourself and start changing the language you use when you talk about yourself.

5. Make one decision you've been avoiding An undecided decision can take up an enormous amount of mental space. Sometimes you just need to choose the next small step.

6. Do a More Of / Less Of audit Identify five things you want more of and five things you want less of — then take one action from each list.

7. Find one thing you're spending money on that isn't making your life better Look at where your money is going and ask yourself whether it's actually buying you the life you want.

8. Create one tiny habit that makes tomorrow easier Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

9. Do something your future self will thank you for Think about the person you'll be tomorrow and make one choice today that makes their life a little easier.

10. Stop for five minutes and actually be where you are Put the phone down. Don't make it productive. Don't turn it into content. Just be there.

And then there's the bonus tip... Stop looking at how far you have to go — and look at how far you've come. Inspired by The Gap and the Gain, I talk about the difference between measuring yourself against where you want to be and recognising the progress you've already made.

Ask yourself: Where was I 12 months ago? What have you learned? What have you achieved? What have you survived? What have you started? What have you stopped? What are you better at? What's changed that you barely even notice?

Then write down 10 things you're proud of from the last year. They don't have to be impressive. They just have to be yours.

Books mentioned in this episode

The One Thing — Gary Keller & Jay Papasan

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen Covey

Take Control of Your Life — Mel Robbins

Atomic Habits — James Clear

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind — Joseph Murphy

Be Your Future Self Now — Benjamin Hardy

The Art of Spending Money — Morgan Housel

The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle

Flow — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The Gap and the Gain — Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy

One thing to take away You don't have to do all 10. Choose one. Pick the one that would make the biggest difference to how you feel today — and go and do it. Because creating a better life doesn't always require a massive change. Sometimes it's just one tiny action taken on an Ordinary Tuesday.

Sometimes we don't get to choose the next chapter.

Sometimes it arrives anyway.

In this episode of An Ordinary Tuesday, I'm talking about what happens when life changes in ways we didn't expect — and what we do when the life we thought we wanted no longer feels like it fits.

Over the last few episodes, I've talked about change, new chapters, asking ourselves what we really want, paying attention to where our lives are going and making choices, even when we're scared.

But there are some changes we don't choose.

A diagnosis.

The end of a relationship.

The loss of a job.

Financial difficulties.

Children leaving home.

Having to move.

Or simply waking up one day and realising that something you once wanted desperately is no longer right for you.

In this episode, I share some of my own experience of navigating unexpected change.

I talk about becoming an empty nester, leaving a house that I once thought was my dream home, and the gradual realisation that sometimes a life can look right on the outside but stop feeling right on the inside.

This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's about recognising when something has changed.

It's about allowing yourself to acknowledge that what once worked might not work anymore.

And it's about understanding that you don't always have to make one huge, dramatic decision.

Sometimes the next chapter begins with one small movement in a different direction.

In this episode, I talk about:

What happens when life changes in ways we didn't choose

The experience of becoming an empty nester

When a dream can slowly stop feeling like a dream

Recognising when something in your life no longer fits

The difference between choosing change and adapting to change

Why you don't need to have the whole plan figured out

How small movements can eventually lead to much bigger changes

Learning to navigate uncertainty when you don't yet know what comes next

A question to think about: What has changed in your life that you might still be trying to make fit, even though it no longer feels right?

You don't have to know what to do about it yet.

You don't need to have a five-year plan. But sometimes the first step is simply being honest enough to notice it.

The Next Chapter Pathway If you're at a point in your life where you know something needs to change — but you're not entirely sure what comes next — I've created The Next Chapter Pathway to help you work through it. It's a space for building the foundations for whatever comes next, working on yourself, your work or business, and the life you want to create. Find out more about The Next Chapter Pathway here: THE NEXT CHAPTER

FREE DOWNLOADS - you'll find all my free downloads HERE

If you'd like to connect with me on Instagram, you'll find me @Helen__Collard — The Next Chapter.

And if this episode resonated with you, I'd love it if you followed the podcast and shared it with someone who might need to hear it.

Let's walk this journey together.

I've made some big, brave changes in my life—but I've often made them while carrying fear and self-doubt with me.

In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between changing your circumstances and changing the way you see yourself, why I believe the inner work matters, and why I've finally decided to put myself—and this podcast—out into the world.

I'm also introducing something I've been quietly building behind the scenes: The Next Chapter Pathway.

In this episode, I'm talking about confidence, visibility, authenticity and something I've learned about making big changes in life.

I've made plenty of big decisions.

I've changed direction, gone back to university in my late forties, home-educated my daughter, moved house and repeatedly stepped into situations that felt uncertain and frightening.

So this isn't a story about someone who used to be too scared to do anything and suddenly became brave.

I've often done the thing anyway.

I've felt the fear and done it anyway.

But what I've learned is that you can change your circumstances without necessarily changing what you believe about yourself.

You can move somewhere new and still take your old insecurities with you.

You can start a business and still believe that someone else is more qualified than you.

You can stand up in front of a room and deliver a presentation while privately wondering whether everyone else knows something you don't.

You can make big, bold decisions—and still be doing them from a place of fear.

Over the last few years, I've spent a great deal of time doing the inner work. I've looked at the beliefs I hold about myself, the stories I've carried with me and the reasons I sometimes looked outside myself for validation.

And that work has changed something.

I'm still capable of feeling nervous. I still have an inner critic. But I'm much less concerned about whether everybody approves of what I'm doing.

And that has made it easier to become visible.

Recently, I made what felt like another big, brave move: I put this podcast out into the world and shared it with people I know.

And that might sound like a very small thing.

But a year ago, I would have worried about who might see it.

What would former colleagues think?

Would people think I was ridiculous?

Would they wonder who I thought I was?

Instead, something rather lovely happened.

People were kind.

People were supportive.

And many of the people whose opinions I had worried about simply said, in one way or another: of course you're doing this.

It reminded me that sometimes the stories we tell ourselves about what other people think are just that.

Stories.

And it also reminded me why I believe the work we do on ourselves matters.

Because confidence isn't always about becoming louder.

It's not about pretending to be somebody else.

For me, confidence has increasingly come from knowing who I am, understanding what I bring to the table and being prepared to let other people see it.

I've been quietly building something behind the scenes called The Next Chapter Pathway.

I've created it for people who want to make positive, intentional changes in their lives—even if they don't yet know exactly what those changes need to look like.

It's built around four connected pillars:

Build Your Foundation — getting clear on what you want, what matters and where you're going.

Build Yourself — strengthening your mindset, confidence, identity, energy and boundaries.

Build Your Business — creating work and income that reflects who you are and supports the life you want.

Build Your Life — creating more freedom, fulfilment, choice and space for what matters.

I've created the Pathway because I don't think these areas of our lives exist in isolation.

You can have a brilliant business idea but struggle to put yourself out there.

You can achieve everything you thought you wanted and still find yourself asking:

Is this actually the life I want?

You can know that something needs to change without knowing exactly where to begin.

The Next Chapter Pathway is designed to give you ideas, tools and space to explore what comes next—and then start building it.

You'll find short, focused lessons, practical exercises and worksheets, journaling prompts, tools and resources, with new content added every week. There's also a private community and two live community conversations with me each month.  

If you'd like to find out more, you can explore the Pathway here:

Explore The Next Chapter Pathway

I also talk in this episode about my dear friend Kevin.

Kevin was one of those people who genuinely believed that you could decide what you wanted and go after it.

When we were younger, he worked in an office job—but what he really wanted to do was fly.

So he did something about it.

He started with gliding, progressed through flying and eventually built a career training pilots.

He had a photograph above his desk of a tiny kitten looking into a mirror.

And in the mirror, the kitten saw a lion.

I've thought about that photograph a lot over the years.

Kevin died unexpectedly when he was just 63.

And losing someone reminds you of something important.

We don't have forever.

None of us knows how many ordinary Tuesdays we have left.

So perhaps there comes a point when we have to stop waiting for the perfect time.

Stop waiting until we feel completely ready.

Stop assuming that we'll get around to it one day.

And start asking:

What do I want?

What needs to change?

And what is one thing I could begin doing now?

I talk about:

You can make the big move, start the business, change the job or completely reinvent your life—and still take your old fears with you.

Sometimes changing your life isn't just about changing what's happening around you.

It's about changing what you believe is possible for yourself.

I've created The Next Chapter Pathway as a practical, flexible space to help you work out what comes next—and start building it.

If you're ready for change but you're not entirely sure what that change needs to look like, you can find out more here:

Explore The Next Chapter Pathway

I've spent several years doing inner work with To Be Magnetic, and I mention some of that work in this episode.

Their work around limiting beliefs, authenticity and the patterns we carry with us has been an important part of my own journey.

→ Join TBM and use code HELEN5607 for 15% off

This is an affiliate/referral link, which means I may receive a commission if you choose to join through my link, at no additional cost to you. I've personally used To Be Magnetic and only share resources that I've genuinely used or believe may be useful.

An Ordinary Tuesday is my podcast about real life, change, growth and the messy business of working out what comes next.

In each episode, I explore questions such as:

What do I actually want now?

Who am I becoming?

What needs to change?

How do I become more confident and trust myself?

How do I build a life, career or business that gives me more freedom, meaning and fulfilment?

I'll be talking about confidence, mindset, identity, relationships, work, business, money, personal growth and the sometimes messy business of trying to work out what comes next.

There are no promises of a perfect life.

No pressure to hustle.

And no requirement to have everything figured out.

Just honest conversations, useful ideas and the occasional reminder that your life doesn't have to be completely extraordinary to be worth paying attention to.

Because sometimes an ordinary Tuesday can be the day you decide to do something differently.

I've created The Next Chapter Pathway because I know how easy it is to spend years building a life around other people's needs, expectations and priorities.

At some point, you get to build something with yourself at the centre.

The Pathway brings together four connected areas of life:

Build Your Foundation. Get clear on what you want, what matters and where you're going.

Build Yourself. Strengthen your mindset, confidence, identity, energy and boundaries.

Build Your Business. Create work and income that reflects who you are and supports the life you want.

Build Your Life. Create more freedom, fulfilment, choice and space for what matters.

You don't need to have everything figured out before you begin.

That's what the Pathway is for.  

Find out more about The Next Chapter Pathway

I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode.

Instagram:
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Website:
Helen Collard

The Next Chapter Pathway:
Explore the Pathway

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Have you ever looked around at your life and thought:

“Well… how did I get here?”

Not because everything is terrible. In fact, maybe your life looks pretty good from the outside.

But perhaps you didn't consciously choose quite as much of it as you think.

In this episode, I’m exploring intentional living — and why I think the phrase sounds a bit bloody “life-coachy”, but the idea behind it is actually really useful.

Because so much of our lives happens through habit.

We wake up. Check our phones. Work. Shop. Eat. Scroll. Repeat.

And nothing particularly terrible happens.

But how much of that day did we actually choose?

We look at how habits can quietly become decisions, why the default isn't necessarily what we want, and how small deliberate choices can make an ordinary life feel much more like your life.

I use one of the least glamorous examples imaginable — going to the supermarket — to show how intentionality can change everything from what you buy to how you spend your time, money and attention.

We also get into:

And, obviously, there are cats.

And bananas.

And an unnecessarily large box of crisps.

And quite a lot of Talking Heads.

Because music is part of how I make sense of the world — and Once in a Lifetime is a pretty perfect soundtrack for the question at the heart of this episode:

How did I get here?

Maybe intentional living isn't about controlling your life.

Maybe it's about becoming awake enough to notice that you're choosing it.

And sometimes, the most important choices aren't the big dramatic ones.

They're the ones you make on an ordinary Tuesday.

What are you doing because you consciously chose it — and what are you doing simply because that's what you do?

You don't have to change everything.

Just notice.

And then choose one thing.

Once in a Lifetime — Talking Heads
A recurring musical reference throughout the episode, particularly around the question: “How did I get here?”

How Habitual Is Everyday Life?
A 2025 ecological momentary assessment study exploring how frequently everyday behaviour is habitually initiated and executed.

Be Your Future Self Now — Benjamin Hardy
The book I reference when talking about the relationship between our past narratives, our present choices and the future we are creating.

Who Gets Your Attention?

Why you're busy all day but still not getting the things that matter done.

Have you ever got to the end of a day and thought: "What have I actually done today?"

You've been busy. You've answered emails, dealt with other people's problems, checked your phone, remembered things, worried about things... And yet the thing you actually wanted to do is still sitting there. Untouched.

In this episode, I start with a very ordinary problem: my dog's insurance went up by 30%. What followed was a ridiculous chain of emails, comparison websites, ChatGPT, a chatbot, more waiting — and, most importantly, a problem that kept taking up space in my head long after I had stopped actively dealing with it.

And it got me thinking: How much of our mental energy is being taken up by things that don't actually deserve our attention? And even more importantly: Who is deciding where your attention goes?

In this episode, I explore:

Why being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're moving forward

The hidden cost of constant interruptions

Why your phone isn't always the problem — and why it's not as simple as "just put it down"

How even using ChatGPT can become a form of distraction

Why worrying about other people's lives can sometimes become procrastination

The uncomfortable possibility that your brain may be distracting you from things that feel difficult or uncertain

How to identify what is actually important and what is simply noise

Using The One Thing to identify what will genuinely move the needle

Time blocking and working with your own energy

The Eisenhower method for deciding what to do, schedule, delegate or delete

A simple way to quiet the mental chatter

Why I've stopped calling my To Do list a To Do list Instead, mine is now: Things That Will Move the Needle Forward.

Because this isn't really about becoming more productive. It's about becoming more deliberate about what gets your attention.

Your attention is finite. And if everyone and everything else gets first dibs on it, what is left for you?

Your goals.

Your ideas.

Your relationships.

Your future.

Your next chapter.

Your challenge this week:

Don't try to overhaul your life. Just notice.

Notice what interrupts you. Notice what you reach for.

Notice what thoughts keep coming back.

Notice what's actually urgent.

Notice what's important.

And notice what is, quite frankly, none of your business.

Then choose one thing that will move you forward — and give it your attention. Because the big changes start with the small things we do on ordinary days. On an ordinary Tuesday.

I'd love to know... What's currently getting more of your attention than it deserves? And what would you give that attention to instead?

Your New Life Will Cost You Your Old One

What if the life you really want comes with a cost?

Not just a financial cost — but the cost of approval, comfort, certainty, relationships, and sometimes the identity you've built around the person you thought you were supposed to be.

In this episode, we move from the question “What do I really want?” to the much more practical question: “Okay… so how do I actually build it?”

I talk honestly about the financial reality of creating more freedom and space in your life, including my own experience of deliberately choosing a life with less income but more time, space and freedom.

Because this isn't about pretending money doesn't matter. It's about working out how to make the things that matter to you coexist.

We explore: Why creating your next chapter may have a cost The difference between a dream and a strategy

Why fear often disguises itself as “being realistic”

What your favourite parts of your current job might be telling you

How to identify the things you're willing to do consistently

Why resilience is easier when you find your tribe

How other people's fears can become disguised as advice

Why you don't need to burn down your old life to create a new one

What happens when change isn't your choice

Why your next chapter doesn't need to be perfect — just increasingly yours

This week's journal prompts

What do I want?

Why do I want it?

What matters enough to me that I'm prepared to prioritise it?

What am I prepared to say no to?

What strategy do I need to make it possible?

What will I consistently do, even when nobody is watching or applauding?

What do I want more of?

What do I want less of?

And finally: “I am deliberately rebuilding. I know what I'm building towards, which makes it easier to decide what deserves my time.” Your life doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be increasingly yours.

In this episode, Helen shares why lasting change rarely happens in life's dramatic moments. More often, it begins on an ordinary Tuesday—when we pause long enough to ask ourselves a different question.

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or as though you're living a life that looks good on paper but doesn't quite feel like your own, this conversation is for you.

Take ten quiet minutes today and ask yourself:

What do I actually want?

Not what you think you should want.
Not what would impress other people.
Not what feels sensible.

Just... what do you want?

Write whatever comes up without editing or judging yourself.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.

You can find more resources, coaching and community at The Next Chapter Collective, where we're building businesses, confidence and lives with intention—one ordinary Tuesday at a time.

What if the biggest changes in our lives don't happen on milestone birthdays or New Year's Day?

What if they happen on an ordinary Tuesday?

In this very first episode I'm introducing myself, sharing a little of the journey that's brought me here, and explaining why I finally stopped waiting for everything to be perfect before pressing record.

We talk about the unexpected twists life throws our way, from breast cancer as a new mum to supporting my husband through young-onset Alzheimer's, rebuilding my life in my late fifties, moving home, starting a new business, and discovering that joy often lives in the smallest moments.

This isn't a podcast about having all the answers.

It's about asking better questions.

If you're navigating change, building something new, wondering what's next, or simply looking for honest conversations that blend business, life, resilience, AI, menopause, money mindset, gardens, dogs and everything in between...

...pull up a chair.

The kettle's on.

Please follow the podcast so you don't miss future episodes.

If someone came to mind while you were listening, I'd love it if you shared this episode with them.

You never know...

It might just become the ordinary Tuesday that changes something.