Free and Figuring It Out

You may not know it but the 9-5 queen started the LinkedIn vs Facebook vs Instagram vs Tinder challenge that we have been seeing on our feeds over the last few weeks.

We thought it was a great foundation to discuss whether or not we do have different personalities on different platforms and does it really matter? We expand to look not just at imagery but content, language and tone.

Would you swear on LinkedIn? Would you talk politics on Tinder? Would you put an unfiltered image on Instagram?

Verity considers the types of things she posts on Facebook (election opinion, period poverty, LGBTQ+ rights) and why she doesn’t talk about that on other platforms. Charelle discusses how when she sees white privilege examples on LinkedIn she is much less inclined to comment on her true feelings due to the professional aspect of the platform.

We talk about being authentic and if there are boundaries that simply cannot cross from Tinder to LinkedIn. We look at how the same topic could be discussed and portrayed very differently depending on the typical audience of each platform and we delve into digital life vs real life.

Verity discusses the importance of being her authentic self when people ask her about her boyfriend (she has a girlfriend and corrects them for queer visibility reasons) and Charelle explores the subjectiveness of this topic and why we need to do what feels right as an individual.

Check out us having a go at the challenge ourselves on the Free and Figuring It Out Instagram.

The Dolly Parton challenge https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/24/entertainment/dolly-parton-social-meme-challenge-trnd/index.html

Bianca Miller Instagram post - https://www.instagram.com/p/B7sqy95gODx/?igshid=2osu9nxhf0hr

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, is a marketing consultant and manifestation coach, currently living in the Lake District, UK. She is bisexual, was single for 3.5 years and is in a relationship with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

In this week’s episode we are joined by self love coach and manifesting queen, Gina Swire. 

A model from 17 years old, Gina talks about how it put her in the front line of negative talk and her evolution from a straight sized model to a plus sized one. You are not good enough as you are and you need to change were messages that flooded her past career. We discuss how we are very good at remembering all the negatives and dismissing any positive comments that are made.

We go through what self-love actually means, how it lays beneath everything and the reason why life doesn’t look how you want it to. The beauty of self-love is that it covers everything and it really highlights the fact that everything is connected. 

Do you listen to your intuition? Do you see signs? How much time do you spend thinking about things you want to change?

We go through top tips for bringing more self-love into your life which are totally original and really, really great (mirrors are involved!). This is the point in the episode where you pause and give some things a try; cringing and going out of comfort zones is totally allowed! Verity asks Gina about self-love and age and it opens up a very interesting conversation regarding deep inner work and our different journeys including our self-esteem.

We discuss retreats and why they are a way to supercharge your self-development and the power of realisations to move you forward. Simple, not easy. And the transformations! Examples of what you can expect if you commit to self-love yourself. Also when your life looks amazing on the outside - and you don’t feel amazing on the inside - and the huge load of guilt that comes with that.

Gina talks about how not getting what she wanted out of her life led her to manifest the life of her dreams and we discuss how to make manifesting work for you. You are always manifesting - both things you want and don’t want - and we talk about the difference between thoughts and feelings. Also the power of like-minded people around you to help you accelerate your dream life. This episode will leave you truly wanting to love yourself and manifesting the life you desire!

Gina’s recommendations 

You’re a badass at making money https://amzn.to/2veQsdS

For the love of money https://fortheloveofmoney.com/

Find Gina at 

https://ginaswire.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ginaswire/?hl=en

Vision board workshop https://ginaswire.com/product/vision-board/

12 steps self-love transformation https://ginaswire.com/12-step-self-love-transformation/

Gina’s retreats https://ginaswire.com/retreats/

As we approach what is labelled as the ‘most depressing day of the year’ for us in the Northern Hemisphere, we wanted to give you an episode that is the total opposite!

This week we have decided to discuss the importance of knowing that you have the right to choose in your life and why this simple thing can be so empowering, You may be listening to this with only a little bit of wage left in the bank to last you until the 31st and unhappy in your job/ a relationship/ your body etc. We want this episode to give you a chance to really think about your current position and where you want to be.

Hello SAD lamps! We chat how the tiny things can ease the pain or misery of an activity or situation and provide examples of how this can be implemented into your life. Do you use excuses to cover fear? Do you feel stuck? Do you manifest good and bad? Do you complain a lot?

We look at the power of ‘I am’ and the roles the conscious and subconscious plays along with gratitude practice. Verity discusses her own relationship with being at rock bottom but changing her mindset and choosing to slowly raise her vibration each day.

The Power of Belief, and your mindset, is the number one thing that can transform your day, your year, your life. What we focus on is what grows, momentum is so vital and ensuring that you build happiness into your life is key. Build rewards into your schedule to ease the discomfort of tricky parts of your path. 

Reach out and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode around choice and the one thing you are going to do differently moving forward.

RESOURCES THAT WERE MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

Career change episode https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/changing-careers-finding-your-purpose-and-owning-failure-with-lauretta-ihonor-the-ambition-plan

Super Soul Sunday ‘I am’ with Bishop T.D.Jakes https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-4zfzy-79809b4?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share

How to embody your future self when breath is the only thing you have the strength to be grateful for

https://medium.com/@verityaimebrown/how-to-embody-your-future-self-when-breath-is-the-only-thing-you-have-the-strength-to-be-grateful-c1981023c81

The Magic of Believing https://amzn.to/2FR3aBq

Charelle Griffith’s Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

Seen as we are early into the New Year and feeling that indulgent festive season a little around the waist, we thought we would chat all things moving your bum!

Have you struggled to kick-start your year with fitness? We talk about our own approaches to getting off that sofa and using our legging attire for the actual reason they were created and not just so we can easily expand after a Quality Street sesh. From 30 day yoga challenges to dance classes to jumping in the lake. It’s important to do your best to find an exercise that you (kind of) look forward to or get some sort of results from to motivate you.

Charelle talks about her dancing background (she also drops a MASSIVE claim to fame!) which leads us on to both our journeys with fitness during our lives and how it’s change with age and priorities. Verity discusses how her move to the Lake District has been a huge part of her motivation due to the fact that everyone she knows has a regular fitness regime and are super fit!

School days come into our conversation and how it’s totally like Marmite; you were either on every team or dreaded every Wednesday afternoon. We then delve into what actually motivates us. Is it body image? Is it strength? It is health? It is super interesting hearing how we differ in this and how it has evolved.

Accountability is absolutely key in supporting you on your fitness journey and we explore all the ways you can find this, and we aren’t just talking gym buddies! And we look at role models in their 40s, 50s, 60+ and how it’s wonderful to see the strength and beauty of women many years ahead of us, making us want that too. Hello future self!

We conclude by talking about the mental health benefits of exercise and how January is a more important time than ever to look after our heads and get some good hormones rushing through our bodies!

--- Resources mentioned in this episode

Setting goals Part 1 https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/go-into-2020-with-a-plan-goal-setting-smart-goals-be-do-have-wheel-of-life

Setting goals Part 2 https://freeandfiguringitout.com/episodes/go-into-2020-with-a-plan-your-goals-taking-action-vision-boards-accountability-affirmation

Yoga with Adriene 30 day challenge https://do.yogawithadriene.com/home

My Fitness Pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ 

FREEBIE 50 $0 to become your future self, quicker https://www.theseasaltplan.com/50-0-ways-to-be-her-now

Nike Training app https://www.nike.com/gb/en_gb/c/nike-plus/training-app

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

This is a must listen episode for any woman who isn’t 100% happy in their job and is wondering what next steps to take. 

Lauretta from global career changing platform -  The Ambition Plan, which currently has 139k followers on Instagram! - is joining us today to talk all things work. If you have entered the New Year not really wanting to go back to the day job and wondering what is the career you should actually have - then this is the perfect episode for you!

Lauretta Ihonor is the expert on changing careers having gone from medicine to journalism, fashion to TV and nutrition to world of entrepreneurs. We chat peer pressure, mental health, education status and fueling your creative side. The risks of turning your passion into your career, imposter syndrome and how to quit in a healthy way.

We go deep into the importance, and bravery, that comes with listening to your inner voice and walking away from things that ‘look’ impressive to others but that don’t feed your soul. Are you multi-passionate and are concerned that this is a weakness? We talk CVs and how to build a strong one even if you feel your career path so far has been a bit flakey.

What if you don’t enjoy what you are doing but don’t have a clue what you actually want to do? Lauretta talks honestly about she knows where she wants to be right now but that’s most likely going to change as the years roll in. We discuss taking a strategic approach in regards to a heart-based challenge and the harm this can cause long term.

Ultimately, we are all just seeking stability. There is a strong importance of remembering the positives and trying not to read into people’s comments and learning to just accept them. We have a great discussion around interviews and the best way to manage them, especially if you dread them! The key is in the preparation.

Finally we chat transitioning from being a 9-5 gal to a business owner and the things you must consider before taking that leap. Looking at side hustles, work experience and the power of knowing what you are not meant to do. It’s all about the action and committing to change.

Connect with Lauretta and The Ambition Plan at https://theambitionplan.com and https://instagram.com/theambitionplan 

Lauretta Ihonor is the founder of the global career change platform The Ambition Plan. As a doctor, entrepreneur, journalist, TV producer, nutritional consultant and one-time fashion stylist, Lauretta is no stranger to the all-consuming search for passion and purpose. She created The Ambition Plan to provide high-potential women with the guidance and community they need to figure out what they want to do with their lives and start doing it.  

Nobody is thinking about you as much as you think they are

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

*Make sure you listen to part one - ep 056 - first!*

Welcome to Part Two of this mini series where we talk about going into 2020 with a plan. We start off discussing how to ensure the goals you set in part one stay at the forefront of your mind and what techniques we use to do this. From morning routines, to digital vs pen & paper and matching the action with the goal.

It’s about being very conscious and present with your goals and not allowing things to become habitual and stagnant. We talk all things vision boards and how they play an important part in the life of a goal setting girl! Verity discusses the power of visualisation and manifestation in bringing rational (and blue sky!) aims into reality.

We discuss the different types of accountability and which can work the best depending on yourself and your goals. From 121 to facebook feeds to masterminds we help you decide which is going to be best to help you achieve your goals. Verity then woo-woos it up and discusses working with the moon so you have a natural monthly ritual to set your goals to.

Affirmations are a huge part in helping you change your belief system and supporting you in bringing in your desires to your life. We talk through how to build a strong practice when it comes to these and the number one thing you must not do!

We finish talking about tracking goals and chunking them down to make them easier to measure and more achievable. Also being mindful of your own lifestyle, routines, responsibilities and downtime to ensure excuses don’t creep in and you can plan for success. PLUS the importance of celebration.

We can’t wait for you all to have the most incredible 2020’s and to share all your achievements with us!

This week’s episode is sponsored by Be Her Now, a 7 day course to help you become your desired future self more effectively by raising your vibration in the present moment. It takes just 60 minutes a day over the course of a week to learn the techniques you need to manifest the life you desire and deserve.

To download your free #behernow “50 $0 ways to start today” and be placed on the waitlist for the 7 day course, visit https://www.theseasaltplan.com/50-0-ways-to-be-her-now

Other episodes you might be interested in 

#033 Morning routines https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/free-and-figuring-it-out/e/62519384 

Other resources 

Download PropelHer’s Goaldigger Guide - https://www.propelher.co.uk/goaldiggerguide/

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

We are coming to the end of another year - and another decade also - and we know you will be most likely listening to this at some point over the festive season, so we thought it was a good chance to get some plans in motion for 2020.

This is part one of a two-part mini-series called “Go into 2020 with a plan”. In this first part, we discuss types of goal setting including SMART goals and Be, Do, Have. We talk you through the best ways to approach goal setting and how to use each technique as effectively as possible.

We also look at The Wheel of Life that helps you set goals across all areas of your life to ensure that what you are trying to achieve is balanced. 

We discuss risk, realism, relevance and research, delving into what makes an ideal goal. Also setting goals of different timelines considering where you are in life right now. Depending on the type of person you are or the goals you are setting will effect the type of technique you use.

Whether you are a newbie or a goal-setting pro, we give you the templates and our top tips to set your goals for 2020.

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt - https://amzn.to/35CgKUL

Wheel of Life - https://www.propelher.co.uk/wheel-of-life-best-tool-setting-balanced-goals/

The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington - https://amzn.to/2Q0tf5H

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

We are celebrating our first birthday (yay!) and thought it was the perfect time to reflect on the decade we are currently coming to the end of; the Tens!

We both go back to 10 years ago and reflect on what our lives looked like back then when we were 21 and 23. From moving to big cities, first jobs, building friendships and little money we see how different our lives look now. It was such a monumental decade for both of us - being in our Twenties - so evolution came more than naturally throughout the years.

Let us then take you back over all the memorable - and things you would rather forget - parts of the past 10 years from avocado on toast to prosecco, espresso martinis to athleisure and selfies to Facebook.

Do you remember when Netflix was a DVD rental by post thing? Anybody else had an iPhone 3? 

Whether you were watching Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones on the TV or Bridemaids, Frozen (eugh!) and La La Land at the cinema, the Tens was the decade where TV overtook cinema in terms of quality. We chat music that littered our decade - lot’s of girl power in there - and Charelle crushes on Beyonce whilst Verity reminisces about seeing Katy Perry in a tiny venue back in 2009! We were both reading 50 Shades of Grey (back to back btw) and on a Kindle obvs.

We finish the episode looking into the future and at the next 10 years. We chat social media, politics, the environment and our very own 10 year goals! 

Check out our Instagram to see Verity as an emo and Charelle in her oversized slogan tees!

Athleisure | Explained https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80216752

The 100 best movies of the decade https://www.insider.com/best-films-of-the-decade-2010-2019-11 

The top 50 albums of the decade https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/best-albums-decade-2010s-frank-ocean-adele-taylor-swift-kanye-west-ranked-a9204121.html 

Avocado on toast; the reason a millennial woman can’t afford a house

@thestaves 

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/ 

In today’s episode we are joined by vegan blogger and sustainable lifestyle advocate Marta Canga. She tells us about how an important moment in her life led her to read a book which began her on the road of plant-based eating and goes on to explain how other areas of her life started to slowly follow when it came to ethical living.

Whether it’s food, beauty or fashion, we explore with Marta the more sustainable side of these sectors, plus greenwashing, zero waste and travelling with a vegan diet. We get some recipes for natural beauty products we can make at home (order the Jojoba oil!) and Marta discusses her own version of sustainability and why it’s such a tricky subject to define.

Is veganism a privilege? Is sustainable fashion too expensive and inaccessible? Do you think about zero waste when you do your weekly shop?

We discuss the best way to have eco-based conversations with your friends in a way that isn’t preaching, but a healthy discussion, and also bring boys into the conversation and how you can open up about veganism and co. to your partner/ brother/ dad. 

The prominent message in this interview is that we all start somewhere and are at different points of our journey and Marta beautifully summarises what small steps we can start taking today to be more sustainable to look after ourselves and planet.

Marta is a vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable lifestyle blogger living in London.

Having begun blogging about sustainable fashion over 4 years ago, Marta is a highly respected voice in her global community. Her audience are hugely interested in sustainable fashion, vegan food, natural beauty and living an ethical lifestyle. She is a vegan fashion columnist for Simply Vegan Magazine and has worked with brands such as Lush, Waitrose and  The Body Shop.

Find her at

https://www.martacanga.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmJ1DPyGXq6w07CziDcUSQ

https://www.instagram.com/martacanga/

Resources mentioned

The China Study https://www.amazon.co.uk/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1941631568/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=52685314709&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkdzs5aqZ5gIVg7HtCh06agswEAAYASAAEgLl4vD_BwE&hvadid=259020282618&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006834&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18373285755728280897&hvtargid=kwd-317247654236&hydadcr=24403_1748879&keywords=%27the+china+study%27&qid=1575371140&s=books&sr=1-1

The True Cost of Fashion https://truecostmovie.com/ 

The Game Changers https://gamechangersmovie.com/

Happy Cow https://www.happycow.net/

#climateholocast #carbonfootprint #carboncomponsating #climatechange #recycling #extinctrebellion 

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Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/

How does the word failure make you feel? In this episode, we delve into the subject and our own journeys with it. Verity talks about how she feels it is important to ‘fail’ and understanding what you don’t want is just as important in knowing what you do want. Charelle discusses her struggle with failure and how your attitude and reaction to it makes all the difference.

Are you a perfectionist who is crippled by failure? Should we simply see failure as growth? Is there a difference between failing and being a failure?

We discuss having to risk failure to try and succeed in life and the importance of making failure your friend. Is the definition of failure subjective if you compare your own opinion of yourself to others? Verity discusses the more spiritual side in that you are sent things in life to help you grow and put you on the path of where you need to be. Charelle brings up the pressure she has put on herself in the past by putting time goals on her achievements.

What is your definition of failure for yourself? We finish the episode talking about overwhelm, setting yourself up to fail and giving yourself permission to evolve with the rhythm of life.

___

Have some feedback, a question you would like us to answer or a topic suggestion?

Drop us an email at [email protected]

Follow us https://www.instagram.com/freeandfiguringitout/ 

Your hosts are...

Charelle Griffith, 31, is a marketing strategist for solopreneurs and founder of PropelHer, a personal development blog and book club. She lives in London, dates men and has been single for 4 years (except for a summer romance in 2018). Connect with Charelle https://www.instagram.com/charellegriffith/ 

Verity Brown, 33, helps female entrepreneurs reconnect with themselves and find happiness and currently lives in the North of England. She is bisexual and after 3.5 years single has recently found love with a woman. Connect with Verity https://www.instagram.com/theseasaltplan/