LifePilot: Be the CEO of your life with Natalie Sisson

Welcome back to my podcast which has been renamed with a whole new mission "Untapped".

Why untapped? Because I'm on a personal mission this year to untap into mine and your highest potential. I'm going to be doing micro experiments every week throughout the year to really look at where am I holding back and where can I tap into my potential.

In this first episode of Untapped, I looked back in 2018 and I thought about all the things I didn’t want to carry into 2019. So in this episode I'll share the 19 things I will and will NOT do in 2019.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I made a pretty big decision this weekend to end my podcasting journey, without any fanfare or second guessing.

It dawned on me that I have been podcasting for 7 years. Seven freaking years of putting out episodes!

What started out as monthly back on May 16, 2011, turned into twice a month around 2012 and at at the end of 2013 became weekly.

By 2015 I'd decided to up my game and go twice weekly, with one interview one 'Fresh in Fifteen' 15 minute show with my own tips.

In august 2016 I hit 1 Million Downloads which was a pretty awesome achievement for me and a show of wonderful support from listeners and the Suitcase Entrepreneur community.

As I wrote in that article:

At it's peak 40,000 ‘Freedomists’ tuned in from all over the world, every month. To date it has over 1.8 million downloads which blows my mind.

I know many of my peers have podcasts that do that in a few months, but I'm proud of that result plus 200+ five-star reviews.

In late 2013 the podcast was nominated and made a Top 10 Finalist in the Business Category at the Podcast Awards and it consistently ranked in the Top 100 category for Business in iTunes.

Weekly interviews with successful entrepreneurs and digital nomads included Michael Hyatt, Amy Portereld, Pam Slim, Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, Jaime Masters, Chris Ducker, Jill and Josh Stanton, Josh Turner, Nisha Moodley, Mark Manson, Nick Loper and Denise Duffield-Thomas to name but a few.

A few other valid points I made in that article:

• I love podcasting – I enjoy it and it works for my natural talents – I like to talk a lot and I like to interview all types of people, treat it like a casual conversation, and bring out the best in them so they can share their stories far and wide
• It’s a fantastic community building tool – I love my Freedomists who listen in every week and then meet me in person to tell me how much they enjoy the show – and that I sound exactly like I do on my podcast. Their engagement and feedback makes my day.
• It’s a fantastic business marketing tool  – I’ve indirectly traced more revenue thanks to listeners telling me that they signed up to a program or a retreat or a mastermind because of hearing me talk about it on my podcast. I’ve also increased my list thanks to people who opted in to get my podcast bonus guides.
• It’s an excellent way to engage with and partner with sponsors – I’ve been fortunate to have a host of amazing sponsors over the years like 99Designs, Hostgator, Upwork, Skross and more. Some I approached, others approached me and it’s been a brilliant source of revenue to not only fund the costs of running a podcast but as a revenue stream all in itself.

You have to go all in, or not at all.

Sure you can start out like I did, with my laptop, Skype and no fancy microphone and do just fine, but if you want to be top of class you need to up your game as you grow.

I'm talking great equipment - I use the Zoom H6 Handy Recorder and an external Schuh Microphone.

I outsourced editing within the first month knowing this wasn't where I wanted to spend my time. And it was a brilliant investment.

Over time as I've learned more and done more with my podcast, it's meant hiring more people to help with show notes, content upgrades, formatting, images and hosting.

Our SOP (standard operating procedure) for editing and producing a podcast - which is also a full Asana template for our team now, is impressive and something I'm so proud we've built.

I asked Rolly, who's been my amazing podcast editor since January 2014, to total his hours worked on my podcast and it's approximately 1,200 hours to date!

Batching recording my podcasts in advance has helped a great deal too, meaning you can take time off, go on holiday or simply not worry about scrambling last minute to get an episode out...which has happened a lot to be fair!

Sponsors were a big part of helping out with covering the considerable costs of running a podcast, which I think a lot of people starting out underestimate.

To date I've earned over US$100,000 in sponsorships.

That is amazing in itself, as are the relationships you forge with the sponsors.

I've been privileged to interview some amazing guests when it was the Suitcase Entrepreneur and these have made a huge difference to the quality of my shows, my reach and also credibility.

While I never assumed those I interviewed would share my show (although many did), just being able to put their name as a guest on your show gave you instant kudos.

I also loved interviewing those folks who were up and coming or just doing really cool stuff but were not 'big names' or influencers, because frankly they were in the thick of it all and told it as it really was.

Their stories resonated even more with my listeners, because they could relate.

• [TSE 55] Master the Art of Being a Professional Speaker and Author with Hugh Culver
• [TSE 92] How to Balance Multiple Projects and Build Your Email List with Nathalie Lussier
• [TSE 91] How to Profit from Your Passion and Publish Multiple Books with Farnoosh Brock
• [TSE 98] Sell Yourself without Selling Out; How to Get More Clients with Matthew Kimberley
• [TSE 40] Own Less and Live More by Becoming a Minimalist with Joshua Becker
• [TSE 44] How Pat Flynn Makes $50K a Month from Blogging, Niche Sites and Being Nice
• [TSE 39] Brand Building Using Your Sassy Personality And F-Bombs With Ashley Ambirge
• [TSE 96] How to Be Social Media Savvy with Scott Stratten
• [TSE 99] How to Raise Your Family, Live Your Dream and See the World with Greg Denning

I finished my Suitcase Entrepreneur interview series on Episode 300 and that felt awesome.

In January 2017 I switched over to a narrative style format and rebranded to Quest for Freedom when I also switched over to posting more on this new website and moving away from The Suitcase Entrepreneur.

I'd fallen in love with this format after listening to Startup by Gimlet Media and loving the storytelling and seasonal aspect of their podcasts.

Of course they had built an entire company to produce quality podcasts and had a whole team of editors, journalists and writers behind them but I figured I could do my own version and I was a bit 'over' the interview format that so many people do.

In April 2016 I went on my sabbatical and took a three month break from all content creation and my business. This didn't affect things too much but I did quite like the break from having to come up with themes for the season and all the research.

I navigated away from seasonal podcasts to more topical themes so mindset, meditation, productivity etc.

This helped me get my head around what to focus on, otherwise I could talk on all sorts of topics!

• Eps 36 How to master your time
• Eps 37 Starting an Ecommerce Site From Scratch
• Eps 38 A powerful morning routine
• Eps 39 Why money alone won't bring you happiness
• Eps 42 The Art of Decluttering Your Mind

Post my sabbatical was, incidentally, also around the time I realized my enthusiasm and desire to produce high quality content for free (but at my investment) week in and week out was waning.

And so it leads me to this moment in time, when I can quite happily walk away from seven years of committing to this amazing medium that has brought me so much joy, happiness and personal growth.

It's also brought me new friends, connections and insights with incredible entrepreneurs and taught me a level of work ethic and discipline like batching and organizing well ahead of time, that's permeated every aspect of my business.

It's been profitable and pleasurable.

For now though, I'm looking forward to listening to other people's podcasts and appreciating just what goes into theirs.

At some point in the future I have ideas for new and more targeted shows, but for now I'm hanging up my podcast boots with gratitude to all my listeners and supporters who made me want to turn up for 7 years and hit publish.

The great news is you can forever listen to the 48 Episodes of Quest for Freedom right here, the first 300 Episodes on the Suitcase Entrepreneur here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does being more productive mean to you?

Being productive doesn't mean sitting and working for eight straight hours. You'll burn yourself out!

There are other ways to maximize productivity. For instance, cutting out distractions and turning off email notifications.

Many of us are looking for ways to live a more productive life, that's why in this episode, I'll share 17 strategies you can employ today to have an exceptionally productive 2018!

Key resources:

• TeuxDeux is a simple designy to-do app for the Web and iPhone.
• LeechBlock NG is a simple productivity tool: an extension for the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day.
• Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps across all your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices so you can focus on what matters most.
• Pomodoro Secrets To Productivity Freedom
• Upwork is an online community of talented virtual workers from around the world who want freelance work, and companies who need their skills.
• Want to learn exactly how to make your first hire in less than 30 days and start delegating work you dislike doing, shouldn't be doing or frankly can't do? Let me show you exactly how in Outsource Like a Rockstar.
• Toggl: Hassle-free time tracking so your business runs like clockwork.
• Why you need your own Personal Assistant

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind every successful entrepreneur is a team they delegate the work they don’t love to, so that they can focus on the things they do love.

I found my first Virtual Assistant, Margaret, in February 2012. I hired her just two weeks before I headed off on my 6,500 cycling expedition down the east coast of Africa, which meant I’d be offline for over two months.

At first I had concerns about if she could handle the job, what if she screwed up, what if she stole my work or screwed up my customer relations....and then I got over myself, trusted in her and left her to run my business for two months while I cycled through an astounding continent!

Outsourcing was a necessity for me, and since then I have hired over 30 contractors throughout the years to help me, not only run my business, but to grow it, and to make sure I get out of the way when needed.

If you want more time and money, outsourcing is the key.

And it starts with delegating your daily to-dos so you can start to see the immense freedom that comes from stepping aside and giving up control of all the things you just shouldn't be doing.

In this episode I talk about:

• The ONE big tip that transformed my life and my business
• The best way to figure out what you should delegate in the first place
• My method for choosing who you should hire first

There's a lot of juicy goodness in this podcast so listen up and take notes!

Key resources:

• [VLOG] Why you need your own Personal Assistant
• [VLOG] How to outsource like a rockstar
• [TOOL] Upwork is an online community of talented virtual workers from around the world who want freelance work, and companies who need their skills.
• [FREE TRAINING] Watch my 23 minute video training to learn ​5 steps to getting more free time starting this week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you getting a great night's sleep or consistently sleep deprived because you're on your smartphone or laptop too late?

I'm definitely guilty of working from a laptop in bed, or checking my phone before I go to sleep, but since I've been consistently getting in the habit of turning off all devices by 7pm each night, my sleep and quality sleep has been improving a ton.

An article published in The Independent shows: “In a study of 10,000 16 to 19-year-olds, researchers in Norway found that the longer a young person spent looking at an electronic screen before going to bed, the worse quality sleep they were likely to have.”

The problem comes from the short bursts of excitement you get when consuming social media. This feeling is the body releasing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine motivates you to continue to replicate the original behaviour that made you feel pleasure - such as repeatedly clicking on social media posts or sending text messages.

The problem with this is that too often we can find ourselves trapped in a spiral of seeking more gratification.

Laptops, tablets and phones all emit a blue light which illuminates the screen. This blue light suppresses the body’s production of the hormone melatonin.

This hormone is essential in order for us to feel sleepy. Alaska Sleep Clinic believe: “The light emitting from these devices is similar in wavelength to daylight and can trick your circadian rhythm into believing it’s daylight and delay the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep”.

A delayed release of melatonin means it will take you longer to fall asleep. 

In this episode I talk about:

• What is dopamine and what it does to you
• Several ways to get a really good night's sleep
• Key apps to use to minimize the effect your screen has on you

Key resources to check out to overcome your fear:

• Download & install the free app ‘flux’ for your computer or laptop.
• Try the ‘twilight’ app for your android phone.
• Is Meditation a fad or a life changer?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I think May is going to be magical, so I shot a Facebook Live for you inside our Freedomist Collective group to share 3 things I want to achieve this month, two books I'm loving and one calendar hack that might help you juggle multiple projects.

Catch it here now.

I'm pretty focused on what I need to do to make this happen, but I also know if you want to stick to a habit and achieve your goals you need:

1) a really clear vision for how your life will be better alongside

2) external accountability to keep you on track when you falter.

So for my first goal I'm going to be joining Mindful in May. If you want to:

• reduce the stress in your life
• learn how to communicate more calmly
• be better at calming yourself when you’ve been emotionally triggered
• stop worrying so much and start being more present in your life
• be more focussed so you can work more efficiently
• get better at switching off and stopping the mind chatter

Then Mindful in May is like a personal training program for your brain, where you’ll be training to be more focussed, calm and effective in all areas of your life!

What I like about it is, that regardless of whether you’re a complete beginner or a more experienced meditator you'll really experience a transformation. I know from just doing 5-10 minutes a day of meditation for the last 4 months, I already feel more grounded.

In this episode I talk about:

• My 3 focuses for this month ahead
• The two books I love that have made a big difference in my life last month
• A calendar blocking technique that's allowing me to juggle 3 business projects that you might like!

Key resources to check out to overcome your fear:

• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you need to unclutter your life? Are you bogged down by too much stuff? Are you spending money on things you just don't need?

Well then, let me tell you that if you choose to unclutter your life you will actually feel lighter, more joyful and more personally and financially free.

In an earlier podcast I covered off on the Art of Minimalism and all it's benefits.

I practiced this for seven years when I lived out of my suitcase and those were some of the most freeing years of my life.

I had a rule. If I bought something new - an item of clothing or a toiletry item for example, then something had to be taken out to accommodate it.

That thing that I was 'releasing' would be donated, sold or given away to a friend I was visiting, and if they didn't want it, I asked them to give it to someone who needed it most.

The result was I rarely bought anything I didn't truly need, value or love. It was such a good feeling.

And those are still my three criteria now we have a gorgeous property and large house, that we could easily 'overfill' with too much stuff.

I also have three questions that I like to ask myself for any new purchases:

1. Where would this live?
2. What am I going to do with it?
3. What is it replacing?

In this podcast I go into more detail about how those questions immediately help you to make better decisions. I also cover off on:

• How to unclutter your house, one room at a time
• Why buying new things may be covering up a deeper unmet need
• How these three questions can help you before you even buy something new

Resources to help you Unclutter:

Read: Oprah - 10 Ways to Declutter Your Life

Take Uncluttered - A 12 week course and community, Uncluttered is designed to open up space in your life for the things, activities, and people that are most important to you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So there’s something important you’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

Maybe it’s quitting your job to launch a new business, asking out that special person you’ve had a crush on for years, or even standing up to someone who has wronged you.

You know what you need to do, and you know it will help you to grow, but you can’t quite do it.

There’s a weight inside you that is stopping you from taking action, but what if this isn’t completely a bad thing?

In this episode I talked about:

• Why we feal fear
• Six ways to test and measure whether or not your fear is helpful

Key resources to check out:

• My article on Medium you might like to read: What causes fear and why it’s a good thing
• 20 questions to ask yourself when you feel fear
• 3 Practical and Effective Stoic Exercises From Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus
• Is Meditation a fad or a life changer?
• Facing Your Fear of Freedom and Accepting Tension with Seth Godin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is your mind is constantly on? Do you feel the need to declutter your head because it's always filled with thoughts and to-dos? Do you know you need to relax and recharge but can't figure out how?

Well good news. There are a number of techniques that exist that you can adopt into your everyday life to cure a busy and cluttered brain and clear your mind both physically and spiritually.

These are four simple yet effective techniques to give yourself some headspace:

In this podcast I share: 

• Four simple yet effective techniques to ways to give yourself some headspace
• The benefits of these techniques and how to adopt them into your everyday life

Key resources to check out:

• How to Do Belly Breathing Like a Pro
• Release Meditation Technique
• Unleash Your Inner Genius By Journaling With Penzu
• Is Meditation a fad or a life changer?
• 5 Simple Mindset Shifts To Help You Become Healthier & More Successful

If you want more original ideas, tips, resources and a community to share your Freedomist journey with then join my free Facebook group here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life a little overwhelming lately?

Feel like your brain is less like your friend, and more like a toddler let loose in a poorly-managed toy store?

What if you could tame that toddler, and in the process train your brain to be more focussed, less stressed and more relaxed?

And what if it took just ten minutes a day?

I know, I know, it sounds too good to be true. Well it’s not. The secret is…(wait for it)...mindfulness.

You might’ve heard of mindfulness or meditation before, and you may have heard of the benefits (of which there are many), but maybe you’ve never had the motivation to really try it?

Or maybe you’ve tried it but have fallen off the wagon?

Well that’s okay because in this podcast I share:

• How often the human mind wanders
• Why mind-wandering isn't always a bad thing
• The benefits of practicing mindfulness and being present
• How to get started in daily meditation
• Two of my fave meditation apps

Oh and I also mention a FREE way for you to get back on the wagon (or get on the wagon for the first time) and reboot your brain.

Every year in May, people all over the globe commit to meditating for 10 minutes a day through a program called Mindful in May. So far they’ve inspired over 30,000 people from 35 countries to learn mindfulness!

(Now that’s a lot of tamed brains!!)

The program brings together the world’s best meditation experts, neuroscientist, and wisdom teachers and inspires participants to raise money to bring clean, safe water to those in need. (So far they’ve raised over $600,000, and brought clean water to over 10,000 people!)

That means it creates a clear mind for you, and clean water for others.

To kick off the global campaign, Elise Bialylew, doctor, mindfulness expert, and founder of Mindful in May, is offering a FREE 5 days to mindfulness program to give you a taste of what’s to come.

I hope you join me on April 9-13th.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.