Your Next Chapter - step into the next version of you

Ana Kazan is a specialist in Leadership Development theory and innovation with a 20-year background in journalism. She has a Masters in Communication, a PHD in International Self-Leadership and is the co-author of Self-Leadership – how to become a more successful, efficient and effective leader from the inside out.

That in and of itself is an impressive bio, but it hardly begins to scratch the surface of the deep core of Ana, a tremendously inspiring woman who has a bold story of tenacity and determination to share, as she resolutely pursued her own “Crazy Next Chapter Dream” of studying in America, writing and sending 100 letters of application before being accepted.

I’m sure you’ll be energised by this episode.

I’m finally back Podcasting after a long break! I know that for me time and space for creativity, consideration and relaxation is essential so that I can contribute at the highest level, and I have so much to share with you in 2019.

In this episode, I am introducing you to The Next Chapter Model of Change. I realised that within all of the interviews I have staged and in the mentoring sessions, masterminds and retreats I have facilitated there was a model of change I was seeing as women began or realigned their businesses.

And so I’m outlining the model for you so you anticipate what’s coming up or understand why and what you are feeling…

The model is also at the core of my book I’m in the midst of writing – perhaps you can be one of my accountability buddies for this major project!?

As the year draws to a close, we all look back at how things have gone. Unfortunately, we have a natural negativity bias built into our brains and thus, can then focus on what we didn’t achieve in the year, rather than what we did!

It ‘s important to reverse gap yourself evenly. Rare is the person who managed to hit all their goals in any given year. With all of the Masterminds I’ve facilitated, Retreats I have hosted and Mentoring Sessions I have held, I’ve been privy to an immense range of industries and individuals and what I’ve seen is that it’s common to over estimate what we can achieve in a year, and under estimate what we can achieve in three.

Clare Dea is the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit in action from a young age. At the age of 8 when her Dad was retrenched and her ballet lessons needed to pause, Clare decided she would solve the problem. I asked myself “How can I make the money to pay for them?. My inner entrepreneur was born and I became a busker for the next 8 years, generating the fund to pay for my lessons, my school books and more!”

Alison has had an enduring love affair with books since she was a little girl and so when it came time to choose a career, faced with the options of becoming a Ballerina or Lawyer or moving into Publishing, it was an easy choice!

 “I was entering the world of publishing as the age old rules were changing and the industry was being disrupted and eventually being cast into crisis, so as you can imagine, it was demanding. But I loved it - the creative and commercial combination was so satisfying. I got to make books!”

Jo has always been drawn to creating community, fascinated by helping people to connect with a social purpose. Back when she was much younger, this commitment was played out with starting Barbie and Penfriend Clubs and a desire for her own magazine. “I just wanted to have a club, with members and it’s only now that I look back that I can connect the dots between what I was doing then and what I’m doing now!”

“I’ll help you build relationships rather than just a network” is how Robbie Samuels describes his core business focus, a passion that was inspired by his own experience in Boston, “not the friendliest of cities”.

“Before starting my own speaking, coaching and consulting business, I was involved in the fundraising industry and the Meetups I started grew to hundreds of events and thousands of members. The key to their success was helping people to understand and embrace a Host mentality”, explains Robbie.

It’s not everyday I get to speak with a self-confessed “misfit entrepreneur” who willingly admits that “becoming an entrepreneur was never a part of my game plan”, and Kate Toon is no everyday woman!

Kate is well known as a Search Engine optimisation lover (and we cheerfully demystify SEO and give you loads of practical actions you can take in this conversation), a Copywriting mentor, a Speaker, Podcaster, Author and Hula Hooper… but she is also a card carrying member of the “Debunking Entrepreneurial Myths Society”, dedicated to banning clichés and stereotypes of what it actually takes to achieve “success” in business.

“A well written article can be transformational for your readers”, says Sean D’Souza, the founder of Psychotactics. “It has the power to educate, inform and entertain and with a good structure at your fingertips, you can overcome the myth of writers block, the myth of it’s all been said before and the myth that it’s a difficult skill to master and create impactful articles that connect you, your ideas your business and your clients”.

Leanne O’Sullivan has spent more than 18 years immersed in the online space, firstly as the co-founder of agency Big Blue Digital, then adding her own off-shoot, Summit School with Leanne O.

She has seen the online world change considerably in that time and has developed a streamlined approach to developing a digital ecosystem that helps you to become clear, calm and consistent online, side stepping overwhelm and maximising the outcomes of your investment of time, energy and budget.