Your Next Chapter - step into the next version of you

Many of us think about how we can make a tangible difference in the world. We read about so many wonderful people who, upon seeing a need, make the decision to do something about it. They step up and give back selflessly and inspire others to do the same.   

Liz Davidson is one such woman and I am delighted and honoured to know her, and to be in her support team – she has been a part of my Next Chapter Success Circle Masterminds since the beginning of 2017. Liz had a burning desire to have a positive impact on women in crisis and she channeled her considerable energy and compassion into creating Our Kitchen Table, a charitable organisation located in the heart of Melbourne, Australia.

 As a part of the Mastermind program, Liz has personal business mentoring calls with me and she has kindly agreed to have her latest session aired on the Podcast so that other businesswomen who are also building their own enterprises can listen in to the challenges and triumphs she is experiencing, knowing these insights we share will help. This is another example of her commitment to supporting women and I am sure you will be inspired and empowered by tapping into just a small part of the progress she had made and her action plans for the future.

Barbara Huson (nee: Stanny) grew up wealthy. Her Father was the R in the famous H&R Block who impressed upon her the unspoken assumption that she could always “let a man take care of you”. This perspective had a significant impact of her life, allowing the belief that “money was not her thing” to influence her thoughts, actions and…. inaction.   

"I know now that I was largely unconscious in my 20’s. I was simply living, like most of us do. And then I was plunged into the abyss at 32 when my partner died, everything changed. I was in therapy for a year. I moved away from the city to be near the water. I slowly began to piece myself together; I began to emerge form the cocoon I had spun around myself to heal. And I can see that who I became was forged in that fire”. 

As the end of 2017 draws ever nearer, we need to take the time to review our year, to consider what went well, what didn’t go quite as planned and what you will continue, change, let go of and introduce for the new year.

In my Mastermind end of year review sessions, we talk about how the year can deliver curve balls, medicine balls and wrecking balls – in all, it seldom goes exactly as you envisaged!

What is vital is your ability to reflect and extract the learning’s from your experiences, to tune into your heart and make some choices about how you’d like to show up in 2018.

And so this audio training walks you through some of the key steps to do just that and it comes complete with a copy of my slides from the webinar this audio is drawn from and the workbook attendees received to complete – to turn their ideas into action.

“I’ve realised why women are often not as successful in business as they can be” says Louise Laffey. “There’s such a battle going on between the push and pull energies. We live in a modern world where there is such financial pressure and our heads tell us to work towards that definition of success, but our hearts are just not happy.

Emma and Audrey literally had one of those classic “eyes meeting across a crowded room” moments many years ago when they were both at a Coach Training event in Melbourne. 

When her coach told Karen that “it was obvious she wanted to start her own business”, even though she knew it was true, she froze.

She knew she was unhappy. An accountant by trade, her 25 year career had brought a great deal of success, but she had changed and so had the company she worked for. She knew she wanted more but the risk of letting go of a regular, lucrative paycheck was scary. And so for 2 years she stayed. Until the uncomfortability of an unrealised dream become too much to sit with.

Leanne O’Sullivan has been a business owner for over 18 years and, as you can imagine, has seen the digital landscape expand and change considerably in that time.

“I’ve found that the small business journey, whilst immensely rewarding, is not for the faint-hearted. Babies and small children at your feet whilst growing a business? Not recommended! And Motherguilt? That’s a fierce emotion we all experience to a degree.

But I’ve realised if you stay aligned with your values and understand you don’t need to “toughen up” to do well in business, you actually need to soften, and I’m now fully opening into my Next Chapter.

The first step into Sarahs Next Chapter came when her children, a daughter, and twin boys, were born within a short period of time.

“I needed to leave, as my then husband was traveling a lot and it was just not feasible for two corporate careers to coincide. But even though I did make the choice, I struggled with the loss of identity. It took me some time to let go of what had been. Since then, I’ve had many chapters!"

I believe that having a strong “Circle of Support” – practices to help you stay physically, emotionally and spiritually buoyant and connections, community and mentoring to build your mindset and boost your growth, is a vital part of your Next Chapter journey.