128 | Why now is a good time to go for it in your coaching business

Speaker: 00:00:00

Hello and welcome back to

Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I am Jo Lott, a business coach

and mentor who helps coaches get

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clients with honesty, not hype.

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As part of the summer replay

series, I'm bringing you some

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of my most loved episodes.

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The ones that have sparked

momentum and that have had the most

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downloads of this podcast so far.

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This episode is the perfect reminder

if you have been teetering on the edge

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of starting your business or holding

back from taking bolder action in

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some way or another in your business.

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I will be sharing five reasons why.

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Now is the right time

to trust your ambition.

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Honor that dream that is burning inside

of you and take your next step forward.

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So whether you are listening to this

podcast for the first time or revisiting

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it, I hope it gives the nudge you need.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

In this episode, I'm going be talking

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to you about what's possible for you

in your coaching business, and why

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now is a great time to go for it.

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And when I say "it" I mean whatever

dream you've been hiding in the corner

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of your mind, whether it's launching

a business or taking bigger action

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in your current coaching business.

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Today's episode is your encouragement

and reminder that it is possible for you

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. You have a unique gift that needs to be

shared, and it's your duty to share it.

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And so that's what I want

to share with you today.

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This episode has been inspired by a

kind of negative event that happened

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when I started my coaching business.

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You have probably experienced the same.

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So, what are you doing?

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Are you gonna get a real job?

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Are you gonna be one of the thousands

of struggling coaches out there?

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It'll never work for you.

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Who do you think you are?

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You know, the thing, and fortunately

for me COVID happened, so I no longer

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had to hear those voices as we all

had to stay in our homes and have

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very little interaction with others.

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So actually for me, that was the

best thing because I didn't have

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to have everybody else's limiting

beliefs projected onto me when

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I started my coaching business.

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So for once in my life, I could just

completely tune in and listen to me

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and design the business that I wanted.

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So that's why I'm so passionate about

sharing this with you in case you have

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those voices in your head from people

you know telling you that you are crazy.

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It's a flooded market.

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It will never work for

you because guess what?

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It can work for you.

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So for me, it helped me to really

set about learning everything I

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could about marketing and sales

specifically for a coaching business.

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And in my first full year of career

in executive coaching, I earned more

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money -in income rather than profit.

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But more money came my way through

work that I love versus my HR job at

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the time, which was a three day a week

job and I had two days a week when

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I was building my coaching business.

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Don't get me wrong, I spent way more than

that in the evenings, weekends and things.

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But that was the two days a

week that I had childcare.

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So I've proven that it is possible

and I will never say it's easy

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because my strap line is honesty,

not hype, but it's possible.

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Like who wants an easy life?

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No one would ever run the

marathon if we wanted easy things.

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Like that's hard.

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That's challenging, and that's

what brings fulfillment.

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So I'm here for you to share

that you can go for it.

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Tune in, listen to your intuition.

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And so today I'm going to help by sharing

five reasons that now is a particularly

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good time to believe in what's possible

for you and your coaching business.

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1.

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So the first reason that it's a really

good time right now is because if

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you are listening to this podcast

around its release date on 22nd of

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March, we have the spring equinox.

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So it's the first day

of the spring season.

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The sun passes the equator moving from

the southern to northern hemisphere,

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and many people think of this time as a

powerful new beginning, and it's the start

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of a whole new astrological year and I

must admit, I do not know that much about

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astronomy, but I love to take anything I

hear as inspiration and use it as a force

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for good in my life and in my business.

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So whether or not you believe in

astrology, it actually doesn't matter.

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It's about allowing in that

perspective shift so you have

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a powerful fresh start ahead.

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It's far too easy to make excuses,

and there's always gonna be

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reasons why not to do something.

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Maybe you have had enough.

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Maybe you are stuck in

the nothing's working.

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It will never work for me so use this

time, this next three weeks, up to the 7th

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of April, when astrology wise, the wind

is behind our backs, pushing us forward.

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Use this time to trust that

something is calling you forward.

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If you have that thing in your head saying

-This is what I'm meant to be doing.

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Then it's a sign to trust the

journey, trust the process, and

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trust that you are here for a reason.

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2.

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So the second reason why now is a really

good time to believe in what's possible

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for you in your coaching business is

because of the law of diminishing intent.

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So the law of diminishing intent

shows that the longer we delay

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doing something, the less likely

that we will ever do it at all.

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So John Maxwell researched this theory

and shared, if we don't make some

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move towards doing something within

48 hours, it becomes less and less

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likely that we will ever do it at all.

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So think back to a time when you

got an idea, maybe you were in the

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shower or out for a walk and you

had a sudden flash of inspiration.

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Maybe you were going to launch a new

service or do something really exciting in

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your coaching business, maybe sign up for

a training or coaching program, and you

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were really excited to make it happen.

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So how did it go?

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Did you take action quickly or did you

think about it for a little bit too long?

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So the idea and motivation fizzled out.

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Perhaps that little unhelpful

voice in your head said it's

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too hard, too complicated, or

just completely impossible.

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So before you knew it, you were

frozen in this cycle of inactivity,

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procrastination, and every few months you

look back and wish you had taken action.

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Because I think it's good to know that

creativity and action creates momentum.

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So if you are taking inspired action

a lot, when you get that idea and

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take steps towards it quickly, you

will generate even more momentum

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and one action leads to the next.

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The only way you will get closer to what

the right answer is for you is to take

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one tiny step towards what you want.

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And then it just creates an

upward spiral for yourself.

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But if you are sitting on your ideas

and your dreams and your calling, it's

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gonna be harder and harder to get going.

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So if you have an idea in your business

that keeps going over and over in your

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mind, no matter how many times you

tell yourself that it will never work,

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that it's unrealistic that you've got

no idea of how to actually bring it

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into reality, but the idea keeps coming

back to you, then that's your intuition

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telling you to take action, right now.

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Maybe you have an idea for a new

niche or a new slant on your niche.

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Something you're super passionate about,

but you haven't taken enough action

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or had enough calls with real people

to find out if it's a valid niche.

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So what could you do today?

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So could you, for example, book some

market research calls to really hear

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those words of your ideal client and find

out if this is a great niche for you.

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Can you offer to do a free talk somewhere

that these people might be hanging out?

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Can you put out a social media post

very clearly painting a picture

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of what their life is like now?

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Because the more you can connect to what

they're feeling right now and paint the

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picture of where they want to be, the

more they will see you as that solution.

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3.

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So the third reason why it's a really good

time to believe in what's possible for you

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is that setting big goals and believing in

your highest potential will always get you

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further than not daring to believe at all.

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So if you set yourself a really

big mission, think outside the box,

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explore what's really possible for

you in your life and in your business.

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Then you will be far more likely

to get closer towards that mission

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and I don't know if you feel

like me, but I feel that there is

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nothing worse than a stagnant life.

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I spent pretty much my first 20 years

or so in my career, sitting at my desk

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feeling completely out of alignment.

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I always knew that that wasn't

what I was meant to be doing.

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I said, I don't mind what I do when I grow

up, but I don't want to work in an office.

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And what happened?

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I sat in an office doing admin

and governance and really boring

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work or HR work as well, which

was a bit more interesting.

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But you know it wasn't my thing.

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I'm a creative person and what

I chose was just completely

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out of alignment with who I am.

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So for me, despite the fact

that having a coaching business,

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is hard, it's all consuming.

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It means so much.

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There is a lot to do.

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There is so much to learn and

market and show up and do sales

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and be visible and all of those

things that feel really scary.

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But at the same time, there is nothing

for me that's more exciting than

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being paid to essentially fulfill my

potential, do things that I thought

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would never be possible for me.

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So if you are worried

about failing and thinking.

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It's never gonna work for me.

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There's people that are so

much better than me out there.

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All of those kind of thoughts, you know?

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Just know that the point

isn't to easily hit the goal.

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The point is to aim high so you stretch

yourself and your potential, and you

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think bigger, you feel more motivated,

you expand your thinking, and you ask

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yourself better questions to literally

become the best version of you.

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So instead of only allowing suffering

in because obviously our brains

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will tell us it's all pointless.

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It's never gonna work.

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Ask yourself better questions

like, how can I make this work?

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What other options are there?

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Focus on solution-based thinking

versus looking for problems.

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So it's this expanded capacity

in your mind, which is why you've

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set the goal in the first place.

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So it's never about reaching the goal.

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That is not the moment that is going

to help you to feel really satisfied.

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And I know it's the right cliche,

but it genuinely is the ups and downs

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of the journey that you will look

back and realize that you are so

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glad that you went on that journey.

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So for me, in 2021, I published a book,

it was called Your Dream Job Toolkit.

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Obviously inspired by the fact I had

finally left my job and I was so desperate

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for everybody to find work that they love.

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So I was doing this book, but I also had

this secret dream if I was gonna bother

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doing the book what I wanted was to

become a number one bestselling author.

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Obviously as a fairly new coach at the

time and with no writing experience or

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publishing experience or money to pay

for a team of people to do this for me,

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it felt like it was pretty impossible.

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So I kind of wrote it.

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In pencil on my vision board so faint

because I was just too scared to even

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say it to myself, and I certainly

didn't say it to anybody else.

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But what did having this

secret goal do for me?

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I googled how to get a

number one best-selling spot.

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I messaged my friends family

and social media connections

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asking them to buy the book.

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I used my creativity and ran

free CV and LinkedIn profile.

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For anyone who bought and reviewed the

book, I made embarrassing attempts to

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gain PR, so all things that I would never

have done if it had not been for that

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kind of secret dream that I wanted to

fulfill, because yes, I actually did hit

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the bestseller spot so I can forever after

say I'm a number one bestselling author.

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But for me that day was

actually quite depressing.

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And it's not until I realize now that

all we are after is the feeling that

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we think that goal is going to give us.

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And very rarely do you

really get that feeling.

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There's been studies to show that,

that day after the Oscars, is the most

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depressing day for most Oscar winners.

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They think, wow, when I finally get

to that point, I will feel seen.

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I will feel important.

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I will feel heard.

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And it doesn't always come because as

we know, as coaches, it's an inside job.

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We are the only people who can allow

ourselves to feel those feelings.

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So it's never about reaching the goal.

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What it is about is the journey you

go on in terms of reaching that goal.

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So, so what if it fails?

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At least you are brave enough to actually

go for it, which is actually a super,

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super rare thing, and not many people

are prepared to raise their head above

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the fire pit and go for what they want.

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So if you have that dream and if

you are ready to fully step into

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it, Then what's stopping you?

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What's the worst that

could possibly happen?

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If you go for this dream and

what's the best that could happen?

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If you dare to believe that

this is possible for you.

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so when you look back and when I

look back, all I'm proud of is my

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resourcefulness, my efficiency,

my braveness of hitting publish.

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Even though all I felt was it's

never gonna be good enough.

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The courage it took to actually hit

that button and tell the world that

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this book was out there, so keep

tuning in to what are you here for?

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Like what is gonna satisfy you looking

back on your life when you're 90

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years old, will it be that you stayed

in that amazing job and you got

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that great pension when you were 65?

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Or will it be that you are so brave you

went for things that most people would

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barely even let themselves dream of?

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Because it's those traits that you

will gain, on your journey of doing

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brave things that will never be wasted.

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You can bring them into every

single aspect of your life and

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your business and draw on those

for strength when you need it.

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So set that goal, set that big goal,

and take it one step at a time.

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Don't worry about failing

or not hitting your goal.

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Know that the purpose of the

goal is not to reach the goal.

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It's about who you become by

actually going after that goal.

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4.

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And the fourth reason why it's a really

good time to believe in what's possible

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for you in your business right now is

that that big goal that you have just

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set is just a bunch of small steps.

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So even if that goal feels really far away

right now and you are wondering how you

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would ever achieve it, and it feels like

there are so many unknown things involved

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in it, know that no one gets straight

towards that goal and every single goal

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will have a thousand hows attached to it?

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And so if your dream, for example, is

gaining a corporate coaching client,

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give yourself the first few steps.

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So maybe it's writing a list of

every company in your area or in the

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industry you would love to work in.

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Maybe you want to research

who might be the best decision

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maker in those companies.

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Maybe you want to connect

with them on LinkedIn.

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Maybe you want to see if they've put any

posts out that you can interact with.

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See if you have anything in common that

you can start building a relationship

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with them in a really small way.

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It might be a full six months before

you gain the contract, but start

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right now with making that connection.

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You will build trust.

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You will build connection.

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You will build relationships and whether

it works or not in terms of gaining the

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contract, it will bring you so much more

than you probably will ever even imagine.

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So remember that it's

just a few small steps.

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What are your first steps on

this journey to reaching that

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amazing goal that you want.

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5.

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Okay, so reason number five is if

your mind has created this dream, then

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it has been put there for a reason.

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It's not just some crazy idea

and the impossible is only ever

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impossible until someone achieves it.

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So the four minute mile, as soon

as somebody did that, then loads of

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people did it because it broke through

everybody's limiting beliefs that this

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was not possible for a human to do.

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Then obviously things like the

light bulb or the man walking on the

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moon or streaming on our iPhones.

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So can you imagine if no one persevered

and fought back against all those

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limiting beliefs that it was not possible?

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And just last week Michelle Yeoh won

best actress at the Oscars as the first

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woman from an Malasian background to

do so, and she was age 60 as well.

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And she had a really hard time in

Hollywood and so many people told

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her to give up that she was past it.

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And had she listened and not put in the

constant work, then she wouldn't have

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won and created a new possibility for

underrepresented groups everywhere.

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But she worked really hard for a

really long time and she said in her

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acceptance speech that tonight we

broke through the glass ceiling and

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she finished her acceptance speech

by saying, ladies, never let anyone

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tell you that you are past your prime.

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And so I think that is

super inspirational.

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So don't worry about the probability

of achieving something or not, and

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anyone else's view of what you are

doing will be limited by their own

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experiences and their own beliefs.

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It says nothing about you, and it

says nothing about what's possible.

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So trust in yourself

and believe in yourself.

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And obviously we all make excuses,

but it's about catching ourselves and

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thinking is this excuse serving me

anymore or have I actually outgrown it?

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So they're all just stories that we

tell ourselves, all the reasons that we

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create in our minds to give ourselves

those excuses, not to take a leap

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and not to risk being disappointed

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but if you don't take the leap, you

will a hundred percent be disappointed

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because you have no chance at all

of achieving your dream unless

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you make the decision to do so.

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Okay, so let me summarize the five

reasons why now is a particularly good

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time to believe in what's possible

for you and your coaching business.

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So firstly, we are in the spring equinox.

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It's happening now and until the 7th of

April, the stars are literally aligning

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to make things more possible for us all.

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So whether or not you believe

in this, just take it, run with

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it, and make it work for you.

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: 00:22:03

The second reason it's a really good

time is the law of diminishing intent.

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If you don't take action within

48 hours, you are far, far less

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likely to ever take action at all.

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So the time is now.

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And the third reason why it is a good

time to believe in what's possible

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for you is that setting the goals and

believing in your highest potential

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will always get you further than if you

didn't set those goals and didn't fully

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step into it and state it out loud or in

very, very fine pencil even to yourself.

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: 00:22:43

And the fourth reason, your big goal is

just really small steps added together.

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: 00:22:50

So take that first step right now and get

closer to what's possible for you, and it

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will lead you way closer than you would

be if you didn't take those steps at all.

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: 00:23:04

So the fifth reason why what

you want is possible is.

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I bet that someone else has already

achieved what you want to achieve.

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: 00:23:13

So look up those examples of possibility.

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: 00:23:16

Look for evidence that what you are

perhaps saying to yourself in those

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: 00:23:21

limiting beliefs is actually not true.

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: 00:23:24

Like maybe people actually have

built a successful coaching business.

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: 00:23:29

Are there people out there?

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Look for them?

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: 00:23:31

Look them up, realize that it is possible.

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: 00:23:34

And if it's possible for them,

it's possible for you too.

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: 00:23:38

And even if no one has achieved it

before, it doesn't mean it's impossible.

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: 00:23:44

And there is always that first time.

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: 00:23:49

So remember, if you have a dream, it's

been put there for a reason, and I'm

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here to share that going after what you

truly want in your life and your coaching

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business is what you were put here to do.

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: 00:24:04

So when you become the type of person

to go all in, then you make the world

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: 00:24:09

a more exciting, inspiring place to be,

and you make yourself a more exciting

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: 00:24:16

and inspiring person to be around.

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So I hope you get everything you want

and live a full amazing, brilliant life

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and launch that next project, launch

that business, whatever it is for you.

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Get one step today towards

that huge, huge goal.

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: 00:24:36

So trust yourself.

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: 00:24:37

Believe in yourself, and be the wise

gardener who keeps on watering the seed.

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: 00:24:44

Thank you so much for listening to this

episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

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: 00:24:48

Please come and say hi to me on

LinkedIn or Instagram and let me

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: 00:24:52

know how you are getting on in your

coaching business and how you are

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: 00:24:56

gonna go for your dreams this year.

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: 00:24:59

My name on LinkedIn is Joanna Lott

and my handle on Instagram is @ Joanna

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: 00:25:04

Lott Coaching, and I'll also put

links in the show notes below.

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: 00:25:09

Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

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: 00:25:12

Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

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: 00:25:15

personally thank you for that.

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: 00:25:17

Thank you so much for listening.

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: 00:25:19

Speak soon.