Freedom, is it something you crave too?

We are back on the boat after three weeks visiting family and having a little winter holiday. The sun is shining today in Coffs Harbour and it’s wonderful to feel warm again after weeks of cold down south.

Having the freedom to work when, where and how I want to in my business has been something I’ve intentionally cultivated over the years. When I was eighteen I began writing freelance for the world wide web (way back in 2000, which were like the dark ages for the internet).

One evening, while researching an article about an exhibition opening, I was delighted and slightly scared after the gallery owner offered me a show. It became my first solo exhibition and, much to my surprise and delight, it all but sold out. I was thrilled to discover I could make money doing something I loved and without too much deliberation, I quit the casual job I had in a cake shop, to follow my heart and paint.

Since then, I’ve painted and had exhibitions, sold commissions, and for a decade or so, I also rented my paintings to corporate offices and display homes, effectively bringing in a passive and regular income. I managed my money carefully and it allowed me to continue to travel internationally, buy a home, create a garden, and later, I added the online side of my business to support myself while I focused on healing my health.

One of my favourite sayings is, “The world is an abundant place”.

But it certainly can feel otherwise in some circumstances. When the world seems to shrink, our options feel limited, bills mount up and debt erodes our income, jobs lock us into schedules or routines that don’t suit us, and we feel like we have lost our freedom.

We got ourselves into that position in Tamworth a couple of years ago. It was the first time I had a full appreciation of the benefits of working for myself, with the freedom to choose when, where and how I spent my time.

After changing course and coming back to our heart’s, we left all the trappings of that high-pressure environment and adjusted our lifestyle so it suits us once more. Living on the boat, embracing simplicity, having adventures on the water, and creating a lifestyle were we have the freedom to choose again has been so good for my soul, mental health and joy.

It also gave me a new-found appreciation of how important it is to share the tools I have used to make a lifestyle business, one that lines up with my strengths, values and inspirations, with others who want to create a business that lights them up from the inside. Supporting others to follow their hearts and enjoy a lifestyle that suits their personal situation became a desire I longed to fulfil, even though I didn’t know what that would look like.

I’m not particularly interested in cookie-cutter style businesses. Where you just plug and play, like a franchise or multi-level marketing. I’m interested in sharing the tools I’ve used to create a business from scratch, by following my heart, serving others, and embracing what I love. There are foundations and moving parts to building any business, from branding, positioning, marketing, accounting and product development, and those can be learned, honed and adjusted over time.

Which reminds me of another of my favourite sayings, “There is no one right way to create anything and your creation can evolve over time.”

It took me years before I offered coaching because, up until recently, I believed it meant going against one of my integral values. Basically, I believed coaching was about telling people what to do.

I have very strong beliefs about not telling people what to do. I believe it is unethical to put yourself above someone and think you have the answers for their life or unique situation. I find it egotistical and usually driven by selfish motives. Plus I have seen and experienced the harm it can do in many different situations when people put themselves on pedestals and believe they have the answers, telling people what to do, whether it is in their business, relationships, spiritual life, health or finances.

So when I discovered, through working closely with Naomi Arnold and Amanda Rootsey this year in the Gentle Business Mastermind, that coaching, like any industry, has alternative approaches and can be based on asking questions to support your client to listen to themselves and find the answers to their unique situation within themselves, it completely changed how I viewed the coaching industry.

Asking questions and being a sounding board, offering experience and sharing tools is what I have been doing for years with my closest friends and mastermind buddies.

I saw the results of working with business owners and folks who desired to start a business, and I loved how this approach to coaching could speed up their results and shortcut their journey from where they were to where they want to be. Supporting others to be brave, follow their hearts and create more with greater ease, clarity and personally tailored resources was something I could completely get on board with.

Working with photographers, artists and women who are wanting to begin their business from scratch these past couple of weeks has been hugely rewarding. I love witnessing how, with a supportive conversation and safe space to explore their options and ideas, they turn a desire they have been toying with for over 12 months, into the motivation, inspiration and structure to deliver a new program, or create a new offering or set up the foundations of their business from scratch. The experience has left me feeling so happy to be doing this new work in my business.

If you would like to work with me to create a business you love and enjoy more freedom to live life on your own terms, I invite you to apply to book in a complimentary cup of tea with me, where you can experience my coaching first-hand. Let’s walk side by side and have a powerful conversation as you investigate whether being brave, following your heart and creating more is what works for you.

Coaching with me is a tailor-made experience, where I show up entirely to support you, without an agenda or program to plug you into. Instead, I come with an open heart and desire to support you to truly flourish in whatever way that looks for you. You are not another number to me. I will see you, listen to you, and support you as you follow your heart to create more.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Be gentle with yourself,

With love,

~ Nicola

You might be interested in this Post I wrote on Defining Success on Your Own Terms