May 10, 2024 • 52 mins
In this eye-opening episode of Slice of Empathy Podcast, our special guest, Katy Andrews recounts her remarkable journey from switching up her life in the United Kingdom to fearlessly pursuing her love for travel. Katy explores the transformative lessons woven into her experiences, touching on aspects of self-growth, adaptability, building resilience, and forming connections with like-minded individuals on her travels. She also advises on battling fears associated with enormous life changes, reassuring listeners by underlining the importance of rooting to 'why', crafting a clear vision, and setting definitive goals.
Deep-diving into a prevalent issue, Katy shares her struggle with stress and procrastination and how she uses travel as a coping mechanism. She bares the pressures of being a perfectionist and reveals helpful strategies in managing these challenges, endorsing self-awareness, practicing self-kindness, and maintaining pragmatic daily expectations.
Adding value to the conversation, our speakers further delve into the problem of procrastination. They introduce the eBook, "Time Ninja, Conquering the 9 to 5", that gives practical advice to professionals looking to effectively manage their time. The discussion emphasizes becoming self-aware, breaking tasks into manageable pieces, and constantly learning from past experiences in successfully managing procrastination.
Katy narrates her continuous journey across parts of South America, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Asia, encapsulating the liberation that came with detaching from material possessions. She stresses the positive impact of travel on personal and professional aspects of life, demonstrating how an uplifting environment and work-life balance influence one's happiness and client service quality.
In a memorable recount of her travel experience in Bogota, Katy explores the unpredictable nature of life and travel, emphasizing the importance of embracing uncertainties to nurture resilience. She also sheds light on coping strategies for job-related challenges and the value of self-care and passion projects when dealing with redundancy. Implementing these lessons derived from her travels, Katie encourages individuals to transform trials into opportunities for self-evolution and career growth.
On Katy's website, you can access the Time Ninja 60-page ebook right on the homepage. If you're feeling overwhelmed, check out the 14-day Time Management Plan. Additionally, you'll find two extra free ebooks in the store—one on overcoming procrastination and another on navigating the career search. Visit https://msha.ke/katyandrews to explore these resources.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:10):
Welcome back to a slice of empathy podcast. In today's episode,
we speak with Katie Andrews, who left everything in the UK back in 2022 to pursue her dream of travel.
Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm super excited to learn more about your journey.
I also really, really love to travel.
(00:32):
And I was particularly interested in your journey, selling everything that you
own back in the UK to follow your passion of travel.
I think what maybe kind of sparked your interest in making such a monumental change in your life?
Okay, well, there was a lot of things going wrong for me back in the UK.
(00:56):
So I guess you could imagine that I hit a bit of a breaking point,
a bit of a crossroads in my life, if you will.
So you know things were going wrong like you
know my husband got made redundant from the hospitality industry which
threw me back into work but then I was in a job where I was you know being overwhelmed
with work and toxic management and there was just thing after thing going wrong
(01:19):
really and it just got to the point where I'd had enough you know my life wasn't
bad per se but it It was just like,
do you know what? I need a change of direction.
I'm approaching, you know, 40 now. Like, what is it I want from the next chapter in my life, really?
And then I sort of did a bit of soul searching, a bit of journaling, a bit of thinking.
(01:41):
And this was all around, you know, COVID as well, where I was kind of thrown
into that because we couldn't go out often apart from going to the supermarket.
So a lot of journaling and I was like,
I really want to sort of go traveling. I was quite envious of a lot of students
that, you know, leave uni and take a break and go travel in the world.
(02:02):
And even though I'd done a little bit of that, you know, with holidays and stuff,
I wanted to do more because what I found, and I don't know if any of your listeners
can relate to this, when you go on holiday,
it's very hard to take everything in because you're on holiday for a break, right?
And I find that a lot of opportunities is just kind of like a blip because you're just so tired.
(02:25):
And then you feel like you need another holiday when you get back to your nine to five job.
So that's kind of what inspired me, really. It was that sort of breaking point
and a lot of thinking and reflecting, really.
I love that. And it's funny you just mentioned that. I actually,
a few weeks back, just went to London and Paris, and I felt exactly that way when I came back.
(02:48):
It was just everything just happened been so fast.
I think I saw, it was like eight days. I went to London and Paris and it just
didn't seem like long enough.
And so I got back, I'm like, on one hand, it wasn't long enough to really get the full experience.
But on the other hand, when I come back and going back into work,
I'm like, I need another vacation because it's so fast paced.
(03:12):
So I totally understand what you mean.
Yeah, exactly. And I think it's something that I feel like more folks are so inclined to do.
I remember I worked at a position where one of my colleagues had taken a year
off and I was always so inspired by that.
(03:33):
I'm like, oh, that sounds really cool to be able to, like, you know,
quit your job and travel the world. And I feel like so many of us have like,
there's some hesitation in doing that.
Well, I have this or I have that or, you know, different, different reasons.
And for anyone who may be kind of toying with that idea, but might be hesitant,
(03:54):
how would you, what are maybe some tips or words of advice that you might have
for someone who might be thinking about doing that, but is maybe a little bit intimidated?
Yeah, the, you know, the intimidation, I can absolutely understand,
you know, even through my journey, and even when it was absolutely clear that
I wanted to do it, there was still doubts that crept in because that's what
(04:16):
our mind does to us, right?
It makes us think, you know, it wants to protect us. So it starts,
you know, putting the self-doubt and creeping in there.
I think the biggest tip is bring it back to your why, you know,
why are you doing this is really important because, you know,
that's evidence that you can challenge the negative mindset with.
And also as well, getting really clear on your purpose, your vision and your
(04:40):
goals, because again, that can really drive you forward when things get a little
bit challenging and a little bit tough.
So a lot of reflecting on that, you know, why are you doing it?
What is your purpose moving forward? What is it you want to do it for?
You know, because travel is great, don't get me wrong, but it can be,
you know, really tiring and overwhelming.
You know, it's not all, you know, perfect in paradise, should we say.
(05:04):
So it's about thinking about what you want to gain from it as well.
You know, I wanted to gain a lot of resilience and a lot of strength from it.
I was already strong, but I
wanted to really build on that and become even more independent and stuff.
So it's about really understanding what you want to gain from it.
And also thinking about, you know, who are you going to go with?
(05:25):
You know, I admire a lot of solo travellers. That takes a lot of guts to do that.
You know, I'm doing that, doing it with my husband and that would probably be a different ballgame.
But just thinking about if you are going to do solo, you know,
who can you surround yourself by?
You know, there's a lot of networking groups and, you know, platforms like Workaway
and stuff where you can meet like-minded people.
(05:46):
People so it's about thinking about what are
your your goals with it but
also what are the challenges and the things you're struggling with
and trying to find a solution and like I say if
it's a fear of oh am I going to be alone and is anything going to happen to
me think about who you can surround yourself by and who you can maybe check
in with you know just for safety and stuff so that would be my thing just understanding
(06:11):
your purpose and your why and that can help give you the determination to keep going.
Oh, that is so true. And it's interesting. Actually, speaking of solo travel,
it's something that I kind of started doing probably maybe back in like 2018 or so.
I flew from California to Florida for a convention by myself because my husband
(06:34):
was working and he couldn't get up work at the time.
And so I'm like, I kind of told my idea, I don't know if I should I don't know if I should go.
I don't know if I should. And I actually, I ended up going.
And to this day, I do not regret it at all. I met some amazing people.
Yeah. So I had an amazing time and I would 100% do it again.
But I remember kind of leading up to that. I had friends and family like, are you sure?
(06:56):
Is it safe? And even, oh, your husband lets you travel alone.
And it's like, well, yeah. And it's funny because I was recently just talking with my mom.
I'm actually going to New York next week. It's like very quick trip.
And I'm going like on a solo trip very briefly to New York City.
And my mom's like, oh my gosh, like, Like, you know, is it safe?
(07:18):
And so I really think that like, if you're practicing like mindful awareness
and basic safety, I definitely think it's a very empowering thing for a woman, especially.
And I would 100% like anyone who's maybe even thinking about it,
100% advocate, just go for it.
(07:40):
Like you will regret it because unfortunately, we may not always have someone
to go with. to wind this out is kind of how I feel.
And even though I do love to travel with others, sometimes it's not possible.
So I really appreciate you bringing that up. So let's kind of pivot a little bit.
I know you have a background that kind of involves stress and procrastination.
(08:02):
And can you tell me a little bit about maybe your personal experience with that
and how has that influenced how maybe you help others in your business?
So procrastination for me, I think, you know, just kind of peeling back the
layers and going back was a learned behavior from parents.
So, you know, being an only child, I think my mom used to kind of,
(08:24):
you know, sort of not mollycoddle me, but, you know, kind of protect me a lot more.
And a strand of that was she used to procrastinate herself about things to do
with me and things to do with life and money and stuff like that.
And I think that's a bit of a learned behavior from her but more so it's it's
me in my own life you know we have to take responsibility for our actions don't
(08:48):
we and you know one of my biggest.
Stresses if you will or triggers of procrastination was stress you know stress
is a big thing and it's unavoidable unfortunately but that is one of the biggest
things you know I would get a bit of stress or a high level of stress and procrastinate.
And for me, I'm not just a procrastinator. I'm a perfectionist as well,
(09:09):
making it even more tough.
So if I couldn't do a job to the absolute best of my ability, I would stress about it.
I wouldn't necessarily pull things off. This is where I'm a bit different with procrastination.
I would be the other way of, oh, I must get all these things done now and stress
about it and worry about it.
(09:31):
So I wouldn't always put things off. I would just kind of put so much weight on myself that.
Things became almost unachievable to get everything done, if that makes sense.
So that's kind of where I was.
But in terms of how I managed it, you know, procrastination,
there isn't really a cure for it.
(09:51):
You know, I always see it as it's linked to mental health in a way.
And there can always be times when it can rear its ugly head.
But it's about recognizing it, you know, self-awareness is absolutely key.
And having a mindset and a strong mindset is key
to be able to deal with the challenges when they occur but it's
about recognizing it and then kind of being
(10:11):
kind to yourself in a way and going do you know what I can't
do everything but what can I wake up today and
actually do and achieve and you know what can I positively defer if you will
to the next day because I can't do everything you know so there's been big shifts
for me and I think I think traveling has really helped with the procrastination
(10:33):
for me because when I first started traveling,
I used to try and plan it to the nth degree.
And then I realized things would go wrong, sometimes things outside of my control.
And at first it would stress me out a bit, but then thinking about it.
Things will go wrong you know sometimes visas won't come
through sometimes flights will be delayed or you'll
(10:56):
arrive at accommodation and nobody will let you in so it's
about looking at the challenge and going okay well what can I do now as a solution
to resolve this you know basically dealing with what's biting first and then
giving yourself a pat on the back because you've dealt with what you need to
deal with and anything else can wait so I hope that answers your question so,
(11:20):
Yeah. No, I really appreciate that.
And it's interesting you mentioned that. I kind of like to say,
and it's something that I only really started traveling maybe like just before
the pandemic. So it was like probably late 2019.
And I've kind of learned over these short, almost going on five years that to
really kind of plan for the unexpected.
(11:42):
And I know it's a a real struggle, especially initially for me.
I used to want to plan everything to a T, but then as you're mentioning, things would go wrong.
And there are just some things that we may not be able to foresee.
And a lot of folks that I have chatted with, they're very much,
I'm type A, I'm a planner person.
(12:03):
And I think I've had folks tell me for that reason that it's really hard for
them to, to really get on board with traveling because there's such planners
and I can totally respect that.
And for me, I kind of had to, there, there was that hurdle because I love travel,
but then I'm kind of get that free travel anxiety of like all these things that
(12:24):
I have to do leading up or, and, and, and take care of all these things.
Sometimes it's not even just the travel itself is getting everything done at
work and then getting everything packed. And it would give me so much anxiety.
And now I, I like to say like, kind of plan for the unplanned.
So kind of expect things to go
wrong and then like kind of have a solution if they, if they do come up.
(12:47):
So I think that's, that's really been beneficial for me. And I think that might
help our listeners as well.
But yeah, I definitely, I totally understand where you're coming from.
And that's my mind, And I totally just went there actually just coming back
from my most recent trip we had.
We ended up going to the wrong airport and that was the whole thing.
(13:09):
And we missed our flight. And yeah, but it ended up being like,
okay, like overall and like trying to like, you know, keep our cool.
Okay. Like this, you know, it happened. This is, it happened and we can only go from here on out.
So yeah, I really liked that you mentioned that. What are some strategies that
you might recommend for folks who might be looking to transition from procrastination
(13:34):
to empowerment and goal achievement? Yeah.
The first thing I would say is I do have a new ebook out actually.
It's a 60-page free ebook called Time Ninja, Conquering the 9 to 5.
So it is more aimed at professionals that are trying to navigate the 9 to 5
and feeling like they've not got enough time and they're procrastinating over
(13:57):
the things they can and can't do.
So I'll give you the link to that. So that's a good book people can download.
And there's lots of strategies in that. And there's actually a 14-day
time management plan to help people start seeing
some results you know so that's the
number one thing but also it's like
I said before it's about building on that self-awareness for
(14:19):
me I realize looking back now that there's been times where I've dealt with
procrastination actually quite well and I've not given myself a pat on the back
and you know that self-awareness and looking back at times when you have procrastinated
and you've dealt with it well,
and you found a solution can be a way to deal with procrastination in the moment
(14:43):
and remind yourself of, you know, you can do this.
You've done it before. You found a solution before. What did you do last time?
Is there any sort of like keys in there from last time that you could use this
time, you know, like clues.
So that's another thing, looking back and seeing what
you've doing well and giving yourself a pat on the back and another
thing for me that I wish I would have done a lot more when I
(15:05):
was in the pit of procrastination is to speak to
like-minded people speak to you know
not so much friends and family because they will sometimes tell you what you
want to hear but like people like you know mentors coaches you know professionals
that have maybe dealt with stress a lot you know try and surround yourself with
(15:27):
people because it can feel really isolating sometimes.
I know I've done that in the past, you know, I am quite introverted and there
is the desire sometimes to sort of stay in that pit of procrastination alone.
But if you can sort of share it a little bit, it can be freeing even doing that
before anybody gives you any sort of wisdom.
(15:47):
So those would be my key tips, build on your self-awareness,
look back at times when you've done well with procrastination and speak to people
and maybe download my free 60 page ebook, you know so those would be my tips.
Awesome. Yeah, I'm definitely gonna check those out. As I often struggle with
procrastination a lot. And my husband does too.
(16:08):
And I know for me, what I found like, really helps is like, sometimes I'll look
at something this task, like, okay, I want to, I want to achieve this.
For me, it's writing and finishing a book.
And I'm like, Oh, my gosh, like, look, I look at the whole,
like the whole everything that it takes from
(16:29):
that start to end and i'm like oh my gosh i'm so
overwhelmed and then i keep putting it off and putting it
off and i think what's helped me not even just with that but with many other
things is breaking it down into like bite-sized chunks even if it's like five
minutes a day that's gonna add up over a year and so after a year you look back
(16:50):
and wow look how much i accomplished like i didn't need to like write that whole thing in one day.
And so I think that's kind of helped me a little bit, even though I still,
I still kind of struggle a little bit, but like kind of learning,
I think to manage my time better has kind of helped with that.
Even though I admittedly, like, especially with school or deadlines at work,
(17:13):
I found that I work really well under pressure.
I get really motivated, but it's just, it's not ideal, you know,
to be doing those things last minute.
But yeah, I think that's, that's kind of has kind of organizing my schedule
and kind of breaking things down as has really helped me a lot.
I think you're right. And at the end of the day, you know, if you were coming
(17:33):
to me and telling me that you were, you know, procrastinating over writing a
book, my thing, my question to you would be, well, what do you imagine a lot
of authors doing? They break it down.
They work out what the chapters are. They do it in a methodical sense, don't they?
And then they write chapter by chapter. And even writers probably get writing
block, you know, let's be honest.
But they'll come back to it when they get that sort of
(17:56):
inspiration again and they'll pick up pen and paper and they'll try
again so at the end of the day it's about trying to
remind ourselves of that that actually books are written in
chapters they're not all written in one go unless you've you know got a sudden
surge of it you know motivation but ultimately they're written in chapters and
you're not a robot are you you're a human being and there's only so much that
(18:17):
you can do before you need a bit of a reset so that's what I would be saying
to anybody who wants to write a book,
you know, do as little or as often as you can, and just keep coming back to
it, you know, it'll eventually get out into the world, won't it? You know?
That's so true. And it's funny, because there are some writers I really admire,
where they've said that they've had an idea, or a story that has taken them
(18:39):
anywhere from four to 10 years to write, just depending on and I'm like, okay,
I don't feel so bad, because here I am, I've had this idea since 2019 and I've
barely made any progress,
but you know, it could still happen.
Like I don't have to give up on it. And so that's, that's kind of reassuring
to hear that like, okay, yeah.
So many other people are going through the same thing. Absolutely.
(19:04):
So I'm kind of thinking about procrastination.
Are there any success stories in terms of your, of your practice,
anything that you'd maybe like to share with us that you think our listeners
might be able to resonate with?
I've had a fair few clients over the years and, you know, there are some success
(19:25):
stories, but I guess one that really comes to mind is I had a lady who came
to me because, you know, she was procrastinating.
There was quite a few, you know, big life goals she wanted to achieve and she
needed the accountability.
Accountability you know that is one of the big things that people come
to a coach for is that's you know that accountability that can
(19:46):
kind of like stop people procrastinating in a way because
they know they've got somebody to be accountable to and that can
really give them a focus and you know
she wanted to do tough mudder I don't know if anybody knows that
but it's quite you know it's like a sort of like an
exercise regime where you drink so much water
and you do so many like assault courses and stuff
(20:06):
so she wanted to get fit and do that and lose weight and then
through sort of unpicking the layers which is something that I do because a
lot of people they have an idea of what they want or anything that's holding
them back but actually through conversations and questioning sometimes other
things come to the surface and after a few sessions we realized that money was an issue.
(20:30):
She was lacking in self-confidence and didn't feel worthy of money because of
things that had happened to her negatively in her life.
And then, you know, we agreed that one strategy she was going to do was have
money close to her so she could feel it and see it and smell it.
And also, you know, have little goals around money in terms of treating herself
and rewarding herself, you know, when she procrastinates less and achieves her goals.
(20:56):
And, you know, this was nearly two years ago now that I coached this individual
and I still check in and I still see how they're doing because I still want
them to succeed right and you know she's still going from strength to strength
she's still keeping the weight off she's still fit.
Does she still procrastinate? Absolutely. But she's now got the strong mindset
(21:17):
to be able to deal with it.
She's going on more holidays. She's treating herself.
She's having tattoos that she likes. So she's really getting to grips with that
money thing that was holding her back and just living her best life and succeeding.
And for me, that's what it's all about for me.
One of my goals and purposes is to help people succeed.
(21:38):
That's what gives me the dopamine here. that's
what makes me wake up in the morning and she's probably
one of my big successes there's been others but she really
stands out because she's still really pushing
forward each day towards the life that she wants so
yeah just just even talking about that makes me smile to be honest oh I love
(21:59):
that that's so amazing and inspiring and I I think whenever we want we have
a kind of a goal ahead I think it's just so important to kind of keep in mind
like the why as you were saying, why are we doing this?
And especially when it comes to fitness goals, I think so many people can relate
to that. Why am I doing this?
And I felt like for me, it has to be more than just, let's say,
(22:23):
okay, I want to lose weight, but why do I want to lose weight?
I want to live a long time. I want to be healthy and different things like that.
And breaking it down has really helped.
So I appreciate you sharing that. That's a really amazing story.
And for anyone, I know a lot of folks kind of struggle around procrastination as kind of a mindset.
(22:44):
I've heard several folks who'd be like, you know, I'm just a procrastinator
or I tend to procrastinate.
And so they kind of associate it as kind of part of their identity.
Is there any tips or anything that you'd
maybe like words of advice that you might want to give to maybe
who anyone who kind of is maybe struggling with
(23:04):
that that mindset as kind of like part of
themselves like they can't maybe do anything about it again it comes back to
knowing who you are so you know if you need to take a piece of paper and write
down who am i then that's a good way to kind of like reveal your identity at
the end of the day procrastination is a state of mind you know that
(23:27):
is all it is. It's a state of mind.
It's a thought process, you know, triggered by life events.
It's not who we are. It's just something that we're navigating and going through,
just like any other challenge that we go through in our life.
You're right. A lot of people do say I'm a procrastinator.
No, you're not a procrastinator. You're just somebody who procrastinates.
(23:48):
You know, it's not, it's about changing the wording of it, I think,
because I used to do it myself, I'm a procrastinator but no I'm not,
I'm just somebody who stresses and in turn I procrastinate you know, it's funny because.
If we think I am a procrastinator, I never used to say I am a stressor,
but actually I am a stressor is probably more closer to that than I'm a procrastinator
(24:15):
because it's stress all the time that causes the procrastination.
So, yeah, it's about reminding yourself of who you truly are,
you know, a strong, independent person that likes X, Y and Z and writing down your achievements.
It's about trying to instill more positivity in
yourself because like i say the
mind can be our greatest asset or our worst enemy
(24:37):
and a lot of the time it's our worst enemy because it wants
to protect us but actually it's not
protecting us half the time it's restricting us and this
is where like i said to you before going back
to times where you you know you procrastinated well
should we say like how did you overcome it you know
did you positively defer things and stuff did you get past
(24:58):
it reminding yourself of tangible evidence of
why you are good why you are worthy what
you've overcome is really important and
I think reflecting often has been a
big thing for me now sometimes I'll get a journal out sometimes I'll just take
some time to think through things through my mind but you know I have found
(25:19):
with changing my life changing my environment focusing Focusing on who I want
to be and where I want to go has really helped with the procrastination.
Like I say, there's times when that still occurs, but I'm in the right frame
of mind now because I've built my self-awareness up and I've shifted my environment.
It's important to me to be able to deal with it and go, oh, yeah,
(25:42):
I'm procrastinating in this moment.
Let's take myself back to a time when I did it well. What can I do to get past this?
So, yeah, it's about trying to instill as much positivity as possible.
And if you struggle with that,
which some people do it's about surrounding
yourself with positive people you know look around you
who are you surrounded by you know one of the
(26:03):
reasons that I used to procrastinate a lot is because I
was surrounded by negative energy toxicity you
know bad lighting you know this is why environment's important to me I need
a lot of sunlight and stuff so shifting a lot of those things and recognizing
if you've got any energy drainers can be a big help because if you're surrounded
(26:23):
by people that are negative. It's hard to get into a positive mindset.
Well, that's absolutely true. And I think going back to what you were saying
about like, we ourselves aren't a procrastinator.
We procrastinate is just a very important distinguishable difference.
And I love that you mentioned that because especially, I think a lot of folks
(26:47):
struggle with imposter syndrome.
And so in that mindset, I think it's just so easy to be like, well,
I'm a procrastinator or that's just who I am kind of thing and kind of get stuck
there because innately we might feel that maybe we're not worthy or that we're
not deserving of good things.
(27:07):
But as you mentioned, it's just so important to kind of like think Think about
our environment and the people that we surround ourselves with.
I know for me, that's one of the reasons why I really love to travel.
It's just, it makes me just feel so alive.
And it's almost like a form of therapy. And so kind of going back to that,
are you actually, are you currently in the UK right now?
(27:29):
I'm not. I've been traveling for the last two years. is
parts of South America Mexico Costa
Rica Colombia and then sort
of like slowly moving over to Asia I've not
gone back to Europe yet I've done that years ago so
that might happen eventually because we will be
going back to the UK briefly next year for a
(27:51):
friend's wedding so we may go a little bit into Europe
but you know we spent a lot of that two years around
Asia because it's inexpensive you know
we I really like Asia I've touched on it and you know in
the past it's nice to go back and see if and how
things have changed so yeah I've been traveling continuously
for the last two years you know do I
(28:12):
know what the future holds no I don't think any of us do
but I'm trying to live more in the present moment and
go do you know what I'm lucky and blessed that I've created this
life for myself by taking a leap
taking a risk doing the things that I
want to do and it's very like you say empowering and
when times can be challenging because stress
(28:32):
can still creep in at times it's about reminding myself of the fact that I did
take that leap and you know sometimes people will say you know what are you
running away from I don't know if you've ever had this with travel and I say
no it's more about what I'm running away to because for me.
I wasn't running away from anything in the UK. I just had enough.
(28:55):
I wanted a change to be happy.
And I wanted to kind of embrace that and take a leap. But it's interesting how
some people see the negative.
I think there's a negative side to going away and taking a leap on travel.
But for me, it's been amazing. It's been a strengthening of character.
It's helped me build resilience. audience it's made me
(29:17):
appreciate different cultures and how some
people are very little but they're very happy and they've got
a smile on the face and how some people in
the west you know they go to work they've got the nice house
the car but a lot of people seem miserable you know and I was one of them so
it's really interesting to see that but yeah I'm lucky and blessed that I've
(29:39):
been able to travel for the last two years and part of that is selling up you
know selling selling the house, selling everything.
And it was very freeing doing that, you know, getting rid of stuff,
getting rid of clutter, selling things that I hadn't touched in years,
you know, just very freeing, if you will.
I love that. And yeah, I can totally imagine, like, I think it's just so liberating
(30:04):
being able to kind of, especially if like you are choosing to do it,
there's something about making such a big change and it just,
it feels liberating in a way.
In order to get rid of things that are maybe in a way like tying you down, so to speak.
And I love that you mentioned that because I think it's so important for our
listeners and so empowering. It's inspiring to me, surely.
(30:25):
And yeah, as you mentioned, I'm sort of new to traveling. I started only doing it a few years back.
But in that five years or so, I have learned so much.
A large amount of time has been spent traveling Europe. And we also went to Thailand back in 2022.
(30:46):
And just seeing like the way different people live in different parts of the
world and getting to experience different cultures.
And it's just so eye-opening to see like how, how much different lives are led
in other parts of the world.
And so sometimes it actually, when especially when
returning home and kind of i
(31:07):
know the the u.s is known for kind of being
like very like work centric and like
work work work mentality and there's not like a lot of i feel like awareness
towards like take like self-care and taking time for your for yourself it's
like very much about the hustle culture and and and my travel is kind of realizing kind of
(31:32):
learning about the quality of life elsewhere has been really eye-opening for me personally.
And as a foodie, of course, I really enjoy trying different cuisines as well.
So it's like, I look back and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, I wish I started doing this sooner.
And so we can't go back, but we can only go forward.
(31:52):
And now it's just like, I just, I want to do it more and more. And I love it so much.
So I'm thinking if there is someone who's maybe considering maybe having a similar
path of leaving things behind to pursue like their passions,
are there any maybe words of advice,
(32:13):
anything that maybe folks should keep in mind? Yeah.
I think, you know, it's ultimately about giving it a go.
You know, again, your mind is going to be probably your worst enemy in it.
And it's going to try and make you find all the reasons why you shouldn't do
it. But you need to find all the reasons why you should do it.
(32:33):
And you need to do that ASAP before you even start planning your travels,
because you are going to be hit with those mental blocks and you need to be ready to challenge it.
You know I even got it myself even though it
was uber clear that I wanted to do it my mind was
still going oh well you know there's danger and I
even had my mum at the time going careful of danger and are you sure you want
(32:56):
to do it and you know she was obviously trying to protect me but at the same
time the self-doubt and stuff were creeping but it's about linking back to that
why again and I remember saying to my mum but I want to do it mum ultimately I want
to do this and I want to give it a go because I'm not happy.
And in the end, even my mum could see how happy I was. She couldn't wait for
(33:18):
photos and she was eager to see where I was going next.
It was interesting to see how it trickled to those people that were a little
bit sceptical and wary and trying to protect me.
So yeah, it's about being ready to challenge those mental blocks. If you can do that.
It's a game changer, you know, and like I say, if you can, you know,
(33:38):
be mentally prepared that things willing can go wrong, because that's not something
I really thought about, I guess, which I should have done.
But I just kind of went for it and kind of semi thought that everything was going to be perfect.
And actually, it's far from it. So it's just kind of having that awareness that
things are probably going to go wrong more often than not.
(33:59):
But it's about okay you know let's just
take a leap and go for it and enjoy the journey you know
take you know time in each place you know
one thing that I not regret because I
don't like having a regret these days but I wish I would have
spent a bit more time in each place you
know I was kind of moving around a lot because I was like travel
(34:19):
exciting all these places but actually take some
time in each place and absorb it and enjoy
it and you know if you need to extend the visa do
but that'll just help you like relax and
rather be go rather than being going full throttle
you know which can sometimes add to the stress sometimes so yeah
that'd be my number one tip just really be ready to challenge the mindset and
(34:42):
then hopefully you can achieve everything you know oh absolutely and it's it's
funny you mentioned that because when I when I think about savoring time especially
during travel actually coming back from my most recent trip my husband and I
were talking and I'm like,
you know, we really just didn't get enough time in either place.
So I think next time we're either going to just like focus on either have a
(35:05):
longer trip and have like a budget of more days, like for each place.
Or we're going to choose one place and maybe stay like there for a week and
like that in that one area and really focus on it.
And so, yeah, cause I, I just feel like when we came back, it was just,
everything was a blur. or it happened so fast and it was everything so fast
(35:26):
paced because you're trying...
To cram so much into like a small amount of time.
And I think like for us, like what are the things we wanted to do while we're
in Paris was see the Louvre and we ended up not having enough time.
And so like, like, so like, okay, yeah, we're definitely gonna have to plan
to go back and spend a little more time.
Same thing with London too. I feel like we could have had a little bit more
(35:48):
time to do different things that we wanted to do and just kind of like taking it slow.
Like, and I think like for me, what's helped in travels is having just like even a day or two.
Like, I know it's like so common, especially if you're not, if you're spending
a short amount of time in some place, but at least have a day or two.
(36:08):
At least just to physically be present and not necessarily have things booked
or planned just to kind of experience like what's around you is like really important.
Important. I agree. You need resting periods as well where you don't do much.
You know, I used to cram so much in in the places where, you know,
(36:28):
it was a bit rushed that we wouldn't have a lot of resting time.
And that adds to the tiredness, the stress, the procrastination.
So resting is absolutely key, you know, just by the pool or reading a book or
whatever it is you want to do.
Absolutely when kind of thinking about your your travel
experiences how do you integrate your
(36:51):
travel into your work of helping others
increase confidence and clarity so for
me you know i have to have balance
i'm a laborer anyway i need balance in my life otherwise
i feel out of out of sync and travel helps
me with that and i've been a good environment it helps me that as well as
well as the freedom and stuff that comes with it so it's
(37:13):
important for me with the travel to not
only show up for myself in the best way you know energized and happy and everything
but also kind of transfer some of that to my clients because what I've realized
when I've coached in jobs in the past is that I've been so overwhelmed with
workload that you know turning
(37:35):
up to each session to coach people,
I'd sometimes have virtually no energy left.
So it's important for me to keep my energy levels up with the resting and things and the balance.
And, you know, I also believe that if I wasn't turning up as the best version
of myself, I can give the best value to my clients, you know, it's important to me.
(37:55):
So those are the main things. And also, you know, when I do turn up for clients,
you know, just trying my best to, you know, help them achieve what it is that they're out to achieve.
You know, I'll never take on a client if I feel that I can't help them.
You know, personality is a big thing for me as well. We need to gel.
(38:16):
And I could usually tell that, you know, from the first compatibility session we have.
So it's important for me to have that rapport and that
you know that sort of personality attraction if you will and also being able
to help them if I feel that I can't help them I'll be totally honest but if
I feel that I can help them then that's that's the big thing for me and yeah
(38:38):
just turning up is the best version of myself and.
That energizes them you know a lot of clients get motivated knowing that I'm
traveling you know not everybody wants to travel but just knowing that I'm out
there achieving my goals and doing what I want to do,
makes them feel in a way that I can help them with their goals as well.
(39:00):
Wow, that's so true. I definitely think that's so important and kind of,
especially your experience in your journey is so empowering.
I can only imagine that would be so inspiring to your clients as well.
Can you share maybe a memorable experience from your travels that maybe profoundly
(39:20):
found that we impacted your personal or maybe professional outlook?
There's been lots of both positive and difficult experiences.
I think one of the things that really built my resilience is when we arrived
in Colombia, we'd had a really long flight,
you know, lots of jet lag and things like that, just like delays and stuff.
(39:43):
It's like through through immigration and everything.
And then we arrived in Bogota and our accommodation, the lights were on,
but nobody was home and we couldn't get in.
And, you know, there was the army in the street with guns and stuff.
And it was all disorientating, you know, really tired on this journey.
And you just want to get your head down and you're like, oh, my God.
(40:04):
And in the moment, yeah, there was a bit of stress because you think I just want to put me back down.
But actually we went, right, OK, we just need to focus now
on getting a room and really getting in and settling down
and I think looking back now that built
my resilience because that was quite early on in the travel journey
you know again something that we didn't foresee and you
(40:25):
know I can look back on that now and go that's really built my resilience and
it's a story I sometimes use with clients as well you know in terms of things
going wrong and you know the circle of influence if you will and how we can
only control so much so So I think that's sort of like the difficult experience.
But there's been loads of positive ones as well, you know, like being in the
(40:48):
desert in California for a night and having a fire and enjoying like fireworks
and seeing the moon and the stars.
So there's been loads of positive experience and I try and bring them out in
coaching calls when I need to, you
know, when people need a little bit of inspiration and they're open to it.
But yeah there's been some challenges along the way and I can look back and
(41:13):
laugh now but I think in the moment it can be hard because you're like.
Oh my gosh. Again, you just need to kind of just find a solution as quickly
as possible because otherwise it's just going to consume you and make you stress.
And one of the things that I've learned is life's too short at the end of the day.
You know, stress can be a really big thing if it's not managed properly,
(41:37):
you know, it can lead to other conditions.
So I want to stay healthy and well, you know, I'm reaching 40 now and I'm thinking
about the next period of my life and And because stress used to be a big trigger
for me, I want to manage it as much as possible and just live my best life, really.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think, honestly, that's kind of been my motto a little
(41:58):
bit too, these kind of past few years. In 2018, I had a cancer scare.
And so ever since then, I'm like, you know, we're not guaranteed tomorrow.
So, you know, we want to like live our best lives.
And I think, I know even for me, me as well, I think like letting go of that
control because realizing that
(42:18):
there are some things that aren't in our control, it's really difficult.
But I think there's also something that's like really empowering in that too.
Absolutely. You know, I was with a client just the other day and,
you know, they procrastinate.
And you know again I reminded them of
the circle of influence because you know they're trying to find a
(42:40):
job and you know job searching can be stressful right especially
in this current climate but it's about thinking okay well
what can I do in this moment what feels right what
needs to be done now because again you can't
do everything you know eventually that
job will come along but I think it can stress some people
out of because we need money you know unfortunately in
(43:03):
this world you know we need that paper money to do a
lot of things in life but again money like
the mind is both a blessing and a curse isn't it you
know it can really like be good in a way
but also detrimental in a way and stop us from being
the best version of ourselves but it's just about going okay well what can I
do right now in this moment and just trying to snap your brain out of it because
(43:26):
otherwise you just end up in that pit of procrastination stressing about all
these things Things that you feel you've got to do and stuff that doesn't even
need to be done yet, you know?
So that's what I try and do with clients. Just what can you do in this moment
now to feel positive, to kind of change your direction a little bit, you know?
Yeah. And I can totally relate to
(43:47):
that because I'm actually going through something very similar right now.
And it's really hard sometimes not to get discouraged.
And I actually had been working for pretty much 10 solid years prior to being
laid off somewhat recently.
Constantly and it's in a way it's like it's a it's kind of a blow to the ego
(44:08):
for one but then also it's tough because like you're you know eventually you're
going to get that next opportunity.
And leading up to that there's just there's going to be no's there's going to
be rejections and kind of it's I think it's really about persistence and kind
of keeping through that And I know for a lot of folks,
(44:30):
they've gotten so tired of the rejections that they kind of maybe stop applying
because they feel like it's a dead end for them.
And so I can sort of understand that, but at the same time, if I don't keep
at it, that next big thing isn't going to come.
And so also, I think there's something empowering. And I think one of the pieces
(44:54):
of advice that I had gotten is, and I think many people, especially in today's climate can relate,
but to maybe like an hour or two a day that you spend, whether it's interviewing
or your job hunting or whatever it is, and take a little bit of time to focus
on other things that you enjoy at passion projects.
(45:14):
Projects for me, it's, it's writing, doing podcasts or cooking or different things.
Like they're like, enjoy that time that you have to kind of, kind of.
Learn and feel yourself again and kind
of like what you're looking for what's important to you it's a good opportunity
to kind of reconnect with yourself in that way knowing that there will be an
(45:38):
end point even if we don't we don't see it and even if we feel discouraged I
think that's so important so I really appreciate you bringing that up it's interesting
that you say that because.
Back in about two years ago when my husband was
made redundant and we were both in a period of looking for work and
it was stressful I remember we we had to
(45:58):
go on the UK benefits very very briefly which doesn't
pay well anyway but that's a different story so we
didn't want to be on it for very long but I remember having a conversation with
the work coach and they said oh you need to be applying for jobs all day all
day every day and I remember thinking to myself I'm not going to do that because
it's demoralizing and like you say I want to go off and deal with the things
(46:23):
I I need a break. I need a drink.
I need, you know, a breath of fresh air.
Like I'll apply for jobs, but I'm not doing it continuously for like seven or eight hours a day.
Plus, I don't think there was even any jobs to warrant that length of time anyway,
because a lot of jobs are, you know, either filled and they're still on the
job boards and stuff like that.
So it's just funny you said that. It just sparked a memory in me,
(46:46):
you know, do what feels right.
Apply, you know, for an hour, go take a walk come back and do it if you need
to but yeah take a break because otherwise you're like oh another job i've got
to apply for another job and you know a lot of these companies they want cover
letters which i find a bit tedious to be honest you know everything's on my cv.
(47:06):
So yeah it's about taking those breaks regularly isn't it and just,
doing what you want to do so you can keep your identity. And it's funny what
you said about redundancy as well. It can hit the ego.
You know, I remember coaching somebody a while ago and their confidence and ego took a real hit.
And they, again, used to say, I've been made redundant.
(47:28):
And I was like, try and change your mindset on that a little bit.
Say that your job's been made redundant because technically it's your job that's been made redundant.
It's not a reflection on you. you know you
were doing your job well it's just one day the rug was
pulled from underneath you and interestingly that did
change their mindset they reconnected as to why they're
(47:50):
worthy and why they'll eventually find another role and luckily they did they
actually found a role quicker than they thought they would so yeah it doesn't
define you redundancy it's just something that unfortunately happens sometimes
and probably will continue to happen in this climate unfortunately unfortunately.
Hopefully things will change though. I've got my fingers crossed for everybody, you know?
(48:13):
Yeah, that's so true. And I totally know what you mean about feeling like you
have to spend hours a day because to be honest, I'll find myself wanting to do that.
I'm like, okay, I got to keep doing this. I got to keep doing this until I find something.
But then I find myself like, okay, I'm tired.
I'm burned out. And I'm starting to feel like I did when I was burned out while I was working.
(48:36):
And so that's why sometimes I feel like job searching could sometimes feel like a job in itself.
And yeah, so I think it's like so important.
And so it's easy for me to kind of go down that rabbit hole,
spend like hours and hours at a time.
And so until I get to this point, I'm like, why am I doing this?
Why don't I take a break? Like, it's okay if I take a break and come back to
(48:59):
this later or come back to it tomorrow because I might start to get frustrated.
And that's not really going to help anything.
So yeah, I 100% relate to that.
Yeah. Awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me today.
Before we kind of close out, can you share with us and our listeners where we
(49:22):
can find you and connect with you?
Maybe book a session or check out your book.
We'll include that in the footnotes down below as well. yeah
so I've got a really bizarre sounding website now
so I did I did used to have a bigger website but what I found
from experience is a lot of people would look at the first page and then not
(49:42):
actually look at any of the pages so I've streamlined my website for the procrastinators
and the stressors out there so it's a much more simple website I will give you
the link because if I say it on here nobody's going to remember the dots and
slashes and everything in between but essentially it's
milkshake forward slash katie andrews but i'll
(50:02):
send it to you and on the very first page they
can see a link to the time ninja ebook they can get straight in there and and
sort of download that book and you know my review is always appreciated because
if there's something that people want i'll aim to deliver but there's a lot
of value in there there's some good feedback on it already and then on that same page they can.
(50:25):
Also pick a de-stress compatibility session where
if they do book a session they can get a free
coaching journal and that's like 200 pages
of you know reflection pages and mindset
pages and health pages where people can really
start to work on their inner core and
what it is that they want to achieve as well as reflect on any
(50:47):
coaching sessions so that's a really nice freebie for
people to have and in that coaching compatibility session
I'll really get to know you you're really you
know really get to know me and we'll deep dive
and peel back the layers in terms of why you're stressing
why you're procrastinating what your goals values
and strengths are because that's important in terms.
(51:09):
Of the why and then we'll create a plan that
feels right for you so you've got something to
be working towards after the call and then
I'll check in a a week later and give you that accountability so you
can actually start to feel driven and move
forward and of course if people want to continue
working with me that's a conversation we can
(51:29):
we can have as well so yeah I'll give you
the link after this I'll send it to you in an email and then
that way people have got the exact email with those dots
and dashes and everything in between is that
all right is that is that good that's perfect I'll make
sure that I get that and included in our in our show notes as
well fabulous fabulous well it's been
(51:49):
it's been great to talk to you really appreciate sharing my
story and I hope you know even if one person gets
some motivation from this then it's a job done in my book so thank you everybody
for listening and thank you for having me thank you for such a beautiful conversation
I know I learned a lot and I love learning about your travels and practical
(52:11):
advice that's been immensely helpful thank you very much and I'll speak to you later.
Music.
Music.
(00:10):
Welcome back to a slice of empathy podcast. In today's episode,
we speak with Katie Andrews, who left everything in the UK back in 2022 to pursue her dream of travel.
Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm super excited to learn more about your journey.
I also really, really love to travel.
(00:32):
And I was particularly interested in your journey, selling everything that you
own back in the UK to follow your passion of travel.
I think what maybe kind of sparked your interest in making such a monumental change in your life?
Okay, well, there was a lot of things going wrong for me back in the UK.
(00:56):
So I guess you could imagine that I hit a bit of a breaking point,
a bit of a crossroads in my life, if you will.
So you know things were going wrong like you
know my husband got made redundant from the hospitality industry which
threw me back into work but then I was in a job where I was you know being overwhelmed
with work and toxic management and there was just thing after thing going wrong
(01:19):
really and it just got to the point where I'd had enough you know my life wasn't
bad per se but it It was just like,
do you know what? I need a change of direction.
I'm approaching, you know, 40 now. Like, what is it I want from the next chapter in my life, really?
And then I sort of did a bit of soul searching, a bit of journaling, a bit of thinking.
(01:41):
And this was all around, you know, COVID as well, where I was kind of thrown
into that because we couldn't go out often apart from going to the supermarket.
So a lot of journaling and I was like,
I really want to sort of go traveling. I was quite envious of a lot of students
that, you know, leave uni and take a break and go travel in the world.
(02:02):
And even though I'd done a little bit of that, you know, with holidays and stuff,
I wanted to do more because what I found, and I don't know if any of your listeners
can relate to this, when you go on holiday,
it's very hard to take everything in because you're on holiday for a break, right?
And I find that a lot of opportunities is just kind of like a blip because you're just so tired.
(02:25):
And then you feel like you need another holiday when you get back to your nine to five job.
So that's kind of what inspired me, really. It was that sort of breaking point
and a lot of thinking and reflecting, really.
I love that. And it's funny you just mentioned that. I actually,
a few weeks back, just went to London and Paris, and I felt exactly that way when I came back.
(02:48):
It was just everything just happened been so fast.
I think I saw, it was like eight days. I went to London and Paris and it just
didn't seem like long enough.
And so I got back, I'm like, on one hand, it wasn't long enough to really get the full experience.
But on the other hand, when I come back and going back into work,
I'm like, I need another vacation because it's so fast paced.
(03:12):
So I totally understand what you mean.
Yeah, exactly. And I think it's something that I feel like more folks are so inclined to do.
I remember I worked at a position where one of my colleagues had taken a year
off and I was always so inspired by that.
(03:33):
I'm like, oh, that sounds really cool to be able to, like, you know,
quit your job and travel the world. And I feel like so many of us have like,
there's some hesitation in doing that.
Well, I have this or I have that or, you know, different, different reasons.
And for anyone who may be kind of toying with that idea, but might be hesitant,
(03:54):
how would you, what are maybe some tips or words of advice that you might have
for someone who might be thinking about doing that, but is maybe a little bit intimidated?
Yeah, the, you know, the intimidation, I can absolutely understand,
you know, even through my journey, and even when it was absolutely clear that
I wanted to do it, there was still doubts that crept in because that's what
(04:16):
our mind does to us, right?
It makes us think, you know, it wants to protect us. So it starts,
you know, putting the self-doubt and creeping in there.
I think the biggest tip is bring it back to your why, you know,
why are you doing this is really important because, you know,
that's evidence that you can challenge the negative mindset with.
And also as well, getting really clear on your purpose, your vision and your
(04:40):
goals, because again, that can really drive you forward when things get a little
bit challenging and a little bit tough.
So a lot of reflecting on that, you know, why are you doing it?
What is your purpose moving forward? What is it you want to do it for?
You know, because travel is great, don't get me wrong, but it can be,
you know, really tiring and overwhelming.
You know, it's not all, you know, perfect in paradise, should we say.
(05:04):
So it's about thinking about what you want to gain from it as well.
You know, I wanted to gain a lot of resilience and a lot of strength from it.
I was already strong, but I
wanted to really build on that and become even more independent and stuff.
So it's about really understanding what you want to gain from it.
And also thinking about, you know, who are you going to go with?
(05:25):
You know, I admire a lot of solo travellers. That takes a lot of guts to do that.
You know, I'm doing that, doing it with my husband and that would probably be a different ballgame.
But just thinking about if you are going to do solo, you know,
who can you surround yourself by?
You know, there's a lot of networking groups and, you know, platforms like Workaway
and stuff where you can meet like-minded people.
(05:46):
People so it's about thinking about what are
your your goals with it but
also what are the challenges and the things you're struggling with
and trying to find a solution and like I say if
it's a fear of oh am I going to be alone and is anything going to happen to
me think about who you can surround yourself by and who you can maybe check
in with you know just for safety and stuff so that would be my thing just understanding
(06:11):
your purpose and your why and that can help give you the determination to keep going.
Oh, that is so true. And it's interesting. Actually, speaking of solo travel,
it's something that I kind of started doing probably maybe back in like 2018 or so.
I flew from California to Florida for a convention by myself because my husband
(06:34):
was working and he couldn't get up work at the time.
And so I'm like, I kind of told my idea, I don't know if I should I don't know if I should go.
I don't know if I should. And I actually, I ended up going.
And to this day, I do not regret it at all. I met some amazing people.
Yeah. So I had an amazing time and I would 100% do it again.
But I remember kind of leading up to that. I had friends and family like, are you sure?
(06:56):
Is it safe? And even, oh, your husband lets you travel alone.
And it's like, well, yeah. And it's funny because I was recently just talking with my mom.
I'm actually going to New York next week. It's like very quick trip.
And I'm going like on a solo trip very briefly to New York City.
And my mom's like, oh my gosh, like, Like, you know, is it safe?
(07:18):
And so I really think that like, if you're practicing like mindful awareness
and basic safety, I definitely think it's a very empowering thing for a woman, especially.
And I would 100% like anyone who's maybe even thinking about it,
100% advocate, just go for it.
(07:40):
Like you will regret it because unfortunately, we may not always have someone
to go with. to wind this out is kind of how I feel.
And even though I do love to travel with others, sometimes it's not possible.
So I really appreciate you bringing that up. So let's kind of pivot a little bit.
I know you have a background that kind of involves stress and procrastination.
(08:02):
And can you tell me a little bit about maybe your personal experience with that
and how has that influenced how maybe you help others in your business?
So procrastination for me, I think, you know, just kind of peeling back the
layers and going back was a learned behavior from parents.
So, you know, being an only child, I think my mom used to kind of,
(08:24):
you know, sort of not mollycoddle me, but, you know, kind of protect me a lot more.
And a strand of that was she used to procrastinate herself about things to do
with me and things to do with life and money and stuff like that.
And I think that's a bit of a learned behavior from her but more so it's it's
me in my own life you know we have to take responsibility for our actions don't
(08:48):
we and you know one of my biggest.
Stresses if you will or triggers of procrastination was stress you know stress
is a big thing and it's unavoidable unfortunately but that is one of the biggest
things you know I would get a bit of stress or a high level of stress and procrastinate.
And for me, I'm not just a procrastinator. I'm a perfectionist as well,
(09:09):
making it even more tough.
So if I couldn't do a job to the absolute best of my ability, I would stress about it.
I wouldn't necessarily pull things off. This is where I'm a bit different with procrastination.
I would be the other way of, oh, I must get all these things done now and stress
about it and worry about it.
(09:31):
So I wouldn't always put things off. I would just kind of put so much weight on myself that.
Things became almost unachievable to get everything done, if that makes sense.
So that's kind of where I was.
But in terms of how I managed it, you know, procrastination,
there isn't really a cure for it.
(09:51):
You know, I always see it as it's linked to mental health in a way.
And there can always be times when it can rear its ugly head.
But it's about recognizing it, you know, self-awareness is absolutely key.
And having a mindset and a strong mindset is key
to be able to deal with the challenges when they occur but it's
about recognizing it and then kind of being
(10:11):
kind to yourself in a way and going do you know what I can't
do everything but what can I wake up today and
actually do and achieve and you know what can I positively defer if you will
to the next day because I can't do everything you know so there's been big shifts
for me and I think I think traveling has really helped with the procrastination
(10:33):
for me because when I first started traveling,
I used to try and plan it to the nth degree.
And then I realized things would go wrong, sometimes things outside of my control.
And at first it would stress me out a bit, but then thinking about it.
Things will go wrong you know sometimes visas won't come
through sometimes flights will be delayed or you'll
(10:56):
arrive at accommodation and nobody will let you in so it's
about looking at the challenge and going okay well what can I do now as a solution
to resolve this you know basically dealing with what's biting first and then
giving yourself a pat on the back because you've dealt with what you need to
deal with and anything else can wait so I hope that answers your question so,
(11:20):
Yeah. No, I really appreciate that.
And it's interesting you mentioned that. I kind of like to say,
and it's something that I only really started traveling maybe like just before
the pandemic. So it was like probably late 2019.
And I've kind of learned over these short, almost going on five years that to
really kind of plan for the unexpected.
(11:42):
And I know it's a a real struggle, especially initially for me.
I used to want to plan everything to a T, but then as you're mentioning, things would go wrong.
And there are just some things that we may not be able to foresee.
And a lot of folks that I have chatted with, they're very much,
I'm type A, I'm a planner person.
(12:03):
And I think I've had folks tell me for that reason that it's really hard for
them to, to really get on board with traveling because there's such planners
and I can totally respect that.
And for me, I kind of had to, there, there was that hurdle because I love travel,
but then I'm kind of get that free travel anxiety of like all these things that
(12:24):
I have to do leading up or, and, and, and take care of all these things.
Sometimes it's not even just the travel itself is getting everything done at
work and then getting everything packed. And it would give me so much anxiety.
And now I, I like to say like, kind of plan for the unplanned.
So kind of expect things to go
wrong and then like kind of have a solution if they, if they do come up.
(12:47):
So I think that's, that's really been beneficial for me. And I think that might
help our listeners as well.
But yeah, I definitely, I totally understand where you're coming from.
And that's my mind, And I totally just went there actually just coming back
from my most recent trip we had.
We ended up going to the wrong airport and that was the whole thing.
(13:09):
And we missed our flight. And yeah, but it ended up being like,
okay, like overall and like trying to like, you know, keep our cool.
Okay. Like this, you know, it happened. This is, it happened and we can only go from here on out.
So yeah, I really liked that you mentioned that. What are some strategies that
you might recommend for folks who might be looking to transition from procrastination
(13:34):
to empowerment and goal achievement? Yeah.
The first thing I would say is I do have a new ebook out actually.
It's a 60-page free ebook called Time Ninja, Conquering the 9 to 5.
So it is more aimed at professionals that are trying to navigate the 9 to 5
and feeling like they've not got enough time and they're procrastinating over
(13:57):
the things they can and can't do.
So I'll give you the link to that. So that's a good book people can download.
And there's lots of strategies in that. And there's actually a 14-day
time management plan to help people start seeing
some results you know so that's the
number one thing but also it's like
I said before it's about building on that self-awareness for
(14:19):
me I realize looking back now that there's been times where I've dealt with
procrastination actually quite well and I've not given myself a pat on the back
and you know that self-awareness and looking back at times when you have procrastinated
and you've dealt with it well,
and you found a solution can be a way to deal with procrastination in the moment
(14:43):
and remind yourself of, you know, you can do this.
You've done it before. You found a solution before. What did you do last time?
Is there any sort of like keys in there from last time that you could use this
time, you know, like clues.
So that's another thing, looking back and seeing what
you've doing well and giving yourself a pat on the back and another
thing for me that I wish I would have done a lot more when I
(15:05):
was in the pit of procrastination is to speak to
like-minded people speak to you know
not so much friends and family because they will sometimes tell you what you
want to hear but like people like you know mentors coaches you know professionals
that have maybe dealt with stress a lot you know try and surround yourself with
(15:27):
people because it can feel really isolating sometimes.
I know I've done that in the past, you know, I am quite introverted and there
is the desire sometimes to sort of stay in that pit of procrastination alone.
But if you can sort of share it a little bit, it can be freeing even doing that
before anybody gives you any sort of wisdom.
(15:47):
So those would be my key tips, build on your self-awareness,
look back at times when you've done well with procrastination and speak to people
and maybe download my free 60 page ebook, you know so those would be my tips.
Awesome. Yeah, I'm definitely gonna check those out. As I often struggle with
procrastination a lot. And my husband does too.
(16:08):
And I know for me, what I found like, really helps is like, sometimes I'll look
at something this task, like, okay, I want to, I want to achieve this.
For me, it's writing and finishing a book.
And I'm like, Oh, my gosh, like, look, I look at the whole,
like the whole everything that it takes from
(16:29):
that start to end and i'm like oh my gosh i'm so
overwhelmed and then i keep putting it off and putting it
off and i think what's helped me not even just with that but with many other
things is breaking it down into like bite-sized chunks even if it's like five
minutes a day that's gonna add up over a year and so after a year you look back
(16:50):
and wow look how much i accomplished like i didn't need to like write that whole thing in one day.
And so I think that's kind of helped me a little bit, even though I still,
I still kind of struggle a little bit, but like kind of learning,
I think to manage my time better has kind of helped with that.
Even though I admittedly, like, especially with school or deadlines at work,
(17:13):
I found that I work really well under pressure.
I get really motivated, but it's just, it's not ideal, you know,
to be doing those things last minute.
But yeah, I think that's, that's kind of has kind of organizing my schedule
and kind of breaking things down as has really helped me a lot.
I think you're right. And at the end of the day, you know, if you were coming
(17:33):
to me and telling me that you were, you know, procrastinating over writing a
book, my thing, my question to you would be, well, what do you imagine a lot
of authors doing? They break it down.
They work out what the chapters are. They do it in a methodical sense, don't they?
And then they write chapter by chapter. And even writers probably get writing
block, you know, let's be honest.
But they'll come back to it when they get that sort of
(17:56):
inspiration again and they'll pick up pen and paper and they'll try
again so at the end of the day it's about trying to
remind ourselves of that that actually books are written in
chapters they're not all written in one go unless you've you know got a sudden
surge of it you know motivation but ultimately they're written in chapters and
you're not a robot are you you're a human being and there's only so much that
(18:17):
you can do before you need a bit of a reset so that's what I would be saying
to anybody who wants to write a book,
you know, do as little or as often as you can, and just keep coming back to
it, you know, it'll eventually get out into the world, won't it? You know?
That's so true. And it's funny, because there are some writers I really admire,
where they've said that they've had an idea, or a story that has taken them
(18:39):
anywhere from four to 10 years to write, just depending on and I'm like, okay,
I don't feel so bad, because here I am, I've had this idea since 2019 and I've
barely made any progress,
but you know, it could still happen.
Like I don't have to give up on it. And so that's, that's kind of reassuring
to hear that like, okay, yeah.
So many other people are going through the same thing. Absolutely.
(19:04):
So I'm kind of thinking about procrastination.
Are there any success stories in terms of your, of your practice,
anything that you'd maybe like to share with us that you think our listeners
might be able to resonate with?
I've had a fair few clients over the years and, you know, there are some success
(19:25):
stories, but I guess one that really comes to mind is I had a lady who came
to me because, you know, she was procrastinating.
There was quite a few, you know, big life goals she wanted to achieve and she
needed the accountability.
Accountability you know that is one of the big things that people come
to a coach for is that's you know that accountability that can
(19:46):
kind of like stop people procrastinating in a way because
they know they've got somebody to be accountable to and that can
really give them a focus and you know
she wanted to do tough mudder I don't know if anybody knows that
but it's quite you know it's like a sort of like an
exercise regime where you drink so much water
and you do so many like assault courses and stuff
(20:06):
so she wanted to get fit and do that and lose weight and then
through sort of unpicking the layers which is something that I do because a
lot of people they have an idea of what they want or anything that's holding
them back but actually through conversations and questioning sometimes other
things come to the surface and after a few sessions we realized that money was an issue.
(20:30):
She was lacking in self-confidence and didn't feel worthy of money because of
things that had happened to her negatively in her life.
And then, you know, we agreed that one strategy she was going to do was have
money close to her so she could feel it and see it and smell it.
And also, you know, have little goals around money in terms of treating herself
and rewarding herself, you know, when she procrastinates less and achieves her goals.
(20:56):
And, you know, this was nearly two years ago now that I coached this individual
and I still check in and I still see how they're doing because I still want
them to succeed right and you know she's still going from strength to strength
she's still keeping the weight off she's still fit.
Does she still procrastinate? Absolutely. But she's now got the strong mindset
(21:17):
to be able to deal with it.
She's going on more holidays. She's treating herself.
She's having tattoos that she likes. So she's really getting to grips with that
money thing that was holding her back and just living her best life and succeeding.
And for me, that's what it's all about for me.
One of my goals and purposes is to help people succeed.
(21:38):
That's what gives me the dopamine here. that's
what makes me wake up in the morning and she's probably
one of my big successes there's been others but she really
stands out because she's still really pushing
forward each day towards the life that she wants so
yeah just just even talking about that makes me smile to be honest oh I love
(21:59):
that that's so amazing and inspiring and I I think whenever we want we have
a kind of a goal ahead I think it's just so important to kind of keep in mind
like the why as you were saying, why are we doing this?
And especially when it comes to fitness goals, I think so many people can relate
to that. Why am I doing this?
And I felt like for me, it has to be more than just, let's say,
(22:23):
okay, I want to lose weight, but why do I want to lose weight?
I want to live a long time. I want to be healthy and different things like that.
And breaking it down has really helped.
So I appreciate you sharing that. That's a really amazing story.
And for anyone, I know a lot of folks kind of struggle around procrastination as kind of a mindset.
(22:44):
I've heard several folks who'd be like, you know, I'm just a procrastinator
or I tend to procrastinate.
And so they kind of associate it as kind of part of their identity.
Is there any tips or anything that you'd
maybe like words of advice that you might want to give to maybe
who anyone who kind of is maybe struggling with
(23:04):
that that mindset as kind of like part of
themselves like they can't maybe do anything about it again it comes back to
knowing who you are so you know if you need to take a piece of paper and write
down who am i then that's a good way to kind of like reveal your identity at
the end of the day procrastination is a state of mind you know that
(23:27):
is all it is. It's a state of mind.
It's a thought process, you know, triggered by life events.
It's not who we are. It's just something that we're navigating and going through,
just like any other challenge that we go through in our life.
You're right. A lot of people do say I'm a procrastinator.
No, you're not a procrastinator. You're just somebody who procrastinates.
(23:48):
You know, it's not, it's about changing the wording of it, I think,
because I used to do it myself, I'm a procrastinator but no I'm not,
I'm just somebody who stresses and in turn I procrastinate you know, it's funny because.
If we think I am a procrastinator, I never used to say I am a stressor,
but actually I am a stressor is probably more closer to that than I'm a procrastinator
(24:15):
because it's stress all the time that causes the procrastination.
So, yeah, it's about reminding yourself of who you truly are,
you know, a strong, independent person that likes X, Y and Z and writing down your achievements.
It's about trying to instill more positivity in
yourself because like i say the
mind can be our greatest asset or our worst enemy
(24:37):
and a lot of the time it's our worst enemy because it wants
to protect us but actually it's not
protecting us half the time it's restricting us and this
is where like i said to you before going back
to times where you you know you procrastinated well
should we say like how did you overcome it you know
did you positively defer things and stuff did you get past
(24:58):
it reminding yourself of tangible evidence of
why you are good why you are worthy what
you've overcome is really important and
I think reflecting often has been a
big thing for me now sometimes I'll get a journal out sometimes I'll just take
some time to think through things through my mind but you know I have found
(25:19):
with changing my life changing my environment focusing Focusing on who I want
to be and where I want to go has really helped with the procrastination.
Like I say, there's times when that still occurs, but I'm in the right frame
of mind now because I've built my self-awareness up and I've shifted my environment.
It's important to me to be able to deal with it and go, oh, yeah,
(25:42):
I'm procrastinating in this moment.
Let's take myself back to a time when I did it well. What can I do to get past this?
So, yeah, it's about trying to instill as much positivity as possible.
And if you struggle with that,
which some people do it's about surrounding
yourself with positive people you know look around you
who are you surrounded by you know one of the
(26:03):
reasons that I used to procrastinate a lot is because I
was surrounded by negative energy toxicity you
know bad lighting you know this is why environment's important to me I need
a lot of sunlight and stuff so shifting a lot of those things and recognizing
if you've got any energy drainers can be a big help because if you're surrounded
(26:23):
by people that are negative. It's hard to get into a positive mindset.
Well, that's absolutely true. And I think going back to what you were saying
about like, we ourselves aren't a procrastinator.
We procrastinate is just a very important distinguishable difference.
And I love that you mentioned that because especially, I think a lot of folks
(26:47):
struggle with imposter syndrome.
And so in that mindset, I think it's just so easy to be like, well,
I'm a procrastinator or that's just who I am kind of thing and kind of get stuck
there because innately we might feel that maybe we're not worthy or that we're
not deserving of good things.
(27:07):
But as you mentioned, it's just so important to kind of like think Think about
our environment and the people that we surround ourselves with.
I know for me, that's one of the reasons why I really love to travel.
It's just, it makes me just feel so alive.
And it's almost like a form of therapy. And so kind of going back to that,
are you actually, are you currently in the UK right now?
(27:29):
I'm not. I've been traveling for the last two years. is
parts of South America Mexico Costa
Rica Colombia and then sort
of like slowly moving over to Asia I've not
gone back to Europe yet I've done that years ago so
that might happen eventually because we will be
going back to the UK briefly next year for a
(27:51):
friend's wedding so we may go a little bit into Europe
but you know we spent a lot of that two years around
Asia because it's inexpensive you know
we I really like Asia I've touched on it and you know in
the past it's nice to go back and see if and how
things have changed so yeah I've been traveling continuously
for the last two years you know do I
(28:12):
know what the future holds no I don't think any of us do
but I'm trying to live more in the present moment and
go do you know what I'm lucky and blessed that I've created this
life for myself by taking a leap
taking a risk doing the things that I
want to do and it's very like you say empowering and
when times can be challenging because stress
(28:32):
can still creep in at times it's about reminding myself of the fact that I did
take that leap and you know sometimes people will say you know what are you
running away from I don't know if you've ever had this with travel and I say
no it's more about what I'm running away to because for me.
I wasn't running away from anything in the UK. I just had enough.
(28:55):
I wanted a change to be happy.
And I wanted to kind of embrace that and take a leap. But it's interesting how
some people see the negative.
I think there's a negative side to going away and taking a leap on travel.
But for me, it's been amazing. It's been a strengthening of character.
It's helped me build resilience. audience it's made me
(29:17):
appreciate different cultures and how some
people are very little but they're very happy and they've got
a smile on the face and how some people in
the west you know they go to work they've got the nice house
the car but a lot of people seem miserable you know and I was one of them so
it's really interesting to see that but yeah I'm lucky and blessed that I've
(29:39):
been able to travel for the last two years and part of that is selling up you
know selling selling the house, selling everything.
And it was very freeing doing that, you know, getting rid of stuff,
getting rid of clutter, selling things that I hadn't touched in years,
you know, just very freeing, if you will.
I love that. And yeah, I can totally imagine, like, I think it's just so liberating
(30:04):
being able to kind of, especially if like you are choosing to do it,
there's something about making such a big change and it just,
it feels liberating in a way.
In order to get rid of things that are maybe in a way like tying you down, so to speak.
And I love that you mentioned that because I think it's so important for our
listeners and so empowering. It's inspiring to me, surely.
(30:25):
And yeah, as you mentioned, I'm sort of new to traveling. I started only doing it a few years back.
But in that five years or so, I have learned so much.
A large amount of time has been spent traveling Europe. And we also went to Thailand back in 2022.
(30:46):
And just seeing like the way different people live in different parts of the
world and getting to experience different cultures.
And it's just so eye-opening to see like how, how much different lives are led
in other parts of the world.
And so sometimes it actually, when especially when
returning home and kind of i
(31:07):
know the the u.s is known for kind of being
like very like work centric and like
work work work mentality and there's not like a lot of i feel like awareness
towards like take like self-care and taking time for your for yourself it's
like very much about the hustle culture and and and my travel is kind of realizing kind of
(31:32):
learning about the quality of life elsewhere has been really eye-opening for me personally.
And as a foodie, of course, I really enjoy trying different cuisines as well.
So it's like, I look back and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, I wish I started doing this sooner.
And so we can't go back, but we can only go forward.
(31:52):
And now it's just like, I just, I want to do it more and more. And I love it so much.
So I'm thinking if there is someone who's maybe considering maybe having a similar
path of leaving things behind to pursue like their passions,
are there any maybe words of advice,
(32:13):
anything that maybe folks should keep in mind? Yeah.
I think, you know, it's ultimately about giving it a go.
You know, again, your mind is going to be probably your worst enemy in it.
And it's going to try and make you find all the reasons why you shouldn't do
it. But you need to find all the reasons why you should do it.
(32:33):
And you need to do that ASAP before you even start planning your travels,
because you are going to be hit with those mental blocks and you need to be ready to challenge it.
You know I even got it myself even though it
was uber clear that I wanted to do it my mind was
still going oh well you know there's danger and I
even had my mum at the time going careful of danger and are you sure you want
(32:56):
to do it and you know she was obviously trying to protect me but at the same
time the self-doubt and stuff were creeping but it's about linking back to that
why again and I remember saying to my mum but I want to do it mum ultimately I want
to do this and I want to give it a go because I'm not happy.
And in the end, even my mum could see how happy I was. She couldn't wait for
(33:18):
photos and she was eager to see where I was going next.
It was interesting to see how it trickled to those people that were a little
bit sceptical and wary and trying to protect me.
So yeah, it's about being ready to challenge those mental blocks. If you can do that.
It's a game changer, you know, and like I say, if you can, you know,
(33:38):
be mentally prepared that things willing can go wrong, because that's not something
I really thought about, I guess, which I should have done.
But I just kind of went for it and kind of semi thought that everything was going to be perfect.
And actually, it's far from it. So it's just kind of having that awareness that
things are probably going to go wrong more often than not.
(33:59):
But it's about okay you know let's just
take a leap and go for it and enjoy the journey you know
take you know time in each place you know
one thing that I not regret because I
don't like having a regret these days but I wish I would have
spent a bit more time in each place you
know I was kind of moving around a lot because I was like travel
(34:19):
exciting all these places but actually take some
time in each place and absorb it and enjoy
it and you know if you need to extend the visa do
but that'll just help you like relax and
rather be go rather than being going full throttle
you know which can sometimes add to the stress sometimes so yeah
that'd be my number one tip just really be ready to challenge the mindset and
(34:42):
then hopefully you can achieve everything you know oh absolutely and it's it's
funny you mentioned that because when I when I think about savoring time especially
during travel actually coming back from my most recent trip my husband and I
were talking and I'm like,
you know, we really just didn't get enough time in either place.
So I think next time we're either going to just like focus on either have a
(35:05):
longer trip and have like a budget of more days, like for each place.
Or we're going to choose one place and maybe stay like there for a week and
like that in that one area and really focus on it.
And so, yeah, cause I, I just feel like when we came back, it was just,
everything was a blur. or it happened so fast and it was everything so fast
(35:26):
paced because you're trying...
To cram so much into like a small amount of time.
And I think like for us, like what are the things we wanted to do while we're
in Paris was see the Louvre and we ended up not having enough time.
And so like, like, so like, okay, yeah, we're definitely gonna have to plan
to go back and spend a little more time.
Same thing with London too. I feel like we could have had a little bit more
(35:48):
time to do different things that we wanted to do and just kind of like taking it slow.
Like, and I think like for me, what's helped in travels is having just like even a day or two.
Like, I know it's like so common, especially if you're not, if you're spending
a short amount of time in some place, but at least have a day or two.
(36:08):
At least just to physically be present and not necessarily have things booked
or planned just to kind of experience like what's around you is like really important.
Important. I agree. You need resting periods as well where you don't do much.
You know, I used to cram so much in in the places where, you know,
(36:28):
it was a bit rushed that we wouldn't have a lot of resting time.
And that adds to the tiredness, the stress, the procrastination.
So resting is absolutely key, you know, just by the pool or reading a book or
whatever it is you want to do.
Absolutely when kind of thinking about your your travel
experiences how do you integrate your
(36:51):
travel into your work of helping others
increase confidence and clarity so for
me you know i have to have balance
i'm a laborer anyway i need balance in my life otherwise
i feel out of out of sync and travel helps
me with that and i've been a good environment it helps me that as well as
well as the freedom and stuff that comes with it so it's
(37:13):
important for me with the travel to not
only show up for myself in the best way you know energized and happy and everything
but also kind of transfer some of that to my clients because what I've realized
when I've coached in jobs in the past is that I've been so overwhelmed with
workload that you know turning
(37:35):
up to each session to coach people,
I'd sometimes have virtually no energy left.
So it's important for me to keep my energy levels up with the resting and things and the balance.
And, you know, I also believe that if I wasn't turning up as the best version
of myself, I can give the best value to my clients, you know, it's important to me.
(37:55):
So those are the main things. And also, you know, when I do turn up for clients,
you know, just trying my best to, you know, help them achieve what it is that they're out to achieve.
You know, I'll never take on a client if I feel that I can't help them.
You know, personality is a big thing for me as well. We need to gel.
(38:16):
And I could usually tell that, you know, from the first compatibility session we have.
So it's important for me to have that rapport and that
you know that sort of personality attraction if you will and also being able
to help them if I feel that I can't help them I'll be totally honest but if
I feel that I can help them then that's that's the big thing for me and yeah
(38:38):
just turning up is the best version of myself and.
That energizes them you know a lot of clients get motivated knowing that I'm
traveling you know not everybody wants to travel but just knowing that I'm out
there achieving my goals and doing what I want to do,
makes them feel in a way that I can help them with their goals as well.
(39:00):
Wow, that's so true. I definitely think that's so important and kind of,
especially your experience in your journey is so empowering.
I can only imagine that would be so inspiring to your clients as well.
Can you share maybe a memorable experience from your travels that maybe profoundly
(39:20):
found that we impacted your personal or maybe professional outlook?
There's been lots of both positive and difficult experiences.
I think one of the things that really built my resilience is when we arrived
in Colombia, we'd had a really long flight,
you know, lots of jet lag and things like that, just like delays and stuff.
(39:43):
It's like through through immigration and everything.
And then we arrived in Bogota and our accommodation, the lights were on,
but nobody was home and we couldn't get in.
And, you know, there was the army in the street with guns and stuff.
And it was all disorientating, you know, really tired on this journey.
And you just want to get your head down and you're like, oh, my God.
(40:04):
And in the moment, yeah, there was a bit of stress because you think I just want to put me back down.
But actually we went, right, OK, we just need to focus now
on getting a room and really getting in and settling down
and I think looking back now that built
my resilience because that was quite early on in the travel journey
you know again something that we didn't foresee and you
(40:25):
know I can look back on that now and go that's really built my resilience and
it's a story I sometimes use with clients as well you know in terms of things
going wrong and you know the circle of influence if you will and how we can
only control so much so So I think that's sort of like the difficult experience.
But there's been loads of positive ones as well, you know, like being in the
(40:48):
desert in California for a night and having a fire and enjoying like fireworks
and seeing the moon and the stars.
So there's been loads of positive experience and I try and bring them out in
coaching calls when I need to, you
know, when people need a little bit of inspiration and they're open to it.
But yeah there's been some challenges along the way and I can look back and
(41:13):
laugh now but I think in the moment it can be hard because you're like.
Oh my gosh. Again, you just need to kind of just find a solution as quickly
as possible because otherwise it's just going to consume you and make you stress.
And one of the things that I've learned is life's too short at the end of the day.
You know, stress can be a really big thing if it's not managed properly,
(41:37):
you know, it can lead to other conditions.
So I want to stay healthy and well, you know, I'm reaching 40 now and I'm thinking
about the next period of my life and And because stress used to be a big trigger
for me, I want to manage it as much as possible and just live my best life, really.
Yeah, absolutely. And I think, honestly, that's kind of been my motto a little
(41:58):
bit too, these kind of past few years. In 2018, I had a cancer scare.
And so ever since then, I'm like, you know, we're not guaranteed tomorrow.
So, you know, we want to like live our best lives.
And I think, I know even for me, me as well, I think like letting go of that
control because realizing that
(42:18):
there are some things that aren't in our control, it's really difficult.
But I think there's also something that's like really empowering in that too.
Absolutely. You know, I was with a client just the other day and,
you know, they procrastinate.
And you know again I reminded them of
the circle of influence because you know they're trying to find a
(42:40):
job and you know job searching can be stressful right especially
in this current climate but it's about thinking okay well
what can I do in this moment what feels right what
needs to be done now because again you can't
do everything you know eventually that
job will come along but I think it can stress some people
out of because we need money you know unfortunately in
(43:03):
this world you know we need that paper money to do a
lot of things in life but again money like
the mind is both a blessing and a curse isn't it you
know it can really like be good in a way
but also detrimental in a way and stop us from being
the best version of ourselves but it's just about going okay well what can I
do right now in this moment and just trying to snap your brain out of it because
(43:26):
otherwise you just end up in that pit of procrastination stressing about all
these things Things that you feel you've got to do and stuff that doesn't even
need to be done yet, you know?
So that's what I try and do with clients. Just what can you do in this moment
now to feel positive, to kind of change your direction a little bit, you know?
Yeah. And I can totally relate to
(43:47):
that because I'm actually going through something very similar right now.
And it's really hard sometimes not to get discouraged.
And I actually had been working for pretty much 10 solid years prior to being
laid off somewhat recently.
Constantly and it's in a way it's like it's a it's kind of a blow to the ego
(44:08):
for one but then also it's tough because like you're you know eventually you're
going to get that next opportunity.
And leading up to that there's just there's going to be no's there's going to
be rejections and kind of it's I think it's really about persistence and kind
of keeping through that And I know for a lot of folks,
(44:30):
they've gotten so tired of the rejections that they kind of maybe stop applying
because they feel like it's a dead end for them.
And so I can sort of understand that, but at the same time, if I don't keep
at it, that next big thing isn't going to come.
And so also, I think there's something empowering. And I think one of the pieces
(44:54):
of advice that I had gotten is, and I think many people, especially in today's climate can relate,
but to maybe like an hour or two a day that you spend, whether it's interviewing
or your job hunting or whatever it is, and take a little bit of time to focus
on other things that you enjoy at passion projects.
(45:14):
Projects for me, it's, it's writing, doing podcasts or cooking or different things.
Like they're like, enjoy that time that you have to kind of, kind of.
Learn and feel yourself again and kind
of like what you're looking for what's important to you it's a good opportunity
to kind of reconnect with yourself in that way knowing that there will be an
(45:38):
end point even if we don't we don't see it and even if we feel discouraged I
think that's so important so I really appreciate you bringing that up it's interesting
that you say that because.
Back in about two years ago when my husband was
made redundant and we were both in a period of looking for work and
it was stressful I remember we we had to
(45:58):
go on the UK benefits very very briefly which doesn't
pay well anyway but that's a different story so we
didn't want to be on it for very long but I remember having a conversation with
the work coach and they said oh you need to be applying for jobs all day all
day every day and I remember thinking to myself I'm not going to do that because
it's demoralizing and like you say I want to go off and deal with the things
(46:23):
I I need a break. I need a drink.
I need, you know, a breath of fresh air.
Like I'll apply for jobs, but I'm not doing it continuously for like seven or eight hours a day.
Plus, I don't think there was even any jobs to warrant that length of time anyway,
because a lot of jobs are, you know, either filled and they're still on the
job boards and stuff like that.
So it's just funny you said that. It just sparked a memory in me,
(46:46):
you know, do what feels right.
Apply, you know, for an hour, go take a walk come back and do it if you need
to but yeah take a break because otherwise you're like oh another job i've got
to apply for another job and you know a lot of these companies they want cover
letters which i find a bit tedious to be honest you know everything's on my cv.
(47:06):
So yeah it's about taking those breaks regularly isn't it and just,
doing what you want to do so you can keep your identity. And it's funny what
you said about redundancy as well. It can hit the ego.
You know, I remember coaching somebody a while ago and their confidence and ego took a real hit.
And they, again, used to say, I've been made redundant.
(47:28):
And I was like, try and change your mindset on that a little bit.
Say that your job's been made redundant because technically it's your job that's been made redundant.
It's not a reflection on you. you know you
were doing your job well it's just one day the rug was
pulled from underneath you and interestingly that did
change their mindset they reconnected as to why they're
(47:50):
worthy and why they'll eventually find another role and luckily they did they
actually found a role quicker than they thought they would so yeah it doesn't
define you redundancy it's just something that unfortunately happens sometimes
and probably will continue to happen in this climate unfortunately unfortunately.
Hopefully things will change though. I've got my fingers crossed for everybody, you know?
(48:13):
Yeah, that's so true. And I totally know what you mean about feeling like you
have to spend hours a day because to be honest, I'll find myself wanting to do that.
I'm like, okay, I got to keep doing this. I got to keep doing this until I find something.
But then I find myself like, okay, I'm tired.
I'm burned out. And I'm starting to feel like I did when I was burned out while I was working.
(48:36):
And so that's why sometimes I feel like job searching could sometimes feel like a job in itself.
And yeah, so I think it's like so important.
And so it's easy for me to kind of go down that rabbit hole,
spend like hours and hours at a time.
And so until I get to this point, I'm like, why am I doing this?
Why don't I take a break? Like, it's okay if I take a break and come back to
(48:59):
this later or come back to it tomorrow because I might start to get frustrated.
And that's not really going to help anything.
So yeah, I 100% relate to that.
Yeah. Awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me today.
Before we kind of close out, can you share with us and our listeners where we
(49:22):
can find you and connect with you?
Maybe book a session or check out your book.
We'll include that in the footnotes down below as well. yeah
so I've got a really bizarre sounding website now
so I did I did used to have a bigger website but what I found
from experience is a lot of people would look at the first page and then not
(49:42):
actually look at any of the pages so I've streamlined my website for the procrastinators
and the stressors out there so it's a much more simple website I will give you
the link because if I say it on here nobody's going to remember the dots and
slashes and everything in between but essentially it's
milkshake forward slash katie andrews but i'll
(50:02):
send it to you and on the very first page they
can see a link to the time ninja ebook they can get straight in there and and
sort of download that book and you know my review is always appreciated because
if there's something that people want i'll aim to deliver but there's a lot
of value in there there's some good feedback on it already and then on that same page they can.
(50:25):
Also pick a de-stress compatibility session where
if they do book a session they can get a free
coaching journal and that's like 200 pages
of you know reflection pages and mindset
pages and health pages where people can really
start to work on their inner core and
what it is that they want to achieve as well as reflect on any
(50:47):
coaching sessions so that's a really nice freebie for
people to have and in that coaching compatibility session
I'll really get to know you you're really you
know really get to know me and we'll deep dive
and peel back the layers in terms of why you're stressing
why you're procrastinating what your goals values
and strengths are because that's important in terms.
(51:09):
Of the why and then we'll create a plan that
feels right for you so you've got something to
be working towards after the call and then
I'll check in a a week later and give you that accountability so you
can actually start to feel driven and move
forward and of course if people want to continue
working with me that's a conversation we can
(51:29):
we can have as well so yeah I'll give you
the link after this I'll send it to you in an email and then
that way people have got the exact email with those dots
and dashes and everything in between is that
all right is that is that good that's perfect I'll make
sure that I get that and included in our in our show notes as
well fabulous fabulous well it's been
(51:49):
it's been great to talk to you really appreciate sharing my
story and I hope you know even if one person gets
some motivation from this then it's a job done in my book so thank you everybody
for listening and thank you for having me thank you for such a beautiful conversation
I know I learned a lot and I love learning about your travels and practical
(52:11):
advice that's been immensely helpful thank you very much and I'll speak to you later.
Music.
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