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Gareth Turner/ The Courageous Leaders Club Podcast. Released 2022.
Gareth Turner: Creating Environments of Psychological Safety

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Business Leadership Potential Self Development

The 3 things that led me to my success and can lead you to yours

The 3 things that led me to my success and can lead you to yours

A lot of people say to me ‘I couldn’t do what you do, Jo’. I have always been baffled as to why people believe that. It’s like they think I have something special or a secret skill that allows me to do what I do…

…and truth is, there really isn’t.

So, I spent some time thinking about what it is I do, or how I think, that has allowed me to transform my life and fulfil my dream.

I want to share them with you now in the hope that you realise it’s never too late and you too can achieve your dreams. 

It’s all about choice and making a decision on how you want to live and the person you want to be.

Number 1 – Drive

I have valued drive since I was 18 years old.  Before then I just sort of wandered through life. I followed the popular gang around, kept my head down and did what I needed to do to get by.

My priority was to fit in, not to excel.

It was at 18 that I then saw how fragile and short life was when my father suddenly passed away in front of me. 

This was my life starting all over again. 

I often wonder, to this day, who I might have been if that hadn’t happened.

After the grieving process and the running away from pain, something ignited in me. I was always a hard-worker – having worked for my dad in a restaurant from the age of 12 – but now there was something new, which I now know as ‘Drive’.

Nothing was going to stop me from being a success. 

I didn’t get the qualifications expected at school and I didn’t pursue any further education, but this just fuelled my drive even more. 

I would show the world that I could be somebody and do well.  

3 ways to ignite your drive:

  1. Visualise the life you want for yourself 5 years from now
  2. Know your why and make sure it is bigger than you – this will get you out of bed
  3. Keep moving forward one step at a time (they can be small steps)

Now, drive on its own wasn’t enough.

Number 2 – Resilience

The second factor that I valued and have built on a daily basis.

Seeing your Dad pass, your Nan have 3 heart attacks in the same night and continuous tragedies over the following 6 years…

I had a choice: To be a victim or to dig into my resilience.

The mental commitment I had made to my dad to make him proud (even though he wasn’t here anymore) enhanced my ability and purpose to build my resilience.  

Don’t get me wrong, I can still get knocked down, and I did when I moved to Australia and very quickly found out the ‘dream job’ wasn’t going to work out. Now though, I am able to quickly rebuild myself to keep going, and with each knock my resilience just gets stronger and stronger. 

What is resilience? 

By definition it means: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

It’s also very important to understand that resilience is a state; it is not a personality trait. You can build your resilience levels and learn the tools and techniques to manage stress, uncertainty and adversity resourcefully to ensure your performance levels remain high. 

3 ways to build your resilience:

  1. Keep promises to yourself with your self-care
  2. Know how to be in charge of your own mind
  3. Realise that you are in control of how you see the world – no one else

Resilience has been one of the most important factors in being able to run my own business. 

Going from 20 years in corporate to being on your own in business is massive, especially when you find out as you go the amount of different hats you need to wear!

Being awarded International Coach of the Year 2020

Number 3 – be a continuous learner

I fell in love with learning again 5 years ago.  I was told I was average at school, which gave me the belief that everyone else was smarter than me.

This was very limiting and once I learnt how to let go of those limiting beliefs, the joy for learning flooded back into my life.

I cannot stress enough how doing just 15 minutes of learning everyday will move you towards the life and results you want. 

I do an hour every morning and I read every day. 

The world is full of the answers you are looking for and the inspiration to be the person you want to be.  

Don’t settle. 

It is proven by neuroscience that the brain can change, adapt and learn new ways of being.  Leverage this and fuel your drive, raise your resilience and learn what could be possible for you.

It won’t happen overnight. But if you really want it, then it can be yours. 


Joanna is an award winning international coach who is passionate about helping people achieve success. Combining 10 years of operational experience with her behaviour expertise and leadership coaching, Joanna has worked with leading companies like Getty Images and the BBC to increase performance and results. If you’re interested to learn how Joanna can help you and your team, book your free discovery session with Joanna here

Categories
Business Leadership Self Development

Say ‘Yes’ to You and then work out the ‘How’

Say ‘Yes’ to You and then work out the ‘How’

It’s been one of the most exciting weeks of my life. This week I received the ICG International Coach of the Year Award. I need to let that sink in. This award signifies such an important milestone in my life and reminds me of my journey to this point. To be sitting here writing this as a successful business owner who works with the most incredible people to help them and their businesses grow, is a true blessing.

I want to share with you today, what it took for me to reach this point. In the hope that it inspires you to listen deeper to the voice in your head and bring to life the feelings you have in your belly which are telling you ‘You can be more!’. 

Life is a rollercoaster – learn to ride it 

It really has been a rollercoaster journey to reach the point where I can look at myself in the mirror and say ‘great job’, ‘you are worth it’, ‘you are good enough’ and ‘you can handle whatever comes your way’.  

From the constant need to prove myself, seek validation and the frustration of why I was keeping myself so small, to now embracing the unknown and jumping head first into new challenges and growth opportunities it is the best gift I could have ever given myself. 

It didn’t happen overnight, and it hasn’t been easy. In fact, the change really began when I hit rock bottom in my confidence.  I’d had a fantastic career, working at some of the best agencies in the world and reaching executive level (I have always been very ambitious) I then joined a company, which on paper was an amazing opportunity, yet upon arrival I could see I had walked into a culture that was alien to me. This left me feeling lost, confused, angry, full of self-doubt and anxiety for what the future was going to be.  

Victim or Leader?

I had a choice to make. I could keep going down the road of self pity and blaming the world for the situation I now found myself in, or I could use this pain as leverage and realise my potential and take action to move towards living my life as my best self.

The day my life changed was when I walked into The Coaching Institute in Melbourne, Australia and met the incredible Joe Pane who encouraged me to follow my dream.  And just like that, I had signed up to learn all about human behaviour to become a coach.

I went all in, did every training, studied all the videos and books and started getting clients.  I had found something that was not just filling my ambition, but also giving me meaning and purpose.  I was finally finding true fulfilment in my work and could see the difference I was making to others.

This was it, I was hooked.

The business

I set up my business 6 months later and I haven’t looked back.

I’m not going to pretend it’s been easy.  It takes commitment, grit, determination, resilience and the ability to keep saying ‘yes and then work out how’.  To be expanding your comfort zone on a daily basis is exhausting, so self-care is also a huge part to ensuring success.  

At the beginning it was too easy to be working all hours and weekends, but I quickly realised this was a dangerous road to continue on.  So, I put in morning rituals that I do EVERY day before I get to my desk.  I make sure the evenings are for me and my husband. At weekends the work sometimes creeps in, but it’s not a rule (right now there is not much else to do in lockdown!).

Today

So to be sitting here today writing to you all as an award winner for the work and commitment I give to my craft is the most joyous and amazing feeling. 

It took me many years to realise I was in charge of my mind and it’s not in charge of me. That I’m responsible for all decisions and choices, and can create the life I want to live.

My biggest motivation was something Sharon Pearson shared with me and I want to share it with you.

“Don’t look back on your life in your last breath and see what you could have been.

My ask

So why am I telling you this? Those of you that know me will confirm I’m not one to shout about myself.  This article is to inspire you to know that if I can make this change, then you can too.  Because I have been at the lowest point – questioning myself, full of self-doubt and imposter syndrome – and I want you to know that there IS another way, you CAN choose the right path which will lead you to fulfillment.  You just need to be committed to the journey and you will arrive at your ideal destination. 

My ask is for you to take a moment. Breathe and check in with yourself.  Are you living as your best self? Are you fulfilled and do you have meaning in your life?

If the answer is ‘No’ then I ask you to do something today that your future self will be proud of.  What action can you make today that will help change your path to achieve your success?

Be the person, the leader, the partner, the parent you know you can be. 

I’d love to know what your first action is and how you found taking that leap of faith. My inbox is always open so if you’d like some support or if my story awoke something in you, I’d love to hear from you. hello@joannahowes.com

If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy reading my previous post of the power of sharing your story here

If my story resonated with you and you are looking for a coach who understands you, your values and how you want to grow, then please reach out. I offer a free 30 minute discovery call and you can book that here.

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