Lee: Hi, Charlotte, thank you so much for joining me on the Coach with Clarity podcast today.

Charlotte: Thank you.

Lee: It is such a pleasure to have you here. Why don't we get started and you can share with me a little bit about yourself and the work you do in the world. 

Charlotte: Sure. So I'm an expat transition coach, and I really sort of focus on supporting, well ambitious expat partners that really know that there's so much more to them, and but they don't really have that support to get back into the driving seat of their lives. And so that they can also pursue their dreams, very often, we follow our husbands around and we put what we want to do on the back burner. So it's about actually bringing that back to the front of the thought process and trying to get the accomplishment and sense of fulfillment that they're looking for. So that's what I do.

Lee: That's such a powerful niche, and although I myself was not or am not an expat spouse, my husband was military, and we moved frequently. And they talk a lot about the trailing spouse syndrome within the military and having a difficult time making that transition finding employment. So that really resonates with me, I would imagine that there's some similarities, then between our experiences.

Charlotte: Totally, that isn't an awful expression, a trailing spouse. That's what we get called by my husband's company as well, and I just sort of wish there was another way of putting it because I don't like that word at all.

Lee: I don't either. I don't either, and so it sounds like the work that you're doing is really about empowering spouses to step into their own identity, regardless of where they're located, or what their spouse is doing.

Charlotte: Exactly, it's really about getting back into the driving seat. Because so often you can feel like you don't have control of your life because you're the one following and having to adapt when actually you can do both. You just need a little bit of encouragement.

Lee: I love that. I love that. So tell me what we are going to be exploring today. What would you like to talk about during our session?

 

Charlotte: So I'd love to have some help on, in a way it's business planning or strategy, so how to get myself out there, how to get known, what I need to have in place, so that it feels easy, because at the moment, it really feels hard, all this business stuff. I mean, I love coaching, the business stuff is, I'm really struggling with in terms of really how to do it, how to go about it, and how to feel the sense of ease rather than pushing an enormous boulder up a very steep mountain, which is what it feels like at the moment.

Lee: Yes, and what an accurate metaphor, I've certainly felt that way, at times in my business as well. Because let's be honest, we went into coaching because we wanted to serve other people, not necessarily because we want it to be business owners. And so sometimes that business piece can feel more challenging than maybe what we would have expected.

Charlotte: Totally right. Totally right. I think, I think as well, I was totally unprepared for that side. I thought that we were being offered support by the coaching company that I went with, it would be much easier this time around, because it's the second time I've trained as a coach, and then the first time where I didn't have any support, but I still feel just as clueless. I maybe have a little fraction more of an idea, but I still feel so in the dark.

Lee: Well, it sounds like then today what we really want to talk about, what I heard was getting yourself out there. So a little bit of visibility strategy, and then also what to do once people are in your world, in your network, how to invite them into work with you. Is that fair to say?

Charlotte: Yeah, I suppose it's really that hard to get those discovery calls in? Yeah, the strategy for that. 

Lee: Excellent.

 

Lee: So at the end of our time together, say 30 minutes from now, what would be an ideal outcome for you? What would you like to walk away with?

Charlotte:I think in a way, it's having a little bit of clarity in terms of a process that I could put in place, like a rinse and repeat type thing to remove the overwhelm and to bring in some sense of clarity and ease.

Lee: So having some sort of structure, some sort of plan that you could, or protocol that you could follow, moving forward so that you know, “Okay, this is what I do, and then when this happens, this is the next step, and here we go.”

Charlotte: Yeah. 

Lee: Excellent. Okay, and let's, before we kind of dive into that, I'd love to check in with you – why having that protocol, why having that plan is important to you? What will that allow you to do? Or how will that allow you to show up in your business?

Charlotte: So I think that's going to take out a lot of the, in a way, the stress that I feel for the business side. And so I feel that I'm going to show up as a much more focused coach because I will be totally, I'll be able to be more present with what's really going on in my coaching session. Rather than thinking, “Oh dear, I've got a Live that I've got to prepare for. I have no idea what I'm talking about yet.” So I think it's about, it's really about creating ease. That's what I'm looking for just removing the complication, and finding some flow in what I do when it's outside of coaching.

Lee: Excellent. So we're really looking at ease and flow as being some markers here that we're on the right track. And that makes sense, because I imagine that's also what your ideal clients are looking for in their lives as well.

Charlotte: Yes, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

Lee: All right. So we'll kind of have the ease and flow barometer then, so to speak, and I'm curious if we were to create that, that spectrum, where zero is you currently feel like there's no flow, there's no sense of ease in your work, and 10 is complete flow and ease. Where would you say you are now?

Charlotte: Somewhere between zero and two. 

Lee: Okay. Alright, so we're early then in this process, which is fine. At the end of our call today, where's a reasonable expectation of where we could be on that ease and flow meter? 

Charlotte: I think four or five would already make such a difference to how I'm feeling at the moment.

Lee: Excellent. All right. So we're going to kind of have that in mind, we're going to hold that lightly, as may be the goal that we're heading towards, so feeling just a little bit more ease, a greater sense of flow, and the idea of, “this is what I'm going to do next, I've got the strategy and we can implement it from here”.

Charlotte: Yeah.

 

Lee: All right. So where do you think we need to begin, Charlotte? What do I need to know before we really dive into the strategic work?

Charlotte: So strangely enough, I don't think it's lack of confidence, I really do feel that I've turned a page and I feel fearless in terms of I'm prepared to take any action. So it's really a question of lack of knowledge. 

Lee: Okay. 

Charlotte: So, I don't – I'm sure there's a mindset piece, of course, there's gonna be a mindset piece in there, but I truly think where I'm at at the moment is feeling clueless in terms of the actions to take, and I'm prepared to take any action, I just don't have the clarity of what action.

Lee: I sense that from you. There's this energy of, “let's get out there, let's do that, I'm ready already, but what do I do? How can I make this work?”. So today, then, I think we really are going to be focusing more on strategy and maybe some tactics versus, “Do I have what it takes to do this?”, because I get the sense that you do have what it takes to do this, and you know it.

Charlotte: It's exactly, tell me what to jump in, I'll jump as high as you need me to, but it's, I just need that sort of, in a way. It's not even the push, I just need to be given the direction, and then I'm off on my way.

Lee: Alright, so, this is so helpful. And I'm curious, before we look at where we want to go, let's start with where we are today. So when you think about what you're already doing in your coaching practice, what does that look like? How are you setting yourself up to invite people in? What's working? What's not working? Give me a lay of the land.

Charlotte: Yeah, so the lay of the land actually is looking really good, then it was three months ago, even two months ago. 

Lee: That's wonderful. 

Charlotte: What am I doing now is I'm working on a conversion tool, which is basically in a way, a training that I'm going to offer for free that I hope to run probably twice a week on Facebook Lives. Where I'm basically inviting people into conversations from having shared some really valuable information, so I'm on the last edits with that, and I had my first speaking engagement on Monday passed, which was a success. I think I learned a lot from it. And I've got another one on a totally different topic next week. So in terms of, what am I doing? I'm getting this conversion tool out there, and I'm starting to speak in public, and I do my Facebook Lives once a week. So I've got the sort of things going on, but not much return quite yet.

Lee: But what a strong foundation you're creating for yourself, I love that this conversion tool or opt in is already kind of nearing completion, you're going to have something really strong and a great value to offer to your people. So that is fantastic. And public speaking, this is wonderful. Tell me more about how this evolved for you as a way to connect with your ideal client.

Charlotte: So it's really about visibility. So we live, my children go to an international school, my clients are people that live abroad, generally expat spouses, so actually my ideal clients are exactly where my kids go to school. And I didn't know how to get in front of those people and you can speak to people on the playground, but it's not really the same, you don't have a big enough capture audience. So I got in with the headmistress, spoke to her, and I also spoke to the Parents Association and they said, “Oh, brilliant. Yeah. Okay, let's offer some suggestions on what to talk about and, and we'll pitch it”. And so I did, I spent some time racking my brains on three topics that I hadn't prepared that I could possibly speak about. And, and what I hadn't realized is they were going to jump on all three. So I suddenly found myself having to prepare three different hour long workshops or one to two hours. Not overnight, but with very limited time. So I'm still preparing the second one, and that's how it came about. And what's great is that it's led to other things, I mentioned it to my London cohort that I'd studied with, and one of the girls said, “Oh, my goodness, my company do weekly webinars, you know, send me your bio and your topic, and I'll put it in front of them, and maybe you can speak there too”. So there's this ball of speaking, which wouldn't, I wouldn't have said, as my comfort zone is starting to roll. And I'm sort of just jumping on with it. Not that I’m comfortable, I don't really know yet. I'm not really questioning it. I just think what great visibility and great learning that I can get from it. And we'll see where it takes me.

Lee: This is so exciting. And the fact that this is coming up rather organically, that you are meeting the needs of people who seem to be your ideal clients, and you have so much to offer them and they're excited about it. This sounds like a lovely fit, and so we'll just kind of pay attention to the energy and how it feels as you deliver this content and connect with them because this could wind up being a wonderful strategy for you to build your visibility and your credibility in this field. So this is very exciting. You mentioned that you already did one on Monday, tell me a little bit about that and how it went and what your takeaways were.

Charlotte: So I'm, so I'd really love to say it was an eight out of ten, I still think it is an eight out of ten, because the content, I thought was brilliant. I don't inflate myself too much, but I really thought the content was very good. And the delivery, because I didn't think I was on video, it was the first time I had done a zoom  where I was presenting slides because I couldn't see myself, I thought nobody could see me either. I think I thought, “oh, this is great, then I can actually just read my content instead”. So I'm not sure whether people just saw a forehead and or when I suddenly got a bit excited and animated whether they just saw somebody sort of jumping around. So that's where my eight out of ten came from, because I learned a lot about how to find the comment section when you're presenting and you don't see the full zoom, how that you should probably turn off your video or at least see what you're doing. So I realized that I do absolutely still need my notes, I'm not ready to, to free flow at all there. Yet, I still think it was a really good effort, and better than a really good effort, it really was an eight out of ten. And a ten out of ten would have happened if I'd have been able to really speak without my notes. Regardless of people seeing my forehead, I think that was really the least of my worries. It was about, I think that shift for me would be, being able to really sort of live and breathe my content rather than still not knowing it totally well enough. 

Lee: And that I have no doubt will come with time. And as you put yourself out there publicly and speak on these topics more frequently, it will become second nature. So it sounds like you're right where you're supposed to be right now.

Charlotte: Yes, for number one speaking engagement, utterly yes, I totally agree.

Lee: Yeah, it sounds like you knocked it out of the park. I'm curious at the end of your presentation. What did you or did you have an invitation for the people who were listening to connect with you?

Charlotte: I did. 

Lee: Okay, tell me about that. 

Charlotte: I had a slide. So I ended the invitation saying that, obviously, there's so much more that I could share, it's not possible to do it all in this hour that we had together. So if they wanted to know more than they should definitely get in contact. And then I also had a slide with my email, with my website, and with a picture of the lead magnet that I've got on my website as well to try and draw at least interested sort of go and get the freebie. That that's how I ended it. 

Lee: Which is fantastic. So I'm curious how that worked. Did you have people reach out to you after? Are you seeing an uptick in people getting on your email list? What was that like?

Charlotte: So I didn't, and I was actually disappointed by that. I know I shouldn't be attached to outcome, but of course, you've got this sort of side of you thinking, I hope some people are going to download my lead magnets. And I had one lady send me an email that she wanted to connect, she was a nutrition coach, and she thought well, interesting that we were both coaches in the same environment. So that was nice to connect with her, but not a client and nobody else yet has downloaded the lead magnet which I think is good information. Either, you know that they've actually been in country for a while, so they're not really interested in really the lead magnet’s Top Four Tips for Adapting and Succeeding Abroad. So maybe they've been, you know, they've been abroad for 10 years, they don't feel they need it. Or it was too quick, they were still digesting information, they weren't able to take it on board. You know, who knows, who knows. And I still think it was a good thing that popped up there, it's always nice to receive a freebie. But the great learning that I made, next time would be because I'm not hosting, I'm in a way, I'm a co host, is I've asked for the one that I'm doing next week that we have a sign up. Yes, that I've got everyone's email addresses so that we can then follow up and I can send them my freebie and a little bit more, and ask for feedback. So ask them for a feedback form and thank them for that time and send them my freebie. So I think that was a good learning that, yeah, if they've signed on, grab their contact details.

 

Lee: Absolutely, and here's what's coming up for me, Charlotte, because I know one of the things that you wanted to explore was getting people to a discovery call. And so talk to me a little bit about what it looks like, let's say I do attend one of your presentations, I do sign up for your email freebie. Then what happens? How do we connect the dots between that to the discovery call?

Charlotte: So I think the dot to be connected would be then a week later, after they've downloaded it just sort of dropped them a personalized email saying, you know, what did you think? Was there anything that you feel might be helpful? Is there anything we think there's missing? And if you're at all interested in letting me know, over a conversation, then why don't we hop on a 10 minute call together? Again, that's a good, a good follow up, as an idea.

Lee: I do too. I do too. I think I think having that as kind of an extension of the sequence of emails that you send, once they sign up for that opt in could be really helpful. I'm also wondering, too, I'm gonna throw this out as an idea. And I'd love to know kind of what comes up for you? What if that invitation was part of your, your public speaking opportunity? So at the end, when you're talking about how to contact you, you can say, I often connect with people after these calls individually to really explore what's going on in your world, and what personalized support would look like. If you'd like to do that, here's how you know, here's how we connect. So you're really making the invitation direct to the discovery call.

Charlotte: Hm, that's really nice.

Lee: How does that sit with you? Is that something that feels comfortable that you would want to explore?

Charlotte: It doesn't sit uncomfortably, because it's truly from a place of service. So I wouldn't have a concern with that, I did it but not as quite as eloquently as you've just said it. So yeah, I think it definitely could be refined the way that I say it.

Lee: And again, that comes with practice that comes with experience. But the reason I even made the suggestion is because when we have these freebies, it's because we want to show up and serve. We want to provide valuable content to someone before they even become our client, because then they get a taste of who we are in our approach. And they feel like they've already benefited from us before they've even gotten on a call or put down a deposit to work with us. My thinking is you've already done that by providing this workshop or by providing this presentation. So simply by attending, they're already receiving a freebie from you. So it makes sense, then that the next logical step would be to invite them to go even deeper. So instead of doing freebie on top of freebie we do freebie into a direct invitation. 

Charlotte: Hmm, yeah I like the thinking, okay.

Lee: So that might be one tweak that I would encourage you to consider in your process. So when you have a public speaking event, consider that as replacing an email opt in. Yes, of course, we still want to gather their emails, because then you can nurture them afterwards. You can follow up a few days later. Thank them for attending. If you have any sort of summary document that highlights the key points that you talked about in your presentation, you could offer that to them through email, again, just kind of reminding them of the value that you're providing. And then also reiterate that offer of a consultation call and let them know what they can expect when they get on the phone or when they get on zoom with you.

Charlotte: Yeah, I love it.

 

Lee: So, so let me kind of check in with you. We'll kind of head back to this ease and flow barometer, when we think about retooling the sequence of events, both at the end of the public speaking event and then in the days after, how is that feeling?

Charlotte: I think it makes very, it's very logical. Quite frankly, if I think a little bit about how it has been for me when I've been on certain events, it's the same, you nearly always get a follow up email. So I haven't done that. I mean, again, first, the first speaking engagement, and we didn't have a sign in and I wasn't the host, because I was the guest to be speaking. So I think that can be easily tweaked to, to request the list from the person inviting me to speak and then I can follow up on my side.

Lee: Excellent. And I don't see it as a problem or a bad thing that it didn't happen on this first one. Because this is how we learn. Right, we see what works, we see what we would tweak. And so these are really valuable lessons that you've gained from this first presentation. So yes, moving forward, you know, I would like to sign in sheet, I do want to follow up with participants, maybe I can provide them with a summary document of the highlights, and then just again, make the offer to connect over a call. 

Charlotte: Yeah. 

 

Lee: So it sounds like public speaking then may be becoming one of your primary ways of connecting with your ideal client. And I'm curious what other ways you've tried, you've been exploring what feels good to you, how do you most prefer to connect with your ideal client?

Charlotte: So I wouldn't necessarily say public speaking, I do much prefer one on ones, but you have to get them to that one on one point. And so it's a little bit the question of how, so the public speaking I think is a door, an avenue definitely worth to, just to sort of sit with and do for a couple of months, and maybe even a year, let's see how it goes, and see whether I can start to feel a bit more comfortable there. I think how else can I, how else can I connect with people is through blogs and writing, which is not a forte of mine. So I think what I would prefer to do is just ring people up. So ring and what I'm thinking is not necessarily the expats themselves, because that's a bit new. First, we shouldn't be able to get that number and I wouldn't really, I wouldn't really like it, somebody that I didn't know, that hasn't come through a friend just call me up, it would feel a bit too salesy. So what I am thinking is there are a lot of organizations that support expats abroad. So relocation companies, and even I mean, I live in the Netherlands at the moment. Dutch teachers, therapists that actually go via sort of nearly the outside route to go outside in. So that's that's where my thought process has gone, but I haven't taken action on any of that yet. So I've got sort of, yeah, these lists, probably more in my head than really written down on different communities I can tap into.

Lee: Well, I think your instincts are spot on, that you're already thinking about organizations and locations where your ideal client is or where they are already receiving services. So if you can position yourself there, then it's not about, how do I bring people to me, it's about, how do I show up where they already are. So I love how you're thinking, and I also find it at least personally very helpful to think about when I'm interacting with someone, I'm not interacting with them as a potential client, I'm interacting with them as a potential referral source. And so instead of feeling like I have to directly pitch them, it's more about, here's what I do, who do you know that could benefit from this? And what that allows them to do is connect you with someone else. And so then they get the benefit of feeling like they're, they're helping, they're serving, they're making that connection, or if they recognize themselves in who you serve, they can self refer, they can self identify, and then they have the agency and the autonomy to say yes, I'm interested, instead of you kind of doing the cold call, “Hey, are you interested in working with me?”. So for me taking the approach of every person as a potential referral feels much more, it promotes that sense of ease and flow and it doesn't feel like there's any sort of force behind it. How does that resonate with you?

Charlotte: Totally! I think for me, it was really looking again about how to be of service and it's not really about just to the client, but to other people. So what's the win win, in a relocation company? What's the win win for an estate agent here? What's the win win for a Dutch teacher? Well, it's of course, that I could also refer their way. So it's, it's sort of I scratch your back, you scratch mine. And I think what I like is I like giving people choice, so it's not just saying go here. It's look, these are three of the good Dutch teachers that are in the area. You know, have given each one a call, see which one you like best. And I would expect the same, they might well have a couple of coaches on their books, but I would love to be one of the three that they offer up to people if they happen to ask.

Lee: I think that's fantastic. And it sounds like in your head, you have an idea of who you would need to call and what those next steps would be. It's a matter of getting it down on paper and actually taking action on it.

Charlotte: Yeah, yeah, it's actually the action, because I think the paper is my head currently, at the moment. It's really about just, and I think it's only maybe probably, initially, it's just two calls I need to make to two places here locally. And then obviously, there's a whole load of other calls that I can make to relocation companies, but I think my first action is just these two. And they're called to, I suppose they're called platforms here, two platforms that expats go to for help and advice, getting on to them, so that they know about me, and that I'm in the area, that I speak, you know, three languages that I can support. So that's, that's what I need to do. 

Lee: Excellent. What feels like a reasonable timeframe in which to make those two calls?

Charlotte: After my next speaking engagement.

 

Lee: Okay, excellent. So now you've kind of identified these two platforms that you can reach out to, we've got a timeframe for it. We've kind of coupled that with the public speaking, so it sounds like that you are really diving into how to connect locally. I would say, you know, in person or brick and mortar, though, I know, given what's going on with Coronavirus, and so forth. It's not always in person. But in terms of really connecting with your local community, we've got some terrific options here. I also heard you say that you're on Facebook, you're doing Facebook Live, so it sounds like you're also exploring a virtual connection path as well. Is that correct? 

Charlotte: Totally. 

Lee: Yeah. How's that going?

Charlotte: Tough. If I can be very honest. And again, I don't enjoy the Lives at all. And I don't feel that I'm comfortable, not comfortable at all, I tend to prep enormously, my subject beforehand. And so it's, it's a lot of investment. And what I've learned is the ones that I haven't prepped, because I had a lot of resistance about doing it, and I just sort of turned up and talked and had a story, I had nearly double the views than I do when I prep my content. And so I'm learning that actually, people don't necessarily want me to be the school teacher in front of the video for three minutes, they would just prefer to see me even on a bad hair day, just talking about something that I'm passionate about. So I need to get, I would like to get a bit more comfortable with doing that. And that is what I'm doing tomorrow, actually, I'm talking about a very personal story about COVID. So it'll be interesting to see the engagement on that. And if that's the case, then maybe I drop all this extra work that I'm putting on myself, and I just come up with really sort of relevant topics to me, knowing that I am an expert in my topics will probably be relevant to other people too.

Lee: What a powerful insight to have, though, that when you show up as you speaking about things that feel very comfortable, that it doesn't require a lot of research, a lot of preparation, that seems to be what your audience responds to even more. So if we follow the energy with that. What we're hearing is, they want you. They don't necessarily need the lecture or the content. In fact, from a content perspective, many of them may already know what it is they should be doing or how they should be approaching something where they're struggling is in applying that knowledge in their own life. And so maybe they don't need the lecture, maybe they just need you showing up and saying I'm here with you. I'm here to support you. And here's how I can do that.

Charlotte: Yeah, yeah, it's a different approach. And I just, I'd like to start getting a bit more comfortable with that, because it will remove some workload from me. So and I'll see how tomorrow goes for that.

Lee: I can't wait to hear how tomorrow goes. I hope you'll let me know. You know if I can, can I share one other thing that was coming up for me as we were speaking today? 

Charlotte: Yeah, sure. 

 

Lee: You mentioned that you really enjoy the one on one piece, you know, public speaking, it's not necessarily what you would have chosen, but it seems to be a natural opportunity, so you're taking advantage of it. But it's really the one on one connections where you feel most comfortable and where you shine. Is that fair to say?

Charlotte: Yeah, correct.

Lee: So I'm thinking about instead of saying “either or”, either we do massive public speaking events, and you're speaking to loads of people or it's one on one. What would it look like if we did a “both and” approach, more of a hybrid approach? And what immediately came up for me, in part because we're doing it right now, are podcasts because when you are a guest on a podcast, you're generally speaking to one person, the host or sometimes two people if it's a co-hosted podcast, but the reach is much broader because then you're getting access to all of their listeners. So it's this way of connecting with someone one on one, which is a very comfortable approach for you, but the impact, the reach is far greater. And so I'm just curious how open you might be to looking into podcasting as a possible way of building your visibility.

Charlotte: So if I, if I'd sort of split that into two, either being the host or the, the guest, I'm not interested in being a host, a whole load of questions come up from me in terms of really whether I've got enough to say, and so, but being invited on where, in a way, the conversation is a little steered, and you are being prompted to talk really from the heart, then there, I'd be totally comfortable. So it's a question of finding, finding who, yeah, and working out how to get invited.

Lee: I think being a podcast guest could be a brilliant strategy for you, just based on the last half hour that we spent on this show speaking to each other, because it's felt very natural. And so my first suggestion, then would be to just do some research about what podcasts are out there that are targeting expats, and listen to some of the episodes, see which podcasts you resonate with, and then create a pitch directly to the host. And it doesn't have to be anything complicated. In fact, I think you've probably already done some of the legwork by creating some topic ideas for the public speaking events that you've pitched to your children's school. So you could send an email to the host and say, “I love your podcast, this particular episode really stood out to me, and here's why. Here's who I am. Here's the work I do. Here's some topics that we could speak about on your show. Let me know your thoughts”. So again, it's very organic. It's very authentic, it's personalized to that podcast, and I think you'll find that approach could really lead to some interview opportunities that could really play to your strengths, and also build your visibility for your ideal audience. 

Charlotte: Yeah, great idea. Yeah.

 

Lee: So we've covered a lot today, we've looked at some kind of business building and marketing strategies locally, through the public speaking. And through connecting with referrals, we've talked a little bit about virtual in terms of continuing the Facebook Lives from the heart, and now maybe even expanding into pitching yourself as a guest for podcasts. How are you feeling about everything we've covered today? What's coming up for you right now?

Charlotte: Um, so I think what I like is, is there are certain things that I already knew. 

Lee: Mm hmm. 

Charlotte: And there are certain things that I've learned that can be tweaked. So in a way, I already know who I should be contacting in terms of, let's say, the local platforms and teachers, and it's not just local, it's the whole of the southern part of Holland. So it's a bit wider than my, let's say, my local city. So that's really nice to know that. What’s interesting is why I have not moved yet on that, because I've known that for about six months. And in terms of the learning, I love what you suggested in terms of actually doing a slightly stronger call to action at the end of my talks. So I'll definitely do that. And I love, also the idea of the summary document, which again, you know, I thought about, but actually, I always sort of feel all this extra work. Already, I already struggling with the work, it's extra work, but actually I see it if I can see it as it's a further invitation to, to bring them closer into my circle, and be able to get onto a call with them, then actually, it's yet another tool, to draw them in a little bit more. So I really like that idea. And the podcast, being a guest on a podcast, was really an idea that maybe I heard of, I sort of had in my sleep but never has taken anywhere forwards in my consciousness. So it was great to have that put back in front. And actually I feel really excited about that as a possibility.

Lee: Excellent and, and you know, a lot of what we've talked about, you're right, there will be a little additional work at the front, you know, to create that summary document for example, or to create your podcast pitches. But once you've done the work, then that's something that you can return to in the future. So if you're doing multiple speaking engagements, but you're kind of using the same topic or using the same material, then hopefully you'll be able to repurpose that in the future too. You can make some tweaks to really personalize it for your audience, but the base the foundational components will have already been done. Because your past self will be handling all that work. So I hope that it doesn't add to a sense of, “Oh, I have so much to do”, but instead, it's more like I'm really setting myself up for success down the line.

Charlotte: I think that's it. I think that's why it feels like my boulder is so heavy and the cliff is steep just because that foundation work that I'm doing at the moment is a lot of work. But the payoff is going to be huge afterwards, because I am absolutely going to repurpose what I'm speaking about. And so everything that I create now, is something that I don't need to create later. It's just occasionally in the now it just it does feel a little overwhelming. But again, yes, as you’ve said, “look, put yourself two weeks ahead, you've written this thing, you've spoken about the same topic”, it's literally just a case of, send out the attachment that you did two weeks ago. So yes, it's about release in a way nearly sort of putting myself in the future and seeing how easy it's going to be because of the work that I'm doing now.

Lee: Right, your future self is going to thank you so much for doing it. And I'm also glad that in many ways, our call today was a confirmation of things that you already knew. Because what that suggests is you have everything you need to move forward, and really take your business to the next level. Certainly, there's some ideas or some tweaks that we talked about today, and I'm glad that they're going to be helpful, but deep down, I really believe that you have everything you need to make this happen. And so I'm curious what we can do to help you kind of tap into that and follow up. You mentioned that you'd known that, you know, calling these people or things that you should have been doing, say six months ago, how can we kind of support you in the process so that doing that following through and trusting your gut becomes second nature?

Charlotte: So I think the “doing it” is really going to be after this next speaking engagement, I do feel a lot of pressure to create this new content that I've got nothing, nothing on the books yet. So I sort of, after that I absolutely can take bigger action. And so that would be that, the trusting the gut, I think that's always been something that I've struggled with. So that's possibly the mindset piece that needs to come in at some point, but the “taking action” is absolutely something I can do in the next 10 days.

Lee: Excellent. And you're right, so much of the work that we do is a combination of the mindset work and the action. And as we take action, new mindset shifts come up for us that, you know, we're invited to step into. And we're invited to think about ourselves differently or, you know, take a look at our beliefs and examine how they're supporting us or if anything needs to shift. One of my favorite expressions is, “new level, new devil”. As we up level in our business, we will encounter new challenges or new opportunities for growth. And that never ends, no matter how far we get into our businesses. There's always room there to explore and to go deeper, so it sounds like you are well on that path. And I am just so grateful and so honored to have had some time today to connect with you about this and and that you've allowed us to kind of take a sneak peek behind the scenes of your business and how it's growing.

Charlotte: Yeah, really actually, I sort of feel re-energized. Oh, I had energy, but I feel even more energized. So this is great. Well, we'll be doing that research now for the podcast.

Lee: Excellent that that just makes me so happy. And I would love, if you'd like, to let the listeners know where they can learn more about you and the work that you do.

Charlotte: Yep, so my website is NicholsonCoaching.co.uk. And it's Nicholson. And I've got a Facebook business page where I do all my Lives and my profile, which is called The Expat Playground.

Lee: Oh, what a fun name. Oh, I love the energy of that. Excellent. Well, we'll be sure to have links to that in the show notes for today's episode. But again, thank you so much for coming on the show, Charlotte. This has really been delightful and I've so enjoyed speaking with you today. 

Charlotte: No, thank you. Thanks, really thanks a million. 

Lee: You're welcome.

I hope you enjoyed that coaching call as much as I did, and I have to say that my key takeaway here was that this call really supported the fact that Charlotte knows what her business needs from her, her instincts are spot on. The decisions that she's making are fully in alignment with what matters to her and will support her business, and now it's a matter of stepping into that belief and taking action accordingly. And I have no doubt that she will be doing that. And I know that you will be doing that too. I can't wait to hear how this call inspires you to take further action in your business, and I hope you'll let me know! You can come find me over on Instagram @CoachwithClarity. I'd love to know what key takeaways you had from this coaching call and how it's going to inform the decisions that you make and the actions that you take in your business. Today's call was also a really lovely example of the kind of coaching work that I do within the Coach with Clarity Membership. So within the membership, we have a live call pretty much every week. And every month one of those calls is a hot seat coaching call. That is an opportunity for Coach with Clarity members to get one on one coaching and consultation with me. We can really dive deep into anything that's going on in their business, in their relationships, in their life, and they can receive some targeted coaching within a supportive community of other intuitive heart centered coaches. I love conducting these hot seat coaching calls, and what I find is that yes, they are extraordinarily powerful for the person on the hot seat, but even if you're not on the hot seat, even if you're a member who's tuning into the call and just listening in, there is so much to be gained there. Both in terms of observing how to conduct a coaching call, and also how the key insights and takeaways for the person on the hot seat can be applicable in your own business and in your life as well. So there's so much value in the hot seat coaching calls, as well as the Q & A calls, the guest expert trainings, the co-working sessions, the toolkit filled with resources to help you build and grow your coaching practice. It is just extraordinary what is available to you within the Coach with Clarity Membership. So if you have not checked it out yet, I highly encourage you to do so just had to CoachwithClarity.com/membership and you'll find all of the information you'll need to make a decision about whether or not the membership is right for you. If you are an avid listener of this podcast, I suspect you would love this membership and I would love to welcome you as a Coach with Clarity member. All right my friends, that's it for this episode of the Coach with Clarity podcast. I will be back in your feed next week, as always, with another terrific episode. And until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough, reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.