Q1: Why did you decide to start a coaching business?
In honoring my calling in workplace alignment I founded Space to be Heard, a service that inspires, ignites and reforms the way we apply ourselves in the workplace.
This was a bold move on my behalf. It meant drifting from what felt simple and abundant and working from a place that was a little more raw and expectant. Ultimately, It has felt truly sincere to implement curiosity and tenderness into new and exciting work.
The premise of a coaching business based on values came to me in 2018. I began to develop tailored programs for businesses that have been built around a coherent set of principles. These principles have been based on the philosophies and teachings of Yoga- my first insight into holistic led care.
In my years prior as a Co- founder and Business owner of three Yoga studios (Humming Puppy) spanning Australia and New York, I established practices for success around leadership and community engagement. Specifically my interest in one to one mentoring with our Studio Leads led me to establishing my offerings in Space to be Heard.
It felt a seamless progression to launch a business that shared my knowledge and experience with others.
In essence, I offer my experience, my listening and my teachings to the projects and businesses we spend our days in. I saw a gap in the market for such considered and tailored services that improve the wellbeing and self- satisfaction we get from our work environments- it feels essential in this age to support and represent the modern woman.
Q2: How does your business differentiate itself from other coaching businesses?
Owning a yoga studio or a business in the ‘wellness’ industry is often a passion project founded on a love of a personal practice. This premise was the same for me. I wanted to extend generosity and sincerity through the ancient practices of yoga, open my own studio; and share my love of the practice with others.
It was no simple feat to open three studios over the course of the last 7 years (including the pandemic) complete with curated sound engineering and intentional design. In my opinion, the smallest and well-intended gestures matter, and
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this was vital in our consideration of all three spaces. This attention to detail comes across in how we feel in a space and what energy it gives off to those who enter.
Not everyone with this ambition can anticipate the challenges of running a business and managing several teams.
The workload can quickly dissipate the inherent joy and leave us feeling exhausted and burdened. Your own
business is something you begin to live and breathe. It is almost unnatural if you don’t have that kind of attachment to it.
The typical feelings arose of feeling resentful, frustrated and anxious in how the business was going to grow, stay integral; and stay true to the initial vision. I recognise these feelings to be commonly experienced no matter what business or work we do.
It came to me that my calling was to infuse my Yogic values with my knowledge of running a successful Yoga Institution. Many Yoga teachers have incredible life experience and personal teachings to share- but not many can integrate this within a fundamental business structure based on building up others. What I offer is business teachings with a holistic sensibility. The two fuse and affect one another better than I could have even imagined.
Q3: What are the most common problems faced by women starting or running their own business and how can these problems be overcome?
In my research and experience, many women come up against similar struggles. I preface this by saying that it is also usual for these women to feel isolated in the sphere of their own doubts. Through the sense of stoicism and endurance, women have marched on and pushed down commonly felt emotional responses for centuries.
Many women are soldiering on through the myriad of responsibilities and commitments not necessarily felt even a decade ago. The demand now for women to return to work post pregnancy for example means that many are supporting families and trying to establish some kind of equilibrium between work and home life.
For those beginning projects or starting a new business there can be a fluctuation of ideas and desires bubbling. In this process- intention, creation and tasks can become confused and overwhelming. There can be difficulty in determining the correct sequence of things, how to delegate; and where to outsource. Especially when these new business owners have other jobs that still pay the bills. No wonder their attention/ energy is being divided and compromised.
These problems initiated my services at Space to be Heard. A coach or mentor for example can be instrumental in providing clear direction, giving support and formulating ideas based on research. The work we do is often formatted on the stories and experiences of others, and in this we can see the common thread of what works and what doesn’t.
A rich network of community or like- minded individuals can really go a far way. Just being surrounded by the ‘right’ people allows for integration and useful conversation. Just by being available to others and also by seeking out community, you may come across skill sets that encourage co- creation or collaboration. The most dynamic of teams usually outsource or rely on others for insight.
The nature of women is that we try to do it all. In my experience, the most strong and abled women have an army of sorts behind them. This is where we need to find the fine balance between what is autonomous and what can be
shared or delegated. Often when building a business from the beginning, there are particularities that can be outsourced from the outset reducing accumulation and stress. These are things you only find out when you get there. In this respect, boundaries and where to assert them play a crucial role in self protection. This is in relation to others around you, and establishing harmony between work and personal life.
Finally, what we all need is down time- this is an uncompromising decision. This means anything from personal learning to socializing to hibernating. Space and quietude contributes wholly to a healthy ethos on play versus work.
Q4: What are the key elements of a successful business?
Establishing values and core principles from the outset is vital to an enduring and thriving business. These guide and dictate all decisions and directions. They form your moral compass and also ensure that you stay true to yourself and to your vision. This is the top priority for me when establishing Space to be Heard.
What most people may struggle with in a fast paced world is the learned value of patience or at least slowing down. The conception of something unique and wonderful requires patience and time. This has been the formula for most measures of success throughout history. Processes and good plans need time to form and develop- and it is in this time that we see our initial visions morph into something new or more attainable.
Learning is the age-old rule. Being open and curious from the beginning with the chance for self inquiry wherever possible. It is within this structure of learning and wanting to learn that we can recorrect past mistakes, be open to feedback and take in wisdom from those more experienced. In the same beat, listening is one of my strongest values. This is a two way exchange but we can learn so much in our sharpened abilities to listen closely. They come hand in hand and work together to build our relationships and honor our integral exchanges.
In essence there are elements that contribute to ‘doing it well’ with minimal tradeoffs. In the end we want to maintain our own composure whilst opening ourselves up to tools at our disposal.
Once ensuring your own bold and confident signature, the work will flow to you and vice versa.
Q5: How should women business owners face the fear of failure?
Failure is a word that needs to be refined wherever possible. Essentially failure means that we made an attempt or we took in a risk in the face of all adversity or critique. It is a bold and courageous thing and we should all hope to feel it from time to time. Within this realm of failure is the chance to reinquire, to learn and to recreate. Sometimes if we consider what it means to fail- we think it would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. From failure there is only progression. A new and alternate route that provides fresh possibilities.
I see this space as exciting. It is often from the place of failure that we learn most. I think the word failure has been vocalised and pronounced in many variations and degrees of severity. What someone sees as a failure is so different from the next- it is an extremely relative quality. Failure in your own eyes is the only failure that should be reckoned
with. If it is the opinion of another, we can learn to accept this with grace. If it is coming from a negative and unfounded place- this viewpoint is irrelevant to us. What is seen as failure too can also be subjective. Just as what is seen as ‘good’ or ‘successful’.
It takes great strength and self knowing to take a step into what feels daunting or out of our depth. It is these discrete and momentary failures that often change us into the evolved beings we are.
Some of the women I work with have come from this place of fear or failure are some of the most nuanced and developed I have met. The hardships have helped to shape their ideas of what they need and want for themselves. A certain renewed spirit and generosity for work and life can certainly come from a place of darkness. In the end it is how we handle what comes our way now, and how to apply to them a sense of care and diligence.
Q6: What three pieces of advice would you give to a woman planning to start her own business?
- Trust and Believe in If the ideas are fermenting then the potential and energy are already in existence. With an application of confidence and a little grace; these ideas can come forth into the world for others to get joy/ or benefit from.
- You are never alone. There is a community of people, or at least individuals that will align, support and commit to you and your This can happen at any step in the road to your success. Action and possibility are often the result of drawing others into co- creation. We have heard before that ‘it takes a village’- this is so true in regards to almost everything we attempt.
- Be gentle and This means adopting a character that is willing to change, edit, pivot or adapt. With this level of flexibility we can forgive ourselves and others where necessary and more than anything; we can show incredible amounts of fortitude and resilience.
