In this episode, I was interviewed by the Global NLP Conference about how to make big life decisions you won’t regret. Angela Wells, co-founder of the conference, asks some great questions which allows me to share:

• What key tools I personally use to make decisions to live a life true to myself and actually do it not just think it
• How you can shift from analysis paralysis and being stuck in life
• One killer NLP strategy to transform your motivation to take action 
• How to take back control when your career or life problems seem impossible to solve
• How to not sweat the small stuff and spend your time more wisely
• The commonalities between my guests on the Burn From Within podcast on how they made hugely successful life and career changing decisions
• How Covid has changed everything in people’s minds and why The Great Resignation is happening right now

Resources:

• Use my special discount code MATT10 when you register for the Global NLP Conference (and check out all the amazing speakers and sessions) here
• For those that want a free guide to making big decisions with no regrets, including audio clips sharing real strategies from people I interview as well as clips from Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos who use this framework, go to www.burnfromwithin.com/noregrets and I'll send you my audio guide free today!
• Connect directly with me directly on LinkedIn here - leave me a voice note to really get my attention (thanks Valerie Mekki for that tip!)
• Check out Tony Robbins' explanation of the NLP Dickens process here on YouTube - I've adapted this for career and life decisions. The foundational structure is truly powerful for motivation to take action!

To book a free 20-min confidential call with Matt to discuss any career or life change challenges you are having, go to www.burnfromwithin.com/call 

On this week’s episode, we have Valerie Mekki who used to be a retail buyer and product developer for major fashion brands for over 18 years and now she is a content writer and loves it! 

In this interview, Valerie fascinatingly shares her career pivots including becoming an entrepreneur, returning to a 9-5 and a lot more! We discuss:

• The false security of job security
• How accreditations and side projects can really help in your career transitions
• The mindset to handle your ego being crushed when working more junior roles in a new career
• How to deal with tough times during your career transition
• Practical ways to make money from your years or decades of previous career experience
• A golden mindset trick to becoming prolific in sharing what you do on social media
• How to restore balance during your transition so you don't burn out

Resources:

• Check out Valerie’s amazing blog about a career change for mid-life professionals at Oh Hello Work Life
• Connect directly with Valerie on LinkedIn here - listen to the end of the episode to learn how to send a LinkedIn message that gets her attention!
• To find out more about prototyping your next career, listen to this episode of the show here
• Book a free 20-min confidential call with Matt to discuss any career or life change challenges you are having here
• Check out more inspiring interviews with full transcripts to scan quickly for career and life change nuggets on the Burn From Within website here

On this week’s episode, I have Damon Cart, who has a huge career and life turnaround story. Only a few years ago Damon suffered from depression running his own life insurance business as a State Farm agent while his marriage also broke down. 

Looking for ways to relieve his depression, he found NLP and began a tremendous journey of self discovery over several years training with some of the world’s most renowned NLP Trainers including Robert Dilts and Steve Andreas. He’s now burning from within, recently happily married to the love of his life, fulfilling his dream of being able to travel while running his business and now training and transforming individuals rapidly with some of the most powerful models that have changed his own life, including changing your own self-concept.

. In this episode, we discuss:

• Spotting signals in life that you are on the wrong career path
• Damon’s experience of depression from spending all day in a business he hated
• Lifting depression in one hour with NLP versus over a year in traditional therapy
• Finding an interest that developed into a passion that became a business
• Finally being able to make tough but congruent life decisions by shifting limiting beliefs
• The importance of building your life from your own values not ones imposed by others
• The self concept model and transforming your highest values into a quality of who you are
• What’s the one thing that’s made Damon Cart burn from within?

Resources:

• Take the Career Assessment right now from Damon’s Self Concept Research Group here
• Steve Andreas’ book, Transforming Yourself, about his self-concept model, now rolling out across the world by Damon Cart and his business partner 
• Hundreds of videos about NLP on Damon Cart’s highly-popular YouTube channel here

On this week’s episode, I have Michael Legge, who is a former actor best known for playing teenage Frank McCourt in Allen parker’s 1999 movie Angela's ashes and you might also know him from other TV shows like Shameless. Since being famous in the acting world for over two decades, he has now transitioned into a new career, having extensively studied self-development, various forms of therapies, and coaching. Now he is the founder of the mind health coach, helping actors and performing artists with anxiety and achieving their peak performance to excel in their career. We actually met in India, a few years ago at a neuro-linguistic programming retreat and got on very well.  I had to get him on the show as he made quite a career change and talks openly about it. In this episode, you will discover:

• How Michael made the decision to leave his successful career in acting of almost 20 years and the gradual transition to a new passion of coaching
• How solving his own persistent level of anxiety in acting fuelled helping other actors with this common challenge in the profession
• What skills from a long and successful career in acting transferred into coaching?
• How Michael’s purpose changed as his career changed and the realisation of shifting from his ego to operating at the level of contribution to others
• How to tackle anxiety in your career and during Covid-19
• What’s the one thing that’s made Michael Legge burn from within?

Resources:1

• Michael’s MindPerfect Program - get back in control of your mind in just 10 weeks: https://themindhealthcoach.com/control-mindperfect-program/ 
• Follow Michael’s amazing tips and videos on Instragram @themindhealthcoach
• Angela’s Ashes - Michael’s first major movie when he was a child - watch it on Amazon Prime now
• Michael’s career as a successful actor laid out on Wikipedia

On this week’s episode, I have Lori Ann Arsenalt who is the founder and chief grounding officer of Freedom Within Wellness and certainly has made a huge career transition and life transition story too. Lori Ann was a human resources manager for 18 years over in Canada and in the government of Prince Edward Island and decided to change her life completely, and moved to Thailand and developed a career and business training TRE or trauma and tension release exercises. Freedom Within is a global wellness and coaching services company based in Chiang Mai Thailand, where I lived for about three years and freedom within offers Tre certification and training to people from all around the world.

On this episode, you will discover:

• How Lori Ann made the decision to leave her safe, secure government role of almost 20 years
• How she not only managed the transition of her career but her country and lifestyle too moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand
• What practice she has developed to fine tune her decision making and make great gut decisions continuously in career and life
• The concept of grounding and how it can help improve the clarity of your thought and relationships with others
• What’s the one thing that’s made Lori Ann Arsenault burn from within?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at Burnfromwithin.com/interviews, so listen all the way through, and enjoy!

Resources:

• Monthly free TRE Facebook event with Lori Ann Arsenault (next one Sunday January 10th)
• Freedom Within Wellness: Facebook page and Website -  https://www.yourfreedomwithin.com/
• TRE founder David Bercili video for you to follow grounding exercises for free on YouTube

Contact:

• Book a free 20-minute laser-focused clarity call to support you in your next major career or life decision here 

In this episode, I talk to Tom Youngs who made the big leap from successfully starting a career in dentistry in a well-respected private practice in the UK, to jumping into entrepreneurship in tech startups. 

I met Tom over five years ago - a well-respected coach I had hired suggested he meet me and it was at the start of his career change journey. Five years later, after a few pivots,I noticed how happy he was from a LinkedIn post celebrating working with his team in the tech startup world. So I wanted to find out more about how his career change unfolded. 

This episode is particularly relevant for people who feel they have large sunk costs from being in a career for years or spending many years, and a lot of money, training in a profession. It’s also for those whose families are in the same profession as them. Tom ticks all these boxes and came out successfully in a new career he loves.

In this episode we discuss:

• The moment that hit Tom he was not in the right career for him after years of being focused and dedicated to achieving that goal
• Managing his career transition working in two tech startups while working at his dental practice
• Lessons he has learnt in hindsight from making his decision to change career
• How Tom knows this is the right career for him now
• Having a sense of freedom and a bubble bursting connecting him to the world
• What’s the one thing that makes Tom Youngs burn from within?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

Resources:

• The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss - the book that influenced thousands, if not millions of people, including Tom Youngs and myself to delve into entrepreneurship and be able to do things they love

Contact:

• Here is Tom Youngs LinkedIn profile - connect with him there and feel free to ask any questions or share your reflections from watching this episode directly with him.

And if you want to book a free 20-minute consultation call with Matt Garrow-Fisher to help you on the One Thing to focus on next for your career change, click here.

This week, I discuss a topic that for some is taken for granted, for others neglected, and for all of us, whether we are young or old, is the true secret to not only happiness but living a long life.

And I’m not talking about anti-ageing creams, botox, ketogenic or paleo diets (although diet is a significant factor in longevity).

I’m talking about being involved in your community.

Resources: 

• Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life Kindle Edition - the book I recommend you all read detailing interviews of some of the oldest people in the world in Ogimi, Okinawa, Japan
• Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing - Bronnie Ware's book distilling wisdom from hundreds of people in a hospice sharing their biggest regrets when faced with their own imminent mortality
• Coworking Bansko - a community of freelancers, entrepreneurs and digital nomads living in the mountains of Bulgaria (including me) that I mention in the episode

Have you ever felt stressed, unhappy or going on an unsustainable path in life or at work?

We all have, as humans, at some point in our lives, right?

In this week’s episode, we explore 6 levels of human experience which, when we are consciously aware of them, can be tremendously useful when we feel stuck or misaligned in our lives. This is particularly true in our careers when figuring out and trying to pin26point why we are not happy.

Matt Garrow-Fisher shares insight from his conversations with Burn From Within show guests, examining their career and also lives at each of the following levels of human experience to identify where we can have misalignment:

Level 1 - Environment
Level 2 - Behaviour
Level 3 - Skills & Capabilities
Level 4 - Beliefs and Values
Level 5 - Identity (a powerful identity realisation is shared by Matt Harry in this episode)
Level 6 - Purpose

Instead of feeling stuck or unable to pinpoint the source of stress, unhappiness and that feeling that we don't want to carry on the career or life path we are on, we can investigate these levels to make changes so we have a clearer path for peace, joy, security and happiness.

Matt Garrow-Fisher examines the model inspired by Gregory Bateson (an English anthropologist) and developed by a pioneer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Robert Dilts called Neurological Levels of Change.

I hope you relate to the conversations shared in this episode and they help you to understand how you can start to use this model at each level in your own lives. Whether you feel internally misaligned in your career or in other life areas, to find opportunities to become more aligned and happy.

Resources:

• Michael Neill's explanation of the Neurological Levels of Change - this is a much more concise explanation of the model from the author of Supercoach and The Inside Out Revolution - Michael Neill
• Neurological Levels of Change from the creator Robert Dilts - this page goes deep into this model of human experience from the NLP pioneer that developed it. This is heavier reading that the resources below though, so prepare to go deep

Interested in group training on this model to make it practical directly to you?
Share your interest on our Facebook page here

On this week’s episode, we have Claudio Antonini who is a career change coach for finance and investment banking professionals. 

We cover a lot in this interview, from:

• What prompts finance and investment banking professionals to want to leave their career and what are the challenges in transitioning out of it?
• Typical routes out and common transferable skills they can use
• How to prevent your next career being a bad decision
• Finding more suitable roles within your existing bank
• How to recognise you are burnt out and what to do about it
• The impact of Covid-19 on career change in finance and banking
• When is the ideal time to leave your banking job or career?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at Burnfromwithin.com/interviews, so listen all the way through, and enjoy!

Resources:

• Connect with Claudio Antonini here via his LinkedIn profile and his website is here
• To find out more about prototyping your next career, listen to this episode of the show here
• To hear about long-term career decisions and hear from Jeff Bezon about his regret minimisation framework and how other guests of the show have applied this, listen to my special episode, The Guide to Making Big Decisions, No Regrets here

To book coaching with me, Matt Garrow-Fisher, check out the Burn From Within website here

I talk to Jeremy Lipkowitz, who is a Search Inside Yourself certified teacher, a leadership coach, a meditation teacher, an emotional intelligence trainer, and founder of Untangling The Mind.

I met Jeremy in Chiang Mai, Thailand and found out that throughout his life, although he consistently achieved his academic and career goals, he felt empty inside and ultimately unhappy. This lead to unhealthy addictions, which Jeremy also openly talks about. This episode is a fascinating discussion about purpose, meaning and also some of the quite big career changes Jeremy has had personally in his life.

What I love about Jeremy is that he has a solid background in science, spending 4 years on his PhD in Genetics, and throughout his quest for happiness, he’s found some game-changing tools for high-achievers and high performers to find meaning and happiness, with or without having to change the job or career you’re in.

In this episode we discuss:

• From being allergic to spirituality as a scientist to understanding it (as a scientist)
• Jeremy’s big career changes - from science to trading tea to teaching mindfulness and meditation
• How to decide whether to stay in your career or not if you feel unfulfilled
• Practical tips to start uncovering purpose and meaning in your life to feel less empty inside
• Shifting from a mindset of self interest to one of contribution to others
• What’s the one thing that makes Jeremy Lipkowitz burn from within? (I love this one!)

Resources:

• Jeremy's Free Online Masterclass 'Design Your Meaningful Life' - Wednesday, November 18, 2020 7:00 PM EET (register here)
• The book that shifted Jeremy's perspective on mindfulness to adopt it even from a scientific background - Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill - by Matthieu Ricard 
• Jeremy’s highly-rated Mindfulness Made Easy course
• Jeremy’s website - various ways to get in touch with Jeremy directly are on here as well as upcoming programs around mindfulness, meditation and meaning3

I talk to George McGehrin who founded The McGehrin Group, a national executive search firm, now turning over eight figures a year after being in business for 20 years.

The McGehren Group mostly deals with leaders at the C-suite level (CEO, CTO, CFO, CIO) all throughout Europe, the US and South America. 

As well as managing his recruitment firm, George also coaches leaders on both their branding for career and their career paths. He decided to start a business, literally at the unemployment office, waiting to learn how much his employment check would be after getting laid off back in the year 2000, 20 years ago. 

In this interview, I pick this executive recruiter's brains on the job market now post Covid-19 and his incredible mindsets and principles for a career change at the executive level. We discuss:

• How George decided on the business he’s in now and what’s the risk of setting up a business versus taking the employment route
• How careers are like relationships and how to turn toxic ones into great lessons and opportunities
• Being in the right career ‘vehicle’ and how that can transform how happy and fulfilled you are
• How taking real responsibility for money management can alleviate your worries even when things like Covid and recession hit
• Being present with people, the value of time versus chasing more and more money 
• Being in a financial prison even as a high-earning executive and how to restore balance in life
• 4 tips to shift your mindset so you approach jobhunting the right way during Covid
• How to pivot your skills into a new industry or a new career
• Getting 'The Unfair Advantage' in your job search
• The practice of building resilience
• What’s the one thing that makes George McGehrin burn from within?

More interviews, videos and programs to help you through career or life rebalance are available at burnfromwithin.com

Resources:

• McGehrin Group - if you are an executive looking for a new challenge or career, George and his team at The McGehrin Group have incredible connections and you will be impressed with their personal touch and expertise.
• George McGehrin's LinkedIn - the best way to speak directly to George about anything we discussed on the show. Just send him a message or connection request with a note saying you heard him on the Burn From Within podcast and he is very approachable and will aim to support you where he can.
• Ramit Sethi - the personal finance guru George spoke about in this episode that really helped him wake up to managing money in a new way. This contributed greatly to be in a strong position for when Covid-19 hit, where he actually was hiring not firing, unlike during the big recession of 2009 when George lost everything. Money management principles from this man Ramit Sethi was a huge factor in this step up to security.

I talk to Rex Sikes who has had a successful career as an actor and producer in LA. And actually a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach of mine highly recommended Rex (as have many others I know in the personal development and NLP community. And it’s his work around mind design, and the material from his new book “Life on your terms”, which we’ll explore in this interview and how you can use some of these concepts and principals to help you navigate change, career and life transitions and the bumpy obstacles that come up in your mind holding you back.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Rex went through very difficult periods of his life with friends and his girlfriend leaving him, being on a cocktail of prescription and non-prescription drugs and attempting suicide by jumping off a building
• How he turned his life around by working out how he was asking the wrong questions
• The concept of asking the right questions, using your brain’s capacity for transderivational search to unconscious find answers for you all the time
• What kind of questions you can ask if you don’t know where you want to go in life or your career to start finding solutions
• The concept of the Law Of Attraction and why it might not be working for some people and subtle differences you can do to get better results
• The importance of shifting your thinking from negative to positive and 3 habits you can start practicing to make this shift and manage career change more easily
• What’s the one thing that makes Rex Sikes burn from within?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

Books recommended:

• Life On Your Terms: Create The Life You Want - by Rex Steven Sikes - if you apply the principles in this book, one bit at a time and gradually, you will be able to handle transitions more smoothly. You do have to make them a habit and then let me or Rex know what you think!

Other resources recommended:

• IDEA Seminars - check out this amazing resource full of both free and paid for online courses and training from one of the best NLP Trainers on the planet and also a pioneer of Mind Design - Rex Sikes. I've enrolled on some of Rex' courses including The Attitude Activator, because I wanted to understand how he is so positive and grateful all the time, and now I understand and know why!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

In this episode, I finally uncover where the concept of Burn From Within came from.
I talk about one of the key root causes for unhappiness and misery in people's lives - their career or lifestyle.

Many people are seemingly in a position financially and intellectually to work out they need and can change but often they don't do it until something painful happens, like a heart attack, breakup, death of a loved one or job loss.

I discuss two more proactive approaches as a catalyst for change that don't require these painful events and can help people make their change journeys smoother.

I also explain my background in interviewing people and uncovering stories, and noticing patterns with my years of decoding the difference that makes the difference in NLP that lead me on this path to the Burn From Within show.

Finally, I  explain what the 3 key elements are to a happy life, and what it means to Burn From Within, and why everyone wants to be there.

Resources:

• Email me directly with any questions, comments or feedback you have about the show and what guests, content or questions you want answered - matt@sharedserviceslink.com
• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Book a call with me if you are seriously considering investing in career or lifestyle coaching with me and I'll explain how it works and if I can help you personally.
• Visit the Burn From Within website for more info on other interviews and programs that could help you in your life.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

I talk to Therese Toohey from the Byron Bay area of Australia who is a career strategist to leaders all over the world, helping them to be more congruent and true to themselves so they accelerate their careers through conscious leadership. 

I hired Therese after having several people who recommended her as a coach, and Therese helped me unpack my strengths and weaknesses in a more meaningful way. Many of us have done the psychometric tests like Myers-Briggs, DISC profiling, etc but how does this help us when it comes to changing career or even starting a business or new lifestyle?

In this episode we discuss:

• How psychometric testing can help you in your career development, career change and finding more meaning in your work
• Using the Strength Profile psychometric test and why this is a particularly helpful test for career advancement and career change
• Jumping into my Strength Profile psychometric test results and making sense of them
• The key differences between your realised strengths, unrealised strengths, learned behaviours and weaknesses, and what you can do with this information to have more energy and feel more lit up inside each day
• The concept of conscious leadership and conscious careers in having a long-term sustainable career path
• What’s the one thing that makes Therese Toohey burn from within?

If you want to pause this episode and follow along even more, you can download my Strength Profile psychometric test results and follow along while listening to the show to understand this powerful self awareness tool to the next level by  burnfromwithin.com/strengths

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

Resources:

• Download Matt's Strength Profile psychometric test results here - follow along the analysis of them in the show
• Get your Strengths Profile (Expert) too - buy now to understand what energises you and drains your energy. Essential for making a decision on the next career path you take
• Connect directly with Therese Toohey via her website - Therese is a phenomenal coach for both career leadership, advancement and can also help you interpret your Strengths Profile so you can become aware of what lights you up inside.

 If you want to understand what dims your light and how you could become aware of what can light you up inside, book a free 20-minute consultation call with me here.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

This episode is a bit different. You’ll hear from some of my past guests Seb Terry, Kim Orlesky and Luke Mickelson, as well as getting wisdom from Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. 

All these people share a game-changing strategy for making big decisions with no regrets. 

I made this into an audio download and thought it was worth sharing it on this podcast for any of you who aren’t sure about what to do next in life or for those of you who have options to choose from and you are finding it difficult to make a big decision (whether that’s for a career or life change). 

Please get in touch with me after listening to this and share your thoughts on how this helps you. Contact details below...

Resources:

• Email me on matt@burnfromwithin.com with your reflections from today's episode and exercise
• Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn - Matt Garrow-Fisher (there's only one in the world!)
• Book a free 20 minute call to discuss your big decision here: www.burnfromwithin.com/call
• Join my 12-week coaching programme 'Fulfilling Career' here: https://burnfromwithin.com/fulfillingcareer/

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

I talk to Dai Manuel on how he changed career and lifestyle, running a national 8 figure business in Canada with his partner to starting a new kind of career, an online career, one that's more remote and fulfilling a personal goal to build a life of freedom. I met Dai at a men’s group meetup in Bali, Indonesia and was super impressed by really how he, and,the fellow host, Nick Wood organised the group, they really led these men in the group, to have very powerful, conversations, and transformations. And then I got to know Dai a little bit more and found out some of the work he's been doing around lifestyle change, including, fitness, health, nutrition, really like whole life transformation. Now Dai’s a keynote speaker, actively involved in Toastmasters and had a lot of good stuff to say. I didn’t speak so much on this one so you’ll get to hear more from Dai about his story, his transition and advice he would give to others looking to make the leap into a new lifestyle.

In this episode we discuss:

• Building up a successful career and 8-figure business in fitness over 17 years
• Why you should listen to and trust your gut feelings for career change
• Writing a personal manifesto
• The importance of growing your own personal brand alongside your company
• Building a lifestyle and career mix around your values, not your values around career
• Dealing with fears during your transition
• Dealing with the cashflow issue and the concept of minimalism
• Lessons learnt from travelling with your family
• Roadschooling your kids instead of homeschooling them
• Three questions to ask when it comes to change
• What’s the one thing that makes Dai Manuel burn from within?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

Resources:

• Dai Manuel's website (includes all his social handles at the top) - go ahead and message Dai today your reflections and how you related to sharing his story in this interview. 
• Tim Ferriss' fear setting exercise that Dai highly recommends for deciding to change:
  • Watch this 3 min video
  • Check out Tim's TED Talk on this
  • Read Tim's blog on fear setting

Books mentioned:

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown - highly recommended by Dai to help shift your mindset to adopting more minimalist principles and help your transition, especially when building a remote business or lifestyle

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

I talk to Jamie Smart, an international best selling author of the book, clarity: clear mind, better performance and bigger results. After reading the book myself, I wanted to explore some really Paradigm shifting concepts of psychology from it in this interview. 

The principles we discuss can really help people going through life changes or career change, enabling them a way to make better decisions from within.

In this episode we discuss:

• Clarity being like a small child’s standard-setting and what that means
• Why realisations and insight sometimes comes a lot of the time from getting uncomfortable and at other times in places where you are relaxed
• Jamie’s several major life and career transitions, how he made those decisions 
• Where can people get their best ideas and insights from?
• How to live an authentic life and not just imitate others
• Why do you people change career and struggle to find a role or an identity that makes them happy and feel who they really are?
• How can you be confident in making a big life decision, like career change?
• What’s the one thing that makes Jamie Smart burn from within?

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

Resources:

• Jamie Smart's website - Jamie has tons of free content (including live training) teaching the 3 principles, as well as membership programs, his Clarity Certification program and more

Podcasts:

• Get Clarity with Jamie Smart podcast - discussing the three principles of clarity with loads of live coaching demos to experience it in practice!
• The Thriving Coaches podcast with Jamie Smart - helping coaching create a thriving coaching business from a man who has achieved the highest level of success in the coaching world (Jamie Smart :))

Books recommended:

• Clarity: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results
• The Little Book of Clarity: A Quick Guide to Focus and Declutter Your Mind
• Results - Think Less. Achieve More.
• The Little Book of Results: A Quick Guide to Achieving Big Goals 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

 In this episode, I talk to Matt Harry, who's the founder and chief investment officer. Of Cloudbreak asset management, one of Australia's first digital asset investment management companies. He was also the fastest Australian to swim the English channel back in 2013, raising $30,000 for Mental Health Research in doing so. 

This interview is super inspiring because of the epic journey Matt took to get there and the reason why Mental Health Research meant so much to him.

Around 15 years prior to swimming the Channel, Matt’s life was in a very different place. Living in Kings Cross, Sydney, Matt was a daily heroin user, living in a one bedroom flat with 3 other users. 

This fascinating interview is an inspiring story of how Matt made huge changes in his life to shift to brand new life and career paths, battling tough transitions and winning. In this episode we discuss:

• Making a decision to change a life path that is moving in a downward spiral
• Getting inspired by others to take on new challenges and upskill in new areas
• How to battle through difficulties in any transition
• Networking directly to get a job or find a business partner instead of having your CV or resume rejected in applications
• Using your childhood dreams to find your next career and life paths
• What Matt would advise his son about how to choose a career and a crucial belief many people neglect when pursuing new careers
• One thing that’s made the biggest difference for him to Burn From Within now

I won’t say any more. Just listen to this incredible story, take notes and let me know what lessons you took from this for your own life and career.

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

On this episode, I talk to Stevie Bellamy, a British-sounding former construction business owner based in Australia, who, not only has an uncanny resemblance to Brian May from the band Queen, but also has founded a beautiful charity for children in India and Nepal called The Pencil Tree. It started from recognizing that kids didn't even have and couldn't afford pencils in their schools. Recognising this and his ability to use his skills and resources to make a difference with this third world challenge, Stevie began to really light up inside and discovered a new passion and purpose. His charity now gives the lives of hundreds of children across India and Nepal and their families a brighter future. But Stevie realised that the biggest smile and most fulfilled person involved was actually himself.

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How Stevie accidentally stumbled across a need to give while on a luxury holiday in Nepal
• What life was like before finding fulfillment earning millions in the construction trade, with multiple rental properties, a luxury lifestyle but feeling an empty void inside
• Finding moments of giving and seeing other people’s face lighting up can change you inside and spark a new purpose in your life
• What you can do in your own neighbourhood to make a difference and feel fulfillment and make a difference, even with little money
• And as always with my guests, the one thing that made the biggest difference to burn from within

I hope you get as inspired as I did by hearing Stevie’s story and if you are in the position he was in, feeling unfulfilled in a career or business, perhaps even if you are making good money and living a luxury lifestyle, there are some practical tips for you to make small changes to a new more meaningful path today. 

The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

On this week’s episode, I have Nishith Shah, founder of Thought Labs, co-founder of the Global NLP Conference India and someone I’ve worked with in training people how to become aware of their own mind’s source code and the structure of our human experience, taking people beyond their comfort zones at retreats in the Swiss Alps and the Indian Himalayas. This conversation is all about dealing with unexpected events in life, like the very present latest Covid strain in June 2021 and lockdowns in India where Nishith is based. And also his own career journey which didn’t go as he expected it would. There is a lot of principles around ways of thinking in this conversation about career change and life change and I hope you gain as much wisdom around how to think as I did from this.

Resources:

• Connect with Nishith Shah here via his LinkedIn profile
• Check out Nishith’s training company Thought Labs here for more information about his amazing retreats in Goa, Switzerland, the Himalayas and more here
• Global NLP Online Summit India - purchase recordings of this year’s insightful presentations, including from previous Burn From Within guests Jamie Smart and Vimala Seshadri and as well as register for next year’s event
• Join Matt and Nishith on Clubhouse with my upcoming discussion around how to make decisions without regrets here

Books:

• Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change by Robert E. Quinn – an amazing book on building a business or career by stepping into the unknown. In the process of stepping out of your comfort zone and following what lights you up in life, you bring out more of your true potential and become more congruent with your life as a result.
• To find out more about designing multiple 5-year life plans (called Odyssey Plans), check out the Designing Your Life book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans from Stanford University here and their on-demand video workshop course is here.

This is a well-thought out story of career change at 35 years old, planned meticulously to now blossoming into a burning-from-within reality. The plan took three years for Mrugank Patel (MP) to execute fully. Managing a big transition from a six-figure salary at a bank in Australia working in IT to turning to becoming a psychotherapist took time, patience, planning and hard work, And it paid off.

Career change at 35: a three-year plan

After reading a very popular post on an online forum with the question of ‘How’s your life after quitting IT industry and what are you doing currently?’, I was inspired to contact Mrugank Patel (MP). His answer beautifully shared his career change story. And in the process, he gathered very quickly almost 70,000 views and hundreds of comments and upvotes. When I read it, I understood why.

MP spent most of his professional life in Australia and earned a six-figure salary for many years as an IT management consultant. He was fortune to work in several well-respected Fortune 500 companies in Australia.

After achieving his financial and career goals, he started asking “Will I be doing what I’m doing right now till I turn 65 (retirement age)? Will I be doing the 9 to 5 thing for another 30+ years?”

MP wanted more meaning in his life. So to find it, he studied human psychology and behaviour. And so his three-year journey of career change at 35 years old began. The plan also successfully transitioned his wife from a career in pathology to a dietician!

This video interview digs deeper to discuss how MP:

• Left a six-figure salary with mortgages and two kids
• Meticulously planned his and his wife’s career transition over 3 years
• Now has time for his beautiful family, friends and a lifestyle he’s always desired
• Found passion, purpose and balance in his life and is living by his values.
• Is leading a happy and meaningful life earning just 10-15% of his previous salary

Resources:

• Manage Your Mind – Mrugank Patel’s career counselling and psychotherapy consultancy

Books mentioned:

• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About The World – And Why Things Are Better Than You Think – by Hans Rosling

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

Early retirement sounds great, right? Many people go through their entire career looking forward to retirement.

But what is it like to retire early and enjoy the freedom it brings long before you are in your sixties or seventies? I got curious about what it was like to retire early from someone who had lived a very successful corporate career.

It turns out, the word purpose and meaning come to your attention even more after you have enjoyed the freedom to follow your passions after working so hard in a demanding yet financially rewarding career.

My friend, coach and business leader Steve Polaski retired early in his forties after a successful career in manufacturing operations. He built his wealth up considerably to the point where he had a few million dollars cashed in the bank, bought a 7,000 sq foot mansion with staff, sports cars, bikes, you name it in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

After spending his new ‘workweek’ Monday to Friday playing golf, he realized he was living for himself and wanted to teach his four year old son principles for life from leading by example.

After immersing himself in personal development and heading up the operations of a well-established Asian coaching business, he began to find more meaning in his life.

This is the story of a shift in purpose, leading to major career changes from early retirement to becoming a coach and now also back to running a public company, this time with a brand new purpose and meaning behind it (with money not being the primary driver).

If you are working hard so you can retire well, this talk will give you a whole new perspective so you show up differently in life and rethink your purpose behind that.

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Books mentioned:

• Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds – David Goggins
• The Infinite Game: How Great Businesses Achieve Long-lasting Success – Simon Sinek
• Infinite Choices, Wisdom and Change: Change your life the moment you decide – Steve Polaski

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

Burnout can be caused by many things – a build up of stress, anxiety, long working hours, poor sleep are some factors.

In Malia Grigg’s case, the nature of her work was a big part of it. As Director of Social Media for The Daily Beast and previously in demanding roles at Comedy Central and Cosmopolitan in New York City, her work usually involved being ON for most of the time she was awake.

The global nature of her role, particularly working in social media, with almost constant updates of stories and responding to posts from readers, made the ability to switch off and mentally rest very difficult.

Burnout is more prevalent now the internet means you can work 24/7

In many jobs, the culture and nature of the work promotes working way past the traditional 9-5 hours. Without recognizing this and responding to it, the result can be very serious consequences for your health and wellbeing. And it can also be quite costly on your finances too, as Malia shares.

In this revealing interview, Malia shares her experience in resisting the clear signs that her health was suffering years before, and focuses on the reason she quit her job due to burnout.

For anyone who has resisted listening to their body and mind telling them to take better care of themselves (physically, mentally and emotionally), this is a unique story of what happens when you let burn out get to the point of needing to quit, and the aftermath that follows.

If you are suffering from burnout, listen to this real life advice from someone that has gone through it and continues to repair from it, so that you can learn from her valuable lessons and rebalance your life now before you have more serious health and happiness consequences.

Resources mentioned:

• Malia Griggs website – if you want to get in touch with Malia to discuss your personal burnout story, or if you are interesting in her writing services, use the Contact form on this website.

Books mentioned:

• How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy – by Jenny Odell

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

In this interview, Natasha Stanley, Head Coach at Careershifters.org, packs in tons of practical advice for those of you who want to or might actually have to make a career change. Firstly, you may have lost your job or have been furloughed. Secondly, your industry may have changed due to the Coronavirus / Covid-19 outbreak. Or lastly, you might just be looking for a new direction in your career or life to be happier and more fulfilled.

What juicy tips will you discover?

Listen in on key principles to navigate uncertain times and big life changes. Because in this interview, we touch on so many important issues such as:

• What Covid-19 means for people who want to change their career
• What to do about your finances during career change
• Why purpose is overrated, and; 
• Focusing on curiosity and not passion
• How to approach your boss to ask for less hours or to work from home more to avoid burnout
• Should you take a career break?
• The concept of portfolio careers
• What does planning glorious intentional surprises have to do with being happy?

What if I’m not looking for a job yet?

Even if you aren’t currently looking for a job or career change, there is great wisdom for everyone to take from this. Because being able to navigate change during uncertain times in life is as useful as being able to steer a ship when you are heading towards rocks!

I totally recommend checking out the Career Shifters’ case studies of people writing about their own career change journeys. Above all, I love their blog articles which are honest, transparent and packed with sound advice, just like you might have picked up from watching Natasha on this interview!

Resources mentioned:

• Career Shifters:  Career change specialists, practical blogs, workshops and coaching.
• This Is For You:  Exploring how you can form meaningful human connection – workshops, podcast and retreats

Books mentioned:

• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Paperback – by Seth Godin
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters – by Priya Parker
• Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear – by Elizabeth Gilbert (also author of Eat Pray Love) and her concept to take a break from following your passion, follow your curiosity instead

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

I just got inspired by this man – Luke Mickelson. A man who started a phenomenal charity Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) over in Idaho, USA back in 2012 after Leaving his six-figure salary (he was actually offered ownership in the business worth millions of dollars which he also turned down).

Now SHP runs over 200 chapters across 46 US states and 3 countries and helps over 28,000 kids receive for free their very own bunk beds that their parents just couldn’t afford before.

In this conversation, I asked how he made that tough decision to quit his well-paid job to focus on his charity. We discuss where purpose comes from, leaps of faith in life and leading decisions from good intentions and choosing a life path 50 years from now with no regrets.

I hope this inspires you to look for opportunities to live with purpose, and perhaps even prompt you to start your own SHP chapter in your community so kids with no bed can have one too.

Here’s the video interview: https://burnfromwithin.com/six-figure-salary-to-build-a-charity/

Luke has been featured in US national news stories for his charity work and dedication to serving his community. His humans helping humans philosophy has earned him a spot as a CNN Hero Top 10 candidate, an NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt special, and interviews on the NBC’s Today Show, People Magazine, Good Morning America and many others. Luke has a passion for service and he continues to inspire others to act on their own Tiny Moments because he believes that true joy comes from serving others.

Check out the Sleep in Heavenly Peace brand new podcast

Resources mentioned:

• Sleep In Heavenly Peace – an inspirational charity founded by Luke that now builds over 50,000 beds a year for poor children around the world
• TedX Idaho Falls March 2020 speaker – Luke Mickelson
• Luke was nominated as a CNN Hero in 2018 for his work building the charity SHP

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

On this episode, I talk to Kim Orlesky, president of the K O Advantage group. She was named one of LinkedIn’s top sales influencer to follow in 2019, Success Magazine's most inspirational blogger, female entrepreneur of the year by Startup Canada and was named one of the most influential sales leaders by lead fuse.

And in 2014, after years in very successful corporate positions in companies like American Express, she decided to Go traveling. After six months of travel, um, she wrote a book and decided to go it alone and create her own inspirational sales company. She even had the chance to meet Oprah!

What I love about this interview is how evident it is that Kim is living a life true to herself, and her decision to leave corporate, follow her curiosity and live with no regrets paid off. Get inspired to take a chance in doing what you want to do in life - you never know where it might lead you!

Resources:

• Kim Orlesky’s website – with information about Kim’s events, her books and the awesome KO Sales University she runs to train small businesses and entrepreneurs how to sell what they care about effectively and get $ fast and happy customers.

Books mentioned:

• Finding (My)Self (Love): One Girl’S Journey of 17 Countries Across 4 Continents in 6 Months – Kim Orlesky
• How to Be a Nomad: Go from Business Suit to World Backpacker – Kim Orlesky
• Sell More. Faster.: The Premium Solution Sales Process for Getting the Premium Price – Kim Orlesky

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

On this episode, I talk to Vimala Seshadri who left a very successful career in the pharmaceutical industry in the US. to start an orphanage in India where she has raised personally 15 kids in the last 20 years.

In this interview we explore her dramatic career and life transition, which started one fateful night in the woods of Michigan.

If you can relate to being a financial success, being promoted up the corporate ladder, achieving your career goals but feeling empty and unfulfilled inside, this episode is for you. 

We discuss sitting with yourself to find the answers within for deciding your next life path, overcoming resistance from family and friends for walking away from a well-paying successful career, how to recognise when you are going against the grain, and what it’s like to live with purpose and overcoming challenges like money issues with a new purpose.

I was personally deeply inspired by this interview and hope you are too. 
The full show notes and videos of other interviews are available at burnfromwithin.com/interviews - so listen all the way through and enjoy!

It’s at times like these – coronavirus, worry about jobs, health, finances, etc – that connecting within yourself and becoming more self aware is vital to the decisions you make for your happiness.

Be conscious about what you want, act on faith and good intentions and be present to the truth. Such a different human experience to reacting with fear. Connecting with your purpose is what sets you on a path you want to be on so you look forward to your future and enjoy today right now!

So I thought I would share this beautiful conversation I had with Vimala Seshadri, a truly inspirational woman who listened to her inner voice and heart and made some brave decisions to move to a brand new happier and deeply fulfilling life.

You can reach Vimala directly after listening to this episode by connecting with her on LinkedIn here or even sending a personal email: coachvee15@gmail.com

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

We have a career transition author, speaker and coach, Steve Preston, The Career Catalyst, sharing his expert opinion after coaching people to change their careers over many years.

If you want to understand the mindset and structure you need to adopt to make a smoother transition to a new career, certainly check out this interview.

One of the most powerful concepts I took from this talk was about making your next career decision based on the legacy you want to leave this world with, and how this brings with it authenticity in what you do and sustainability in doing the right thing. So powerful, and packed with so many practical tips – make sure you check this out now!

I also recommend Steve’s book ‘Winning Through Career Change’ which you can get on Amazon now. It has been endorsed by personal development guru Brian Tracy and found it really useful – full of ca1arrowrse studies and practical exercises to help you on your journcaey.row--FishFiserhttps://burnfromwithin.com/steve-preston-career-change-market/

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

Patrick worked in the corporate world for 22 years, a large part in the commercial side of mobile technology. He and his wife rose up the corporate ladder, moved their family and kids to Asia after promotion as regional directors. Yet Patrick was not happy with corporate lifestyle, and his frequent burn out by being available 24/7 to the globally connected corporate world caused weight loss and health issues, as well as a strain on family relationships with so little quality time for them.

In this interview, we discuss the structure for why and how he got out, the plan he set for his year off, his personal profit and loss plan for managing his finances during his career transition, deadlines for success, volunteering and the importance of feedback from others, and how he found balance back into his life.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

Be inspired by Holli’s brave decision-making and life changes as she moved out of working with the corporate world and is now passionately serving creatives to share their voice and message with the world in her business The Creative Producer. as well as her amazing Facebook community The Creative Engine Room – will post the links below this video!

We talk about her life as a successful TV producer, feeling like something wasn’t quite right, listening to your intuition and heart, and what steps to take to shift to a more purposeful and ethical life.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

In this episode I speak with Camilla Sacre-Dallerup, a former Strictly Come Dancing champion who completed reinvented herself to a new career and lifestyle, moving from the UK to LA with her husband Kevin in the process to completely reinvent themselves. This is a fascinating conversation about recognising your ego in your career and life and having the discipline to keep it in check to really be who you truly are, not what is expected of you. We talk about the sacrifices needed during her career transition, accepting that you don’t need anything and the huge implications this had on taking risks to pursue what she really wanted in life. 

Resources:

• Camilla’s website with all her meditations, courses, resources and ways to connect direct with her is right here.
• Camilla challenged me to do her 21 Day Meditation Experience and I’m currently doing it and absolutely loving it - here it is free for you too.

Books:

• I read Camilla’s book Reinvent Me, all about not just career change but identity reinvention. So practical and useful exercises inside - thoroughly recommend this. 
• Camilla has two other books, It’s Not You, It’s Me - about self love to transform relationships and Dream Believe Succeed, filled with actions to actually achieve what you dream about.
• Her books are available on Amazon or Camilla’s website

What is a portfolio career? 

Quite simply, it’s holding several different roles (paid or unpaid), often involving very different skillsets working on different projects. It’s a way to showcase and develop multi interest areas of your life (passions, strengths, meaningful work) so you create a balance and variety in how you spend your workweek or year. As opposed to one full-time job, portfolio careers often involve one role being contract or freelance-based, using a strengths built from a previous full-time job or career often, to cover much of your living expenses. The other roles may further increase income and you may be able to create a role purely to give back to society.

In Phil Evangelou’s case, not too long ago he was in a high-pressure city job as a lawyer for several year and made a big change. After living in Africa for a few months, learning new skills to start businesses remotely, he was inspired to not only start an ecommerce business with his friend, he also founded his own incredible charity, Kupendo Kids

This is a story of how to find balance in life, building a portfolio career rather than just one job, and how to bring passion to your work and where purpose can be found in your life to give it true meaning. So if you feel that being tied to one role is limiting your creativity and potential, you want more variety in your work life, or you simply want to give back and perhaps start or work for a charity, this talk is for you.

Resources mentioned:

• Kupendo Kids – the amazing charity that Phil started in Africa to support the education of children through producing and selling toys.
• Eternal Empire – ecommerce business Phil set up with his friend
• Nomad MBA (now called Nomad Academy) – course Phil went through where he lived in Africa and learnt the key digital marketing and business skills to start his own ecommerce company Eternal Empire.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way (in 2 minutes) here

Are you scared of leaving your career because you don’t want to waste those valuable skills you built up over the years? By recognising your transferable skills, you can become confident to realise your true marketability in any industry. And it might even fuel you to start a new business or two…

In this interview, I discuss with Max Vishnev, an inspiring entrepreneur, how he transitioned:

• From a career in Wall Street;
• To starting a successful walking tour business in New York City;
• To becoming a health coach
• To now being a real estate broker!

Max’s entrepreneurial journey was definitely not plain sailing. Yet it has also been incredibly rewarding,. And in each industry change, he has followed his passions and strengths to respond to his changing priorities in life.

Transferable skills are the strengths you realise and don’t realise yet

When you leave your career, you may feel you are wasting the hard earned skills that you’ve developed over the years. This is the story of how to transfer your skills to completely new industries so you thrive and keep your passion. 

Often when we look at how we have spent time outside of work, we can get clues. These clues can tell us:

• What we are good at;
• What we enjoy doing;
• What motivates us and gives us energy.

In Max’s case, taking a year to study in Spain. And following his curiosity to travel, he found a passion: speaking to people from different nationalities and exploring city streets. These newly found passions turned into a walking tour business.

How to break into a new industry: take a stock take of your developed skills and network!

By developing skills in one career or business, you can recognise what skills you can use in different industries. And being curious about who else is using these transferable skills and speaking with them could launch you into your new career. Or at the very least, give you ideas for your new direction in life.

In Max’s case, the people skills he developed on Wall Street and talking to strangers in Barcelona in his study year were very transferable. So much so, he used them to launch a business in leading walking tour groups across Manhattan. As a result, these skills were also later used in the real estate market too!

This interview will inspire you to reflect on what transferable skills you have developed in different roles over the years. Consider projects you have been involved in inside and outside of work.

So watch this honest thought-provoking interview to get a real insight into what it takes to start a passion-based business. And be inspired on how to pivot into new industries when your life circumstances change.

Books mentioned:

• Walking Away From Wall Street: From Corporate Bull to Building a Business – by Max Vishnev

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us: 

• Rate and review the Burn From Within podcast the easy way here

When you challenge yourself by setting yourself goals outside of your comfort zone, what can happen? And what if those goals are simply the 100 things you want to do before you die?

Author of the book and TV host on ESPN’s series ‘100 Things: What’s On Your List?’, Seb Terry shared a beautiful conversation about how he followed his passions and now has found real purpose in his life helping people all over the world.

The Moment He Decided His 100 Things To Do Before You Die

After graduating, Seb felt lost with no purpose. He decided to travel, and while backpacking in Canada, he got tragic news that his good friend Chris had passed away at the age of just 24. Reflecting on Chris’ life and what a life well-lived and happiness could be like, Seb created a list of 100 things to do before he died, and went on a quest to complete them around the world.

This unfolded into a journey of publishing a book on his experiences, landing a TV series with ESPN, moving to LA from Sydney, and finding his true values, passion and purpose finally in life. It seems when you challenge yourself and focus your time and goal setting to do what interests you, magic can indeed happen!

Challenge yourself to find your true calling

Seb has now created an online peer-to-peer platform for giving called Kindsum, which is facilitating meaningful connections with people around the world and creating opportunities to help and volunteer to help people from simple to deeply life changing ways. He talks more about examples of its use in the show and how you can get involved.

Watch this interview to really understand what you can do to discover your purpose and why you should set your goals based on your passions.

Resources mentioned:

• 100 Things – Seb Terry (a global movement to follow your passions in life and see what magic comes from it)
• Kindsum – the world’s best peer-to-peer platform for giving

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by rating and reviewing us here.

This episode is about becoming an entrepreneur and actually the process and life in entrepreneurship.  I speak with James Saward-Anderson,  a co-founder of Social Tree Global with his business partner, Max Hannah. They started their business as a project in a bedroom back in 2016. And it's now grown to become one of the largest dedicated business-to-business, social media agencies, working with leading brands like UBS, IBM and Meltwater. 

James and Max have also helped educate over 10,000 marketing and communication experts about the latest social media intelligence insights in finance and healthcare.  Both of them ran to Rome together, and after that experience decided to start a business. They now have a team of 11 staff and  a seven-figure turnover.

I ask questions around:

• What made him decide to go into entrepreneurship? 
• What made him choose the business that he was in and pivot to it?
• What makes a good business partner and the benefits of having one
• Values that have helped his business grow and having a mission 
• The struggles actually with balance when you're running a full-time business,  i ask a lot of the questions that you might ask if you are looking to become an entrepreneur and make a career change yourself
• What's the one thing that made James burn from within?

Resources:

• Social Tree Global - James' 7-figure social media agency he runs with his business partner Max and team of 11 staff in London
• James Saward-Anderson's LinkedIn profile - connect with him here directly to ask questions about becoming an entrepreneur, social media and to work with or in his agency!

On episode 37 of the show, I have Sarah Gregg, a psychologist, coach and author of two highly-practical books - Find Your Flow and her upcoming book Choose Happy which is being released next month. We talk about the science behind gratitude, what rules and routines can create flow in your work day and how you can actually make decisions to be happier.

Resources:

• Connect directly with Sarah Gregg on Instagram and follow her useful daily tips here @thepowertoreinvent
• Sarah's website detailing all her work, coaching and workshops on flow and happiness here
• Find Your Flow book - an awesome highly-practical book to burn from within more each day by entering your flow state.
• Choose Happy - Sarah's upcoming book here.

On this week’s episode, I have Alice Nettleingham, who has gone through a number of career changes and each time has really enjoyed every career she has been in. 

Like me, she loves variety and adventure and we met each other in Bansko, Bulgaria. 

After graduating in psychology, Alice worked as a psychological well-being practitioner for the NHS. Fast forward a few years and she had spent 5 years as an English teacher in Asia and forward some more and Alice is running a hugely popular female solo travel blogging business and now has become a certified hypnotherapist helping other content creators get rid of unconscious patterns of self doubt and procrastination that stops them being successful in their business.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Alice made the decision to change her career each time
• Her approach to transition - jumping in with both feet and how this can really be effective for some people
• How stories from others can change our beliefs and give us instant inspiration to change careers
• How we can reprogram our minds by changing our self-narratives through hypnosis
• How does hypnosis work exactly and how can it improve your clarity and productivity
• What’s the one thing that’s made Alice burn from within?

Resources:

Teacake Travels - Alice's awesome and highly popular solo female travel blog!
Connect with Alice on IG here - feel free to ask her any questions in DM - @speaktoalice
Book a taster hypnosis session here - trust me, you have to experience this!

On this week’s episode, I have AJ Mizes, who left his job at Facebook in San Francisco as a Global People & HR Leader to start his company The Human Reach in the middle of the pandemic (talk about taking risks). 

AJ is a Career & Leadership Coach & HR Consultant and reached out to me as he loved some of the episodes on the Burn From Within show and he shared so many practical tips from real experience in his own career (the good stuff he gives to his own clients), I had to share them with you all. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to land jobs that on paper you are not fully qualified or have the experience for
• 3 solid tips to prepare for your interview to get hired
• Top ideas to consider for a career change
• How to improve fulfillment in your current job before having to quit
• Improving your chances of promotion dramatically by deciding on one of three buckets for your career growth
• How can people at smaller organisations get their managers to take their career progression more seriously rather than just keeping their head down and getting tasks done?
• How can you work more effectively when remote working and make it actually work?
• How can you communicate with your employer to create more balance when you feel you need more time for your family or other things in your life?
• What’s the one thing that’s made AJ Mizes burn from within?

Resources:

1. Register for AJ Mizes' awesome free weekly web class here
2. Connect with AJ via his company at The Human Reach here and his LinkedIn profile here
3. Check out the Burn From Within episode I discussed at the end called The Guide To Making Big Decision With No Regrets if you want to learn about taking regrets with no regrets here

On this episode, I interview Fiona Reith, the UK's first Designing Your Life certified coach and a phenomenal career change coach I know from training together.

After noticing how practical her approach was to life and coaching her career change clients, I asked what her secret was and what Designing Your Life meant. She recommended I read a book for career and life change called Designing Your Life by Dave Evans and Bill Burnett who are both professors at Stanford University that teach Design Thinking. This was and is an absolute game-changer for me and I’m now training with the authors Bill and Dave directly in becoming a certified Designing Your Life coach in April this year. 

This conversation gives you a glimpse of why design thinking is so useful, practical and why we both love it so much!

• The importance of prototyping your next career 
• Using design thinking methodology for life and career design
• How to prototype through conversations and experiences
• My experience in prototyping interviews for becoming an employed podcast producer
• Scales of prototyping and your spectrum of possibilities
• Knowing when you have done enough prototyping to make a career decision
• Reframing problems with design thinking
• Networking to access the hidden job market
• What’s the one thing that’s made Fiona Reith burn from within?

• Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnnett & Dave Evans - this book in my opinion is a total game changer when it comes to career and life design and change. Get it now. I’m serious!
• Designing Your Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work  by Bill Burnnett & Dave Evans - this book is about making improvements in your existing career to become incrementally more fulfilled and happier, without necessarily doing anything drastic like a career change. Full of practical exercises.

• Designing Your Life video workshop online - this is a live class you can follow on-demand taught alongside other students with the authors of the book to help you really understand and go through the exercises of the book in groups. Definitely worth it.

• Fiona Reith’s coaching website and Linked profile - Fiona is a phenomenal career coach so go have a conversation with her to discuss if she is right for you (if you enjoyed her awesome insights in this episode, she might be a good fit to help you in your career or out of it into a new fulfilling path
• A directory of certified Designing Your Life coaches from around the world - Fiona is the first DYL coach from the UK and Matt will also be on this list in April!
• Bill Burnett’s 5 steps to designing the life you want Tedx Talk and Dave Evan’s separate Designing Your Life Ted Talk