The Women In Business Radio Show

What happens when you put a guilt-free success coach, a somatic trauma-informed duo, a women's hormone specialist, and a nutritionist in one room? A very honest conversation, that's what.
This special edition of the Women in Business Radio Show brings together some of the brilliant VIP speakers from the Women in Business Big Show. Katie Powsey joins Sian as co-host, and together they welcome Christine and Nikki from Blossoming Connections, Saira Mashru of Saira Nutrition, and Justina Triasovaite from Justina Training.
They talk about why your body knows things your head hasn't caught up with yet, what self-care actually looks like when you strip away the guilt and the buzzwords, and why so many women start a business for freedom and end up more trapped than before. There's also a refreshingly blunt conversation about PCOS, trauma, nervous systems, and what it really means to run a business that fits who you are.
Real women, real experience, and no nonsense. Come and join us.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and follow the Women in Business Radio Show wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Creators and Guests

Host
Katie Powsey
Katie Powsey is a life and mindset coach and founder of KP Life Coaching, working with mums in business who set out to escape the nine to five and found themselves busier than ever. Born in Slovakia and now based in the UK, Katie spent over a decade in the corporate world of property sales, management and development before the familiar combination of career guilt and the relentless juggle of family life pushed her to make a change. She is a mum of two and stepmother of three, and she knows first-hand what it costs to keep saying yes to everything. Her coaching approach cuts through the noise around productivity and time management to get at what's actually driving the pattern. Because as Katie will tell you, the busyness doesn't come from the job. It follows you. And until you understand what's underneath it, no amount of planning or restructuring will shift it. Katie is a returning speaker and VIP at the Women in Business Big Show, and a familiar and popular face in the community. Her programme, Say Yes to Less, helps women build the freedom they originally went looking for when they started their business.
Host
Sian Murphy
Guest
Blossoming Connections
Christine and Nikki are the co-founders of Blossoming Connections, somatic trauma-informed coaches, practitioners and educators based in Kent, and two of the warmest, most grounded people you'll meet in this space. They didn't train together. They met at a conference, when Nikki approached Christine about setting up a network group, and quickly realised they had far too much in common not to go into business together. What followed has been a journey of personal and professional growth that has shaped everything Blossoming Connections has become. With backgrounds in Play and Creative Arts Therapy, and qualifications spanning the ICF, CPD, CMI, BACP and beyond, Christine and Nikki work with women in midlife who feel lost or unfulfilled, and with organisations ready to build genuinely trauma-informed, people-first cultures. Their work sits at the intersection of nervous system education, somatic coaching, positive psychology and creative arts, and it is rooted firmly in lived experience. They have walked the path themselves, and that shows in how they work. Through their community Mental Well-being Clubs, their coaching programmes, their corporate training and their online resources, their mission is simple: to help people feel safe, supported and seen. Not just to cope, but to blossom. They are based in Kent and can be found at www.blossomingconnections.co.uk and across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Guest
Justina
Justina Triasovaite is the founder of Justina Training, a women's health and hormone-focused personal trainer with over fourteen years of experience in the fitness industry, and one of the most straightforward voices in a space that is full of noise. Her story starts in Lithuania, where at fourteen she and her best friend joined a gym, fell in love with it, and spent every evening after school in spin classes, body pump, pilates and the sauna. She wanted to make a career of it, but her grandmother had other ideas. Politics, she was told, was a more sensible path. So Justina went to university, studied for a couple of years, and then life shifted. She immigrated to England, found her way back to the gym, met a trainer who told her she could do what he did, and booked a course the same day she googled it. The turning point came when a couple she was training confided that they were struggling to conceive because of PCOS. Justina went away, did the research, wrote an article for a respected fitness magazine, got it published, and never looked back. That couple now have a child. She has spent the years since specialising in PCOS, hormonal imbalances, peri-menopause and the way that stress, sleep, nutrition and training all interact in women's bodies. Her approach is individual, evidence-informed, and entirely free of quick fixes. She works with clients from Australia to America, in person and online, and her mission is simple: to help as many women as possible realise they do not have to just put up with how they feel. Justina can be found at www.justinatraining.com.
Guest
Saira Mashru
Saira Mashru is an award-winning Registered Associate Nutritionist and the founder of Saira Nutrition, with a First Class Honours degree in nutrition from King's College London. She specialises in sustainable weight loss and behaviour change for midlife women, and she is very clear that the two things are rarely as separate as people think. Saira grew up surrounded by food in the best possible way. Family, culture, travel, and a genuine love of eating well gave her a relationship with food that most of her clients are still working towards. That perspective shapes everything about how she works. Her goal is not to hand women a list of rules but to help them understand why they make the choices they do, and to give them back control over those choices for good. Her clients typically arrive having tried most things already. The diets that worked until they didn't. The slimming groups. The cutting out of entire food groups. And still finding themselves reaching for the biscuit tin at 8pm, not because they're hungry, but because something else is going on. Saira's twelve-week online weight management programme, run in small exclusive groups of three to five women, works on the mindset as much as the nutrition, because that, she will tell you, is almost always where the real work is. Qualified, evidence-informed, and refreshingly free of fads, Saira can be found at sairanutrition.co.uk.

What is The Women In Business Radio Show?

Tune in for fun, inspiration and unfiltered discussions as host Sian Murphy interviews down-to-earth businesswomen sharing ideas, tactics and stories.

Regular features include recommended books, tools, lessons learned and top tips for business.

Sian:

Hello, and welcome into the Women in Business Radio Show studio. This is a special edition of the radio show because we're talking VIPs today. So everybody that's here today is or has been before a VIP or a speaker at the Women in Business Big Show. So welcome everybody. Let me introduce my co host who has been a VIP and a speaker at the Big Show for quite some time now.

Sian:

Haven't you been there a few years and is also been on the radio show a few times. So welcome Katie Palsy as my co host today.

Katie:

Oh, thank you, Sian. And it's an absolute privilege to be here today as a co host. And yes, it's the Women in Business Big Show is incredible. So for me to be able to say I'm coming back again this year is just really, really exciting. So, yeah, really, I'm really looking forward to getting to know all the wonderful ladies that we've got in a room today.

Sian:

So we'll just do a little bit of a plug for that. It's the August 6. It's going to be at Longfield Academy, but keep tuned, you know, stay tuned, look, you know, keep an eye out for all of the online announcements for everything going on. You can also sign up to get updates to come along as a visitor. And we it's a it's quite a packed day, isn't it?

Sian:

We have lots of exhibitors. We have lots of speakers, it's a really good opportunity to meet other people and it's quite relaxed, isn't it, actually?

Katie:

It very is, yes, very much so. Yeah, my favorite day of the year without the failings.

Sian:

Oh, wow, look at that.

Sian:

I haven't even played that.

Katie:

Apart from the fact that last year well, you remember the little drama last year when I got the dates wrong?

Sian:

Oh, yeah. You didn't get the dates wrong. You were away, weren't you?

Katie:

Yeah. Yeah. And a car broke down on a

Sian:

way

Katie:

back.

Sian:

Yes. Yes. What what I I and now now I'm actually going to tell that story because Katie said to me beforehand, why don't you sort out the speaker router, like weeks in advance? She wasn't criticizing, she was just asking a question. I said, well, what tends to happen is stuff goes wrong.

Sian:

You know, people get sick, somebody may break down on the way, anything like that could happen. And I just need to move everything and everybody around. So I tend to leave it as late as I can before I sort of solidify everything and give people times. Oh, okay. And then rang me the day before in in Poland, think, weren't you?

Sian:

In Poland, said Somewhere in you were. I've broken down. I've broken down and I'm not gonna be able to get there tomorrow. Can I move? Can I move my time?

Sian:

And I said, of course

Sian:

you can because you haven't got one. So I was able to slot her

Sian:

in for sort of 03:00 in the afternoon, and it was all okay. I am actually going to try and put in a little bit more of a time indicator this time. But we'll we'll see. We'll see. So Katie, did you say what

Sian:

it is you do with peep with with people? Tell people very I think I did. Yeah. Tell people tell people very quickly

Sian:

what it is that you that you do.

Katie:

So a lot of people know me as a mom coach, because I'm a guilt free success coach and I work with moms who decided to start their business to escape the whole Monday to Friday, nine to five, to have that freedom, to be able to do school runs, and found themselves actually more trapped than ever. So, you know, working 120 instead of sixty. And yes. So I help them to build a structure in a way that actually they can have their freedom.

Sian:

Right now, let's and if I heard Katie talk about something that I hadn't ever thought about. I'm I'm I am still a mom, but I'm a grand mom now because of my kids in their forties. So I I don't I'm not in the throes of, what you call it, half terms and that sort of thing. But Katie pointed out when I saw her speak that actually, that the run up that the the interruption that half term creates is the week before half term when you're thinking about it and making arrangements. The half term itself, when you're looking after the kids and doing all of that, and then that the the time after as well.

Sian:

So in actual fact, the half term disruption is three weeks, not a week. And that is that is a regular thing, it's not a blip, it's the reality and it's the everyday, it's the continual routine. Whereas we and I certainly saw it as a, oh my goodness, it's half term, I need to arrange something for half term. We need to build it in because it's far more of a disruption than we may actually appreciate at the time. It's not just that week.

Sian:

Absolutely. So, all we're gonna do now, we're gonna get everybody to introduce themselves. What should we do? Should we get everybody to introduce themselves and then we'll go back? And

Katie:

fire a

Sian:

lot of questions. And find out why they do what they do and who they do it with? Or should we No. We're gonna go one at a time, I think. So over in the corner there, we're almost in the distance.

Sian:

I've got my reading glasses on, so I can't quite see them. We have Christine and Nikki from Blossoming Connections. So tell us Christine and Nikki a little bit about what you do, who you do it with, and how you started doing what you're doing.

Christine:

So me and Nikki both trained playing creative arts therapists, and we didn't actually do our training together. We met at a conference when Nikki approached me to set up a network group. And just from getting to know each other, we basically was that we've got so much in common, let's go into business together, and that's changed. We've developed personally and professionally, which has kind of evolved in our business. We're really passionate about helping mental health well-being in the community and supporting people online, whether that be parents, individuals, going into the workplace.

Christine:

Because we know as humans, we face challenges all the time, and we want to help people have them tools and strategies that they can help help them every day.

Nikki:

And I think what's different about us is that we work with the body. So we work with the nervous system. We work with how things get stuck in your body, trauma challenges get stuck in your body. And through the work that we do, through coaching and various other services we offer and the mental well-being clubs is that it's a safe space where you can come and explore what's been going on, what your challenges are, what you're holding on to your body because as we know that over time when you have, when your nervous system is in flight flight or freeze, lot of the time it's producing cortisol and all of these chemicals that over a period of time can lead to health implications. We don't want that to happen.

Nikki:

we take our time. We don't want we're not gonna rush challenges or trauma that people have been through because it takes time. So we work with the body. We work with the nervous system and we work with that to help people feel better in their self, reduce the cortisol, reduce the overwhelm as much as they can and be able to live a happier, healthier life.

Sian:

I just want to expand on that a little bit through something that's my own personal experience, and it may be a pile of old rubbish, and I'm okay for you to tell me that. I don't have a problem at all. But it's also something that somebody said to me. You know, sometimes we've got we'll call it a trauma. And it's going around in your head.

Sian:

Did this happen? Did it not happen? Did I make it up? Is it worse? Is it that bad?

Sian:

Maybe I've made it worse than I thought. All of this sort of thing and going backwards and forwards in our heads.

Katie:

Yeah.

Sian:

Like like like some horrible sort of doubles tennis match, but that your body doesn't lie. Exactly. Your body doesn't your body doesn't lie. And if you've got a feeling in your stomach, if you're feeling sick, if you're feeling tense, tight, if something's hurting, that's your nervous system going actually, this was real and this is the impact and that we need to listen to that.

Nikki:

You're so right.

Sian:

Yeah, definitely.

Sian:

And it takes away, you know, all of this did did I, didn't I, did this happen, am I inventing it, is it false memory? If your body if your body knows, your body knows.

Nikki:

Your body never lies.

Sian:

And your your body doesn't lie. So if you're feeling it, then then yes, that's what that's that's what happened.

Christine:

And you know what? Like, everyone's feelings, experiences, and trauma is all validated. It doesn't matter if something that you've experienced might not be seen as a big experience to someone else. Like, it's everyone's validated. We are our own individual person, and how we feel and what's going on for us is just as valuable to how anyone feels about any situation.

Christine:

So

Sian:

And it it takes away that, oh, I can't really moan because Yeah. Because they've got it a lot worse. Yeah. I didn't have to deal with that. This was it wasn't like that for me.

Sian:

Yeah. But that's all head stuff, isn't it? Yeah. That that's all stuff in our heads. It's not actually our our bodies.

Sian:

And the other thing is sometimes, especially in business, you know, there's all sorts of decisions that we need to make. Should I work with this person? Should I take this client on? How much should I charge? Should I put my prices down?

Sian:

Should I put my prices up? Is this right or wrong? And in actual fact, we very often we know, don't we? You know, when I when I think back about a biz, you know, some business partners that I might have had, I knew. I knew, but my head decided I'd got it wrong.

Sian:

My head decided, oh, no, you're making it up, you're inventing that. No, it's not like

Saira:

that at all. That's how we run our business now.

Nikki:

By listening to our nervous system, what are we feeling before we decide anything? Yeah. We sit back, take time, and there's obviously two

Sian:

of us. We've got two different nervous systems going on. It's gonna be tricky.

Christine:

It's the only time in life. No. And being female. Yeah.

Nikki:

Always checking with ourself first before we make any decision. And sometimes it works, and sometimes it don't work. But they're sort of learning it's learning journeys

Sian:

along just making the decision actually is the thing that you have to do. It's not have all of those decisions swirling round

Sian:

and round

Sian:

in a great big sort of bucket. Becomes overwhelming.

Christine:

Is it? Right? Do you know what I mean? So, yeah, we work with, like, going back to nervous system, different parts that show up and help people educate and know their whole system and what's going on, what's coming up for them. So

Sian:

yeah. Right. Lovely. And, Sarah, tell us about who you work with, what you do, and how did you start doing this?

Saira:

Hi. Yeah. So thank you so much for having me. Yeah. I'm Syrah.

Saira:

I'm a qualified and award winning nutritionist. So I specialize in weight loss and behavior change. So I do help midlife women who've tried cutting out carbs, joined swimming groups, but they still get to that 8PM reaching for the biscuits even though they're not hungry to achieve that lasting weight loss. But in a way so that they can still enjoy food and enjoy their life. So how I actually got into nutrition, there's a few different angles actually.

Saira:

So I grew up watching my mom cook, my grandma cook. Food was a big part of our culture, so even, like, with wider friends and family. So I was really lucky to have that experience. And I was really lucky that my parents took me and my brother abroad, and we experienced culture and food in lots of different countries. So I actually had quite a good relationship with food, which I'm really fortunate for.

Saira:

And then so that's kind of one angle in terms of the love for food. I think one of my values that I've had for as long as I can remember is I always love to help people, and that is obviously a big part of of what I do as well. So that aligns really nicely. And then when it came to choosing my GCSEs, my school offered food and nutrition GCSEs. So it was part cooking, but then also the theory side, so learning about the nutrients, the health impact.

Saira:

And I actually found that part even more interesting than the cooking. So then I kind of stuck with that, the sciences, and nutrition at university.

Sian:

So you said something there that sort of struck me. It was that, you know, your relationship with food and that you love food. And so often, I think we we envisage people coming into not necessarily being in nutrition, but helping people with their diet. I'm not saying diets here, but helping people with their diet. Has it coming almost from a place of having an antagonistic relationship with food?

Sian:

The shall I eat it? Shall I not eat it? Shall I die? If I have it today, shall I well, I tell you what, if I have it today, then what I won't do, I won't have this tomorrow or I'll cut out this or I'll not do that. And all of this sort of much again in our heads bargaining with I will, I'll do this if I have that.

Sian:

Whereas you've come at it from the I I actually I just love food.

Saira:

Yeah. It is really nice. I think I I do sometimes get those questions in my head now, like, as an adult of, you know, should I eat this and what can I change and that kind of thing? But I think growing up, I didn't really of it as, you know, like decisions. I just kind of enjoyed it.

Saira:

And like I said, you know, the whole family culture aspect is

Sian:

very nice. So when people come to you now, why why do they seek you out? What do they say? When you sit down with them and I I don't know. I what I say, if I'm working with somebody, I'll say to them, why are you here?

Sian:

Why are they with you? Why do they come along?

Saira:

So the most common things that I get is I've tried loads of diets before, They work initially. I can lose weight, but then I end up regaining and giving up anyway. But then it's not just not just the weight side, but I get a lot of women who are very low in confidence. They're not comfortable going out with their friends going on holiday. Even travelling can be difficult if they're overweight.

Saira:

Not sleeping, that's a really big one. They're kind of also not prioritising themselves. That's a really huge one. They kind of prepare, you know, their family's food before theirs. They don't have time to implement self care, and then that can then lead to, you know, eating out of stress and boredom and and emotional eating is a is a huge topic.

Saira:

That also comes up a lot.

Sian:

Because we don't do this with anything else. It it's a bit like money, isn't it? You know, it it's not really about food, and it's not really about money. There's a separate energy that's going on around it, which has nothing to do with a five pound note or a chocolate biscuit. Yeah.

Sian:

It's a whole other sense of stuff, isn't it, that actually needs to be dealt with?

Saira:

Definitely. Most of it is the mindset. So I cover a lot of mindset in my work because a lot of people, they have some knowledge of nutrition, like they need to eat more fruits or they need to cut down on cakes or whatever it might be, but it's actually implementing and changing their habits and how they think about food is often the the bigger issue.

Sian:

Sometimes people see food as a reward, don't they? As a way of relaxing.

Saira:

Yeah.

Sian:

I'm going to relax, therefore, I'm going to have a huge pie and a glass of wine. Yeah.

Sian:

It works

Katie:

in the

Sian:

short It does. Yes. I mean, I can vouch for that.

Katie:

But also, you said something really that stuck with me and especially something that I deal with my clients very, very often and it's the prioritizing like you said. Yeah. They they it's that guilt when they decide to put themselves first and look after the self the self care side of it. And the big thing is I don't have time. This is this is something.

Katie:

So I'm really glad that you you've mentioned that because I think this is one of those things that I don't have time. It's become a thing these days, hasn't it? It's you hear it pretty much. I mean, I think if I was to put a penny aside every time I've heard somebody saying I don't have time, then I'd probably be sitting somewhere in Maldives with a umbrella drink on the side, but

Sian:

A pie and wine. You

Sian:

know, just money and food altogether. She's not here, she's not at the road in Groves End, are you? No. In The Maldives. No.

Sian:

It's true. It's true.

Katie:

Yeah. Yeah. How do I'm not quite intrigued. So do you do you help clients also with the because the time element and the preparation, I can imagine. Because I can totally relate.

Katie:

I absolutely love food, and I grew up watching my parents and grandparents cook as well. So for me, the the cooking experience is actually a part of it, but I appreciate that not everybody is going to feel that way. Most people are gonna want like, if this if this takes more than twenty minutes, I'm not really interested. So do you have something in place that you help people with so they feel like, actually, I can manage this?

Saira:

Yeah. There's a few things. I think the mindset side is I always get my clients to think about what their values are and use that to motivate you to do things. I do that with myself, especially with exercise. So just reminding themselves, you know, why do you want to make that change?

Saira:

Is it because you want more energy to play with your children or more confidence to go on holiday with your friends? So it's not just about the number on the scale, but it's about actually living the life that you want. So that's the mindset side. And then practically, it's just things like you might have to put in, you know, a couple of hours to prepare a few meals that you can then freeze or keep in the fridge. But then the the time that you save during the week Mhmm.

Saira:

Is so much bigger, and then you really thank yourself. Like, even for myself, if I've prepared lunch, like, when I'm working, when you get to that moment, it's like, oh, I'm so glad. It even happened to me yesterday. Was like, so glad I don't have to cook. There's food there.

Saira:

It's a healthy meal. And that's just saved me so much time that I can't actually have a proper lunch break. So I think it's the initial bit sounds like a big task, but you do actually save time and also money as well when you can batch cook.

Katie:

And it definitely saves you from grabbing them biscuit, doesn't it? Yeah. Because if there's nothing else around

Saira:

Yeah.

Katie:

We go for like the the comfort food.

Sian:

I tried batch cooking thing. I ended up with a lot of stuff in the bottom of the freezer in pots that looked like brains.

Sian:

And it was just

Sian:

I know. I I thought, well, I didn't bother labeling anything because obviously I'm gonna know what it is. No idea. Not a Scooby. Got to the end of the year just had to but I've no I've it's gotta go.

Sian:

It's gotta go. So some sort of system, I think, is It takes

Saira:

practice. Yeah. Sure. It doesn't not everything works overnight. So I think, yeah, labeling is a good idea, even putting the date on and then just keeping it in the back of your mind for future weeks.

Saira:

Right.

Sian:

Let's move on and welcome our next guest into the studio, Justina. So Justina, tell us tell us what you do and who you do it with.

Justina:

Hi. Thank you for having me. My name is Justina. I'm a women's health and hormone focused personal trainer with over fourteen years experience in the fitness industry. For the last several years, I have been specializing helping women better understand their bodies throughout personalized training, nutrition, lifestyle support, particularly around PCOS and all the hormonal imbalances.

Sian:

I'm just going to stop you there because I want you to explain what PCOS is.

Justina:

PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome, which lots of lots of women have and lots of women even don't know that they have it.

Sian:

That was that was sort of going to be my next question because what I want to do is make sure that anybody listening in knows what it is. I suspect there are some women who know exactly what it is that they've got, but the others may be dealing with symptoms and challenges and don't know that this may be actually something that is happening with them. So can you just explain a little bit more around what what PCSO is and what sort of symptoms people may be dealing with?

Justina:

So there is a very, very big misconception that you need to have a cyst on your ovaries to have a polycystic ovarian syndrome. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. So PCOS comes in four different types, and not everyone is aware about it. There's always one main, PCOS type, which is insulin resistance, which been talked about. If you go online, most of the advice, you're gonna find it about the insulin resistant PCOS.

Justina:

So that means you are you usually have a little bit extra weight around around your mix midsection. But that's not only the symptoms you have. The biggest symptom is infertility And nutrition and lifestyle changes and exercising can really, really help and even help with the, fertility. So, my role in, PCOS is very, very big, and I'm very, very passionate about it. So my main mission is to spread as much information as I can about different PCOS types and that it's not one size fits all.

Justina:

When you go to GP, you get that one advice, oh, you need to lose weight and go on contraceptive pill and just come back when you want to get pregnant, and then we see what we can do for you. So my mission is to try and help women not to think that there's only way to actually feel better and enjoy their life.

Sian:

So is it a case that you might go to the doctor because you're having trouble getting pregnant and they may miss the fact that you have

Justina:

PCOS? No, not necessarily. So first of all, when women go to to GP, the main reason they go to GP is due to irregular or no periods. And then from there on, then GP does some tests sometimes, no tests being done. And to be to be completely honest, it's it's it's quite sad because I have clients who have been diagnosed with PCOS thirty years ago, and I have clients who've been diagnosed with PCOS yesterday.

Justina:

And believe it or not, it's still the same. Go on a pill and everything is gonna be okay. So even though, last month everyone agreed that, oh, let's change the PCOS name to something PD whatever, too difficult for me to remember still. That's probably the major thing what which was done for PCOS in general in all the

Sian:

So they changed they changed the name? Yeah. Yes. Was that to make it more familiar maybe to

Justina:

to people? So they may they changed the name to make it more broader because, as I said, polycystic ovarian syndrome, it's it's feels straight away that you have to have cysts on your ovaries. So oh, I should really know what is the new new name.

Sian:

I I don't worry about it.

Justina:

T m o d,

Sian:

something like that.

Justina:

Despite that, I still need to change my whole website. I don't know what other changes I'm

Sian:

gonna need

Sian:

to make. Well well, the other thing is is that just because the name has been changed doesn't mean that that that message will infiltrate itself out, not even to doctors. And you No, well may find that we're sort of twenty years down the line and they're still calling it that. So I wouldn't worry too much. Absolutely agree to that.

Sian:

Not right now, I think there are other things that you can do with forwarding things backwards and forwards with domains and various bits and pieces. So tell me, how did you get into doing what you do?

Justina:

Okay. So let's start from the beginning. So my fitness journey, started very, very, very long time ago. So when I turned 14, me and my best friend, we joined the gym. And, after school, we went home, dropped our books, and went to the gym.

Justina:

So we did, all the available classes, what was on that evening, spin class, body pump, pilates, free classes. Then we would go to sauna. Then we'd go to the swimming pool, and then we'd go home. So, obviously, the gym was a huge part of my life, and the trainers in the gym were my gods. I loved them.

Justina:

We so I started learning about nutrition by getting to know the trainers, and it always was something for me. Wow. They always were in shape. They looked so sharp. And once I finished school, I said to my grandma, I would like to go into sports.

Justina:

And my grandma said, don't be silly. Who does sports for a living? You go to politics. So and I did. I I went to university.

Justina:

I studied for a couple of years, circumstances have changed, and, I immigrated to England. So I came here. I started going to the gym. I met a trainer, and I said to him one day, I'd love to do what you do. And he looked at me and said, well, you can.

Justina:

Just Google it. I was shocked. I said, oh, I never thought of it. So I googled it. I borrowed the money.

Justina:

I booked the course the same day, and off off I went. It wasn't as easy. I failed my anatomy exam maybe five times due to the, obviously, the language barrier. Yes. But once I started, it's just was that's it.

Justina:

I'm a hard worker. And so I started in Central London in Great Portland Portland Street. It was amazing experience. I was one of these people who came first at 6AM opening and left at ten. I really, really wanted to make it.

Justina:

And I did. I made it. I was the most successful trainer. I loved my job. I gained my experience.

Justina:

And several years down the line, I was training, couple for quite a few years. They were young couple, newly married. And I just, built my courage, and I said, guys, why don't you have children? And then, a lady, she said, well, I have this thing. It's called PCOS, and it's a gray gray area in around the globe, and I just can't get pregnant.

Justina:

And that was my cue. I said, I want to help you. I want to make change. And that was my turning point. I came back home.

Justina:

I I did all the research, what I could, and I put all the knowledge together, what I found, and I wrote an article for a very powerful, fitness magazine. They published it. And from there on, it just started. So it's been now, what, eight, nine years? And they have a child, by the way.

Katie:

I was just about to ask, how did it go with the couple? Oh, brilliant.

Justina:

And and since then, I started really, really working hard into helping women around the world. So my clients are from Australia to America, so I do do part, Zoom, part in person. And, every day, I do receive requests for training from the different different parts of the world. Unfortunately, it's not go always going ahead because people still want quick fix. And when it comes to hormones, I am very straightforward.

Justina:

I'm not sugarcoating. You're gonna have to put in the work. And most of the people, most of the ladies who contact me, if they are not planning to get pregnant in the next five years, they don't really continue. They don't really go ahead. So we still have this, resistance and not enough education that you need to start in advance.

Justina:

The lifestyle doesn't come from changing, you know, habits. Changing habits from one day to another, it's not how it works. It takes really, really long time to reach something more bigger and get your health on track.

Sian:

I've got a question. When you wrote the article, it was published in that magazine, that sort of high powered magazine. Were you already established as, I'm gonna call it an author, with them or with any magazine? Did you have a track track record of publishing? Or

Justina:

So I have been publishing a little bit on the various blogs. And I just contacting contacted them because it was the magazine was something about fitness by science, and I thought, well, this is the science what you actually need.

Sian:

Mhmm. So it wasn't the case that you had I I tell you where I'm I'm I'm coming from here. I'm sort of exploring for people listening in and for ourselves as well. Whether sometimes just saying, hey, I've got something interesting to say, here's an article, would you like to publish it? Is the route to go because I think so often we hold back because we don't have a track record.

Sian:

And so we we think we're not big enough or good enough or established enough or got enough followers or all of that sort of thing to actually be able to send something up to an established well respected magazine in our field. So yes, you've been you've been writing on some blogs and and that sort of thing, and then you submitted an article. You weren't a staff writer on the Sunday Times, you went ahead and you sent said, I think, know, I this is something I'm really interested in. Are you interested in publishing it?

Justina:

Yes. I always say, you don't ask, you don't get. However, that was almost ten years ago. Now I'm gonna be very, very honest. Last year, I sent out basically almost the same, very similar article with PCOS information to maybe 20 magazines.

Justina:

I get zero. I got zero back. And not only magazines. Local health organizations. And I do think that right now, you are more likely to get dismissed or not noticed.

Justina:

And a decade ago, it was completely different. So being last year rejected or not noticed, I do think that right now, you probably need to know someone or you need to be somehow famous, or at least have a however thousands followers so you can show, okay. I might not have the certificates, but I have that amount of followers. I think these things are quite important right now, which is quite sad, to be honest.

Sian:

Well, yes. It is. And that's that's the reality. I mean, it's one of the reasons that I do what I do is so that you don't have to have a huge amount of money, and you don't have to have millions of followers to be able to get seen and get out there and sort of get on the radio. It's something that's really passionate for me.

Sian:

But I would still say, you know, look at the content, look at what you what you can do, look at what you know, and still spread the word and get it out there. Don't sit there and go, actually, I I don't have anything that anybody's going to want to listen to. They do. The fact that they may choose not to publish you does not mean you should not send it there. Because it it may not be it may not be sitting what they where they want to do now, but who knows, you know, somebody may look at it in six months time or something may come into the news, something may happen, there may be something that's of current, what you call it, like a topic or something, and somebody go,

Justina:

oh, hang on a minute.

Sian:

We had that article from that woman, didn't we, who specialized in that?

Justina:

No. I absolutely I absolutely agree. You should spread the word. However, I think you should do your research. Who do you want to share the article with?

Justina:

Yeah. The magazine or website?

Sian:

Yeah. Look at doing something. Don't just not do it because you're not big enough. You haven't been doing it long enough. You haven't got enough followers, you haven't got this, that and the other, you still have a wealth of experience in your area.

Sian:

The fact that people may not see this from the outside doesn't matter. Still, you know, be careful, you know, I think we we sometimes we splat too much stuff all over the place. So be discerning, but that shouldn't stop you from going out there, should it?

Justina:

Absolutely. Absolutely. Right

Sian:

then, I think we've got some there seems to be a theme that's come up quite a lot, which is really around self care, which is, I don't know, it's one of those terms that sort of, I'm not sure if I like it or not, but it's not my business to like it or not, is it? You know, for everybody. I'm not liking it or disliking it for the rest of the I'm thinking about it in as a word for myself. And it is something that I think in the last few years, we hear a lot about self care. But I think if we'd have said that to our mums, what are you doing for self care?

Sian:

That they would have looked at us and gone, what? And then if we'd have said, well, you know, when do you sit down? When do you go swimming? When do you do yoga? They might have gone, oh, okay.

Sian:

Yes, alright. Then why the well, I never do that stuff. Or or they they will have a list of things that they do do. So what do you think, you know, around this topic, I suppose of self care, this term? Do you know, when you

Katie:

said that, I I can totally see that, and I could just see the blank expression of my mom's face already. Because I don't know what it is that we recently have got this need that we need to name everything. Right? Everything has to have a Yeah.

Sian:

Okay.

Katie:

Because I I sometimes get ick with certain things kind of like, oh, god. Is this like the latest buzzword or and, yes, it and I think because it's now named, we talked about this earlier, didn't we? It almost creates a box. And sometimes it actually creates for me, that's how I see it and especially the women I work with. It creates a little bit of a pressure of we should be doing certain things.

Katie:

So like you said

Sian:

I'm doing

Katie:

self care. When our moms and the older generations, because it wasn't named, wasn't a thing, it was just like it was part of your day, wasn't it? Was part of who you are and what you do. But now all of a sudden, we've given it a name and we're now saying this is how you should be doing it. This is when you should be doing it.

Katie:

So I think the importance absolutely, know, we and and my line is always give the world the best of you, not what's left of you. So it really is that self care. But I think it's about how we go about it, isn't it? It's about are we promoting this as something that's another thing that we add into our never ending to do lists. Yeah.

Katie:

Or are we building something that's just natural and normal? And I think that's

Sian:

that's the two different things to is, have isn't it? Sometimes self care guilt. I am not doing enough self care. And yet when I look at people that I know around the world who are in their nineties and heading to be 100, if I said to them, that's the same as saying it to to my mom, how do you do self care? They'd go, what love?

Sian:

Self care? What do you mean? And and then you say, well, actually, I noticed that you sit down every day, you know, every day at 07:00, you sit down with a glass of wine and a bag of crisps. Yeah. No.

Sian:

I've I've been doing that since, you know, I've been doing that since my twenties. I get back from work and that's what I do. And yet, I'm I'm fairly certain they are gonna have stuff that they do. They just haven't labeled it. And the other thing is they don't have any guilt around it.

Sian:

They don't sit down, should I have this wine And there's crisps as well. I don't know, should I have wine and crisps? I'm not sure. Perhaps if I have wine and crisps today, won't have it tomorrow. Perhaps I shouldn't have any wine or no crisps.

Sian:

And and they just sit down and they eat it, they do it, they eat what they want to eat, they drink what they want to drink, but I don't see them fat or falling around on the floor either.

Sian:

Very good point. Yeah.

Sian:

Might have two or three crisps, and then go, actually, I've had enough crisps. They have a small glass of wine, and guess what? They may not finish it. They may have had enough for that day. Next day, who knows, they may have more.

Sian:

But the thing is they're not thinking about it. They're not bargaining, they're not worrying about it. They're not putting it in their to do list or it's not in their calendar to do, they just do it. Yeah. And so seeing as everybody, and I talk about self care as well, it's what we do, self care in business about taking time off or whatever.

Sian:

We all talk about it, but sometimes I think there's this sort of pressure and guilt behind it to do it. And we can actually make it worse for ourselves by not doing it. You know, I I see people who've never done any exercise. I'm doing inverted commas here, and of course you can't see me because we haven't videoed it. Inverted commas, exercise.

Sian:

They just move and they do stuff. They don't go off and make a thing about doing it. They just carry their shopping. Yeah. They just do the cleaning.

Sian:

They pick things up. They put things down. They don't make a special effort to do it. And I think just Justina, that's something maybe that you can help with because you when I can also see the benefit of having a structure around your exercise and your movement and your strength.

Justina:

So first of all, we should establish what is self care, and I think every person have a different ways of caring for themselves. What's for me is, just a normal thing, what I do on a daily basis. For others, that might be very highly rated as a self care. So, it's it's very difficult to say. For me, self care is changing scenery.

Justina:

For me, exercising, eating healthy, moving, getting my steps in drinking water is not really a self care. It's just a normal thing what I do.

Sian:

Oh, now that's quite an interesting approach because I think a lot of people would look at self care in slightly a different way. Okay. I like that. So

Justina:

changing scenery, not necessarily lying on the beach or on the pool, just going for the day somewhere, for a walk, for me, is a self care because I actually got out of the house, got out of the routine, stopped writing, answering emails, texting, and yes. That's my

Sian:

self care. That's what I do. Is self care something that we have to make a conscious decision to do? Whereas if you're already cleaning or if you're already sort of cleaning and getting your exercise, you know, maybe doing a lot around the house, perhaps you're a gardener and so part of what you do is your everyday life, I suppose, is taking care of your body. You're just doing it in a bit of an abstract way.

Sian:

Is self care something we should or need to do consciously? I'm going to do this.

Saira:

I think sometimes. I think it's about being present. I think if you're gonna do something for yourself, but you're still thinking about all the other that you feel that you should be doing or you're, you know, you're not fully there, then it's not probably gonna have the effect that you wanted to or that it should have. So I think it's how you're doing it as well as just doing it. Because if we say, you know, I'm gonna go for a walk, but then you're still thinking about all the, you know, what I need to buy to go future pay to pick this up, then it's not gonna have that effect that it should have.

Saira:

You know, we wanna come back feeling relaxed and having enjoyed it. So I think it's being present, and that's something a lot of people struggle with, even myself. Sometimes I sit down and then I think, oh, I should be working. But then I shouldn't be working because it's good to rest and then be productive, and then if I work too late, I won't be

Sian:

able to sleep and then

Saira:

it's like a big cycle.

Sian:

I think it's something that we have as business people, I love what I do, I love what I do. I am what I do, I am my business and my business is me, and you can't separate the two. And I I wouldn't want to, but sometimes you have to sort of you have to draw a line and stop, don't you? Otherwise, you're you're heading into different things. I could see you sort

Sian:

of Yeah.

Christine:

Yeah. No. Like just agreeing with everything that everyone said, but also I think that in some ways we do need to just echo what everyone said, like, consciously put that in our schedule because we're so busy and that mundane of life, like, every day that it is stopping. I think that's why it's become such a big thing and a big talk about self care and putting it in your day because it's just that. But I think when you do this work, where wherever you're kind of focused on to improve your health, your lifestyle, your business, you as a person, personally, professionally, I think that you will build up on that kind of awareness, that knowledge and you will eventually find pockets of time.

Christine:

But I think sometimes it's just that guiltiness, like everyone said, that it's just that kind of like, we're on a hamster wheel sometimes, we call it, don't we? That you just kind of So I think that's why it sometimes feels like we've got to fit it in.

Katie:

And that's the thing, isn't it? I absolutely agree because to get to that point where our parents and grandparents were, where for them it was just a way of being Yeah. They didn't even think about it. I think first thing is we do really overthink it.

Justina:

Yeah.

Katie:

So for us to get off that hamster wheel, absolutely, there has to be that conscious effort at the beginning, and then eventually, it then moves into becoming a habit. And then the final stage, it does become our identity. Like you said, Justina, that's just who you are. That's not a self care. This is just who I am.

Katie:

And I think that's that's probably the simplest way to put it into like a step by step guide. But ultimately, for me, without overthinking it, I look at self care is like, well, what is it that makes me feel good? You know, without having to name it what it is or what it needs to look like, does

Nikki:

it make me feel good?

Christine:

Actually it's

Nikki:

about the relaxing part of it that we've spoken about as well. And for everyone, every individual, self care is gonna be personal to them, isn't it? I personally don't like going to the gym, so that is never gonna be in my self care routine. I can't stand it. It doesn't relax me.

Sian:

It's a punishment. Yeah. A punishment. Yeah.

Sian:

It's it's something that you have to do to make yourself feel like you've done something. And I don't want

Nikki:

to. But going out in nature or going for a walk, I love cleaning. For me, cleaning is self care. I love I can

Sian:

can see an exploitation opportunity. Love you. I'm a nanny. Oh, would you like a real challenge? We make really nice tea.

Sian:

Yeah. I agree. And

Sian:

I think sometimes

Saira:

you need time to work out what your hobbies are. I have a client who's in her fifties, and she just rediscovered her love for coloring. And she because we were trying to come up with things she can do instead of snacking in the evenings. And now she's at a point where she looks forward to it. She wants to get to the end of the page.

Saira:

She's like, I've got so many books. I've completed them all. So I think sometimes you don't always remember what your hobbies are until you sit down and think, hey. What did I used to enjoy? And can I still implement that?

Saira:

And now it's part of her evening

Sian:

Funnily enough, just the coloring thing. I run an event called Cafe in the Calm, which is a monthly event, and it's for people to just sort of, I suppose, start relaxing, connecting with themselves again. And we have adult coloring there. Will tell you a little story. When I decided to do this, was going along.

Sian:

We've got quite a big we've got this big truck. Mark's driving. Mark's my husband. And I'm going along, and I said to him, I've got an idea. I said, I think what I'm gonna do at Cafe in the Cannes is introduce some adult coloring.

Sian:

And, you know, and and, you know, people can sit down and switch off. It's a really good, know, introduction to this mindfulness that a lot of people don't understand. He sort looked at me and he went,

Sian:

what? You're gonna give people pictures of boobs? To Carrie. To Carrie. No.

Sian:

I think we've done that sort of says it all, really, doesn't

Christine:

it? Misunderstand. Yeah.

Sian:

I do still refer to it as adult coloring

Sian:

because it is. Because when coloring in, I think it has a a childhood thing to it. But some of these, you know, some of the the patterns that we have are really quite intricate. Yeah. So it gives you something to think about.

Sian:

Something else that just occurred to me, was talking about this in hobbies and and maybe not realizing what what people do. We live opposite a village institute, and every Friday night, people, hundreds of them go and play bingo. And that really is if you think about it, it's that is self care, isn't it? Yes. You're going into it's not particularly expensive, so I'm gonna spend a fortune.

Sian:

But you are switching off, you're focusing on some numbers, mindfulness. You're actually, if if you're gonna take part, you actually have to be in the room. So you have to be present in the room to listen to what's happening. It's quite difficult we think whilst you're doing that, to also be thinking about what you haven't done and everything else and that client and this and that. So that really, I think some somewhere along the line, we may have lost some of that societal stuff that we used to do.

Katie:

And that's the thing is a socializing as well, isn't it?

Christine:

So you've got all of that in one. Yeah.

Nikki:

And how simple is that going to bingo? You're present, you're there. But we wouldn't name that as self care.

Sian:

Self care

Nikki:

has to

Sian:

be Yeah. It's a theme. In a box

Justina:

now, like what

Nikki:

you said. And, actually, it isn't. We we practice self care every day. Probably all of us do without even realising it.

Sian:

I'm fairly certain if I went in there on a on a Friday night and said to people, what are you doing? They go, I'm playing bingo, love. They would go, it's my self care time.

Sian:

That's so

Nikki:

true, isn't it though?

Sian:

Yeah, it is. So I think there's lots of things out there. Local libraries, you know, and and a lot of people that listen to us are actually listening from The States. So I don't know what it's like out there, but I know that our local libraries have craft clubs, they have reading clubs, they have things, you know, you don't need to know anybody, you don't need to take a friend or anything like that, it's not hot and heavy. You could just go along and take part in in what's going on.

Sian:

I think Libbey, which I think is international, I think Libbey has a like a book of the month where you can buy, you can not rent, rent I guess, take out the book of the month. Everybody can take it out, you don't have to wait for it to come back in. And then there's like discussions about it. And these are really sort of simple things that we can join in with other people.

Justina:

Yeah. I actually wanted to share something what I have recently discovered and I think for everyone who who's working for themselves and working twenty four seven. So for my self care, I do meditation and breathing practices five minutes a day. Nothing crazy. So I do a guided meditation.

Justina:

And I have an app where I just go every evening and I flick through, I choose any. And I found one amazing, amazing meditation where you do a few few breath in, breath out, and then you close your eyes, you relax, and then you think of who you actually are and, what really makes your soul happy. And it encourages you to think what event made you happy. And I I was lying in bed with my closed eyes, but where I was, I was on my bicycle riding down the cycle park as fast as I could and as I felt such a freedom. And I realized that what my soul wants, what is my self care, is just feel for a minute that freedom, that speed, that nothing else exist around me.

Justina:

And I said, okay, tomorrow I'll go for a bike ride. And that made me so happy. So I encourage everyone not to follow the trend. Mhmm. Just close your eyes and think, what makes me happy?

Justina:

And just do it. That's it. Once a month. Once a year. Just do it.

Saira:

I think there's a spectrum as well. You could do, like you said, it could be five minutes of something for yourself all the way up to, like, a week's holiday. I think there's a range as well of what there's so many different types.

Sian:

And I think sometimes we assume it has to be something like really big. It has to take a long time and a great deal of organization.

Nikki:

And money.

Sian:

And and money. And and it doesn't. Yeah. An app that I would recommend is Insight Timer, where you can get so much on there for free and they have, it's really I think peculiar name, in the sight timer to me, it almost sounds like a My brain is trying to make

Sian:

Yeah, a so they

Sian:

have oh, videos, recordings, all sorts and it could be on particular meditations, it could be music, it could be yoga, it could be tai chi, there's a lot on there actually just there for free. And you can pick the the types of it may well be that you want meditation and you want a meditation a minute long, or you want a meditation two hours long. So you can go and pick how long you want and how long you've got. Where you have to start paying, there were some of the the like courses and things like that that are premium. But also if you want to start saving things in lists or fast forwarding, that's where you start to pay.

Sian:

Even then it's not a busting amount of money, it's about 8 or £9 a month. But you can you don't have to pay, you can get so much on there for nothing. And it's also it's all by real people. So it's people that are coaches, wellness, health people, all sorts, who are actually putting their information on there. Not an app that's decided this is what we like and this is what you're gonna want.

Sian:

So you may find somebody you like, you may, you know, say, actually I don't like that I don't like that person or that music and whatever. Really really good. Just go and have a

Justina:

look at it.

Katie:

Thank you.

Sian:

They also tell you how many people are are checking in every so they'll say something like, you know, there's 595,000 people on here at the moment. Wow. Which is like you think, oh, okay. Alright. But I like it just to dip into.

Sian:

So where have we got up to? I'm lost. Totally lost. We're waffling

Katie:

Self care. We were talking about self care, weren't we? And then we kind of went off I everywhere.

Sian:

So let's stay with self care for the moment and just look at say business versus self a bit versus employment.

Katie:

Mhmm.

Sian:

Is it harder? Is it is with what you were saying before, Katie, when we sort of did the introduction is, you know, lot of us have started business because you think I'm gonna be free, and you end up actually having less time in your week and your month than you had before you you started. So in theory, sat at the other side of I'm employed, I'm gonna start business. It sounds like you're gonna have more time to do the things that you want to do that fire you up and help you relax. Very often it ends up being less, doesn't it?

Sian:

So why do you think that is? Firstly, is that true? And secondly, if it is, why do you think it is?

Katie:

So I'm going to share my experience, what made me and what led to the discovery of realizing it was never about the job. It was never about the time. But this is this is what was happening with me, and this is gonna be possibly different for everybody else. But I've gone the full circle. I've had the whole corporate, really long hours job, climbing corporate ladder, senior roles.

Katie:

I then also gave it all up after burnouts thinking I'm gonna focus on being full time mom. Then I've decided I miss work too much, so I've gone to part time job. And then I went to kind of part time ish job, which was thirty hours a week. I could choose my hours. So it wasn't part time, it wasn't full time, and on paper it looked amazing because I could choose my own hours.

Katie:

And then a final stage was of course starting my own business. And what I've realized is when I looked back, it really didn't matter what type of job I was doing and how many hours the job role involved. I still felt like there's not enough hours in a day, and I still felt like my to do list was just growing and growing and growing. So I've realized that it's nothing to do with time management or productivity or being organized. It was genuinely to understand every single one of us have got a different drivers when we make decisions.

Katie:

And so it's all depending on what that driver is that then determines how we end up working, not working, or is it harder, is it easier. So for me, that's tackling that driver first. What made me said yes to all of these things that have filled up my schedule? And then when I got to understand what that real driver was, then I was like, ah. And it's like one of those things, you know, when you see it, you can't see it anymore

Sian:

because you see the same

Katie:

patterns are following you everywhere. And even explain things from like twenty years ago where I think, oh, that makes sense. So for me, I definitely wouldn't change it. And I can't personally imagine being back at nine to five job. Definitely not.

Katie:

But I also understood that it was not the job itself. It was something much much deeper and more more underneath it. So, yeah. So I've discovered that that busyness, you know, and I don't know what I'm doing this, nobody can see

Sian:

me. I know. That's okay.

Katie:

That busyness was following me everywhere.

Sian:

Love that as a question. I've written that down. What's driving me? Mhmm. You know, I think that's something that we, you know, there are certain questions that we need to ask ourselves in business.

Sian:

And I think what's driving me is one of them. What what, you know, what keeps me what keeps me going? And it may not be what we want it to be. It could be trying to forget about something, or it could be say overcoming trauma. It could be that there's something that we don't want to focus on, so we're focusing on this on on this particular side of it.

Sian:

So does that sort of make sense? I mean, I'm unemployable. It's got nothing to do with hours, it's just I'm totally unemployable. Nobody you wouldn't want me working for you. I'm just really I just like to do my own thing and I don't and I have, I spent years in in sort of local government, so I have I have been as part of that rigid structure.

Sian:

So I've forgotten where we were the brain is not with me today. So we you were sharing something about

Katie:

Oh, it was the employment versus business. Yeah. Was it.

Sian:

So has anybody else got any thoughts over that?

Saira:

So I've just come out of being employed to do my business full time. So I I have similar transition. They weren't corporate roles. They were still nutrition and health roles. But I went from full time, then I started my business, then I went to part time, and then

Sian:

Got you.

Saira:

I'm only

Sian:

You did it in a sensible way.

Saira:

So I'm only a few weeks in to being fully self employed, which was obviously it's a risk, it's scary, and now I'm in it, you know, I already feel like I couldn't go back. Like, it was it was really good coming out of you need to have jobs to learn the skills and get the experience in working a team. But I think now I'm in it. I might be doing more hours, but I think because when it's your own thing and it's your own brand, it's I don't know. It's a different feeling, I think.

Saira:

I can work longer, but I don't know if, like, the time goes. I'm like, oh, but I did I'm enjoying it. Obviously, it's hard work because sometimes you have to work weekends and put in those extra hours, but I think if you're enjoying it I think enjoyment plays a key factor. I know people that have nine to five jobs, and they love it, and that's really good for them. But then I can see the other way.

Saira:

Like, all my family is self employed, so I grew up seeing them all enjoy their jobs. And I've seen both sides of them working seven days, but then also being like, oh, yeah. Let's go on holiday next month because they can.

Sian:

But the enjoyment thing is sometimes I think what almost almost sort of traps us. But the enjoyment side of it, I think sometimes makes it harder to actually go, actually, I'm just gonna stop this now because I'm, you know, my body needs me to do this.

Saira:

It's really difficult.

Sian:

You know, if I'm not careful, I will be sat in front of a computer for eighteen hours doing something, I'm having a lovely time. Having a whale of a time. But then I come to move and it's, oh, hang on a minute. And I think it gets worse as you get older. It's like, oh, hips, knees, back, neck, stomach, nothing's moved.

Sian:

So I now have something that makes sure that I sort of get up and and move around. But the enjoyment sometimes is is what causes the problem. We don't need to escape. What are we escaping for?

Christine:

Yeah. I think it's a work life balance across whether you're employed or self employed because, you know, there's lots of people that are out there that are employed, and actually, they don't do nine till five jobs.

Nikki:

And it's like finding business. So I don't I I was employed, and I've been self employed. Obviously, me and Christine got our own therapy business, and we came together as Blossoming Connections. And I used to work in a bank, and I used to work in as a manager in Boots and all things like that. And I loved them jobs, but I didn't like being told what to do.

Nikki:

And I think that was the key thing for me. And, also, working in education, when I left in corporate jobs and worked in education. Even though the kids were lovely and I loved it, the money was absolutely rubbish. I mean, one of the most important jobs caring for children and being in education. But then that's when I'd done my therapy training and then since obviously we've come together and done our coaching training and everything, but I didn't like being told what to do.

Nikki:

And I think when I first started, like, my own business and your business and blossoming connections, the enjoyment element was just it just overtook everything. I love the fact that I like structure to a certain degree because I think we need it to keep on track. I need it to keep on track in some ways, But I like the flow. I like the fluidness that you can have owning your own business and the enjoyment that you get out of certain things. Now don't get me wrong, there's a lot in the business things that I don't enjoy, which probably is the things that Christine does.

Nikki:

Hence, why

Sian:

we do enjoy it. Think I think you guys might need to have a conversation. Katie pisses the part of it.

Sian:

So I I just like to pick up on something like that and open it up. So what something that you just said just really struck me as to when we talk well, let's talk about self care and how our businesses and what we do, let's say, to earn money, can impact our health. And it's this, it occurred to me that sometimes when you're employed, you end up doing stuff that's pointless. It has no purpose as far as you're concerned. It could be an absolute nonsense as well.

Sian:

Somebody could have given you this job and you're thinking, oh for goodness sake, that's never gonna work, but you actually just have to get on and do it. It may be complete nonsense. It could also be that you you you've been given it because somebody else doesn't want to do it. It's got nothing to do with your skills or your ability, it's just that you're filling in a gap that nobody else is prepared to. And so sometimes when we are employed, we we we don't have a purpose.

Sian:

We're not doing anything that we feel is going to have, I don't know which we should be a lasting legacy that's going to that's going to continue, that's actually going to help people, that's going to have any impact on the world.

Nikki:

That excites us as well.

Sian:

Yeah. That excites us we that we that we enjoy doing. I left local government because the strategies that I was in just kept changing. You know, the the the the politicians would change and then everything would change and everything I'd done, well, that's gone. Now we have to start again.

Sian:

Think it's like a hamster on a wheel. What's the point of doing there's no end. There's no sort of real outcome that comes out of any of this. So I'm wondering how much of an impact that actually has? Having, you know, making sure that when you're when you do start your business, your business has a purpose, it's something that fits with your purpose and how you feel.

Saira:

I think, like I said earlier about getting my clients think about values, I think we have to do that as business owners. Like, what is actually important to you in your life? How can you align your business with that? And then personally as well. Because I think, you know, you have to really believe what is in your business and your brand and and all of that behind it.

Saira:

Because I think if you don't have the right mindset, it's very difficult to then explain

Sian:

to others.

Sian:

And it's really personal, isn't it? I think we spend a lot of time listening to business gurus telling us what we should do, how we should do it, how we should feel, what we should and all of this sort of thing. And actually I I think somebody's purpose, why they're doing something, and the values behind it, then you have to sit down and think about these, don't you?

Christine:

Yeah. Definitely. Like me and Nikki, we've we've worked with loads of people and we've navigated in our business and we've gone on to train. We use creativity in a lot of we work. We trained as somatic trauma informed coaches.

Christine:

We bring different modalities within our business. But we've that's helped us grow personally and professionally because like we say, we're human as well. We use the tools and techniques and strategies that we help other people. But it is it's about finding what you're passionate about, but being in alignment with you and your journey. I think this is why we've still stayed in the passion of mental health, well-being, because it is something that we're strongly passionate about.

Christine:

We know that it's needed, we know how important it is, and we see people out there that are kind of struggling and don't really know where to turn or what to do or anything. But it is it is about your values, what you're aligned with, and your passions, etcetera. Does everybody hear and

Sian:

this is not a right or wrong answer actually, because I think this is a I think this can take quite some time, and I think it's a journey. And I don't think you can make it happen quicker than you than than this is possible. Does everybody here have their purpose, if you like, what they feel they're trying to do in a nutshell statement?

Katie:

Yeah. I've got well, I I I did say, and I shared quite quite a bit of conversation.

Sian:

Yeah. Not not a slogan or a or a sort of a strap line. So this doesn't have to be tidy.

Katie:

Yeah. Now it's I I definitely, you know, I've I've and I've had this with my coach recently. I said, I've I think my purpose and my mission has recently become very, very clear. Like you said, through the journey of coaching my own work and self self development. So it really is that mission of getting women and moms stop treating the motherhood as something that is restricting us and allow it to blend in with what we're doing.

Katie:

There was a there was something that really resonated with me. So when you said this, I literally only shared it yesterday on my social media is is this kid is asking mom mom, did you did you give up your dreams for me or something along those lines. And she said, no. I'm chasing my dreams alongside you. So I don't know whether that describes it and covers it, but that is pretty much what I want.

Katie:

I don't I I just I'm so sick and tired of hearing this. You can't have this because you're a mom. You can't do this because you're a mom. This is so disempowering. So I really want to have that that, you know, that mission to get out there.

Katie:

We can do the whole career thing and be good moms and have time left to look after ourselves for the self care

Sian:

Yeah.

Katie:

Yeah. Without killing ourselves over it. Because that's the thing, isn't it? We lot of times, we get there, but at what cost? So it's heavy need, but without the kind of

Nikki:

We forgot we forget who we are Yeah. As a person before we become a mom. Yeah. And if we're not okay They're not okay. Children are not gonna be okay, are they?

Nikki:

They all follow us through. Always a ripple.

Sian:

And I'm I'm here to tell you, it is not much fun being the parent of being the child of a sacrificial parent. Yeah. I gave up everything for you is not much fun.

Nikki:

Absolutely not. It must carry so much, like, guilt, shame, resentment, all of these things.

Katie:

All the things that we work with

Christine:

people about because it's that generational, that cycle that carries on, and that's what done for you.

Sian:

Yeah. Yeah. After everything

Sian:

after everything I've done for you.

Nikki:

You've done this. You've let me down.

Sian:

Yeah. Has anybody here anybody else got a, I don't know, mission, purpose, whatever that they they know what it is or is everybody else work still working on it, Jonah? I think

Christine:

I think for me, I'm really passionate about helping. I've struggled a lot with my mental health in the past, and I'm I'm the one like, I've never been guided by parents or anyone. I'm the one that made that decision that life needs to be different. I need to change something about me. And I didn't know what that was at the time, and I've been on a journey.

Christine:

And I'm still on a journey. And I think that I'm really passionate about that that, you know, you can change the way you feel whatever that may be, and and there is more to life. And that's our our mission is to help people find joy, happiness, and thrive in life. And it all comes with journey, and it's it's not about just coming to have coaching for a short period of time because it's about transformation and it's about implementing that change and it's built over time. It's not about quick fixes like we mentioned earlier We go in the workplace.

Christine:

It's not about tick box, like, oh, we've got a hit in place, tick box. It's not. It's about implementing. It's about making that change, and it's it's it's it's And I and I

Nikki:

actually think some of our purpose, my purpose as well in joining with Grossman Connections is helping people, supporting people, walking with people through their journey, through their transformation, through whatever it is they bring to the table. And I think that having a safe place with people that you feel safe and connected to is a very personal mission for me because you have to have a connection with someone that you work with, and you have to have you have to feel safe to be vulnerable. And being being vulnerable is really difficult. Right?

Sian:

As you were talking, just as you started, what I got was that you saying to somebody, you're not stuck with this. No. That is such a big thing, isn't it? You know, if somebody's been work living with anxiety, overwhelm, guilt, grief, what whatever it is that they're living with as part of their trauma, just being able to say to somebody, you're not stuck with this. It's not inevitable that you just continue like this for doesn't mean it's gonna disappear, but you're not stuck with this.

Christine:

You can work with it. But it comes to them having the awareness and them wanting to make that change.

Sian:

Anybody else got any mission and and stuff that they want to just share before we go on to

Justina:

next bit of a topic? So my mission is very, very simple. I want to help as many women as possible to have this. Uh-huh, I don't need to suffer with this for the rest of my life. Or, Oh yes, I don't need to be on this medication for the rest of my life.

Justina:

That's it. As simple as that.

Saira:

So my mission is to help women to feel empowered so they can make the changes to their lifestyle but still enjoying the foods that they love. So it's not just about me telling them what to eat, but it's about them gaining control over their food choices. So if they go for a meal, like I had a client say that, actually, I ordered what I wanted. I didn't go along with everybody else. I didn't choose things just because they were saying, you know, you should eat this.

Saira:

And I think that's quite powerful that they can make that choice themselves. And it's not just coming from me. Obviously, I advise, but it's not me saying, should eat this and this, but them saying, you know, I can go from there, and I can choose what I want to eat, not other people.

Sian:

It's it's quite odd how often it's not something I find myself doing actually because I'm quite particular about my food. But I can imagine that there are other areas I'm sure I do do something like this where you you eat something because other people think you should be eating it. Yeah. You might you might want a salad and and they want a huge, you know, great big bowl of pasta, or you want the bowl of pasta but everybody else is sitting there picking on a lettuce leaf and a slice

Sian:

of cucumber. And they might have a Oh, no. I'll I'll just Yes. I'm hungry. I'll just I'll just have a starter.

Saira:

It's it's quite overwhelming sometimes to go for a meal because there's so many factors and the menu is quite big and it's

Sian:

like Okay. Yes.

Saira:

Overwhelming sometimes.

Sian:

I hadn't thought about that actually, and yet it could be quite a big stumbling block, couldn't it?

Saira:

Yeah. And sometimes people think they know you. Like, one of my clients said that they were they were out for a meal and they were gonna order dessert, and one one of of her her friends friends said said to to her, her, oh, you're not gonna have dessert, or you don't need dessert. She she's trying to lose weight, and it's almost like,

Sian:

well, actually

Sian:

Hang on a minute. Oh. Crikey. Yeah. I'm angry, and it's not me.

Sian:

How dare somebody do that?

Saira:

Yeah. Something along those lines. She was almost like, well,

Sian:

I'll make my own mind up. Thank you very much.

Saira:

I can't remember whether she ended up having it

Justina:

or not.

Nikki:

I've had

Sian:

it. Yeah. Just yeah. About It's

Saira:

that pressure that she didn't need.

Sian:

You see how that is so manipulative. That's what I call a nasty little micro regression, that isn't it? That's a judgment dig. Right. Okay.

Sian:

Just get down off my soapbox. So let's talk about bodies because I think bodies is something that's come up a lot. You've mentioned the word somatic, haven't you? Some of the other words that we've heard and I've got written down is trauma, overwhelm. Sure there's more in there.

Sian:

Guilt. I think, and perhaps you you will correct me if I'm wrong, that they show up in our bodies, but we don't necessarily recognize them. You know, you hear about people hitting burnout, which is not a word I like. I don't like the word burnout because how do you come back from I'm burnt out? How do you recover from being burnt out?

Sian:

You can't, can you? It's final. You're burnt out, you're done. But we hear all of these words, don't we? And then people still arrive at them.

Sian:

They still arrive at overwhelm and burnout. So other things that that our bodies are telling us that we can maybe listen to that aren't big enough so they don't sort of floor us. We're not actually on the floor. We're not totally unconscious and and out of action, but a little clues about overwhelm. Because overwhelm is really a head thing, isn't it?

Sian:

We associate I'm overwhelmed is something that's in your head. What are the clues that are coming forward that are maybe saying to us, actually, just hang on a moment. Let's just do we need to take stock of something and maybe examine and make some changes here?

Saira:

I think digestive problems I see sometimes, which is linked to stress. It can be a symptom of stress that people don't always make that association. So they might have, you know, stomach pain or any kind of stomach issues, and I think that's that can come up frequently. But, yeah, like I said, people don't always link to

Sian:

stress, but

Saira:

sometimes it can be.

Justina:

I agree with with Sarah. First of all, while most of the people I meet lack of self awareness and connection with their bodies, people don't hear their bodies. They don't listen. They don't know anymore. They don't read the signs.

Justina:

They don't connect. We rush. We spend time on social media, endless hours. We should be doing this. We should be doing that.

Justina:

And I think when you are so, so overwhelmed, to listen to your body is basically impossible. And it's very, very difficult. Then you then the body starts to protest because digestive problems, it's the protest. It's not a sign anymore. Your body is telling you, okay.

Justina:

If you don't listen to my simple instructions, I'm gonna let you know

Sian:

Have

Justina:

a a little bit harsher way. Yeah. So, like, digestive problems and everything else what all later on turns into bigger and bigger problems is already the alarm. It's not it's not a little signs.

Nikki:

And I think that our mind, body, and soul are all connected, aren't they? They're not separate identities. They are all connected. And like we said, digestion is a massive thing that our body is trying to communicate something with us. But it could be more more simpler things like headaches.

Nikki:

It could be aches in our joints. It could be your shoulders being raised or your jaw being tightened. I know so many people that sleep with a mouth guard because they grind their teeth in the night. That's one of them signs, it's a true sign that your body is protecting itself, your nervous system is telling you something's not quite right, it's not quite in balance. So all of their signs that our body's always giving us these subtle cues apart from the massive cues like Justina was saying like digestion, not sleeping, we've talked about that before, hair falling out, so many things twitching eyes like just little tiny things that we may not think about and we don't recognise, we're not aware of in our body, but having the time just to check with your body what's happening.

Sian:

These are also things that you don't necessarily go to the doctor about, are they? They're bad enough to necessarily take you to the doctor. Mean a twitching eye, and I think if you went into the average GP and sat down and they said, Renoir, you're here today, Sian, My eye twitches. How often? Well, every now and then.

Sian:

You just you you after a while, wouldn't be able to get an appointment, would you? And there are things that we just ignore and we can sort of gloss over. So I think what we're saying here is, you know, digestion, it could be that you're constipated, it could be that stuff is sitting in your stomach, it could be that you're feeling queasy, it could be your stomach ache, that sort of thing that we might put down to it being wind or this or or that could actually be a signal that actually stuff is, you need to start looking at things. Now the other thing that is something that you have mentioned, so I'm looking at Nikki and Christine here in Blossoming Connections is trauma. And I think sometimes that's something that's also misunderstood.

Sian:

For me, trauma up until quite recently, trauma was a car crash. Or some not even somebody dying, but somebody something happening to somebody else in like a really dramatic sort of situation. Not what I would call a normal part of life. But I don't I'm not sure that my what I call a normal part of life is actually okay. Think so tell us about tell us about trauma.

Katie:

Do you know what?

Nikki:

That when you talk about a car crash because when you talk about trauma, people do think of that and

Sian:

that's a It happens. It it came out of nowhere, boom, it's happened. It's like an explosion. And it is. Some things

Christine:

explode. There's a level of it.

Nikki:

But what I love about that in some ways, not that people are having challenges obviously, but when you think about two people, they could have had same car crash, they could have been in the same car, they could have had the same injuries if you like, the same experience, but they would have processed it consciously and subconsciously through their bodies and nervous system in two different ways. And the reason why that is is because their nervous system, their actual system has learnt different experiences growing up so that's why they would experience that car crash in a different way. So somebody might one of the people might experience PTSD after the car crash. Another person would experience it as an event, a trauma that happened but be able to move on with that and be able to process and be able to go on with their life and if you like file it as an event that's happened in their life, no it wasn't very nice but they've overcome it, and it's okay. The other person could go on to have severe mental health after that.

Nikki:

So it's based on our past experiences that we have growing up, based on our nervous system responses, based on everything that we've experienced through life.

Sian:

So I'm not saying it's not rational to feel not okay after a car crash, but I think what I'm getting here is that we look at an event or something that's happened. Yeah. I think the other thing is also, I think that you're saying is trauma doesn't necessarily have to be an event. It could be quite slow. No.

Sian:

It could it could be something that's going on for quite a period of time. Yeah. But that your your reaction to something could be the accumulation of things that have been happening or past events and situations that you're not necessarily conscious, they're not at the forefront of your your mind every day.

Nikki:

So if you think of a trauma as a, like, a backpack, we offer you

Christine:

say backpack. We all have an invisible backpack.

Nikki:

And it's like, do you know what? It could be that you I don't know. That your your parent you heard your parents arguing when you you was growing up. So you you add a stone in, it's one layer. And then you get bullied at school, another layer.

Nikki:

Then you experience a death in a family, another layer. Then you fall out your best friend, another layer. Then something happens. So if you like, the traumatic experiences are always laying on top of another one. So it might not be one big massive event like a car crash as trauma.

Nikki:

It could be several layers that have built up over time. But because in our bodies we haven't processed each one of them and there's been a rupture and repair for each of them events, that's why it gets held onto our body. It gets held in our nervous system and that's why then we come with then our body responds and protests because it can't cope anymore. It it comes out in illnesses and things like we said before, digestion.

Sian:

I think nervous system is a conversation that we hear a lot more now. Yeah.

Justina:

Same as the word trauma. Yeah.

Christine:

I think People don't know what somatic is, but it's the nervous system. It's the body. It's it's that movement. It's that shift in energy in that. But they are, like, words that are kind of being used that people a little bit, like, hear about him.

Christine:

Don't quite know what they are, what they mean. And

Sian:

They've become sort of a bit buzzy. Yes. A bit sort of buzzwordy, but they're actually quite straightforward and grounded, aren't they?

Nikki:

Yes. Bodied.

Justina:

So I actually went through trauma healing. I did one one and a half year of eye movement therapy. Have you heard about it? Yeah. And, basically, it it's really, really interesting.

Justina:

So just to add what is trauma. So when I started with a therapist, we wrote down all the events. I thought that it was traumatic for me. And then we would take one event, and she would say, from scale to 10, how strong you feel about it? And you just think about the trauma, and for me, it was my chest.

Justina:

I could straight away feel it. And then we would do the the eye movement therapy Mhmm. For one hour. And then she would ask me again. And then next session, we do again.

Justina:

And then eventually, three, four sessions later, I have the memory, but I I don't have a feeling. I release the feeling.

Christine:

You fold it away.

Justina:

You I

Saira:

release that

Christine:

rupture and repair. Yeah. That's when that rupture and repair. Because often sometimes we talk in therapy and counselling, we can be retraumatizing ourselves as well by talking through So there's other modalities that's processing. So I don't know if that was EMDR.

Christine:

We trained it's brain spotting practitioners. It's the same, and it's connecting the mind and the

Nikki:

body and using the eye movement. Hypnosis is another thing we do as well. There's so many modalities

Justina:

out

Nikki:

there, isn't there,

Justina:

that help? After each session, I felt like when I would leave the place, I felt like I I run 20 marathons.

Sian:

So that okay. So does that mean that you were, like, on

Sian:

fire and energized, or were

Sian:

you lying on the floor?

Justina:

On the floor.

Sian:

Yeah. Okay.

Nikki:

It's it's

Justina:

On the floor.

Sian:

Yeah. Okay.

Nikki:

It takes a lot

Sian:

to process. A lot out of your Yeah. It it's almost like I tell you what. I I feel I'm I'm pointing and poking at people again because somebody sings. Remember those things?

Sian:

They're still around now as a child where you poke its bottom and it's like an animal on four legs and it just collapses because you've pushed the string up. Everybody's looking at

Sian:

don't have no idea what I'm talking about. No. I'm not sure, man.

Sian:

I think it's possibly because I'm older. I'm gonna have to find one Like, yeah. I don't know. It's like it's like just imagine like cat or something on a little tiny little plinth, and underneath is is a bit of wood and you push it up. And then what happens is, of course, the the animal's being kept taut by string, and you push the string up and the animal collapses.

Nikki:

I think I know what you mean.

Sian:

Yeah. I I don't want to go on any longer trying to describe it because it's going

Sian:

to be immensely boring, isn't it?

Sian:

But that suddenly you lose that tension. You've had a tension that you've been holding in your body and that tension is taken away.

Nikki:

And that's also as well with things like trauma or anything that we're working with like that is we don't want our clients to then get to a stage where they've totally burnt out and they've they're totally

Sian:

It's a collapse.

Nikki:

Because actually, from a nervous nervous system perspective then that's been taken

Sian:

That's exhaustion isn't Yeah,

Nikki:

we don't want that because everyone's nervous system will be able to cope with things at different times so that whole idea is that's what needs to be done slowly. So your nervous system has experienced so much then it went into collapse and that's we don't want that. We want to do it slowly and gradually and safely but in any sort of processing that you have with trauma or challenges then you are going to feel slight like you want to rest and you might experience headaches and things like that after but anything we do like that we don't want to take it too far that you then

Justina:

can't do anything. I just want to say that for anyone who hesitates, and even though I said that I felt like I ran 20 marathons, it has changed my life forever, and that by far was the hardest but the best thing I could have done for my life in order to go forward in life.

Nikki:

For you, but then other people, it might be too much for

Sian:

them Exactly.

Nikki:

Which is great. And they are all all fantastic modalities, definitely.

Saira:

Yep.

Sian:

Right then. Let's wind this up with some let's have a look. I think let's go around the table and have everybody's top tip for looking after themselves as a businesswoman. Who's gonna go first? Your cohost, you go first.

Sian:

You you lead lead. Lead. I'll go last time. Okay. Who's

Sian:

gonna go first?

Sian:

Right. Go. I'll talk so fast. Thank goodness Justine is good. Okay.

Sian:

What's your top tip for looking after yourself as a businesswoman?

Justina:

So my top tip is go your own pace. No matter what the outside world says to you, no matter what a social media guru says to you, no matter what what's going on around you, you must go your own pace. And if it takes you just a little bit longer to choose your members of your team, if it takes a little bit longer to kick off that project, just take your time because I have learned it hard way. Rushed things never bring you happiness or results you want to achieve. So my top tip, take your time and go your own pace.

Justina:

Who's next?

Saira:

Mine would be to accept help because, you know, we can't do everything. There's so many skills that we need to run a business. So I think if you have people that are happy to help or someone's like, oh, I'm really good at making flyers. I do it at work all the time, and they wanna help. It's worth considering it, I would say.

Christine:

I think for me, it is listening to your body. Because it could be some days when you can you can do more, but then there's other days when you need to take that rest.

Nikki:

For me, it is don't

Saira:

try

Nikki:

and work with everyone to make your business grow. Me and Christine are thinking our business run before we walked, and we didn't have the foundations in place first.

Sian:

We spent a

Nikki:

lot of money.

Sian:

Yeah.

Nikki:

And we've we've we've grown from it and learned from it, but you can't work with everybody. And I think working on one thing at a time with one person at a time that's gonna help and support you. That's my advice.

Katie:

Me, it's if you find yourself saying, don't have time for this, and you know deep down that is, like one of the most important things for you, my tip is have a look at what is going to happen if you don't. Because very often we get to know and we get very clear on the benefit of that. We know and we're clear on what the benefit is. But quite often we forget about the pain that's on the other side if we don't. And very often for many people the pain is actually bigger motivation than the benefit itself.

Katie:

So that's my top tip.

Sian:

I'm going to have one for this, and I think it's to ditch every productivity app, every productivity book, every productivity guru that you have ever come across. Just ditch them. Ditch the whole thing and really think about who you are and what you're doing and who you're doing it with. Right. What we're gonna do now, we're gonna go around the table and if you have a special project or a program or anything that you just want to talk about very quickly, just share particular initiative you've got and also share how people can get hold of you.

Sian:

So where should we start?

Saira:

So I have an online twelve week weight management program that is specifically for an exclusive exclusive group of women. So just three to five women, and that includes group sessions, one to ones, a WhatsApp group, lots of resources, email support, and I follow-up with you after you finish the program as well. And I have lots of groups that run throughout the year. And in order to get hold of me, you can visit my website, which is Syra, saira,nutrition.co.uk, and you can also email me info at Syra Nutrition dot co dot u k. Who's next?

Christine:

We have our website, Blossoming Connections, and we are on social media, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Two things that we're working on at the moment is an online trauma informed parenting workshop, we

Nikki:

are also offering our in person mental well-being clubs for the community, maximum of 30 people. The first topic is over 12 sessions and it is about stress and anxiety, what it is, where it shows up in our body, lots of information about that. It's going to be in Ebsfleet, it's running on the June 29, which is a Monday, ten till twelve, and it's £15 per person for every session. If they if you block book, then you get basically one session free. So there, our focus is at

Sian:

And all that information's on

Nikki:

your website?

Christine:

Social media. Yeah. Yeah. And our parenting workshop as

Nikki:

well, which is online.

Justina:

You can find me on justinatraining.com. That's my website. I do have social media and a YouTube channel. However, I don't update it that often. I update it when I feel like my headspace is okay.

Justina:

But I do have something very exciting coming up. I have started working together with Absolute Health Alliance, and we are organizing a mini festival which is gonna happen in September 26, and it's going to be the whole day based on, menopause and perimenopause. So we have, five speakers. We have a ballet class. We have a breath work.

Justina:

We have a strength training with me. We're gonna have a networking during that day. So the first time I'm talking about it, and, the actual advertising is gonna come out in July, and it's going to be very intimate, maximum 30 people, and it's gonna happen in Epesfleet, possibly Waldenhardt. We are still looking at it. So, yeah, we're gonna be updating shortly about that.

Justina:

Brilliant. Well done.

Sian:

I don't think you're getting away with it. So,

Katie:

gosh, there's always something exciting happening, isn't there, in our world, let's be honest. I'm running a free five day challenge which is basically a first step of my say yes to less program. And it's called say yes to less, just to keep it simple so people don't get confused. It starts on the May 22, and it's all hosted in a private Facebook group. So there'll be live sessions every morning, thirty to forty minutes each.

Katie:

Replays available. So if you would like to and it's effectively say yes to less, your blueprint to your freedom. So it's the first step towards that. And the easiest way to find me is probably through my website, which is kplifecoaching.co.uk or on social media as Katie Pauzy, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Sian:

Right, you're not finished. I just lulled you into a full sense of security. So everybody here works, runs a business. Regardless of who you work with, you all run a business. So we're gonna close off with just going round the table on what your top tip for being in business is.

Sian:

And we are gonna start with I think we'll start with Justine. And what's your top tip for being in business?

Justina:

I'm probably gonna repeat myself, but I would probably say be true to yourself and who you are, your mission, who you what what do you wanna do? If you're gonna follow that path, you're gonna feel lost because you always can go back. Okay. Hold on. What do I actually wanna do with this and who I am?

Justina:

So be true to yourself and never forget that no matter who you're gonna get influenced by or coupled up with or do business with, always make sure that you stay yourself.

Sian:

Stay yourself. Who's next? I'm going to pick on you, Saira.

Saira:

I would say embrace it. I think sometimes we forget that we have our own businesses, businesses, and we can be flexible sometimes. If there's some days you're feeling really productive and you wanna work extra, then do it. And if there's other days you wanna have an afternoon off and you don't have anything booked, I would maximize it.

Sian:

You guys.

Nikki:

Do something that you're passionate about. Passion over everything. So if you

Sian:

You're gonna be doing it a long time.

Nikki:

And listen, always listen to your obviously. Coaches, we are. Always listen to what your body's telling you because it's never gonna lie to you. I'll just echo what Nikia said and what the others have said, really.

Sian:

Don't think you're getting away with it. What's your what's your top tip for being in business?

Katie:

I'd say stay in your lane. I think there's so much noise around, and we tend to look elsewhere and compare and that's when the frustration comes in. Stay in your line stay in your lane and you

Saira:

can't get one.

Sian:

My top tip changes all the time. I think this week it's going to be understand the power of saying no. You can't say yes to everything, you really can't. Once you learn how to say no, things will transform. Another thing I'd say, top tip for being a radio show host is to make sure you write everybody's name down in one place.

Sian:

Because especially if you have an old lady gone way past menopause, can't have any HRT stuff, you're not going to be remember them all. So I I don't have Oh, you may. Yeah. I can't I can't remember my own name. So I'm I'm gonna say thank you to Justina, to Syrah, to Christine and Nikki.

Sian:

And thank you so much, Katie, for being my cohost today. Thank you also all of you for being VIP exhibitors and speakers at the Women in Business Oh, Big

Sian:

I don't like because

Sian:

that's that's my that's my passion. That's my making sure that everybody has the opportunity to share what they do. So this has been the Women in Business Radio Show. I'm Sian Murphy, and we will be back with you next week. So thank you very much and have a great time out there.

Sian:

Thank you.