227: Louise George ~ How to Understand Your Soul Story & Find What Makes You Unique

Today’s Guest

About Louise

Listen to this episode

  

What You’ll Learn

• How Louise was able to build a six figure business in less than one year (hint: a lot of it has to do with mindset)
• How she broke the feast/famine cycle in her business
• The three things you need to know to be able to identify your purpose
• Simple actions you can take TODAY to get started on your path to finding your soul story
• Why being outdoors is non negotiable for Louise, and why you need to figure out what your non negotiable things are

Things We Discussed

• Enneagram 
• Danielle LaPorte’s The Desire Map

Connect with Louise

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• iTunes
• Passion to Prosperity Plan

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Related episodes

• 309 Joanna Hennon + Holly ~ How Expressing Your Weirdness Can Help You Live More Fully

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can also be downloaded here (no opt-in required).

Holly:   Hello and welcome to the Business Mindset Podcast, episode 227. This is your host Holly Worton and I am here with today’s special guest, Louise George. Louise George is a transformational coach, business mentor, speaker and screen actress.  After careers in property, then advertising and running businesses in property management and fitness coaching… and then burning out, Louise decided it was time to follow her heart and create the life she truly desired, with a business that enables her to work from anywhere, follow her passions and help other women to gain the clarity, mindset and tools to live the life they desire too.  In less than a year Louise created a six-figure coaching business, while traveling the world.

            I am so excited to talk to you today, welcome Louise!

Louise:          Thank you so much Holly, I am really excited to be here, thanks for having me!

Holly:   Thank you! So, why don’t you start out by telling us a little bit about your background, and your business journey, and how you got to where you are today, because you have got a lot of variety in your experience.

Louise:          That’s just my personality! First of all, I trained as an actor, so it meant that, in the early days of that, I had to do lots of different things to make ends meet, and to support myself. And also, I don’t know if you know much about the enneagram, but I am a seven. So, it is very typical of sevens, to have lots of different interests and things going on; we are kind of fast learners. Yeah, I have always had lots of different interests and things going on and things in the pipeline but that really didn’t support me. Ten years ago, I was really going the way that society expects, and going after things externally, and following that kind of linear path to success, and studying and then getting a job and a car and a house and all of that stuff, which never really sat right with me, I always felt like I was meant for something else, but I didn’t know about business at the time, or being an entrepreneur. When I discovered that, when I discovered business, I was like: ah ha, I can actually work for myself and create my own reality. But again, in the early days of business for me, I hadn’t really done the self-development work, so again, I was looking at things externally, and what I could do, and should do, but not was really aligned for me. So, it has been kind of a decade of self-development, and spirituality, and it was a couple of years ago, 2014 actually, that I created the company I have now and started down this journey. And now, I really do have a company and a lifestyle that lights me up. And it is not always easy, but I have found my flow, and have been able to reintroduce things that truly are aligned and do light me up now. So, yeah, it has been a journey, and it is still a journey, as you know, but it feels great now.

Holly:   So, tell us about, you created a six-figure coaching business in less than a year.

Louise:          Yes.

Holly:   That’s pretty unusual, a lot of people really, really, struggle to build a coaching business. So, what does that look like for you, and why do you think you were able to do this in such a short period of time?

Louise:          I think I was able to do in such a short period of time because I had spent eight years previously in and out of business, figuring things out, trying to do stuff the hard way, hustling, and I just got sick of that. And so, at the end of 2015, I really had got to the pain point where it was just enough. I was already within coaching but I was in that feast and feminine cycle and I had just got to an age, and a point in my life, where I was like: I am not available for this anymore, there has to be an easier way; I am not longer available to hustle or to be pushing and forcing things. And so, I really started studying… actually first of all I made a decision, at that point, I decided as I just said: I am unavailable to work like this anymore and I need to do what it takes to create flow, and freedom, and work the way that I want to work. So, it came first with a decision in that moment. Then I really looked at: right, what other entrepreneurs who have six and seven figure businesses and beyond. It wasn’t about the money, it was about that freedom piece, it was about making the impact that I wanted, so I really studied other people, and the common thread was they were supported by other people who had already done the hard work, who had already figured it out. And, as Tony Robbins says: success leaves clues. And so that was what I looked at, and it changed everything, that was the moment that I got kind of serious about my business and I wasn’t playing at it anymore. I really looked at what it was going to take for me to create that kind of business and lifestyle that I wanted, and I invested a lot: financially, time-wise, energetically; but it meant that, within a couple of months, I had hit my first five-figure month, and then by the end of 2016, it was really end of 2015, by the end of 2016 I had my first six-figure year. So, yeah, last year was a bit of a whirlwind and amazing, really. But, it doesn’t take that much, it takes that decision first of all in shifting, and working out what it takes, and that’s what I did.

Holly:   Simply making that decision is a huge mindset shift.

Louise:          Absolutely, that changed everything and that’s what I say to all my clients like, it has to come from within, you have to decide first, nothing will change unless you make that decision that it is going to, and then you do the work externally and internally, and externally and that’s what I did. And it wasn’t hard, because I got in alignment with what I really wanted and I had made that decision to follow it, and to be guided and not just rely on my own strength anymore, which was what I had really done until that point, and I mean be guided by mentors and coaches and also divine guidance, something bigger than me, and to not do it by myself anymore. All of those pieces just changed everything for me. So, I did put the work in, I did invest financially, time-wise and energetically, but it felt good. So, from the beginning of 2016 through to now, I am working on things that really light me up. I am really supported more than I have ever been and it’s growing from here everyday.

Holly:   So, when you talk about support, coaching support, mentorship, masterminds or having a VA that helps you with the tech stuff? What kind of support did you bring in?

Louise:          All of those pieces, that’s what I hadn’t had. Up until the end of 2015 I was doing everything myself; I had invested here and there in some coaching support and some VA support, but nothing consistently, and I hadn’t invested at the level that I needed to create a six-figure business. If you want a six, or seven, figure business, you need to be working with people who have already done that, who know how to do that. So that’s what I did, I invested at an uncomfortable level in people who had the kind of businesses and lifestyles that I desired so that I could accelerate that success. I don’t think we necessarily need coaches, but it certainly helps to bridge that gap much faster. You could spend years, like I had previously, I had spent eight years in business figuring things out on my own, or you can invest in working with someone who already knows how to get you there, without having to make all the mistakes. So, that’s what I did, mentors and coaches, masterminds as well, I think the combination of having a high level coach for me and a mastermind of women at a similar level, going after the same kind of things, who are there to support one another, celebrate one another, and to be able to ask for help when you need it as well, is invaluable. The combination of a coach and a mastermind is something that I will always have because it changed my life and continues to help me grow exponentially.

Holly:   And as you are making these shifts and really stepping up in a bigger way with your business, did you experience and fears, or blocks, or limiting beliefs and mindset stuff coming up for you?

Louise:          Oh for sure! {laughing} for sure. I had to do a lot of work and that’s what I really dove deep into. Once I made that decision, and that investment, at the end of 2015, and throughout 2016, I went on a very deep journey. And I had been, already, like on an eight year journey of spirituality and self-development, but I dove deep. Over the last couple of years I have gone deeper than I have ever been, I have had to uncover what my money stories were, fears, limiting beliefs, insecurities, that I didn’t even know were there and to then reprogram those and I continue to do that. In my opinion and experience, every time we up-level, and expand, we hit new limits, new blocks, fears and insecurities or, old ones try to re-surface. I always say mindset work for me is a lifetime commitment and a daily practice. And the way I keep myself in a high vibe state is I practice, I am committed to it. I often have clients of mine, or people in my community, saying: are you always this high vibe? And I say: no, but I work at it, I don’t jump out of bed like Julie Andrews singing The Hills Are Alive, but I am committed to getting myself into peak state, to working on my mindset and just like if you were going to the gym, you wouldn’t just go once, and go: yep, tick, I have done my gym work out for my life, my body is in peak state. You have to continually commit to it and to work out those muscles, and our mind, I think, is even more important, it is a muscle that needs working constantly, so yeah, that’s what I have been committed to since.

Holly:   And do you mind sharing with us some of your techniques or tools that you use to shift some of those beliefs and work on your mindset?

Louise:          Well, the first thing is awareness. You have got to be aware of what any limiting beliefs, fears or insecurities are. So that’s key. So anyone listening to this: if you are not aware of what might be blocking you to creating a business and life that you desire, get clear on that. And that will probably mean working with someone who can help you go here, because, really, what’s got you to here will not get you to where you want to go next. So, get clear on what those fears, insecurities and limiting beliefs are, first of all. And, once you have that awareness, that in itself can make a massive change, once I had the awareness of my money stories and my money blocks that we’re keeping me stuck, just realising where they came from changed everything for me. I was like: oh, well, that’s huge and tiny at the same time. It is such a small moment to program some beliefs for me, and just having that awareness just shifted it, because I could then let it go. Sometimes it is deeper surgery, and you need to do a lot more work, but once you have the awareness then you can start reprogramming and you can let those beliefs go and reprogram the kind of beliefs that you desire to have.

Holly:   I think that is so important to point out and this is something that I talk about all the time, awareness is always the first step, because we get so used to sweeping this stuff under the rug because there are so many people out there saying: you have got to feel the fear and do it anyway, you have got to push through and hustle. And that’s not acknowledging these blocks, and these fears, and this mind set stuff that we have. Once we do acknowledge that, and become aware of it, we can start working on it and it is easier, because yeah, you can push through, some people can, but it is terribly uncomfortable.

Louise:          Absolutely and I think that will only get you so far. From my own person experience that was how I was doing things up until my mid-twenties really, and for me that led to a breakdown. I was pushing and forcing and hustling and it never felt good. And then I ended up suffering with depression, anxiety and panic attacks because that’s exactly what I was doing. So that’s why I have now been on over a decade’s worth of self-development and learning to do things with more ease and flow, and to have the awareness of what doesn’t feel good, what are those fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs and then reprogramming them and being committed to doing that work, and then it can feel good. It can flow, not necessarily easily, but it can be simple and you can do it with joy. I think that’s key, yes there is an element of facing the fear and doing it anyway, but it doesn’t have to be pushing against it, you can learn to work with fear actually.

Holly:   Mm I love that. So, one of the big things I want to talk to you about today is how to understand your soul story and what makes you unique? I think this is something that a lot of entrepreneurs really struggle with, because the things that make us unique are only natural for us, so it can be really hard to see those things. So, first of all let me ask you to start out by telling us: what is your soul story and why do we need to understand it?

Louise:          I love this! So, this is a huge part of the work I do with my clients, I truly believe that everyone has a unique soul story and purpose and that is what is going to make you stand out. One of thee many fears that comes up for entrepreneurs that I work with is: there are so many other people doing this, what makes me different and stand out? And it is you, what we need is you,nobody has your unique gifts, experience, expertise, and that is what is going to make you stand out and the great thing about the time we are in business, right now, is that’s exactly what you get to do. You get to show up and bring out all of your weirdness and quirks, and everything you love, into your business, when I think up until, even just a few years ago, it was so much more kind of professional and polished, there was a certain way to do business and show up; but now, that’s all changed, and you get to bring all of you to your business and, as I am sure everyone’s heard: your vibe attracts your tribe. That is going to connect you with your audience, your tribe, you ideal client, so be you, that’s easier said than done. As you said, so many people struggle with this piece, that: what is that, what is it that makes me unique…because, we just be right? We just do us and we don’t necessarily know all of those pieces that do make us stand out. So, I believe that we do have a unique purpose and that purpose grows and evolves and expands as we do. So, I am always checking in with three parts that I believe really help us to identify our purpose, they are: understanding your passions, so what makes you jump out of bed in the morning, even if you weren’t paid to do it, what would you jump out of bed for, and what really lights you up? Your gifts, so these are your strengths, things that you do naturally, with ease, with flow. And you could just do all day long and not even notice the time, so what are those strengths? And that’s not to be confused with skills – skills are things we have learned to be good at, strengths are things that you just do without even thinking about it. I will add that this is the piece that I think people struggle with, and don’t necessarily know what these gifts are, because we do it so naturally, because it is our zone of genius. So you might want to ask people who know you well, friends, family, clients, to get clear on that. And, just think about what it is that you do day in, day out, that perhaps other people don’t do with so much ease, so gifts is the second thing. And the third thing with identifying your purpose is understanding your core desires, how do you want to feel in your business and life, and I love Danielle LaPorte’s work on the desire map for this. Really understanding how you want to feel will enable you to make sure that the things you are going after externally are really meant for you, are really soul aligned and not because you feel you should be doing them; because, especially, in this day and age of social media, it is so easy to get shiny objects syndrome, and wanting to do them because somebody else is doing them, or think that that’s the next best step. And there is no one way to do business or life, so check in with what feels good to you, your passions, your gifts, and your core desires; in the middle of those three things you will find your purpose.

Holly:   So, how do you recommend that people go about doing this, you have mentioned talking to people that we know, is hiring a coach a good thing? How do you recommend that people really get clear on what their purpose is based on these three elements?

Louise:          I would always say work with a coach, because the vision that we have of our zone of genius we can’t always see for ourselves, so it is super helpful for me, the best thing has been working with my coach who can help me see the pieces of my zone of genius that I couldn’t see; and also that sometimes friends and family can’t help you with either because they are too close. So, working with someone who is able to get to know you, and to see how you work, and what you do, so yes coaching is definitely going to help you with this, but you can start with just journalling on it. So I would start with each piece individually, so have a look at passions, this is something that will probably come more easily, so journal and write on: what are the things that really light you up? If money wasn’t an object, if you could spend all day doing something, what would that be? Is it writing? Is it speaking? Is it coaching? Get clear on what those passions are. Core desires, again, I recommend going through Danielle LaPorte’s desire map to really understand that piece. And then the gifts, again, meditate on this. Ask for guidance and support and journal and see what comes up for you.

Holly:   And what was your journey like to finding your soul story, how did that come out of your big shift in life and business?

Louise:          Do you know what, I think we don’t actually know, so spending time in silence, I spend a lot of time meditating to connect with myself, so that is going to be a huge part of this soul story piece, is actually being with yourself and tuning inwards. I think we get distracted from our soul purpose, and what we inherently know, when we are just busy all the time, and we are online, and hyperconnected. That’s not the place to approach this from. So, if anything, I would say spend much more time in stillness, going inwards, tuning in, and asking those questions. You can open yourself up for divine guidance, connect with your subconscious, and just ask smart open questions like: what is my soul story? And you will get answers coming out, you can start journalling on this, that is the best place to start. And think about what you loved doing as a child as well, because children just know, we just do these things naturally, we are connected to our soul purpose. I have always known what my soul purpose, I think we always do, and going back to childhood and connecting inwards will support you with uncovering that.

Holly:   I love that becauseI really struggled with that for so long. You hear people easy: go back to what you enjoyed as a child, and one thing that I did from a very young age, from about seven, was I started writing books; because I was a big reader and I couldn’t get enough books to satisfy my reading appetite so I just started writing books and then stopped writing. For most of my life I was not a writer, I completely quit. And then a couple of years I started back up again and little by little I started publishing my own books and that has been so deeply satisfying; it’s something that’s easy for me, it is something that just flows, it feeds my soul, and that’s one of those things that goes back to childhood but I completely just stopped for decades.

Louise:          Yeah, yeah, we forget you know. Life takes over, we start getting told what to do as soon as we, well before, but certainly when we are at school, we start getting told to actually focus and spend a lot of time on things that we are not good at. If you think of our traditional educational system, we spend on doing the things we are not doing so well at; so if you are not so good at maths you have to spend extra time making up the grades, or working on that area. And that’s completely the wrong way to approach things, I wish we could shake that school system up and get people to focus on their gifts, because that’s what’s going to change the world actually, if we have more people living on purpose and following their passions and their soul’s journey, the world will be a much more joyful place, we will have more people living on soul fire, as I say. So, just go back to that, or don’t let go of that, anything that lights you up follow that, even if it’s just one small thing at a time. I remember Rebecca Campbell, talking about her journey to self-discovery and the first book she had published: Light is the New black, she said it simply started with her following her love of flowers. She loves flowers, she used to go and write in the rose garden at Regents Park, I believe, and from there she was inspired to write her daily thoughts, and that turned into a blog, and that turned into a book. So, following the tiny pieces that light you up, and follow each tiny step and each tiny piece of inspiration, that will also lead you to your soul path; your intuition and the things you enjoy won’t lead you far astray. So, it is all of those little pieces.

Holly:   I think that’s an excellent story because following your soul path is not linear, it is not logical, it makes sense when you are there, looking back; when you are on the path nothing about it is logical. Liking flowers and going to sit in the rose garden, who would have thought that would have led to her writing her book and the path that she is on now? I think it is also about learning to trust your instinct, and trust your intuition, and trust these impulses, even if you don’t know where they are leading you, it is going to be somewhere good because it is something that you enjoy.

Louise:          Yeah, absolutely and I think that we are so conditioned to not listen to that voice, how easy would it have been for Rebecca to say: no, I am too busy, I can’t go and sit in the rose garden, I have got stuff to do. And we get stuck in our heads, and we push and back in that pushing, forcing, and working, and actually if you can actually allow yourself the spaciousness to do what lights you up. Like, this morning, I almost got caught in that space, I was an hour and a half walking my dog in Richmond Park and just enjoying nature and the deer running around. And that’s when I am in flow, and that really lights me up but my ego wants me to caught up in that: you have got stuff to do, hurry up and get back to your office. It is trusting the instincts and the intuition as you say and doing what does light you up, not all the time, there is work to be done! {Holly: laughing} but it is finding that balance and that flow.

Holly:   Yeah, yeah, and in particular, if you are having one of those days where you are feeling stuck and nothing’s working, and you are trying to push through and force yourself, sometimes just allowing yourself some space to go outside, or do something else, read a book, sometimes that will unlock the block and allow you to be more productive afterwards.

Louise:          Yes, absolutely, the first thing I say to my clients is: if you are stuck, move your body, move your physiology, because that is going to shift everything, it will shift your mind… and I remember one particular day being really stuck on some new programs I was creating in my business and I had spent a day, pretty much, punishing myself sat at my desk trying to write this sales page. And I was like: do you know what nothing is happening here, I need to just move and I took my, I do a lot of paddle boarding, so I went down to the river and took my paddle board out. And I created a whole new program in like an hour of being on the river, and I was like: why did I just not do this at the beginning of the day? It is counterintuitive isn’t it? We were taught to push and work and… yeah I got so much done by being outside and enjoying myself.

Holly:   That was going to be my next question: you spend a lot of time out in nature, paddle boarding, running, walking your dog, how do you think that affects your business, and how do you think that brings you more success in business?

Louise:          It is everything to my business, and my life. It is what I love, I feel completely abundant and rich because I live that life, that’s the most important thing to me, is the lifestyle that I now have, that I didn’t have before. When I did work in corporate, and I was chained to my desk from 8am to 8pm, whatever it was, that’s what I was really craving, that’s what my soul wanted, to be outside and to be able to spend more time with my dog, and to be able to play and travel when I wanted, and now I get to do that. That is everything but it also feeds back in, it is definitely the biggest part of my success, that I allow myself time to do what lights me up and actually it is a non-negotiable, it is a non-negotiable to me to be able to run, to be able to paddle board when I want, to be able to travel regularly, that’s where I get my inspiration, that’s where I come alive and that then, that energy, is fed back into my business, and to my clients, you know. It has an impact on everybody else.

Holly:   So, how do you work with people? How can our listeners learn more about how to work with people?

Louise:          All the ways to work with me, and all of the trainings and things are on my website which is http://LouiseGeorge.co – we have so many different ways to get involved from online member site, to group mastermind, to private coaching. Again, all the information is on the website. We have an incredible community, our tribe is called Soul Fire Sessions, it is a really holistic approach to business and life it is all about that. Soul alignment first and then the fire which is the external actions.

Holly:   So, you have given us your website url, where can people find you online, what are you favourite networks to hang out?

Louise:          My favourite social networks are Facebook and Instagram at the moment. So, Instagram is Instagram.com/louisegeorge.co and Facebook is the same: LouiseGeorge.co for my business page and soul fire sessions for the community.

Holly:   excellent! Thank you so much for joining us today.

Louise:          My absolute pleasure, thank you for having me.

Holly:   And thank you for listening and remember to visit hollyworton.com/227 for the show notes on this episode. Thank you.