purpose

#023 How Will Your 80-Year-Old Self Define Success?

Whoa. Did Alex just go too far?

Being in a particularly thought-provoking mood, Alex questions everything from the intention behind our lives to happiness and how money affects it. In this episode, join her as she uncovers a slew of questions we subconsciously ask ourselves as well as bringing to light some thoughts to answer them.

This is On Purpose.

In this Podcast you’ll learn:

  • How death can bring deeper meaning to life
  • The rewards of investing in yourself
  • How to work less and earn more
  • About creating positive impact in the world
  • How to make social media work for you, not against you

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Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
Hey friends, welcome to episode number 23. I’m really excited that you’re here today, because today I’m going to be talking about some stuff that is pretty intense. So I’ve given you your warning, let’s dive in. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot, take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong, on purpose.

So lately, I’ve been doing a lot of meditation, mainly because I have been feeling a lot of stress and anxiety in my body. And that is mainly manifesting as my shoulder, my right shoulder and my right back all the way down my right arm. It’s just like in a lot of pain. So I’ve been like dosing up on meditation as much as I possibly can. To try and relieve the pain. I don’t really know what it is, but I’m imagining it’s just from it’s like a sign of stress, right. So I’ve been doing a lot of meditation. And recently, one of the major themes that has been showing up during my meditations is the fact that as humans, we have a tendency of living life, as though we will be here forever. Now, I know this can sound like a really morbid conversation. But the reason why I bring it to your attention is because I think that constantly reminding yourself of your mortality is actually one of the best ways to stay focused. And, and to keep that sense of momentum in your life, there really is nothing worse than feeling like you’re stuck in your life, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you are not making the moves that you know you could possibly be making. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re wasting time with the wrong people in the wrong situations. There’s nothing worse than that. And the reason why is because deep down somewhere in our souls, we know that we are wasting our time, or wasting our time. And so what happens is that people live their life, as though we have all the time in the world. And we don’t know, I wasn’t going to bring all this up. Because like I said, it is very morbid sounding, I was gonna write a whole Instagram post on it. And then I was like, Dude, this is just, I don’t want to depress people by making them think of their death date. But thinking of your death date can be so motivational. And really just remind you of the fact that, like, we’re not here forever, we’re not going to be on this planet forever, things are constantly changing. The only thing we really have is the now and like that should be super exciting. reminding myself of my mortality from like, is really what keeps me living in the moment, living in the present moment. And soaking up as much of it as I possibly can. Everything from like silly things, like, I’ll be driving down the street, and I will just be looking and admiring my surroundings, not even necessarily beautiful surroundings, but just, you know, think of like the most dreary surroundings that you find yourself in, I find myself looking at these scenes, and just thinking to myself, wow, like I am alive right now I’m alive. And I am looking at this. I’m looking at all of the details around me I’m taking in what’s happening with the people I’m, I’m looking at, like the paint that’s falling off, or I’m in Trinidad right now. So there’s a lot of things that are kind of falling apart. There’s a lot of like little details to take note of and it’s like, I look at these things and they’re not tip what you would typically call beautiful, but it’s like I find myself addicted to the state of being where I am literally just appreciating each and every single moment as much as I possibly can because I know that that I’m going to die. Again, I know it sounds super morbid, but when I when when I when I think of dying, when I think of the fact that one day I will be on my deathbed. Like there’s nothing that wakes you up like that. I started thinking about the fact that if like if you look at the sliver of time that we are here for like let’s just say that you have to be 100 years old, 100 years in the grand scheme of history and the future is nothing and yet, I’m here right now in this body, and it’s like I just want to get the most out of it as I possibly can like you think about it. How many people there are like, sometimes I like to think of like, you get this. And this, again, is maybe a weird thought. But sometimes they think of, you know, if all of the people in the world exist, and it’s like, you have to wait your turn until you get planted into this body, and you get planted into like a random body, and then you’re here, and it’s like, Ah, you better make the most of it, because you’re here and you’re alive. And you’re like, This is what you have right now. And you’ve been looking forward to this moment, it’s like, when you wait in line, to go on a roller coaster ride, that’s what I think of it as it’s like, we’re on the roller coaster, and we have to enjoy it. Which brings up its own pain points, when you think about the fact that like, there’s a lot of pain in the world, and there’s a lot of suffering in the world and, and everyone experiences, the pain and suffering. And how do you enjoy the moments of pain and suffering? And I think for me, what I’ve realized is that, like, we need to learn how to fully accept pain and suffering and lean into it and see. And just experience like, we can’t control if a good thing happens, or a bad thing happens. So it’s like, how can we? How can we experience it? And maybe remove the judgment of like, was this a good experience? Or was this a bad experience? And I know, I’m getting really deep on you guys. And I know many times, it’s easier said than done. But sometimes when I just look at this life, as though it’s just a roller coaster ride, and I’m just here to like, make the most of it, it kind of removes the expectations of it having to be or look like a certain way. Anyway, I feel like I’m getting super deep on you guys super early into this podcast. So I don’t know, I just I felt like I had to come here and share this message with you guys today. Because it has been on my mind. Like I said, I’ve been doing a lot of meditation and death, and aliveness and what it means to be alive. It’s just, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. And so the other night, I found myself in bed, and I took out a pen and a paper. And I started thinking about when I’m on my deathbed, when I’m like, I don’t know, let’s just say that I lived to be 100. Although let’s be honest, I, I kind of want to live till I’m 130. But hey, let’s just say 100. What, like, when I’m on my deathbed looking back at my life? What are the things that are going to make me feel the most at peace with my death? What are the things that are I’m going to look back at and be like, I lived my life to the fullest. And I feel totally happy with the fact that I’m about to die. Again, I know this is morbid, but this is where my mind goes when I’m sitting on my bed late at night with a pen and paper. And so I start writing down like what is the life that I What is the legacy? What is the story that I want to leave behind? When my grandchildren speak about me and tell their friends? Oh, well, my grandmother used to do this, or my grandfather used to do that or whatever. Like what what is the story going to be? Because we’re writing that story every day. And in many ways, it’s like, I don’t know, I’m, I’ve always considered myself an artist. I started my career as a photographer, which is very creative, intense. And I don’t know, I’ve always considered myself an artist ever since I was a photographer, which was the very beginning of my career. And sometimes I look at life, like one big giant work of art. It’s like, what are you going to do with this life? Because this is going to be your work of art. And that’s a really intense thing to say. But that is that’s kind of what keeps me up at night. So I start writing down, like all of these different things that I think really mattered to me. And it’s hard like, I actually have not, I can’t remember the last time I sat down to do this to really sit down and ask yourself, what do you want from life? Like, what are you here to do? What is your work of art? What’s going to make you feel at peace and fulfilled when you’re on your deathbed. And I’m not gonna lie. I literally sat there with a pen and paper and I was like, I really don’t know. I don’t know the answer to all of these questions. These are really hard questions. So I’m sitting there, I’m sitting there and I’m just kind of at peace with it and being like, cool, the answer is going to come when it’s going to come. Right now. I really don’t know what to write down. But maybe I could start by writing down what I don’t want or maybe I can just start asking questions. So I start writing down questions and I’m asking myself like, like, what do you what do you live for? What matters most to you? Does the money really matter? Does the travel really matter, do relationships matter? Does whatever, like I’m just literally like spilling out all of these questions. And these questions are not good or bad, and they’re not leading to anything. They’re just questions that were kind of popping up in my mind at the time. And so I have all these questions written down, and then I start going through them and I start answering them. And that’s when the truth comes out. It’s kind of like when you have when you have the questions, you can much easier answer the larger question. But it takes asking yourself all of these nitty gritty questions what I really want.

What does my perfect life look like? If I have to wake up every day? Like, let’s say, I go to sleep tonight, and God comes down to me in the middle of the night, and he’s like, Yo, Alex, all of this was just one giant joke. From now on, you get to pick that like, exactly every single detail of your life when you wake up the next day. Like, what what would I tell him? Because it’s so important to know the answer to these questions, if we want to create lives that are on purpose, as the name of the podcast suggests. And so these are the questions I’ve been asking myself, what really matters to me. And when you start writing down the answers to those questions, so for example, you know, my career really matters to me. intertwining my career with my passion, and feeling most fulfilled, really matters to me. feeling proud of, of what I create, while I’m alive really matters to me. And then it’s like, Okay, so you’ve created this business, what about the business really matters to like, what are you chasing? Because I’ve started to realize that, like, I’m all I’ve almost been in this mindset of like, okay, like, let’s grow the business, let’s grow the business, let’s grow the business, let’s grow the business, let’s grow the business grew the business. And it’s like, Why? Why do you want to grow the business? Like, why do you want to keep growing and growing and growing like is, because if growth is what matters to you, that’s fine. Like if growth of the business and making the the profits of the business go up, and up and up and up and up and up and up, and up and up? That’s cool. Like, let’s, let’s admit it, and that’s fine. But why? Like, why do you want more, more, more, more more? And just asking myself these questions, and it’s like, well, I want more, because I want to feel as safe and secure in my life as possible. And money is a really great way to do that. And then it’s like, okay, well define, safe and secure, like, what does what is safe, feel like to you? Like, what’s the actual number that would make you feel 100% safe? Because what we’re risking here is not knowing what that number is, and just constantly running toward towards a number that does not even, it’s not even defined. In other words, you will never get there. You don’t even know what you’re chasing, you’re just chasing us and this type of like reflection, it happens to me. Not very often, like, I think I always am in a state of reflection. But recently, over the last few days, it has been an intense stage of reflection, and of just looking at everything in my life and looking at everything in my business, and not judging it. But just asking myself why, like, why? And if it’s aligned, great. And if it’s not aligned, then we need some adjustments. Right? How can I? Like, if it’s not aligned? Then what does aligned look like? What does aligned look like? And I think these that, I think a big problem that we have in today’s society is that these are the questions that no one wants to sit down and look at, and no one wants to think about no one wants to talk about. And so it’s just kind of like everyone’s just these little ants just kind of marching away towards something and no one’s even, no one’s doing it intentionally. And there’s no real like purpose behind it. Which just highlights my obsession with purpose to begin with, which is also something I’m exploring, like, why does that matter so much to me? Why does it matter so much to me that my business has to be in full alignment with who I am as a human being like, why can’t I just start a business? That is not really a reflection of me as a person and is literally just there to make money? I don’t know. I just can’t like it’s just not who I am. Right? But it’s like, I want to explore that question to get down to the bottom of like, why does that matter so much to me? Because clearly, if you look at the entire trajectory, trajectory of my career since I got started, like it is, obviously a huge priority of mine. It’s something that has always been at the forefront of what I do is like my business is me. I am my business. Like I feel very strongly About the fact that like, I have a voice, I have something to say I want to be heard. And, and really, I’ve done an excellent job of putting myself out there since day one, like literally guys since I started. My Businesses. My first business was a photography business. And the very first thing I did was start a blog. And it was actually a Blogspot blog. For those of you who don’t know about Blogspot blogs, it’s all good. Like it was this platform back in the day, I’m pretty sure it still exists. But it is a platform where you basically just start a blog, and it’s a free blog. I know you’re probably hearing my chair move, I’m feeling a little antsy. So I’m like doing shoulder rotations while I’m talking to you. But yeah, so I started blogging, and even back then, like I was a photographer, but I was like, I want people to hire me for me, I want people to hire me because they are excited to trust me with their wedding photos on their wedding day. So that’s really interesting is that, like, that’s so important to me, I think that’s just like a part of my genetic DNA. So, and I think identifying these things that really matter to you and exploring the questions why? It just helps you to get to know yourself even better, which then helps you get to create the life of your dreams even better, which then helps you create more happiness and freedom and fulfillment in your life. And so I think that’s why these questions really matter to me right now. And that’s why I’ve been thinking about them so frequently. And that’s why I wanted to share it with you today is like, what is your perfect life look like? What do you wake up and do every day? How do you spend your time? In a perfect world? How much money do you need to be happy? And like, how are you going to make that money? And how do you want to make that money? One of my biggest pet peeves is people who just work really hard, so that they can say, Oh, I’m busy. I’m working really hard. I’m working really hard. I’m working really hard. The reason I can say this with such competence is because I used to be one of those people. I used to be one of those people who was just working herself to death. Sometimes I worry that I’m still that person. If I’m being totally honest. Like I’m very, like, I like feeling busy. I like feeling productive. I like feeling like, like I’m adding something to society. I don’t like the word busy side notes. I hate the word busy. I never want to say I’m busy. Because I actually think busy is like it’s so horrible. Like to be so busy that you don’t have time to do the things that matter most to. Yeah, I used to be one of those people. And when you’re one of those people and you’re literate, you’re not even chasing really a goal, you’re just chasing the the lifestyle of just being busy just leading you nowhere. And I don’t know, maybe you guys aren’t like that at all. But that is definitely something that I have found myself in. And ironically, it’s something that I have found so many of my clients in and when they’re in it, they don’t even see that they’re in it. And I think that’s what bothers me about it so much. It’s like if we don’t ever stop to ask ourselves these questions. Well, why do I do that? Why do I spend my time in that way? How does spending my time in that way make me feel, you know, I spoke to a client the other day, and she was telling me how she spent so much time thinking about social media, posting to her Instagram feed, and really feeling like these are all the things that she should be doing. And I know you can’t see me I’m putting should in little air quotes. Because really like, what should you be doing? Like should is such a I don’t want to do the things I should be doing because who says what I should and shouldn’t be doing? But the only person who gets to say that is me. And so when I asked her like okay, well, why do you feel like you should be posting to Instagram all the time. She’s like, well, like, that’s what everyone else is doing. Like everyone else is putting their selfies out there and showing their lives. And she’s like, I have a great life. And I don’t feel super self conscious of how I look. But that just doesn’t feel like me. But I feel like I should be doing it. It’s like so wait. It’s not. It’s not that you that you want to do it, but you’re afraid to do it. It’s not that you want to do it, but you’re afraid of what other people will think it’s actually that you don’t want to do it, but you think you should be doing it. So you’re spending time creating content to put out there just because you feel like you should be doing it. I’m like so what’s the return on your investments? Like so think of all the time that you’re putting into it like like, let’s just look at the past week. And I’ll ask you how much time over the last week have you put into creating content for Instagram. And then I’m going to ask you Okay, and what was the return on that investment. And yes, sometimes it takes a really long time to get a return on your investment. Trust me, I know, I created content for years when no one was listening. But like, asking yourself, what’s the return on this investment? Is this something that I’m happy to do? Because I know it’s going to come back to me tenfold in the future?

Does this feel good? Like, what’s the point behind this? And maybe it’s something that I know I should be doing, because social media matters. And people are using the internet. And I can’t avoid that. And I can’t change that. Because that’s just the landscape of the times that we live in today. But how can I use social media in a way that feels good for me. And that’s what I want to encourage all of you guys to do today, when you’re listening to this is really think about everything in your life and everything in your business. And look at the way that you’re doing things? Are you doing things? Because it’s what works best for you that it works for your strengths that it’s easy for you? Or are you doing things because you see someone else doing it in that particular way? And you think that you have to do it that way? Because that’s what you should be doing? Because that’s what everyone seems to be liking. I think we’re so new to social media that we haven’t actually dove? Is it over? Yeah, I think it’s still or dived. I don’t know. Anyway, we haven’t we haven’t ventured, that’s a good word. We haven’t ventured into what this is actually doing, like what the possibilities are and what it’s doing to us psychologically, like I think right now, we’re really in the infant stages, where people are just really looking at other people online and copying what they’re doing. We really need to start moving into the space where we just see it as like, a place to express yourself a place where art where art gets created. And then start asking ourselves like, how do I use this platform in a way that really works? Well for me, and that might mean never showing your face. And that might mean never actually using your voice, it might mean communicating only through words, or communicating only through pictures or whatever, but finding a way to make it work for you. And I think honestly, like, that’s one of my biggest, that’s one of the best parts of what I do is being able to help people figure out how to use the internet and the platforms on the internet in a way that works best for that individual person. Because we all have different strengths. We all feel comfortable in different platforms, the culture of each different platform is so unique and individual. So really exploring, like where’s the best place for me to be and for me to be building my brand? And how do I express myself in a way? Or how do I portray what it is that I’m doing in a way that’s that works for me. timewise, creativity wise, all that jazz? Also, kind of coming back to like the why behind everything that we do. Really asking ourselves like, how do I make the most money for the least amount of work? How do I get the biggest return on my investment of time? That’s pretty much what that means. Because at the end of the day, we want to spend our time doing things, we Okay, let’s let’s put it this way, we want to have the most freedom over time as possible. So how do we create lives that enable us to do that. And a huge way that you can do that is by figuring out how to make the most money for the least amount of work. And I think that can sound scary to some people because they’re like, Oh, I see so and so doing this or like everyone’s doing this. It’s like, I don’t care. How do we maximize the amount of money that you can make with the least amount of efforts. And it looks different in every single business. This is one of the big struggles of like creating a podcast for such a wide variety of business owners. I know like you guys message me on the regular on Instagram. And I know that the varied differences in your businesses are huge. So it’s really hard for me to sit here and be like, give particular examples because it’s different for each and every single one of you each and every single one of you has different business models, right. But asking yourself that question and maybe speaking to someone who’s in your industry, and like doing as much research as you possibly can into what are the different business models in like within my business like what and really studying that. It’s really interesting today I was speaking to Andy Burgess. I think that’s how you say his last name. He’s a filmmaker, and I interviewed him for the podcast actually, which I’m really excited for it to come out. He’s a wonderful human being. I really love all of his videos. He’s super creative, but something that he said to me really struck a chord with me. He basically started making videos two years ago on Snapchat, Snapchat, guys, Snapchat. And his videos were so good that now two years later, he’s gone. to a point where he’s 100% freelancing, and he’s freelancing for really big, reputable brands, so we’re talking about like, Forbes, NASDAQ. If you’re in the UK, then you’ll have heard of three. So he’s doing quite well, considering that he’s just gotten started two years ago. And something that’s super impressive to me is I was asking him about prices, you know, because, well, not just prices, I was also asking him about, like, how did he know if he wanted to do like business to business, so he’s a business, he’s a freelancer, and he’s catering to brands, which are big businesses, right. But a lot of videographers that I see, they decided to start small, and they’ll start doing like, wedding videos and stuff like that. So it’s really interesting to me that he just got started. And the first thing that he did was just, you know, start working with big brands. And to me, when I look at someone like that, it’s like, if you ask yourself, How much money can I make, as a filmmaker, or as someone who’s into creating videos? And you’re like, Okay, well, I don’t know, I might have to shoot 30 weddings a year in order to make that my goal for the year, or I could charge 10 times as much, or maybe five times as much. I don’t know what the numbers are, and only sell to 10 people. Right? So like figuring out, how can you change the numbers so that you can make the most amount of money possible? So like, if you look at him, he’s working with way less customers than a wedding videographer would be? Because he’s working with bigger brands, he has a way smaller amount of projects. And yes, his projects are probably more thought out. There’s a lot of work that goes into them, yes. But he’s able to make the same amount of money for less work. Right. And it’s easier, it’s easier to sell, like something that is a lot of value to one person than something that’s a minimal value to like a million people. Now, that doesn’t translate into every single business, which is why I kind of started that story by saying, like, I know, you guys are all in very different industries and have very different business models. But it’s food for thought hopefully, like, hopefully, it’s getting your mind rolling and like, okay, you know, maybe you can’t lower the number of clients and raise your price. But maybe you could increase the average amount that each client spends by 10%. Because even at 10% increase, you’re doing the same amount of sales, like that can make a big difference on your bottom line. Right? So just like asking yourself these questions like how do I make it easier for people to buy? How do I make it? How do I add more value to their experience here? How do I how do I grow this? Without putting in more and more and more and more work? I guess the purpose of this entire episode was just to really come here and encourage you guys to explore every facet of your life and business. And take that time to yourself to ask yourself, what do I want? What do I want my life to look like? What really makes me happy? And the money thing, like a lot of times, or at least for me every time I’ve set a huge money goal, and I achieve it. I feel so happy and elated. And it’s amazing. And it’s like this huge celebration. And I’m like yes, oh my gosh, it’s such, it’s it’s it’s so much ecstasy in one moment, and I love it. But I’ll tell you what, the very next day, I’m back to square one where I’m like, Okay, what’s the next school? So it’s like, this is kind of ties back into what I was talking about at the beginning. It’s like, you know, this constant carrot that you’re constantly chasing? How do you make your life more than that? How do you move beyond that. And really, it’s by being in the present moments. And really, it’s about looking at the present moment and realizing that you can create in each and every single moment. And that’s so exciting because you can start to really bring more joy and happiness and meaning into your life by simply being able to define what those things are and what those things look like. You can start to enjoy the journey, whether you’re knocked off your horse, whether you hit that sales goal, whether you you know, have a long loving marriage or whether you end up in divorce, like there is beauty in every single moment there is if we can stop looking at moments like they’re good or bad and really just start seeing them as a part of the journey and and relishing in the experience of the journey and knowing that every down moment is only showing you more and more of what you want because you’re able to define what it is that you want. To me that’s so exciting. So that’s where I wanted to leave you guys with. Be clear on what what it is that you’re creating, be clear on what it is that you’re bringing into your life in your business.

If you if you’re running a business, and you have a sales goal, you better be looking at your money regularly, you better be looking at your bank account regularly. And if you never look at your bank account, maybe you just start and you’re like, Okay, you know what, once every two weeks, I’m gonna look at it, and you sound alarm on your phone. And you make that commitment to yourself that once every two weeks, you are going to look at how much money you have in your account, and figure out like where you’re at. Or maybe it’s like, okay, you need to do it once a week, or you need to do it once a day or whatever. And maybe you’re already doing that. But every time you look at the money, you feel down and depressed, like change your relationship with money, so that you can learn to love it and accept it and let it come to you with ease. I’m so surprised, and yet not surprised at how many people don’t know how much money their business has made this year, or how much money this business their business has made this month. And yet I’m also someone who has to constantly remind myself the importance of looking at those numbers. Most of the time, it’s not until I’m in dire straits that I’m looking at those numbers on a regular basis. And I think there’s a correlation there. What you focus on grows, right? So focus on your money, focus on your money, know where you’re at with your money. Know how much your products and offerings costs so that when someone comes to you and they say, Hey, I’d like to work with you, you can literally just be like, okay, cool. Sure. Here’s what I got. Here’s what I got for you. So important. So important. Okay, guys, that’s, that’s everything I have to share with you today. I feel like it’s kind of contradictory, though. Right? It’s like, focus on the money. Look, in your bank account. No, you have and simultaneously don’t let it rule your life. Like I guess it’s just like total acceptance and surrender. And just being like, whatever is meant for me is meant for me, and I’m going to embrace it. And that is like, really, what I’m practicing for in life is just like learning to accept things and learning to be constantly grounded in who I am. And know that that wealth comes from inside and from nothing external. Think that’s the goal. But while I am experiencing that goal, I might as well be steering the ship towards what I really want to create. Right. And in order to steer your ship, towards what you really want to create, you have to know what you want to create, you have to know where you want to go. So define it guys, set some boundaries. Sit down, give yourself some, like, at least an hour to ask yourself these really hard and difficult questions, please, please, please do it for me. And when you do it, please share it with me, let me know over on Instagram at Alex Beadon. I want to know what your experience was like. Because these are like the really important questions that you have to ask yourself if you want to be able to move towards your purpose and feel like you’re living life with this amazing energy. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. I hope this starts your week off on an amazing foot. I want to say a huge thank you for listening. As usual, you don’t know how much it means to me that you just listened to this podcast that you’re now all the way here at the very end of this podcast. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Thank you for your attention. And yeah, I think that’s everything. Today I am. Well as you’re listening to this, I’m actually in New York, which is very exciting. But as I’m recording this, I’m in Trinidad, and I leave to New York tomorrow. So I’m super excited for that. I’m also going to be meeting some of you over the weekend on Saturday. Again, by the time this has gone live, the event has already happened. But I’m so excited to meet you guys like the thought of meeting you in person is it’s just super, super exciting. So I’m looking forward to it. And other than that, we have a very exciting challenge coming your way super soon. So keep an eye on your inbox. All will be revealed. Bye, guys. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you enjoyed it, I would love for you to give me a shout out on your Instagram story or anywhere. Just letting me know what your biggest takeaway was. You guys have no idea how helpful and useful it is for me. When you message me telling me what your aha moments were telling me what it is that you took away from the podcast. It helps me understand what is most valuable to you. And it helps me understand how I can be of the highest service to you. So if you could take two minutes to do that, I would really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. I hope to hear from you over on Instagram. You can find me at Alex Beadon, and I will talk to you again very soon. Bye Uh oh my gosh you guys look how amazing this shrimp serata cocktail looks me Beatrice, an avid Instagram Stories user and visionary to her followers. I can’t wait till you guys try this out. Yes, I’m talking to all three of you. I’m all two of you. Well, I guess I’m just here by myself now. Why don’t be a basic Beatrice on Instagram. Keep your audience wanting more by learning how to edit your Instagram stories like a pro. Visit www.gram-slam.com and learn these simple free tips that will have your friends impressed with your Instagram Stories for years to come.

#004 – The Key To Booking Coaching Clients, Getting 56,000 Instagram Followers and more with Mel Wells

When was the last time you spoke to yourself? Sounds like something only crazy people do. Or maybe we truly are the mad ones for not even trying. But it’s not just random conversations with your mirror we’re trying to work into your routine. It goes a little deeper. It’s about being connected with your mental and physical wellness. Knowing how to treat your most valuable vessel and the real effects it can have on your life.   

So when a voice like Mel Wells extols the importance of food, self love and body imagery, it’s pretty hard not to listen.

Mel Wells, best-selling author, international speaker and eating psychology coach has devoted her life to the pursuit of good health, both inside and out.  

Get lost in her story—from her love affair with acting to finding true love within herself, learn how Mel transformed her life, business and mindset into a healthy, hearty and wholesome lifestyle that gets better with each passing day.

“If you are not taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of your business—I never prioritize my work over my health.”

In this episode we talk about:

  • how Mel got her first clients as a health coach
  • how she transitioned from doing one-on-one coaching to selling online courses and in-person retreats
  • how she grew her Instagram to more than 56,000 followers
  • AND Mel readily shares then number one thing in her business that she believes is *more* important than her Instagram account
Get well with Wells:
IG: @iammelwells
Facebook: @IAmMelWells
Twitter: @IAmMelWells
https://melwells.com

Check out her new book, Hungry for More, that came out last week! 

Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Spark a conversation! Say hello @alexbeadon on Instagram.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:00
In this episode, I’m talking to someone I love. Following on Instagram, Mel wells, we talked about how she got her first clients as a health coach, how she transitioned from doing one on one coaching to selling online courses and in person retreats. We talked about how she grew her Instagram to more than 56,000 followers. And Mel readily shares the number one thing in her business that she believes is more important than her Instagram account. Welcome to on purpose. Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lived? And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong. On purpose.

Wow, guys, episode number four of the podcast this isn’t. So before we dive into the podcast, I just want to share a few housekeeping items. So just be a little patient. The first one is, as promised one of my favorite reviews that you guys have left on the podcast. Remember, I’m trying to get 100 in the first week. So if you haven’t left your review yet, we’re running out of time, make sure to go and leave it as soon as you possibly can. It literally only takes two minutes. Okay, this one is from Jay T con JT comm says Alex’s new podcast is like having a conversation with a close friend. She hits on topics that I struggle with and helps provide clarity and real solutions. While being completely honest about her own path. She doesn’t just repeat catchphrases and content that’s already out there. She provides her own knowledge and experiences and that is solid gold to me. I’m excited about upcoming guests because I know Alex will only choose guests that can help us up level our lives and businesses. Thank you so much, JT Khan, I really appreciate it. Next, I want to give you guys a quick intro of who Mel is and why you should care about her. So Mel Wells is a health coach. But I look at her as more of an advocate for self love. She’s someone who I first stumbled upon on Instagram and the photos she shared of her freedom lifestyle on the beach, while running her business full time from Bali. That’s initially what captured my attention. But after I followed her, I started to see that there was so much more depth to her account than just pretty pictures. Mel is a woman who lives life totally on purpose. She’s a health coach, best selling author, and is now pursuing her career as an actress. So take a listen to this episode. I apologize in advance for the sound quality guys. When I recorded this, I knew nothing about audio. But the more we go into the podcast, the better the audio is going to become. When you’re done listening to this episode, definitely send me a message on Instagram and let me know what was your biggest takeaway? What was your biggest lesson? What was your favorite part? I really want to hear from you guys. And I want this to be a community right? So when you message me or posted to your story or whatever, just make sure that you’re tagging me sharing your biggest lesson from Episode Four. I’m then going to repost my favorite comments, and make sure to tag you as well. So this is win win for everyone. I really want us to build a strong community here with on purpose. Let’s dive into today’s episode. Mel, thank you so much for being on the podcast with me today. I’m so excited to have you.

Mel Wells 3:31
Yay. Thank you so, so much. It’s so good to be here.

Alex Beadon 3:36
So Okay, the first question that I asked everyone is, what do you find most nourishing about having your own business?

Mel Wells 3:45
What do I find most nourishing about my having my own business is being completely in charge of my calendar and being able to live live completely on my terms. I didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission to do whatever the hell I want with my life, which is great.

Alex Beadon 4:05
It’s a big plus. So I would love for you to just share with us your journey of like how you got to being fully self employed. And you know, did you start off with a nine to five job like, how did you end up here?

Mel Wells 4:19
Yeah, so my first passion was acting and the performing arts. So I was an actress on a soap opera for a few years when I was 18. And when I left the soap opera, acting work wasn’t really that kind of available to me. So I kind of fell into doing commercials and bits of modeling and when you are working as a model you well I mean, at least for me, I was working with lots of different agencies at one time. So that kind of got me into feeling really good of being in charge of like calendar because I could decide the jobs that I wanted to take on the days that I wanted to work and when to say no, like that was kind of, in my hands. You know, the industry I didn’t love. I didn’t love what I was doing, though. But the one thing that I did love about it was the fact that I was the one, you know, basically in charge of my schedule, which I really liked. And when I decided to start my business, it was because I, basically, my dad fell, Ill really suddenly, he had pancreatic cancer, and it spreads to the liver really fast. And so he was given four months to live. Wow, that obviously completely changed everything for me. And I suddenly started becoming really, really interested in health and nutrition. And, you know, essentially disease prevention. But I mean, this was really personal for me, because my whole teens and early 20s, I been living with an eating disorder, like throughout the acting world that I was in the modeling, like, I had bulimia, and it was like, it was pretty severe. But I was I was quite in denial of it. And I think when my dad got earlier obviously made me really think shit, I really need to look at a really need to turn this obsession with food into a healthy one. And so I decided to train as a health coach and and set up a coaching business. And yeah, it obviously started out very part time because it was just like, in my mind, I still wanted to be an actress, that was my thing. And it was just a way for me to spread a message that I was really passionate about, really because of my dad. And because of my own journey with with my relationship with food and my eating disorder, I wanted to heal that and share the journey. So it was never about me, I was making a lot of money modeling it was so it was never about me earning more money, it was just like, I’m really passionate about this, I really think more people need to need to know about looking after themselves. This was back in 2012. So like healthy living wasn’t really as as cool as it is now. So that was how it started. And it was just like, basically, I set up a little Facebook page, and it had like, you know, 2020 likes, and it was basically just me sharing like recipes and like nutrition information. And as I progressed and as my personal journey with food progressed, I realized that to heal, disordered eating, it’s not about nutrition at all. It’s actually about psychology and self love and self development work and mindset work. And so that has become now years later, what I’m really invested in and what I now would say that I am an expert in is psychology around food, body image, self love. So I’ve moved away from nutrition. And now I’m more focused on on that, on the psychology science side of things as that is what really helped me.

Alex Beadon 8:12
I love how you said that. When you first started becoming a health coach, you were already making so much money from being a model that like it really didn’t matter. It’s just like something that you were kind of doing because you felt called to do it. Do you think that that really helped kind of propel you because something that I see often is, you know, people are struggling with money, they put so much emphasis on this thing having to work that it creates resistance. So I would love to hear your take on that. Like, what do you think the effect of that was for you? And also, how long did it take for you to make the transition where you were like, Okay, I’m done with modeling?

Mel Wells 8:48
Yeah, yeah, I mean, with with the modeling stuff, it is like, it was quite, it’s quite full on. So you could be like, there’s a lot of traveling. So I would be in the car for like four hours a day to get like to get like two hours to get somewhere, you know, a four hour job and then like two hours to get home. And so like I spend a lot of the time driving so I would listen to you know, I’ve listened to I would do like courses and audio stuff. Like while I was on the road basically. I did like my did like B school and that kind of thing when I was you know very much still just doing modeling stuff. And so yeah, I mean, I would say I would say that the drive it was just about the message like it wasn’t it wasn’t obviously like you want to make money from it but like I guess I didn’t even realize when I started that this could you know this could lead to me being financially more secure or more free. hadn’t even really occurred to me it was just like a Just want to get this message out there. So that I mean, I didn’t have, I didn’t have like a savings or anything like that. So I did kind of pretty much start with nothing. So even though I was earning, I was earning pretty well for modeling, it was still like, I was still spending it or like, I didn’t have like, savings or anything, I didn’t have like, Oh, I’m going to start a business and put all this money into it. So I was doing everything by myself, really. I couldn’t afford anyone to guide me a website. So I built my own website to start with, and it was terrible. But I started taking on clients. And yeah, I was doing, I was taking on clients one to one, and did that part time. Three years before I went full time. And when I went full time, it was 2015. So maybe it was, maybe it was me, I was doing like clients part time for two years. And I went full time in 2015. And it was like January, the first like a New Year’s resolution was like, what I’m doing is on January, the first I’m going to email all of my agencies and say, right, stop putting me forward for anything, I quit the end. I just knew that if I did that, I had to go full, fully in play full out. Because when you’ve got one foot in and one foot out of your business, it’s like you can only grow so fast. And I was experiencing that I knew that I wanted to create an online course I wanted to write a book, I knew that I was getting amazing results with the women that I was working with. And I was like, I’m so passionate about this. I hate modeling. Like I’m literally just doing it now because it pays. So I’m just gonna say, you know, that’s it no more. So I made the transition. When I already I was already taking on clients, I was probably making about 1500 pounds a month. So it wasn’t a lot. But I knew that I could live off it. And I knew that that push would really help propel me because you’ve got nothing else to lean on. You should just fully in and that’s a different level of commitment, then you really step up for yourself, don’t you?

Alex Beadon 12:15
Yeah, so for someone who’s in their first three years of running their business, but they’re not yet full time, I would love for you to share, like what do you think was like the big light bulb moment? Or like the thing that was missing for you that really allowed you to get to that full time space?

Mel Wells 12:32
Hmm. In terms of what I was earning, or in terms of like,

Alex Beadon 12:38
entire, like what you were doing, like, what what did you start doing that you weren’t necessarily doing before that helped you get full time that you would that? Or maybe it was like a mindset shift? Or I don’t know what it was for you that was like, Oh, this is what I’ve been missing? That hasn’t allowed me to get to full time yet? Or do you think it was just like you were just progressing in that direction, and that there was really no big.

Mel Wells 13:02
I mean, I mean, it was all I could think about every day, for a start off. So like I knew that it was my, I knew that it was my calling, I knew that it was what I needed to do. And the more I the more I felt that the better that I better that I felt. And the more I started to just really like, like the old job that just dropped away. Really organically. Like I just didn’t want to do it at all. And as soon as I started feeling like, you know, actually, I am earning enough to transition. Then I felt like I’ve just got to take the leap. And I think it was having that confidence of like, even if I fail at this, I know that I’ve really listened to my gut and listen to my soul. Even if I fail at this, like I have, I know that it’s what I need to at least give it 100%. And I think if you don’t give it 100% You’ll never know. So if you’re still holding on to like bits of old work, it’s like, you can do that for so long. But if you really want to propel your business, you’ve got to go full, fully in in terms of something practical that I did. I had a bit of a block around giving people free sessions. I was like, why would I do that people got to pay me and

Alex Beadon 14:24
the other way around. Normally people are like, I don’t want people to pay me I’ll just give it to them for free.

Mel Wells 14:31
I was like pay me like I thought what a waste of time getting for free. And I worked with a coach and you know it was I didn’t have much money. So it was like you know, I only spent like about 560 pounds, which was a lot of money to work with a coach back then I’m not invested in any coaching or anything at that stage. And she basically said to me send out an email. And you know, you had a small list, obviously send out an email and say you’re going to give away, you know, 15, free coaching sessions. I was like, What the hell? Why would I do that? I’ve got time for that. You know? And obviously, it’s such a thing when you’ve been running your business for a while, you know, that, obviously, you have to do that in order to, you know, it’s a great way to get clients. And yeah, you know, when I did that, I think I had like, 13 people sign up. And suddenly I was like, I don’t have time. I don’t have time for modeling. Like, I’ve got to do this, these clients. And so

Alex Beadon 15:39
was it that like, you got them onto a free call. And then at the end, you sold them? So there was like, a sales conversation at the end?

Mel Wells 15:46
Yeah, but it was it was essentially like it wasn’t I. I’m not a sales person. I’m not like, I wouldn’t say that. It was a sales call. It was a free coaching call where value

Alex Beadon 16:01
call you were giving? Yeah, exactly. And then at the end, having like a call to action. It was basically

Mel Wells 16:09
like, yeah, an hour of my time, we can do whatever you want in an hour, we can work through some stuff. And then at the end, like, literally in the last 10 minutes, it was like, if you want to continue this, we can work together for the next three months. This is the price. And most of them said yes.

Alex Beadon 16:27
Wow. That’s awesome.

Mel Wells 16:29
Yeah. And so then I was like, wow, this is this is a little secret. So I’m gonna do this more often. And so before I knew it, my whole calendar was booked up. And that kind of gave me the confidence to quit the modeling, because I was like, I can make this money from sitting at home doing what I love, like, Yeah, it’s awesome. Yeah.

Alex Beadon 16:48
Oh, tell us about, you know, you got started doing the one on one coaching, how have your offerings evolved to where they’re at today? Like, what do you offer today?

Mel Wells 17:00
It evolved really quickly, because I realized that, you know, from doing the free coaching session upfront, I could easily book up very fast. And so my calendar was packed. And to the point where I was doing like, you know, obviously different time zones, and everything I was spending at one point, like seven hours a day on Skype. Because I just wanted to just I didn’t want to say no to a new client. I didn’t want to say like, I didn’t want to say I’m full. So I was just like, Yeah, of course, like, let’s do it. And I didn’t want to lose them as such. So I just booked everyone. And to the point where I was just completely over. Yeah, it was just too much. There’s another lesson that I learned. But I, obviously the more people that you work with, you really understand your client’s struggles and how like how they get through them. And I started to, obviously, the trainings that I was doing at the same time in business, I was doing courses and all this kind of stuff, I started, you know, obviously, becoming someone that was used to doing online courses, and I was like, I can do, I could do an online course hang on a minute, I could make an online course for what I’m teaching these women because it’s the same stuff that is coming up all the time. And, you know, I’m not seeing many people doing online courses in what I’m teaching, but why wouldn’t I do that. But I think I can do this. And so I started getting to work on writing and creating an online, essentially, like an online transformation program that was digital where I could do live calls, but with groups. So that became like, my, my mission in between those two things. I did a few group coaching programs as well. So worked with like, six or seven people at a time. And that was great. But when I like when I created the course, which is the Academy, which has now had over 100 people come through it. That was like my aim was that was to get to create a course that felt like people were working with me one to one covered all bases, but you know, lots of homework, very in depth. And, and yeah, that launched for the first time in 2015. And that obviously created a lot of freedom for me. And it meant that I could work with a lot of people at once for a much smaller price than what the one to one was. So yeah, and then on top of that, I do retreats, which I really love. I definitely will keep doing retreats and live events because for me working with people actually in person for like a real immersion is like the best I like to work with people like, I take women out to Bali and we do like a week retreat there. I’m doing one in the Maldives this September. And to me that is my favorite favorite way to work with people, I think you get such incredible results when you are fully immersed in something so much better than that, you know, obviously people i Obviously I do still do one to one clients, and I love working with people one to one. But I mean, I know personally for me, I learned the best when I’m fully immersed in something like under there physically there for a long period of time, like seminars, like I just went to a Tony Robbins seminar, for example. And then for four days, 12 hours a day, I’m like fully in there. And that to me is like, I just will never stop doing that, because it’s my favorite way to learn. Yeah,

Alex Beadon 20:47
that’s incredible. I feel so good about everything that you just shared with us. So what’s interesting to me as well about the retreats is that if you look at the amount of time, effort and energy that’s going into your retreats versus the online course, you would say that the online course is definitely like you’re getting more of a return on your investment, right. But regardless, like you’re still doing these retreats, because you just they they nourish you so much. So I just love that you

Mel Wells 21:16
shot them lately. I’m obsessed with them. I’m obsessed with them, like spending time with these women in person is so incredible. And everyone transforms. It’s like there’s any you know, technology’s incredible, but like, real, you know, real life being there and, and really being there. And yeah, there’s nothing like, so I’m no, I’m not planning on giving that up anytime soon.

Alex Beadon 21:45
That’s awesome. Okay, so I would love for you to share with us a boundary that you have recently added to your business or to your life that you think has made a really big difference, because I was hearing you speak before about how you were doing like seven hours on Skype every day. And I was like, That was at a time in your business when you didn’t have those boundaries in place. So I’m curious, like, what is a recent boundary that you’ve discovered that’s been super helpful for you?

Mel Wells 22:11
A recent boundary? Let’s say I don’t work with any more than five people one to one. Okay, cool. My retreats, I don’t have any more than 13 guests at anytime. Because any more than that, and I can’t get to know everyone, I find it difficult to really form intimate relationships with more than that. And I guess my phone, you know, I don’t look at my phone in the mornings until I have left the house. I used to be someone that just turned turn, like rolled over in bed, turn my alarm off. And straightaway, I’m like replying to Instagram, DMS. And I’ve made a new boundary for myself that I, you know, I meditate or I do my yoga in the morning, and I don’t actually start looking at my phone and clouds left the house and I’m walking down the streets. And that’s yeah, that’s been really good for me.

Alex Beadon 23:06
So marketing wise, what would you say is like the one. It could be a social media platform or like an activity that you do that you feel gives you the biggest return on your investment of time? What would you say that one marketing activity 100% Instagram

Mel Wells 23:22
story, and I know that you love it too, because you are like the coffee.

Alex Beadon 23:29
I’m so glad that you said that in a selfish way. But also because it’s just true. And like, it’s just true, like, part of the reason is because no one knows about it. No one’s really using it. So anyway,

Mel Wells 23:40
I’m like, we’re gonna we’re gonna, like really milk this at the moment. At the moment, not, not many people are using it properly. So, you know, let’s let if we know the secrets, if we know how to use it, let’s use it. But yeah, like everything that I’m ever doing any, any free content, I have any events that I’m selling tickets for retreats, videos, anything goes straight on Instagram story. I mean, as I said, I’ve just been at this seminar for four days. So I’ve not actually been story the last four days, but I usually will have like a strategy for story. And, you know, our aim to be putting free content up there. And then like, you know, a couple of times a week be selling something on there as well. But obviously, it doesn’t cost anything and you know those for I mean, that’s the channel that I hang out the most on myself. That’s the channel that I that I focus on building more than the others. And it’s just where my pizza, so I know that they’re watching my story and so I mix it up and I will share stuff that’s going on throughout my day but I will also share like what’s going on in my business free content they can get for redownload if they can get and then what events they can come and buy tickets for?

Alex Beadon 25:05
That’s awesome. So talk to me about your history with Instagram as a platform, like on the whole, because you have I don’t know how many followers you have, but it’s a lot like 10s of 1000s. Yeah, you have right now,

Mel Wells 25:19
I think 50 3000s.

Alex Beadon 25:20
That’s so much. So talk to you about like, your growth on Instagram. Like, what you were focusing on how it’s changed your feelings on Instagram. I’d love to know more about that.

Mel Wells 25:31
Yeah, I’m good. I love it. I mean, for me, I need to wean myself off. Because you can just lose yourself Kenyan on that channel. So what is the question? Like?

Alex Beadon 25:47
When do you start, we’ll go step by step. When did you start taking Instagram? Seriously, like, when were you like, oh, I should be, you know, taking really good pictures and making sure that my captions are on point, like, when did you start taking it seriously.

Mel Wells 26:01
Um, probably a couple of years ago, I started to notice that it was growing much faster than my Facebook was. And I think I’d always been, you know, focusing on growing my Facebook likes, and then as soon as I realized that Instagram was growing faster, and I noticed that the women that are in my program, Instagram on it, I was like, Well, I’m just gonna focus it plus I love you know, obviously, I had a history and modeling. So like, I’m, I’m a fan of good photography, like, I appreciate good photos. And so

Alex Beadon 26:34
that’s so true. So it came easily to that’s so true. So yeah, give the people listening, like three main tips of what you think helped your account to grow quite quickly, what would those three tips be?

Mel Wells 26:47
Store storytelling, I think is the most important tool that I have. used, I think, when I approach when I think if I approach a poem, like writing a post, and I kind of don’t put much thought into it, or I mean, obviously, there’s a balance, like, I never spend hours writing a capsule or anything like that, if I’m doing that, then I’m just like, I’m just forcing it, I’m not, I’m not gonna do this. Usually, it comes through very easily, and I can write a caption in about 10 minutes. And then it’s, it’s done. But storytelling, I think, like, when I bring my own personal stories into things, they just connect through the phone a lot, a lot more than, than me trying to educate people, I think. I don’t know if that’s like a if that’s like an age thing. But I personally feel that I mean, I’m sharing, I am sharing lessons from my, from my teachings from my books and everything like that. But I but I tend to connect with people more when I just share my my personal stories and my vulnerabilities, I guess I’m things that I have overcome in my life that has what is probably connected with people the most just being just being real, I guess. Yeah, I think, you know, we all we all just want the real stuff. That’s, that’s the truth. So as much as the I think it’s important that your photos are beautifully, you know, done and everything like that, I think it’s the truth in the writing is really important.

Alex Beadon 28:33
So me I like to tell people is like always ask them, like, how easy would it be for someone else to have created the same picture or created the same caption and if it’s easily replicable, then you should probably go with something else. So I like that. I’m curious as well about, because I think a lot of people who are getting started in business, they really get obsessed with their social platforms. So I’m curious, I want to ask you, what has How important has your email list been for your business?

Mel Wells 29:05
But there’s nothing more important than your email list is? Like, definitely, you know, if you’re gonna really focus on using social media, use it to get people on your email list. Yeah,

Alex Beadon 29:20
that has that always been a part of like your social media strategies, like get people on your Instagram and then convert them onto your email list?

Mel Wells 29:29
Yeah, of course, because like email is where you know, your more personal conversations are happening and where you can actually run sequences and launches and things like that. Yeah, I think since I started my business, I’ve always known that your email list has to come first. That was kind of drilled into me and baseball but it’s so tempting. Very tempting to just sell on social media and think that, you know, but I’ve seen, I’ve seen people run their businesses through social media and now they’ve got loads of followers, but they’re not ever getting any email addresses. And I just I think, Oh, what are you doing? followers don’t that don’t actually matter, you know,

Alex Beadon 30:13
and it can be taken away from you at any moment, just like my YouTube channel. So I was growing my YouTube channel for like seven years. And then I woke up one day and it was gone.

Mel Wells 30:22
How did that happen? How does things like that happen? That’s crazy.

Alex Beadon 30:26
I know, it was a technical fault on Google Apps end, I think that it was such an old account that the way it was initially set up was just not done properly. Anyway. Yeah, it’s it’s gone. But it’s a great lesson, because it’s just such a good example of why you should always be bringing people over to your email list. So yeah,

Mel Wells 30:46
completely, and like there’s gonna be a new social app around soon, and you’re not in control of that for Yeah. Yeah.

Alex Beadon 31:00
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So I want to kind of shift now I feel like we’ve talked about strategy and marketing and social media and all that jazz. I want to talk to you about like, just life as an entrepreneur, I think you’re really interesting because you lived in Bali for a little bit, and then you picked up and you were like, Okay, actually, my true purpose or like, what I want to focus on right now is acting, so then you move to London to pursue your acting career. So I would love for you to talk to us about like, that must have been a really hard decision for you to make. And, yeah, that’s about that for a little bit, like having the actual freedom to be like, Okay, I’m gonna kind of shift gears a little bit. And what does that mean for your future in this direction?

Mel Wells 32:33
So, I mean, I guess, since my dad passed away, I’ve kind of been, I think, when when you lose power, and they change something in you, obviously. And I think I became a lot more like, I stopped caring what other people thought of me as much when he passed away, and I started being a lot more. If I want something, I’m just gonna go and get it and a lot more fearless. I guess, obviously, you’re never completely fearless. But I became a lot more fearless. And so when things get a little too comfortable, I need a new challenge. And my I mean, my business is doing well. I’m very, you know, blessed to say that, I decided to move to Bali, because I was doing the retreats out there. And I loved the place so much. And I saw so many, you know, digital nomads making it work. And I just thought, What a great lifestyle, I can do that, too. And I was out there for 18 months. And it was amazing. Like, I met the love of my life, like had such an incredible time in my life. But I had this breakthrough around Christmas that, you know, my original calling was acting and there was still a part of me that wanted to do that. And as much as you know, as part of my business, I get to make YouTube videos I get to be onstage and that is the stuff that I love. And I love that more than the business stuff. I love being the one that is speaking and because it is it feels like me in a way performing and reaching people with a message. And yeah, I kind of had this realization that if I hadn’t, you know, if I hadn’t, hadn’t eaten sort of hadn’t lost my dad, then I, then that was my original thing. That’s what I wanted to do originally. And it was really emotional for me because my life in Bali was so comfortable. And I could see a very clear path with my business and see where it was headed. And I thought you know what I’m, I’m really, I’m teaching personal development and I’m teaching people how to change their mindset around things and go after their dreams. And instead of telling people I’m going to actually just show them and I’m going to do it myself. And it was terrifying. Because like I said like life was so good in Bali and it’s it’s harder in London, it’s a lot more expensive. Um, you know, we’re living in a much smaller place, it’s called, you know, I’m going back into an industry that I’ve not been in for eight years. I feel like I’m starting from the beginning. But it scares me. And that’s why I’m doing it so hard to describe, but because it scares me, I’m doing it. And I’m also share, I decided to share that with my audience in a big way. Because I think we are living in a world where you don’t have to pick one thing, if you want to, you can do both. And I see like, a lot of great actresses that also have businesses, and I just decided that I wanted to, I wanted to somehow merge the two worlds. And it’s something that I’m also really passionate about is, I have worked with a lot of actresses as well, that struggle with eating disorders and body image, because obviously, it’s so much pressure. So that is something else that I’m really passionate about. So I want to kind of merge my two passions now. So yeah, it’s still quite fresh. But um, I think it’s important to kind of show the journey because it’s something that I feel like I’m starting again, almost, and almost really revisiting the place where I had quite a lot of trauma, I guess. But it’s kind of like, prove to myself how far I’ve come and how much I feel that I can just, I can go back into that world and do it for myself do it for my, my, the little inner child in me.

Alex Beadon 36:32
Yeah, I love as well that like you’re doing it again, as almost as a whole different person, you know, with new tools and like a new way of being so I just love I remember, I watched your live when you announced and I was like, Oh my gosh, I love it, because it’s so easy to get caught into like what you’re doing and like everything’s working, why change it. So

Mel Wells 36:56
it’s like the sort of the thought of going back into the acting world was so terrifying, that it brought up so much emotion in my body that I thought, well, that means that I’ve got to do it. Like, I can’t ignore that for the rest of my life. Obviously bring I wasn’t just like Matt No, it was like, I was in floods of tears. And that was when I knew that. Okay, if it makes if it brings up that much emotion in my body, I’ve obviously got some unresolved stuff there. So I’m gonna, I’m just gonna do it.

Alex Beadon 37:28
That’s interesting. Okay, I’d love to talk to you now about the hustle versus the flow. So like feminine energy versus masculine energy, and how that affects you how you prioritize each one in your business in your life. You seem like me quite like a masculine energy, like, get it done kind of girl. So I’m curious what your relationship with that has been?

Mel Wells 37:53
Ah, what a great question. Not having anyone’s ever asked me that before. Um, I mean, I, I am I do have quite a lot of masculine energy in my work. And it has got me a lot of it’s got its, you know, it’s helped me achieve a lot of success. But it’s I guess there’s a, there’s a balance, isn’t there? I mean, I, I love like, like I just said, with the acting like, I am motivated when things are hard. So I mean, it would, I know that it’s, you know, can say, oh, it can be easy. It can be easy, but sometimes easy. It’s not what you want, like, my life and by was so easy. And I was like, I’m too young for it to be easy. I’m not ready for it for an eat like I want the challenges. So I’m really, I’m motivated by it being a little bit more hard. Otherwise, where’s the growth? I think there’s elements in your business where you can be like, Wow, this is so easy. It’s just flowing through me. And it’s great. And I do think when things are really in alignment, you do you access that that flow state and you are in just complete flow, and it’s effortless, and it’s easy. But like that, for me, it’s like that is I don’t see the hustle energy as as negative. It doesn’t.

Alex Beadon 39:21
Yeah, so I think that like to just dive into that a little bit more. When you’re in that flow state, I don’t think it necessarily means that like it’s not challenging, or that you know, and I totally agree with you like the hustle. I think it’s gotten a really bad rap. But it’s it is a balance because it’s like you want to hustle but you don’t want to hustle yourself into the ground.

Mel Wells 39:44
Yeah, exactly. And I think when it starts to feel like you are doing that yourself, no, like not good. Take a step back and reevaluate. And I think what’s what is really important to me and As someone that obviously helps people with their health and their food is like, if you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of your business. So I never prioritize my work over my health, you know, so that, like, it always comes first for me to sleep a lot, meditate, do my yoga, you know, eat well, that if I don’t do those things, I am not showing up properly for my business anyway. So, for me, it’s like, I can’t even begin to think about hustling until I’m, until I’m taking care of myself. And giving myself a lot of, you know, a lot of sleep and you know, the things that I just the things that I just said. I guess it’s hard to it’s hard to describe, but I feel like when you are in that flow state, it’s almost like a, it’s like a blend of flow and hustle like a muscle. If you will, yes, that’s right. I just might. Like, you can have the relationship with hustle way, like, oh, I don’t, it’s not supposed to be hard. I don’t like hard work. And it’s supposed to be so easy, but it’s like, if it’s too easy, then you just feel like you just weren’t entitled, and there’s no challenge. There’s no growth. So I think you, you know, when people hear that, oh, you know, find the ease, find the flow. It’s like, I think it’s like, essentially, that could be training people to think that it’s never hard, or it shouldn’t ever feel hard. Which is just not true.

Alex Beadon 41:40
Yeah. So how do you keep yourself motivated when you have something really hard to work on? And maybe you’re feeling a little bit of resistance, and you’re like, oh, this thing is not going to be fun to do? How do you motivate yourself? Are you a naturally self motivated person? Talk to me about that.

Mel Wells 41:56
Um, I am quite naturally self motivated. But I always like, I’m always looking into the future. So I’m always, like, visualizing future. Like I like every day. Whether that is like, you know, next week, next month, like the end of the quarter, or the end of the year. If there’s something that I really don’t want to do, obviously, I do procrastinate and sit on the Instagram for a bit, pretending that it’s not there. But um, but essentially, what really motivates me to do tasks I don’t want to do is how it will impact my future and like how grateful I will be for it. When I look back,

Alex Beadon 42:38
so how clear would you say you are out of 1010? being super clear, and zero being not clear at all? How clear Are you on the vision of what it is that you’re moving towards and what it is that you want to create in your life?

Mel Wells 42:53
After this last four days, I would say 10

Alex Beadon 42:58
Robbins, Tony Robbins.

Mel Wells 43:01
I was gonna say I was struggling because I had such a clear vision for my business. And then this whole acting thing was completely thrown me off. And it’s made me feel like what the hell am I doing? Can I even do both? Is it possible to do both? Surely, you just got to go all in with one. So it’s, it’s been quite a confusing time for me. Like, am I allowed to do this? Should it just be something that I do is like, a couple of classes a week is like a hobby and not even try and pursue it again. But I just can’t really, I guess I can’t do that. Because I’m just not that kind of a person, I guess. So. But yeah, now I feel super clear in the I can blend the both worlds.

Alex Beadon 43:44
What do you think helped you through the 20 Robbins weekend or four day experience? What do you think was like the one thing or like a tip that you can give people listening to go home and do that’s going to actually help them get clear on their vision? Because that’s something I hear all the time from people is like, I just don’t know what I want. And I’m like, if you don’t have a vision, you don’t know what you’re working towards. Like you’re you’re running really fast going nowhere.

Mel Wells 44:08
Completely completely. And you end up going around in circles as well. Yes, you’re you’re I guess, like, the biggest thing is like you’re like why? Like why do you want to like, why do you want to go where you’re going like getting really clear where you’re going and and focusing on? Why it is that you that you want that. And an exercise that we did, which I find really incredible is it’s called closing the gap. I think he’s been doing it for many years. But essentially, you create a picture for where you want your life to be. Like the next level doesn’t matter if it’s like don’t put a timeframe on it, just call it the next level. Like where would what would my life look like if I was operating at the next level in every area of my life? And then create the picture for like where you are right now. Unless obviously in between, you’ve got like this gap. And he talks about closing the gap. So what do I need to do to close that gap? And basically bring those two completely together into the present moment? So obviously, electrically download, okay, what am I doing to close that close that close the gap, and then you end up with an action plan. And I think, you know, I’m always writing out my goals, like all the time, life goals, business goals, one month, three months and a year, and oftentimes, the things that I write out for a year, I get them done in a few months, because I’m just writing them out so much that I start making steps forward towards them. It’s almost like I do it unconsciously, because it’s just in my in my body, and, and I start accomplishing those faster than I, I thought that I was going to say, like, writing down your goals is so important. And the more you do it, the clearer you will declare, you look at, oh, something else I need to talk about, this is something that I’ve been kind of going through recently, and is doing less, but more. Sorry, doing, that doesn’t make sense. doing less, but better. Okay. So like, since I came back to London, I’ve got like a lot of my customer bases here. And then a lot of my followers and clients are here in London. And so since I came back, there’s been so many opportunities for me to speak at things or, you know, loads of podcasts things and but it’s like in person things like interviews. And I realized that I was saying yes to so much. And it meant that my big goals and dreams that I was writing down for my vision, were getting pushed back and pushed back, or I wasn’t having time for them, because I was filling my day full of, you know, writing articles and doing interviews and like so much stuff that actually wasn’t moving me forward. It was just filling up a lot of time. And so I kind of resolved to do less, but better. So okay, what are the things that I’m really passionate about doing? What are the things that I’m just doing? Because I think I should or that someone in my audience wants me to? Or, you know, I had an email, so I really shouldn’t say yes to it. Because I just started saying, you know, what, if I’m not yes about it, then I’m not going to do it. Because it’s just, it’s just distraction. And it’s not actually, you know,

Alex Beadon 47:39
really bring you forward. I

Mel Wells 47:40
want I think I can’t remember who said it. I don’t know, if it’s Warren Buffett, I think it might be him, but basically said like, the most successful people are saying no to 99% of things that they that they get come through. And I think, you know, when you start to get traction in your business, and you know, you will get loads of people email you saying, Can I interview you for my blog? Can I interview you, if my podcast is only just started? I don’t really, you know, have that much traction? And it’s like, you feel obliged to say yes to everything. Because you think, Oh, well, you know, it’s good to you know, and you’d be surprised how much doing all of that stuff takes you away from your mission.

Alex Beadon 48:23
Amen. Love it. Okay, so to wrap up this amazing interview, I have a few questions that I’m going to be asking you that I asked everyone. So the first one is, what is the one thing that you do that has been a non negotiable in the success of your business?

Mel Wells 48:45
One thing that I do that has been non negotiable in the success of my business, hiring good people.

Alex Beadon 48:53
Share a mindset shift that made the biggest difference in your life as an entrepreneur.

Mel Wells 49:10
I would say yeah, kind of in a similar vein, like work, work on what your strengths are. And then the stuff that is your weakness, outsource it.

Alex Beadon 49:22
Fill in the blank, the world would be a better place if more people knew

Mel Wells 49:27
how to love themselves.

Alex Beadon 49:30
That changed my life was oh, the

Mel Wells 49:34
book that changed my life was well, conversations with God.

Alex Beadon 49:39
That is such a good book. That’s one of my and lastly, I want you to challenge our audience to do something this week. So to take one action or to focus their energy in one direction. What is what is it that you would like to challenge our audience to do for this week?

Mel Wells 49:57
I would like to challenge you guys to You write out your goals. So, a lot of time, write out what what you want to have accomplished.

Alex Beadon 50:11
Thank you so much. You’re amazing. And I loved hearing everything that you have to say you’re so awesome. Before I let you go, I would love for you to let everyone know where they can find you online.

Mel Wells 50:25
Yes, of course. My website is malwarebytes.com and I’m hanging out on Instagram of course at I am Malwarebytes thank you so much Mal. Thanks, Dave. That was lovely.

Alex Beadon 50:43
Thank you so much for tuning into the on purpose podcast and I really hope that you had as much of a blast as we did. If you liked what you heard and want even more, make sure you leave a review because it really helps support what I do here on the podcast. All you have to do is search the podcast app for the on purpose podcast, select it then scroll down until you see write a review and then type away at the beginning of the next episode. I will be picking one review one special review My favorite review of the week and I will be reading it out for all of you guys so you definitely don’t want to miss out on that. I hope you really enjoy your week and I will see you guys again next time stay on purpose.

 

#001 – Welcome to My New Podcast: “On Purpose With Alex Beadon” – Balancing Hustle With Well Being

I’m so happy to announce that my podcast is FINALLY HERE, and today I’ve got Episode 001 for you!

In this episode I welcome you to the On Purpose with Alex Beadon Podcast. We talk about *why* I decided to name it “On Purpose with Alex Beadon” and I share exactly what I hope the podcast becomes for you.

Once we get over the introductions, I dive deeper into what’s been present for me this week in my business and life including:

  • Why I decided to hire my BFF as my operations manager
  • The sacrifices I’ve been making due to my commitment to success
  • How to enjoy your life when you’re hustling and putting in the work
  • What I’ve been doing behind-the-scenes of our Evergreen Funnel
  • Why I’ve been turning to Amanda Bond for all things Facebook Ads
  • The downsides of unrealistically high expectations
  • The one part of the podcast that we had to re-do
  • The important thing to remember when you’re in hustle mode
  • One simple change I’ve made since being in hustle mode to make sure I’m taken care of
  • The importance of discerning what’s a productive use of your time and what’s not
  • Why I don’t subscribe to society’s definition of “productive”
  • What I’m most excited for this week (Laura’s visit!)
  • What I’ve been doing with IGTV and what I’ll be doing with it moving forward

QUOTABLES:

“This is the thing about business that I love so much…. You’re taking leaps of faith, really hoping that things are going to work out the way you want them to work out… and simultaneously you have to be strong enough that when you take that leap of faith and it doesn’t work out that you remain grounded and unaffected.”  – Alex Beadon

“I’m such a ‘done is better than perfect’ person” – Alex Beadon

“Whenever I’m in a period of hard work, showing myself compassion and kindness is rule number one.” – Alex Beadon

“You have a bodyguard at the front of your mind… Just because a thought comes in does not mean it has any validity. You choose the thoughts you want to believe in.” – Alex Beadon

When you’re done listening, make sure to head on over to our Podcast Page and LEAVE A REVIEW! We have a goal to get 100 reviews within the first 7 days and I NEED YOUR HELP in order to make it happen, so be sure to subscribe, leave a review and then tell your friends 😉

P.S. Loved this and want more? Check out our other episodes here.

Transcript Available Below

Alex Beadon 0:02
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to balance it all, nourishing your health while growing your business and living a life well lift. And no matter how hard you try, sometimes you slip from purpose driven into autopilot. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s get you back to where you belong on purpose.

Hello, friends, it is Alex Beadon here and I am so excited because you were listening to episode number one of my brand new podcast called on purpose. I’m so excited that you’re here that you’re listening. Like I said, this is the very first episode. And so in this episode, I really just want to introduce myself, introduce the podcast and then dive into podcast number one. So in this episode, I’m going to be talking to you all about how to deal with your life when you’re working super hard and when to accomplish your goals. It requires a lot of hustle. So I talk about my experience with dealing with that intense hustle season of my life. But before we dive into all of that goodness, I really just want to introduce you to the podcast and really give you a good idea of what it is all about. So I created on purpose as a way to have the types of discussions that light me up the most, I’m someone who really enjoys meaningful conversations, conversations that really get down to the core of who someone is, what matters most to them, and what it is that they are trying to create with their lives. I believe that it is an honor to be alive and breathing here on this planet. And I believe that we all have a responsibility to show up as our best selves. And to leave this planet better than when we found it. I want this podcast to be a part of your weekly routine that really helps fuel you to be that best version of yourself that really helps you think outside of the box see things from a new perspective, and allows you to see what is truly possible for you. The reason why I decided to call it on purpose is because it has a double meaning. Firstly, you know how you can say like, you can do something on purpose like you do it. Purposely you do it with intention, oh, yeah, I did that on purpose, right. And then there’s also on purpose, which means like the actual word purpose, which has more to do with meaning and fulfillment and being aligned with whatever it is that you believe the purpose of your life is, right. So I love that it takes both of these meanings. And it kind of brings them together, both about taking action on purpose, doing something on purpose, like actually choosing your destiny. And then at the same time, choosing a destiny and taking all of those action steps to make sure that they are in alignment with the end result with whatever it is that you want your legacy to be. It’s about thinking big picture enough to make sure that you’re steering your ship in the right direction. And it’s about thinking small picture enough to make sure that you’re actually doing it with intention that you are in alignment with the person and human being that you want to be. So that’s why I decided to call it on purpose. And it really does define the way that I live my life. And the way that I want to show up in the world is both on purpose and on purpose. This podcast has two weekly episodes, you will get a solo episode on the Monday and a guest interview on the Thursday. Now the solo episodes are really just an opportunity for you and me to connect and get to know each other better. So it’s a place for me to really open my doors to what is going on in my life and business to share with you what has been on my mind that week what I’ve been struggling with what’s been awesome. I think that there’s just so much room in this online space for people to be more vulnerable. And for people to be more authentic. And to really share the nitty gritty, it’s so easy to like go on Instagram and look at someone’s highlight reel and be like, Wow, their life is so amazing. I wish I could be more like them. And it’s so much more nourishing to hear that same person have real life conversations about what is legitimately happening in their life at that very moment. That to me, those types of episodes that I listen to where people are really real, honest and authentic. Those are the ones that I learned the most from, those are the ones that I get the most inspiration from. And so I wanted to create a space where I can have those moments with you, my audience, and then the guest interviews are going to be more about you know, someone’s life really getting to know a creator or a business person or whoever it may be not only getting to know them but also deep diving into like what’s worked for them what hasn’t worked for them. Each one of those episodes is really there to help you walk away feeling inspired, motivated and having learned something that you didn’t know previously. For those of you wondering who I am. My name is Alex Beadon. I’ll tell you a little bit about me. I’m a business coach, and I’ve been doing business coaching now for past five years, and I have loved every single second of it. I’m the kind of person who can just get lost in conversation about entrepreneurship, small business, social media, building a brand, online marketing, all of those things really excite me and light me up. And at the same time, I would say, What makes me super different is that I’m also just as passionate about your mindset and about what’s going through your mind, how are you treating yourself, what’s your energy, self care, self love, all of those things, to me are just as important, and are just as much of a piece of the puzzle as the strategic side of things. So in this podcast, you’re definitely going to get a strong mixture of both, you’re going to get the strategy and you’re going to get the energy and the mindset side of things to one day, I will definitely take you through my full life story and tell you all about my career and how I got to where I am today. But really, all you need to know right now at this very moment in time is that I’ve created this podcast, to be someone who is alongside this journey with you. I’ve actually never had a real job ever since I graduated from college back in 2010. I have been someone who has been 100% self employed, which is something that I’m really proud to say. And I think it also just shows how dedicated and committed I am to figuring this entrepreneurial journey out. And it fascinates me how every single business owner that I run into does it differently and makes it work for them. And to me, that’s what is so fascinating about the entrepreneurial journey, especially as we move into a time where we have the internet, we have access to so many tools at such small cost that can really help us leverage our voice, leverage our message, leverage our products and services. So to me, like being alive at this time is such an honor. And I want to create a platform here on the podcast where we can have really interesting conversations that help support you in your journey of entrepreneurship. One of the things that I stand for the most is that it’s not just about the end goal, it’s not just about hitting that profit goal. It’s not just about getting your business to that specific level or being featured in that magazine. It’s about the journey, if you are not enjoying the journey of entrepreneurship, you’re doing it wrong. And so that’s really what this podcast is all about. It’s about being on purpose, doing things strategically. And also making sure that you are in alignment with the legacy that you want to ultimately leave behind. It’s about creating your own version of success, and being able to define that version of success for yourself. And it’s also about learning to make it happen in a way that’s enjoyable. Like I said, it’s all about the journey. It’s not just about that end goal. Like I said, What matters to me just as much as the end result of creating whatever success it is that I want to create in my life and my business. It also matters so much that I enjoy the journey that I create a life that is worth living. And so to me, that’s what the solo episodes are really about. It’s a place for me to really like connect with you and show you the more of the journey and less of like, oh, this is what I accomplished, or this is what I did. I really want to open the doors and be like, Okay, this is what one right? This is what went wrong. Here’s a failure that I experienced this week. Here’s something I struggled with this week, because like I said, like I have learned the most from people who are open and that kind of way where they’re bringing you into more of like the daily behind the scenes thoughts that are actually running through your brain. So I really, really do hope that you enjoy this format. And I’m so excited to just experience the process of this podcast because I know the further we go into this podcast, the more I’m going to learn from you guys what you like, what you don’t like what’s helpful, what’s not helpful. I’m really excited to watch this podcast morph into something that I can say I’m super proud of. And something that you guys can say confidently is a non negotiable part of your week. Like that’s really what I’m trying to create here is an audio experience that guides you that makes you feel aligned. And that makes you feel as though you’re creating something that you can be proud of. So I really hope that this podcast helps support you in not only creating a very successful and profitable business, but also help support you along the journey in the moments where you feel like oh my gosh, what am I doing? Is this the right step? I failed again what is happening? Like that’s what this podcast is for. So I just want to say thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. This is just the very first episode we have so much more to come. And it is an honor to be here by your side for this journey. Thank you for being here with me. So before we jump into today’s episode, I just want to say a huge thank you for being here with me like for any of you guys listening to this, you were probably my ride or dies and I just want to say I appreciate you guys and love you so much. And I just think it’s so much fun to be on this journey together.

So much of what I do is for you, I have so much respect for you as a person as someone who is a business owner and I know that most of you listening to this are so aligned with everything that I just spoke about, about this podcast, the name of the podcast of just living a life that is on purpose. It is just such an honor to be able to connect with you in this way. And I’m really looking forward to it. Let’s dive in, shall we? Okay, so what has been present for me this week, there’s a lot going on in my business right now. So let me just like get you guys up to speed. I just at the beginning of this year, really focused on launching Grand Slam, which I believe we launched at the end of March, beginning of April. And my goal was to make $60,000. Like, that was what it was that we were aiming for, we ended up making $100,000, right. So we ended up making way more than I was hoping or expecting to make. And it put me in this really interesting position where I was like, okay, like, I need to figure out what I’m gonna do with all of this money and how I’m going to wisely redirected back into my business. Previously, whenever I make large sums of money, to be quite honest with you guys, I just kind of like spread it out over as many months as I possibly can. I just live on it. And like that, just kind of what it has always been like, and now I’m at this point where I’m like, No, I want the business to grow. And in order for the business to grow, I need to reinvest back into the business. So the first thing I did was I got clear on what, what was it that was that I was spending the most of my time on, that was really holding me back from the activities that I love. So I sat down and I wrote a list of like, okay, what are the things that I love doing? What are the things that I could spend all day doing? What are the things that I wish I was spending all day doing? And those that list is really like creative things like I am, I used to be a photographer, guys, that’s how I got into all of this. i My career started off as a photographer. So creativity is so important to me, feeling self expressed is so important to me. So I was like, Okay, I know that I want to spend more time making content, like these, like this podcast, and more videos, and I want to spend more time on Instagram. And I want to spend time like actually connecting to my audience, finding out what it is that they’re struggling with, so that I can be of the highest service to them, right. So like, that was really where I wanted to be spending most of my time. And then when I looked at where I was actually spending my time, it was a very different story. I was spending hours every day just like checking on like, where are we? What needs to get done, and just evaluating like, the priorities of tasks, it was just taking me such a long time. And it’s not my strong point. It wasn’t something I was enjoying, it was something that I was doing, honestly, because it had to be done. So I decided that I was going to add someone to the team. Keep in mind at that point, I already had one full time employee called Katherine. And we had been working together for about a year and you know, had a really good working relationship. And, you know, she’s really in charge of the visual elements. So like the graphics, she’s also in charge of a lot of the behind the scene tech stuff. So I had all of those bases covered, thank God, but I really wanted to bring someone in who could think strategically with me and help me plan and help us basic raise our levels of productivity, and keep an eye on our end goals, where we are what needs to get done. And also fill in any of the blanks like really, this. We’re at the stage in the business where like, there are so many things that need to get done. Every single person on the team needs to be flexible. They need to be able to do multiple things. You’re like when you come and work for Alex bieden you need to be multitalented, right. So I was looking for this perfect person. And immediately the first person that came to mind is my best friend Laura. So to give you the backstory, Laura and I have been best friends since the fifth grade since we were 10, which is insane. We went to the same middle school in Venezuela. And we have been best friends ever since. She actually helped me launch one of my very first courses, online courses, which was called feel good blogging, we launched it back, I believe it was like 2013 2014 that we started working together. And ever since we work together, at that period of time, it was always my dream to hire her because I just realized like, this is someone who I can trust, like hands down not only trust in a way of like, she’s not going to spill my secrets or like that type of trust, but also a type of trust where it’s like, I know that she is not relying on me to to like connect the dots for her. I remember we were launching feelgood logging back in maybe 2020 1420 13. And there was something that needed to get done. And I had forgotten to tell her that it needed to get done. And when I remembered that I forgotten to tell her and I brought it up to her. She was like, Oh yeah, I already took care of that. And that just blew me away. Because I was like, wow, like you’re actually thinking five steps. 10 steps ahead. She’s super organized. She’s really on top of things. And ever since we worked together, back then I was like, Dude, this is the person who I need to bring into my business full time to really help with operations. So fast forward, you know, five years. And here I was making this decision, like, is this an investment that I that I’m ready to make, right. And this is the thing about business that I love so much is that it’s always like this weird mixture between you’re taking leaps of faith, really hoping that things are going to work out the way that you want them to work out. And simultaneously, you have to be strong enough that when you take that leap of faith, and it doesn’t work out, that you’re that you remain unaffected, that you remain grounded, right. So we had the conversation, obviously, I need to pay her a full time salary, she’s like, I don’t know if you can afford me, we had the conversation. She gave me a number that she wanted. And I was like, You know what, it’s a really big number. But I’m gonna go for it. Because I feel like you know, it’s just, it’s not, we’re never like, we need to, we need to jump in at some point, we need to jump in, even if I don’t feel 100% Ready, and we need to figure it out and make it work. So this is Laura’s, I believe this is Laura’s third week working with us, or we might be into week four right now. And it has just been amazing. Like, it’s so nice to have someone who is really super organized, which is something that I’m horrible at. But at the same time, you know, it’s also one of those things where someone doesn’t get used to working with you for like, I would say a good six months, like, it’s not really until that six month mark that you’re out maybe like four to six months where you’re really feeling in flow with someone. So we’re just going through that period of time where we’re getting used to each other getting used to working with each other. And it’s also just really exciting because there is so much that needs to get done in order for us to keep her in the company and in order for us to be able to afford to keep her so because there’s so much that needs to get done. And because we are literally constrained by time, my to do list just feels like it has never been so long. Like I was speaking to Laura. And I was like dude, I feel like ever since you’ve joined, it has just been non stop. And here’s the thing, guys, this is really what I want to speak to you guys about today is that in your business, you’re gonna go through seasons, you’re gonna go through seasons, where it does require you to wake up super early and work almost all night. And you’re going to have to make some sacrifices and not go out to whoever’s birthday party, or you’re going to have to miss some time down the islands, which is something that we do here in Trinidad. Everyone goes on a boat, they go down the islands, it’s basically like you’re on this boat in the middle of the ocean, or sometimes we go to people’s houses. But like, last weekend or two weekends ago, everyone went down the islands. And I was like, Nope, I’m staying at home because I’ve got things to do. And like, when I think about the big picture, right? It’s like, what are you willing to give up the short term sacrifices like, Oh, I’m not gonna go down the islands, which is something that, you know, we do quite regularly and something I’ve done what seems like a million times in my life and something that’s never gonna go away. And something that I can definitely choose to do the next time in exchange for the fact that like, I’m moving forward towards my goal. And I’m actually making things happen within my business that need to happen in order for me to reach that next level. And yes, there always is that next level, but you just have to know that like, okay, for me and my business right now, I’m really setting it up so that I don’t have to be working as hard as I’ve been working. Over the past seven years of running my business, I want to get to a stage where it’s super flexible, and I can decide to take lot days off, etc, etc. But at this stage of my business, it requires a lot of work, it requires a lot of hard work, it requires a lot of focus, it requires a lot of diligence. And that is 100% of what I’m willing to give to it. So it’s weird, right? Because it’s like you want to enjoy your life. That’s why you have your own business. But at the same time, in order for you to get to the next stage to get to the next level, a lot of times it requires you to put in the work. So that’s kind of where I’m at right now. It’s just this period of a lot of focus, a lot of hard work, a lot of laptop time, a lot of learning as well because I’m trying to learn a bunch of new things, really trying to take my business to that next stage where we have Grand Slam set up in an evergreen way so like this week, I’ve been working on Facebook ads I’ve been working on finalizing our evergreen funnel and really not even finalizing it it’s really that I’ve been working on like getting the bare bones of it set up I have to give a big shout out to my girl Amanda bond. If you’re looking for any help with your Facebook ads, she is my go to woman. She’s so knowledgeable in that area. So she’s just been such a great support system for me whenever I have a question I’m just like Amanda

What am I doing wrong? What’s happening and she’s just been super helpful. So I’m very, very grateful for that. But you He has been interesting to, I’ve learned so many new things about Facebook ads. One of them being that when you’re setting up your evergreen funnel, you should start at the end. This is something I learned from Amanda is that you should start at the final phase where it’s like you’re trying to convert sales, right? So you’re targeting the people who visit your sales page, and you’re sending them Facebook ads, so that they remember Oh, yeah, I went to that base. I went to that sales page. And I really did it. I was curious about Grand Slam. And now here are these ads on my Facebook feed that are prompting me to buy Grand Slams like that’s really what I’ve been focusing on this week, along with this launch of this podcast. Like, honestly, guys, I cannot wait until this podcast is live because it has been taking up. So much of my time. It is ridiculous. And again, one of those things where you have to hold space for the fact that like it is quite an annoying thing to have to work on. Especially before it’s live, especially when like, there’s so many different pieces of it that you’re trying to juggle. But at the same time remembering that like this is a long term play like this is not going to be this hectic forever. We’re launching a brand new podcast, we’re trying to get 100 reviews in the first week. So we have goals that we’re trying to accomplish. There’s podcasts that need to be recorded, there’s interviews that need to be edited, the intro had to be recorded. When we did the intro for the first time I hated it. And I was like no, like, I cannot press publish on this. And guys, I’m such like Done is better than perfect person. Like, I’m totally happy to press publish on something, even if I don’t think it’s the best thing ever. Because I realized that my expectations are impossibly high. And it’s just unrealistic. So like I’d much rather just press published and sit on something because it’s not perfect. But the first intro, I honestly hated it, I was like, this cannot be the intro to on purpose. Like, we have to have to have to redo this. So we edited the the intro, it sounds way better. Now. Now it’s at least at a place where I’m like, okay, I can put my name on this and feel proud about it, which is great. The important thing for me during this time has just been remembering to take care of myself, because I think when you’re working so hard, it’s really easy to get into a bad state of mind, where you’re just constantly being hard on yourself and be like, Oh, you didn’t get this done. You didn’t get that done. Whenever I’m in a period of of a lot of hard work compassion, showing myself compassion. And kindness is like rule number one, like, anytime a negative thought comes into my mind, I’m like, Nope, that is not allowed. It’s like you have a body guard, you know, like your whole body guard at the very front of your mind. Any thought that comes in, you’re like, let me judge whether you’re worthy of really believing because just because a thought comes in does not mean that it has any validity, right. So it’s really about choosing which thoughts you want to believe. So that’s been a really big theme for me this week. Also, just doing my best to take care of myself, make sure that I’m well fed, make sure that I’m well watered. One way that I did that is we’ve started ordering meals from someone so she drops off lunch for me every single day. And also giving myself time to do things that aren’t productive. I’m putting productive in air quotes. Because if I look at something that I would normally consider unproductive, not that I would consider unproductive what society might consider unproductive. So like cooking, I love to cook like I find it so therapeutic. I think it’s it’s just a really nice way to connect with myself. It feels like I’m serving myself, it feels like a self love practice for me. But it takes me like two hours to cook and make a meal and eat and then clean up. And it definitely takes a huge chunk out of my day. But I look at that as a commitment to myself. And I’m like, Okay, if I can cook a meal for myself once or twice a week that would make me feel really taken care of. And it would it would give me space to relax and just completely disconnect from work. And actually, that is productive. So for me during this busy period, it’s not necessarily about like working nonstop, but it’s about being as productive as possible. So it’s about getting in bed at the end of the night. And When Nick is like, hey, let’s watch. What are we watching? Billions when he’s like, Hey, let’s watch billions tonight. It’s about having the the wisdom to be like, You know what, if we’re going to watch millions, it’s probably going to take like an hour to finish an episode. Which then means that I’m going to sleep an hour later, which then means when I wake up early tomorrow, I’m not going to feel my best. So you know what tonight, let’s not watch billions because I need to get my sleep. And that’s really important for me tonight. Another great example is like going for walks. Me and Nick are starting to have a commitment with each other where we go for walks like once in the morning once in the evening, like twice a week, right? So we’re starting really slow because he’s he had took a lot to be like, Hey, let’s go for a walk. I don’t think it’s on the top of any of our lists. Like we’re both such highly productive people. It doesn’t feel like the most productive thing in the world to go for a walk and then you start to realize that yeah, it is super productive because number one you’re getting in like a light workouts You don’t have to do like a run in order for it to be productive, you can go for a light walk. And if that’s productive for your body, it’s movement movement is good, right movement is good for the brain, which means that it’s good for my business, it’s good for taking care of me. So that’s good. It’s also great for our relationship. Because we get to talk to each other and catch up in a situation where we’re not distracted by other people. We’re not distracted by our phones. So like, you could look at that. And for the longest time, I know both of us did, where it was, like, we want to go for a walk together. But man, we got so much going on. Like, we’ll just kind of put it off this week, we made a plan where like, Okay, on whatever day, it was Tuesday evening, we’re gonna go for a walk. And Tuesday evening came around, and I had so much work to do. And I was like, gosh, the last thing I want to do is go for a walk, I really just want to sit here and finish my tasks. And then I was like, you know, what, Okay, step back. Is this productive? And the answer is like, Yes, this is productive. Like, even though it’s taking me away from my work, I probably need a break. Because I’ve been working all friggin day long since early o’clock, right? So to me, that’s like the beauty. And the fun part of being in this space is getting to be in that position of leadership with myself where I get to make those decisions about what is productive, and what’s not productive. And sometimes it’s not what society would say it’s productive. But you know, what society’s version of productive, could not interest me any less, I know that if I don’t take care of myself. And if I’m not getting enough sleep, and if I’m not moving my body, and if I’m not meditating and taking care of my mind, I know it’s going to negatively affect my work, I know I’m going to burn out, I know it’s gonna seep through into everything I do in a negative way. So that’s why for me, it’s just super important, make those decisions. What I’m most excited for this week, because I’m recording this on a Friday, this is going to go live on the Monday. So when you’re listening to this, Laura is actually going to be coming to Toronto, to Laura lives in New York, New York, New York. Laura lives in New York. And we decided that, you know, since she’s new to the team, it’d be really beneficial for her to come down, visit Trinidad for a few weeks, see what it’s all about. And for, it’s just to like to get us to come together and really get aligned in the business to allow her to meet Katherine. I think it’s just it’s such an exciting time in the business. And there’s so much work involved, we’re we’re like really powering through to get as much finished as possible. I just thought it’d be like, soul food for her to come and visit and for us to get to be together. Like I said, she’s also my best friend. So like, it’s not just good for business, it’s good for my heart. It’s good for personal reasons. And so yeah, she’s going to be coming on Monday, which I’m so excited for. Not only I’m excited to see her, but I’ve also ordered all of this new equipment guys, IG TV went live last week, right? I’ve been putting out an IG TV video every single day that is live, which I’m super proud of. I’ve been doing a lot of repurposing of old content, but what I really want to get into is creating fresh content specifically for IG TV. But I didn’t really have the right gear, because a lot of my gear is heavy stuff like stuff that I I could put this camera on a tripod, and it would do a really great job. But I’m not going to bring this camera out and about with me, without really thinking about it. Because it’s heavy, it’s cumbersome, it’s just not comfortable. The more you guys listen to me talk, the more you’re going to realize I’m all about flow. And I’m all about ease. And I’m all about things just like I said flowing and being easy. So I bought a bunch of new equipment. And I’m so I’m really excited because she’s going to be bringing it all down with her when she comes. So that’s going to be amazing. And then also today, finally, our Facebook ads were approved for that final stage of like getting the sales, right, because remember, I told you like Amanda bond has me working backwards. So we’re working at the sales part first, where we’re targeting people who have visited the sales page, and we are sending them sales messages. So like, for example, right now we have four videos. One is a what is Grand Slam, another one is Grand Slam for you. Another one is a testimonial. And another one is basically an alive that I did where I answered people’s questions about Grand Slam, right. So I was like, let’s start with these four and kind of see how it goes. So those are currently live, we’ve had our first sale of the day. So that’s super exciting. So I’m just really excited to see like, how are the Facebook ads actually going to turn out? What’s gonna work, what’s not gonna work. And like I said, guys, like, I’m really here creating these podcasts, to share what’s happening behind the scenes and to share the lessons that I’m learning. Because I wish that someone was doing this. Like for me, you know, like, I think it’s really cool to share these types of things. I don’t think it makes you any less of a business owner, like Yeah, I’m still trying to figure all this stuff out or I’m trying to grow in this way. I’m trying to grow in that way. No one ever gets to a stage where they’re like, Okay,

my bet is good. Like, I’m done, right? There’s always a next level of growth. So I think having these conversations is really important, and it’s something that I want to do. So yeah, I’ll be sharing that with you next week. Hopefully I’ll have a little bit more insight into how the Facebook ads have been going, what’s been working, what hasn’t been working and what my big lessons have been. And yeah, I would say that those are the things I’m really looking forward to next week. Okay, my friends, that is the end of episode number one of on purpose. Thank you so much for being here with me and for listening all until the very end. Please take a moment to send me a message on my Instagram. You can find me at Alex beaten and let me know what did you think of this first podcast episode? And what did you like? And what would you like to hear more about? These solo episodes are really just completely freestyle. Like I have not planned anything. I’ve really just kind of like let my mental chatter flow out of my mouth. And I like I said, I wanted to be very open and honest. But your feedback matters to me because I do want it to be valuable for you. And I want you to be able to walk away and be like cool, like I learned this or I can implement that or like I’m going to shift my mindset in this way. I want it to inspire you, motivate you get you in the right place, the right frame of mind. Thank you so much for listening and I will talk to you guys again next time. Bye. Thank you so much for tuning into the on purpose podcast and I really hope that you had as much of a blast as we did. If you liked what you heard and want even more make sure you leave a review because it really helps support what I do here on the podcast. All you have to do is search the podcast app for the on purpose podcast, select it then scroll down until you see write a review and then type away at the beginning of the next episode. I will be picking one review one special review My favorite review of the week and I will be reading it out for all of you guys so you definitely don’t want to miss out on that. I hope you really enjoy your week and I will see you guys again next time stay on purpose.