When Jess joined the Flourish programme, she was working part-time in a job she didn’t enjoy while freelancing two days a week as a copywriter, which she loved.
“I felt like I’d spent my life being told what to do in education and in a job. I didn’t believe I could take control, but I wanted to have the confidence and motivation to take action for myself.
That phrase ‘when you’re ready the teacher will appear’ applies here. I felt Lorna was really talking to me and I said to myself ‘This is the woman!”
The Flourish programme includes one-to-one coaching and small group workshops and Jess found the combination of the two rather powerful...
“The coaching and the workshops have a different vibe. The coaching totally expanded my thinking! Every time we had a session, I felt like my mind was blown!
And I loved the workshops because I had felt very alone in my own head with thoughts about myself. But together our limiting beliefs were like a collective consciousness: when you talk together and share them they’re not as big and it’s OK, we just need to understand and work through it.”
Jess embraced many of the tools and techniques she learnt during the Flourish programme to transform herself and her business practise.
From paying attention to her thoughts and words...
“I am so much more aware of what I am thinking. I analyse the thoughts behind my feelings. I notice the words I use that may be disempowering or empowering and I catch myself.”
and goal setting and action planning...
“I used to like keeping my options open – so many exciting things could happen! But this meant I wouldn’t plan ahead, and I’d forget about client work. I liked to think I was in flow and things happened to me, but now I can make things happen myself.
Now I see the true value of planning and how much I can achieve in a short space of time. I put dates on everything, otherwise it doesn’t happen. I know where everything is. I don’t forget about client work. And I have more of a social life too because I organise it.”
and understanding how she perceives time...
“Now I like the idea of deadlines because I can stretch my idea of time and think about deadlines in a different way that reduces stress.”
and financial planning while embracing her core values and her sensory preferences...
“I used to get stressed about money, so I ignored it. Instead, now I get proactive about household and business finances. And I make it fun; I dress up, use coloured pens and make it really visual.”
to understanding what success looks like...
“Now I track what I’m working on, such as the number of proposals, number of connections, etc and measure what I have achieved against my actions taken. And I never used to acknowledge my achievements, but I’m getting better at this.”
and listening to her inner critic...
“I have learned that often what my inner critic has to say is not helpful or true. For example, when developing my website, to depersonalise things, I set up a meeting with ‘Next Level Jess’; she’s cool, brave, just gets things done, and is super organised with space to flow.
and dealing with her perfectionism and feedback...
“I used to think that what I did for clients needed to be perfect, first time, every time. But that isn’t really possible within tight timescales and budgets or if the client isn’t sure what they want.
Now I realise that ‘done’ is better than perfect because you can always make changes. And my attitude with feedback these days is: how can we make things better? It’s a learning process.”
During the Flourish programme, Jess handed her notice in at her three-day-a-week job to concentrate on building her own business in her niche as a writer for wellbeing businesses.
“I feel like a completely new person. All these anxieties and ‘I can’t do this’ have gone.
I am still just beginning to understand that I actually have my own business, but I wake up every day so happy that I don’t have to go to a job and knowing that I am the architect of my day.
Without the Flourish programme, I wouldn’t have done anything. I would still be in my job and depressed, and probably taking time off with stress.
Thankfully, I can’t imagine how horrible it would have been if I hadn’t done this transformative programme.”
Jess’s advice to others considering joining the Flourish programme is...
“To make these kinds of changes means you do have to put some work into it. You do need to think about things, process things, take advantage of Lorna’s vast knowledge and talk to the other women on the programme. I can honestly say, it will blow your mind!”
To find out more about how Lorna Thomas / Be The Best You In Business coaching and mentoring could support you to increase your confidence and grow your business with clarity, focus and control, book a call...