#086 - 06/11/2023 - 3 Things I Learned About Myself Whilst Hosting Our Unapologetic Retreat
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Heads Together podcast. I'm your host, Gill Moakes, and I am freshly returned from the beautiful Algarve where I've been co-hosting with my wonderful retreat Co-host Ms. Lauren Jones. And Ms. Alicia Rodriguez, our Unapologetic Retreat. Oh my gosh, I have so much to tell you. I don't know where to start.
I literally don't know where to start, but I'm gonna have to think of somewhere. . So I was thinking about what I wanted this episode to be, and I was really intentional about waiting to record this as soon as I got back because I wanted to share, you know, when you . You have an experience that is so incredible, so powerful that you really want to make sure you capture that feeling and that you don't let that [00:01:00] be a moment in time that just passes.
That's how I feel about this experience. So let's dive in. I'm gonna tell you a few things about it, and I'm gonna focus on the three things I learned about myself while I was away. Okay, let's go.
So, like I say, just landed back in London yesterday and after about 10 days away, actually altogether in the Algarve what a week it was. Where to start. Well, first of all, I just wanna really thank . Our guests. These women showed up with such incredible commitment. They showed up with commitment to their goals for the time that we had together, but they also showed the most incredible commitment to each other while we were there and to the process and [00:02:00] to.
be open to every experience that we put before them, and I think that's why this retreat was so transformational. It's because of what those women brought in terms of their mindset, in terms of their openness and in terms of their generosity to each other. To make this such an incredible experience. So that's the first huge thank you.
And of course the second huge thank you is to my co-host, Isha and Lauren, who again, it just made it such a perfect week in terms of the transform, actually take out that bit. Sorry, Lena, can you take out that bit about Perfect week? There were a few issues. I'll just start that again. And the other thank you, of course, is to my co-hosts, Lauren and [00:03:00] Alicia, who just, they have been wonderful in terms of how we planned the content for this retreat.
So. I think all three of us showed the same level of commitment to making sure that our sessions that we planned really flowed into each other. So from mindset to brand and then to marketing. There was a real flow, there was a real connection. And it works so well. So we had some wonderful feedback from our guests around the content that we put in front of them, and I, we'll definitely be sharing some of that feedback with you once we've had a chance to go through everything.
So, you know, like I say, Landy back yesterday, it's all pretty, still very exciting. I probably sound a little bit feral at the moment to use Lauren's word. I sound a bit feral because [00:04:00] I'm just in that space of. I'm still processing how good the experience with these wo these women was. And three things, and this is what I wanted to focus on today because there's so much for me to process around the transformation that the retreat brought about for our guests.
But the thing I can speak to straight away is the insights that came up for me personally. While I've been away, and this was, no, nothing here is surprising to me, but in terms of my values, it was incredibly eye-opening. Because each of these three things really relates directly to one of my core values.
So I'm gonna go through one by one with that lens. The first thing that I [00:05:00] learned about myself this week is that I can trust my intuition implicitly. And how that came up for me this week was around . When I was delivering my content, this is a great example, when I was delivering my content, there was a point where I just completely went off plan in terms of what I was talking about.
So I left my slide deck behind for a moment and completely went into the space that our guests were asking for. By the questions they were asking, and my intuition told me that actually staying in that place for a little bit longer was gonna serve them more powerfully than keep bringing us back to the content that I'd, you know, [00:06:00] so, so carefully and with full intention planned.
So that was the first thing. That being able to trust my intuition was so loud for me this week as I was coaching these women in person as well, you know, so don't forget when you are coaching in person and in the moment, there's no time to, . Really go away and mull over and think about what's right for that person.
So intuition really comes in strongly and I realized that mine is utterly trustworthy. After every session, whether it was a group session or an intimate one-to-one coaching session, I came away feeling completely. Certain that trusting my intuition around where we [00:07:00] went with that time together and the the way the coaching went together was right.
It was just so clear. There was so much clarity around that. And that felt really good. It felt amazing. So I guess the lesson from that, 'cause obviously I share these things that are my experience, so that hopefully in there there is a lesson for you too. And I guess the lesson with that is try it. Try leaning more into your intuition and letting it take the lead, the best laid plans.
Can be justifiably set aside by your intuition. So that's a really, really strong lesson for me, and it's something that IL have really doubled down on and accepted this week, and that is that I really can trust my intuition. There's a couple of other examples and I'll perhaps write about those separately, [00:08:00] but yeah, absolutely.
Intuition spoke to me loud and clear this week about what was needed each and every day to make this an unforgettable and transformational experience for our guests. And I, I ended the week on such a high, and I, and I think because of that, I ended the week with a feeling of . I don't think we could have given any more in terms of our content.
I really don't. I think that the experience that we gave of ourselves in our coaching sessions in our one-to-one sessions was so powerful,
and my intuition tells me. That made the week feel so complete. 'cause that's something I noticed that each of the women said. Part of the feedback they gave was that they [00:09:00] felt complete at the end of the week. They felt that they had taken on what they needed to begin moving forward in this new iteration of their, their personal brand and their business model.
So, you know, what a great feeling. The second thing that I learned about myself this week is that I am braver than I realized. I'm braver than I realized. I've always been one to push myself to do things that feel uncomfortable to me
this week.
Going on retreats, committing myself to coaching women that I hadn't met in person before. It took courage. It took courage [00:10:00] to trust that I had everything I needed inside me. To be able to bring the best version of myself as a coach to that experience, that took bravery on my part and I did it, and I felt so good. And I felt like my bravery and my honesty and my transparency, my authenticity, all of those things that you know, that are, are so important to me that I value the courage it takes.
Sorry, I have a bit of a sore throat coming back, as always after flying.
The courage it takes to show up that authentically, that honestly. In a retreat setting where you're spending a lot of time with each other takes courage, [00:11:00] and I am braver than I realized. So again, the lesson for you. How do you show up with courage for your clients, for yourself? What would it feel like for you?
What would change if you lent more into bravery in what you do? That's something I would love you to have a little think about because for me, what it meant was being able to give my whole self to those clients, to those incredible women. I was able to bring my whole self into conversation with them. I was able to inspire them.
To feel safe enough to be authentic, to be open, to be themselves. What a win-win that [00:12:00] is, right.
And the third thing I learned about myself at the retreat is that the success of the women I work with is utterly non-negotiable to me.
I . Don't ever go into a coaching experience with a, let's hope this works kind of attitude success for my clients, however they define that. So remember, this isn't my definition of success for them. This is their own definition of success for themselves. That becomes my non-negotiable. and holding those clients, those women accountable to their own definition of success is incredibly [00:13:00] important to me.
I think as a coach, it's our duty to remind, to hold up the mirror, to push back at the excuses.
To be the crutch, not, no, that's the wrong word. Sorry, Lena. Take out crutch to be the foundation. No, that's wrong too. It's like being the scaffolding if you like. So the client. Has the vision for themselves. And I like to think of myself as a coach, as someone who almost erects this scaffolding around that vision to keep it strong, to keep it standing whilst the work is being done to get there.
And that becomes [00:14:00] non-negotiable. That's success. However they've defined it. Is where we will end up.
So, oh, that, that final one was really powerful. Sorry Lena, I'm just gonna have a drink.
Oh dear. So thirsty.
So these three things, these realizations, I can trust my intuition implicitly. I'm braver than I realized, and the success of my clients is utterly non-negotiable to me. Were really eye-opening to me because I value those three things. Intuition, courage, success. I [00:15:00] value those three, three things personally, so highly.
So to have created a business where those values are what I am living out in my business, they're the things that I'm sharing with my clients. They're the ways I inspire my clients and support my clients. To reach their goals. That is, it has to be the most satisfying way anyone can make a living , right?
It's no wonder that I'm always saying, I, you know, I, I have to pinch myself because I get paid to have really interesting conversations, right? And that's because this doesn't feel like work. And the reason it doesn't feel like work is because all I have to do is live in accordance with my values. To make [00:16:00] my work work.
I mean, how amazing is that? I was about to say I am a lucky woman. I'm not lucky at all. Lauren and I had this conversation a couple of times when while we're away around, you know, people saying, oh, you're so lucky you get to do that. No, there's no luck to it. I have intentionally worked hard and created.
This life, this life where I get to do this as my work. Every day I get to do the work that matters to me, and it feels so good. So what I would love, love, love, love, love you to do this week and maybe drop me a line when you've had a think about this. So if you're listening to this now, really. Really commit to doing this.
Don't let it be one of those things that's going into your ear, through your earbuds and your, as you're doing something [00:17:00] else, commit to doing this. Commit to just dropping me an email at GILL, [email protected]. Drop me an email and tell me what are your three top values and how are you living them in your business?
How are those values visible? In your business, because if you can't answer that, then it could be that you may need a little support to be able to tweak your business so that it is more aligned with your values. And once you do that, everything feels differently and everything flows and you start attracting the right clients, you start doing the work that matters to you.
So do that. Promise me you'll do that this week. Think about what are my top three values and how are they showing up in my business, which [00:18:00] areas of my business showcase those values? Okay. Email me [email protected]. Let's have a actual conversation and I promise I will reply. Okay. . Alright, well there's so much more to come about the retreat, but this is my, oh, I've just landed and I need to tell you some golden stuff that came from the retreat.
But in terms of the feedback from our clients, we're gonna work through that. It was incredible. The clients all gave us. Glowing video testimonials, which are just life affirming. They're so good. I'm on a bit of a high, as you can probably tell. So yeah, more to come, more to share. But for now, thank you for joining me again this week, and I will catch you again next week.
Bye for now.[00:19:00]
