Jeanine: Good Morning. Good evening. Good afternoon. Wherever you are in the world. I am here today on our Empower World podcast. This time without my wonderful business partner, co-founder, friend and an amazing woman Marie Quigley. And instead I'm with the Amazing Amy McLean who I've had the very fortunate experience and privilege to work with as part of the Rise 2025 program that Rachel Petero and I co facilitate in terms of the coach training part, because there are quite a number of different elements to Rise 2025 in terms of coaching opportunities and so forth, which is based in New Zealand. And so Amy was one of our participants who came through I think about two years ago.

But you'll be able to confirm Amy. I'm going to throw over to you to introduce yourself. But I'm delighted that Amy said yes to do this podcast with me. I'd love to dive deep in with you on this podcast, but first of all Amy welcome. And if I could hand over to you to introduce yourself.

Amy: Awesome thank you Jeanine. Thank you so much for having me on your show today. I'm really excited to be here. Very quickly, it was two years ago that I did the Rise2025 Programme - the coach training - and that was really the beginning of "how we just sit there" that changed my life really and I now am a coach out for my own. Left my job during that period with Rise 2025. And I work with small business owners that I support them in the early stages of the set up.

I now have a heap of other things as well and got many things that I juggle. And most recently I have started my own podcast.

Jeanine: Yes fantastic. Amy and that's one of the things that caught my eye along with many other things that you have you've been doing Amy because I can see that you're very proactive in terms of sharing your experiences with the world so to speak on social media and with the world.

So I really love watching the journey that you've been on since meeting you at the coach training and the brave steps that you've taken to change your path, I'm trusting aligned with what is your purpose and your goals, and yeah it's just been inspirational watching you and just recently I saw you post that you started this podcast which is fantastic.

And I read in your social media posts, there was hesitation and some anxiousness in terms of launching the podcast but you did it anyway. So, say more about that Amy, say more about that experience of going through that process of deciding to do something that's actually really quite public and sharing your message.

Amy: Yeah I think I use the hash tag "feel the fear and do it anyway" and at the time I was referring to the book because I was reading the book at the time but that's also a phrase that stuck with me since I met you Jeanine because you said it to me many times. Starting this podcast was really another level of putting myself out there publicly and for the world to see and to hear.

I feel very passionate about the theme of the podcast. So, the podcast is “Life on purpose”, and it's for women who are navigating that journey of what it's like to embrace who they are and being authentic. And I wanted to be able to share experiences that other women have and share experiences and tips that I have myself, to support women to consider for themselves and consider what conscious decisions are? And what living purposefully might look like for them?

I always knew I wanted to share that but it was getting myself across the line to be able to do that with definitely a different story. When I talk about feel the fear and do it anyway it's not a, you know, I didn't decide one day that I was going to start a podcast and then the next day the podcast was live. Definitely I had to feel the fear for quite a while. Before I launched into it.

But at some point I realized that I wasn't going to be able to do what I really wanted to do, which was to share these stories with these women if I didn't lean into the fear that I was having to move forward.

Jeanine: Well thank you for sharing Amy and yes as you would have heard me say as you said many times "feel the fear and do it anyway" and it's a book that Susan Jeffers wrote. For the audience who you aren't aware of this book and Susan's work, and certainly when I read it in my 20s, I think it was the catalyst of changing my whole world. It really tipped my world upside down for the better. And so it was a catch cry that I utilized a lot in my early days of this transformational change that I've been through to support me to overcome those fears that come up.

So before we came on to the podcast, Amy was sharing that there was a few months of whatever you might want to call it - procrastination or whatever it may be - before launching the podcast. So say more about that, what was that about? What do you feel that it was about - that delay to stop the podcast for around three months?

Amy: Yeah I was given the opportunity to start a podcast and I was basically given free rein so they said to me you know when you feel like you're confident, and confident with the moment you can go live. So it was really up to me and I actually said to someone at one stage, I feel like maybe they need to put a deadline on me because otherwise I'm just going to keep pushing it out. But when I realized that I really needed to put a deadline on that for myself I did take around about three months to decide that I was confident and competent and at that time probably realistically it took me maybe a week to learn how to use the equipment and I was fine with it.

It was really getting my head around the idea that my messages and my words were going to be out there and once they're out there I can't pull them back or I can but you know eventually - it's everlasting. So it was having to get my head around that idea that it needed to be perfect and I needed to have a whole bunch of boxes checked before I started.

And realistically it didn't need to be perfect - it wasn't perfect. And the only way for me to refine it and to get better at it was for me to do it. And that was the conclusion that I came to which was that I am never really going to be ready. I just needed to do something. And then from that something I could keep taking steps to improve and get better and better.

Jeanine: Fantastic. So what I'm hearing is, Amy you've recognized that it was yourself who was holding yourself back.

Amy: Definitely. Yeah.

Jeanine: And when you decided to feel the fear and do it anyway and launched the podcast, what was that like? What came up for you when you did that?

Amy: Well the day that I told them that I was ready to go. He said to me OK I'm the guy that manages it all. He said come so we can get you on in five days’ time. And I sort of thought it was going to be two or three weeks. And I was like ok, five days. All right. That's fine. And from that point it was out of my hands as well. So he had the first recording that we were going to use. And so that was it. You know once he hit record it that was out of my control. But the day that it went live I got a whole lot of work done that day. I was nervous I was excited.

I was really conscious of wanting to share it on social media and wanting to let people know about it. And there was always emotions flying around and at the end of the day, just felt really proud, really proud that I'd gone ahead and done it. And the world hasn’t fallen apart. I haven't had a whole bunch of hate mail or anything like that. It's perfectly imperfect. And that's how I made it.

Jeanine: We love that saying at Empower World "imperfectly perfect". And yeah, I'm so pleased for you and it was certainly in that place of as you said fear, anxiousness, nervousness as well as that excitement - the combination of all of those emotions that potentially have to be there to create something. They are there before we do something really worthwhile and something that we can be really proud of. And that vulnerability that has to be there for our courage to show up to then be able to create something that is outside of our comfort zone. And especially if it's aligned with purpose and values. And your story Amy no doubt the people that you are targeting, the women that you're targeting in terms of purpose and finding their on purpose. I'm sure that this story that you share will inspire them as well.

What comes up for you around purpose and doing this podcast? What's the significance that comes up?

Amy: I think the significance of that was really what's the significance of purpose? And it was really about creating it, being really conscious about the way that you're living. So you know taking bold action towards the things that really matter. And to be honest what I'm telling people to do is exactly what I needed to do the podcast for and it was about doing the things that you're aligned with; your values and the things your heart is aligned with and taking ownership of those choices and those decisions as well. So knowing that you have the choice when you do make decisions and being really proud of the fact that you've chosen that way to live.

Jeanine: Yeah. You know the quote that comes to mind and I must learn how to recite it off by heart, but it's the quote that really inspired Brene Brown's work. The person that is face down in the arena is the person that counts because they've tried. They've done what they believe is right for them and it potentially can result in a rising up. That again is aligned with purpose and values. Or it might mean that actually it perhaps was something that was off track but still it was an invaluable learning experience from that you know falling down and giving it a go and trying something instead of getting it perfect, instead of getting all the ducks in a row.

That's the quote that comes to mind and I can't recite it yet but I will the next time we meet. So it sounds like you're aware of that quote. It's brilliant and I'm in the process of during certification which has been fantastic. Such a beautiful journey. Such a beautiful journey, a courageous journey of connection, courage, vulnerability. All of those things have to be present to create amazing opportunities or create a life of fulfillment. So as I reflect that kind of quote to you what comes up for you Amy?

Amy: I think what you said about needing to be in the arena and having the courage to give it a go, that is where I landed with that you know. I haven't set out with the intention to create this amazing podcast that makes money or anything like that, it was really just about sharing my message and I needed to be in the arena to be able to share my message and having the courage to just sit back and do that.

And I think one of the things for me as well was knowing that I had the support around me to at least trust in me a little bit and that not publically but privately. People like your mom and my husband, all those people saying well done and saying that they believe in me, that really helped me as well. So just sit into that arena and have that courage.

Jeanine: So having those, what Brene Brown would call those marble jar friends; those voices that matter, supporting you to do what is important to you. To overcome the limiting beliefs, the limiting self-talk. To actually feel the fear and do it anyway.

Amy: Absolutely.

Jeanine: So Amy as we start to wrap up this conversation I'm just curious what would you like to share with the audience and of course we'd love to hear what the podcast name is as well. What else would you like to share with your audience? What's some imparting wisdom in relation to this experience for you?

Amy: I think just that in the last two years since I started coaching and since I did the coach training with you Jeanine and Rachel, I have taken a series of these feel the fear and do it anyway steps. And they have always come with great learning opportunities and great new awareness for myself. Such an amazing experience. And they have ways allowed me to be a better person going forward.

So I guess there are others who feel like they're in that space where they know that there's something more that they want to be going on and they know that they would love to start a podcast or a business or change job or anything like that - I encourage you to find those people that can be your champions and then go out and do. It's scary and it's exciting and it's unknown. So much unknown but it is that change I guess that is what's transformational.

Jeanine: Beautiful beautiful wise words. Thank you Amy and the name of your podcast?

Amy: It's the "Life On Purpose Podcast".

Jeanine: Brilliant so listeners we encourage you to look out for Amy's podcast. And thank you so much Amy for joining me tonight in New Zealand and while I'm in Australia right now and enjoy the rest of your evening and again thank you so much and I hope we can reconnect in the near future and see where you're at.

Amy: Awesome thank you so much for tonight.

Jeanine: You're welcome. You're welcome.