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Join host Christina as she interviews Martin Mason, a talent and diversity and inclusion specialist. Martin shares how he helps organisations improve their recruitment, talent, and D&I practices. They discuss the difference between diversity initiatives that are tokenistic versus intentional. Martin explains important but not yet mainstream concepts like social mobility and how organizations can remove unnecessary barriers to create more equity. He provides insights on how businesses can foster inclusive cultures through education, seeking diverse perspectives, and focusing on desired outputs. Martin talks about trends like neurodiversity and leveraging different talent pools. He also introduces his company's new tech platform, Talent Mapper, which helps businesses understand their existing workforce capabilities. KEY TAKEAWAYS Don't just do tokenistic activities for diversity - have the intent to create impact. Social mobility is about removing unnecessary hurdles for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Broaden recruitment outreach beyond top universities to increase diversity. Discuss desired outputs first, then work backwards to build an inclusive recruitment process. Seek perspectives from people different from you when making big decisions. Emerging trends are neurodiversity and tapping into wider talent pools through social mobility. BEST MOMENTS "It's not in the mainstream because people don't realize that they need to take some responsibility to fix this." "You've got to go to the right advisors." "The smart businesses are the ones that are seeing it as a long term investment, because if you can outthink your competition and innovate, then your business is sustainable." "Stay curious and educated. The more that you can keep your mind open and learn, the better it will be." VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Get ready for a fun and enlightening ride with nutrition guru Dale Pinnock. Dale talks about his decades of experience in the nutrition field, simplifying healthy eating into practical lifelong habits. You'll learn the science behind anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric and oily fish, how certain mushroom extracts can boost brain power, and why quality supplements are key. Dale gets real about the declining state of metabolic health today and how we can start fixing it through proper nutrition education and cooking skills.  Tune in to soak up Dale's expansive wisdom and walk away with simple, doable steps to eating healthier and living your best life! KEY TAKEAWAYS Simplify healthy eating into practical, lifelong habits rather than short-term diets Turmeric, ginger, and oily fish provide potent anti-inflammatory benefits Certain mushroom extracts like lion's mane can enhance cognitive function Quality is critical when choosing supplements for them to work effectively BEST MOMENTS "Quality is critical when choosing supplements for them to work effectively." "Turmeric and oily fish provide a powerful one-two anti-inflammatory punch." "You ask for what you want. Be discerning. Make the effort." "Just write what you wanna write. Otherwise what is the point." VALUABLE RESOURCES The Medicinal Chef Dale Pinnock website Dale Nutrition YouTube Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE GUEST Dale Pinnock, aka The Medicinal Chef, has been a nutrition expert for over 30 years. With 7 bestselling books and regular TV appearances under his belt, Dale has become a leading voice on simplified, practical health advice. His passion lies in creating lifelong healthy habits and dismantling fad diets. Dale's wisdom comes from hands-on client work, extensive research, and a genuine desire to help people live healthier lives. When he isn't writing or seeing clients, you can find Dale whipping up medicinal recipes packed with science-backed nutrition in his kitchen. ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website    

“The Shari Teigman” is a  performance coach and creative strategist who works with individuals to unleash their maverick in their life and business through being who they truly are. Shari joins Christina to discuss the vital importance of expressing your true self and why the journey to finding out and understanding who you are, who you have been and who you truly want to be is pivotal in creating your unique life and business and impacting on the world as a unique individual KEY TAKEAWAYS You can get lost in branding but you can also find in it yourself too, and when you ask, ‘Who am I?’ there is a silent inner revolution and the realisation that you can’t be anyone except yourself   If you don’t reconcile internally who you truly are, you can experience imposter syndrome, and struggle to find where you fit in There is justice and rebirth when you face who you think you are, who you’ve been and who you think you want to be  over and over again There is the knowing and there is the habit, when we are expanding into learning how to think differently we are facing our primal habitual self We learn in a state of openness and  do in a state of panic, go mode and excitement, we don’t use the same parts of ourselves Leadership is connection and to connect you need to be vulnerable because you can’t build trust without it No one else lives your life and knows how you feel so why would you ask everyone else’s opinion about what to do next We can’t change anything until we have space and perspective, when you have space you can see the difference and  act differently You go on a ride knowing you have your self-leadership, how to ground yourself, manage your state and who to lean on and how to read your own clues and that all that needed in your toolbox You have to know what you are ready for, who you are and who you want to be before you look for a coach The reason we have those ‘not them’ moments with the wrong mentors is because we are going to be saved by someone but you need to find out what you don’t need, you learn by doing and undoing   BEST MOMENTS 08:00 “Am I going to battle and have balls to survive or am I going to battle and have balls to drive” 11:49 “I’m so vulnerable and messy, I’m human, and I like the relevancy of knowing exactly what my clients feel like on a day-to-day basis” 17:53  “The environment you learn in is not the environment you do in” 35:12 “When we become more rich in our internal world and are intrinsically led all our interest in the world has a better pacing to it”  38:33 “Your greatest growth points are in the buckets you avoid and are not willing to go to on your own” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website            

Jennifer Roblin is an anxiety coach, who specifically works with teenagers and young adults. After spending 30 years in the corporate world, Jennifer quit her job, realising her lifestyle wasn’t what she wanted for her and her family.  Jennifer joins Christina to talk about why she changed career and what drove her to work with young people. They also talk about what anxiety is, how it can manifest and how we can become aware of our own beliefs and behaviours and how this impacts others. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the main things Jennifer enjoyed in her corporate role was big teams of people, she now realises she was coaching these people. Anxiety is evolutionary, the sole purpose of anxiety is to keep us safe, it’s looking for danger all the time. The amount of information we as individuals have to deal with on a day-to-day basis in the modern world is astounding, this can have a profound impact on our levels of anxiety. Jennifer felt she could have the biggest impact coaching those under 25, changing their future but also having a positive impact on those around them including their parents. Jennifer also became more passionate about helping young people when her friends' son took his own life at just 19. There are different types of anxiety, including generalised anxiety disorder which impacts children on an everyday basis. Parents can imprint their own anxieties onto children, leaving a long-lasting impression on them. Children learn these behaviours at an early age and it becomes their identity and who they are. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to coaching people through their anxiety, you have to figure out what motivates that person and what it is they want to achieve. Many of the approaches that Jennifer uses are about individuals realising and recognising their behaviours and what they can do to take control and influence their lives. Try and be more aware of the media you take in, for example with songs, ensure you listen to the lyrics. If we listen to negativity we take it on board. Ask yourself how you are feeling and stop and truly think about what your answer is and the words you use. BEST MOMENTS 04:15 “I realised there is such a job as coaching” 14:25 “Once you’ve proved to yourself you can do it, you can’t ‘unprove’ it” 17:20 “Children are so frustrated they’re venting their anger in the family home” 20:01 “We don’t realise how we are affecting the people around us” 49:20 “I just didn’t have the words to label my emotions” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE GUEST Jennifer Roblin | Anxiety Specialist www.betteryourlife.co.uk ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

In this episode, Christina is joined by a woman she relates to on many levels and whom she holds a lot of respect and admiration for, an ‘absolute powerhouse of a woman’ Dawn Willock. Dawn is a business owner who stands for truth and integrity in business. She talks to Christina about why this is important to her, how this translates into her business practices, and why peer support is essential to any entrepreneur or business owner. Dawn also talks about the importance of embracing change in business, why covid had some positive influences, her book writing process and even a story about DMing Russell Brand! KEY TAKEAWAYS Many are fearful of change, but it’s necessary and is often how we make a name for ourselves in business. You have to get out of your comfort zone to make progress. Covid forced change, it pushed some businesses into the modern world. Those who had already implemented change effectively previously had an advantage over those who resisted it. You have to be bold and take chances to become successful, if you don’t try things in the first place then you will certainly fail! You must weigh up the balance between your work and personal life. It’s not worth doing everything 100% at work if your personal life is falling apart. Dawn fell out of love with her business which then impacted her energy, drive and passion which in turn influenced the metrics and health of the business. Your business challenges aren’t unique, you have to be honest and then seek support and help. Masterminds can be invaluable for this. Book writing has been cathartic for Dawn and allowed her to feel joy in new and unique ways. She has written her book for her, if it sells well that’s a great bonus! BEST MOMENTS 02:55 “Be brave, question things, fundamentally I stand for truth and that has been something that’s been a gift” 07:34 “Those who were going to survive, were willing to change or had already changed” 12:40 “From a business perspective, not everybody is on the breadline” 21:40 “That’s where the magic is, where you take 100% responsibility for yourself” 39:20 “Because I’ve given myself something with so much joy you don’t mind the graft of work in the things that you don’t necessarily want to have to do” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Fellow podcaster Stephen O’Donnell has been in the world of recruitment for 36 years, including owning and running recruitment agencies before building a website and branching out into the technology side! He joins Christina to talk a little about his personal journey and why he has such a passion for utilising tech in recruitment. Stephen also talks about the role of AI as well as outlines the red flags to watch out for in tech! KEY TAKEAWAYS People often play down their expertise, especially in the UK. You need to recognise where your expertise lies and then share that with others. Stephen was drawn to the tech side of recruitment out of pure curiosity and then discovered his unique talent for it. Some tech can be utilised for almost instant results, but some take time to work, such as things that focus on marketing. There is some promising AI in recruitment right now, including tech where the system is learning from both candidates' and recruiters' behaviour and experience and matches them accordingly When you are looking at recruiting someone you don’t just look at who they are and what they can achieve today but what you expect to get from them in the future and technology is exactly the same. Bear in mind which apps your customers will use, what you prefer to use or think is in favour might not be what your ideal client uses. You don’t want to spend time and money developing your product onto apps they will never use or convert on. BEST MOMENTS 05:05 “I want to be known as someone who knows what they’re talking about within recruitment” 29:07 “There are some technologies I’d expect to make an immediate effect, there are some that are gonna take a while to pay dividends” 30:57 “It was one of those, this is gonna change everything moments” 41:49 “Just because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should be done” 51:16 “I’m never ever working on the launch of an app ever again” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Steven Rothberg is the founder of college recruiter, a job search site. He believes that every student and recent grad deserves the right career and finding one should be easy and inexpensive for employers to reach them and this is what they facilitate. He joins Christina to talk about the current generation of people entering the workforce, who the winners and losers of AI and automation will be as well as the different approaches of businesses in regards to recruitment and progression. KEY TAKEAWAYS The current generation of students and graduates have more opportunities than ever especially in regards of flexibility, doing what they want when they want and where they want. Everything is going to be changed by AI and it will happen faster than most people realise. Universal basic income would not be as much of a far-fetched idea in a world filled with AI. In the best-case scenario, the world would become less about output and making money and more about fulfilment and purpose. As most larger organisations have many opportunities and specific graduate programmes, this is where most university and college leavers start their careers, whether they want to or not. Having a specific set of skills won’t always serve you, being versatile and having more general knowledge can protect you in harder economic times, allowing you to be more flexible and avoid layoffs. It’s good for a business to develop their employees but it needs to take into account that they are individuals rather than the ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. One of the benefits of small organisations is that they are generally more nimble, meaning they can be flexible with the skillset of those they hire. If someone fits culturally they are more likely to hire them even without the required skills. Try and think of ways you can include and demonstrate your company culture in job ads, to ensure you attract the right candidates. BEST MOMENTS 07:21 “We’re gonna know in a couple of years whether AI is going to be beneficial for most or just the few” 14:38 “We’re going to get to a Star Trek workplace where people aren’t going to have to work nearly as much” 20:28 “The vast majority of university grads go to work for large organisations whether they want to or not” 22:14 “People with more generalised skills tend to survive layoffs better” 35:19 “We try very hard to include in there a sense of our culture” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

David Roberts has successfully grown multiple businesses and is the host of the ‘People with Purpose’ podcast, along the way he has learnt lots about business, life, relationships and purpose. He talks to Christina about finding your purpose and passion and why as a leader building an environment with psychological safety is crucial in creating a commitment culture where purpose and commitment are shared by all. He also discusses the powerful role of feedback in building rapport and trust in relationships KEY TAKEAWAYS    If you can fill the start of your day with the highest priorities for you that align most strongly with your values then your day is starting well Write down what you love, what the world needs, what you are good at and what you can get paid for and try and do one of those things in your day Building rapport and maintaining rapport with others is about developing empathy and when you can openly give and receive feedback you are in a really strong relationship It’s important to be open to all feedback but you don’t need to act on feedback, it’s a gift and you can decide what you want to do with it Knowing you’re in an environment with psychological safety where you can be yourself and bring your best self to a situation is crucial People knowing they have psychological safety and that their emotional and mental well-being is being looked after and they are empowered to be able to make a difference to innovate, to be creative and to be themselves in what they are doing is what brings long term commitment Everyone has a story to tell and we can all learn from each other When you are trying to unlock your purpose use a story arc (awareness, reflection, create BEST MOMENTS 02:36 “What’s been the most meaningful thing is seeing people achieve things they didn’t think they were capable of when they started and that’s what really floats my boat and what I really like doing” 10:56 “Having a focus on what you want is definitely the holy grail and the end game but understanding what you don’t want so you can stop doing it is equally important” 20:17 “I open myself up to it, I ask for feedback all the time and it’s so, so powerful”  20:45 “If someone feels they can trust you with what they really think then you’ve broken through a barrier and boundary that keeps people apart” 31:44 “The ultimate culture is where you have a commitment culture, everyone’s aligned on the why and everyone is committed to working together”  VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/   ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Russell White is a co-owner of a recruitment company after years of experience as a recruiter including working with a variety of FTSE 500 companies. Russell joins Christina to talk about his wealth of knowledge in the industry including what real inclusion in the workplace looks like, the demands on agency-style businesses and account managers and how the pandemic revolutionised how we work forever.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Recruitment has evolved over the years that Russell has worked in the industry, it now has recognised value across industries Sadly Russell still comes across unconscious bias and attitudes towards people based on their race, age, neurodiversity and other traits. It’s up to businesses to accommodate those who are neurodiverse in the workplace. Bias towards them or not understanding the differences can be a detriment to the company, being neurodiverse is a positive. Inclusion can look very different depending on the company and the employee, it’s about looking at workers as individual people and recognising their needs, seeing them as part of the organisation. Making your people and employees feel part of something is a key element in creating good company culture as they will respect your company ethos, values and approach. Meeting people face to face is much more nuanced, the communication flows more freely and the conversations had are different and have a different energy. As a business owner you have to wear many different hats, you need to be analytical yet great at relationships alongside knowing all the moving parts of the business and its people. BEST MOMENTS 04:05 “[recruitment] Supported the life and careers of so many people who have gone on to help other people” 04:34 “You evolve the values of what a recruiter should be doing, for me it’s very much about helping the individual whilst understanding the cultural ethos and values of a business” 12:33 “Businesses need to adjust how they talk to them [neurodiverse], the environments those people work in” 16:31 “Being neurodiverse is not a negative, it’s a positive” 24:10 “It’s all about making people feel part of something, your people will respect the brand, the organisation, the ethos, the approach” 41:26 “As a business owner I do feel like a bit of a chameleon at times” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Darin Adams from Keap (previously Infusionsoft) joins Christina in this episode to talk about the strength and power behind AI and automation for businesses and entrepreneurs. Darin has shown people across the world how to run their businesses via the power of automation and how to utilise this to make their small and medium-sized businesses more successful. He talks with Christina about how he does this and shares the many benefits of automation and AI beyond just saving time as well as defines why no one needs to feel worried or overwhelmed when integrating these tools into their business. KEY TAKEAWAYS Small businesses and entrepreneurs often fall into the trap of thinking they need to do everything themselves but automation is one of the best solutions to this. Automation isn’t new, it’s just being talked about a lot at the moment. Keap actually started using automation over 20 years ago. People are often intimidated when they hear the words automation and AI, but it’s simply because people don’t understand it. You don’t have to automate from start to end, you can break processes down and automate parts of it, this alone can save you a lot of time. To make a business successful you need good processes and structures, automation can aid you in doing this. Automation and AI aren’t just about saving time, the benefits go way beyond this. Sometimes we can get too focused on various new tech when instead we should be focusing on one thing at a time and making it work for us and our business. If you can use automation to compile and validate the right data you can then use this to aid your strategy, marketing and follow-ups. It’s actually a benefit of being smaller when start to integrate automation and AI into your business. If it is just you, you build the systems first before having to teach anyone else. BEST MOMENTS 02:17 “If you can automate things you can grow your businesses without manually having to do it” 05:47 “If it’s a technology we don’t understand and it feels overwhelming to us…it seems intimidating” 09:58 “Just find one or two things that you’re crap at the things that you can just streamline and maybe get the most amount of impact from the smallest investment” 14:16 “If you want to build a business that has value you need to build structure, you need to have process, and that’s all automation is” 17:35 “There are so many benefits beyond saving time” 45:10 “They’ve looked at the data but they haven't read the data, they haven’t understood the data, they haven’t taken intelligence away from it” 50:39 “If you get it right, the urgent things on your to-do list are presented to you” 53:53 "It's [AI] so flexible, we just need to get started with it" VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

Nishi Patel is a fellow podcaster and specialises in helping businesses with their cashflow management and getting their pricing right, which is even more important in the current economic crisis. He joins Christina to talk about his approach to business and marketing, including how he created his business as well as budgets, podcasting and mindset. KEY TAKEAWAYS Focusing on content creation has allowed Nishi’s company to build interest and generate leads for a part of the market that didn’t exist. Results take time, there is always a delay of at least six months in marketing. A mindset shift was necessary for Nishi to transition from simply accountant to becoming a marketing director. Marketing is an investment, not a cost. Surround yourself with the right people with the same mindset as you. Content creation and the social media age are the new gold rush. The podcast space is still growing. Nishi likes to compete where others aren’t competing as you get better growth, and this is why he is focusing on podcasts. The more time people spend with you the more they trust you which is why podcasts are a unique vehicle for developing relationships with potential clients. Build a referral strategy, it’s an essential way to generate strong leads. Marketing is important but you have to spend just as much time on your offering. BEST MOMENTS 06:32 “The results you get today are the benefit of what you put in place 6 months ago” 11:02 “That’s the bit that really got me down about marketing, is the amount of money we wasted to get it to work” 18:11 “You spend money on marketing, your business gains value” 25:38 “Content creation is the goldrush, social media is the vehicle” 30:25 “There’s no hype you can generate that with override a weak offering” VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media. Christina is driven by the fact that in today’s world, it doesn’t matter how big or small your marketing budget is, you can be a major player. For small businesses, the tools are just as accessible – you just need to know how to use them! LinkedIn Twitter Website

As entrepreneurs, we can’t underestimate the importance of health, both physical and mental and Lauren Lepley joins Christina in this episode to talk about exactly how we can prioritise it. Lauren is a multiple business owner including a wellness centre she also coaches and mentors people around strategizing them as a human, to better themselves and their business. She joins Christina to talk about all things wellness including the importance of sleep, finding out the things that count for you and gives tips and advice on what we can do to make a difference in our health to impact our lives and business. Christina and Lauren also talk about aligning your people, clients and business relationships with your vision and goals and why it’s ok to say no. KEY TAKEAWAYS When it comes to business, there are a few things we need to prioritise staying on top of and one of them is our health, both mental and physical. If we can be the best version of ourselves, recognise our weaknesses and utilise our strengths then we can create better businesses too. The world itself is simple, the only thing that complicates it is human beings. If you can only do one thing for your wellness and commit fully to it, then focus on sleep as it impacts everything. Sleep is how our body regenerates, including our brain. There is often a domino effect for health and wellness. As individuals, we have one element or habit that then impacts everything else, for the better. For Lauren, eating well is the thing that keeps her on track and dictates her sticking to other good habits. Lauren doesn’t believe we should think of life as being balanced, as it gives the illusion that different areas should be equal and this is never the case. Instead, we should think about things as being ‘blended’, that we blend them alongside each other to suit our needs. If we aren’t living in alignment with our needs then we won’t be living in our flow state, we will feel out of control and overwhelmed. You need to have someone you can talk to, who is in your corner, whether that is a friend, coach or mentor it is vital. Be authentic and unmasked whenever you engage, communicate and talk with people. Just be you and stay true to your vision, values and mission and the right people will find you. You need the bad times and negativity to feel and be positive. The lows have to come with the highs. There is nothing bad about saying no and turning clients down. You need to recognise when you can’t work well with someone. Think about if you are the right person for the job as well as if they are the right client/partner for you. BEST MOMENTS 03:28 “I work with people on their health, their psychology to help them become better for themselves and that makes their business better” 03:40 “Whenever there is an obstacle with in business, a human has created it” 07:22 “The way you feel today is dependent on the way you slept, it always starts with sleep” 16:22 “People say listen to your body, it’s quite a hard thing to do and then your head gets in the way” 27:28 “To be in flow is a complete control state, overwhelm is a lack of control” 31:08 “There’s so much pressure to always be Instagram filtered, to live that trailer life that we forget, rewind, that I’m human” 41:15 “Things don’t happen to you they happen for you” 45:10 “I work with as many people as I say no to” 46:43 “It doesn’t take a lot anymore for someone to say they are a coach which is a sad thing because it’s such a powerful place to be in”   VALUABLE RESOURCES Christina Talks Podcast https://www.green-umbrella.biz/how-to-launch-anything-using-social-media/ ABOUT THE HOST Christina has been working with SME’s since 2013 to launch, develop and perfect their online presence. In 2019 Christina made the move from employee to business owner of a successful digital marketing agency focused on educating business owners in the use of social media