Social networks create opportunities for real connection, if you let them.
Social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Periscope have created space for me to meet and launch relationships with amazing people, like our featured MogulMoxie® Maven – Dr. Nicola Brown.
I met Dr. Nicola Brown when she joined my Periscope broadcast around 6:30 AM (EST) — all the way from her home in New Zealand! She became a frequent viewer of my broadcast, and soon began broadcasting herself — broadcasts which showed me her beautiful country – a place that’s on my travel list. 🙂
Although Nicola and I have yet to meet in person, we’ve stayed connected thanks to the power of Periscope and other social media platforms like Facebook. When I launched my first book writing club in 2015 after publishing my Amazon #1 best seller in Christian Education, Nicola joined book writing club and while a member, she completed her first e-books, a beautifully designed recipe book titled, Feeling Peckish and the Feeling Peckish Snack Attack. Both books are available on her website.
I was immediately drawn by Nicola’s absolute brilliance and passion for living when we first met, and I’m excited about sharing her story with you. Let’s get started!
Tell us about your educational background or about your connection with learning.
I’m fanatical about education. Not just for myself, but I also love to teach and inspire others.
I was one of those children who, in the early years at least, loved school. Once I went to university I found myself on something of an educational treadmill – studying to be a Clinical Psychologist, then returning as a Lecturer and completing a PhD. I now love continuing my learning in as many formats as I can – reading books, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, attending workshops and conferences, and my latest passion is unconferences – where a group of people meet and co-create the agenda and learning experience throughout the event.
What does ambition mean to you? What role has it played in your life?
I’ve always thought of myself as very ambitious. Even as a high school student, I created a small business. We had to bake cakes for a school sports trip fundraiser, and the teachers gave lots of compliments on my baking so I started selling carrots cakes and bran muffins to them every week. My mother kindly let me make a huge mess of the kitchen every Thursday night and then on Fridays I left school with a handy amount of cash in my pocket. I learned then the power of starting something and seeing where it gets you!
Now that we know a bit about what drives you, tell us about your professional life.
I currently work in a group private practice as a Clinical Psychologist and also run a business from home as an Efficiency Coach. I am proud of live in beautiful Dunedin, New Zealand – in the lower South Island. We have so many beaches within a short distance, and if you’re lucky you might be sharing a beach with some seals and distant penguins.
My overall mission in life is to inspire and encourage entrepreneurs and business owners to move from stressed to streamlined and flustered to flourishing….by maximizing their energy and capitalizing on their time. I currently offer coaching (which I absolutely love) and I run live events for organisations, to move top executives out of online overwhelm and into working efficiently so they can switch off at the end of the day/week and feel proud of what they’ve achieved.
What’s a typical day at work?
For me it’s easier to think of a typical week, since every day is different.
Mondays I save for content creation (writing blogposts and social media posts, creating products and services for my clients).
Tuesdays and Wednesdays I offer efficiency coaching (by Skype) to my wonderful clients, or organize live events for teams who want to know how to screen out all the digital/online noise and distraction that we are pummeled by, and get their most important work done.
Thursdays are either clinical psychology time or I’m setting up my podcast (coming soon!).
Friday is a clinical psychology day, working with clients at my practice.
There are two consistent habits in each day.
–> I start the day with a 30 minute solitary walk, which is a time that I love and treasure. It helps me to start the day feeling peaceful and focused.
–> At the end of each day, I cook for my family and enjoy talking about our days as we eat together. I try to give top priority to those activities, no matter what else is happening.
Now that we know a bit about Dr. Nicola the professional, let’s delve into what motivates you.
Here is what motivates me: Knowing that I can truly inspire and help people. My efficiency coaching clients are doing amazing things in the world and I am so honored to work with them, and so proud of their achievements. I love knowing that by sharing information and wisdom, and helping clients to understand more about managing their energy levels and capitalising on their time, I’m playing a part in their successes! I’m as excited about their wins as they are.
Have you ever struggled with confidence or courage?
I think keeping a positive mindset, when you’re in business on your own, is a constant balancing act. There are times when business is fantastic, and it seems there are many wonderful opportunities coming my way. And then other times, everything goes quiet, and I wonder if I’m on the right track and whether it’s all worth it.
I once had the chance to talk with Marie Forleo about this roller coaster quality of business. She said, “what would happen if you just stopped? If you found a regular job, with reliable pay and consistent hours? Because you know that’s always an option!”.
And my immediate, heartfelt reaction was “Noooo! I’ve never going to be happy with that. I will always be dreaming up some kind of new project which I’m passionate about.” And I think back to that whenever I’m in doubt.
That’s my answer – this is who I am. The effort isn’t always easy, but the alternative has no appeal for me and the rewards can be huge. So even when things are tough, I simply have to keep going. I take great pride in knowing that I created this business myself – there’s nothing else like it in the world!
What you just shared is right on point; being in business is certainly not always easy.
Tell us about one of the toughest things you have had to do in business and what you learned from it.
I’ve found many, many aspects of being in business to be challenging. In fact I’ve come to expect that. I see all of the obstacles and complications as simply roadblocks. There is always a path around – in fact often more than one – and it may be better than the original path. And in fact, it’s from all of these challenges that I’ve learnt the most valuable lessons.
In terms of specific challenges, the hardest times have been when I’ve had to let go of team members who were simply not pulling their weight. This is hard, particularly when they’ve done good work in the past. It’s not easy, but the energy that goes into managing someone who isn’t fully on board with the values and purpose of my business is huge. And given that I’m all about efficiency, I have to walk the talk!
I think one of the most rewarding thing about being a woman with moxie is our innate desire and ability to create and deliver value in the world.
[Tweet “MOXIE = Force of character, Determination, or Nerve.”]
What have you accomplished, created or built that makes you the most proud or brings you the most joy?
My son. He’s 9 years old, and one of the most wonderful people I have ever met – kind-hearted, caring, funny, smart, strong-minded – and also boisterous, energetic, and full of enthusiasm for whatever he’s doing.
One thing I’ve found hard about being in business is that sometimes it eats into family time, at weekends or in the evening. I now keep this to a minimum, but I know that because of technology, my business is always waiting for me, wherever I go, at the touch of a button (on my phone). So to make sure we have dedicated fun time together, we choose one afternoon a week for “Nic and Flynn Day” – after school we take turns to choose an activity and throw ourselves into that, without distractions. We both really treasure that time, and it’s often a real high point in my week.
What do you have coming up?
This year I’m launching a podcast all about our Efficiency Superpowers – I have met so many incredible people through being in the online business world, and I’m excited to share their wisdom and knowledge with the rest of the world. We’ll cover all kinds of topics, but in particular I want to focus on how people who are passionate about doing amazing things actually carve out the time and space to get the important stuff done.
A little extra …
During this interview Dr. Nicola did not share her love for preparing vegan and vegetarian meals, but I want you to know about her gift for preparing delicious food! Check out Dr. Nicola’s vegan and vegetarian recipe e-Books on her website: www.nibl.co.nz.
You can also indulge in beautiful images of her dishes on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/niblonthis.
Be Inspired. Do Your Work.
I hope you found aspects of yourself in my interview with Dr. Nicola Brown. I especially loved reading how she weaves her clinical practice into entrepreneurship. Dr. Nicola’s story illustrates that we each have our own path to living out our purpose. There is no “one size fits” all approach to using our gifts, building businesses (if we desire), and loving our lives.
UP NEXT, Master Coach – Darynelle Jarvis
Tomorrow we feature a phenomenal MogulMoxie® Maven I first encountered on Facebook … I think. 🙂 Darnyelle Jervey is a extraordinary business coach known for taking her clients to six and seven figure success. Tomorrow, I get to share her amazing story with you.
Blessings! ~ TC Cooper
