I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting a new series of blogs celebrating female entrepreneurs who are simply thriving. It’s my aim to bring you a varied range of stories featuring women who are living life on their own terms and shunning the idea that life has to take a back seat when you run your own business. Although these women will share their tips and advice, I hope this blog series also inspires you to do things your way – to carve your own path. Click here to see the first interview and to read a full explanation of what a Simply Thriving Entrepreneur is.
May I introduce you to Kim. I first met Kim at an event organised by Ruth Kudzi earlier this year, and we immediately hit it off. Kim is incredibly passionate about coaching and wellness, and it’s been such a pleasure to get to know her over the last few months. She is an incredible listener, and is so committed to her own personal development, as well as supporting others to develop their own wellness businesses. Kim has a really chilled vibe which I love (possibly due to her upbringing in the Carribean!), particularly impressive given that she’s juggling a new coaching business with being a mum to a young toddler, oh and launching a new podcast recently – what a woman!
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do
I am so pleased to be featured on the Simply Thriving Entrepreneurs series. What a fantastic blog, Julia.
My name is Kim! I grew up in the Caribbean. I worked in events management for 10 years before making my leap into wellness and working as a personal trainer and then as a coach. In the last year, I have redefined what a family centred career looks and feels like for me.
I help you to realise your full potential and redefine life on your terms.
How do you plan your day/week?
At the moment I work on my coaching business two days a week. My days are all about maximising my time, especially with a toddler. I write down a to-do list at the beginning of each week and split it out by what I want to achieve each day so I don’t get distracted. My business days are all about content creation, clients and recording for the podcast. I work evenings and nap times when there is stuff I need to catch up with. Having a young child and being an entrepreneur means that sometimes things don’t go your way. My motto is be kind to yourself, surrender and try again another day.
What does success look like to you?
Success to me means being successful in all parts of my life.
Many people attribute to success to an external factor; ‘I am successful once I do X’. Many people can tie success to wealth or a monetary amount.
For me, it is having balance, time and growth in all areas of my life including my family, my relationships, my health, my wealth, my knowledge and my self-care. If I can be truly fulfilled and happy with all of these areas of my life I am successful in my eyes.
Internalising success is also important. If you tie your success to things outside yourself it can be hard to ever feel successful but if you sit in a feeling of success now that starts to reframe not only now but your future.
What does self-care mean to you, and how is that reflected in your life?
Self-care means time for me. Whether that is going to a yoga class, doing an exercise video off YouTube, meditating, reading a book, going for a walk or having a shower alone (minus a toddler crawling around the bathroom floor). It is time to check in with myself and see how I am doing.
Looking back, is there anything you would you change about your first year in business?
Gosh, I could say a million things in all honesty but I have come to the realisation that each one of my ‘failures’ was, in fact, something I needed to learn for the path I am meant to walk.
What boundaries do you have in place regarding your work/life balance?
I am upfront about how I work with clients from the beginning. I am here to support and guide them continually through their coaching journey and they know that they can contact me during work hours if they need to touch in. Another thing I do is schedule downtime on my phone between certain hours so I am not tempted to check messages, social media or anything else. Family life is sacred and I do everything I can to remain as present as possible during that time. Something I do every morning is meditate whether 5 or 20 minutes just to start the day in the right frame of mind and to check in with myself (this is something that my partner and I have agreed is a must and I am fortunate that he accommodates this almost every day, having our daughter while he works out).
What’s the best and worst thing about working for yourself?
The best thing is that you have ownership of your time, your workload and what you want to create in the world.
The worst thing is that when you have those low energy moments you have to find the motivation and drive from somewhere to keep going. This is where having a strong why will propel you.
Please can you share a top tip for an overwhelmed entrepreneur
I have written a pdf on how to overcome overwhelm which has 8 practical tips that I share with my clients. I am happy to share this with anyone interested.
My top tip though would be to become aware of your thoughts. What is your mind telling you? Is it that you have to get everything on that to-do list done? Does it play out all the things that will happen if you don’t?
The reason we feel so overwhelmed at times is that the voice is playing havoc in our mind. Think of a toddler having a full-blown tantrum and instead of understanding why they are, you just try to do something quickly to stop it. The same is true of the mind, of course, there are quick fixes but if you want to ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed again, you have to find the reason it happens in the first place.
Most of the time overwhelm is born out of fear, out of a pressure we place on ourselves and we can press pause at any time. We can decide if we want to feel overwhelmed or not. The first step is creating awareness of and separating yourself from these thoughts.
Where can we find you online?
I absolutely love hearing from people and connecting. You can find me hanging out…
https://www.instagram.com/the_mumpreneur_coach/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/riseofthewellnessentrepreneur/
https://www.kimberleybarnardcoaching.com
Or you can listen to me on my podcast Wealth in Wellness
