Judith Morgan made me write this post about my biz. In fact, no, that’s a lie. Sarah Swanton made me do this.

The reality, of course, is that neither of them made me do this. Between them, they gave me the wonderful opportunity to participate in Judith’s Blogfest by writing this post.

Judith, the author of Your Biz Your Way, has asked 52 small business owners to write a post to publish on our sites, and then hers, about the unique ways in which we run our businesses.

And they will be totally unique because we’re the boss (and the accountant, and the marketeer, and the IT support, and the tea-boy/girl, and the….list goes on) so we get to do it however we damn like!

Hurrah for that.

I am Judith’s 40th contributor. And so, of course, I saw it fit that this post is published by both of us today, on the day that I enter my 40th year on this planet. (For an accountant and an economist, I surprisingly love it when the universe talks to me like this.)

For those of you reading this on Judith’s blog…..

Let me introduce myself

I am Hana.

I am a Mindset Coach, under the superheroine guise of The Mental Movement.

I am mummy to an awesome fur-dude called Rocky.

I am a daughter.

I am a woman.

I am a Londoner.

I am a friend.

I am a thinker.

I am a mover.

I am a joker.

I am a story-teller.

I am a talker.

I am a listener.

I am a photographer.

I am a writer.

I am an accountant.

I am an economist.

I am often book-smart, occasionally street-smart.

I am ‘the lovely stranger’ (according to one of my clients).

I am a brain unscrambler (according to another client).

I am like crack (according to a third who, perhaps, should be sent to see someone else……hmm).

I am a depression and anxiety ‘recoveree’.

I am perfectly imperfect.

I am unapologetically me – #sorrynotsorry.

How did I get here?

I had my first experience of depression but didn’t know it, when I never really settled into life at Bristol University.

I had my second experience of depression and did know it when, in my late 20’s, I split from my fiance and started to question the value of my own existence.

This officially began my ongoing journey to explore my own mind and unleashed a burgeoning curiosity for the way us wonderful humans think.

I worked for Deloitte for 12 of the 14 years before becoming self-employed. Serendipitously, they gave me an opportunity to train as a coach.

In spite of the mainstreamy pathway that I followed of both education and subsequent career, I’ve always had a tingling, sometimes burning, desire to do things differently.

I got to a point where I knew, with absolute clarity, that I wanted (and needed) to make a tangible contribution to something which was meaningful to me and had a direct impact on others. (Am I sure I’m not a millennial?)

In February 2014, I realised it was my time and then promptly pooped my pants.

Since then, I’ve been on a journey to determine who I am as a coach, the work that I want to do, the people I want to work with and the voice that I want to have in the world.

And, boy, have I built the confidence to use that voice! #enoughalready

Down to the BIG question, what makes my biz my biz?

Often my clients swear, occasionally I do too.

I see clients whilst wearing my slippers.

I practice what I preach. I am vulnerable. I am dark and light. I have good and bad days (sometimes both at once!).

I often take a nap. Mainly in the afternoon, seldom in the morning.

I get in-the-moment feedback from actual humans who are experiencing real living things.

I don’t often have to commute anywhere apart from around our local park every morning and evening.

If I work with you online then I’m not telling you what I might be wearing below the waist.

I go to spinning in the mornings and yoga at lunchtime, rarely on the same day.

My dog is part of my brand – my assistant, my partner in crime, my instahusband (although he’s shit at taking pics), my muse, my confidant, my companion, my love and my sanity.

I create a space where people feel comfortable and confident that they’re going to get just what they need if they allow themselves to trust me and, more importantly, themselves.

In the summer I sometimes work from my garden.

I often make genuine friends with my clients. Having friends at work has always been important to me. Although I love working alone, I also love having a real honest connection with my clients.

I speak openly about the challenges I’ve had with my mental health and my ongoing ‘work in progress’ status.

Doggy cuddles whilst working with me are a free optional extra.

On special days, where I leave the house to go to a meeting, I might choose to dress up by taking off my yoga/dog walking clothes and put on a clean(ish) pair of jeans.

I do email summaries for my clients. Not coaching best practice but my clients value it and I value it. So I do it.

But, most importantly…….I get to make a difference to the way that other people feel by being unapologetically me.

Final thoughts

If it needs any clarification, I FREAKIN’ LOVE WHAT I DO and the fact that I get to do it my way,

Thank you to Sarah for the tip-off and Judith for this opportunity. It’s come at a really interesting time for me to take stock and acknowledge all that is truly awesome about having made the choice to run my biz, my way.

If you like the sound of what I’m up to and fancy a bit of brain unscrambling by a lovely stranger who’s as addictive as crack, then I’d love to talk to you and hear a little bit about you.

Click here and it can all begin with a chinwag.

Or you can download my free ebook all about the stories that our minds, so convincingly, lead us to believe.