Mindset madness: Curating your circle of support
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Savage Grace Coaching
Hey Marvelous
Shakti Encounter Day retreat
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What are you soaking in?
Transcript
Mindset marination: Curating your circle of support Today's episode is about paying attention to what you are soaking in from the people around you and how to use mastermind communities to leverage knowledge, support and success without getting sucked down the rabbit holes of fear and tech distraction.
There are an overwhelming number of business support and networking groups out there. Everything from free facebook communities to high end paid business marketing groups. Whatever your niche is you can probably find a group to support it. They can be an amazing resource for support, ideas and accountability in your journey. I’ve had both the pleasure and the disappointment in working with various types of coaches both in and out of the fitness business industry and I thought it might be good to share some of that experience so you can learn from some of the mistakes I made.
Human beings are wired for connection, we evolved to depend on a tribe. Even if some of us are introverts, people need community. It was necessary for survival back in the caves and roaming the wilds in every culture. But somehow in modern life it’s become more and more possible to isolate from each other. In fact almost every modern advancement that claims to increase connection only seems to separate us more.
Setting aside the new understanding that Isolation is a key ingredient to cultivate trauma, anxiety and depression, How is it that we have lost so much of what our wild ancestors understood? That community makes us stronger.
Today there’s a celebration of the self-made man or woman (as long as they don’t get too successful, but that’s another episode). Being dependent or co dependent is seen as weak, a psychopathology. An unhealthy relationship pattern. And yet we expect and encourage entrepreneurs to reach out and ask for help. In fact the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who learn how to leverage the knowledge and wisdom of others to reach their goals. ( one of my favorite podcasts is called The Successful Mind - David Neagle teaches so well on this and I highly recommend you check out this podcast if you’re looking for a deeper understanding of how your mindset affects your outcomes.)
Speaking as someone who has independence and self-reliance in my top 3 core values I really had a hard time wrapping my head around this idea. I think a lot of wellness entrepreneurs are challenged by asking for help. It’s even harder when we have to pay for that when you have to pay for that help.
Wellness industry attracts caregivers. We have no problem giving help, but when the shoe is on the other foot, forget it. For me I will try absolutely everything before asking someone to help me. This goes for personal life and relationships. The phrase can’t we just do it ourselves is heard more often than not in our house. Sadly it’s bled over into business as well and this explains why my business has been taking its own sweet time.
Like minded business communities can slingshot your business forward. Surrounding yourself with supportive people with knowledge that’s a few steps ahead of you can change baby steps into giant leaps and bounds. Especially when you’re diving into a completely new arena. For example when the pandemic hit, overnight every fitness/yoga studio and solo instructor was trying to pivot from brick and mortar to online. It’s a steep learning curve when you are choosing to expand and scale that way. It’s a panic inducing cliff when you’re forced into a change you weren’t prepared for.
Thousands of wellness professionals needed guidance. Immediately. This is the perfect example of entrepreneurs who know their thing but need support with the delivery of their thing.
This is where coaches and networking or accelerator communities can be an invaluable resource.
There are several options out there and thanks to the internet they are pretty easy to find. Let’s break down a few of them to get you started on your recon mission to success. Any community can be either supportive, and challenging and really elevate your results but they can just as easily have a negative influence and drag you down. Look for people who challenge your ideas with “Yes, and…”
First option of course is FREE Facebook groups.
There’s literally one of these for anything and everything. Open groups usually have some kind of admin and possibly some questions to vet people who want to come in. Almost all of them have some sort of community rules that you’re asked to follow. I would beware of those that don’t. Facebook can be a double edged sword and many people I know are strongly opposed to using free business facebook groups. That’s not to say you can’t stumble on some good advice but if you are trying to avoid rabbit holes we talked about in the last episode this may not be where you want to spend a lot of time. Plus bots and hackers hang out there. But on the other hand it is free. As in it only costs you your time. This is where you want to be careful about the kinds of people you are surrounding yourself with. Facebook and any social media can get pretty negative if there’s no boundaries.
Second option is to seek out an accountability partner or mentor. Usually this is also free if you know and feel comfortable approaching someone in your industry. I have several people who I consider both accountability partners and mentors. Many of them I met through my Hey Marvelous inner circle mastermind though and that wasn’t free.
Basically accountability partners are people you can meet with on a regular basis that keep you on track as far as doing what you say you’re going to do. And giving you support and advice. Sometimes they just listen. Which depending on the day might be more than enough. We don’t always need someone to fix things for us. So that means the person doesn’t have to do the same thing you do.
Mentors. Anyone you meet can be a mentor. You don’t have to pay your friends to be inspired by them, you just need to look at them with new eyes. This person inspires me to be better and so I will strive to be better.
There are a lot of lessons learned that cross industry lines. And those lessons can really come from anywhere.
So let’s talk about why you might want to look into a paid community or mastermind.
Starting at the beginning. What is the purpose of networking groups, accountability partners, mentors, business accelerators, and coaching communities?
Provide technical education and ongoing support
Offer group or one on one coaching for a specific amount of time
They provide some kind of platform that you are using and include training on how to use it
They offer a place to network link you to others in your industry or industry adjacent. They can put you in touch with the right people
Some are marketplaces
Then there’s a private coach option.
Why should you get a coach? Do you even need one? What’s it worth to you?
Is there some specific goal you’re looking to achieve?
You want to cut through the fluff of a group
You are looking to accelerate at your own pace
One on one v. group. How to get the most out of the group coaching model.
What do you need? Understanding/knowing what you don’t know.
Start with Knowing where you are right now. (take some lessons from shark tank)
When are you ready to scale? Can you even scale? What does that look like in fitness?
How to choose the right group or coach.
Finding the right fit for your industry. Language and knowledge base.
How to choose the right kind of support.
Look for people who are a couple steps ahead of you, not miles ahead.
Look for groups/coaches that are in your niche or industry adjacent
Look for support beyond the tech.
These folks are there for you but it should also be a community that you are able to serve as well. Where you feel comfortable sharing your experience. The great thing about group coaching is that you can learn from everyone in the group, not just the coach or facilitator. And whether you believe it or not you also have wisdom and experience to share that might really help someone else.
Things to watch out for in groups however are too many good ideas. Because it can feel like everything is a good idea and you should do them all. But that isn’t necessary and it’s exactly what we talked about last week with shiny objects leading you down rabbit holes.
Look for ways to cultivate relationships outside of courses. Wellness is an industry of relationships.
Some of the benefits of that are the nuts and bolts. What do you need to know and who do you need to know? Literally introductions to people and opportunities. These groups can be places where you can ask for those opportunities.
Ultimately you are responsible for curating your community. A fear & lack mindset multiplies in good company.Surrounding yourself with people who are lifting you up. Supporting your successes and holding you accountable. If you’re not experiencing that with where you are now then maybe it’s time for a change. The whole point of leveraging the power of the mastermind is so that you can change and grow and evolve. So you have permission to grow out of them as well.
Thanks for joining me for this week's Work IN.Next time were diving into value, worth and pricing and the self sabotage of money mindset If you like what you heard and are curious to see some of these things in action you can follow me on Instagram at @realsavagegrace or on Facebook @savagegracecoaching And I would be forever grateful if you would give The Work IN a like and share or a 5 star review on Apple or spotify. You can find links to everything we talk about on this podcast in the show notes and the easiest way to get to those is to visit savagegracecoaching.com/theworkin
Thanks everyone and I’ll see you next time!
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