Finding your Freedom with Alan Smith

Ep 013

In this episode, we're talking to Alan Smith, who is otherwise known as the freedom coach. Alan is an internationally accredited coach, with experience in working with clients who are looking to make positive changes in both their personal and professional lives. He's based in Manchester in the UK. 

We discuss:

• Lessons from accidental job roles
• Chasing what ‘should’ make us happy
• Finding what makes you happy
• Transferable Skills – what customer service can teach us about customer experience in other industries!
• The value of transferable skills
• Finding your Freedom
• Freedom as a result of the choices we make
• Being true to yourself

Connect with Alan:

Website: Home | The Freedom Coach (the-freedom-coach.co.uk)

Instagram: Alan Smith The Freedom Coach (@_the.freedom.coach) • Instagram photos and videos 

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

Welcome to the everyday determinator podcast with your host Okafor founder of the determinator collective we want to help you get off that hamster wheel of life and turn you into an everyday the Terminator by sharing stories for Americans who have overcome varying challenges in life and careers and by reviewing and signposting you to helpful resources to start you on the journey to achieving your goals. For more information on the determinator collective, please visit www dot Anne Okafor dot Koto uk. Thanks for listening determinator

Anne Okafor: 0:50

Hello Determinators, and welcome to the Determinator podcast. In this episode, we're talking to Alan Smith, who is otherwise known as the freedom coach. Alan is an internationally accredited coach, with experience in working with clients who are looking to make positive changes in both their personal and professional lives. He's based in Manchester in the UK. Hi, Alan, it's great to have you with us.

Alan Smith: 1:15

I am Thank you for having me on.

Anne Okafor: 1:17

You're very welcome. So I know when we spoke, we both have backgrounds in retail and hospitality. So you know, after leaving school, tell us a little bit about that. And then you know, your journey to become an Apple Watch.

Alan Smith: 1:31

Yeah, sure. Well, going back to when I left school that feels like a long time ago now. But I can still remember it quite well. I have no idea what I wanted to do. When I was at school, I was quite envious of a lot of my friends, who were very clear in terms of the direction they wanted to go and even remember one particular class where the went round is all and we all just had to say what career we wanted. And I think I said like work on the music counter HMV because I just couldn't think of anything. And I ended up I left school at 16 because I didn't know what I wanted to do. And I didn't see the point, if pursuing studying. When I felt that way. I just wanted to go and be independent, and then some money. And I ended up working in restaurants. At one point, I had about three part time jobs like working in a restaurant working in a local shop working in a bar. And I just I did that for a few years, I worked in a warehouse, packing medical drugs into boxes, I did all sorts of things just to make money and just to keep going. And I found myself over the years, really leaning towards very people focused jobs, I always enjoyed kind of customer service and the experience that people had. And I ended up working in the NHS for quite a few years managing complaints and focusing on patient experience. And I've always enjoyed the element of understanding how people feel and how you can improve things based on their experience. And so my career ended up being built around that and I've emphasised ended up because it wasn't planned. I'd be lying if I said, you know, when I was at school, I wanted to work in customer experience, because I probably wouldn't have even known what it meant. But after spending many years, I ended up kind of climbing the corporate ladder by mistake, because I spent years in jobs and promotions have come up. And I'm just keep pushing myself that bit further in that bit further. Every time thinking when I just get to the next level, I think I'll be happy there. And then I never wasn't I wanted something else and a new challenge. And I ended up being the director of customer experience in housing in the end. And over the years, I'd spent a lot of time managing large teams by this point, mentoring people. And I got to a point where I just thought I'm really unhappy in this environment. And I felt like there was something wrong with me because I just thought I keep getting the things that I think I want and then I'm never happy with them when I actually get them. Why is that? What's wrong with me? And then it dawned on me that there were so many elements of these jobs that I didn't like, I didn't like being in the corporate world. I didn't like spending hours on end in risk meetings and governance meetings and locked down kind of emphasised the mismatch for me in terms of being sat on Zoom calls all day. I never really had to kind of dig deep in terms of what can I do and what do I enjoy doing. And it always came back to helping people which was very broad. So again, I have to narrow it down. But what I've enjoyed throughout the last probably 10 years of my career is the element of working with people supporting them, helping them kind of understand what they want, how they're going to get there, holding them accountable, motivating them supporting them, and it's just a Perfect fit with coaching. So it's one of those things that I just thought Why didn't I think of this years ago, but I didn't. So from there, I really wanted to kind of fall in the line. I've coached for a lot of years, but I didn't kind of have that formal credibility, if you like in terms of a qualification. So I decided to study to do that. And it really kind of gave me the framework to work with. And I think the credibility maybe with customers and clients, in terms of I do know what I'm talking about. And I just decided to kind of set up on my own, I'm a big believer that these opportunities don't just kind of happen at the best time, you just have to make them happen. And I just decided to bite the bullet and go for it in the end. And so far, so good,

Anne Okafor: 5:47

good. And we're all actually great to hear, I think, you know, I can relate a lot to that story in terms of the people sort of side of things. And that's very much what was driving me. And I found it really interesting, when you said about getting, you know, you've got to the next level. And so I'll be happy here. And I think that's something I went through too, and probably just didn't acknowledge. So I'm really interested in that you were in a very similar place. Because I think we always kind of chase that. And, you know, we're told, you know, if you get a promotion, you'll be happy. And you know, you get more money or responsibility, it's a better thing, it's a good thing. And it is, if that's what you want. We don't always know what we want. And we were chasing maybe something that we didn't really want, we thought we wanted but we didn't actually want,

Alan Smith: 6:32

I agree at all you chasing something that you think you should have, or that will make you happy. And it was a slippery slope. For me, I didn't realise when I was on it. But I think there's just so many kind of instilled beliefs that we have around the EU, a lot of people I work with now kind of don't think they should go for a job with less money. And I kind of say, well work out what you need, you know, work out what you need to live on comfortably. And how much value do you put on your happiness versus the salary? So you get to this point where you feel like every next job needs to give you a bit more money, there needs to be something in it financially to make you go for it. And that's how you end up off course I think because she's not kind of going after what you want to do and what makes you happy. You end up stuck in a rut a little bit in terms of the path that's destined for you.

Anne Okafor: 7:32

Yeah, no, I think I again, agree with you completely. You know, we're kind of told that that's the way it should be the career ladder is it comes with promotions that comes with extra money, that and more responsibility. And actually, you know, not everybody wants that extra responsibility, you know, like, so if you find that you're comfortable enough with what you need financially, then, is taken the next step really gonna make you happier? Probably not.

Alan Smith: 7:59

My experiences. No, he doesn't know, I know everyone's different. But he certainly didn't for me.

Anne Okafor: 8:04

Yeah, no, I think it is. It's about it's about understanding what you what makes you happy. What makes you tick. You know, people always say to me, you know, an example like, why don't you drive a fancier car? You because honestly, I don't really give up on me probably to be like, I could have, you know, some days, I think I'll be really nice. You know, I've seen the nice cars go by. And actually, I've just painted it to look nice on the driveway and everyone else to think, like, it's not something that's important to me, so I don't invest my money in that space. You know, when it's finding what works for you, you know, if a big car or fancy car is your thing, absolutely happy days go and do what you need to do to make that happen for you. But we're not always looking for that sort of financial pinner reward for work, you know, like, sometimes it's that happiness factor. And I think that's certainly the space you seem to be in. You know, I see your posts on Instagram and you're always so happy. And you know, it looks like you're having fun while you're doing what you're doing. And, and that's really special. I think if you can find something that allows you that space,

Alan Smith: 9:08

thank you. That's really kind of you say I do love, absolutely love what I do. is, you know is Monday today and I always conscious on a Monday morning, how many people are waking up with that feeling of on another week at work? I don't feel like that anymore, because I just love what I'm doing. And I try and make my content fun because I think that reflects me as a person. I try and make my coaching for you know, we talk about some very serious things with people, but where it's appropriate and where possible. I want it to be fun. I want people to enjoy the experience of coaching as well as kind of all the learning and development that you get out of it. So it's very much my outlook on things.

Anne Okafor: 9:53

So that kind of takes me nicely into today's question was, I work in construction, as you know, and a lot of this skills that I attribute to me being good at my job? No, I, you I attribute back to that training ground of hospitality and retail and customer experience. And you know, you mentioned there, you want people to have a good experience, and you're coaching as well. So would you say that those sort of transferable skills have come with you, along the way, from your hospitality, retail background,

Alan Smith: 10:22

definitely, I think those sectors really understand the importance of it. And I think in the right environment, you get some really good training, you're working for good companies, ah, absolutely ingrained in the organisation, it's really well embedded, and you, as an employee demonstrate those values you, you really kind of have to buy into them. And if you don't, we're probably not working in the right place. But I think kind of the foundations I got, whilst it wasn't planned, have have served me well. And in a way I kind of made a career out of working in sectors that aren't typically great at customer experience, and being able to translate some of that best practice from those sectors like retail, and hospitality and things into that kind of environment. You know, the NHS wasn't customer focused at that time, they didn't like to think of patients as customers, and probably still don't, to an extent. But a lot of the work that I did was around kind of translating that kind of Amazon John Lewis experience about really valuing customers, and how the NHS can learn from that, and bring it in. And I did similar in housing, so it has served me well. And I think you'll know, when you've been so customer focused, you live and breathe it every day, if you go to the short, if you're on the phone to somebody, you're constantly spotting things that are adding great about the experience or ways that things that they should have done differently to make it not switch off from it. So it is very important to me that the client experience that people have working with me is really positive.

Anne Okafor: 12:08

I think transferable skills are such an understated thing. Sometimes, you know, we forget that, you know, just we've started in retail and hospitality, and people can only be think that, oh, this is what I'm just No, but their skills that you're learning there that can be absolutely valuable moving on to another industry or another job, you know, certainly in your case, a hazard and certainly in mining construction, you wouldn't think construction, you know, we're dealing with bricks and mortar and, and houses and, but really, it's a people industry, you know, because we're gonna have people all the time, and, you know, internally as customers, you know, but me talking to the site managers that I work with, and, you know, and then externally to our clients, and just with people in general in the industry, and making sure that people have a good experience, you know, and whatever I'm trying to help them with is really important. And I think that training ground a serve me well, you know, I always joke and say that I am working in the pubs and kicking out time at 12 o'clock is always good for working on site. It was very, it was good learning for working on sites, but you know, generally just that people focus, it really does say it Yeah, well, so I just wanted to highlight that because we don't talk about transferable skills enough, I don't think, you know, we talk about professional qualifications and degrees and apprenticeships, which are all wonderful. But transferable skills are, you know, something that I really champion. And I think people can realise their value a bit more than what they've done and the experiences that they have, and transfer them over into other industries,

Alan Smith: 13:42

while as good that people like you are championing it, because we need to wake up rarely, I think I've seen it so many times when people are looking for a project manager role. So they look for somebody else who's been a project manager in the same sort of environment and you think, why on earth would they want this job if you're already doing it already, you know, I think a fresh perspective coming from a different sector, a different environment brings so much value with it, you you have a whole different outlook on things, and you've got so many experiences and skills that you can bring to that, that, you know, I think companies lose out themselves by being so closed minded sometimes in terms of who they're trying to attract. And I think as individuals, we have a responsibility to kind of really believe in ourselves a bit more and think actually, I've done this, this and this, which is similar to that. And it's transferable. So when yeah, there's still a lot of work to do on it. And I think but I completely agree with you. And like I said, I made a career out of it in a way because I went into environments where there wasn't specialist in that sort of thing because it was new to that sector.

Anne Okafor: 14:59

I think I you know, I It's something I'm really passionate about. I think that in the same issue industries and companies can lose out by not having that, you know, and not realising that the customer is so important. And I always think that, you know, I've always said, when I first started out that whether you're looking for a night in a hotel with a nice meal, or whether you're looking to buy a house, there's an expectation, and it's managing that, you know, customer expectation and the journey that the customer has from when they meet you to when they're satisfied with your project. And, and it's really the same, you know, yes, there's intricacies and differences between different jobs, yes, but making sure your customer gets those experiences is the same process really,

Alan Smith: 15:43

is absolutely that I always used to say, because I was a director of customer experience, the toolkit that you build around customer experience applies to any set of customers, and, you know, most businesses without customers, they haven't got business. And so it is a fundamental vital thing, and something that's so easily overlooked. And not everyone's natural at it. But you know, there are some great people out there who may be in very different fields, wanting a change that have got everything that that you need, and people just can't see it. So we do need to open our eyes and be much broader in our thinking around it. I think,

Anne Okafor: 16:28

well, there's definitely a big skills gaps in the construction industry at the moment that would, you know, certainly suit people with that sort of temperaments in them training, because it is becoming more and more realised that construction is. So it's a prime example. So let's talk about your coaching and the freedom coach. So where did the I think you've slightly touched on this, but where did the freedom philosophy come from?

Alan Smith: 16:52

Yeah, so freedom was, it came from a conversation I had with a very good friend, actually, who he's also my fitness coach. And he'd set up his own business earlier this year. And we were talking and, and I kept making reference to I need to find my freedom. And he, he, he also really liked that word, and we latched on to it. And every time we talked about it, the word freedom just kept coming up. So there was kind of two elements to it, I suppose one of them was me finding my own freedom, it did feel like freedom, leaving my corporate job, and the security of it, and everything after all those years, but it felt very liberating, and freeing. So there was an element of it being about my own freedom. But there was also a part of it that I want to help other people find that is, I think freedom is never a bad thing for anybody. And whether they want freedom from something or, or, you know, to get away from something that frees them or to move towards something that offers them that freedom. I hope it's something that people can connect with. And it's just such a powerful word, and just a word that I love it, it really captures kind of what I wanted, and what I hope to offer other people. Yeah, well,

Anne Okafor: 18:14

I certainly, you know, as I mentioned before, your Instagram posts and things like that, I certainly get that feel from your content, that you're sort of living your best life and that you really enjoy what you do. And you know, that is freedom, you know, that you wish for that the freedom to just be you and to, to love doing what you're doing is, you know, not wanting a bit Monday mornings is freedom. So yeah, brilliant. So tell us a little bit about your coaching and your approach that you that you would use, and maybe some of the things that you would help people with.

Alan Smith: 18:47

So, you know, the whole kind of premise is based around helping people find freedom. A lot of the people that I work with are wanting to kind of get out of this feeling of being stuck or trapped or lost actually are the words that I probably hear the most in terms of their life just seems to be kind of running its course and they don't feel like they've got much say in it anymore. And and that could be you I often kind of refer to it as a life blueprint. But I think often people kind of grow up thinking being an adult is about going to university getting a well paid job, finding a partner or getting married buying a house buying that fancy car on the driveway. And I speak to a lot of people I achieved all those things and it didn't make me happy and I've I've speak to a lot of people are in that same position. So they're kind of going after those things or the hunt them and they've just not got that sense of happiness that they they thought it bring them. So a lot of the people that I work with, it's about really helping them understand what is it they want for their life, you know, it's their life, they can take control of it. How do they do that? What is it they want? And it's amazing how many people don't know, you know, a lot of people when I kind of say, what is it that you want? What makes you happy? They don't know, they've got so used to living in a certain way and that same old routine, that the don't know. So the coaching kind of really teases out, what are those things that would make me happy. And sometimes you have to dig really deep, they've been pushed back for so long that people don't even know they're there anymore, and finding ways of doing it. And it's often small steps, you know, there isn't kind of a magic wand that you can just make it happen. It's about how do you transition from where you are now into where you want to be? What are those first steps that you can take, coaching gives you the kind of accountability, the motivation, the encouragement, and kind of keeps you on track, but it's very shaped by the client in terms of its their direction, what they want to provide clarity for them. And nine times out of 10, there's a confidence element to it, people lack self belief and confidence. And, you know, there's an element of risk involved, depending on what it is you want to do. Not everybody wants to go and set up their own business like I did. Sometimes it's a change of career or a different directional or wanting to travel or something like that. So it's that kind of self belief and confidence that you can have those things. And I would say the other element of it is kind of removing the guilt, and the shame and kind of forgetting, but stop caring what everyone else thinks, you know, when you gave the example about having a nice car on the drive. A lot of people do that, because it's a status thing for them that it's a marker of their success outwardly, to other people. And often a big part of what I do is working with people to kind of understand why do you care so much what everyone else thinks, Why are you comparing yourself to other people? Who's to say they're any happier than you are? And you've just got to kind of really be true to yourself, and really understand what is it that you want? And that might be different to everyone else around you? And that's absolutely fine.

Anne Okafor: 22:25

No, I think that's really I think one thing you mentioned was the guilt and the shame of that, because I think we we so often because we're told this is the things that will make you happy go after these things. And I certainly say the blueprint, you know, go to school, go to education, go and get the job, go and get married, get the house, get the car, you know, things and then everything's gonna be that sure life and it'll be fine. You know, it's the happily lived happily ever after kind of thing, isn't that? Yeah, we're told from like, you know, when you're a child, you know, you meet the boy, you meet the girl, you go to the castle, and everything's fine. You know, and actually, for lots of people, that's not the thing that really makes them happy. And that is perfectly okay. But we are so ingrained that that's the way it should be that we don't realise sometimes, or that we force away the feelings, like you said, that it's perfectly okay to want what you want to want. You want to travel great. You want to go after something else? Great. You want to set up your own business? Fantastic, you know, and it's just about, like making sure that people know that they have all these wonderful opportunities available to them. Yeah,

Alan Smith: 23:29

it is, I believe you are in charge of your own destiny, and you can make these things happen. And I think understanding what's stopping you a lot of the time is it is a real key thing. Because when you say them out loud, or when you really think about them, people realise for themselves, I shouldn't be letting this stop me from doing that, I should be going after it. And I I always I kind of live my life by I'd always rather regret doing something than regret not doing it. And but I've got to say, I have very few regrets in life. Because I think when you when you apply that mantra, it's always better to go and try. So you know, I went you know, nobody knows that their business is going to be successful. Nobody can go into it with 100% confidence. But I certainly know that had another 20 years passed. And by that I would have been in very long lasting regret that I've never tried it. And so you just have to kind of have the confidence in yourself and to go after things sometimes.

Anne Okafor: 24:31

Yeah, I think, you know, it's really important to try things, you know, especially if you think it's something that you want to do. I think we all get so stuck, you know, doing the things that we're told we should do. And, you know, I similarly to you, I always felt like well, I've tried, and I would rather know that it wasn't for me. And actually knowing that something's not for you is a valuable lesson in itself. You can then put it towards something else. So if you try something and it's As a workout, it's really not a big deal. You know, I know there's some risk and certain things, I get that, you know, if you're setting up a business, he put all your money behind it big risk, and you know, you do things that are sensible way. And you can really bloom then if you find something because actually you might fly, it might be amazing. And you get to do what you love, and you're happy every day and you don't really give a damn what the neighbours think because you're doing what makes you happy

Alan Smith: 25:24

is such a good point that you've touched on that. And I often say when people are thinking of new careers, and it's almost like people view these decisions as kind of life sentences almost, you know, what if I don't like this job? Well, if you don't like it, just go and get another one, you know, it's frowned upon to change jobs into by kind of thing. You know, if you're exploring new things you don't know, if you're gonna like it, there's no guarantee when you go into a job that you're going to love it, the culture might be different to what you expected, you might not have a great relationship with your manager, there's all sorts of dimensions to what makes you happy at work, not just what the actual work is. So you actually never know. But I think you know, for most people, you've got a month's notice period, or three months notice period to work, and you can go and do something else. We've got to stop seeing these things as something you're committing to for the rest of your life. Because you're not, you know, you're hoping it's going to be long lasting, you're hoping something's going to come out of it. But if you don't like it, go and do something else.

Anne Okafor: 26:35

Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, I, when I started in my journey into construction, I, I left when I was working at the time, and moved four hours down the road. And I didn't know when people like, well, what if it doesn't work for like, there's hotels, there's restaurants that I could work in down there. I'll go back to what I know what to do. But I think that's as well. You know, I started in hospitality, retail when I was, you know, 1516 years old. You know, I'm twice that age now. And a bit more. I'm not the same person I was 1516 20 years ago. Nobody is you know, so we find things that you know, so it's okay to realise that actually what you were doing back then and what interested you there isn't the same thing that interests you today? Yeah. And you're not just to switch it up and to be happy. Find something that pursues you, you know, going into construction, especially as a woman, it was very much like what you're doing. And it's very much like, well, actually, I think this is what's gonna make me happy. So I'm going to try it and see. And if it doesn't work out, well, I'll just, I'll go and work in a different pub. It's fine. You know, but at least I know it, you know,

Alan Smith: 27:40

I think to your point about your change over time, and you preferences, change and things, and I think that's a really, really good, good point. Because you do you know, you might, and I think people get a bit hung up on, I've spent X number of years training to be this. So so now I need to carry on doing that. Well, actually, no, you don't, you might have spent five years doing that. But that doesn't mean you should spend another five doing it. If it doesn't make you happy. Same as relationships, you know, I have people say, I've been in this relationship eight years, and I think and you know, but if I met them now, the probably wouldn't make it to a second date. Maybe he needs to kind of reassess that situation. And because I think the more time people invest in something, sometimes the more reluctant they are to let it go. And I personally don't think it should work that way. Like you've certainly change and what you want changes, and that's okay, you don't have to commit something just because you've spent a long time doing it.

Anne Okafor: 28:45

And I think in terms of the work situation, in that respect, if you've spent five years creating, you know, learning to be something training to be something and honing those skills, they're not wasted by any means. It's not a case of, you know, oh, well, that's it, you just never use those skills. Again, like we said, that goes back to transferable skills, you can apply them somewhere else, and maybe even in a more fulfilling way, you know, most of us have done from our backgrounds of retail hospitality, and then actually taking the lessons. It's not like we've worked for, you know, 20 years, 15 years and those environments, and then everything we learned is just wasted in which you're starting from scratch to a degree, but you're starting from scratch with life lessons and with learning and with training that you can apply in a different scenario.

Alan Smith: 29:33

I think, you know, when I work with people in those scenarios, I really try and encourage them to see it as a really positive thing is exciting. They're going to try something new, they're exploring something different. It's not a failure. It's not the failed at this career. You know, I hear people say that or they went to university is to study to be a lawyer and then actually really don't enjoy what being a lawyer involves. Well Like you said, you use those skills, do something different, it gives you a really unique edge. Actually some of those things, sometimes use it to your advantage. But see, go into that kind of new opportunity, not feeling like you're failing, not feeling like you're starting at stage one again, but that you've got something from it, you've learned something from it, and you're gonna apply it something new and exciting.

Anne Okafor: 30:24

No, I absolutely agree. So we've mentioned a couple of times about you starting a new business to do this. And presumably, that comes with challenges of itself. You know, it's a great thing. It's a positive thing. But obviously, there's challenges and you learn things along the way. So can you enlighten us to maybe some of the challenges you've come across in the last sort of year or so? And how you've overcome those challenges? Or how you're overcoming them? Maybe that you're still working on that?

Alan Smith: 30:49

Yeah. Do you know what I think I'll always be learning new things. I've held very senior roles in businesses, but never on my own. And you become everything when you know, I work completely on my own. So I'm now responsible for my marketing for my finances for my time. And I think doing something that you love, in some ways, it doesn't feel like work. But I still have to practice what I preach and get my own balance, right? He very tempting to just work every day because you enjoy it. And I think some of the things I've learned is, as much as I love doing it, it is a business. And I've got to, I've got to treat it as such. So I suppose one of the key things for me was, I've got lots of ideas in terms of how I want to expand my offer, how I want the business to grow. But I've had to really kind of prioritise where I place my focus, and what before I can run, get the foundations in place, and make sure that I'm running a sustainable business before I start trying to add to it. And it's just being kind of good time management, making sure I've got time to myself, reminding myself, I did this in the first place. You know, some of it was to release time, some of it was small things like going to the gym at a time of day when I wanted to instead of that slot in the day when I could cram it in. So the things that were important to me in terms of why I went into this, I've made sure are still very alive within me and that they happen, because that's what I want to do. And I feel like a fraud in some ways, if I was promoting myself for something and then not doing it. But I think the main thing has just been the biggest lesson for me, I suppose, as been trustee got with things because I could have done this before. And I was waiting for that now, I'd be one of those people that's waited for this perfect time, you know, I started as a sideline, trying to juggle my job with it, thinking that that magically be this sweet spot at some point where one transitioned into the other. That didn't happen, I had to take a leap of faith. But I think just making sure you're checking myself in making sure that I remain true to why I set it up in the first place. And being authentic to people, and just really making sure that those basic things are done well, before I start trying to get carried away with myself and it's been too much.

Anne Okafor: 33:29

No, that's good. I think there are some really useful tips there in terms of anyone who's making a change of any kind, I saw it really as to, you know, remember why you took the change and to you know, believe in yourself and listen to your intuition about it. Because we do get carried away and get sometimes maybe overly excited by the new thing and get carried away into that. And then we forget all the things and the reasons why we were making a change.

Alan Smith: 33:55

I think one of the biggest things for me is just being true to yourself gets you a long way. I really think that and you know, I wasn't somebody who posted very often on social media, a lot of kind of my business presence is now on Instagram and things like that, which isn't something I've really done before. And I was looking at what other coaches were doing, and I couldn't really talk myself out of it. You know, the more I was looking, the more coaches I was seeing online, they were doing things in a very different way to how I approach them. And as you saw, I've just got to be me, I've just got to do it my way. And actually, it's one of the things that I hear often people say they like about my approach that is that He's different. He's a bit quirky, it's fun, which I think are all strands of my personality. So it's lovely when people say that because I feel like I'm being true to myself and doing what I set out to do. But it does sometimes just take it's easy to copy. It's easy to look at what everyone else is doing. It's that comparison Again, I'm feeling that you need to be doing the same thing. And you don't do it your own way.

Anne Okafor: 35:06

Yeah, no, I agree with that. And I'm testament as well to your posts, because I've noticed them, and I love them, you know, they're really great. It's just something different. Because it's easy to copy, you think, Oh, well, that guy's had great success, or that girls had great success, I'll do that. And then hopefully, I'll get success, but actually, your own successes is you and what you bring to the table, so be that and just run with you. I always think, you know, that's what people want to see, you know, when they come to Alan, they want to see Alan, you know, they want to see you and what you're living and what and how, what makes you happy. And living, by example, allows people to see that it's possible for them to I think, you know,

Alan Smith: 35:48

he doors, and I think you get to a point where you accept, you're not going to please everyone, no one ever says, you know, if you look at mobile phones, some people prefer Apple, some people prefer Android, that's fine. And And not everyone's going to want to work with me. But I want to attract people who do. And the best way I can do that is being myself, what people see on social media is what they'll get when they work with me. So I feel like that's the best way of doing it for me anyway.

Anne Okafor: 36:20

Well, I certainly agree with you. And I think, you know, you, you do let your personality shine through. And it's great to see, it's great to see that differentiator between, you know, the run of the mill cleaner, standard stuff, and then your kind of stuff. And it stands out, you know, I noticed that on the daily saw, you know, job done a lot to read, or at least work in progress and all that we never just job done. And that's not finished. But you know, you're you're certainly doing something that's been seen. Thank you. That's really, obviously a good thing. So my next question is a same around your, I know, on your website, you have your website online, and I think you have a free ebook that people can access yesterday. Tell us just a little bit about that. So if people want to reach that they could, Nepal in there and see what it is you do.

Alan Smith: 37:16

So the purpose of the book really is just to kind of give people but the helping hand, it's probably like the first, the first bit of your adventure, I tend to not refer to journeys, I prefer adventure, because I just think it better reflects that. It's fun. And so the book is really, you know, there's some kind of things in there that people might relate to in terms of some of their events in life, or some of their courses in life that have taken them to a certain direction. And it's really trying to connect with people who are feeling that way. And then there's some tips and guidance, I suppose in terms of how do you start to dig yourself out of this hole, you found yourself saying, what are the first steps in terms of how to do that? So yeah, that's why that's why I put the book out as a free resource for people. And I just hope it kind of connects with people enhance people in terms of that, feeling that they're not the only one. It's amazing. Yeah, I know how many people feel that way. Because I work with them day in day out. When you're the person feeling like that, it's very easy to feel like you're the only one that feels like that, and everyone around you is living a wonderful life. And it's just not like that, you know, social media, people put their best moments on now you're not seeing the full view. And there's so much comparison that people make against, you know, people the same age, I'm the same age as these people, and they've achieved X, Y and Zed. And I haven't I feel like I haven't been successful. So it's, you know, it's all these kind of ingrained things that people measure themselves and their success against, and I really want people to know, is very common, you're not the only person that thinks that and actually can do something about it. And this account.

Anne Okafor: 39:10

Yeah, and that's a great first step is to have you looked at the book and to to get some insight. So moving on from that, would you share with us maybe your three pieces of advice for someone who is feeling stuck, and is looking to find their freedom?

Alan Smith: 39:25

Yeah, I think for me, the first one is really, it sounds a bit cheesy, I suppose. But it's really getting to know yourself. And what I mean by that is allowing yourself to kind of think about what do you want, you know, not what can you have? But if money was no object or anything like that, what is it that you want, and what would truly make you happy? And you know, sometimes people have to start with what doesn't make them happy. This so stuck into into have this kind of life that they're in and the things around them that are making them unhappy. They have to kind of start with that and understand that first. But I think taking some time to kind of soul search a little bit and allow yourself to think those things because we cross those thoughts. Sometimes we don't allow ourselves to have them. So I think just allowing yourself write them down, or stick them up somewhere, and read them out to yourself, but just really getting to know what are the things I want. And, you know, there's a few ways you can do that you can kind of think, if in 30 years time, your life was exactly the same as it is now, what would you regret not doing, because people don't think of things in that way. So I think the first one is getting to know you, and what makes you happy. And that might be different to where you were five or 10 years ago, and it was fine. The second one is about kind of the energy that you need the motivation that you need to kind of get you to start to move towards those things. And often it's about as well as kind of looking at how do you motivate yourself to do this thing to it's increasing the confidence and self belief and taking chances. It's equally about removing the obstacles that stopped you. Often when I work with people, it's the obstacles that are a bigger problem, than finding the motivation to something that people find, we'll help them back, whether that's a real thing or not, or whether that's a belief that they've got that it will happen is different. But it's kind of really understanding if this is what you want, what do you need to make it happen? And then the third one, I think, is really that plan. So after kind of understanding what you want, knowing kind of what you need to get it, it's the how, like, how do you find your freedom, like I did? What plan do you need to put in place? What are the first steps, and often people can't do a detailed plan of getting from one place to another, it's about kind of really just looking at that first thing that they need to do, what's the first step you're going to take towards these new things that you want, and just keep taking those steps. And you'll get there? Yeah,

Anne Okafor: 42:25

I think it's really important for people to know that you don't need to have like, you know, the big five or 10 year plan or mark tie on day one, it's just identifying what direction of travel, you want to be moving in, and then start taking steps in that direction, and it could be late. So you know, if you've identified that you've maybe got an issue with confidence, it could be going to some classes that maybe help with that, or, you know, finding a skill that can help you you know, so for me, part of that experience for me has been increasing my public speaking, and be more confident in that space. And sometimes it can be picking up a skill that allows you to develop that skill. So it doesn't necessarily need to be like, you know, let's drop everything and move to the new life tomorrow, it can be taken smaller steps, you know, to start moving towards that

Alan Smith: 43:13

age. And you know, when people do that, I often encourage them to slow down because you find that all of a sudden, these all these things feel possible and achievable and doable. And people want to go after them at 100 miles an hour. And you can kind of burn yourself out doing that. And it can kind of die quite quickly. So I think pacing it and doing it at the wrong time and building, you know, to hear you say that you had a confidence issue with public speaking. And here you are hosting a podcast. I know how you've overcome it. But yes, there are, you know, and it's interesting, because people say I'm not confident yet you look at the whole life. And there's lots of things that require a lot of confidence that they do day to day that they're overlooking. So often people do have confidence in certain things. It's a fear of the unknown.

Anne Okafor: 44:07

Yeah, no, and I can totally relate. And I just said, even at the start of this last year, if you just told me, I've been hosting a podcast, by the end of the year, I probably would have laughed, laughed you down the street and said absolutely no way. You know, you just take small steps, and then opportunities present as well. That you know, you didn't really know that you were looking forward. I certainly didn't intend to, you know, it certainly wasn't in my 2021 plan to set up a podcast. But here I am. And I love it. And I'm having these fantastic conversations. So thank you for having that with me. So just finally, Alan, where can our listeners find you online? And obviously we've mentioned Instagram a lot. So where can they find you to see these amazing posts that we're talking about? Your website?

Alan Smith: 44:55

Yes, I am on Instagram as the freedom coach or Alan Smith The Freedom coach, you'll find me. So I'm on my website is www.va hyphen, Freedom hyphen coach.co.uk. across those two channels, you'll find most things on me to be honest,

Anne Okafor: 45:17

awesome. Well, we will include those two links in the show notes for this episode, so that our listeners can get there directly and see these great posts, and be motivated, hopefully to search for their own freedoms. So Alan, thank you so much for sharing your experiences, and you know how you found your freedom. And allow me to talk a little bit about how I found mine, hopefully together will maybe have inspired someone to you know, start little adventure.

Alan Smith: 45:46

I hope so. I do hope for anyone listening that encourages one person to go after that thing that they're wanting then it's great and to reach out to people if you know if they want to talk to somebody about it.

Anne Okafor: 46:01

Yeah, I completely agree. And let's hope we inspire someone. I'm sure we will. And yeah, you're remarkable. Thank you so much. So listeners, whether you're bouncing back, or storming forward towards the next challenge the determinant our collective is here for you. Stay remarkable the terminators.

Unknown: 46:19

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss when new episodes are posted. He will continue to deliver real life insights on overcoming challenges, practical tips and advice on becoming unstuck with a collective of people just like you are everyday the Terminator. Until next time, take care of yourselves and your friends. Thanks for listening terminators