Treat Your Business

145 How Coaching Transformed My Clinic: From Overwhelm to Success with Bruno De Jongh

• Katie Bell / Bruno De Jongh • Season 1 • Episode 145

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Welcome 👋

This week, I’m absolutely thrilled to bring you a truly inspiring conversation with one of my favourite people, Bruno De Jongh. Bruno’s been part of our Thrive community for over two years now, and his journey is nothing short of phenomenal. His energy is absolutely tonic, and I know you’re going to love hearing how he’s transformed both his business and his mindset. So, sit back, relax, and let yourself be inspired by what’s possible when you choose to step up and do the work!

Episode Summary 💡

In this episode, I chat with Bruno about his journey from chaos and overwhelm to clarity, confidence, and control in his business. We talk openly about the struggles he faced, feeling stuck, not knowing his numbers, and the anxiety that comes with running a busy clinic without structure. Bruno shares how joining Thrive (and actually engaging with it!) was the turning point that helped him shift his mindset, implement real strategies, and become the empowered business owner he is today.

We dive into the importance of showing up, taking action, and embracing discomfort as the path to growth. Bruno gets real about the personal changes he’s made too, letting go of distractions, working on self-worth, and learning to delegate so he can focus on his strengths. It’s a conversation packed with honesty, practical advice, and a big dose of encouragement for anyone feeling overwhelmed or stuck in their business right now.

Key Takeaways ✨

  • You’re not alone: Whatever you’re struggling with, someone else has been there. Community and support are game changers.
  • Mindset matters: Real change starts with how you think about yourself and your business. Working on you is just as important as working on your strategy.
  • Action over perfection: It’s not about having all the answers, it’s about showing up, being present, and taking the next step.
  • Embrace discomfort: Growth only happens when you’re willing to get a bit uncomfortable and try new things.
  • Delegate and focus: Lean into your strengths and let others handle what drains your energy, your business will thank you for it!

Resources & Links 🔗

If This Resona

Treat Your Business podcast is proudly sponsored by MBST, the groundbreaking technology revolutionising recovery and rehabilitation. Offering a non-invasive, drug-free solution for musculoskeletal conditions and nerve injuries, MBST works at a cellular level to stimulate regeneration. Expand your services and deliver long-term patient improvements without increasing your workload.

Learn more at mbstmedical.co.uk. 

Treat Your Business EP145

[00:00:00] Katie Bell: This week you get the pleasure of hearing from one of my most favorite people on this planet that came into my life two years ago, just over two years ago now. He is one of our members in Thrive, and his energy is tonic to me. And he is just a fabulous person to be around. And we have watched. This person grow and develop and change and implement and do things in his business and in his life, which is phenomenal and he is very vulnerably.

[00:00:34] going to share with you a little bit about his journey and just what has got him to where he is today. So sit back, relax, and just really enjoy. To be and be inspired by this conversation I'm about to have for the next half an hour.

[00:00:52] Welcome to the Treat Your Business Podcast with Katie Bell. I'm Katie, and this is the place where clinic owners like you learn the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts needed to transform your clinic into a thriving business. One that gives you more time, more money, and more freedom. Born from a passion to challenge the idea that average is normal.

[00:01:15] We empower clinic owners to create extraordinary businesses, incomes, and lives through our world class coaching programs. We help you step out of overwhelm and into confidence, turning your clinic into a business that fuels your lifestyle, not draining it. So are you ready? Let's dive in.

[00:01:34] Hello Bruno. Welcome to the Treat Your Business Podcast. Hello. Would you like to sing the song to you?

[00:01:40] I feel like that maybe would end the podcast here, like I feel like if you wanna listen, so. Thank you first of all for being here because I love your energy and I love being around you. And you've been with Thrive a while now. Yeah. And you agreed very kindly to come on and share your experience with our fabulous listeners because it's okay me talking about it. It's okay.

[00:02:08] People seeing things on social media, but what's really important to me is anybody listening to this, who feels stuck, who feels overwhelmed. Who feels they're in a position in their business where they just wanna give up. I just want one person from this week to go, do you know what, there is hope and there is, and it doesn't have to be this way.

[00:02:27] So you very kindly agreed to share your journey with all of our listeners. So Bruno, tell everybody who you are, what it is that you do, where your clinic is. How long have you been with us in Thrive now? 

[00:02:40] Bruno De Jongh: Okay, so my name is Bruno De Jongh. I've got three locations in London, Canary Wharf, Waterloo and Elephant, and Castle.

[00:02:48] And I've been well as a solo practitioner before I was, I've been going for 15 years, but the business register's been going for, it's going to be 10 years this year. Is it? Yeah, September. We're planning something for. Yes. Yeah, so we, we've really, the business really changed a lot over the years and especially since being with you and these days, we really help people with physical and mental challenges to overcome those challenges.

[00:03:18] Anything from back pain, knee pain, to anxiety and addictions. Wow. Because we provide them with a personalized and quite holistic program that may include physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, clinical Pilates, and hypnotherapy. So depending what they need, we might use two, combine two or three of those services in one program for so many weeks, whatever they need.

[00:03:46] Really? Wow. Yeah. 

[00:03:47] Katie Bell: And so you are now, what do you clash yourself now Bruno? As a business owner rather than a clinician? Yes.

[00:03:57] Bruno De Jongh: Yes. Yay. 

[00:03:58] Very much I still enjoy, like today, I actually went to clinic today and I had a full diary and it was okay. I don't feel drained by it. A nice clients and yeah I but I certainly enjoy a lot more leading my team. We have weekly meetings I do coaching with them.

[00:04:21] Like someone is not performing for whatever reason. They'll have four weeks with me of follow up. And I really enjoy doing that. And I enjoy as well. Obviously we got an integrator now into the business and I really enjoy as well, having Marcel to bounce our ideas off and to and also coaching her giving her guidance.

[00:04:43] As to where we need to go. I enjoy all that. 

[00:04:46] Katie Bell: And we'll explain what an in intergrator means to everybody as we go along Bruno, because that basically means an ops person, an ops manager, practice manager, but an upleveled version of one of those. How long have you been with Thrive now?

[00:04:58] Bruno De Jongh: So it's two years in May. 

[00:05:00] Katie Bell: Oh my goodness. 

[00:05:01] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:05:03] Katie Bell: What a journey. So, Bruno, we we first chatted then over two years ago. What was business in life like for you then? Which meant that you were looking for a solution, a different solution, support, help. What was going on for you? 

[00:05:20] Bruno De Jongh: Gosh. It was chaotic to say the least.

[00:05:26] It's didn't know my numbers. Nobody had KPIs or they had, did they have targets? Maybe, I can't even remember. But it was very much I think we need to, I think it's going all right or not but definitely not going all right. It was definitely not going.

[00:05:42] And then but then with that. It came a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of even trouble at home. 

[00:05:51] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:05:52] Bruno De Jongh: Because if you're in this space where things are chaotic, you don't have control of it, and you're trying to bury your head in the sand, you don't just do that in one part of your life.

[00:06:07] You do it everywhere. Yeah. So that was happening for me. 

[00:06:12] Katie Bell: Yeah. And you are a dad? Two little girls. 

[00:06:15] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. Twins, we must say they're twins, of course. A football game. Yeah. 

[00:06:22] Katie Bell: And you've got a busy, it was a, it was a busy clinic. You were clinically doing a lot more than you are now.

[00:06:29] Yeah. You didn't have an op person, you had. If I remember, you didn't have clarity on your numbers. The business wasn't in a profitable position. And there was a lot of stress around that wasn't there? Yeah. Just how do I pay myself? How do I ensure that this business is going to be sustainable and resilient going forwards?

[00:06:49] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:06:49] Katie Bell: You've got everybody on self-employed contracts. 

[00:06:52] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:06:53] Katie Bell: Didn't have any employee team. You'd got an awful lot of stuff going on, but we weren't sure what was working and what wasn't. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And so what made you think I have to do something different here? What was the why did you reach out?

[00:07:14] Bruno De Jongh: So I had them some coaching pre COVID, and then I stopped and then I just felt like I just didn't have the answer. I was just tired. Of not having the answers of just not knowing if what I'm doing is right or not. I just not, I literally just since I came to this country 20 years ago, I just winged it.

[00:07:38] Katie Bell: There's nothing wrong with that, . Make it till you it. I just did it. Yeah. I 

[00:07:41] Bruno De Jongh: just did it. But I went, of course before clinic I was working in bars and I was teaching classes, the gyms and great at that 'cause great with people, customer service, all that. But then we in clinic really, there was no, I had no guidance.

[00:07:57] I just did it. And and I guess COVID needed to happen to show me. That I had no structure, and I think a lot of business owners back then, that's why a lot of business owners or businesses fail failed back then because they realized they have no structures. But luckily we had a lot of cash flow that allow us to navigate through that difficult time and then eventually just reach out and because just tired.

[00:08:29] I remember it wasn't a very hard sale. You did. 'cause I was so ready to just someone just tell me what to do. 'cause I cannot do it on my own anymore. Yeah. And I think you, we started talking and you say, you could do this, you could do this. I was like yeah. What do I saying? Let's just do it.

[00:08:47] Katie Bell: Oh my God. Was that easy? But you immersed yourself. So Bruno, you came into our Elevate program. Which were for business owners of a certain size, and you immersed yourself into our structure and our way. And there was a turning point for me and I and I'm sure you're going to, you're going to share this with the audience, but there was a lots of things, because you can be coached and taught an enormous amount of stuff, but you have to take action and you have to implement things.

[00:09:20] And you have to implement things in the right order and you have to be vulnerable enough to say, I don't know what I'm doing and I really need support with this. And we knew there was a lot of strategy that needed to be sorted in your business. A lot of processes and systems and people. But there was also a lot of mindset work that we knew we wanted to do, but with you and still do it.

[00:09:42] 'cause that's, that is the point. What. You came in thinking you needed all the answers and the strategy. At what point did you realize this program was going to work on you As much as it does? 

[00:09:53] Bruno De Jongh: In all honestly, it took, probably took almost a year for the penny to drop. 

[00:10:01] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:10:01] Bruno De Jongh: Took a long time of, but yeah, I guess it's, it is something that I've struggled a lot over the years and I recognize that today. I recognize that which is not not taking accountability for things and wanting people to just sort things out for you, and then and coupled with that, there was all this mindset thing of. Very negative and oh, she's not going to work. And this, now this, and now that. And it was always something. Yeah. So it was chaotic. My, my external was chaotic because inside was chaotic and it was very, talk myself down and just be hopeless, I don't know.

[00:10:51] Can't even quite remember. But it was like that. It was quite, yeah, it was quite difficult. 

[00:10:58] Katie Bell: I remember that We spent a lot of time and it wasn't through lack of action. You'd be at the live days, you'd be at every pod call, you'd be at every q and a. You would, you were doing the stuff.

[00:11:09] And there's this thing that we talk about is in the like force versus power. And I think in the first year we saw a lot of force from Bruno. So it was like, I'm paying you this amount of money. I'm going to get extra every bit of value I can from it. I'm going to do everything that you're telling me to do, which you did and things were changing in your business all the time, but we just felt like there was just this block behind it, didn't we?

[00:11:36] And it was, yeah, it. Or and because we care so much as coaches, we are always talking and we are always making sure we support you in the right way. And there was this moment in time and we were really honest with you. And we talked about accountability and responsibility and this shift in the mindset that needs to go on and then something happened.

[00:11:55] And it would be a culmination of all this stuff that you'd been in front of over the year and then bam, something changed. Yeah. 

[00:12:02] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. But actually you are wrong in a little thing there, which is, I wasn't actually attending to all the sessions. 

[00:12:11] Katie Bell: Oh, really? 

[00:12:12] Bruno De Jongh: No, the q and as, I did it at the beginning, and then I stopped and then I remember having this conversation with Nicholas that I just wasn't, I'm not getting what I need from it or whatever, but I actually wasn't attending to some of the stuff.

[00:12:29] It's and then Nicholas said, and then she said, are you attending the q and As? And I was like, no. And she was like how about you turn up? I'm like, okay.

[00:12:37] Katie Bell: And that's what we see, isn't it that and you're at all of them and you just bring so much great energy to them. But you have to be present, you have to make time if you wanna be coached. You can't come into a coaching program and expect somebody to do the work for you. That's not what coaching program does.

[00:12:55] That's when you need to just have an implementer. But if you have an implementer, you're going to know what the fuck you talking about and you've gotta be able to tell 'em what you need them to implement. What you were getting was coaching at every level from strategy and mindset, and once you started engaging and showing up, you were then like, oh yeah, okay.

[00:13:13] Now I can see. Yeah, what it is I need to do in what order and have that consistent accountability 

[00:13:19] Bruno De Jongh: and then I can't remember what there were, I think it was a Q and a that I attended and I don't know what I said, but I probably said, you prob, you probably thought fucking get a grip Bruno. And then because you said to me.

[00:13:36] You said to me, so you're going to do the gratitude challenge? 

[00:13:40] Katie Bell: Oh yes, I did. 

[00:13:41] Bruno De Jongh: That was the turning point. That was the turning point. You say you're going to ride on a group every day for the next seven days. 10 things. 10 10 things you're grateful for, however small, a big they are. And I was like, oh, thanks Jesus.

[00:13:56] And. Yeah. And that was it. I had, that's where the big shift happened because I managed to shift from this place of being nothing works and goodness, what am I, what do I do next? And this is just not working to actually just being, just appreciating all the 98% of things that are working. And I was just so focused on the 2%.

[00:14:24] And by the end of that, I felt like I was a different person. 

[00:14:31] Katie Bell: Wow. 

[00:14:31] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:14:32] Katie Bell: But if I could like, have recorded the, pre Bruno and the now Bruno. It you just I don't think you fully realized like how. What a change that you've had and that you've made and who you've become. Because we talk a lot about the be do have principle, and that if you wanna have more money and have more freedom and more time and more fulfillment in your life, you have to become the person that warrants all of that and deserves all of that.

[00:15:01] So you have to go through not changing your whole personality and your persona, but really up leveling yourself in a lot of. Yeah, different things. And are you happy to share Bruno the thing that you had to stop doing, which was 

[00:15:16] Bruno De Jongh: Oh yes. Yeah. 

[00:15:17] Katie Bell: Yes. 

[00:15:18] Bruno De Jongh: So I've always had a problem with video gaming.

[00:15:20] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:15:21] Bruno De Jongh: I've always had a problem with video gaming. And it will go through phases. It will be sometimes, in my single days, I would spend easily eight hours a day playing and that would be like fantastic. Best day ever. Really? Yeah. And then when I got together with Antonio, that persisted, but maybe not as much.

[00:15:43] But if I was, when we didn't live together, if I was having a day, I might just do that. And and then last, yeah, LA last October, when you just like, God, I'm so tired of myself, I just. Can't deal with this mental chatter anymore. And with all this rubbish, I'm just tired of all this distraction and all this wasting of time that is not leading to anything.

[00:16:11] So I just sold my PlayStation, I sold everything. And my husband, you sure you don't wanna put in the garage just to, maybe sometime you wanna pick it up. And I was like, no, it has to go. It has to go. And in fact, about. A month ago, I found a little game on my computer and I said, oh, i's going to play a little game harm, harmless.

[00:16:31] And then I play a little bit of day. I say, oh, I feel fine, and let's play half an hour. Okay. And then I think within a week I called myself, not what I probably played for an hour. And then I didn't wanna stop and I was like, and I remember my kids wanted to play or something, and I was just like, here.

[00:16:46] And I was like, what am I doing? Yeah. What am I doing? So that went into the bin as well. And it's just, I think I cut off all the distraction and I actually went to the other extreme. Yeah. And then I was just doing meditation twice a day. I was doing yoga every day and I wasn't watching telly, I was just like, I need to focus on me.

[00:17:05] But the really interesting thing is that I was doing all this stuff and, all this manifestation and I want this. But there was still a big piece of the puzzle that was missing for me that it only really, it was probably just before the retreat or maybe, or, yeah. 'cause there was trouble.

[00:17:28] And it was self worth. That was the big thing. And I think we were on those live days and you said that to Naomi and Chris. And then I was like, oh, and then my self-care routine changed from I want this and I want this and I want that. I deserve this. I said to, I'm great at this and I'm great at that.

[00:17:55] And I love this part of me and I love that part of me. So he changed and that was another big. Shift. That is a more recent actually. 

[00:18:05] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:18:05] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. This, it's been insane, really. 

[00:18:07] Katie Bell: And all of that to the outside world is nothing really to do with your business. But then what we've seen happen in the business is all of these things that have now changed and have improved and are, yeah, it's in a completely different position.

[00:18:22] Yes, we've worked on the strategy, but we've worked on you because you are at the center of this business. You are the most important person. Yeah. 

[00:18:31] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, the business reflects what's going on here. 

[00:18:33] Katie Bell: Yeah. 100% right. You could walk into anybody's clinic. I often say this, just give me an hour to walk around your house and walk around your clinic, and I can definitely figure out what the fucks going on in your head.

[00:18:49] That's the thing that you have to get sorted, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Mindset is so powerful. Strategy is so powerful. You join the, you made the decision to join Thrive. We had a rocky turbulent few months. But we wouldn't let you, I feel like I'm, I feel like I'm not sound like your mom here.

[00:19:07] I wouldn't let you behave in the way that you really wanted to behave. Yeah. And I was like, no, Bruno, this is not going to, it's not going to change your life. 

[00:19:15] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:19:16] Katie Bell: And then we had the moments that really shifted things and we've had another big shift 'cause we went on a five day retreat together.

[00:19:22] Because you are on our top level program, which was just amazing. Amazing. And again, you came on the Monday and you left on the Friday. Just different. Totally different person. Yeah. 

[00:19:34] And it just brings so much joy to my heart. But what do you think? For clinic owners that feel a bit like you did Bruno who were like a bit lost in the woods of just running a clinic and they're trying to do a lot of stuff.

[00:19:50] The high achievers, they might be winging it a lot. Lot of us do wing it for a long time and they're just tired 'cause they don't really know the answers. But they've also coupled with that a massive scarcity and mindset of I can't spend any money. On this or on me 'cause it's a big investment. Or what if it doesn't work for me, or I should be able to figure all this out for myself?

[00:20:14] What would what would you advise them? What would you say to them? 

[00:20:18] Bruno De Jongh: I think that

[00:20:21] it's it's a very personal decision, isn't it? And people are in different places. When they're looking for help, sometimes you see a lot of people join the program and they've got all the numbers, but they don't have this, or they have the mindset, but they don't have the numbers. Yeah. So I think if you just never had any if you haven't had any coaching, if you haven't had any.

[00:20:52] Sort of direction, how can you know where you're going? So I think it's really nothing to lose because this becomes an investment, right? So coaching becomes an investment that you're not just going to.

[00:21:08] Pick the fruit from your business, you're going to pick the fruit from your personal life as well. Because it's going to change it, it's going to affect everywhere. So it can be scary, right? Because people, they only know what they know. And sometimes taking the step out of the comfort zone is really scary, but.

[00:21:29] You if you, if there's no discomfort, you're not growing, you're not going anywhere. You're probably just stuck. 

[00:21:36] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:21:37] Bruno De Jongh: So if you feel stuck, it's probably a sign, or if you're too comfortable if you're too comfortable and you're just to, not even content, but yeah. Difficult can't find the word now, but if you're feeling stuck.

[00:21:55] I think it's a good reason to reach out. 

[00:21:58] Katie Bell: And I think with that bruna, you know how you said like when people feel like too comfortable what I think is really important to explain here is that you were in a position where you were stuck and lots of people say, I'm in my comfort zone, but that doesn't mean your comfort zone is a nice place to be.

[00:22:19] It's not like you are having the best time of your life over there. It's just that you are feeling safe in at this level. 

[00:22:27] Bruno De Jongh: Exactly. I was feeling very comfortable two years ago. Chaotically comfortable. 

[00:22:34] Katie Bell: That's a great say. Yeah. 

[00:22:39] Bruno De Jongh: So you gotta make yourself uncomfortable so that things can change and things can grow otherwise.

[00:22:47] You might stay the same or worse 

[00:22:50] Katie Bell: or what? Stay or worse is the best outcome you want. Usually the worse. Yeah. Yeah. '

[00:22:54] Bruno De Jongh: cause things don't grow as well. A lot of the time they just travel and, 

[00:22:57] Katie Bell: yeah. It's 

[00:22:59] Bruno De Jongh: risky. Yeah, it's risky. 

[00:23:02] Katie Bell: Could you pin a favorite, like a favorite thing of the program?

[00:23:07] Do what? What's the, your favorite bits of it? 

[00:23:10] Bruno De Jongh: So the favorite bits and probably slightly uncomfortable, which are good, is the live days. 

[00:23:20] Katie Bell: The live days. Yeah. 

[00:23:22] Bruno De Jongh: Because that's where you make us get up and talk to each other and shout your wins and does, yeah. That.

[00:23:30] But it is the being uncomfortable that makes you just, flourish. I've learned to appreciate and to just put myself out there and just try to enjoy being uncomfortable because I know sometimes you just feel uncomfortable for a minute or two and then it is over and then you actually quite comfortable being awkward or uncomfortable, or.

[00:23:58] Katie Bell: Do you know what I think the thing is, Bruno, and this is why I always say I love your energy so much and I, we get to decide where people sit in the room and I usually position you somewhere in my eye line or very close to me because I feed off your energy. But when people join the program, they give too much of a shit about what everybody else thinks about them.

[00:24:18] So they come into the room and they're awkward. Yeah. Because we're all physios and so we've got be very professional. And we've got to be in a certain way, and we can't really express ourselves or let ourselves go in that environment. Now, it's not that we're doing things that are unprofessional on the day, but it's almost about just bring the joy and bring the fun because why the fuck are we running this business if we're not having some fun along the way. Yeah. And so over time you start to see people really just relax into it. Yeah. Then they're up on tables, then they're on chairs and these people. Would come in a really quiet, timid person and everybody's personality is different and everybody gets different things from it.

[00:24:56] But it's just like you just said, it's allowing yourself to just be like, do you know what, actually, nobody else really cares about me. But I think too much of it to remind myself. 

[00:25:08] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, and this is what is great as well that I like about the program, is that I was one of those people. They would come in and be like, oh God, they're going to, and I wasn't even thinking, oh, I need to be there was a little bit of that, but I was scared of being judged.

[00:25:24] Katie Bell: Wow. 

[00:25:25] Bruno De Jongh: Scared of being judged for just not running a shit show, but just having not a clue at what is going on with my business. I was very self-conscious. Of that. 

[00:25:41] Katie Bell: And that, that will be a going on for a lot of people, won't it? Yeah. Because otherwise they won't be on the coaching program.

[00:25:46] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. Yeah. And then realizing how embracing everyone is of you, because people, they've been there as well. 

[00:25:57] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:25:58] Bruno De Jongh: They've been there you raising questions on the q and a or even on the WhatsApp groups, and suddenly people just flood in with answers. You just feel like, oh, that's really nice. 

[00:26:07] Katie Bell: Yeah, I'm not alone.

[00:26:09] Bruno De Jongh: I'm not alone. And they've been through and they also know. So it's really, so you, it went from, I went from feeling like I was going to be judged to feel really supported and that was nice. 

[00:26:23] Katie Bell: And is that a nice feeling, Bruno? That. Whatever comes up in your business. 'cause I'm reading a great book actually at the moment called Shoveling Shit.

[00:26:32] And it's it's a book for, it's the love story for entrepreneurs because the reality of running a business is that we often have to shovel shit and it's not all, unicorns and rainbows and all of those that kind, it's hard. Running a business is really fucking hard and we have to put the work in.

[00:26:48] But what I think, and I hope that we do, is that whatever situation comes up for you, Bruno, in your business, you know that you, at the end of the phone, there is somebody you don't have to figure any of this out by yourself anymore. 

[00:27:01] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:27:02] Katie Bell: There's always somebody that you can talk it through with, you can discuss with, you can get advice from.

[00:27:08] Yeah. Is that helpful for you? 

[00:27:10] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, definitely. And even, in the past months I messed up at work. And I brought that to you guys. And again, there was no judgment. It was just supports and then ideas. So yeah, it's just it feels really nice. It feels, yeah, supportive and I think I managed to drop a lot of my own baggage that I've been caring for 40 years, of being scared of what people are going to think of me.

[00:27:41] And then, just being quiet because people might think, I'm, dunno what I'm talking about. So I managed to shed a lot of all this 

[00:27:52] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:27:53] Bruno De Jongh: Stuff in this last couple of years. It's been really good. So 

[00:27:56] Katie Bell: what difference has this made? So we've got people listening to this that are like, they just wanna know like tangible results and they want to know what.

[00:28:05] If I work on me and I work on my mindset and I work on all strategy, like what can I expect to happen in my business? So Bruno you are doing less clinical than you've ever done. Yeah. You have most of your team now for all of your team on a employed contract. 

[00:28:21] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. They're all employed. 

[00:28:22] Katie Bell: So your profit margin has got to have radically changed because of that.

[00:28:29] Yeah. 

[00:28:29] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. '

[00:28:30] Katie Bell: cause you. What, you were always busy as a clinic. I remember you coming up and saying it's not that we are not busy and we've not got lots of people wanting to work with us. We're just making no money. 

[00:28:38] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:28:39] Katie Bell: How, what? How much do you know your numbers now? 

[00:28:44] Bruno De Jongh: Oh, a hundred percent.

[00:28:44] Yeah, pretty much a hundred if, I don't know. I just ask Marc myself. See, that's so good. Marcel knows them. She's your I know. Yeah. She's so good. Yeah, she, yeah, but so good. But the business is in a completely different places. Like I said, everybody's employed. You just have more control. So if you do the work, you actually going to have a business that you know what's going on, you have more control on the outcome, you have more clarity on where you're going.

[00:29:15] So there's not so much. There, there always will be surprises, but you're not winging it anymore. And you actually have a vision, in a year's time or two or three years, this is where we want the business. I want the business to be. And then like you say, you just reverse engineer that and then you work on that, so you just, it just allows a lot more control.

[00:29:39] And also having a team that is employed, I just tell them, this is how you do it. And then they go in and do, so I had a, I had one therapist who wasn't performing in the last few months, and then I went, and then we did this coaching session with him, and I think in two sessions he's converting everyone, selling packages, left front center.

[00:30:01] And I said to him, so what's changed? I said I'm just following the process. I was thought oh shit, it works. 

[00:30:08] Katie Bell: So you've got more control over your team, you've got processes in place. And what I love is that we strength test you all when we first start the program. And we have colors and we all talk in colors there.

[00:30:19] I love that. and, you are you are a yellow. Yeah. And. So that means you are high energy, you've got loads of, I you are a typical visionary. You have a lot of ideas. And you have five in relationships in your clifton strength finder. 

[00:30:34] Bruno De Jongh: Not anymore. Oh. Oh, because I've redone, i've redone now and I've got, I lead with influencing.

[00:30:41] Katie Bell: Oh. 

[00:30:42] Bruno De Jongh: And so it's not very, it's not very different, but it's influencing, which is, it's a different test I do now. But it's called Catalyst five. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. It's Catalyst, which is influencing, so it's like greater getting things started. Yes. And then influencing, relationship, influencing, and then relationship.

[00:30:58] But yeah, it's I find that all that. Personality testing fascinates me. 

[00:31:05] Katie Bell: But we've really extracted you from anything execution based. Yeah. Because that is, I can't do it. We can't do it. And this is why we needed Marcel. Marcel is we referred to her as your integrator. So you are on our Ascend program, which is for our top level program.

[00:31:22] And we work now with the visionary and the integrator. So your practice manager, your ops manager and we up level. You both, and then obviously your team underneath you. So you now just sit in a seat, Bruno, which really leans into your strength. So you're not doing anything that is, you are not wired to do.

[00:31:42] And you just seem so much more at peace, at ease, calmer, more influential in the role that you are now play in your company. 

[00:31:51] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, definitely. I think have having the right people in the right seats. It's key. Yeah. Isn't it? Otherwise, I just can't get stuff done. I'm resigned. And the more, but I think the more I embraced this concept and this my personality, I've stopped giving myself a hard time.

[00:32:15] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:32:16] Bruno De Jongh: Because 'cause I'm a yellow, I just dunno where I put my keys. I have two pairs of glasses in the house somewhere. 

[00:32:25] Katie Bell: The best story ever was when you left your car somewhere. What? You took? 

[00:32:30] Bruno De Jongh: I went to the post office, yes. And then I left my car. I parked my car in front of the park, which is like two blocks from my house.

[00:32:36] For whatever reason, I was in my car. And then I left the post office on my phone. And then I got home and I was like, someone stole my car. 

[00:32:45] Katie Bell: Makes me laugh every time. 

[00:32:47] Bruno De Jongh: Then I come back, stole the car, what happened? And then he is I'm just looking at the camera. You left with the car. You came back without the car.

[00:32:56] I was like, oh. Yeah, the post office.

[00:32:59] Katie Bell: And that is why I love you so much. And why you need Marcel in your life. 

[00:33:04] Bruno De Jongh: Yes. 

[00:33:05] Tell me where I parked my car. 

[00:33:07] Katie Bell: But isn't it still reassuring that, when we were on the retreat, we did an exercise because on one of the days, which was leaning into positive psychology, because I'm all for deep.

[00:33:19] Mindset, work, trauma, looking back at what's gone on and all that. It's really, it's a really important part of it. But I think there's a lack of focus on positive psychology, which is all. So what we did is look at all the things that we're really great at and how we can lean into those more rather than just keep rescuing all the things that we are not great at doing and trying to optimize and trying to improve those.

[00:33:41] And I think that's what you've done so well. 

[00:33:43] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, just delegate. You're not good at just delegate 'cause it's just going to sap your energy. 

[00:33:50] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:33:51] Bruno De Jongh: From doing what you do best, what you are wired to do. Either be it being creative or whatever. Whatever it is, just stick to your guns. Yeah.

[00:34:02] And give whatever that's not. It's not in your back to someone else. Yeah. 

[00:34:07] Katie Bell: It's just, and then your business just grows as a result of it. Yeah. 

[00:34:11] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. 

[00:34:12] Katie Bell: I'm so proud of you. 

[00:34:14] Bruno De Jongh: No, thank you. 

[00:34:15] Katie Bell: I am, I, and I just, I can't wait to see the next six and 12 months with you, Bruno, because we've literally just lifted the lid off.

[00:34:25] Came back from that retreat, a totally different person, and I just know that. We've now got that power. We're not now forcing things. We're just using the power. Yeah. And we've got great things ahead of you. 

[00:34:38] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah, definitely. 

[00:34:39] Katie Bell: What would you say to anybody listening to this podcast who maybe feel stuck, overwhelmed I'm just sick of trying to figure it all out for myself.

[00:34:48] Not making the money that they wanna make, but also scared. What would be your one piece of advice that they could take from listening to you today? 

[00:34:57] Bruno De Jongh: Don't bury your hand in the sand, because that's what I did. And you're almost you almost cost me everything. 

[00:35:05] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:35:06] Bruno De Jongh: So it's not worth it. Don't be. And just have a conversation.

[00:35:09] Yeah, exactly. 

[00:35:10] Katie Bell: Just start by talking to somebody.

[00:35:12] Bruno De Jongh: Yeah. Yeah. Look for sports. Yeah. For, if not with you, with, there's groups out there. Of course. Just talk to someone, so 

[00:35:22] Katie Bell: Yeah. 

[00:35:23] Bruno De Jongh: And just get support 

[00:35:25] Katie Bell: because you don't have to figure it out by yourself. You really don't. 

[00:35:29] Bruno De Jongh: You can, it's just going to take a long time, a long time.

[00:35:34] Katie Bell: And that costs you an awful lot, and that 

[00:35:36] Bruno De Jongh: costs you, because it's going to cost you energy. It's going to cost you money when you want it. That's the question. 

[00:35:42] Katie Bell: Yeah. Oh, I love that. Bruno, thank you for being here. My 

[00:35:47] Bruno De Jongh: pleasure. 

[00:35:48] Katie Bell: Thank you for being a part of Absolute pleasure. And and thank you for inspiring so many people today.

[00:35:54] Bruno De Jongh: My pleasure. 

[00:35:54] Thank you for having me.

[00:35:56]

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