Finding Foundations

Ownership & The Why - a masterclass in motivation - Nadia Enver

• Karen Thom • Season 2 • Episode 2

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Some women wait for the right time.......Nadia Enver decided there wasn't one and did it anyway. 

In the last four years she has built a business from scratch, raised two children under four, done it solo, and landed in a life she absolutely loves. Standing firm in the ownership of her life she's absolutely radiating that energy, go Nadia. 

This is one of those conversations I walked away from thinking,  shit I gotta get my stuff together! I think you'll feel it too. Enjoy


Nadia is currently offering financial health checks for individuals and business owners who want to gain clarity on their financial position and explore opportunities to improve their long-term outcomes.

She is also available for workplace financial wellbeing sessions and educational talks, covering topics such as retirement planning, tax efficiency and financial protection.

Contact Information


📧 Email: nadia.enver@sjpp.co.uk
📱 Phone: 07854982026
🌐 Website:https://www.nadiaenverfp.co.uk/
📅 Book a 121: Nadia Enver

📍 Based in Carlisle, face to face in Cumbria and working with clients across the UK remotely 

Connect with Nadia

📸 Instagram: @nadia_enver_fp
📘 Facebook: Nadia Enver Financial Planning
💼 LinkedIn: Nadia Enver DipPFS | LinkedIn

SPEAKER_00

Hey everybody, welcome to Finding Foundations with me, Karen Tom. This week I'm joined by Nadia Envelope from Nadia Envelope Financial Planning. She runs a modern, client-focused financial planning practice which is dedicated to making financial advice accessible, clear, and empowering. Nadia works with individuals, families, and business owners to help them protect and build their wealth with confidence. Her approach is rooted in being relatable, approachable, and non-judgmental, building long-term relationships and helping clients understand their finances so that they can make informed decisions at every stage of life. She is particularly passionate about supporting women to take control of their financial future and close the knowledge gap around money. Nadia is currently offering financial health checks for individuals and business owners who want to gain clarity on their financial position and explore opportunities to improve their long-term outcomes. She is also available for workplace financial well-being sessions and educational talks covering topics such as retirement planning, tax efficiency, and financial protection. Let's get into it and see what Nadia has to tell us. Oh, um, Nadia, so nice to have you. Thank you for joining me on Finding Foundations on this beautiful sunny day. And it's the equal box. First day of spring.

SPEAKER_02

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00

It really feels like it as well. I know, doesn't it? It's like literally, I saw yesterday um a man decorating a house and he had his top off. I'm like, what the hell? This is proper. We're in the thick of it now. I think it was like 17 degrees. And it's like, Jesus, okay, go for it. But yeah, thank you so much for joining me. Really, really appreciate it and super excited to ask you the questions and hear more about your journey. Um, do you want to um give us a brief bio of you and what maybe yeah, also what motivated, what inspired you to um come on the pod? Sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So um, well, I'm Nadia, I'm a financial planner, I help individuals, businesses, um, pretty much anyone looking to manage their finances in a more effective way. It's very much long-term what I do. Um, is it's a relationship that I have with my clients, and it's and it's client-led, you know, it depends how much the client wants to be in contact with me. Um, but we do sort of annual reviews and things like that. Um, and I help with anything from savings, investments, retirement planning, any sort of protection element, and so much more. Um there's there's pretty much nothing I can't do. And if I can't do it, then I'll I'll know someone who can, if that makes sense. Um and yeah, so what led me to this podcast? I'm very passionate about sharing um my story because it's quite unconventional, my journey into financial advice. And we met, didn't we, on a networking group, but we're quite heavily connected in terms of mutual friends, aren't we? Yes, we are. And I think I was giving my presentation on the networking group that you joined. Um and we just felt we just felt heavily aligned, and then obviously the relationships just led us to here.

SPEAKER_00

But that's actually a really good lead-in. Um, you were saying that obviously you haven't always worked in um in finance. That's something um in the last couple of years that you've um you've moved into. Um and thinking about the pod and your journey in that way, what would you say um is the one truth that you've come to know and on your journey? Oh, on my journey.

SPEAKER_01

So we're going back from like sort of 2021 um rock bottom for me, we can we can delve on that later. Um, looking from there right through to 2026. I would say if one word was to stand out, it would be the word ownership.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, okay. Tell me about it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I mean, no, not just finances or assets or anything like that, but actually in terms of my life, my identity, my path. Um, you know, for a long time I felt like things were happening to me and not necessarily in my control. I felt I felt very out of control, as a lot of people that are, you know, left to solo parent with you know no really clear direction do feel. And I feel like I've actually taken ownership of my life, my journey, my story. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_00

And what does um what does ownership mean to you? What does that what does that look like?

SPEAKER_01

I think more than anything, it's get getting a grip of my life and finding something that actually fulfills me in a way that can not only provide uh, you know, an income and a living for me and and my kids to live a comfortable and happy life, but um a sense of uh worth, self-worth, a sense of um reward. You know, actually I've found something that I now do that I don't question am I doing the right thing? Is there something else out there for me? You know, the the conversations that I'm now having with clients are so real, wholesome and nourishing that I know I'm doing the right, I'm in the right line of work. Yeah. And that's never happened to me before. Whenever I've had a job or worked somewhere else, for someone else, I've I've run my own business before in a beauty salon as well. I've just always never, I've never really felt that, you know, like a full cup. Yeah. I've always wondered what else is out there. I don't feel like that. This fulfills me. I mean, there is so much continuous learning. It couldn't not fill me. I'm learning every single day. But I think the word ownership, it really does cover um, like, yeah, ownership of my my life, my journey, my meaning. Yeah, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00

And if you um think of that, uh think of it in the context of the ownership, how what was that journey to from where you were to being uh being a financial advisor? Something I never really thought I'd hear, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01

Because I had self-limiting beliefs. Yeah. I got really big on this, I'm really big on sharing that I am like not just your regular woman, that damn plays me a little bit, but you know, I'm a woman who at one stage would have probably said, Oh yeah, I I'm probably not that great at at looking at that, and I'm the complete opposite now. I fully am capable of not only managing my own finances but managing other people's. So let's rewind then. So 2021, I'd had several jobs. Um I've got a degree at university, although it's in English literature, so the other end of the spectrum compared to finance, but um, I always loved words and things. Never really knew what I wanted to do, if I'm honest. I think I was one of those ones that went to uni just to kind of escape and get away from the parents at that. Um and then I worked in advertising space for a year. I was cabin crew for British Airways, did that for seven years. Um, ended up running a business with another woman, which was really fun, really, really fun. We had a great laugh together, uh, did that for a few years, then the pandemic. Um and so it actually led me on to basically being in, we sold the business and I was basically unemployed. But at that at that time I was kind of in baby making mode. So I had two babies back to back. Um and then sorry, busy, very, very busy, but I think it was just a very busy and chaotic time at the because it was COVID.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um so 2020 and 2021, I had two, two boys. Um, and then I was actually unemployed. My marriage broke down just after my second born was six months old, and I was left a solo parent. I had actually moved back home to where my parents live at that time. Um, but it was a very scary and vulnerable time for me. Um, because not only was the world recovering from this major pandemic, but my personal world shifted so much. And I had completely lost my identity. I just I honestly was just in survival mode.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um it was the same for it in that way, COVID for it just flipped things upside down, didn't it? It kind of almost revealed the things that were maybe weren't working, and it kind of did so many different things that it just sort of felt like big curtains were opened for people in in life. Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

It really shone a light on any kind of flaws or problems, didn't it? And it amplified everything. But we recovered, we recovered from that, put a positive spin on it, you know. I mean, some good things did come from the pandemic, as we know, like remote working and things like that. Opportunities that maybe wouldn't have existed before for women, actually. And moms. So ended up licking my wounds a bit, ended up uh working part-time for Mercedes-Benz in Carlisle. Um, that was great, and it really gave me that sense of confidence back, which was it was all I needed at that stage. Just, you know, you are okay to go back into work, you know, you can be someone other than mum. And then I got that, you know, that feeling of actually, I remember that girl who actually was such a go-getter and an entrepreneur at heart, and I took I took to LinkedIn and I did my LinkedIn up, which is what most people do in this day and age if they're looking for a new direction. Yeah. And then I was contacted by someone from uh the St. James's Place Academy. Um, at first I thought it was a scam, if I'm honest. The hell is this? Sorry, you're gonna pay me to do that training. Why? You know, and again, that was the whole, that was my mindset at the time. That was how low my confidence was at the time. Um, whereas if I got something like that now, I would I would absolutely entertain it on a through a completely different lens. Yeah. Um, but you know, I said yes. Um, I do like seeing yes to opportunities, so yeah, and then I I went through the academy. We had vigorous, vigorous uh interview selection process. Um, we're talking sort of, you know, looking really at your personality and finding out which colour you are and all this. And and then I did my exams and started seeing clients um January 2025. Um, built up a client base since then, and we're just we're growing organically, and I yeah, couldn't be happier.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, amazing. Like, and what a journey as well, uh, throughout that time. And I think I'm hearing um as you're uh talking about that, like it sounds like you've always really been around people, like community, like really sort of those facing roles that are working with people, not a solitary role. Is that something that was important for you?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, massively, yeah. I am sunshine yellow, that is what my leading colour is.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know if I was gonna ask, like, what's what was your colour? But I'm thinking, I was like, No, I was like, she's yellow, I'm sure she's yellow.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so you get it. I love it when people know when I meet people who understand the colour codes, yeah, sunshine yellow. Um, so being social for me is very important, and that's why actually, still today, if I am doing too much, you know, remote work based in my home office, it can it can start to impact me and I know when I need to leave, yeah, go out. And even networking, I mean, networking for me, that's like that's like my social life at the minute. You know, I love it because I'm my element. Um, and yeah, absolutely. So I would do, you know, British Airways, you're constantly around other crew, passengers. I mean, that was like the sometimes a little bit too much, you know, you kind of felt like you didn't have any space, you'd go on crew rest, and you'd be like, ah, but yeah, it just always suited me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, amazing. And so going back to your word ownership, um, when at what point along the way, along your journey, um, did you realise that actually that's what was going on? You were taking ownership and be becoming the driver in your life.

SPEAKER_01

I think, honestly, I don't think I fully felt that until great question, by the way, when I passed my final exam. Because I put so much pressure on myself to pass those exams with two little boys. I mean, I remember having to get the organised the childcare to go and do an exam from my little box room at like it was some crazy time, like 6 pm, because it's like um remotely um watched by the assessors people are watching you do it remotely, and the the the fear, the I had to meditate before these exams, you know, I had to work with with somebody who does hypnotherapy and she had to calm me down. And I think really when I passed my RO6, which was the final one, which was the exam was April last year, yeah, and I didn't find out until the May. Wow, so it's quite a wonderful. Yeah, I mean, I think obviously there was probably a like a gradual lead up to it, a build-up to feeling that way. But that was when I was like, oh my god, I am actually good enough of taking of taking ownership of my life. Yeah, because when I was even going through that interview process and things, I was a bit like a fish out of water. I couldn't believe, like, is this right? Is this really happening to me? Is my life really going in this direction?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, did you kind of think it's like I'm gonna wake up one morning and someone's gonna say, sorry, Nadia, no, this isn't where we're going, we're going somewhere, we're in a different direction.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely, yeah, because when you've been through things in your life as well, and actually, this wasn't like years and years had passed. This had it was quite recent that I was still recovering from quite a traumatic period. You do have the self-sabotage or the little devil on your shoulder going, haha, you can't do this. Like, who do you think you are? You know, and it's about talking about that. We all experience this negative talk, and it's so much less though. That voice is so much quieter now.

SPEAKER_00

And that's the thing, isn't it? Right? When I I always find um myself and like with clients and things as well, that actually when the when the noise is the loudest, it's like it's when we're firefighting and we're not the we're not in earnership, we're in firefighting stage, so we don't have time to take ownership, we don't have time to strategize about or think about where we want to go because we're literally just firefighting. Um, and it feels really out of control.

SPEAKER_01

It does, and you don't feel like you are fully competent when you're firefighting. Yeah, you feel like you're just getting by and that you're maybe just good enough, and someone someday is gonna come and find you out and realize that you're not actually that good at this, that, and the other. When you take that ownership, you get that confidence.

SPEAKER_00

It's it's completely life-changing. Oh, a hundred percent. And I think in that way, it's almost like in that um in that sort of firefighting stage, you it's almost you're like uh I always feel obsessed when I see these like trees that have been appended and they're really shallow, like they've got really long root systems, but they've just not bedded in, they haven't got a really strong foundation. So you know, lots of all the chaos going on, and then a storm comes and you can be really tall, really big, big root system. But if you're not grounded and really in your foundations, you can just be blown over.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yeah. That's a really good way of looking at it and explaining it because it's like you say, you get set back very quickly when you're not fully in your own sort of authentic energy, I guess, you know, and it's about doing the healing work with that. Yeah. Healing is so wild when you think about it because it's not linear, yeah, so up and down. And actually, really, if you really wanted to be analytical, what you could say is the firefighting to the ownership stage is not also very linear. You might dip back into firefighting mode. I mean, I depending on the time of the month, you know, sometimes you might become a firefighter one, you know, one week out of four. But making a call. Yes, exactly. Yeah. The main thing is you want to see more of the ownership's aversion of you than the than the other one.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and that's a really important message, actually, because I think when you like that healing part of the journey, actually that's internal. That's not about you know being more confident in this, being able to walk into a room, you know, you can do all of those things and actually not be that confident, but you can, you know, give yourself a big get your big girl pants on and do that, but it doesn't mean that you're actually feeling it. And I think the whole part of that healing process, exactly as you said, having doing the meditation, having that kind of like really nervous system calming down. So you you connect, you're connecting your mind, your heart, your body, you're connecting all of that that really calms the nervous system. Like that's such a it's a huge thing to be able to do. And actually, that's where confidence springs from. I find that being that grounded, being that deep foundation and rooted in yourself, confidence can move forward because you're not firefighting. I love that word as well, ownership. It comes back for everything, right? Like you are in ownership, and as you said, that's not about it's linear, you just go and that's it done. Because you keep learning and you keep moving and you keep evolving and you come at something that you already know from a different angle, and then it's like, oh shit, what was that? Oh my god, I thought I knew everything to learn about this.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah, but you but you handle it so much better as time goes on, right? You you're you're so much more aware of like, ah, like I mean, I learned I learned three things on a call this morning that I didn't know, and I jotted them down. I'm so but actually I didn't feel dread, and I would have a year ago. I would have been like, in fact, I remember having this conversation with my partner. Oh my god, I didn't know that. I didn't know that yesterday, and now I know it, and I should have known it yesterday. But actually, I was so grateful this morning to learn that. What a shift, that alone, massive epiphany, right here.

SPEAKER_00

Like here we are right now. But that's the thing, isn't it? And I and I guess also part of that healing, it's finding the tie, oh not finding the time, but finding the space for the compassion for yourself from where you have been, and being able to turn around and be like, look at that, like look where I was, and now I'm here. I've I've done that, I've made that happen. But that compassion is, I think it's all I found, anyways, on my journey that compassion was the last thing to sort of click somehow and be like, Oh, I couldn't have done any of that before, or I couldn't have done it any different. I didn't have the tools, and now I've got different tools, I can do something different, I can choose.

SPEAKER_01

And how amazing to have that self-awareness because you've done all that healing. Yeah. Like you say, the the word ownership, you know, it does it, it takes every single part of your life. Ownership and being a mother. Yeah. I I feel like I can be a better mother now. I've took ownership of that role. I wasn't fighting it. Oh god, this can't be my story. A solo parent, I've took ownership of the fact that that happened to me, yes, but that's not my story. I took ownership of that being actually something that shaped me into who I am today.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And when you um when it came to you that you were like, you'd done your last exam and you're like, yeah, ownership. I'm I'm kind of here. Was that something that you could accept in that time, or you were sort of good, bad parrot on the shoulder, like, yes, Nadia, no Nadia?

SPEAKER_01

No, I'm I honestly I I had a great year last year. I really, really did. For my first year, I I did I did really well. Um, I I built a very small client base. There were times um perhaps when um, you know, like anyone starting a new venture maybe would have had a like a little niggle of like someone saying, Oh, you know, but then I slapped it, I slapped it, you know, in the face and I just got on with it. And with with uh the company who I'm a partner with, you get so much support. I've had I've I'm still working with um development managers and things like that. So um reaching out to my peers, I've got a really loving, supportive partner who I'm I'm certain has helped with the sort of healing work, you know, that I've done. Um and yeah, I just no, I I would say honestly, that exam was a pivotal moment for me because it proved to me on paper, which is probably what I feel like I needed to see. Yeah, yes, you're good enough. Because I think for me it came down to I'd never did finance before academically. Yeah, and that was my biggest fear in that, you know, and there's that there's that it's actually a myth. You don't have to be really, really, really good at maths to be a financial advisor. You're having a conversation with people, yeah. Um, I mean, I'm I'm okay at maths, and when I ran the salon, I did deal with a lot of the the numbers and the business. Yeah, so I had to be, there had to be some sort of interest in it, but it it's so much more than just numbers.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think that's a really good point because I think sometimes, especially now, and it's it's the same for me in um in my journey that you You get to a point and you think, oh my God, who am I to who am I to become a financial advisor? Who am I to become a coach? I've never worked in this sphere before. Like my background was fashion. You know, your background was working customer, customer service. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. In that way, like, who am I to then to change this and move into this space? And actually, who are we not to?

SPEAKER_01

Exactly, yes.

SPEAKER_00

The life experience that we have gained in industry, being a human being, um, these things like this is what actually these are the things that count, and the exams, the certification, all of these things that help to underpin what we're already doing in our lives.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely, yeah. And actually, life experience is what makes a financial advisor or a life coach or business coach a better person, like a bet better at their job, really. Um, when I was getting contacted by SJP in the early stages, I said to him, you know, why me? And this was me just wanting them to, you know, explain, like, why, why, why did you choose me? And he said, Well, you're at the spot you're at the sweet spot, you're 35 or 35 at the time. And I was like, What do you mean, sweet spot? And he said, Well, you've got quite a few years to retirement, but you've got enough experience behind you and probably what I've gone through to be able to relate to clients that is worth so much more than being able to do a calculation without a calculator. Yeah. For me personally, and that's why that's how I've been able to grow organically, because I can have these really deep conversations with clients. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And I think also that there's a lot within that about having, you know, bringing feminine energy to an industry that generally, okay, that's been very generalistic, has been tended to be thought of as a very male-dominated industry. You know, women in terms of obviously like age group you mentioned, and up, um, as in aging, we are the highest growing, fastest growing demographic that's earning money and needs needs to invest money, needs to know what what we what we should do with that. So I think having somebody like you come into that space, it's really helpful um for women to come and be in be able to be open about what you do and don't know. I mean, how do you find that?

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely spot on, yeah, and that's exactly what's happening. We've got more female entrepreneurs now, more than ever, um, and more higher on your actually more women will own the inherit uh more of the inheritance in years to come. So women will actually be wealthier than men um due to the passing on of inheritance. Um, and uh yeah, I've found that only 18% of advisors are are female. Wow, only 18. 18%, yeah. Um, which is astonishing, really, and it's only risen by 2% over the last few years. So even after you know, post-pandemic and being able to work from home, because actually what I do is is I do this around my kids, and I'm able to do it because I can work school hours and in the evenings sometimes. Um, and actually the academy that I went on wasn't as virtual as it was post-pandemic. It used to be a lot more in face, uh face-to-face. So the fact it's only risen by 2% is still quite low. But yeah, I mean, most of my clients are women. People like to see themselves in other people, that's where they feel familiar. It's it's great, it's great for me because I I like having female clients, I like the conversations that we have. I mean, I do have male clients, and that's also fine. And I really love my male clients uh in terms of you know what they can bring to me as an advisor. But I I I just think it's lovely to have that um open and honest conversation, woman to woman, especially, you know, I've got clients that are limited company owners who they've never been earning this kind of money before, they've done really well over the last few years, they've got a couple of kids, and they just want to sit down with another woman, and that's why they've not seeked advice before. So actually, it's been quite detrimental to some of them from a tax perspective, because they've been put off, you know, speaking to an advisor purely because they haven't felt aligned with someone, and I hear that from the feedback all the time.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I guess also in that as well, there's like there's that having that alignment and feeling really connected to the, you know, it's a relationship at the end of the day, isn't it? It's not like a quick fix, like you go in, do something, and then leave again. This is an ongoing relationship that you need to, yeah, it's like dating somebody, right? You've got to find the synergy, you've got to find the chemistry, and you're not gonna get that with with everybody.

SPEAKER_01

It does absolutely feel like dating. And I did actually mention this this morning. Um, obviously not in a romantic way, but very much in a platonic way. You know, you get to know someone, you have lunch maybe in a restaurant with them, you have a few coffees. Um and you know, so it can be it can feel very close, and that's why I want I like to work with clients who choose to work with me. I'm never pushy. I also got that feedback. I don't go in there, this is people's money. It's emotional, it needs to feel right, and this is a safe space. So um, yeah, for me, I think I think you're right there with the day and thing. It's completely like that. So you you get it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you've got to establish that. I think it's a um, I'd like to, I'd love to claim I'd love to claim credit, but it's actually a business coach that I worked with. She was like, she always says, you know, you don't go on a first date and pop the question and ask somebody to marry you. You you date them, you get to know about them, you know, you start to understand people and find are we a good fit together? Do we because it's a two-way thing, right? It's for you to have that connection with your clients and for your clients to have connection with with you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. They need to see the value in me before they come to work with me and have me manage their finances. And I'm absolutely okay with that. And I think that's why me being kind of sunshine, sh sunshine yellow does help in that circumstance because I'm just always me. I I don't really put on anything. It's you know, what you see is what you get. We can go for dinner, we can go for a coffee or whatever. And I'm I'm happy to sit for an hour and talk about everything that's actually not financial first. Because you need to be comfortable with me before you start saying, I've got this pension, that pension, this clients prefer that, I feel, especially women.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you know, I think that there's a relationship, it's not, I think you said this earlier on, it's not transactional, it's a relationship and it's relationship building, and it's it's so important. It's so important.

SPEAKER_01

And actually, sorry, just just quickly before we move on. Um, I actually had someone try and sell me something the other day. I was completely put off because we met networking, and uh yeah, it was it was very much completely cutting out that dating aspect to meeting once and then having the said person send over their price list, and it was like, this is what I've got, do you want it or not? Yeah, and I thought that was just so wrong. Yeah, very, very much not. I was very polite with it, you know. Bear that in mind, but it's not really that's not how you rock and roll in this day and age, I'm afraid. You need to put a little bit more into it in a world full of artificial intelligence. God, yeah. So that's my um my take on that.

SPEAKER_00

No, I like it. I like it in complete agreement. I think it is like connection is so important, you know. We see on social media, you know, the attention span, you know, my attention span also, like just the consumption. We we're just on it, on it, on it, on it. It's so quick that actually when you meet people in real life and you slow it down and you realise, you know, eye contact, that connection, the conversation, the relationship building, it's it's invaluable.

SPEAKER_01

It is, yeah, and it's what people want more and more that human connection and that trust element. So yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_00

So taking um taking ownership um and living in ownership, how do you now feel like you live that every day? And did it feel just completely natural or did it feel like again, I like that it wasn't linear?

SPEAKER_01

It yeah, I mean, so I mean it's not as glamorous as it probably looks on my socials. In fact, actually, I don't think I do try and portray a glamorous, completely glamorous um job experience because it's like it's not there are elements to it which are lovely, um, and I feel like completely on top of my air game, but a lot of it is um working really, really hard through the through the evenings when kids have been bathed and stuff, and it's me going to my little box office room um and just knuckling down. I mean, I have developed my business since um in the last sort of six months, and I out I can actually outsource um quite a bit of my admin and my power planning responsibilities, which is helpful. Gives me back some it gives me back my time and actually, you know, and you can't really you can't really buy time, although I feel like I am, but um I would say it felt very natural to me, and I think that's how I know for certain that this is something I'm meant to be doing. I remember when I first started seeing clients on January 25, and I was actually just thinking, right, okay, and I was told, right, network, network, network, activity, activity, activity, and they drum that into you, and I'm thinking, well, that's fine, because I can't stay still, I'm hyperactive, anyways. Um, so I started going networking, and it was actually Pink Plink that I went to initially. Oh, yeah, and I was just like blown away by meeting all these incredible women because the last time I'd done that, I was probably in my early 20s, yeah, and you've got a completely different take on life. Um, so I would have been one of the younger ones, maybe, you know, because I I did have little small bit uh business ventures where it would have required me to go networking, but I was now networking as the sort of like middle-aged, uh, well, I was like 30, 35-year-old woman, newly qualified, looking for that connection from other women. And I felt like I could relate to a lot more, a lot more people through the experiences that I'd had. So yeah, I loved, I I love networking. I still go. Um, a lot of my day looks like um uh meetings, sometimes it can be back-to-back meetings. Obviously, the kids go to school now, which is great. Yeah, yeah, it's it's just I flex it, I really flex it, and it works for me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And how do you how do you find that that flexes on a again? I guess like is it more of an up and down, like how you manage everything? Because that sounds like a lot. Two young boys, um, I guess they're pretty boisterous. Um yes.

SPEAKER_01

Don't get me wrong, don't be wrong, it can be, you know, hormonal, um, you know, when when you know, when it is the time of the month or anything like that, we need to normalise being able to talk about that. It can be challenging when I'm a bit tired and run down, but I always find the strength to just get on with it. Small, um, small steps is better than none at all. And so on the days that maybe I am struggling or maybe don't have as much sort of energy or motivation to be knuckling down because this is a this is a new business that I'm that I'm running, then I just find myself saying, you know, something is better than nothing, and it doesn't have to be perfect. For me, that was another massive thing, realizing that perfection will not really get you anywhere because you'll get so far and you'll go, it's just not perfect, I'm not gonna do it. And I did that before. I don't do that anymore.

SPEAKER_00

No, I think I love that. It's like um imperfect, imperfect perfection, like just making the steps, moving on, taking it on, keep going, keep going. And I guess also like we're all constantly evolving and changing, right? So if it doesn't, you know, one thing that you think, oh god, that's amazing now, you might look back in a year and be like, oh cringe, what on earth was I doing there? But it was like we don't know unless we get on the uh get on the path right, and then things sort of start to tell us like what's going on and blah blah blah, that kind of stuff. Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, literally, that does happen to me. I look back at some of my posts from a year ago and I do cringe a little bit, but I also tell myself, well, progress, not perfection. Um, and at that time that felt right for me. So I think it's about not being too hard on yourself. Yes, my days can be really chaotic. My weeks, some of my weeks can be very quiet, and then I'll go into panic mode and I'll think, right, I need to do more activity. It's just a journey, it's like being, it's like anyone else who's self-employed. Um, we do like I say, we do get a lot of support, and I've I've met some incredible people who are not even related to SJP who do actually support me from a from a business perspective perspective. But yeah, it's it's a journey, and I'm here for it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's amazing. And and on those days where you're thinking, oh bugger, this is not going where I want it to, what what are the things that you do to bring yourself, um bring yourself back?

SPEAKER_01

I would say I remember why, my my why. So in my office, I have a picture of me and the boys right in front of just up where my laptop sits. Um, it's the only picture that I have in there because ultimately they are my why. I mean, they might drive me mad every single day, drive me around the bend, but at the end of the day, that's who I'm doing this for. And you know, for myself, in terms of, you know, I want to live a nice, comfortable life, I want a lovely retirement, um, I want to feel nourished in what I do, which, as I as I said before, I'm doing something that not only will aid myself, but you know, helping other people and seeing that journey that the client goes on. Um one thing I will say is I do ask for feedback off my clients. I love getting the feedback because when I'm having those moments of self-doubt or I'm having a quiet week or something, I will go back to that, look at the feedback. Um, you know, I've I've been a finalist in three awards last year, I'm nominated again this year. So small wins, small wins. Yeah. It's things like that. You've just got to try and work on this because this is what's gonna get you from A to B. And you know what I mean? I could I could list off all the things that I I try to be good and consistent at, like exercise and and eating well and and not drinking too much alcohol, like we spoke about before. It all fits, it's one big um wheel, isn't it? You know, and if one thing's slightly out, then it's gonna impact another bit of the wheel. So they get that balance.

SPEAKER_00

A hundred percent. And I sometimes have this um uh look at this when I first start working with a client, and it's like the wheel of life, and it's about like, okay, I think it's like trivial pursuit. There's all these little pieces of cheese, and it's like, okay, career, life, you know, romantic, family, um, money, support, all of these different things, rate, rate them out of 10. And I think sometimes people are really shocked what's high and what's low, because when we get so stuck in something, we can't always take a step back and see the wood from the trees. And yeah, it can be quite shocking when you look at it, it's like, oh god, I thought this was actually really good. And um, you know, you've ended up scoring it quite low. I love that. Yeah, it's a really interesting, it's a really useful tool. I find sometimes like if you if you're in a bit of a I don't know why I was gonna say the word funk, but I'm gonna say never I've never ever used that word, but anyways, well there we go. Um if you find that you're in a bit of a funk and you don't know, you you can't you can't think, you can't feel, you don't know, you're just not sure why. It's good to um yeah, just have a look at that, draw off like these eight corners and um just score where you're at with each of those. And I normally find I'm like, oh right, yeah. That might be. Because you can sort of take a step back. Um, it's really obvious sometimes, and then it's easy to then kind of think, oh, right, okay, I need to have a little, you know, play around with that or think about this and see see what's actually going on there, but it can help you get really clear on uh where you are, um where you are.

SPEAKER_01

I'll have to I'll have to look into that. I mean, back in January, is it a bit like the do they call it the hierarchy of needs or something as well, where if your basic needs are not met as well?

SPEAKER_00

No, it's uh no, it's not there. Yeah, that's Maslow, the Maslow hierarchy of needs. No, it's not that it's really it's really simple. It's literally, um, I'll put it in the notes, um, but I'll send you a copy. It's literally just a circle, and it's got things like um, yeah, career, relationship, families, money, you know, uh, lifestyle, exercise. Um, I can't remember now. Oh god, I can't remember a wheel. But it's like this, and it's about six or seven on there. And you just you just go back and have a look. It's like, right, how do I feel about my career right now? Okay, yeah, I'm loving it. Eight, nine, ten, whatever. How is this? How is that? And it's just a really quick indication of or indicator of um where you're where you're feeling happy in your life or where there's things that are maybe not quite where you want it to be. And I think the key is also really with any of these things, don't think about it too much, just go with the first thing that comes into your mind, because that's what's right before your brain's had a chance to catch up and go, Oh no, this is perfect. There, we need to um this higher. So definitely don't overthink it, just literally go with what comes into your mind first, because it's not a trick, you know, it's the it's you yourself working with yourself, so you're only lying to yourself. Um yeah, and just go with it. Um, but it's really as a just as a quick indicator of if you're not can't quite put your finger on where you're at, um, it's really helpful.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I would like to look into that. I mean, I I I do specifically remember in January I I was feeling pretty, I wouldn't say down in the dumps, it was January. I mean, it's most people feeling buzzing in January, but I just remember speaking to somebody, and she said something similar about looking at all the areas of your life. And I remember I hadn't seen my friends, I hadn't had many encounters with my good friends for quite a while. Yeah, not sure why, Christmas, New Year, things, you know, kids. Life and I think it was that, I think it was that that was actually making me feel like no matter how well I did in my job, yeah, how much I saw my partner or even my mum, I hadn't seen my friends for a while, and I think that was impacting me. So when I talk about, you know, like the whole balance of everything, so I think it's really important because your business can be going excellent, but if you're not feeling like totally nourished in other areas of your life, it's gonna have a knock-on effect.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, 100%. I mean, it's you need it's you need balanced parts of everything, can't don't you? And sometimes when you're you're going all gung-ho for this, uh for one thing, then everything else, it can't all be at this level at the same time, otherwise we we end up with burnout, right? Exactly, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Which is why I feel a lot better since I've outsourced a lot of my work because it gives me more chance to actually sit down with clients and give more time to sort of the networking and the and getting getting myself out there, really. Yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So final question then, Nadia. So how um how does it feel today um to see and know how your life has changed?

SPEAKER_01

I would say very liberating is the word I would use. So using these very strong words, aren't I today? Ownership, liberation. Brilliant. It's it's you know, it's quieter than it's quieter than what I probably put out on socials. Um I think you know, you have to be your own fan, don't you? You have to, you know, you have to. And I I when I first started doing that, when I first started putting out, you know, I've been nominated, I'm this, and the other, there was always that dread I used to feel of like after posting it, like, who the hell is gonna, you know, and I don't have that anymore. Um so I would say how it feels is liberating. It feels like a constant journey of development. It feels very, very nourishing, very nourishing. And I think it it feels great that I'm doing something positive. Yeah. You know, this is about helping people get their finances in place. This isn't this is this is big stuff. This is what people are gonna be, you know, looking coming to me and looking at how do I get from A to B, but also how will that affect my group, my kids, my grandkids, my retirement, you know, what protection we put in place. Um and it's such an important part of people's lives. I feel very honoured when I do get the clients that really want to work with me, and I I I love that feeling. There's no there's no better feeling, really. But also. From a personal perspective, my kids are watching me. Yeah. And like without getting emotional. My kids are watching me, and I hope um I hope they they can see that I don't sound like this is all for them or whatever, because obviously there's an element of it of it for me, you know, and I'll be lying if I said said otherwise, but yeah, a huge part of it is for them. And I want them to hopefully grow up and see that you know this is an excellent sort of career path. Um, but also not going to be pushy with my kids and be like, yes, you need to work in this job. But I want them to sort of learn, learn from it. Because kids are sponges, right? And you know, it might they they might not get there until they're in their mid-30s, 40s. You know, most people do take a few years to grow up. But hopefully I'm a good example.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think the word that was coming up for me when you were talking then in that way is like is just showing them that there's opportunities, that there's different ways of what you of how you can choose to live your life.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, absolutely. Like the world is your oyster kind of thing, you know. Don't settle. Yeah. Don't settle. And I remember doing my research on SJP thinking, hmm, but there was no way I was not going to do it. Because I mean, I am, you know, I've always been a sort of yes person. And I think that when you are that that type of person, opportunities and things do come into your hands a bit easier and more naturally. People say, Oh, you know, you're very lucky. It's not luck, it's about saying yes to an opportunity and being positive with it. A lot of hard work. Yeah, yeah. But you do get people that that would say it was that it was lucky. Um, and actually Darren Brown, who I love, I've seen him twice now live. The the guy, the the trick of the guy. He actually talks about this on one of his shows. I'll send I'll try and send you it. And he talks about how if luck just doesn't exist, it's about people that do say yes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And I think in that way, exactly, like people talk about oh, you're so lucky, so lucky, you did this, you did that, whatever. And it's like, well, actually, no, I'm not lucky. Um, I put myself in a I put myself in a room, I put myself in a place, I put myself in this, and actually other things came from it. But you know, and sometimes like this on when people talk about manifestation and things about things like that, it's not like you're sitting on your sofa going, I'm manifesting that I'm gonna be a financial advisor, and then it came to me. You know, you can manifest all you like, but if you don't take a step, if you don't take an action towards something, then it's just not gonna happen, is it? So there's there has to be movement and momentum direction um behind it.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. If I didn't go to LinkedIn, I wouldn't be doing this job.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and maybe I was luck to come across the thing at the time, but the point is you put yourself onto there at that time and you you saw it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. And and like you say, I did I work, I work bloody hard. I I really, I really do. I work harder than I've ever worked before. But it doesn't feel like hard work. I know it's hard work because you know there are times at the end of the week, I'm glad it's Saturday, because I'm just on ready for a break, but it's hard work with pleasure, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because I'm building something. I like that. Hard work with pleasure. So just a couple of follow-ups. So, what's the what's the thing that you notice now that you would never have before in your life?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that is a tricky question. In terms of what?

SPEAKER_00

In terms of like a like a self-belief, yeah, a self-belief or something you see in yourself now that you didn't see before, um, but something that's always been there, you've just not known it um consciously till now.

SPEAKER_01

I would say um oh god, I would say honestly, this is gonna sound so cheesy, but probably like probably self-compassion, self-love, yeah. Um in terms of being capable, capability, but also with that comes sort of like um uh sort of inner inner inner piece. It's it's very much based around how I uh feel about myself. Yeah. And I would say that this job specifically has facilitated that you know, that that change that I'm I am enough. Yeah, I can do it. Because women always think that they're not good enough. Well more than men. You do get some men who who you know who do struggle with self-confidence, but more women than men. I'm I'm bloody good at it. I can have a conversation with people. And so I'd say, I'd say, yeah, it's all based around that compassion for myself and that that belief.

SPEAKER_00

And what would what would the I'm gonna say with uh what would the old version of you um say to you now if she was to give you a message, what do you think she would be saying?

SPEAKER_01

When you say old version, where how how young are we talking?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like I guess when you when you first started out during those COVID times to now, what do you think she what do you think her message to you would be?

SPEAKER_01

I would say I would give the message, um, look, you've got this, you can do this, and you're gonna do it really, really well. But take each day as it comes and don't be too hard on yourself. Because I can and not not so much now, but maybe like last year when there was, you know, I was completely like new to everything, I would have maybe like a really busy week, and I'll think, how am I gonna get through this week? I've got all these meetings, I've never done that before, never done that before, and that's getting observed. Or and actually, every single encounter was really positive. And as the days broke away, I would go to bed going, Oh my god, I've absolutely smashed it today. What's I'm worrying about? So probably probably the message would be based around don't be so anxious.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Ah, okay, yeah. So just to keep taking those steps and keep moving forward. Yes, exactly. Okay, and final, final question. Um, what are you most proud of, even if you don't say it out loud so much?

SPEAKER_01

I'm I'm proud that I've been able to build build an organic client base without the help of anyone external. I'm proud that that was all me. That was all me going out there and having the conversations with people and people choosing to trust me um as a as a relatively new financial advisor with their with their circumstances. That for me, that I think in terms of a business from a business perspective, that's what I'm most proud of. And in terms of a personal perspective, I'm really proud of my self-development and my growth and inner healing.

SPEAKER_00

My god, Naddy, I mean that's bloody, that's loads in itself. Like if you breaking down each individual component, um component from there. And sorry, actually, sorry, final, final, final question. What would you say to anybody who is sitting listening and thinking, oh, I wanna, I'd love to do something different, but I can't because of XXXXXXX, because we can all always give like loads of lists, right, of why we can't do something. What's the four that you can do something?

SPEAKER_01

If you want to do it bad enough, you will do it. Choose your why. And also don't have this, you know, don't have don't let the restrictions take ownership of you. You take ownership of those restrictions and you make it work because life is so short-lived. We're only here for such a short while. Make something of yourself, you know, and especially if it is around like other people watching that maybe have young children or they're just scared of a career switch, it could be the best thing that you ever do. Um I mean, the average age of like women finding their sort of niche or their their you know, the job that they love is around 39. Where women actually find the job that they feel most aligned with. So you're not you're not too late. And I would say just you know, you've got this, you can absolutely do it. I mean, I did it around such small children back then when I was doing my exams, that was 2024. Um my youngest is only four now. So he was a toddler, he was a toddler when I was doing my exams. It was it was, it was crazy.

SPEAKER_00

It is incredible, Nadia. Like what you've been what you've accomplished in such a short space of time, awards building your business from scratch. I mean, which is always incredibly difficult when you're you're starting out and you have nothing to start with. So that's testament to you and your belief and that self-belief that you've you've been able to build through this ownership process. I love that. Oh my gosh, what a journey Nadia has had over the last few years. Building her business from scratch, finding love again, and finding that sense of joy in her children. What really stood out to me wasn't this idea of resilience in the superwoman push-through, burn yourself out kind of way. It was that she didn't know where any of this was going to lead, but she just kept taking imperfect action and moving forward, anyways. And her word, ownership, how amazing is that. I just see such regal pictures when I say this word. It's so powerful because it's not about control. If anything, control is the opposite. It's that gripping energy, holding on for dear life, trying to manage everything and feeling really anxious underneath it all. Ownership feels so just so different, it's so expansive. It's being in your power, being in your life, not trying to control it from the outside, but actually standing in it. And the other word that kept coming up, why? Knowing her why and being clear on it. Because when you have that, you don't need to grip so tightly. You can move, you can make decisions and keep going, even when you don't fully know where it's all leading. I loved hearing Nadia's words and the way she trusted herself to just keep moving. Thanks so much for joining us, Nadia. Join me next time where another incredible woman shares her story. Ciao!