Progress in Practice Podcast: Episode 15, Jill Martin

Welcome to Progress in Practice, where we explore what it really takes to build and sustain a professional service business. The hard lessons, the smart moves, the uncomfortable truths, because success leaves clues if you're willing to look for them. I'm Charlie Reading. Let's dive in. So Jill, welcome to the Progress in Practice podcast. I'm really looking forward to chatting to you and getting a little bit more sort of under the bonnet of how we operate as humans. Also, I know obviously a reasonable amount about your business. I'm really excited to talk about this, but I'd like you to explain to people that don't know anything about you, you know, who it is that you serve, how do you help them, and what makes you different to other people?

Okay, well, first of all, thank you for inviting me. So who I work with are impact and purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are already doing well. They're already high-functioning, high-achieving, but they're very aware that they're not quite accessing everything that they've got to give. They know there's more to them, more that they can offer, but somehow there's just some stuff in the way that they just, you know, that means they just can't access that greater potential that they know they have. So yeah, I help them basically clear what's in the way and connect to that higher functioning version of themselves.

Brilliant. And how do you do that?

So in essence, I'd say there's 3 parts to it. Firstly, they're connecting to A, what they want to create in their business, but also who they need to be to support and hold and live as that creation. Then the gap between where they are now and who that future version of them is that can hold that. And then I clear everything that's in between. So all the resistance that's blocking those two, you know, in between those two places, that's why I'm working to clear out. And at the root of it, not just managing what's in the way and finding ways of working around it, but actually undoing the beliefs, the limitations that are beneath what's causing them to feel that friction.

Interesting. And, and so there's obviously lots of different coaches and mentors and things like that out there. What makes what you do different to the, the wide array of coaches that are out there?

So this might take a little while to explain cuz there's quite a few differences, just to warn you. The first is the framework that I use. So the context of how we work, I'd call a creative orientation. So most people are generally working from, yes, I want to create this, but their focus tends to be on problem resolution, problem solving. But if your focus is on the problem, it, even if it's solving it, it's still on the problem rather on this bigger context of what you are actually looking to create. So we're always looking at that future point of what are you creating and who do you need to be to create that and to live in that reality. Then there's the neuroscience bit that comes in. You'll be very aware that the brain is plastic, it can be changed. I'm sure you're also aware that the brain doesn't know the difference between reality and what you perceive as reality, or even your imagination. So I'm working to rewire the brain and clear the stuff, the junk created by our traumatic experiences, our conditioning, all that stuff that's getting in the way. So I'm working to not just manage, like I said before, but actually rewire the brain. I then have an epigenetic component, which is where I'm working somatically with the body because trauma and beliefs and limitations live in the body as well as in the mind. So we're training the body and teaching the body how to release that, but also to be the new version of this view, which also then brings me onto identity. And from doing Tony Robbins' work, you will know that identity is one of the biggest, strongest drivers of human behavior. We'll do anything not to behave in accordance with who we believe we are. But the who you believe you are in current reality is different to the, A, who you actually are before all those beliefs and limitations came in, but also the who you need to be to live and have that reality that you're looking to create. So we're working on the identity piece as well, but the nervous system also can get in the way of that. Because think of the nervous system as like the container for that identity and for who you are. So the nervous system has to feel safe. It's totally geared towards keeping you safe and holding you in your limitation in safety because that's known. So we have to make sure that the nervous system is comfortable with your expansion into this new identity. And then the last piece, almost there, is this idea of higher intelligence. So tuning into this, a bigger field, a higher intelligence where we can get, or we can pinpoint what are the origin events that have created these limitations and what are the particular events that we need to get to that are gonna give you the specific shift that you need to get to now within the context of your business to take it and you forward.

Amazing.

Amazing.

It does make sense. And, um, and I think it's a fascinating area that kind of, we're only just maybe starting, or many of us are only just starting to sort of scratch the surface on. What's the story behind why you do what you do?

So I guess my story essentially was my own limitation. 'Cause what I do now didn't really start until I hit my forties or my late thirties. 'Cause I was in corporate for 20 years. Was becoming really quite unwell in many ways, was very aware that I was burning myself out, was super healthy, so ate really well, was super strong, super fit, but was also super aware that I was causing the destruction of my own health in how I was working and how I was living. And life was work at that point, so it was all about how I was working. So I knew it was something in me that was causing this destructive pattern, but I didn't know what it was. I didn't understand it. So there began my exploration of what's going on beneath the surface that's causing me to ultimately damage myself. And so I started working in transformation. I started unraveling the wiring and the picture that was me, and that essentially became my lifestyle. And then when I left corporate when I was 40, I became a partner in a transformational business. But through various challenges with that, I've ended up basically with half a business on my own, needing to expand my skillset to make it work and to supplement the income, the gen— well, the revenue of the business. So I turned my personal interest and what had become my lifestyle, a transformational lifestyle, into a business skillset. Amazing. And, and, and a lot of, sorry, so, you know, a lot of learning, a lot of going deeper and deeper and deeper and exploring different modalities and different aspects of science came to where I am now. Yeah.

Well, I think that's where a lot of the best businesses are born from, isn't it? Is, is I need to fix this for me and I found this out on my journey and now I wanna share it with others and help other people in that same way. So, so that's, that's really cool.

Yeah.

If you could go back to your younger self, and perhaps while you're in the corporate world and give yourself a memo with some advice, what would it, what would it be and why?

I would say, don't live your life in a way that's expected of you. It's like, follow your own path, live with courage, discover who you are, and yeah, really just live more fearlessly. And trust that what comes up is kind of the right path and follow your intuition up. I guess it's like this, the body connection is really important. It's the doing what feels right and tuning into the intuition of that, not just doing what's expected and what, you know, convention says is the right path to follow.

So having read, and I know we chatted recently about the fact that I read Dan Brown's latest book, The Secret of Secrets. I've just finished a book called the, Subconscious— sorry, the Superconscious Path.

It's a Chris Duncan book.

Yes, it is. Oh really? An excellent book. And I've nearly finished his latest, or his other one, which is You're Not Broken, I think, isn't it? Yeah. So I'm really interested in exploring this. Where do you see, like, where do you see the, the superconscious, and where does it play a role in, in what we're talking about here?

So Couple of ways. Firstly, I think as a field of information, the superconscious can be really important as a guiding force. So think of, a lot of people are familiar with the subconscious. I'll just explain it in this way. So the subconscious is what's really running the show. The subconscious is where all your limiting beliefs live and are formed largely by about the age of 7. So we all living in these limiting structures that we've created by ourselves, you know, just by what our superconscious is trying to do to protect us and help us function with each other and in the context of the world. But superconscious, think of it as a field of information. So we're getting into quantum physics here that has recorded everything that's ever happened to you. So it knows specifically how every event in your life landed. Think of it as a database, essentially. But it also can connect if you want to get to here, what are the specific things that are in the way or that have caused those blockages that are in the way now? But then bigger than that, the unified field, which is also superconscious, it's just different terminology, is a field of possibility. So someone like Dr. Joe Dispenza, who many people have heard of as well, is taking people into this quantum field, this field of possibility where anything and everything becomes possible, both in terms of what you can learn, but also who you can become and also what's possible in your external environment.

Amazing. What blows my mind about this subject is that, like, it all sounds a bit woo-woo if we're all completely honest. And yet, the evidence that is being, is being put forward by these different sources, these different people, this different research makes it more and more compelling. And we probably don't really understand what's going on, but we know there's way more going on than we understand. Based on this topic, if you could leave no money, no inheritance to a next generation, but just one sort of piece of wisdom, What would that be and why?

I think it would be learn about who you really are. So, and how do you do that? 'Cause most people think they know who they are, but they know who their ego version of them is. They don't know who they really are. So you find that out by living life, by connecting to what lights you up, what fills you with joy, and that's who you really are. That's your essence. When you are most in kind of personal freedom and in flow, That's you being you. So do more of what helps you discover that and then build a life around that with courage, with passion, and then you are literally living as you in your freedom. So, and I think that is a very happy place to be. That doesn't mean stuff in life doesn't happen. It doesn't mean there aren't challenges, but if you can live from that deeper connection to who you are in your freedom, it's a much more fluid and evolutionary but also happy place to be.

That's incredible, isn't it? And, you know, and in today's society or today's world, it's never been easier to build a business that you're around what you're passionate about. And in an AI-driven world, it's never been sort of cheaper or faster. So it's this huge, it's incredible opportunities, incredible, incredible privilege. But you do have to design it yourself, don't you? You can't just kind of go with the flow.

Absolutely. And that's where I think the creative structure comes back. You need to know what it is you want to create and who you need to be to live that. Because I think one of the big things about business is the business can only ever grow to the capacity of the founder. So you have to know where you're going, but also become that person and also allow the space for possibility and freedom. So trusting what comes up, allowing opportunities to come in instead of trying to control everything. And control is a very fear-based behavior pattern. So it's that blend of freedom, possibility, but having that clear vision, knowing who you are, And then just going for it.

Brilliant, brilliant. And what's the biggest obstacle blocking you from achieving your own goals at the moment?

Well, it would be me, but that is part of the belief of the work that I do, that it's always the founder who is the biggest block in the business. 'Cause you can have strategies, you can have plans, but it's down to, are you able to execute? Are you able to step up and do what's required? And that comes down to the person. So for me now, I'm in my mid-fifties. I'm at that stage of life where I don't have as much energy as I used to, have a very different hormonal makeup to I used to as well, which impacts everything. So there's part of me that would love to be slowing down and easing back and just enjoying life a lot more. But then there's this other part of me that's super passionate about what I do. And also has pivoted into working with impact entrepreneurs and really wants to pursue that. So there's that friction in me between not wanting to work in the way I used to, which was destructive to me as well, but also wanting to make stuff happen and make a real impact.

And, and that's kind of, I mean, it's a common obstacle that people suffer, isn't it? Because I mean, I know you've seen me talk about, um, about how I do goal goal setting and what I call the 6 spheres of success. But, you know, people often just set goals in one area of their life, don't they? And they, uh, and they wonder why that's— yeah, like, let's say they set business goals, they wonder why they've got this great business but their marriage has failed and they're not as fit and healthy. So by having goals in different areas, you kind of can create that balance. So, um, I know you've seen this, this session before, but I'll drop— for anyone else, I'll drop a link in the show notes to to that session on goal setting.

Yeah, 'cause I think I learned the hard way that it can't be all about work. Yeah. So, you know, and my body still almost carries the scars of that. There's certain things, certain ways that my body functions that are like a residue of that period. So I think you do have to have balance, but the reality is if you structure it correctly, if you, work in a way that isn't just pushing and forcing, which you can waste a huge amount of energy on that, but you are clearing those limitations, clearing the blocks. You can work in a more effortless way, which for the nervous system, from an energy point of view, is really helpful and supportive. So although I have this conflict, for me, my work is to create a business that allows for both.

Brilliant. And what, what we've already mentioned a couple of books, but what other books or frameworks or mentors have helped you on your journey and where is it visible in your life or business today?

Okay, so I would say it's a daily practice, coherence. So HeartMath, who you may have heard of, have done, and they're a multi-billion company who've done a huge amount of research talking about kind of bringing science to the woo-woo, but who've done a huge amount of research showing that when you can bring the electromagnetic field of the heart and brain into coherence with each other, you work in a much more intelligent, or you access a much more intelligent and creative and intuitive space. And then off the back of that, I would say people like Dr. Joe Dispenza, Becoming Supernatural, William Whitecloud. So these aren't business books, But I think they're useful to business people because like you said, a lot, for a lot of people, this kind of work can be a little on the not quite sure about this. It's not very familiar. It's a little out there. But there is with Dr. Joe, this, can't even say his name, Dr. Joe Dispenza, there is the science to show what coherence is and looks like in the kind of ECGs of the brain and the heart. And he can show what coherence looks like.

And I think that's what's really interesting about this subject, isn't it, is that we're just starting to see the scientific evidence for what sort of people in their heart have known has been going on somehow. But we're now starting to see some, which, which obviously helps people be kind of— be able to adopt this, this stuff. Where's the best place for— if somebody's listening to this and thinking I'd love to know more about this. I'd love to chat to Jill about this. Where's the best place for people to, to find you?

So my website, firstly, at Impact-BC, Impact Business Consultancy. My LinkedIn, Jill Martin, and my Instagram, @jillmartin.

Brilliant. Jill, it is like, I, I find this subject really interesting, and I think, I think where you're now targeting this business is an, is a huge area for growth in the coming years. Because like I said, it feels like we're just starting to scratch the surface of it, but we're also just starting to see the science that backs what a lot of people are talking about. So I think this is really interesting and I'd really encourage people to check this out. So, so yeah, Jill, it's been an absolute pleasure chatting to you. Thank you so much for coming on to Progress in Practice. I think there's a whole load people can explore here. And as a reminder, the Progress in Practice podcast is brought to you by the Trusted Team that helps you build a saleable and scalable business. I'll put a link in the show notes to, to the goal setting session I talked about. And Julie, it just leaves me to say a huge thank you. Thank you. Obviously, I've done a session with you on this and I found it incredibly helpful and I encourage other people to reach out and do the same. So thank you very much for coming on.

Thank you.

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