How Inner Wisdom Overcomes Self-Doubt and Drives Business Success

In 2010, not long after going bankrupt, I was offered the opportunity to become the Asia Pacific Master Coach for Tony Robbins.

With only a pirated CD and a second-hand book with a $1 sticker on the cover, I wasn’t exactly a “kool-aid drinker,” but it was an opportunity to do what I was good at and be part of a team again and I did that for 3 years.

The opportunity required traveling to America from Australia at a time when we had no money - so our daughter paid for my trip ❤️. I also had to request approval from the Government to leave the country, a process that only reinforced the stigma and damaging impact on a person's self-image that comes with being labeled 'a bankrupt.'

That aside, I found myself on the other side of the world, in the thick of an amazing opportunity. Attending Tony's 'Unleash the Power Within' event for one week, followed by a second week in the classroom. During those three days of immersion at UPW, I sketched an image on the back of my notebook - a billboard that read, 'The Personal Leadership Academy.'

That was my business vision.

But then, I lost the notebook - and with it, the vision for the academy. Why? Because I wasn’t ready. I was still listening to too many voices, and none of them were my own.

📣 Niche down

📣 Focus on one lane

📣 Stick to what you know

📣 Go where the money is

📣 People don’t buy soft skills

You get the drift.

So, I took the easy route - I listened to others. I ran a sales training consultancy for a decade. And while I loved working with my clients, it never truly brought me joy - or as the Japanese call it, Ikigai.

I wasn’t listening deeply enough to the three voices that mattered most - my own.

🧠 My head was saying, “Play it safe.”

❤️ My heart was saying, “Do what you love.”

🔮 And my gut was telling me, “Wait - you’ll know when.”

So much incongruence!

As we know, a confused mind (and heart and gut) will never make a clear decision.

Many of us face the same internal conflict. We ask ourselves, “How do I know what to do?” When maybe the better question is, “Who can help me know what to do?”

It wasn’t until I aligned those three voices - head, heart, and gut - that I began to see with crystal clear clarity which direction was right for me. Only then was I brave enough to walk those first few steps down that path less taken - of change!

Are those three voices fully aligned now? Who knows if anything is really 100%…🙂 But I'm pretty darn sure, I'm as close as I'm going to get in knowing why I’m here.

I know that all my 'lived experiences' in business and life have been for a reason. And that reason is to not only own my gifts but to encourage you to own yours.

So, if my calling is to help leaders and their teams tap into their strengths of courage and conviction, to help them and their teams make the choices that will build their businesses by thinking, feeling, and acting disruptively, then:

🌟 That’s the essence of personal leadership.

🌟 That’s the human spirit in action.

🌟 That’s the “woo-woo” side of work.

And the business world needs that now - more. than. ever.

Whether on stage, through coaching, or in masterclasses (my happiest places on earth!), I’m now fully aligned in bringing my message and gifts to the market.

Because in my book, it’s not just about niches, lanes, sticking to your knitting, money, or skills. It’s about the message and those who need to hear it, feel it and act on it. Period.

So, is it a journey? Absolutely.

And many of us, (not all) often hold back on what we really want to do, fearing what others might think or whether we’ll lose opportunities by going against the collective and that is scarcity thinking.

How can that type of thinking for any of us attract what we are entitled to have - abundance!

But here’s the kicker:

You, like me, know in your heart what you're meant to do.

It’s what you would do even without monetary reward.

So, where is that wisdom from within found?

It’s found on your own path - the one less taken.

You just need to be brave enough to, hand on heart, be open and honest with yourself first and then let it sit awhile, let it simmer, let it evolve...

… even if it takes a decade.

As Usual,

Be Brave, Bold, and Brilliant!

Bernadette

P.S. I bring a powerful and relevant message to the front of the room or to the wider market, designed for leaders and sales teams with my Signature Keynote - 'Deliberate Disruption.'

If you’re not disrupting yourself in the way you think, feel, and act - then something or someone else will!

Helping you and your team shift from a state of gridlock to growth, driving results even in the toughest of times.

Message me this week to speak at your next sales meeting, SKO, or Association meeting.

Visit my speaker site BernadetteMcClelland.com