We had the good fortune of connecting with Leanne Ross and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Leanne, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
They call it the ‘Giver’s Glow’; that feeling you get when helping others. That warm, fuzzy type of feeling that makes you feel great! The more people you help, the bigger your ‘Glow’ gets! Having worked in Social Work, Social Care and Senior Service Management over the past 10 years, I had dedicated my career to supporting others to flourish and get the best out of their lives. Throughout the years, I had become addicted to that ‘Giver’s Glow’ feeling, constantly working hard to ensure I could support as many people as possible.
After 10 years of doing this, however, I began to recognise that giving all my time, energy and focus to others was having an impact on my own mental health and wellbeing. I wasn’t providing the same level of care and attention to myself and had been in the habit of routinely putting others before myself for years. My whole life was focused on my career which led to my health, social life and relationships being pushed to the back burner. A combination of high expectations from Employers and my desire to help as many people as possible, irrespective of the cost to myself, led to my ‘Glow’ fading.
My ‘Glow’, which was once so bright, eventually went out completely after having a mental health breakdown at work.
After my mental health breakdown, I decided to leave my high flying career because I simply didn’t want to do it anymore.
The chronic stress and burn out, that I had been experiencing over the past 10 years, was beginning to take a longer lasting toll on my body and mind and the sacrifices that I had made for my career was something I no longer felt able to continue doing.
Throughout the years, I saw many colleagues also lose their Glow. People tend to lose themselves, when their identity is solely attached to their job title. After leaving their jobs that they had dedicated so much to, like me, people began to search for support and look for a bit more balance in their lives to help recover from years of chronic stress and burn out. It felt as if we were a group of broken souls searching for something that simply wasn’t there.
I became frustrated at the lack of support for myself and for others. The resentment became consuming.
“Why is there no support for the people who give so much to others?
Why is this happening over and over again?
Why were people not focusing on the foundation of the problem which would then could become the solution?
Support the people who are providing the support?!”
These questions would keep me up at night. The cost of work related sicknesses and absences across the country was at a catastrophic level and I knew that I could be part of the solution to adhere to this ongoing problem. I knew I needed to do something about it, but first, I needed to get myself support before considering helping others. I didn’t want to get back to square one where I would end up burnt out again. I couldn’t do it to myself after finally understanding what the bigger picture looked like.
I had already opened my business at that point, having launched in 2022, and was already recognising that I was falling into the same patterns of behaviour as before. I wanted to find a way that I could obtain some balance in my life whilst still supporting others. A way that didn’t involve me sacrificing everything I had for a system that was completely broken.
I decided to be really intentional with my own healing journey. I invested in a Coach and took time to get myself to a place where I began to feel like me again. It took work, dedication and a lot of support to get there. Through time, reflection and lots of research, I began to change my whole life experience as well as my own insights of what life could really look like – with the right type of supports. I was beginning to get my Giver’s Glow back – not only for supporting others but for supporting myself too!
I decided to create a Programme, within my Business Model, designed to provide support to people who help others and have their needs catered for and prioritised. I was striving to support other people to ignite their Giver’s Glow – for themselves! After finalising the Programme’s content, all I needed was a name…
The Giver’s Glow Project is ready to welcome you through its doors! Being provided on a virtual platform it is accessible to anyone, globally, who wishes to access specialised support so you can continue in the job that you love – without the need to make sacrifices to your own Giver’s Glow.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My Business, Happylieuya Coaching and Mentoring, supports people who have experienced high stress, burn out and are in a place where they want to stop sacrificing their personal lives for their jobs.
I run workplace wellbeing packages, coaching programmes and monthly memberships subscriptions. As well as my Giver’s Glow Project, I also have a specific programme aimed to support women, Stress to Success, which caters to struggles that women often face in the workplace.
My Coaching Framework has a 5 Pillar Approach which focuses on workplace empowerment, holistic modelling, mindset shifting, stress management, emotional regulation and setting your stage to success through effective goal setting and achieving. My approach is personalised to each client’s needs, seeing them as their own expert within my coaching sessions.
Starting my business is one of the best things I have done, however, it has not always been easy.
Here are my top 5 pieces of advice to someone looking to start their own business;
1 – Get some community support behind you. I have so many channels of support which helps me to continue breaking through any barriers that are blocking my pursuit towards my vision.
2 – Never give up on your dream. If things are not working, ask yourself ‘why?’ and start making little adjustments from there.
3 – Starting a business always has some element of risk attached to it so take the risks that feel right for you – big and small!
4 – Focus on internal validation as well as external validation. Become your biggest cheerleader! This helps you to align your mindset – which is significantly important in business.
5- Think about what you want to achieve, imagine the emotions you will experience when your achievement comes to fruition and believe in your vision! They say up to 85% of success is through mindset alone so start there!
This is perhaps a little cliched, however, the biggest lesson that I have learnt from running a business is, if things don’t work out, it’s because something even better is coming along. This lesson is really valuable to remember so never give up on your business’ vision. It will work out in the end if you persevere.
I would want the world to know that I genuinely give a sh*t. My work is all carried out with the best intentions, with you at the heart of it. You are the expert in your life remember! I simply just walk alongside you on your journey towards the life you never thought possible – until you met me!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m from Scotland so a little further afield from America. So I will drop a few top tips for people visiting Scotland!
I live in Aberdeen and my favourite place to eat is a small family-run Italian restaurant called ‘Rusticos’. They serve the best food and the character of the restaurant makes you feel like you are actually in Italy! Aberdeen has a brilliant beach and some beautiful parks to visit – we have a lot of greenery within the city. Escapism is easy to come by in the Shire – a short drive out of the city; we are very lucky to be surrounded by so much beauty.
The Scottish Highlands is where I am originally from. This quiet, peaceful, tranquil place provides a great contrast from the busy city life.
Glasgow is a fantastic, vibrant city so I would recommend visiting there! Edinburgh, our Capital City, is also worth a visit.
Scotland is also a great place to travel from! We are a quick flight away from so many amazing European countries so it’s a great place to visit whether it’s just for a pit stop or for a full holiday!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have so many amazing people to give shout outs to!
Leanne Jamieson has been my coach for 2 years and has been an incredible support; I’d have given up on my business vision had it not have been for her!
Business Gateway, a Scottish Organisation, has been fantastic with their business consultations and support. Business Women’s Connections (Aberdeen, Scotland) and the Federation of Small Businesses (UK) have all been incredibly supportive too.
And, of course, my family, friends, boyfriend and fellow coaching colleagues. Without them none of this would have been possible. They truly have been the best support to me, which I am truly grateful for!
Website: https://happylieuyalifecoaching.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happylieuya/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/happylieuyalifecoaching/
Twitter: https://x.com/LeanneRossHL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085000058398
Image Credits
Photo Credit Scott Baxter/DC Thomson
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