Mahara Wayman [00:00:01]:
Hi, everyone, and welcome to the show. I'm so excited to introduce Amy Cunliffe to you today, the badass expat Canadian who fearlessly pursued her true calling in New Zealand from the bustling city of Toronto. Amy is not just an entrepreneur and business coach, but a force to be reckoned with. Her mission empowering fellow entrepreneurs to unleash their inner badass, build dream businesses, and conquer financial success on their terms. Her journey finds its roots in her multicultural heritage, honoring the sacrifices made by her Indianborn parents when they sought better opportunities in Canada. Leaving behind her homeland for Australia allowed her to embrace her roots while fiercely preserving her legacy. This realization ignited a relentless commitment to self care, keeping her grounded in her badass authenticity. Having spent much of her life trapped in society's expectations, amy broke free to discover her true path. Her unfulfilling career radically transformed as she fearlessly left it all behind. Armed with over a decade of experience propelling entrepreneurs, startups, and corporations to international greatness, she embarked on a new chapter as a certified business coach and the creator of the Entrepreneurs Compass. Through her unrivaled guidance, she has led more than 40 solopreneurs to victory, helping them overcome obstacles and triumph in their ventures. Amy's story is a testament to the relentless power of authenticity, resilience, and self discovery. With her unwavering spirit, she continues to inspire and empower badass entrepreneurs worldwide. Her life is a living testament to her values and passions, proving that being a badass is the key to unlocking unlimited success. Welcome. So happy to have you here.
Amy Cunliffe [00:01:57]:
Thank you so much, Mara. It's so nice to hear what I'm like from someone else.
Mahara Wayman [00:02:03]:
I know. It's great. Tons of fun. Amy, we met over a year ago and past friends, and you've been instrumental in supporting me on my growth as an entrepreneur and a solopreneur. So thank you for that. You've been through quite a bit this year, and I'm wondering if you're okay if we just sort of start with where you are today, because I know that that's not the usual background when I chat with you on Zoom. How come?
Amy Cunliffe [00:02:32]:
So I giggle because it's not the usual background but nothing. I guess you've got to take a grain of salt and laugh at some of the things that happen in life. So the sad part is that at the beginning of the year, there were devastating floods that came through New Zealand, and I lost my home to a flood at that time. So I had to evacuate from my home. I've been displaced for months now. So it's now June. This happened in January, and it's a very unsettling time, obviously. And when you're self employed and you're running a business, disruptions like this are hard for anyone, but can feel increasingly hard when you have to carry another heavy load in your life and whatever that load might be. But for me, it's that business that I'm running as well, of course.
Mahara Wayman [00:03:33]:
First of all, so sorry that you're going through this, but I'm also really curious because I spoke to you shortly thereafter, and it was business as usual. Even though you had the stuff, you were still doing your thing. What were you saying to yourself? Like, what was the conversation?
Amy Cunliffe [00:03:53]:
So the conversation was it's so interesting to think back because I said that to myself so many times, it was almost kind of like, this awful thing has happened, and so what now? And it was just like, okay, this awful thing has happened. Can I carry the burden of this awful thing? So what now are you going to do? And it was almost like, how am I going to respond to this really traumatic event in my life in what I can control? Because there's obviously going to be a response that I cannot control that's going to happen within me. That's like, that stress that goes crazy. And then the parts that I could control, I was like, okay, so this has happened. So now what? And I was like, okay, well, I don't live at home anymore, so I lived out of a bag for three weeks, but I was like, I at least have my laptop. And so I was like, well and so it was two days after we lost our home, and I was due to speak at a summit, and I just showed up. I just showed up almost like nothing had happened. So as far as anyone participating who got value from my workshop, that's what they got. They got value from my workshop. The people who were running the summit, I did not say a word to them that anything had happened. And it wasn't that I didn't want to share what I was going through. I was just like, that isn't a burden that they need, but that's my burden to carry, and I can share that with someone else. So I shared it with my friends, my family. I shared it with my husband. So I still can show up and give because I had a capacity to give and support, if that makes sense, while still trying to figure out how to nurture myself through this process as well. And that has been a dance of epic proportions because it's easy to take care of yourself when your life is, like, minimal. Like minimally hard if you don't have practices already, and life is just going as it is. It's hard to build those good practices and to take care of yourself. So I'm not trying to minimize that. And I had already had practices in place, but when shit hits the actual fan and it's like, holy heck, another level of trauma, it's really hard to start managing yourself through that. So it's beautiful to have outlets to be kind of like, okay, this really awful thing has happened, and I'm going to honor that. So what now? And I just answered that question every single day. And sometimes it was, answer it in the morning, get lost in the mess of it in the afternoon, and then return to that question over and over again before the end of the day.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:52]:
That's a great explanation, and I can't help but ask, do you think your training that you've taken as a coach? I know that you're a certified Mastery Method coach. Did your training help you to sort of look at your situation that way? Because it's such a beautiful way to look at it and still actually continue to move forward. Did that training help?
Amy Cunliffe [00:07:16]:
Yeah. So multiple things absolutely contributed to that. I've always kind of not always in the last five years, I've kind of had this bend on, this thing is happening. So now what? This thing is happening. What else could be wanting to come through besides my plan? I've had this for the last five years of leaning into this idea. And then what I've done with businesses is I've brought curiosity in play because I work a lot in helping people go through innovation and change. And so for a lot of teams, that's really difficult and so understanding to question what is happening with a lens of curiosity, even if it's the most maddening and awful thing I'm going through, to kind of say, like, okay, well, not why is this happening, but more like, this is happening. So now what I want to do about this, what could I do? What are my options around this? And it's like, I can't change this, I can't change that. My life has been hit by a flood. I can't change that. But what are my other options of things that I can start looking at? So I've had this in my business and in the work that I've done where I've always been helping others answer that question of like, okay, well, what other changes can we be looking at? Like, what can we control? How do we have that self leadership? So I've had that from there. And then once I did the coaching training, that allowed for a deeper settling in of all of that. So it was like, oh, I've got all these little tools. But understanding that there's now a practice through it, and then having a practice for the last year, that's been about a deepening of coming home to real self and true self or high self, whatever you call it, that has been really great. To be like, okay, that's the anchor. So to recognize that the anchor is, like, your higher self, your resource self, your true self, whatever that language is, that resonates with you, right?
Mahara Wayman [00:09:40]:
Yeah.
Amy Cunliffe [00:09:40]:
Your center, your core, your grounding. For me, it's anchoring, right? Like, what am I anchored to? That was helpful. It's like the reminder of, like, okay, your anchored state is not distressed, and it is okay to feel distressed about what I'm going through. And I'm going to honor that. I feel distressed and I can still say, so what now? What are we going to do?
Mahara Wayman [00:10:08]:
Such a beautiful understanding. And what I loved about that, first of all, I agree with you. Curiosity is everything. I think most coaches tend to be very curious because we just want to know why are you feeling that way? Like, wow, how come I can't do that? How come I can't say that? But what I like about what you've said, and correct me if I'm wrong, but what I heard was the first part is curiosity, but then you've chosen to take it a step further and just get curious about everything. Not the assumption that there's something specific for me in this, like, why did this happen to me? There's got to be a reason. Oh, everything happens for a reason. You mentioned to me earlier that phrase drives you kind of baddie, and I was very curious about that. So I think you've explained it well, that there's another way to look at it, which is it's not that it's happened to me, it happened, but now what? Now what?
Amy Cunliffe [00:11:05]:
Yeah, and sometimes I also don't like the statement. I don't like the statement everything happens for a reason. I also don't necessarily agree with everything happens for you either. So there's a lot of things that happen in this world that are, like, deeply tragic in nature, and I don't think that all of those happen for us. I really just believe that that's just life. Life being life, right? Life doesn't have to make sense all the time. It's doing its thing, right? And we don't need to understand that. We just want to participate with it and co create with it, do great work with it when we can. But life is its own natural force, and it's just going to do what it's going to do, and it's way greater than anything that I can anticipate. Like, come on, it's a flood, right? Way greater. And so it's just accepting it's a very loaded word as well, but it's just kind of accepting that everything happens in life, like the good, the bad, the ugly, the unexpected, the tragic, and just knowing that that's what it is. It just happens. It's us and our need because we're meaning making machines, and I can't remember who said that, so forgive me because of that, that we want to understand it and then we want to put a meaning to it. And I don't think necessarily that we can. For a long time. I was in a space of survival mode through all of that. And it meant that I didn't have capacity at the time to make sense of if there is a lesson in there and I'm still not in a space where I'm searching for a lesson I'm like, that's not a today problem for me. That wasn't a problem for me a month ago. I'm like the lesson will come when it needs to come. I don't need it to mean anything right now. I just need to know that something happened and it wasn't lovely. It was hard, but life is just hard, and it's okay and we can move through.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:30]:
Yeah. I'm going to quote something that one of my earlier guests said in which she shared that her lesson in her work was that she can do hard. And so I want to say that to you is that you're demonstrating that you can do hard. And I think it's really smart for your own survival that you don't take on everything as I got to figure it out right now, because right now part of being badass is being able to prioritize our life. And when shit happens, your whole priorities change. Okay, first of all, I have to get out of the house. That's sinking in the mud. Right. Number one. Right. Or whatever. Then there's other priorities that come up rather than figuring out a long list of is this a reflection of my inner child that I'm not going to go down that path. Do like what you're saying. I'm curious, though, and I'm sure our listeners are curious, what's something that you've learned about yourself other than you can do hard? Because I already said that one. But what's something that you think you've learned about yourself in this journey, this recent challenge?
Amy Cunliffe [00:14:44]:
That's a great question. So I think it is a bit more about acceptance of not trying to change outcomes. Yeah. So I think quite often when we go through something really difficult, our society or our culture is trying to make meaning of the thing and why did it happen to me or this happened to you for a reason. And I think instead of doing that, I can't say that I was just like, I flopped over and I accept it. I don't want people to misunderstand what acceptance is, and I'm still working through it, too. But it's the idea of saying a thing outside of me has happened, and I think it's truly absurd and tragic. Right. What are the chances and own thing without me inserting myself into that story of, like, what does it mean? So I think accepting that it's happened and then saying, what is the best path forward? Not even the best. It's like asking the question like, well, all this shit has happened, and then saying, from here, if I could have it my way, how would I have it to continue to move forward? I think that's what it is. So to clarify sorry, I had to think that one out loud a bit. To clarify, it's kind of saying.
Mahara Wayman [00:16:40]:
I.
Amy Cunliffe [00:16:40]:
Can look at this instance and be wrapped up in it. Right. Wrapped up in the story of it. And it's like this idea, again, like, this word is so loaded and it makes me nervous to use it, even. But it's like I am a victim of a flood, right? That is a fact. But I do not choose to spend each of my days being defined by the flood from this and being like, oh, I've had a flood. That's not my choice. My choice is to say I'm a victim of this flood. That is a fact. And if I could have it my way going forward, how would I have it? And it's like, well, I'm going to make sure I get the best outcomes with my business still, right? Like, I'm still going to show up every day for my clients. I'm going to show up for my business. I'm going to show up for my friends and my family in the capacity that I still can. I'm going to take care of myself where and when I can. Because sometimes the care when you're in stress and trauma is to oversleep. But eventually there's going to be a day where I'm like, oh, walking on the beach will become care again. So if I could have it my way, how would I have it? I don't know if that answers your question, but for me, it feels like that's the other thing that I learned. I guess it's an offshoot of I could do hard things, but it is really more like how I can manage myself to accept a really hard thing that happened to me. And like I said, I'm moving through acceptance every day of that still. It's not like a one and done process. And then to say, but from this, if I could have it my way, what would I do?
Mahara Wayman [00:18:21]:
How would I have it? What I am hearing and what I really, really appreciate and admire is you've done something really cool here. And I don't think I'm not sure if you realize it. Well, actually, I'm sure you realize it because you're a smart cookie. But language is very powerful and what I heard you say was shit happens and versus shit happens. So yeah, that's beautiful.
Amy Cunliffe [00:18:45]:
I love the way you said that.
Mahara Wayman [00:18:46]:
So the flood happened. The reality is the fact is you lost your home in a flood and you made some concrete choices on how to move forward. You did not let the flood define you or your next steps as far as your identity. Right?
Amy Cunliffe [00:19:08]:
Yes, that's exactly it. It's the identity piece that you've just really clearly articulated. The flood is a chapter, an extremely long and tragic chapter, but it's not the only thing that is me, and it will not be the only thing that is me. And I think that's really important, right? Like, we have these really horrible things that happen to us, and they are tragic and they don't have to be a flood. They're your own version for you. They could be small, they could be big. It doesn't matter. What matters is that it matters to you. And it has defined you in one way. It's become part of your story, and you don't have to like that. You don't have to like that. That's part of your story. I don't like that. This is part of my story, but I accept it.
Mahara Wayman [00:20:04]:
Speaking of your business, because you mentioned it a few times, can you tell us a little bit more about I want to know inquiring minds want to know what was the tipping point in your old career that made you go, that's it, I'm done. Can you share that with us?
Amy Cunliffe [00:20:21]:
Yeah, I'm fascinated by transition points, just in general and how we're in transition. My flood is definitely a transition point and of a different type of my evolution of life. And I think that's also part of this conversation is like, when we get to a transition point, how are we going to face it and who do we want to be on the other side of it? Yeah, that's the other thing I want to probably say about that. It's interesting. So let me try to do this really quickly because I get really long winded in this story because I get lost in it. But I loved so much stuff about my career, and I took that idea of, like, chase your passion and you'll never work a day in your life. I did that over and over and over again, and it took me a really long time to learn that there was a pattern within that, which is like, every time I did that, which was my entire career, I would burn my passion out. So I'd find something I was passionate about, but I was missing these other pieces, and I didn't know there were other pieces to be searching for. So I started my career. I was in the snowboard industry because I love snowboarding, right? So I found a career in snowboarding, but then my career ended up making me be like, oh, I can't even be bothered being on the snow anymore because there were other pieces that were dragging me down and I didn't know what they were. So then I switched, and I was like, I had this sense of civic duty, and I also loved literature and reading, and I spent so much time in my childhood in the library. So I was like, this opportunity came. I did innovation work with libraries, and then eventually that got to me, and I was like, oh, I'm kind of, like, out of this phase. And then I moved into I continued with the civic work, and I was like, okay, well, I've already been helping businesses in my earlier career and had an opportunity to work with New Zealand government, doing more work, helping other businesses grow bigger, better, faster. And while I was there, I had just come back from being overseas and working on a project, and I was on a high. I was on an absolute high, and I was so satisfied. And I came back to my work. And I just was like, I don't feel this satisfying energy anymore. And this idea of being satisfied energy sounds weird to say. It was what was missing over and over and over again for me, right? Like, this parts of me were fulfilled, but not the whole of me was fulfilled in my career as I jumped from job to job to job. But this time when I was in this job, I really felt it. And someone had said to me, when was the last time you made a decision with your feelings? And I didn't understand the question, even. And I was like, what do you mean? I'm like, I'm really good at making logical decisions. I'm really good at making the rational choices. I follow my passion. And they're like, that's beautiful. You're essentially working. You knew exactly where I was going to go with this. And for those of you that are not watching us, both Mahara and I are going from the neck up. We're using the intelligence of our brain only. And I was ignoring my gut. I was ignoring my feeling. I was ignoring that things weren't right. And I didn't know what it was because I didn't have language, I didn't have tools. I didn't understand. So I came back from this trip and I was like, I'm really not satisfied. And I don't understand why I don't have I was so satisfied with what I had done, but I wasn't satisfied in my career. And this person had asked me, like, when was the last time you did somebody feelings? And I was like, that is, like, the meanest question someone's asked me, only because I couldn't figure out how to answer it.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:04]:
But it got you thinking.
Amy Cunliffe [00:24:06]:
It got me thinking. And I started to pursue that. And it was that pursuit that I started to understand that what I was valuing wasn't satisfying. So I was going after the promotion. I was making sure that my salary was getting higher. And so I was seeking safety because that's what was modeled to me from a young age that I was supposed to do this. And I was also doing this to make other people happy. So I wanted my parents to be proud of the sacrifices they had made. I wanted my parents to be happy that their daughter was doing well in her career. She was pursuing it. And I realized at this point in this juncture that I was like, but they are even if I could pursue another jump in my career, I was like, but actually, they are happy. Like, they've told me in their way, which is they're not the most expressive people, but in their way, they have shown that they've been satisfied and proud of what I've been doing. And I had stopped listening to my own inner voice in service of that. And so I quit my job. I quit everything. Like, I just quit. And it was the first time I'd ever quit without having a plan. I didn't know what to do, and I just quit. And I was like, I just need a break from all of this because I need to search this feeling of, like, what kind of decisions do I make from feeling? And it was a very scary thing to quit because I had never done that before.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:43]:
Wow. It's interesting because you've said so much of what I've said in my own story. This idea of doing what we're told and getting a good job, and this is a good job. And my father said, oh, that's a great job, honey. Don't screw it up.
Amy Cunliffe [00:25:58]:
Yeah. Okay, Daddy.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:59]:
I won't. I stayed in a career a few years longer than I should have, but like you, I had that same epiphany. Like, wait a second. Who am I working for? This ain't my dream. This isn't my dream. So I love that you had that realization. How long before you had the idea to go into business for yourself?
Amy Cunliffe [00:26:19]:
I never even planned to go into business for myself. I never wanted to be a boss. I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. Nothing. That was never anything I was interested in. Even when I quit, that wasn't on the radar at all. So I quit everything in 2018, and I didn't know what to do. It took me to the end of 2019 to make that decision, and I was like, who am I to make that decision? Because I had only worked with small businesses, big businesses, startups at that point. So my concept of who an entrepreneur was was built on this idea that you were a SaaS company, that you owned assets, that you were going to be creating a factory, working with a factory in China or something. Conceptually, I was like, oh, that sounds like hard work. It sounds like a huge barrier to entry to me. It was just like, hard work, time suck. You need so much financial backing to make this happen. I was like, never going to be doing that. So over a year, and it was something that needed to be pointed out to me. I wasn't even clever enough to figure it out for myself. It was pointed out to me. So I was doing my yoga teacher training was 2019. I was in India, and we were in this space where all these digital nomads were. And on my lunch hour, it was like, all day, every day from 05:00 A.m. To 07:00 P.m.. Yoga, yoga, yoga. And the only time we had with the outside world were these little pockets of time, and one of them was lunch hours. And on our lunch hours, we happen to have digital nomads having lunch with us. And I was sitting there having conversations with them, and I was just sharing my story, and I was like, what are you up to? And they were like, oh, I'm going. And one of them was said specifically, I'm going to Silicon Valley to pitch to AVC. And I was like, I actually have built a service doing that exact thing, that exact thing. And they were like, oh, my goodness. So we ended up having conversations I just shared back and forth with them. And they came back to lunch daily to ask me questions about how to speak in a way, how to pitch their deck, how to speak in a way, how could they get people on side. And I randomly had the answers. And end of that, I was still there continuing my teacher training. But after like two weeks or so, one of those guys, the guy going to Silicon Valley, he was like, I'm heading to Silicon Valley. He goes, I can't even tell you how much this has helped. I've talked to my partner on so many zoom calls since we've been talking, blah, blah, blah. He's like, We've changed so much of our pitch. And he's like, just he's like, you really should do this for a living. And I was like, yeah. I was like, cool. Thanks. As I'm doing my yoga teacher training. So that was when the seed kind of was planted, and it took another six to eight months before I was like, actually, I could do this for a living.
Mahara Wayman [00:29:33]:
What a great story. Are you still in touch with these guys? Do you ever?
Amy Cunliffe [00:29:36]:
No, not at all. Yeah, sorry. I said, no, not at all. And I was like, no, wait, we're tan gently in touch, but not, like, closely. Yeah, we follow each other on their journeys.
Mahara Wayman [00:29:49]:
That's so interesting. So today, talk to me about your business today.
Amy Cunliffe [00:29:57]:
Yeah, I basically focus on helping solopreneurs. So I find where I work right now is people who are in, like, the first phase of business. First phase of business is where they greed in growth. Right. And I work with businesses to help them quite often figure out the how.
Mahara Wayman [00:30:17]:
Right.
Amy Cunliffe [00:30:17]:
They have a great idea. They're excellent at whatever it is that they're doing. I work a lot with knowledge workers, so people who have great knowledge, skills that they can transfer into a service based business, whether it's coaching or social media, it just is a wide gambit of people who freelance. Yeah. So there's a wide gambit of work there. And what I often find is that they're in a transition in their careers and they're either looking to build their own business as being self employed or like a freelancer or their own coaching business. And they're so excellent at what they do, but they just don't know the how on building the business foundations. And so I work with them to figure that out so that they can find their own path and make money essentially doing it on their own. So that's what I do.
Mahara Wayman [00:31:18]:
So much fun and so important. I think there's a big misunderstanding in the entrepreneurial. World, and maybe I'm the only one, but when I jumped into it, I was so naive. I was like, yeah, if I build it, they'll come. If I just say, this is what I do for a living, then the phone will be ringing off the hook, and there is work that needs to be done. Not only internal work. We're not even go down that path today. That'll be like another podcast for sure. But there's a lot of internal work on worth and value and deserving, but there's just stuff you have to learn. And I think the biggest misconception is that as an entrepreneur, I need to be amazing in everything you don't say to a dentist, okay, it's great that you've learned dentistry, but you also have to learn excel and how to market yourself and how to buy a building and rent it and get the machinery. And we would never say that to anybody else. And yet, as coaches, speaking for myself, I made that assumption that I have to learn it all, and thank goodness I don't feel that way anymore. I'm like, you know what? There are things that I want to learn. There are things that I'm really good at, but there are things that other people are better at, and I'm happy to seek them out. But that was a big lesson for me as a solopreneur myself.
Amy Cunliffe [00:32:43]:
Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:32:45]:
Speaking of lessons, we've talked a lot about the drama and the challenges that you faced. I want to lighten it up a bit. What are some of the things that you've learned about yourself that are really fun? You mentioned yoga, obviously, but is there anything else that you want to share with us, especially if it relates to being badass on what you've learned about yourself and how you have fun?
Amy Cunliffe [00:33:10]:
So I guess people think I'm, like, a thrill seeker of sorts. All the sports that I like are extreme, but they're not. So I love snowboarding, and snowboarding has been my biggest teacher in terms of running a business. And I love free diving, is the other one that I talk about. So with snowboarding, like, you're saying, you didn't realize you had to wear all the hats, but also, snowboarding has taught me so much patience. Right? And so you see someone doing something amazing in the Olympics, but, you know, you have to start on the bunny hill. And what I think is really unclear to a lot of people who are starting their businesses is that there is a bunny hill before you get to go to the Olympics in your field, or you might not even become an Olympian, but you can still be an expert and on the advanced trails and have the time of your life anyway. So snowboarding, for me, is, like, one of the biggest analogies. And every time I'm on my snowboard, I just am constantly reminded of every time I fall on my ass. It's such a good lesson, because I get up and then I have a conversation with myself or my partner, and we are like, okay, how are you going to do that? Move differently. So, like, if I'm throwing myself off a wee jump or something like that. So snowboarding has been my biggest love affair in life, probably, and it just constantly doles out lesson after lesson after lesson that can be applied everywhere. And I love free diving. So I went swimming with the whales in, I think, 2018 or 2017, I can't remember. And I got along really well with our guide when we went swimming. And part of our conversation was just like, what do you do? And I had mentioned that I'd snowboarded, and I had mentioned that I had been doing yoga and that I'd had a breath work practice. And he happened to say, offhand, I think you'd love free diving. And I had never heard of it at the time. And I was like, what is it? And why would I love it? And he said, Because of the way I described snowboarding. Like, it puts me into a state of flow. I love being one with the mountain. It's like full presence. And then the way that I described breath work and how it brings mindfulness and presence into everything that I do, he was like, that's what free diving is. He's like, free diving is just bringing you to full presence. And he goes, I think you'd really love it. So I went to Thailand, and I learned how to free dive there. And I can't even remember how far I can dive, but I love it because the most challenging thing I would say it's one of the most challenging things I've ever done besides hucking myself off a ledge if I'm doing, like, a bungee or something. But bungies are very difficult when you just choose to fall backwards off the ledge. It's a very hard thing to convince your body to do that. And the same goes for free diving. You take one breath at the top, and you're going to sink to depth. I don't know how many feet you go down. It's like 15, 20 meters. And you have to tell yourself, I'll be fine. I know I can hold my breath for three and a half to four minutes. I'll be fine. And you can't take a breath. You can't talk to anybody. You just have to tell yourself the entire time, I'll be fine. And also, sometimes the water can get dark, and then you have to be like, oh, goodness. I'm not a person who grew up around water, so I have silly, irrational thoughts of like, oh, I'm in the water, and it's so dark. So dealing with all of that is fun.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:06]:
I just want to go back to something that you said about three minutes, which was so I flew to Thailand.
Amy Cunliffe [00:37:13]:
Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:15]:
I just want to be clear. Did you go to Thailand specifically to learn free diving?
Amy Cunliffe [00:37:22]:
No, I went to Thailand to go on a yoga retreat and I tack and I had already had it planned, so it would have been 2018 that I did this. Sorry, I'm just like all over the place. I think I did 2017 the whales. And then 2018, I happened to be meeting a friend of mine in Thailand to go on a yoga retreat. And I looked that I was like, we're going to go free diving. And so I looked at one of the islands next to it, had free diving. So I was like, I'll go there. But yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:53]:
So yoga has come up twice for some big changes for you.
Amy Cunliffe [00:37:58]:
Always.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:00]:
Is there another one? I'm just curious.
Amy Cunliffe [00:38:08]:
It would be a yes, but would I be able to articulate it right now? I don't know, because yoga has been part of my life since before yoga was cool. So I was doing yoga when I was like 19, and the only people doing yoga at that time were Nanas, probably. Yeah, I couldn't name it, but would definitely be part of it. But snowboarding is also one of the ones that comes in for big transitions. So I came to New Zealand for two weeks of holiday and I never left. So when I follow my passion, good things happen usually, but when it's not just a part of it, but when I bring my whole self to the story.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:57]:
So interesting that you say that, because I really believe that part of being badass is to follow your passion because it presupposes that you know what your passion is and a lot of us don't because we're so busy being who we're so busy pretending. Let's just call it what it is. I certainly fell into that and that's been my story. But I think one of the goals that I have for this podcast is for every single woman out there that's listening to know that she's badass. Because on some respect, you don't have to dive down 15 meters and not breathe and be scared out of your wits to be badass. I truly believe that badass starts with just accepting who you are. If you can find your passion, plus, that's brilliant. If you can act on it, oh, my God, that's amazing. If you can get out of bed when you don't feel like it, super more points to you. If you can smile to make somebody else's day, you're a badass. Like, there's so many things that go into it. But I do think that being authentic is the core of being badass because you recognize that, hey, this is me. You know what turns you on. You know that you like this idea of change and supporting people to navigate change. I know what I love. I love to help women see their worth. So thank you for sharing that story with us. So I'm curious, Amy, what is something that you find yourself telling your clients on a regular basis. Is there something I should say that you tell your clients regularly?
Amy Cunliffe [00:40:34]:
Yes. And just so you know, this is medicine I take for myself as well. And the advice is, like, we all have stories that are kind of embarrassing or make us cringe. And I basically prescribe to the fact that if the story makes you cringe, that's the one that you should probably share. So whether you're at a party and someone's telling you something and maybe it's like me, and you've heard me talk about snowboarding and you're like, oh, that totally reminds me of that time I was on the bunny slope and how I ate snow by accident or your goggles flew off or whatever. And you think that's so embarrassing. And you're like, I'm just not going to bother telling it. I'll just tell them that I went skiing in Shemony. And that's all you brought to the table. I can 100% tell you that if you said that you went skiing in Shemony, I'd be like, wow, what was that like? Is it beautiful? But if you told me that you fell and your goggles went one way and your skis went in another direction, I'm going to say something like, oh, my gosh, tell me about it. It's just like that moment where you're like, could I be any more ungraceful? But I also am going to say it's the moment that you're trying the most. So those stories that you feel is like, so cringe worthy, I couldn't share. That is the one where people feel the most resonance with you, and it really gets people out of their own heads and they're going to tell you, babe, I totally get that.
Mahara Wayman [00:42:08]:
So what you heard here, folks, from Avery, is be real.
Amy Cunliffe [00:42:14]:
Yes.
Mahara Wayman [00:42:15]:
Whether you're in business or not, whether you're a solopreneur or not, whether you just want to be a badass. Like what I talk about, it's all about being real. And clients really respond to that.
Amy Cunliffe [00:42:29]:
Yeah, they do.
Mahara Wayman [00:42:31]:
Obviously, you still have to deliver on whatever it is that you're promising, but to be real in the process is an honor and people respect that's. Really beautiful advice. I love that.
Amy Cunliffe [00:42:43]:
Mahara, you just got me onto another one. Sorry. That's what we're here. My clients need to know that I've gone through something devastating in my life, so that when they are going through something devastating in their lives, that I'll understand. So me sharing what I'm going through and there was a moment where I was like, do I share this right now? Because I'm still processing. But I was like, no, this is happening and it's important. And I don't know who needs to understand it, but there is going to be someone. And so there's a need or a desire. And now I'm talking specifically in a business lens. There's this desire to show this really polished look online or in whatever capacity when you're showing up to a job interview or whatever to be super polished and don't let people see that you're a human. But in your business, we're doing business with people. And so people want to know that you've been through hard things and that you've come out the other side, that you've wobbled in life and that your business was still solid to you. And that helps people understand that it's okay. Right. Whereas if I had just shown my very bubbly, energetic, happy go lucky self instead and there's plenty of footage to do just that, it would have been disingenuous and it actually would have been a disservice to my clients. So it's important to share in a way that's really grounded you're. Not like a hot mess, express sharing, but it's a grounded way of showing up for yourself and for others.
Mahara Wayman [00:44:32]:
What I love about that, and thank you for bringing that up, is this idea of giving ourselves permission to be us. Yes, I have a job. I actually have a postit note that says, this is what I do for a living. As a reminder, if I ever need to be reminded of that, this is what I'm doing. But when all is said and done, I'm more than a coach, I'm more than a motivational speaker, I'm more than an author, I'm a mom, a sister, a daughter. I'm somebody that frets about her teenage, her young kids. I'm human. What I think is important is, as business people, that we are able to honor our needs and the needs of our client and respect where they're at and where we're at. It's a balancing act. You mentioned it earlier, this idea of navigating the trauma and the drama we do navigate, but when we give ourselves permission and recognize who we really are, it's that much easier to either put it on the back shelf for the day. I'm not going to bring that into my presentation today. It's not needed. Or, you know what? I'm going to bring a little bit of that in because I can see somebody's going to benefit from my experience. And that's what I think is so beautiful about not only the work that we do as coaches, but this whole idea of giving ourselves permission to be us. Sometimes I'm not very happy and I choose to drown myself in chocolate and ice cream and then I am happy again, right? But that's me. It's okay. It doesn't make me a bad person. It just makes me somebody that loves ice cream and chocolate. So nice distinction to really understand this idea of being authentic. And that's what being a badass is all about. Amy, you've shared so many amazing things about how your life really, you are a badass. Because in my opinion, first of all, you're not afraid to dive without that's big. I have a healthy fare of the water, so I really do. That one kind of freaked me out a bit, but really I'm blown away by your ability to navigate life and the crap that is thrown at you. So I just want to say big hugs and such a great lesson for all of us that are listening. But I want to know what's next? What can we expect from you and your business moving forward?
Amy Cunliffe [00:46:55]:
Yeah. Thank you, Mahara, for your kind words. I really appreciate that. Acknowledgment. So if anyone is listening and they're interested in working on building their business, they can go ahead and book a complimentary one on one coaching call with me. And in that call, you'll walk away with clarity and confidence on the exact next step you need to take to grow your business in as little as time as a lunch hour. So you can click the link in the show notes or you can choose to DM me, let's do lunch at Amy on Instagram and I'll send you the link. Or if you're not ready for that yet, I would love to give you my free lunch and learn workshop, which is breakthrough impostor syndrome where you'll overcome overwhelm and take aligned action. Again, you can click the link in the show notes or DM me at Amy Kunliff lunch and learn on Instagram and I'll send you the link. So those are the two ways people can choose to work with me if they feel so inclined beautiful.
Mahara Wayman [00:48:02]:
So everyone, all of that information will be in the show notes again. And I'm just going to whisper. Amy really helped me get out of my head and get into aligned action. So I am vouching for her, really. She created a beautiful space for me and held me accountable. And I'm like, okay, if Amy says.
Amy Cunliffe [00:48:27]:
I can do it, I can do it.
Mahara Wayman [00:48:28]:
And guess what? I did do it. That was like six months ago. So heartfelt thanks from me to you because part of the reason why I'm sitting here today is the confidence that I got after working with you. Amy, I have loved chatting with you. Seriously, this has been an absolute blast. It kind of sucks that you're on the other side of the world, but when you come back to Canada, look me up. I'm in Alberta. Those of you that joined us today, thank you so much. As always, really appreciate your support. Would love to know what you thought about this episode. And again, check the show notes so that you can connect with Amy directly. She is the real deal. Thank you again, my friend. We will see you on the Art of badassery.
