Monthly Reflections: March 2023
I recently learned about carmine dye, naturally extracted from a scale insect called ‘the cochineal’ that live on cacti (the prickly pear type). It was used in the Americas for coloring fabrics and became an important export good in the 16th century during the colonial period. It is primarily used as a red colourant in food and in lipstick.
Learning about this instantly reminded me of one of my closest friends from primary school, and I’ll tell you why in a minute. Her name is Luisa Hogan. She published a book entitled “The Mindset Fitness Workout: Be fit for success without burning out” in April 2020 — just as the COVID pandemic started turning our world upside down.
She runs a very successful business based in Australia (delivering worldwide) with the aim to create, develop and support happier, more resilient leaders with the right mindset for leading change.
Her company is called Vermehlo, a name inspired by her family’s heritage language, meaning ‘red’ or more accurately ‘crimson’. The word, derived from Latin, ultimately references the ‘Kermes vermilio’, a type of scale insect used to make a crimson dye. It’s similar to the cochineal I mentioned earlier, but sourced from the Mediterranean area instead. This crimson dye was used in Europe to colour cloth red before cochineal was imported from the New World to Spain in the 1520s.
With this beautiful and vivid imagery, I thought about the name Luisa had given her company. I asked people (and google) how they would describe the shade of crimson which resulted in something along the lines of it being a deep, vivid shade of red, closest to the colour of blood.
Designs AI describes it as the colour of love, warmth, energy and affection. This says alot about who Luisa is. It goes on to say that ‘the colour crimson’s striking and vivid personality is derived from its inherently high visibility’. Again —a testament to how bright, insightful and perceptive my friend is and how her passions and motivations vividly thread through all her work.
All of this brings to me to the reason I wanted to write about Luisa today. I thought it fitting it celebrate my friend and showcase her amazing achievements (as it is International Women’s Day after all!). Read on and you’ll see why her work is so important in our modern world.
When Luisa first spoke to me in 2019 about the book she had intended to write, she posed this conundrum:
“Each day we participate in mental marathons. We deal with enormous personal and professional challenges and put ourselves under pressure to achieve success. So why do we live in a world where we know how to train our bodies for physical fitness, but don’t know how to train our minds to improve out mental fitness?”
Luisa’s view is that our mindset is like a muscle, and we should exercise it too (which is something iterated by
of Sonnet Advisory and Impact in a very inspiring Generative Leaders podcast I listened to recently…more on this in another post… coming soon!).Our mindset is like a muscle, and we should exercise it too
I was intrigued by this notion. Luisa then asked if she could interview me for the book. Plagued by imposter syndrome, I wasn’t sure whether what I could actually contribute anything of value — but I guess sometimes we forget about the less obvious and sometimes nascent knowledge and expertise we carry with us through life.
Luisa’s book provides practical workouts to help a person or group create mindsets that are fit and resilient, helping avoid that dreaded burnout (which, if you’ve been there, is not pretty). The principles in the book support in thinking about ways to:
- Enhance your ability to remain flexible and adaptable
- Increase your strength through challenging situations
- Improve the composition of your thoughts to help you maintain perspective
- Boost your resilience and endurance
I went back to the notes I prepared to discuss with Luisa for the book (back in 2019). I was curious to find out what my ‘three-years ago’ self said in response to Luisa’s questions. I immediately thought “did I write these?” (Luckily for me, ChatGPT did exist not at that time, so I think I really may have conjured up the answers all by myself!)
Luisa neatly wrapped my contribution into Chapter 2: ‘Creating a Fitness Plan’ under the header: ‘Choosing workouts that increase your mindset muscle and form new habits’. I thought that my contributions may be useful to share in their raw form, although Luisa’s book does them far more justice because of the context (Do yourself a favour, grab a copy of the book — link above — you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again as a refresher and energiser).
My humble contributions follow:
What’s your title? I don’t need to know where you work but rather say what you do.
I have the title ‘director’ both because I run my own business, and because I am a part of the senior leadership in a large children’s charity in the UK. Essentially my work across the board is to help charities and social enterprises explore new ways and approaches to both innovate to find better and more impactful ways to help their beneficiaries, and also to generate support for their cause (which may be in the form of income, voice or time).
Tell me about a goal you set for yourself that was very meaningful to you. What was it - what did you want to achieve?
I wouldn’t say I set a goal for myself, but I had a dream that one day I would start my own business, selling my skills out to organisations that need that ‘push up’ (to be better at what they do and more impactful across the board). I want to see the social sector across the world excel and benefit the people they serve in a transparent and authentic way. I want to drive that change in a more meaningful way.
When was this?
This was 3 years ago.
(Note to reader: the 3 years ago in my notes, was 2016)
Did you encounter any obstacles?
My biggest obstacle was self-doubt. I dithered for about a year before I actually took the plunge and set up my business. I had people all around me saying that that what I could offer to the market would fly off the shelves. I still didn’t believe it. Eventually I realised, (true to the design thinking I’ve trained in) that the only way I’m going to really, truly know, is if I test it.
Did you achieve your goal? Did it go the way you expected?
I received a great deal of advice from friends, colleagues and associates with businesses about the ins and outs (and highs and lows) of running a business. One of them was even kind enough to sit with me and help me step-by-step through my companies house registration! I can truly say I’ve achieved my goal and that it’s better than I ever had expected (considering my expectations were very low when I started). I immediately secured two contracts off the bat through previous colleagues and have never had to tender or bid for a piece of work. All of my work has come through word of mouth — and best of all, I have repeat clients, which is probably the greatest achievement of all. Pleased to know I do a good job for my clients.
(Note to reader: 6 years on and nothing has changed!)
Were there any habits you had that help you achieve your goal? What were they?
There are a few things.
- To be of the ‘JFDI’ mindset. You won’t truly know whether something is good or not until you try it and prove it for yourself. Failure is not a bad thing — I see it more now as a learning experience — not one that should keep you hosting a perpetual pity party.
- Time Management for me was (and still is) crucial. In the first few months of running the business, taking on two new clients with chunky briefs and doing a full time job was hectic. I nearly burned out. Now I’m more careful about my phasing and sequencing, the work I take on and how it aligns with all of the other activities going on in my life — both socially and professionally. Incredibly important to keep a good work / life balance.
- Linked to that, I have a habit that I believe has been transformational in helping me achieve many goals in life: To work at something when I ‘feel it’. Let me explain. Sometimes working on a specific project, report, or big piece of work can be draining and downright excruciating and it can feel like a mountain that won’t move. I feel it’s so important to ‘be in the zone’ when tackling this type of work. You can waste so much time and energy forcing yourself to work at it when you’re not in ‘a groove’ or in the head space to do so. I used to feel guilty putting it off. I felt like a failure because I couldn’t just ‘power on through’. I felt I’d never get to the end of it. But time and again, and at some point or another, that energy and inspiration hits again, which makes shifting that gear much easier. And then I crack on and get it done in half the time, and probably at double the quality. Working in this way has proven much more efficient and effective for me.
Note to reader: I later found out that there is actually a scientific underpinning to ‘being in the zone’. It’s called the ‘concept or theory of flow’, coined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1970. I think I was a bit late to this particular party, but for those who don’t know about it and love a bit of psychology:
“Flow the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one’s sense of time. Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is”.
4. Finally, and without being cliché — exercise is important. There are few habits that allow a person to release stress, provide some solo thinking time and promote positive mental health and well-being like exercise does. Negativity can quickly but very subtly creep in (both physically and mentally) when exercise is not given priority.
Did you ever lose motivation? If yes, how do you keep yourself on track?
Whenever I lose my motivation — for anything — I always attack it by speaking to my most trusted advisors, who act as my sounding board. They will be different people for different things. Some advice is theoretical, some practical, and at other times it’s just good to have a space to rant. My parents, who I’m very grateful for and blessed to still have around, are my biggest cheerleaders. Even when I’m doing everything wrong, they have a special way of helping me see the silver lining or learning point in it. We are created to be interdependent beings — so having a network of support that you can both draw on, and give to, is so important.
Going back to my roots has always been important in keeping me grounded. A trip to my home town in South Africa does wonders for replenishment, re-energising and helping me remember who I am and why I do what I do. I think it’s being in close proximity to nature that helps too — beaches, forests, mountains. Their majesty and raw simplicity always bring out my sense of be-wonderment at our natural world. Similarly, visiting new destinations where I can broaden my horizons and learn new things leaves me full of creativity and new ideas. Might be the ‘thinking time’ available to me — which is always a luxury!
Did the experience shape how you achieved goals moving forward?
Yes. I now believe that anything is possible, but that I need to take the first step, give it a whirl and see where I end up. I might end up in a very different place to what I had envisaged when I had started — but I still moved. And that’s the most important thing.
Looking back, what lessons did you learn that you’d like to share with others?
Ensure that you surround yourself with genuine supporters — people who are looking out for you but who are not afraid to be honest and transparent with you. We aren’t able to see our own blindspots (hence why there are called blindspots *eyeroll*…). Have someone helping you out with these is super important to growth and progression in your journey.
Self-care is so important. Don’t ever sacrifice your own mental health to meet others’ expectations or even your own unrealistic expectations. Make sure you’re taking sufficient time out to rest — to sleep — and to enjoy activities that help de-stress and that bring a sense of joy and well-being. Take time to know what your own body and mind needs. Know when enough is enough — and learn to say no.
This might sound a bit mafia — but building ‘goodwill capital’ is important. Don’t burn bridges (as tempting as it might be in some situations). Some relationships will turn out to surprise you and open opportunities and doors you never expected.
Honesty is a powerful tool. I find that being open about how I’m doing, how I’m feeling and what I’m going through (without gobbing my whole life story to people) has both got me out of sticky situations and also helped me connect with people on a more empathic and personal level. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a trust relationship.
Note to reader: Related to honesty and transparency — owning up to your mistakes and being humble enough to admit when you’re wrong or don’t know is so important. If you don’t know something — just say you don’t know but will try find out. If you don’t know how to do something — just ask for help, advice or support. If you genuinely don’t know the reason why something is the way it is or is being done in a certain way, be professionally curious. And crucially, before judging, making assumptions or jumping to conclusions (and then acting on these) — be sure to ask loads of questions! (more detail on this in the next blog!)
Following my contribution in Chapter 2 of her book, Luisa goes on to discuss the science behind willpower. And she has boundless amounts of that in her possession.
She’s been a state and national manager, chief operating officer, chief development officer and chief executive officer and volunteered on three not-for-profit boards. Luisa has been described as having an affinity for developing people and businesses to their highest potential, and was a state finalist in the Australian Institute of Management’s Leadership Excellence Awards in 2017.
In her spare time, my friend has a passion for fitness and healthy living, having competed in multiple marathons, half-marathons and one triathlon. If anyone can help others build a resilient mindset, it’s someone who coaches fellow runners looking to complete their first long-distance race!
Tonight I plan on raising a glass to my friend — and to many other exceptional women I know, I’ve learned from and I love.
Reader, I’d love to hear about women who have inspired, challenged, supported and helped you on your life journey. Feel free to pop your stories into the comments.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
If you found this interesting — please do:
- share on your social channels
- comment with your thoughts or inspiring stories
- highlight the sections you found useful (select some text and use the toolbar that pops up).
- clap this piece.
If you’re interested in having a further chat about this DM me on linkedin.
Thank you
