Mandy Millan founded FLO Wellbeing after working in the corporate world for several years. Like most around her, she was burned-out and exhausted from the long hours and stress. She had also developed serious back issues and turned to Pilates to help her fix it. Not only did it fix her back, but Pilates completely changed her life! She managed to escape the corporate world to follow her true passion – teaching Pilates.
She went on to become a certified Pilates instructor and taught in studios across London and Australia. Mandy has been practicing and teaching Pilates and Meditation for fifteen years now. However, after several years of teaching, her corporate past beckoned. Over the years, Mandy had seen so many employees feeling stressed-out and completely exhausted. Mandy had seen firsthand the benefits of Pilates and Meditation in her life and she wanted to provide these life-saving tools to others who were in a similar situation. The seeds for FLO Wellbeing were sown, and soon after she launched her Corporate Wellbeing business.
FLO Wellbeing is an Australian Corporate Wellbeing company that delivers full wellbeing programs to the workplace focusing on movement and mindfulness. It is Mandy’s true calling in life! Mandy’s story is living proof that you can escape the corporate world and follow your passion. Change is possible, and it’s never too late to take the leap.
Here are Mandy’s Top 5 Tips to escape the corporate world
Look after yourself
You have one place to live after putting your heart and soul into your business – your body and mind. That’s why it’s so important to take care of it. Find a form of exercise that strengthens your body and gives you enjoyment. Commit to doing the activity regularly, and hold yourself accountable.
Mandy practices Pilates almost every day. She also practices mindfulness, even if it’s just switching off for 5 minutes each day and noticing when her mind is wandering. Meditation not only helps you de-stress, but also allows you to notice when your mind is playing tricks on you. Use it to defuse stressful situations and get back to living in the moment.
Here is a simple tip. When a thought arises, stop and think “is this thought helpful?” If not, remove it from your mind and move on! A lot of people think they haven’t got time for meditation, but it can be applied to our daily routines almost effortlessly. It helps Mandy improve focus and allows her to switch off when she needs to. The result? More clarity and more meaningful engagement with others.
Networking is key to escape the corporate world
Networking is an important part of building a business and escaping corporate life, and the key to building strong relationships is meeting with people face-to-face. Using email and your phone are more convenient but that human element of relationship building is often lost.
Your passion will also shine through so much more during a face-to-face meeting. That passion is what ultimately drives the business and makes people believe in you, so it’s important that your connections see it.
Also, don’t be afraid to say yes to opportunities and events in the early stages. That dinner or after work drinks on a Friday night that you don’t feel like attending might be the time you form a life-changing relationship.
Align yourself with businesses that support your offer
Strategic partnerships are crucial to business success, so make sure you have a clear offer and an understanding of what companies your offer compliments. Once you have identified which businesses you have great synergy with, ensure they are managed by people that share your values.
Listen to what your gut and intuition are telling you about whether they are the right people to align yourself with. Once you’ve identified a match and made a great connection, you can begin to pitch strategies that are mutually beneficial.
Be yourself
After returning from an extended break teaching in Pilates studios, Mandy realised that she wasn’t the same corporate person anymore. The nerves started to creep in, and her presentations suffered.
Mandy’s advice – don’t try to fake it! Own who are you and develop the self-awareness to be able to identify your strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs. Once Mandy realised this, she found her groove. When it comes to your pitch, Practice-Practice-Practice, and know your business inside out. This will help you build confidence and allow you to deliver a clear, authentic message every time you speak.
Believe in what you are selling
If you don’t believe if what you’re selling, then you’ll have a hard time convincing someone else to buy. It’s easy for Mandy to do this as she learnt firsthand about the life-changing effects of Pilates and Meditation. Because of Mandy’s personal experience, she knows it can help others and therefore speaks with confidence and credibility.
So, if you’re thinking of creating or launching a business, take your time to quietly consider whether you truly believe it can work, and whether it will add value to people’s lives. Mandy’s advice is to take time to quietly sit with the idea. If other thoughts pop into your mind reconnect with your breath and just your idea. Does your business idea truly resonate with you? Do you believe it will truly work? You need to be incredibly passionate about your product and understand the problem you are solving if you want to be successful. So if the answer is yes. Do your numbers and if it’s viable take the leap of faith, have trust you will succeed and leave the inner critic at home!
If you want to leave the corporate world and follow your passion, then these five tips will help you on your way. Remember, it’s never too late to make a change. You’re writing the story of your life so make it a good one!
