Welcome to our Gorgeous Guest series for 2017! This year I wanted to share with you my favourite women in business. We talk about the challenges they face in their business/career, overcoming “busy-ness”, and what motivates them on a daily basis. Grab a tea, juice or wine and get ready to be inspired!
Introducing our next Gorgeous Guest…Chloe from One Infinite Life.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you’re making an impact on this world.
Hello! My name is Chloe Wigan and I’m a Certified Life Coach and writer, with a background in psychology. My mission (the quick version) is to help young women in their 20s transcend what they think is possible for them, so they can take empowered action and get the most out of their one infinite life.
A few fun facts: I’m really passionate about positive psychology and mental health. I love reading, hiking, herbal tea, having brunch, raw chocolate and watching Netflix. When I was 21 I spent 10 days in silence meditating for 10 hours a day at a Vipassana meditation retreat. And I’m currently obsessed with chai and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I’ve always wanted to make an impact on the world, but for the longest time I thought I would need a masters degree, or a phd or to do something massive and noteworthy in order to make a difference. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realised that sometimes the littlest things can make the biggest differences and I endeavour to make a difference in the world by leaving everyone I come into contact with better than they were before. Whether that be in a conversation with a client, or a friend, or through a piece or writing or social media post.
I make an impact on the world by trying to be the best version of myself possible, to take the best care of myself that I can and to constantly challenge myself to do things outside my comfort zone. I believe that the best way to influence others is to be the example, so I endeavour to challenge myself and do things I never thought possible, so that those around me can realise that it’s possible for them too.
A few of my favourite ways I make an impact on the world is by coaching my incredible clients, writing and sharing articles on my site and other sites as well and by teaching people how to add more gratitude into their lives through The 28 Day Gratitude Project.
Sometimes it can feel like what you do doesn’t make a difference, or doesn’t have an impact — and it is then that I remind myself that no matter how insignificant it might feel, it matters. As William James said, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” This is the quote I’m currently trying to live my life by.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your business/career? How did you overcome this challenge?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my business and career is getting the courage to put myself out there and to continue to do so. Launching my website and then later on launching my coaching services putting myself out there as a life coach was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and being seen in this way has been incredibly challenging for me.
I don’t think it’s something I’ve fully overcome (yet) but it definitely something I’ve worked really hard at and I think it holds me back a lot less than it used to. I’ve done this by feeling afraid and taking action anyway, by being scared and showing up (again and again) no matter what.
The more you do something, the easier it becomes. I remember when pressing publish on a blog post was so nerve-wrecking that it made me feel sick, but nowadays I don’t really think about it anymore. I really believe that action trumps everything and in this situation feeling the fear and taking it one small step at a time has really helped me to become more comfortable with these things.
I think that taking empowered action (even small actions) is a really powerful way to stop holding ourselves back.
In recent times women have used the words “hustle” and “busyness” as badges of honour. Having experienced the impacts on my own health of being too busy, I am on a mission to change the mindset women have towards busyness. What is your take on these concepts? Do you have any personal stories to share?
I can so relate to this Amanda. I’ve been one of those people who was always “busy” and always pushing myself to do more, more, more — which has had a huge impact on my health and wellbeing and also meant that I’ve experienced a whole lot of burnout in my lifetime. This is something I’m a lot better at right now, but it’s still something I struggle with so I have to be really conscious and mindful about taking care of myself.
I have so many stories in my life where I’ve pushed myself too hard and the consequences haven’t been busy, but the one that stands out the most is from finishing university. For the final year of my degree I kept “pushing through” and even though I got quite unwell I would keep pushing myself and keep trying to get through. I didn’t step back from university or ask for extensions or give myself a proper break, and it had a lot of consequences.
What happened was when I finished my degree and moved back home it all came to a head. I realised that I was more burnout and exhausted than I had ever been in my life and I couldn’t really do anything. I pretty much spent three months on the couch and was constantly getting sick and was more exhausted than I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t think I’d ever sleep more during the day before either!
It was through this experience that I really realised that pushing yourself to do more is not sustainable, and in order to do my best work — and to be my best self in all aspects of my life — I need to do so from a full cup. In other words, if I want to sustainably be able to live the life I want (without burning out) I need to take care of myself on a regular — and even daily basis.
I feel like this is something I am constantly recommitting to and reminding myself of, but I know for sure that living life from this place is much better. And now looking back I’m grateful for this experience because it has been a powerful reminder to constantly recommit to how I really want to live my life.
What is your favourite book, website or podcast at the moment?
My favourite book at the moment is The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes [Editor note: watch her TED Talk here].
I read it last year at a time that I really needed to be reminded of the power of saying yes. It inspired me to really think about what saying yes means to me and what I really wanted to say yes to in my life.
It has guided me in being proactive at trying new things, to challenging myself and to getting outside my comfort zone more and more.
It reminded me that by saying yes — and getting outside your comfort zone — you can do things you never thought you could or would do. That saying yes can actually change your life (I know it has for me). And that saying yes helps us to live — to really live.
As Shonda says “Saying yes . . . saying yes is courage. Saying yes is the sun. Saying yes is life.”
Please share with us what you are currently offering and how our Gorgeous Presence tribe can find you!
I currently offer coaching services for people who are wanting to overcome what’s holding them back so they can take empowered action towards what they want and ultimately get the most out of their one infinite life. It’s my mission to support people to transcend what they think is possible for them and this year I intend to do this through my 1:1 work, workshops and group coaching.
I also am the creator of The 28 Day Gratitude Project which guides people through experimenting with gratitude for 28 days, so they can find a way to add more gratitude into their life — in a way that works best for them. This project is based on my experience and learnings with gratitude over the past decade and is designed in a way that is simple, practical and easy-to-implement. I want to show you that it can be easy and fun to add more gratitude into your life.
You can find me at:
Chloe Wigan is a Certified Life Coach and writer with a background in psychology, and her mission is to help women in their 20s transcend what they think is possible for them.
She became interested in personal development from a young age: when she picked up her first personal development book when she was 12 and started practicing gratitude when she was 13. Now she supports young people in overcoming what’s holding them back, so they can take action towards what they want — and get the most out of their one infinite life.
She believes that gratitude has — and continues to make her life infinitely better, which is why she created the The 28 Day Gratitude Project. You can connect with Chloe and get access to The Infinite Collection (a free mini library of resources) at oneinfinitelife.com.
Stay tuned for our next Gorgeous Guest soon!
Thank you so much for having me on your site Amanda. I loved being apart of this interview series and answering your questions.
Love & Gratitude,
Chloe
Beautiful Chloe, it is always a pleasure to share your work. Thank YOU for reminding me to be grateful always xxx