Episode 52: From Feeling Stuck to Dreaming Big with Caroline Britton

Hello and welcome to the Mum Means Business podcast, where we shine a light on inspiring women who have one thing in common. When they’re not managing tantrums, homework, P.E. kits and play dates, they are busting their gut to create something from nothing, to turn their passion into a thriving business and build a better life for themselves and their families. We dig into what motivates devoted mothers to pursue entrepreneurship and how they integrate their work and family life.

I’m Victoria Phipps, your host, and if you’re an ambitious mum in need of some solidarity whilst navigating the messy middle of making your big dream a reality, then stick around. This is for you.

NOTE: This is the transcript from the original recording, rather than the edited episode so timings may vary.

Victoria (00:00)
go. My guest today is a powerful intuitive coach and an expert in waking up leaders, entrepreneurs and public figures to live a life of freedom, purpose and joy. She specializes in being an agent of change for people who are ready to transform their lives. For over 14 years, she worked in a global consultancy during which time she became a mom of two.

Four years ago, Caroline Britton made the decision to lean into her witchy ways, bet on herself and use her powers for a greater good to help people connect with who they really are, beyond the conditioning, the labels, the ego, the pain and the limiting beliefs. Since then, she has transformed thousands of lives and is often described as a magic maker by those who work with her. She’s the author of Coming Home to You,

and has been featured in Forbes, The Telegraph, GQ, Red Magazine, and numerous other publications and podcasts. Having moved from a place of feeling stuck to a place of purpose and fulfillment, Caroline is passionate about supporting others who are ready to do the same in a way that feels aligned with who they are, navigating change without self abandonment.

Caroline, the reason I started this podcast in the first place were firstly and selfishly to be inspired by brilliant women doing extraordinary things in life whilst also raising their kids and also to show other mums who perhaps do feel a little lost in motherhood that it is possible to be a mother and live a big audacious life that feels entirely in tune with who they are.

You are, think, the perfect person to unpack all of this with, and I’m so looking forward to talking with you. So welcome to the Mummeets Business Podcast.

Caroline (01:48)
thank you so much for having me. What an introduction. That’s amazing.

Victoria (01:52)
You’re very welcome. I’m really looking forward to this. You are my first ever witch. welcome. Why don’t we start by going back to the beginning of your story, as in your story in business, entrepreneurial shift. What made you do that?

Caroline (01:56)
Hahaha

Thank you.

Yeah, so it’s actually nine years ago that I took this leap. And so I am. Yeah, so I was working in a management consultancy. had two small children and and a very masculine environment, right? Lots of data analysis, lots of logic and.

Victoria (02:20)
is it, I’m gonna, I will shift that.

Caroline (02:40)
I just knew, I knew that I wasn’t on the right path. I knew that I wasn’t using my talents, but to be honest, I just ignored it. And, you know, very much was in that kind of logical thinking of, you’ve got two small children, know, finances are a bit tight, you’ve got money on credit cards, like, let’s just crack on. So what I did is I actually just kept pushing harder. I thought, well, you know, I just kept outsourcing.

my validation so I was like well I’ll get another promotion and then it’ll be okay and then I’ll do this and I’ll have more money and it’ll be okay.

You know that saying, like, universe throws you, like, a pebble and a rock and a boulder. Well, I got all three. I ignored the pebble, ignored the rock, and then I got the boulder. And lots of things coincided at once. And, you know, I truly, believe in a greater power. The universe, God, whatever you want to call it, was definitely really trying to say to me, Caroline, this is not the path. Ended up getting shingles, burnout.

signed off work, which I at the time thought that was like the worst thing in the world because I just was a capable woman who should just push on was my kind of story. And then it kind of forced me into being quiet and being stiller than I’d been in a long time. And the more that I connected in with the quietness and the stillness, the more I heard this voice of like, you’re not on the right path. And then…

really began a journey of self-development. You I started unpacking some beliefs I had around always being busy and always pushing and being in the masculine and where I got my value from. And then I began this journey of real transformation, I think. And from there, I was like, well, I’m fascinated by this. I’d always, I’d always loved like the human psyche, right? I worked in talent development in my global consultancy. I loved, I’m interested in the human spirit, right? And

I decided I was going to train as a coach and then some weird, fortuitous, serendipitous things happened and I ended up running some workshops called Winging It and this is where the journey really began. I was interviewing entrepreneurs in workshops in London and Manchester and then I got some people come to me and say like, will you coach me? And I was terrified and I started coaching and that’s where the journey began.

Victoria (05:09)
I think so many women will relate to this cracking on. You know, you and I, I think went to the same school. So we will have some of that early conditioning that yes, you are capable. And it’s that kind of 90s girl power vibes that, you know, the world’s your oyster now. You can go out and you can do all of those things, but it is literally like, do all of those things. And…

Caroline (05:22)
Yeah.

Okay.

Victoria (05:37)
absorb everything and crack on, don’t complain. There’s so many like hangovers from the generation before, but then with all this sort of empowerment that it’s a lot to carry. And it sounded great, but actually that sort of sense that we are capable and we should be able to handle all of this stuff.

Caroline (05:45)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Victoria (06:01)
And everyone, no one else at that stage, you we’re probably going back, you know, a decade, no one’s showing that they can’t handle it. So like you say, lots of women are probably being tossed pebbles and maybe rocks. And actually it’s not until your body responds when you get hit, you know, flat out with a boulder that you actually pause to recognize it. And it’s that stopping. How did that feel? Because I, I still now find that.

quiet, really challenging.

Caroline (06:34)
Yeah, it felt terrifying because it was so new, right? It was new to intuition, new to connect to the voice of something greater than me and very, very uncomfortable to be really honest with myself. And, you know, I’ve just been through another big, big cycle of change over the last three years with a divorce and basically, you know, deconstructing and burning a seven figure business to the ground so that I can rebuild it on something that feels truer to me. And

Victoria (06:37)
Hmm.

Caroline (07:02)
you know, I’m well versed in taking risks and listening to myself, I still find it terrifying now, you know? And I think that the bit that was most confronting was having to be really, whether it was the recent change I’ve gone through or the big change, you know, when I left the corporate world, is to actually be really honest with myself about where I wasn’t happy. That’s confronting. It’s confronting for people to sit there and say, this doesn’t feel good, because there’s a lot of fear. You know, the ego loves a comfort zone. And when we start

Victoria (07:31)
Hmm.

Caroline (07:32)
Challenging

the status quo with being honest about where things are off, that’s really, really destabilizing for people. in answer to your question, I felt destabilized, a lot of fear, huge amounts of self-doubt, but I also give credit to a version of me that was a slightly louder voice that was encouraging me and saying, come on, let’s take a step here, one step on this path, just keep going, keep trying.

Victoria (07:54)
You

Caroline (08:02)
I mean if you had said to me, you know if you’d said to me nine years ago when I was sitting at my desk in the corporate world that I will have built the business I had experienced, the life that I have done the travel, helped thousands of people, you know…

done the work I have across the world, I would never have believed you, right? But there’s a part of me that knew, and I really believe there’s a part in every woman and man that knows we just got to be brave enough to listen to it without having the whole map shown.

Victoria (08:38)
that’s it. And that’s the courageous bit. And it comes down to self trust and actually, you know, what you describe in leaving the corporate world. And then also in navigating a divorce, you know, one’s in a vertical commerce professional, one’s personal, but this is all life. And these are the things we were told to go for. These are the things we were told would make us happy. And it’s that point.

Caroline (08:49)
Mm-hmm.

Victoria (09:06)
when you’re growing up, whenever that happens for each individual, where you start handing over the trust to somebody else. And actually, it sounds like it’s a journey of learning to trust yourself again, which is something in itself.

Caroline (09:23)
Yeah, it’s.

It’s a relationship,

right? Like it doesn’t happen overnight and trust is built in the day, in the moment, in the micro, right? This is the way that it has to be. you know, for, it was very, very foreign to me 10 years ago to really understand, you know, what true self trust and true connection felt like, you know, I’m well, I still don’t find it perfect or easy all the time. I’m much more well versed in it now. Well, why? Because I’ve nurtured that relationship.

with myself and you know we’re not we’re not taught to do that with you know we’re taught like what do you think and it’s like what you feel you know my I asked my children you know what you feel about that not what you think about it it’s we’ve got you know especially as women these powerful bodies and gut instinct and

ways of just knowing and I feel a big part of my mission here on the planet is to help women connect to their own power and their own intuition and their own knowing, right, for themselves. But that is found in stillness, in quiet, in the ability to be with yourself, right, and then to trust.

your body and it’s knowing and the more that you can lean into that it doesn’t mean it’s always the smoothest ride but it certainly is a true way to feel truly alive. I really believe that.

Victoria (10:57)
So when you started coaching, were you coaching, just was it organically growing just as and when people came to you and asked, and how did that evolve to a point where you felt like, okay, I’ve really got something here?

Caroline (10:59)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, so it started off with…

having a couple of clients after a workshop asked to work with me and being beyond terrified. I mean, I think I had like an hour call with my dad about how much I was going to charge. And I think we landed on 50 pounds an hour, which felt like a big thing for me, being absolutely terrified. And everything’s a first right in business. That was the first thing of actually allowing somebody to pay me for what I did. Then quite quickly, I realized that I…

Victoria (11:34)
Yeah.

Caroline (11:49)
not just loved it, but was good at it and had something that was going way beyond the coaching frameworks. I had studies, I had this like intuitive, like I just knew I could read energy, I could read people, I could feel blocks, I could have somebody walk in a room and I just would know what they needed, what was really going on without them even opening their mouths.

And quite quickly I was getting some very, very good results. People were referring me, so there was an organic element for sure.

but also I think this is really important to say I also showed up right so I was getting myself in a room and running workshops and doing speaking events so that was my first way of getting clients I didn’t it wasn’t through social media I mean for the first year I didn’t even have a proper website and I certainly wouldn’t have a picture of myself on it you know you can’t get me off camera now before I would not be on camera but you know that again this this is a muscle that I’ve developed so you know there was the organic

bit but there were also the bit of showing up and doing these workshops and then it was like when I lent into a fear of doing something like running a workshop or doing something like I’d almost like push back and through another barrier and more clients would come and then I had a really interesting moment that I’ve not spoken about for a long time but it’s cool to reflect on.

I had two small children, I think my son was about three years old and I was at a swimming lesson for him and look I’d left the corporate world with money on credit cards and also a belief that I was going to get a bonus and I was sitting at this swimming lesson and I got a

email from my previous employer saying you’re not going to have the bonus because you’ve basically resigned. I had resigned on the wrong day, bar a day. a bit naughty of them. I was sort of outraged on the phone to like a, you know, a lawyer and, know, really cross. And then when I came off the phone to a lawyer, another email had come in. It’s quite amazing really. And it was from Red Magazine and Red Magazine had said that I could write a guest speaker article.

Victoria (14:00)
Hmm.

Caroline (14:07)
which I did and it was called Actually I Can and I wrote this article and my business really, really started to explode. So the money that I thought, again, when I was pushing and trying to figure it out my way and thinking I knew better, I thought I was going to get from my corporate job, you that article probably bought that back 100 times, right? And then from there, it really started building until about a year in and I found myself with, I was doing 50 one-to-one sessions a month.

Victoria (14:27)
Yeah.

Caroline (14:35)
And I already had two small children and I thought this is not sustainable. Like every bit of like growth in this business is linked to my time. So from there I started to bring in retreats and programmes and then that kind of grew from there. So there’s been many iterations of phases in my business but that was the beginning bit. The first couple of years looked like that.

Victoria (14:59)
That’s such a sort of serendipitous moment, isn’t it? And it’s a mindset shift for you because in that sort of response to the email from your former employer denying you this money that you believe you deserve, you’re immediately kind of drawn back into that corporate space and you’re gearing up to fight. And it sounds very unjust, like absolutely pursue that.

And then just at that moment, it’s like one door closes and somewhere another one opens and you get this email.

Caroline (15:32)
And I know,

and there was an active decision, I think this is important to say that I knew that it was really important where I focus my energy and focusing my energy on being really annoyed and in a sense of injustice was not a good use of my time, right? I could use it on building the future. So that was another thing that I think is really important to say.

Victoria (15:58)
Yeah, completely. And so much of your work is about energy. And it’s just having that trust again to be like, okay, that’s really shitty of you, but I’m not gonna waste my energy because I believe that I can go and earn all of that again if I concentrate here. And it does come to that belief.

that kind of faith in yourself that actually that’s not the place where you’re supposed to linger. You’re in the middle of this big transition and you don’t want to be sort of stop yourself from being pulled backwards. And I think that in itself kind of is a pivotal mindset shift for anyone kind of leaving that corporate environment that you’ve got to put your energy into what is moving you forward. And

that trust and self-belief is guiding you in the right direction, away from the rocks and the boulders and the pebbles towards something better. And I love that you say it grew so organically. Of course you’re making effort and you’re putting yourself out there and you’re being visible in person. And do you feel like that could have been quite different if you were doing this sort of stuff on social media, because that face-to-face interaction with these people that you’re inviting into

Caroline (16:58)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Victoria (17:21)
what you can offer, you’ve got a lot of feedback straight away. Do you think you would have realized as quickly that you are offering something a little bit different had you not really immersed yourself in all those workshops, group, you know, the one, doing 51 to ones in a month is a lot because all of that is taking so much energy from you. It’s, you’re kind of, it’s not therapy, but you are giving so much of yourself to every person that you speak to.

that I imagine you completely drained at the end of some of those days and then you’ve got to parent your children. But the feedback that you got in that time must have been like really immersive and really helpful as you’re kind of planning how to move forward and where you fit in this world because there are a lot of coaches out there. So how did you kind of find that you were able to distinguish what you had to offer that was particular to you, that was unique to your abilities?

Caroline (18:22)
So I think it was like a journey, right? And I think that…

What I’ve always noticed in my business is the more that I speak, whether that’s on podcasts or on stage, the more the business grows. So that shows me that, well, I am good at it, but also that that’s the divine way. I really believe that. So I’ve got a presence on social media and I get a lot of clients from social media and I’m really grateful for it. But that’s my goal. Gay Hendrix calls it the zone of genius. The Big Leave is a brilliant book.

So that was one thing that I’ve noticed and have really used as a strategy is like there just seems to be something that when I get in a room or…

I’m speaking, I can activate people and like that’s me being of good service. In terms of like my unique gifts and skills, what was very clear to me is the more that I owned my unique brand of Caroline Britton Magic, the more the business grew as well. There’s no doubt about that. And I think that’s the case for anybody. like, it’s not about us trying to be something that we’re not and out of, not necessarily out of integrity, but like trying to like dilute parts of us or make it more difficult. It’s like, actually you get to show up and do it your way.

so often we think we’ve got to be like louder or more glamorous or more bolshy or whatever adjective you want to use and actually it’s not about that, it’s about you being authentic and who you are and also what feels good for you, I really believe that is I don’t think in business you have to go against your soul to grow it, like I just think, you know,

you know, everybody would say to me, you should be doing Facebook. I don’t do Facebook. Maybe I will one day, right? But I don’t do Facebook. Why? Because it just doesn’t feel good for me. But what does feel good for me, I’m coming on a conversation, having a podcast with somebody who has got, you know, a lot to share and we can have a rich conversation like that feels good for me. So again, this is where I keep coming back to like being in truth with yourself and knowing. And I had a brilliant mentor who simplified it for me and I use it with my clients.

it for myself you’re just gonna ask your body right do I feel like I’m being constricted or expanded by this now do I feel like I’m kind of being opened up that doesn’t mean it’s come I’m not saying do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable Discomfort is an absolute

pivotal part of growing. I’ve never met anybody who has not felt discomfort growing a business. Discomfort is a sign of growth, right? I’m not saying you don’t feel uncomfortable and you don’t feel fear, but you know, our bodies know, like, client doesn’t feel great, or that doesn’t feel great, or this feels good, or go in that direction. And it just feels like if it’s right, I feel in my body like it’s like this kind of calm, expansive opening of my heart. And then when it’s something that feels off, it feels heavy.

and constrictive and head-based, right? So that more I’ve lent into my body and the expansive feeling, the more growth and magic I’ve created.

Victoria (21:23)
Hmm.

Yeah, that’s such a fine balance. Because, you know, we’re, we sort of got this instinct that we should protect ourselves from fear. But there’s a difference between a kind of like you say, a fear of something just, you don’t want to do it. It’s just that isn’t it? You don’t want to do it. It feels like you said heavy. And then there’s the kind of fear that’s like a nervous excitement. And actually you

feel expansive when you consider what could be on the other side of the fear. And the fear is just the thing, like that discomfort that you talked about, that you’ve got to go through to get to that bit that feels really good and full of possibility and potential. And I think that’s really interesting to think about, like, the difference between the two, because it is really, it is a really fine line, isn’t it? Like, and the heaviness versus lightness is really helpful, we’re describing that.

Caroline (22:29)
Yeah, and fear like, how can I explain this? So people often want to differentiate between the two. When you’re in a fear based energy, it feels very head based, it loops, it’s repetitive and it’s loud, right? It’s like, we can’t do this. What if this happens and I’m to get to testifies and my God, it’s awful. And our voice goes really quick and our shoulders go up and we feel really tense and it feels like that.

That’s how fear feels. It’s like just relentless and loud, right? And what our job is to say is, I actually letting that be in the driver’s seat of my life?

then what you get to do is say, okay, that fear exists and it’s coming at me. What’s the truth in this? Like actually, can I wobble some of those beliefs? Can I wobble some of that resistance? And actually when I tune in, even if it doesn’t make sense, what just feels right in my body because…

I have found this continuously. I still have fear and I still wish I could just like, you know, just be able to move through some phases of expansion quicker than I can sometimes. But we always have this inner knowing of like, just do this and go here and try that. And then it opens up the next piece and the next piece and the next piece. So that…

That feeling feels much more calm and more of a whisper and it’s not competing for attention, it’s just a knowing.

Victoria (24:08)
Hmm.

Yeah, and I suppose to really distinguish between the two, it is helpful to be kind of still with yourself. And that’s a skill in itself, like, especially if you’re feeling fear, you can really get carried away with it. And I suppose this is where people get stuck because they might have a sense that something’s off, or they’re not on the right path, but perhaps they don’t know.

Caroline (24:23)
Yeah.

Victoria (24:37)
what to do next, perhaps they don’t know where they want to go, or perhaps they do and they just are frightened because it’s new. And I think there’s something about if you change direction in your life, you’re a beginner, and it feels really comfortable to be an expert. And most of us have kind of moved through those early stages of our career and got to a point where actually we are experienced. People come to us and ask questions, we’re comfortable, we’re respected. To shift.

Well, first to accept and acknowledge that although you’ve done all the things, you’ve ticked all the boxes that you were told to tick, it still doesn’t feel great. And to sort of say, well, this is my one life. Am I okay with this? But then actually to take action to change that so much resistance around it. And this is presumably what you now help your clients with. So what

Caroline (25:28)
Yeah, one of the

things, yeah.

Victoria (25:31)
Yeah, I mean, I’m sure you help them with no end of things. And also they probably come to you for one thing and actually it’s another thing. But what do you feel like are the main blockers to kind of moving onto a path that feels aligned and actually just identifying what that path might be? Where’s the resistance?

Caroline (25:55)
gosh, so much, right? It’s like so much coding from when we were younger. know, we’ve got this big subconscious.

Victoria (25:57)
Yeah, yeah.

Caroline (26:06)
program that’s running about 95 % of the show and it’s conditioned with things from our parents, our ancestors, our schools, our society, our cultures, right? And before we know it, we think that that’s who we are. So to give you an example, you know, I thought, well, I can’t be a coach because I’m not good at speaking because I’ve been told in a appraisal once at work that I wasn’t brilliant at speaking. Now that’s just not true, but I believed it, right? So I had a series of beliefs about myself that quite frankly,

we’re not true or you know beliefs that we can get from our parents as well meaning as they are that you have to really graft and it’s going to be hard or like money is scary or don’t be too big like there’s many things that we’ve got in our locker we’ve got things that really work for us right like I can always figure this out I’m capable like and you know quit learner whatever we’ve got good stuff and not good stuff and then all of a sudden we’re trying to you know do a shift

and a change that is completely destabilizing to the identity that we form. So of course things are going to come at us, who am I without, you know.

When I was starting off, I’d be like, people would ask me what I did and I’d say, I’m a coach, but I used to work at a management consultancy. You know, it’s like I needed that bridge because my identity, it was a big part of my identity that I had this like job and this good company. So, you know, there’s a big identity destabilization. Then you add on top of that beliefs that you’ve then got a shift and then nothing’s going to come at you when you’re bigger than when you’re making change or starting a business than that gnarly

Victoria (27:25)
Yeah.

Caroline (27:46)
beliefs so it’s like it it’s not a bad thing right but it is it’s going to happen because

The ego is going to do what it can to keep you small and keep you safe. Its job is to keep you safe and it sees this as unsafe. Okay. So we’ve got to be really patient. We’ve got to have compassion for it. We’ve got to see it as what it is. It’s not the truth. That story that’s telling you, you’re going to fail or you’re not good enough or you’re just somebody who’s average. it’s not your truth. I want people to know that.

you don’t have to accept those beliefs as done.

And there’s the part of doing the reflective work and being in an environment with people that surround you. But there’s also that part that ultimately the shift comes through action, right? So every time we act in the face of the fear, every time that we show up consistently, we are building that muscle every single time. So people have got to be patient with themselves. They’ve got to go easy, like it can’t be like rushed.

Victoria (28:43)
Hmm.

Caroline (28:52)
and have compassion for the fact it feels fearful and uncomfortable, but also know that every time you’re moving, despite the fear, you are building and anchoring in that new identity. And yeah, that’s when really cool stuff starts happening.

Victoria (29:10)
Yeah, it’s the feeling, the fear and doing it anyway. I definitely experienced this just literally in the last, there’s something about age as well, isn’t there? Like as you get older, you, I mean, I was like, as I get closer to death, I’m just less afraid because you just become aware that actually you have these ideas and things that you always thought you might do. And when are you going to do them? If not right now. And so for me turning 40 was like a big moment. It was when I decided I was going to do this podcast because you know, who was I?

to start a podcast like Jenna Kutcher has a podcast, like, know, but everyone starts from zero and it’s that willingness to be a beginner and to just give it your best shot and actually have faith and draw on all the experiences you’ve had before. Cause I think sometimes when we move into a space of beginner and we pivot and we try something different, it’s like nothing we’ve ever done before counts, but just by living we have accrued.

so many skills that we have no idea might be transferable or useful. And then actually having started the podcast, I went on to like launch an online course and I’ve done like just doing that one thing I can completely testify like, and it not it not falling flat on its face and like enjoying it. And it’s that thing of sort of having an idea that if you could just do it.

you would enjoy it on the other side, but it is just forcing yourself through the discomfort. And I totally believe that it’s a muscle and that’s not something, you know, it took me 40 years to even test whether that is the case. But now I feel like there’s not many things that I wouldn’t try because it is, this is our one life, but it’s how do you help people find

what is most aligned to them when they’ve spent so long out of that self-trust and kind of following the given path that came from wherever it came from in their past. What sort of questions do you ask people to explore whether or not they’re on the right path and how they can kind of tap into what might feel aligned for them?

Caroline (31:33)
So I think it’s encouraging people to dream. So it’s asking questions like, if you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you have a go at? Or if you could ask for anything, what would you ask for? Or even like simple, there’s simple things that you can do if you’re really blocked at the beginning is like do a life map, put yourself in the center, have, you know, work, finances, health, relationships, home, around it.

and write where you are now, just like a brain dump of different words that you associate with it. Give it a mark out of 10, 10 being it’s amazing, zero being it’s awful, and just like look at where you are now. And then say, if I was a year’s time from now, and I wanted to have nines or tens in each of that area, what would it look like? And so all of that kind of stuff really starts opening up because, you know, our brain is, only go back to what’s now, what’s been as evidence and we’ve got to access

beyond that so it’s encouraging people to start like okay okay I might not do this but if I could do something and it would work what might that be and starting to challenge ourselves of

Well, I can’t, can’t, can’t. Well, actually, if I can, what if I can do this? What if I can try that? So that’s what I would say with people. And another thing which I find a really good exercise, a really powerful one, and I still do it now. So actually let fear write to you. It’s like, dear Caroline, I can’t believe you’re thinking about leaving your corporate job. You’re mad. Like, what are you thinking? You’ve never coached or run a business before, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, all the stuff. And then to take a moment once it’s exhausted itself, and you’ve really heard it.

Victoria (33:04)
You

Mm-hmm.

Caroline (33:14)
take a break and come back and write from like love, source, truth of like, yeah, but there’s just this feeling that you should do it. And I’ve got a feeling you’re here to make a difference. And what if this works and you could like travel and you could work with these people and then you’ve got two letters, right? And you can sit down and say, you know, which one ultimately is the one that I would pick? Like if I had to choose one. And if I do choose the love letter, what does that mean? I’ve got to like.

honor and trust. So there’s some really good exercises for people at the beginner level who are trying to get clarity about what they want.

Victoria (33:53)
I love that permission to dream. And also it’s just taking the time. Like we, as moms, especially, you know, the to-do list never ends. We can so busy ourselves and distract ourselves and actually never take that time. And I’m sure there are people, women like in history who have lived their entire lives for other people. And we have an opportunity.

Caroline (34:16)
Yeah.

Victoria (34:21)
in this day and age to actually, there’s so much opportunity. I know that there are challenges and battles everywhere and you know, the state of the world and all of that, but actually there is a lot of opportunity, but there’s something about just believing that you are worth stopping for and taking the time to do these exercises, like scheduling a bit of headspace because headspace is like rare and you have to prioritize it.

And I think there’s something about the formalization of having somebody hold you accountable to that and guide you through it because doing that sort of exercise by yourself, you know, you might get two minutes into it and someone comes and asks you for a snack and then you just, it just falls by the wayside. But also,

in having someone guide you, you get a sense that they believe that you can do all sorts of extraordinary things. And sometimes we do need a little bit of external validation. Like I think this idea that all our validation should be internal, it’s really hard. Like, of course, you know, we could get to a place of enlightenment where we literally don’t care and we have full self-trust and belief, but life’s not usually like that every day. So to have somebody support you.

who is really acting with your best interests at heart, I imagine is so valuable. And what sort of transformations have you been able to see with your clients?

Caroline (35:47)
my goodness, so many. mean…

You know, there’s something really powerful that happens. I work with men and women. I work with entrepreneurs, sports professionals, CEOs, people in the public eye, actors, pop stars, you name it. I probably work with people who fall into that genre. Everybody’s scared. Everybody’s got self-doubt. Everybody’s got their limitations, their baggage, their history. And there’s something really amazing when you help people

connect back to who they really are without all those labels, without all of those blocks. You know, I’ve seen people…

grow six, seven figure businesses, eight figure businesses. I have seen people manifest the love of their life at all sorts of ages. A couple of years ago, a client who was 60 had the love of her life walk in after a week after a retreat we ran. I’ve seen people go out there and do big global mission work and leave legacy, write books. I’ve seen people completely transform the relationship with their children and their family, shift.

generational patterns.

you know, all sorts of amazing, amazing things that have these incredible ripple effects. And you know, and that’s down to the person showing up and doing the work, right? And it’s not easy. It’s not easy to shift a generational pattern. It’s not easy to lean into trust and faith. It’s not easy to put yourself in the spotlight. Lots of these things are not easy. But there is something that really lights me up about seeing people who, you know, if I bring it visually like head down, heavy,

you know, sort of…

hands bound, not moving forward, suddenly being free and their light going back on, right? And I’m a big, know, if you’re going to ask me, my mission in the world is to turn on as many lights as I can in whatever way. And, you know, that becomes more and more exciting as you’re working with, you know, people who have got big influence, impact, lead big teams or companies or people, because it matters. It matters the people that we’ve got leading these days. So, but it’s not

Victoria (37:44)
Hmm.

Hmm.

Caroline (38:08)
It’s so easy to think, well, it’s just me. Everything is just a me, right? Everything is one human being at a time, at a time, at a time. So if we can take responsibility for that, not by shaming ourselves or saying we’re not good enough. It’s like I deserve to truly meet myself. And when you truly meet yourself, you can truly meet others and you can truly meet life.

Victoria (38:24)
Hmm.

It sounds so enriching and like you, it makes me feel sad to think of, because I’ve been to hard periods in my life when I’ve felt stuck and so have you. It’s so dispiriting and you cannot have the impact that you potentially could have when you’re in that position and you feel heavy and you feel weighed down. And actually you do become quite insular in that you’re

tumbling this all the time. Do you find that like that energy is kind of self-prophesizing as well? That it’s really hard to kind of be pulled out of, or to pull yourself out of it, that actually you do need a little bit of help because you can go on to feel, to have your light switched on. I love that analogy. It’s like the twinkle behind the eye, isn’t it? That you just feel positive and actually then you start to look more outward and that impact that you can have becomes more clear.

Caroline (39:31)
Yeah, I think that it’s the hardest bit, right? It’s like the beginning of setting up a business without, well, you don’t have a proof, right? It’s really difficult for us. So yeah, there is something about the beginning bit that feels hard as you kind of get into that flow. But you don’t need to rush yourself through this. It’s not about doing a million things. You’ve got a journal, you’ve got to meditate, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. If somebody’s sitting here and thinking, where do I even start? Go and get a book, like Jem Sincera,

Victoria (39:38)
Hmm.

Caroline (40:01)
badass

has got a bright yellow cover, it’s brilliant book right? Go and get a book that you can read and do some exercises in and then just trust you know maybe there’s an event that you’re guided to. I really believe if you set the intention of like I’m really ready for more or I’m really ready to like unleash my potential I’m really ready to like find my truest desires.

Victoria (40:20)
Hmm.

Caroline (40:27)
It will be brought to you, right? A person, a podcast, a book.

an experience like that it will be brought to you, get to trust that. But we’ve got to be, we’ve got to be asking and listening and guided by whatever we feel we’re nudged towards. And that’s where the gold is. So what I’m saying here, in essence, is you don’t have to have it all figured out yourself. You don’t have to do it in isolation. There is a greater power that is always listening. That might sound woo, it’s my belief, you know, I’ve seen a lot of evidence for it in my life and my clients life.

Why

not try it, right? Why not try it? Just say, guide me, you know.

Victoria (41:06)
Yeah, what have you got to lose?

Caroline (41:12)
Help me see this, help me get clarity, ask and see what happens. And then, you know, all of a sudden we start forming this relationship with something that’s unknown and unseen. And not the whole world is just energy when it’s broken down. So there is science behind this. But you know, we start getting guided and then it becomes quite cool. We’re like, I came onto something now and you’re not doing it on your own anymore.

Victoria (41:36)
Yeah, that’s kind of incredible to think of. So I sort of dipped my toes into manifesting about a year or so ago, but my energy was so awful. was, you my relationship with my partner was going through a really, really rocky time. I was like frantic in my own identity, not knowing what my next step would be in work and career. And I was a busy mom of two, at that time under three. So.

everything was awful in my energy. I was just so panicked and it just didn’t land. I just wasn’t ready for it. And it was literally acknowledging that as well. that thing where I like felt I had to figure stuff out, I had to figure stuff out, but I’m just telling myself again and again and again, this is panicked urgency. And actually just a year later, I’ve sort of dabbled with a bit of manifesting in the new year and I’m trying to keep it up, but.

energetically I’m like totally different. I’m just so much more settled, so much more myself and kind of just open to stuff. So this thing about like talking to the universe and whatever it is, like you say, it’s just some sort of faith of something more collective, whether it’s God or whatever it might be. But it.

There’s something really kind of primal about it that you are part of something and you’re just this tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny part, but it kind of aligns you with everything, doesn’t it? Like with nature, with just the natural sequence and unraveling of time that you are kind of, there is a path that you’re meant to be on. And there’s something amazing about it in that you feel valuable in it.

but you feel valuable as a tiny part of it. like at the same time, you get perspective that you are a very small piece of the puzzle, but that you are worth investing in and that there is something for you, specifically for you, that isn’t for somebody else and they’ve got something for them. And I think it’s just opening your mind.

to the fact that you can be part of something and that you’re meant to add some value and it’s up to you then that’s where the responsibility piece kind of comes in, I guess, to like find out what that is and pursue it.

Caroline (43:55)
Yes, but so I see it less, it can be so easy to come across any spiritual work as a to do. So like, it’s interesting when you were explaining it, it’s like, well, I’ve got to do manifesting well. No, no, how different would it have been? Yeah, so how different would it have been if last year you just said, I’m exhausted and this feels a lot, God just help this feel easier.

Victoria (44:06)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah. That.

Caroline (44:18)
or God, just give me guidance or universe, just do that. And it’s like, it’s like we were in a conversation rather than we have to do our part to be rewarded, which is so tricky sometimes to manifestation, like I’m doing it wrong. Like we can strip it all back and just ask. Like, so before I came on this podcast, I tuned in and said, please help me find the perfect words to help Victoria’s audience, right? That’s it, I’m not, that’s not a lot of like,

Victoria (44:31)
Hmm.

Yeah.

Caroline (44:46)
That’s not force and will it’s a connection right and then I let the words come through me so it doesn’t need to be these these big things because

Victoria (44:49)
Hmm.

Caroline (44:56)
it can just be like bit by bit and then you might yeah you get into like manifesting and holding the vision and like whatever you can get bigger and bigger but you get to you know I always say to my clients I’m a big believer in like this this kind of symbiotic relationship whereas there’s part of us that gets to ask right and I always say if there’s anything you’d have me do let me know and if you want to just

take care of it, then you can do it. So I’m taking my responsibility as a human being to show up where I’m being guided, but at the same time, I’m also surrendering to something else that might want to sort it out and getting out of the way. That’s so, I’d love to see you play with that, God, I’d really love to triple my business turnover. Just show me where I need to act and what I need to do, and then I’ll follow the nudges. And there’s no attachment to it, but then when you start getting these guidance,

Victoria (45:41)
Hmm.

Caroline (45:54)
let’s go here or try this I’m gonna run a mastermind I’m gonna do that you you’re in the flow with it because we’re always answered right we’re always answered and and

Victoria (46:02)
Hmm.

Caroline (46:04)
I’d really encourage people to play with it. Ask, right? Ask if you need something sorting out. Ask if something’s heavy and you want it to feel lighter. Ask if you want clarity. Ask if you want something. Like, how often are you we asking? I’d really like this. Instead we sit down, try and figure it all out ourselves, go into our head and push. And actually there’s this blueprint in us that knows the way and we’ll be guided in the right thing. People will come. I know that for sure.

Victoria (46:15)
Yeah.

Yeah.

I love that because it plays into a big part of what I think it can feel like to be a woman that we have to be super reliant on ourselves, that we could ask our partner to unload the dishwasher, but it’d be quicker to unload ourselves. You know, it’s that, but obviously like, you know, expanded that actually there’s a part of us that has resistance to asking for help, even if it’s from the universe quietly under our breath, you know. Yeah.

Caroline (46:47)
Yeah.

I would agree totally. Yeah, totally.

Yeah. Don’t we all, you know, it’s like, well, while capable, I’ll just figure it out. Play with not having to.

Victoria (47:09)
Yeah.

Hmm. Yeah, I wish you’d been there a year ago to just tell me to just like, you don’t have to ask the universe to solve all your problems. Just start with like, just let it not be this hard.

Caroline (47:16)
you

Yeah. And

do know what we often do? This may resonate.

is we decide we want something right and we plant a flag so we’re like I want this this is what I want in 2026 we plant a flag somewhere and then what we do so brilliantly is we then get a hundred other flags and then we plant them before this flag and like I’ve got I’ve to get that flag to get to that flag to get to that flag and then eventually I’ll get to the flag that I planted initially just get rid of all the other little flags like just rather than trying to figure out the how and like being so just be like this is where I

want

to go, right, this is what I want, guide me on the action I need to take and I’ll show up for it but I’m also room, like, making room for a bit of magic here. I mean we make it so much more difficult than it needs to be.

Victoria (48:12)
Yeah, and I think there’s an element of like permission that comes in there. Like you’ve somehow got to earn the big flag by like putting yourself through all these small flags and actually, know, and also it comes back to like feeling closer to death. You know, in the spirit of time efficiency, just give yourself permission to just head for the big flag and bypass all these other things that are actually just kind of halting like the process. Yeah. Yeah.

Caroline (48:17)
right?

Yeah.

love that,

that you’ve made up, your mind has made up that you have to do as a formula to get you

to where you want, but you don’t.

Victoria (48:42)
Yeah. There’s so much good stuff in this conversation. Tell me what it feels like to be you now in your business in comparison to you nine years ago, of slumped to your corporate desk.

Caroline (48:51)
You

What a good question. Wow, that’s why I love doing this interview. It really makes you reflect and think. What does it feel like to be Netamina? I’m like a different person.

feel so in my truth.

So in my power.

very connected to myself and something greater. Practically my confidence, right, in terms of being able to speak and show up and coach. it really, I don’t think it would matter who walked in the room now with me to be coached, you know, it’s like it’s, because I’ve met myself and I can hold my power, I can hold very powerful people in their power too. So, you know, all of these clients are a reflection of me.

And it still feels all the human stuff, right? It still feels hard sometimes. It still feels like I’ve got to get grit and resilience. It still feels like I get knocked. It still feels like I’m very much like a human being. But I feel like the overwhelming emotion that’s coming up is pride. And it’s pride of the woman that…

I’ve become and what she’s walked through to get here. Like I feel really proud of that. It’s not been an easy journey, but it’s certainly been a…

what I use.

a deeply fulfilling one.

Yeah.

Victoria (50:39)
I love when people say they’re proud of themselves. I just feel like we are so awkward about saying that. Like it just feels self-indulgent in some way and actually no, I’m proud of myself. It’s such a powerful thing to say. And how does everything you’ve learned and actually the fact that you’ve lent into what makes you you and your superpowers, how does that impact the way that you parent your kids now?

Caroline (50:41)
Hmm.

you

I mean it’s huge right so my kids are very connected they have a deep faith in God and they you know they do pray they do speak from a point of expansion not always they trust what they feel

One thing for me as a parent that’s always felt really important is I want my children to learn the ability to think for themselves. So not think what I tell them, right, or school tells them. I want them to be curious minds. I want them to challenge things because I have always been somebody who doesn’t go with convention.

and that’s not always the most comfortable position to be in in, you know, society or community. you know, I do just because I’m told something, you know, doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll agree with it or do it. So, you know, that’s something that I’ve really, really seen in my children. And I think there’s a that, you know, I’m not perfect by any measure, but I have an equanimity about me and ability to.

keep my nervous system regulated in the face of big emotions. So, you know, that’s a really important part of my work is like a client has to be able to come and sit with me and bring all parts of them and parts of them that they might feel shame about or embarrassment about that no emotion, fear, the anger.

distress, whatever it might be is too big for me, I can hold it. So it means I’m also comfortable with my children’s emotions. I’m not trying to fix it. I’m able just to stand there, sit there, be with them and just say, I hear you, I see you, you’re safe, right? And repeat. That’s something that I think…

Victoria (52:55)
Hmm.

Caroline (53:02)
would be a great gift for everybody to be able to give their children is not about protecting them from having experiences or having emotions. It’s that it’s safe for them to sit with the range of emotion and be okay, right, and to find regulation in it. So that would be the biggest thing, I think, that my work has brought to my parenting.

Victoria (53:05)
Yeah.

Yeah, and the mum is always that safe space that they always have you to go to because when they go out into the world, not every space is safe, but that they can find that in themselves and that you’re supporting them in that is lovely. So same last question for everybody. What would you now go back and say to your eight year old self if you could have a conversation with her?

Caroline (53:32)
Yeah. Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

What would I say to her?

I would say.

I see your light and I see your brilliance.

and you are worthy just as you are, and you’re enough just as you are. And I’m so, so excited for you to see the adventure that you go on in your lifetime and the work you do and the relationships you have, and you deserve every moment of it. That’s what I’d say.

Victoria (54:34)
Tell me where everybody can find you Caroline, where should they hunt you down?

Caroline (54:39)
Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me today, for asking such insightful questions. And, you know, it’s really got me to reflect. And, you know, I know this will be doing so much good for your community. So first of all, thank you very much for doing this and inviting me. And then in terms of where to find me, so on Instagram is a good place. So that’s at Caroline Britain Coaching. And then you can head to my website. So that’s www.caroline-britain.com.

Victoria (54:53)
and you’re so welcome.

Caroline (55:09)
And if people are feeling like they want to take some of the things I’ve said today deeper, then I’d recommend my book and that’s called Coming Home to You. You can just get that on Amazon and that’s like got a lot, a lot of exercises and a lot of guidance for everything we’ve spoken about today. So you can literally like short chapter, read it, work through the exercise and you know, people have found that really powerful.

Victoria (55:33)
Amazing, I will put a link to that in the show notes and go buy one myself because I feel like it’s probably exactly what I need to. But I have loved this conversation Caroline, you’ve shared so much value and I think there are just so many different takeaways. I’m gonna probably listen back to it a fair few times myself because it’s been really, really insightful and inspiring. So thank you so much for your time.

Caroline (55:36)
Thank

Such a pleasure, thank you.