Nicola Mercer - The Break that led to my Breakthrough
EPISODE 14.
What if the thing that's breaking down in your life - is actually the beginnings of a breakthrough?
Welcome to Episode 14 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. This week I talked with Nicola Mercer about her change story of how she shifted out of years of fluctuating anxiety and feelings of low self worth to everything coming to a head due to good-old lockdown, where a literal break lead her to a breakthrough - leaving her 19 year corporate career to start her own business.
Nicola shares how for years, she felt “stuck in the spin cycle of life” - trying to keep up with all of the many demands of being a full time working Mum & partner. We talk about the perils of relying on our coping mechanisms - from the belief that we have to "put up & shut up" and just keep going regardless to blinding fire-fighting our way through life trying to "do it all" - living for weekends and never truly feeling at ease. Sadly this story will sound very familiar to many of us.
We talk about the crucial link between mental and physical health - Nicola shares how finding Jo Wicks workouts a pivitol time that helped cultivate an upward spiral in how she saw herself. In starting to feel physically stronger, she reflects on the ripple effect that had on her mental health - building her self belief back up and giving herself proof that she was more than capable of doing anything she set her mind to. We talk about living by default rather than design and how easy it is to stay in a negative spiral - because it becomes all too familiar and therefore "normal".
Nicola remembers becoming aware of these spirals when she received some Coaching in 2007, helping her understand the power of unconscious beliefs and how they can unintentionally play out and direct our day to day lives. It's her experience since then that has fuelled the work she does today. From seeing the positive impact her lifestyle choices has on her daughter to feeling happier and healthier in herself - living from a more intentional place - fuelling her mind and body through healthy habits. Including bringing more self acceptance and self compassion as a regular mental practice.
Nicola shares her vision is to help normalise a healthy lifestyle so that kids grow up having healthy habits modelled to them so they know the value of themselves and can live with health and happiness. We talk about there not being a one size fits all solution - but rather finding a personal set of preferences that work for you as an individual.
Today Nicola is a certified health coach and qualified Personal Trainer, together with over twenty years of expertise in one of the world's largest brands leading successful projects and teams, is using her own journey and experience of living with mental and physical health challenges to help women build healthy, happy, strong lives.
Follow or connect with Nicola here: Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lifenow_coaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolamercer/ Website: https://lifenow.uk
