Conscious Success Co (00:00.618)
Hello, Allie, it is such a joy to get to speak with you and share you with my community today. So thank you so much for being here.
Ellie (00:09.838)
It's such a pleasure. I've been so looking forward to this conversation.
Conscious Success Co (00:13.27)
Yay, OK. So for everyone listening, I was a part of your mastermind, the Scalable Freedom Mastermind for the whole of last year. And it was such an amazing community of women, female entrepreneurs. was one of the best investments that I've made in my business. And just being a part of like-minded women, having a place to bring every strategy question or mindset issue, and getting to be coached by you directly, it was just exactly what I needed in the stage that I was in.
honestly a big part of the reason that has inspired me to launch my own mastermind when I returned from maternity leave later this year. So I wanted to have you on today also just because your story I think is going to resonate with so many people listening. You spent a decade in corporate marketing and reached a head of marketing strategy at 28 and then left to build something of your own. And you've built a seven figure business in a four day work week.
which I think probably will boggle a lot of people's minds listening that that's even possible, but you have, and you've also helped other women to do the same. So I want to get into all of it today, your journey, the strategy to get there, the hard seasons, everything you've learned along the way, we should be able to fit all that in within the next hour, right?
Ellie (01:27.136)
Okay, minus the challenges, that I could probably spend the hard things, the things I've been through. I reckon I could give you like five days of that one, but otherwise we're golden.
Conscious Success Co (01:36.181)
Okay, perfect. Well, we'll get through while we can. So I love to start every podcast just hearing a little bit about little Ellie, because I just think who we were, our essence right out of, know, utero essentially informed so much when we find a lion's success. And so I'd love to hear like, what were the traits that were present back then that still show up in the way that you live and you work today?
Ellie (02:01.358)
It's so interesting because I, like you, have a toddler daughter who's 22 months old. And so I actually spend so much time thinking about myself when I was little right now, because I'm constantly looking at life through her lens and really looking at how it's different for her and obviously thinking about my reality and not wanting to project that on her and all of those things. So I just love this question so much. So.
For me, I was really fortunate in that I grew up in a household where I had two parents who always told me that I could be and do what I wanted to be. And I share that because I think that was my ultimate privilege in my early years was that I really believed that I could do and be anything. I think that's why coaches are so powerful because if you didn't have that when you were growing up, it's anchoring into that later in life that can really make such transformative changes.
I know it was why I ended up choosing Kar Ching as my mom.
What I also navigated was growing up in a business owner family. my parents started their first business when my mom was nine months pregnant with me. And they went through all of those like very early challenges of growing what went on many, many, many years later to be a successful business and actually multiple businesses. But in those early years, it was not that. And so little Ellie was somebody who, you know, had parents who were doing
their absolute best with what they had and were very devoted to being exceptional parents of her.
Ellie (03:39.39)
And also when navigating a lot of their dysregulation that comes with starting a business. So a lot of scarcity talk, a lot of, you know, how are we going to put food on the table? Like my mom tells this story of how she bought this book called 50 ways with mints when she, you know, I was like one year old because that was all they could afford. She hand knitted all my clothes. So there was a lot of that kind of instability and dysregulation in those early years. And so
Little Ellie was like doing her best and excited about the big wide world and also recognizing that you know there were things that she was going to need to navigate along the way and I think working out her place in all of that.
Conscious Success Co (04:23.646)
It's so interesting that you saw that growing up and that you still chose to go into entrepreneurship because I had a dad who was an entrepreneur and I had a very different experience or kind of a block with it for a long time where I'm like, no, no, no, I don't want to do that because that's so stressful. And you're always trying to figure out where the money is going to come from. it just didn't feel safe, honestly. So I had to do a lot of work.
to actually be able to honor my innate path and desire to do something entrepreneurial. Did any of that come up for you? Or because your parents were ultimately able to drive success later in life, that wasn't a factor?
Ellie (05:07.096)
Well, it's so funny that you say that because I did take the corporate path initially. So I went, okay, this all looks really amazing, but it also looks very unstable. And I had my parents voice in my head, namely my dad going...
you know, go and get a good job, get a really great salary, like that is the way forward. And it was really interesting because that was obviously coming from his wounds because for him, entrepreneurship was almost actually like the second best option because he wasn't well educated because he didn't have the option to be well educated. And so my parents went so hard on giving my brother and I like the best possible education so we could go to the best possible university, study well, go into corporate. And that was what I did. And that was also me.
pleasing my parents, you know, that was where I got love from. Obviously, you know, again, great upbringing, but that was very much there like you, you excel, you do well at school, we love you for that. So I went corporate path and I moved to London when I was 21 so that I could kind of fast track my corporate marketing career, worked in agency in London and then kind of came back to Perth. And I did that till I was 28. I hit my like goal job, like you mentioned before, of head of strategy.
at 28 and I felt nothing.
thinking that, you know, that was going to be this like pinnacle of my career. And I felt nothing. And that was such an interesting time for me. And that ultimately led to me starting my business. But I remember specifically to your point, a conversation with my dad, who I thought would be really proud of me for like having a crack and moving into entrepreneurship. And he was, you know, don't get me wrong, he was, but I remember him saying to me, you've worked so hard to get
Ellie (06:55.536)
this six figure job like are you sure? Like those are his words like are you sure?
Conscious Success Co (07:00.373)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie (07:02.882)
And it was a really interesting thing because I knew that there was a lot of I had to move through this safety that I'd created for myself. But also I moved into entrepreneurship because we were going through like West Australian recession at the time. And so this staple job that I had, they cut my salary and they cut my days. And was the first time I realized that I was actually outsourcing my safety power to someone else. And so that was such a big money.
Conscious Success Co (07:30.707)
Hmm.
Ellie (07:32.656)
mindset shift for me of being like, well, I've chosen the safe and stable option that's going to get me to six figures. wait, it's not that safe and stable. Why am I thinking that this is more safe and stable than me making my own money?
Conscious Success Co (07:46.272)
I mean, that's such a big point, and I think one that so many people are having that reckoning today of like, OK, I've been the good girl. I've climbed the corporate ladder. I work at a big tech company. I did it all the way that should ensure my safety. And then we're seeing riff after riff and people getting laid off and so much disruption. And it's causing so much scarcity where this
one stable path. mean, I was just hearing someone talk about how whatever our grandparents generation, they used to work for a company and get a pension. And then the pension went the way of a 401k, which was to better protect the company essentially. And now even that's not secure. And so we're realizing that the structures that we depended on for safety are falling apart before our very eyes. And you were able to have that experience over whatever it was a decade ago.
to then be able to build that sense of safety, which your dad didn't maybe necessarily understand at the time, but was truly an empowered path.
Ellie (08:52.308)
It's so true. And it's really interesting because if we talk about entrepreneurship and safety, something that is like a perpetuated message, mostly from a lot of bro entrepreneurs is like, go big, don't have a plan B, lay it all on the line. And something that I've realized working with female entrepreneurs, you know, people who identify as women specifically is that actually we work best
creating when we have some sort of safety. We don't work that well when we're in scarcity, when we're in survival, like we actually can't thrive, be abundant, be creative, create in that place that we want to. And so, you know, for so many of the people who I know will be listening, they've built these amazing careers. And what's so amazing about where you're sitting, if you're listening to this right now is that you've built a foundation where you're going to create some safety for yourself to move through a transition to create more and even better
Conscious Success Co (09:25.367)
100%.
Ellie (09:52.064)
better safety for yourself. The challenging bit is that you just can't see that yet. So you've got to lean into that uncertainty. But ultimately, it's like, what's the better option here? You know, like I would choose my choice every single day again and again and again. And if you told me then that 28 year old version of me that I would be here now with this business, like even and when you speak to my bio at the start, I still have moments where I'm like, she's talking about me. And I don't say that as somebody who lacks confidence.
Conscious Success Co (10:19.595)
Yeah.
Ellie (10:22.018)
or confidence or doesn't own where I'm at in business, I say it as somebody who has come from pretty humble beginnings. And I want you to know that that is so possible when you go, yeah, I can build something amazing. I've just got to really anchor into trusting myself and move through this uncertainty to get to the other side.
Conscious Success Co (10:42.047)
Yeah, and like you said, a lot of the women listening have built that foundation of safety, whether it's because they've been smart with their money and been able to build a nest egg of savings, or even if not, you've built a really valuable skill set and something that can be leveraged and built upon in doing your own thing should you choose it, right? It's not starting from zero. And so often we lose sight of that, but you were really able to take that.
and then channel that into the entrepreneurial path in a way that now feels so aligned. But I want to go back to that moment where you got that promotion to head of strategy at 28 and you felt nothing. And it's so interesting because, and you know this, but my mastermind is called the second mountain mastermind. And I felt that same way where I was offered a promotion to senior director and I was like, I don't want it. Like I'm done, right? And when you climb high enough,
Ellie (11:21.581)
Yes.
Conscious Success Co (11:38.888)
and you realize that there is no there there or it's not aligned or it's not, it doesn't feel the way that you thought it would, then you're like, shit. And it's this reckoning moment of like, okay, well, now I need to figure out what's actually going to fulfill me or what's actually gonna feel free or safety giving or whatever the thing is. And scale that first mountain back down and then climb the second, the more aligned one. And so it sounds like you did just that from.
standing at or near the first peak and then saying, okay, something has to change. Not from the valley floor, not from some horrible place, but from, okay, I've got what I thought it was and this isn't it.
Ellie (12:22.67)
Totally. Well, it was the first time in my life that I actually stopped and thought about how I felt and living a life that truly felt good to me because I was so, I was thinking about it all through optics when I have, you know, so, so for context, like I was living back in Western Australia, which was I, I traveled and worked, you know, overseas and in Sydney, and I knew I always wanted to come home. I was back in Western Australia. I was with my now husband. So I was like, I found the love of my
I'm back with my family. I've got the most beautiful friendship group I've got like all of those boxes were ticked for me and so it wasn't like I'm just unfulfilled in other areas. It was like the dream job tick. Okay, I'm here and it was like so it's one thing to tick all of those boxes It's another thing to consider actually how you feel inside of it And the thing that was deeply missing for me was that the role that I was in I thought that I was gonna feel creative
and on purpose and of service and like I was giving back to the world in some way and actually and your peeps are gonna just hear me so clearly when I say this I was living in office politics I was answering to middle-aged whitehead men I was running their leadership strategies that I didn't agree with like it just felt so misaligned for me and you know I say like I was working for an amazing organization my manager I had at the time is still one of the best mentors I've ever learned from like I was
having a bad experience and I think it's really useful to speak to that as well because this wasn't like all that corporate job was horrendous I had the worst possible time I had to leave it was like this is actually a great job it's not bad I just feel nothing and that's and I think many of us are living in that reality you know
Conscious Success Co (14:08.817)
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Conscious Success Co (14:14.783)
Yes, and it makes me think of something else I heard recently that like the most dangerous place to be is in like a B plus life. Because if it's a C life or a C minus, you're like, all right, what do I have to lose? Fuck it. Let's blow it up. Let's try again. Right. But if and if it's an A plus life, you're like really motivated to maintain it and to continue to work for it. But a B plus life, you're like, I should be happy enough or I have a lot to lose. Do I really want to risk this? But like you're talking about that, like, just the
office politics and the not agreeing with the strategy, but being responsible for rolling it out and feeling that misalignment, but also having it look good on paper and having a lot to be grateful for can be such a tricky place. So how did you build the confidence to be able to walk away from that? And what did that process actually look like?
Ellie (15:04.056)
So at the time I was following, I just started like, you know, when you start following someone on Instagram and back then it was much more wholesome. Now it's like a little bit full on, but like I started following someone and then I was just getting served like these. And I don't even know if it was Instagram. It was Instagram that I was getting served. I'm like, what platform was it at the time? And then I just started following these couple of other people who all seemed to be doing this thing called life coaching and their life looked really wonderful. And I say their life looked really wonderful in that they would do
work they loved, they were serving other people, it was very fulfilling and they were like writing and creating and just everything that I love so much and I started following these threads and this is obviously like such a hit like follow the threads like what blogs are you consuming like what what are you spending time consuming in lunch break or like the people that you're following on Instagram even if you're like a little bit pissed off by them why are you pissed off is it because there's a part of their life that you would really desire like follow those
And it all led me to this one particular coaching academy that they had all trained at which was based in Australia. It's called the Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy and I was like, do you know what?
I am going to go ahead and train with this coaching academy because perhaps for me fulfillment looks like doing some life coaching in my evenings to really get that feeling of like giving back and purpose and mission and that's going to fix this void. And so I started doing that in the evenings because of my 10 years plus in marketing and business again like breadcrumb story it all comes together people started like requesting more business advice and marketing coaching.
And it was amazing because I started working with these small business owners where I could quickly see the threads of strategy and marketing and mindset, like all of these areas of expertise that I had. And naturally my intellectual property started forming based on my life experience. And again, I think this is so relevant to, I'm sure so many of you listening where to your point before, I'm like, you've got so many skills and expertise, but you haven't packaged it into something yet.
Ellie (17:15.542)
as a service provider.
because we just don't think like that. We're just doing these things, but these are all breadcrumbs that you can string together into something that is going to make you so unique. If you decide to be a consultant, a coach or whatever it is that you maybe want to do into your future. And so I started doing that and it just started building and building and building. And I sort of got to this point where I was like, I'm going to need to make a scary leap here. And I ran the numbers of like, I ran the numbers of what is the least I need to survive because
I was living a reality where I'd inflated my lifestyle costs. And so my now husband and I had a very specific conversation around, what do we actually need to live? And still live well, but we were living really, really well. We could pay that back a little, you know?
ran those numbers, it was not a lot, nowhere near what I thought it was. And I managed to get myself a contract to be able to make that money back and then transition out of corporate. So I started out earning like half the amount I'd earned previously, but that leveraged up my time and my ability to scale my business, which I did reasonably quickly again, because I had those expertise that I brought into it. So I wasn't starting from zero.
Conscious Success Co (18:33.718)
And when you said you got a contract, was that just like through individual coaching clients or were you also doing some like corporate marketing freelance on the side while you built this like life coaching or what became a marketing and business strategy business as well?
Ellie (18:49.39)
So I reached out to the coaching academy that I trained with as well as like 20 other connections to basically say, I'm thinking about leaving my corporate job. I'm going to need work as I do that. This is my ultimate goal. Just putting it out there. If you need any kind of marketing assistant, social media strategist, these are my skills. I'm exceptional at it. Let me know. Got to call the next day from the head of the coaching academy. We're actually looking for a marketing assistant. I would normally put this out publicly, but it's you and it's meant to be you and thank you for
contacting me and that was the contract. So, you know, and again, like for your woman listening to this, like we know how to do this, like we know how to put out those feelings, build those relationships, like so often if you are feeling really guided into something else, like you take some of those moves. And for me, I'm always like the universe is going to reward that action for me. So I, you know, you could say that some of that was luck and I'm sure it was, but also I just believe it was so divinely guided because I was being really
really intentional and strategic about my next moves.
Conscious Success Co (19:54.553)
Well, something that's always struck me about you is you have a rock solid mindset and you're like, I can have what I want. Like I can create that life. Like I can make that manifest in this 3D reality. And that doesn't mean you're not taking actions. It doesn't mean that things don't ever go sideways or you're not learning and iterating and pivoting, but you still believe you get to have it. And I think so many of the women that I coach don't start from that place. It's like,
well, that's impossible, or I don't get to live a life that feels that good, or they're hitting that upper limit where it's like, well, if everything is good, then my kid's gonna get sick or whatever else comes up for us, right? And I think you've done a lot of work to, I don't know whether it's all been conscious work or it's just a part of your sunny nature, but you've been able to expand and hold and believe that that gets to be possible and then put in the work to make it so.
Ellie (20:49.614)
100%. Look, I, whenever I have this conversation, I always feel called to like acknowledge privilege because it's just so hard to speak to this without acknowledging that. you know, I'm well educated. I'm a white woman. Like there is absolutely privilege there. And also I've run with every turn I've always gone, well, why not me? Why can't I do that? And I do think, you know, to your point of where that came from, some of it starts
from having parents that believed I could, which is why I believe coaching is so important because, you know, I've worked with so many clients where they didn't have that privilege in their childhood, but all they've needed is to find a coach or someone who believes in them now to find that belief in themselves. And so whatever you need to do to access that belief, whether it's through a coach or through, you know, someone in your life who deeply believes in you, like you can build that
you know, neuroplasticity of being someone who believes they really can. And I've seen so much evidence from this, and I know you would have too, like, of those people who decide, actually, I'm gonna really shift my belief around this. And it's just a process of repetition and repetition and repetition. And it doesn't mean I don't have hard days or hard seasons or whatever else, but...
You know, the benefit that I've got now is that I've built enough evidence to know that I can do this. And so it's just a case of in those early days, like build that evidence, keep going, trust, build that evidence, trust, keep going.
Conscious Success Co (22:23.104)
Yes, and it is such a process. I I used to definitely be of the mindset and belief that that's not possible, that's not safe, that's not a viable path for me. And now I've come a long way in that and feel opposite to that in many ways. But I think one of the benefits that you're speaking to with coaching in particular is having a safe place to name the fears and regulate your nervous system and feel the big feelings that come up around
trying and taking that step and getting to build the tolerance and build the capacity over time. And it's not something that happens overnight. so so often when we speak with women who have these big dreams, it's not that they don't really know what they want that's stopping them. It's all of that other stuff that comes up. And so having a place to first work through that to build the confidence and the capacity, then the strategy part or taking those actions becomes
So, so much easier, right?
Ellie (23:24.17)
I mean, I always think about it as like the world is just going to tell me all the reasons why I can't so it is up to me and only me to be the anchor and the guide and the light of why I can and I think that if you think the opposite you're constantly going to be in an echo chamber of like see this is why I can't do it. Yep. That's why it's not going to happen. This is why it's not possible for me. Like you need to come back every morning and every night to your trust in yourself your belief your mission. It's I think so often.
people think, it's just easeful that process because for those of us that are doing that work, we're operating from that place of like, you get to do this. It sounds very light. It sounds very like, it's just simple for you. It is like the hardest work you will ever do, right? That constant trust and self-belief. And, you know, I can definitely say as someone who's now running like a seven figure business, working with people every day, working with, you know, incredible women like yourself, who we all have our own challenges in business. Like I have to...
Conscious Success Co (24:10.486)
percent.
Ellie (24:23.92)
re-anchor not only morning and night but maybe like 20 to 30 to 50 times a day like it's constantly coming back and I just believe so deeply and like we I'm getting incredibly meta right now but we are here in this lifetime in this one time like I've got one time to see how far I can go and how far I can stretch this and how many people I can support like why do I want to mess with that?
Conscious Success Co (24:53.155)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Ellie (24:53.324)
Why would I not go there? You know? And so it's just such a privilege to have the opportunity to do that. Such a privilege. And I think when you decide that you're going to approach things from a level of lightness and joy combined with tenacity and grit, that formula is going to help you to win every time.
Conscious Success Co (25:14.583)
Yes, I couldn't agree more. And I'm of the belief that if you have that calling or that dream on your heart, it wouldn't be there if you weren't meant to realize it. If you didn't have everything it would take to realize it. Just like a plant knows when it's supposed to sprout and then become a flower. It just does the thing that it's in its DNA or in its plan. And we have the same thing, but we fight it so much. And so I think.
when I was able to access that belief and then also get into rooms with other women who were doing the thing or further ahead or at least of the mindset of like, of course we can. Like this gets to be our reality. That made such a difference because especially coming from a corporate context of a lot of people who are seeking safety in that arrangement who are saying it's not possible. Don't leave this tribe, right? If you go out there.
Ellie (25:51.758)
Thank
Thank you.
Conscious Success Co (26:06.551)
You're going to starve, right? Like that's essentially what we're getting programming. And so you have to remove yourself from that so that you can also be around a group of people, a group of women who show you that it's possible and who are embodying the belief and the way of being that you actually want to show and demonstrate in yourself.
Ellie (26:27.97)
So true, I hadn't thought about it in that corporate context of like that insidious mindset. So true. Love that.
Conscious Success Co (26:36.887)
And it's one of the things that's actually kept me going since moving into entrepreneurship is like the thing that was bigger than me in all of this was like, I wanted to prove to all the other women who are like, is it safe? Can I build my own thing? That it is. And in an honest way, but it's like, if I quit on myself, if I just go back, I'm proving to all of them, Emma couldn't cut it or it wasn't safe. so,
better take that as a signal not to do it either. And I'm like, no, no, no. So when things get tough, it's like, do I build, how do I overcome, how do I solve, how do I figure this out? Because getting to be one of the people, hopefully, that demonstrates what is possible, whether you want that or not, but the possibility of that is so important to me. And you've also been that for me and for so many other women.
Ellie (27:26.35)
Thank you. I love that so much. Again, what a privilege that we get to do that and be that for our people and encourage them to come along the ride, come with us. It's so much more fun, especially as women, when we all just get rid of that narrative of we're competing against each other. It's just so much more fun when we realize that none of that stuff is true.
Conscious Success Co (27:49.562)
Totally. Okay, so take us back to the, you you've now left corporate, you have this like marketing contract, you're doing life and now it's turning into marketing and business strategy coaching. Talk to us about what that first year of business really looked like. Because for a lot of people who are like, maybe I wanna jump and do my own thing, like what did you figure out first? What did that look like? Talk to us about the nitty gritty.
Ellie (28:18.25)
It's such a blur and it's so messy when I think back and I say that to say it will be messy and it will be a blur and none of it will be linear and that is totally okay. So yeah, so initially like I was doing I started with more of that like life and career coaching when I was still working at my old job and then when I went like essentially full time into the business as well as with this contract that I had, it was just a case of saying yes to everyone that I could work with one to one and I went
so hard into one-to-one coaching to the point of like at one point I was working with 27 one-to-one clients which I like do not recommend that life definitely no way I could have done that with children this is pre pre-mama life but you know I was just all in I was like let's grow this baby like let's make this happen so I built
Conscious Success Co (29:11.577)
And where were you getting those 27 clients from? Was it referrals from your network? Were you marketing and leveraging the skills that you know how to do, like a combination of many things?
Ellie (29:15.16)
Thank
Ellie (29:22.213)
I-
marketed the shit out of myself. Like I went so hard on marketing and obviously like my background was in marketing, but I want to add the caveat there because for anyone that's listening that's like, of course it was easier for you to backgrounds in marketing. I just want to like debunk that straight away because there is a very big difference between marketing someone else versus marketing yourself. And so yes, like there was some strategic knowledge there, of course, but like marketing yourself as the brand. my goodness. Like you obviously know
Conscious Success Co (29:52.601)
That's gonna be stretchy for anyone learning to do it for the first time.
Ellie (29:52.784)
did a great
It is so different. The empathy that I felt when I first started doing it, I was thinking about all the CEOs that I'd media trained over the last 10 years where I was like, you've got this. And I was like, wow, you had no idea, you know, like I can remember going live and like just so sweaty, but just just so hard. So but I just kept leaning into all the hard things like I would go live with no one there than one person there then five people there then 20 people there like I
My journey was not like I did one thing and then I blew up. My journey was really consistent action built from day one, which is truly the only way I know how to like teach process and also why I believe that I've created the sustained.
business success that I have because it's very much been there. I just like take that action over and over again and I build on it and I test and I tweak and I keep going. I burnt out once in those first couple of years because I was basically trying to run my business like I was in corporate and I just was working with too many one-to-one clients, which was my gateway into starting my mastermind business model. So we can chat about that if you'd like. But ultimately like for me, it was do the thing, try.
again, go again, maybe there'll be more people next time. Content marketing was huge 10 years ago. So I mostly built through content marketing. So just showing up on Instagram every day and you know, sending emails and writing blogs and being live like those were the things that I was just doing every single day. So as being the best coach I could possibly be absolutely referrals, I think I had a referral pathway at the time. The way that you build your business in those first couple of years,
Ellie (31:44.042)
is through like, yeah, tenacity, grit, loads of relationship things, lots of conversations. And then from there, you start building on funnels and being more strategic. In those early days, it's a lot of messy action and repetition.
Conscious Success Co (31:58.299)
And I love that you're just naming that. It is going to be messy if you choose this path. And especially in that first year where you're building all of the foundation, it's also just a shit ton of work. Let's be honest. It gets easier, more scalable as you've built that. But it can be a grind. Now, it doesn't have to lead to burnout.
Ellie (32:10.146)
Yeah.
Conscious Success Co (32:20.598)
It is work. And I think also what you were saying earlier about when maybe there's a twinge of envy when you see someone doing something that you might like to do yourself, but you then felt this empathy for these CEOs who are having to get on stage or brand build, whatever. And you think sometimes, that person just is luckier. They just got there effortlessly, not realizing,
they had to face off with a lot of growth edges. They had to learn how to stand on that stage or how to market themselves or how to show up when there was one person on a live. And that doesn't mean that they were gonna fail just because that just means they were at day one or day 50 or day 100. And so often we don't want to be there or we compare our day 50 with someone else's day, you know, 5,000 or 10,000. we're like, oh, well, I
I'm not successful, I don't have what it takes or we can tell ourselves all those stories. And so I think it's so important for those listening to hear that. And it's like, yeah, it is messy, but you kept taking the consistent action. You kept learning from it. You kept iterating. You kept putting yourself out there, even when it would have felt more comfortable or safer to hide behind a brand or marketing someone else rather than yourself.
Ellie (33:34.266)
I did a keynote last week and I basically the premise of the keynote was speaking to the patterns that I've seen in it was for the coaching Academy that I trained with actually that I've referenced before and I was talking about the patterns I've seen in coaches who go on to build the type of coaching business that they most want like the successful by their own definition successful coaching business and one of the things I said is like, like I have coached like properly coached over 1000
women at this point, which is so amazing to me that I've had the opportunity to do that in the last 10 years. And obviously being in the position of being so intimate with someone when you're in that role of coach, what I've seen is like every single woman, whether they're starting out through to, you know, I've had the privilege of working with some eight figure coaches now, like doesn't matter where they're at on that spectrum, like we're all navigating the stuff, the mind.
mindset stuff, the what's next strategy. Like we just get better at it as we go because we've got evidence under our belts. We've got like times that we won times that we knew how to fail. Like we just get better at it as we go because we've got more of that evidence built up. But we are all navigating those challenges behind the scenes. We are all and you see that like being in the mastermind, you see that like we're all navigating those challenges. And I think that when we stop othering ourselves and being like, I could never do that because of X, Y,
reason and we start instead flipping it to well if that person can do it so can I and if that person can do it so can I then it's just going to change the story for us and give us that starting power to get moving before we've built enough evidence to then be our own example.
Conscious Success Co (35:21.624)
Mm-hmm, 100%. And that's why one of the reasons I started this podcast is to provide more examples of women who can be that evidence for listeners of like, they can do it, so can I. Because when we don't see those examples, our minds have so much more trouble believing that it's possible or seeing the path to get there. And so breaking that down and being able to see that it is always going to look messy or it can look a lot of different ways, but we're all facing
off with our own blocks and those that are successful are successfully moving through those as those come up. And I often say to clients, new levels, new devils. Like you face off with one thing and you're like, okay, got that sorted and maybe you do get to the next level of business. And then there's another thing you get to face off with, but that's why I definitely believe.
Entrepreneurship is a spiritual personal development path of like the highest order. And when you can start to see that every one of those blocks or those growth edges or those challenges is an opportunity for you to grow and to become more empowered and to deepen your belief in yourself, like then it becomes this game versus, I can't do it or, you know, going into any type of disempowered or victim state and yeah, if they can do it, so can I. And so I can solve this problem. And that to me is like the
biggest mindset shift that has been an accelerant in my business and with the clients that I see and work with that are building a line success is getting to that place. And that doesn't happen overnight again, but that is the zone that I think then anything really becomes possible from.
Ellie (36:57.582)
It's a game. It's a game at every level. New challenge. Yeah, it makes it more fun when you think about it or lightens it when you think about it like that.
Conscious Success Co (37:07.052)
Yeah, you're not like, I'm a suck at business. You're like, OK, here's a problem to solve. How do I get to grow? 100%. So you mentioned, OK, you had like 20-something clients and you're hitting a period of burnout because you are stretching yourself too thin and doing kind of the same ways and patterns of corporate in your entrepreneurial life. Talk to me about how you then came up with the idea for
Ellie (37:11.17)
Here we go. Let's do it.
Conscious Success Co (37:31.968)
your mastermind model or how you decided to then transition into not just doing one-on-one coaching.
Ellie (37:38.708)
So you know this about me, I'm like, I am a strategist at heart. So it was a very logical process for me in terms of being like, what is my next business model? Because this one is not working.
You know, and I say that to say like, that is just a really smart way of doing business. And I've had that conversation over the years, so many different times with different clients. It's like, actually assessing if your business model is not right, actively going, well, what is the business model that's right for me? Because there's no one right business model. And I say that as somebody who teaches masterminds as being like an exceptional business model, it's not going to be right for everyone. yeah.
Conscious Success Co (38:18.596)
For those listening who don't know what a mastermind even is and are like, why do they keep using this word? Can you explain it?
Ellie (38:22.326)
Wow.
Yes, absolutely. Great point. So a mastermind is essentially a space where you will be with other people to achieve a common goal or outcome. So for example, the mastermind that I run is for women in business who are coaches, creatives and coaches, consultants and mentors who are building their business to 500 K to a million. And they are very like client results focused. They want to build something extraordinary.
that both serves their clients and also creates scalable freedom for them. So I define scalable freedom as being freedom that you create by being really intentional about how you're creating it. So the reason why I kind of coined that term was because I got so sick of the freedom messaging around like just create freedom and it being really passive because what I know is that when you're really intentional about how you're going to scale in business, that's when you create freedom. So really, you know, as I'm saying this, it's like that was what I was doing.
at that point was going, well, I know I want to scale. How can I be really intentional about this? And I do think that this is something I did really right from the start. And it's probably one of the reasons why I haven't had to like change my business model a million times over. So I looked at the different options and you know, I was like, I could do courses, I could do, you know, something low ticket, high volume. The reason why I was actually so resistant to changing my business model was because I was like, I love one to one.
You and I have had this conversation ever so many times like if you are somebody who identifies as being someone who loves supporting people through transformation Scaling can feel tricky tricky because you're like I see What it is like when you're working one-to-one with someone and you can really guide them through that process
Ellie (40:12.782)
What I had to do was look at, well, is there a scalable model for me where I can create that same level of transformation just in a slightly different setting? I realized it was a mastermind. I also at the time had never been in a mastermind. I was like, do I need to be in one? I was like, well, the reason I'm not in a mastermind is because I've been looking everywhere for this like one particular space that I can just see in my head that I can't find. So I went and created that. So it was really fun because I was like, I'm creating
Conscious Success Co (40:40.559)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie (40:42.776)
mastermind, not having ever been in a mastermind, but I just know exactly what I want this room to be. Obviously, it's been iterated so many times since then, but that was ultimately what I did. So I transitioned my one to one clients into this mastermind and I essentially said to them, this is my vision for what this is. This is why it's going to support you even more than one to one. And it's some of those things that you spoke to before around like, when you're in rooms with other people doing the thing, it expands.
what is possible for you and what you believe is possible for you. I shared with them exactly how they were still gonna get high level support from me, but they were also gonna get the room as well. So it was very much a, is all the ways it's gonna be better. 20 of my clients transitioned into that mastermind with me. I loved the experience so much. We finished that first six month mastermind and they were like, how do we keep working together? So I built another one. Then I kind of had all these like masterminds that I'd sort of piece
together. I run it as one now but I just went through that process of different masterminds at different stages and ultimately I really found like a business model that just serves me so much and that I love and the reason why I teach this type of business model now is because I realized like no one's really talking about a mastermind business model. It's obviously very niche because for it to be done well it needs to be for
facilitated by somebody who is, you know, exceptional at what they do. They've got some IP and they also have some sort of, you know, training around holding space in some way. So people maybe didn't want to touch the niche because they were worried that it was too niche. But I went there and I love it. And it's, you know, for the right person, I find that someone who is drawn to a mastermind and you are so this person, Emma, someone who's drawn to that business model is somebody who is
like very committed to transformation. And then somebody who is drawn to being in a mastermind is somebody who is so committed to themselves and creating really big change. So obviously that answers the journey for me, but also why I believe masterminds are so powerful both to be and to facilitate.
Conscious Success Co (43:00.611)
Yeah.
100%. I think that beyond just being in a room of yes or seeing people a little further along and getting that expansion, also being able to see other people get coached on challenges that you also have, but you're not in the hot seat. So you don't have the dysregulation in that moment. And you can just see it from a different vantage point. So many of my breakthroughs have come from that. Or it's being like, wow.
they're considering this business strategy that I hadn't thought of, but that's actually really applicable here or something I hear from so many of my clients. And really what drove me to build this mastermind is like, especially when you've been in corporate and been a part of a team, which hopefully was actually one of the better parts of corporate. Then you go off as a solopreneur at the beginning and you're like, wait, this is kind of lonely. Like I miss having other people to build alongside or like be a part of a team. And so having that as well. And so I am a
I love one-on-one coaching so much, and I know we coached on and talked about this a lot because I was like, I never wanna give that up. is something that fills my soul. And getting to coach in that deep way in an intimate community and add on all of those other components that are actually gonna serve your clients even more is like, it was just like sugar on top of something that I already loved. And now both what we're talking about, one-on-one and mastermind is such a far departure from like,
a low ticket, high volume course where you don't know anyone or things like that, right? So it sounds like you've always been drawn to that deep personal transformation as well. And this allowed you to scale it.
Ellie (44:41.1)
Totally, well, this was, know, so this is like seven years ago where if we're just talking straight up business model and profitability, like people were smashing out courses, building communities fast and making millions very, I'm gonna say, easefully at the time doing that. Like if you had any marketing prowess and you were a coach, like there was a period there where it was an early industry and there was a bit of a license to print money. And this is why, you know, like,
the coaching industry has a lot to answer for right now. And big part of my mission is like helping great coaches be better coaches and really revolutionize this industry because I feel quite sad about where we've gotten to. I was like looking at that model going, oh, I can see, especially as a marketer, how like...
what I could create there, but I just wanted none of it. Cause I was like, I just, I just want to be able to do really deep transformative work. And so, you know, the great thing about running this type of business model is I was able to go, yeah, I can do deep transformative work and I can still run a business model that generates anywhere from 30 to 50 % profitability. And also still run this, you know, to your point at the start, like I run this in four days a week. I'm a toddler mama. I'm a very present mama.
I'm living the life that I've always dreamed of and I'm aware that sounds so cliche, but it is truly my reality.
Conscious Success Co (46:08.763)
100%. And I want to dive into all of that even more. But before we shift gears to being a mama and family and all of the things, when you created the mastermind, you had never been in a mastermind. I know I found you through your own one-on-one coach who's been on the podcast, Lacey, who's amazing. And you worked with Lacey one-on-one for a very long time. And then you
Ellie (46:30.99)
Thank you.
Conscious Success Co (46:32.325)
brought that relationship, at least in a business capacity, to a close and then joined, it sounds like a couple of masterminds, if I understand correctly. And I'm so curious now how your experience has been different between one-on-one coaching and being a part of a mastermind. And do you think there are times or stages or personality types that work better with one than the other? I'd love to hear from that as the client.
Ellie (46:57.55)
Yeah, so, okay, so yes, I worked with my incredible coach, Lacey Sites for six years, who is phenomenal. And for a period there, she also had like a private mastermind for her one-to-one clients that she'd worked with for a long time. So I really loved that because I was like, oh, this is really great for me because I feel like I'm getting the experience of being in a mastermind as well. I'm such a long-term relationship girly. And so I was like, this is fantastic. I love working.
with this coach, I have no desire to leave. I'm really mindful of that like grass is greener mentality that I think so many of us fall into the trap of and it's like that's just not the life for me. I know that's not how I'm going to grow. So I worked with Lacey for a very long period of time, both one to one and then in her like kind of private mastermind behind the scenes when she was running that. And then we just got to like beautiful natural completion last year, where it was just, you know, closing of a six year chapter.
And I did really want to expand into trialing some more masterminds. So to your point, it's so interesting because I don't, I think every person is different. So I'm in one main mastermind right now. And the mastermind that I'm in, she describes herself as more of a mentor than a coach.
And there's actually quite a distinct difference in that. it's more, I'm getting less of that like traditional coaching that I do and that Lacey did with me and more of the like, this is what I've done. This is how I could say it. Look for you more of that kind of mentorship style. It's a very strategy heavy mastermind. So I almost feel like I can't compare.
Conscious Success Co (48:41.264)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie (48:42.102)
my experience because I'm having very different experiences right now. So, so that's, that's kind of the personal experience I'm having is that they're serving very different purposes, and they're incredible in the different purposes that they're serving. So what I would say is that you masterminds are broad and vast, and you can get so many types of masterminds that you're in. And so I would really look to it's less about it's actually less about do I want one to one coaching or do
Conscious Success Co (49:04.689)
Okay.
Ellie (49:11.866)
I want to mastermind and it's more about who do I want to be supported by and who am I drawn to being supported by and what are the space.
Conscious Success Co (49:18.948)
And what's their style and how do they show up for their clients? Because that's going to look very different also across one-on-one coaches or masterminds,
Ellie (49:28.046)
Exactly, Sorry. And don't allow yourself to be
like put off by the type of space. You know, I've got another client, Alex Field, I'll reference her because she does this, she does like this work where she basically says that in groups, we show up and you probably do work around this as well. And we show up in groups, we revert back to our like role in our family of origin when we're in a group space. So you could probably talk about this better than I could. But I always think about that. And I find it so fascinating how our resistance to group
is often because that's actually what we need most because it expands us in ways that one-to-one doesn't. Like we can kind of hide a little bit in one-to-one.
Conscious Success Co (50:07.707)
Mm-hmm.
Conscious Success Co (50:15.035)
Interesting.
Ellie (50:15.074)
You know? And so, whereas it's like there, when you're in group, it's that different dynamic. And so I say that to say, choose the person you wanna learn from or choose the person that you know you wanna be with next, rather than being like, I wanna choose the space. Like I would think I'm always more drawn to the person.
Conscious Success Co (50:35.324)
Mm-hmm.
Conscious Success Co (50:39.3)
Yeah, I'm not sure I've had the experience of being able to hide in one on one, but what I have had the experience of in group is like, my gosh, this is hitting on my, am I allowed to take up this much space or what does this person think of me or can I messy, ugly cry? I put this in a newsletter and we've talked about it, but I literally got on one mastermind call and just like cried like in the room. and there wasn't even, there didn't even need to be a lot of coaching really. It was just like.
I needed to be like witnessed in that, right? And like that is actually so much scarier for someone like me to do in a group space than just like with a one-on-one coach who I've known and feel super safe with. And so there's like a level of healing to that too that can only transpire when we move out of the safety of that one-on-one relationship too.
Ellie (51:28.046)
I still remember that call that you're describing and it was such a beautiful moment because I just what I remember about that moment is is actually just the the room itself and like how like silent and sacred it became and you know I've seen so many moments like this over my career and I know you would have as well and it's those moments where it's just it's so sacred because it's women who instantly just go into this mode of like we got you like you're good here
Take your time, whatever you need. There's just something so magical and primal about those moments.
Conscious Success Co (52:04.486)
And to have everyone in there be like, I've been there too, me too, feel it, let it out, it's safe. And feeling that doesn't mean that whatever, you can't get beyond it or you can't have the success in this way or any of it. It's just like it needs to move through. And as someone who like is deeply trained and teaches nervous system work, it's like, I can know that surrubely, but like need to experience that even with all the work that I do to regulate in that like group capacity.
Yeah, having those sacred spaces and to feel that community of women, which we're like meant to have that we are lacking so much in this modern world, right? It was, yeah, so potent and so powerful and so healing.
Ellie (52:46.616)
Yes, so true.
Conscious Success Co (52:49.348)
Okay, so you have been open about you went through a multi-year IVF journey in order to bring your lovely, amazing sonny into the world. And that can't have been easy to go through as a person, as a business owner. You had a big business at the time and team and all of that. And you're also showing up and holding a lot for clients. Can you talk to us a little bit about how
you continued to show up or what business looked like in that season of life and how it got to shift in order to support you through that.
Ellie (53:27.81)
Yeah, so I hit my first million dollar cash year, the year that I was navigating the most intense grief of my life doing, you know, I think we hit the million when I done four rounds. So we did seven rounds all up of chemical support, three rounds of ovulation induction, four rounds of IVF. We had a bubba that we lost third round of IVF followed by our miracle girl and our fourth. But I hit my biggest
year in business, I think I was like one to two IVF cycles in. And the reason why I share that is not to say like grief equals results, but it is to say that
your success in your business actually does not need to correlate to you being the sparkliest, shiniest version of you at that time. So what I did as someone who's obviously, I say this as someone who's a personal brand who is out there. For me, what worked really, really well was to compartmentalize my life and allow myself to, I love my business.
my business became my respite. It was the place where I got to be me, not me who is in grief as well. I chose not to share my journey publicly. There's no right or wrong on this. But the reason why I personally chose not to is because I work with women like yourself, Emma, highly attuned, intuitive, brilliant women, where I knew that just having that little bit of separate
Conscious Success Co (54:43.793)
Hmm.
Conscious Success Co (54:50.28)
Mmm.
Ellie (55:10.896)
of them never feeling they needed to hold me through that journey was going to support me. Because I say that because it was so real and raw. Like if you had known in those early stages and we were working together at that time, we weren't working together at that time, but let's just say we were and you had said to me, how are you? Even just in a slight, it would have been really hard for me. So for me, I didn't share until I think I ended up telling my mastermind clients when I...
I told them when I was three IVF cycles in when I just lost my bubble because I needed a little bit of time away and they were amazing. Of course. And so I, I really kind of compartmentalized initially and just allowed my business to be my place where I could just enjoy me, my work, being of service to others. And I think that it works so well because the reason I run this business
Conscious Success Co (55:52.157)
course.
Ellie (56:10.956)
is to be in service and devotion to others. So I got to sit, you know, in this chair and show up for others and really feel fulfilled and purpose driven in that, even though there was so much going on behind the scenes. So I also didn't make myself wrong for showing up with a smile on my face on camera. Like I've had people say to me, did you feel inauthentic during that time? And I'm like, I'm not my grief. Like that's not my whole journey.
Conscious Success Co (56:38.89)
Mm-hmm.
Ellie (56:40.696)
you know, that's not my whole process. And obviously, again, running this for 10 years, like, I can still show up and teach and serve and be going through something hard, you know, I've navigated, like, loss of loved ones during that time, like I take what I need, I show up when I can I rest, right, like, we really get to separate out like life from business and still be a personal brand. And it just requires like emotional maturity, you know, and entrepreneurial maturity and
Conscious Success Co (57:04.336)
Hmm
Ellie (57:10.656)
like I can do that. It's going to be challenging at times but I can do this in the way that is right for me.
Conscious Success Co (57:10.973)
Yeah.
Conscious Success Co (57:19.077)
It's so interesting hearing you speak to that because I actually started my business, like started taking clients for the very first time at the same time my father was going through hospice. And like to be able to almost simultaneously, like so close together, feel such deep grief and such joy and service and purpose, you know, it was actually the thing that like,
pulled me through in some ways getting to be on these calls. And I think that for anyone who's experienced that kind of grief, you know, of losing a baby, you know, of a loved one, whatever it is, I think you have an experience, a felt experience of like, you actually can still have joy in that and they can coexist. And it doesn't mean you're inauthentic, but if you allow yourself to feel...
both ends of the spectrum fully. You can be in tears one moment and like deep in it and then the next moment like in such joy and dedication and purpose too. And like that's kind of how life is, but it's just like compressed and condensed. And so I obviously haven't been through the same exact thing that you have, but hearing you talk about it just like brought me back to that place and that learning.
Ellie (58:36.654)
it's such a good way of looking at it. It's like knowing that that polarity will exist. something that I used to tell myself during that time, and I've referenced this to so many other clients since, is I basically told myself during that time, like, I am not available for my business being hard right now, because my life is so hard, my business has to be easy. So I was just like, business has just got to be simple.
It's got to be easy. It's just got to work. And of course, like that's not to say that like the universe delivered in every moment. But with that attitude, what it meant was that I didn't over complicate things in my business. was just like, business is good. It's going to be good. It's the easy part of my life. I'm actively deciding and showing up with that intention, because right now life is hard. And that is what I need over here. And in so many ways, I'm grateful for the experience of having my business and going through
hard things because I'm a lifer here. Like I'm doing this for life. You know, I'm running a lifestyle business where for me, I don't plan to sell my business. plan on working like, you know, and give me a call when I'm 95 if you want to riff on like your, you know, 30th business that you got done like
Conscious Success Co (59:48.635)
No, I don't want to retire. Like, we're having fun.
Ellie (59:53.358)
We're having fun and that's why for me it's about a lifestyle high profit business because I'm you know actively deciding to build wealth and live my life alongside running my purpose and there's obviously different models you know I went for dinner with a girlfriend the other night who's you know building a SaaS business that she plans to sell very different premise and so
you when you're really clear on what you're building and why you can then create the lifestyle that you want alongside it. And so it's like for me running this business, I need to know and learn how to navigate hard things alongside it and not blow up my business. And so I actively set the intention that that's something that I'm going to learn to do and give myself grace and all of those things. And I work with the most amazing women where on any given day, if something were to go wrong, they'd be like, go like
you're good, we're here, take your time, you know? And I think about that all the time. I think about like when I was going through IVF, what it would have been like working in corporate and how easy it was for me to go do my appointments because I was on my own schedule, like better reality 100 times over.
Conscious Success Co (01:00:57.746)
Yeah.
Yeah, and I mean, now you really have created the vision that you had of what success really looked like and felt like to you. And now you have this amazing toddler and you have, as we've been talking about, this business that you love that you can do in a four-day work week. And I'm conscious of time. So in my last question for you, what would you say to any of the women listening where that doesn't even feel
realistic or that feels like bullshit or like you must be hiding something like they don't believe you get to have the like deep personal life and fulfillment and the lucrative career. Like what do want them to know?
Ellie (01:01:45.164)
you to know that I would have called bullshit too because my first goal was leave my corporate job and replace my six-figure salary. If you had told me that I was going to go on to do this, I would never have believed you. Never, never have believed you. And so the cool thing about that is like, just start with that next goal and see where it takes you. You don't have to believe that what I'm saying is real, you know, like you really don't. Because all you need to believe.
is in what is next and right for you and be inspired by that reality and get after it and allow yourself to grow at each stage. Like that it is so exciting to get to do that. What a privilege it is if you're considering that option. Go after it. Use your privilege for good. Like you have an opportunity in front of you. Don't waste it. We live once.
Conscious Success Co (01:02:38.309)
And I love that it's like the goal gets to evolve. Like you had your first goal of like leave corporate, replace my salary. That would feel like wildly successful to me, right? And then that gets to become, you know, bigger or shift in various ways and like, but just to be in the place where you believe like, okay, I get to have that and I'm going to create that as we've been discussing is so.
cool and to see what you've built and how you've built it and the type of integrity with which you've built all of that is just the definition of conscious success and one of the reasons I had to get you on here. So thank you for being with us. Thank you for sharing all your wisdom and your stories and your vulnerability. It means the world to me personally, and I'm sure everyone listening took so much away from this conversation. So thank you.
Ellie (01:03:26.952)
I loved it so much and I love you. So thank you so much for having me.
Conscious Success Co (01:03:31.325)
Thanks, Sally.
