This week’s interview is with Jo Jo Ellis. Since 2009, Jo Jo has been helped entrepreneurial women and women in the coaching and therapy industry break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back from achieving their business and life goals.
Hello I’m Jo, or JoJo, and I help entrepreneurial women breakthrough the mental and emotional challenges of running their businesses and then learn the leadership skills, habits and mindset so that they can stand out as women of influence, make the difference they are meant to make in the world and just as importantly enjoy high levels of joy, confidence and fulfilment in what they do.
Tell us where you are currently living and why we should move there too!
I live with my husband Tim and our four fur-babies in a gorgeous villa in the Campo about an hour East of Malaga in between the beautiful towns of Nerja, Torrox and Frigiliana. It’s an stunning part of Spain with incredible sea and mountain views, lots of Spanish Culture, extremely friendly and fun locals and a big variety of nationalities too. For me, I love the slower pace of life and the strong family culture where we live.
Tell us about the life of a digital nomad. How long have you been location independent?
It’s a great life! We have lived in Spain for the last two and half years. I love the freedom of being able to work wherever I want and whenever I want and have clients all over the world. My husband is an ultra-runner (distances of over 30 miles) and I get to travel the world supporting him in his races.
How did your journey to self-discovery start?
My mum was an HR Manager and when I was 14, she conducted a psychometric test on me to find out my personality type and what role I would be suitable for later in life. As I was so young and very shy at that age, I was given the results that I was so introverted that I should take on an admin or behind the scenes role. I took on the identity of being a shy, quiet, ‘good girl’ and tried to hide myself away as much as possible.
In many ways it was a blessing. Because I believed I wasn’t a confident person, I learned to get on with people, to ask them about their lives and to be a great listener. These are such beneficial life skills and I ended up rising through the ranks in sales roles even though I had a big belief that because I lacked confidence this was the last job I should do!
The good girl part of me threw herself into personal development to feel ‘good enough’ so that I could develop what I thought was the right personality for sales and improve my confidence. I read my first books on NLP and hypnosis via Paul McKenna and learnt the enormous power of your subconscious mind. This was 25 years ago and I’ve never looked back.
Listen in to more of my interview with JoJo Ellis here:-
What is N.L.P. and why does it help?
NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming and is practiced by NLP Practitioners. It was developed in the 1970’s by studying a range of therapists who excelled in their field – in fact they were so great at what they did, their results almost seemed magical.
The founders of NLP worked out how these therapists where so good at what they did, what was the difference that made the difference and systemized it. They created patterns of thinking, communication patterns and strategies to help others replicate the same results.
It has developed into the study of excellence in any area and offers a range of incredible, life changing techniques, strategies and philosophies to help people live their best lives possible.
By embracing NLP, you get breakthrough limiting beliefs and habits, build an unstoppable success mindset and also learn the communication and deep connection strategies to really excel in your field.
I have used it so much to help me personally through my own challenges and in my everyday life. I’ve now worked with 1000’s of clients to help them achieve often very quick and long-lasting results.
‘Mind the Gap – How to Form Deeper Connections in an often Disconnected World’ – tell us about your new book and what we would discover between its pages?
I have always been very passionate about people and love finding someone’s individual spark and connecting to them at a deep level. It is obvious to me that at a time when we are more connected on Social Media than ever, many people are also lonelier and more disconnected than ever. People misunderstand Facebook statuses or comments and fall out over a miscommunication, families are on their phones over dinner, couples break up over text messages!
My book addresses these issues and also helps us learn how to form the relationships in business which will increase our level of success and enjoyment and finally heal our relationships – both with those around us and with ourselves.
Social Media – friend or foe?
Both – I love it and it also makes me incredibly sad at times.
Thanks to Social Media, it has never been easier to start a business, it’s never been easier to build a brand or rebrand. We can attract and work with clients from all over the world. I love been able to stay in touch with friends and family that I wouldn’t be as easily in touch with without social media.
However I also see the pain that it creates – when people compare themselves to others’ lives, when someone sends a message in an emotional state that they later regret and can’t take back, the growth in the ‘hater’ culture, the pain that people go through if a friend blocks them or they see a group of friends together where they are not invited etc.
Luckily, I am blessed to be able to coach people in their social media communication to help people through this.
The current biggest challenge you see women in business facing is…?
I have seen a big increase in Imposter Syndrome where women who are successful in business feel like a fraud, full of self-doubt and spend a lot of time comparing themselves to others. This can result in them keeping themselves small, never realizing their true potential and also experiencing a level of anxiety and stress which stops them enjoying the freedom of running their own business.
There is a lot more pressure to be visible nowadays. When I started my business, it was mainly an offline business where you advertised in Yellow Pages or were able to gain customers with just an average website and some referrals.
Nowadays, so much business is conducted online so you are regularly faced with the polished versions of your competitors lives and businesses. This leads to a rise in comparisonitis and not feeling good enough. The innate fear of being judged creates stress for many women and stops them putting themselves out there.
I also see a big increase in overwhelm where women have so many roles to play and so many options and conflicting messages on how to build their businesses which can lead to inaction and procrastination. Luckily there are many easy strategies I teach to help women through the above, the world needs them to do their thing!
And what are your advice tips to be overcomers?
With regards to top tips to help with overwhelm and imposter syndrome I would say to just remember that this is your journey. Really connect to your mission, why you do what you do, what is the difference you want to make in the world and for your clients and that always makes things easier. I have struggled with imposter syndrome in the past and I know that I am focused on ‘am I good enough’ so when I flip it into how can I serve what difference can I make, how can I contribute, it always makes it so much easier.
The more we are connected to our why, the more the how sorts itself out. With overwhelm, it often comes because we work too hard, we put too much pressure on ourselves, so take a step back, focus on what’s important, focus on why you are doing what you are doing, breathe and just trust your gut as well. As I say there are lots of conflicting messages, but normally we know what works best for us and for our clients.
Who has been the most influential in your journey and why?
Without doubt my mum. She was the kindest, most compassionate and selfless person I have ever met and always had time for people. I sadly lost her to cancer nine years ago and she was immensely courageous and dignified her illness. She taught me to live a life full of joy and in the now and to always take time to help other people.
My biggest fear when I was growing up was losing my mum and when she died, I found a strength that I never knew I had. In difficult situations, I am always reminded of her bravery and kindness and take time to think what would she do in that situation. Losing her so early in her life means I am determined to help my clients breakthrough their struggles and live their lives to the full as we never know what is around the corner.
What will you make happen before the end of 2019?
I am proud that I have already achieved a lot of my 2019 goals including launching my new Woman of Influence Passport to help women who don’t yet have their own mindset coach or who want additional support. They can access my vault of Personal Development and Business Training and have a Group Training session once a month for an affordable price.
My next big goal is launching my Imposter Syndrome Breakthrough Code Self Study Course next month. In September, I host my next NLP Practitioner Retreat at my home to help entrepreneurial women learn NLP skills so that they can not only help themselves and get even better results for their clients as well as use NLP to improve their communication and sales skills to gain more clients.
I am waving my magic make it happen wand – what dream can we make a reality?
For many years, my husband and I have been working towards owning our own country retreat in Spain, somewhere with lots of land where we can host both my NLP Practitioner Courses and other retreats.
He is a Nutritionist, Ultra Runner and Plant Based Cook so we will make gorgeous, healthy vegan food. We will create a beautiful, relaxed, nurturing environment where people can let go of the day to day stresses of life and have lots of fun too!
How can we connect with you after this interview?
Thank you so much again for inviting me for this interview. I have loved it! So, I run a free Facebook Group called Woman of Influence where we help female entrepreneurs breakthrough self-sabotage and develop the mindset and leadership skills to really stand out as authentic experts in their field – www.facebook.com/groups/womanofinfluence
My website is www.jojoellis.com.
You can also follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jojoellis1111/
LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jojoellis/