‘Take every chance that's presented to you that you can take with integrity, and tell everyone what you're doing. Give them them the best chance to find you.’ - Meet Erin from A Simpler Life
Erin Daldry from A Simpler Life shares her story of growing her business with She Owns It.
What’s your biz?
1. I help women who respond to stress and emotions by eating understand what's going on. We work on different ways of dealing with the stress and emotions so that the food becomes support, not sabotage.
2. I also help people find their voices so they are able to speak more easily in public. Both these things involve regulating your nervous system.
Who do you work with? What sets you apart?
1. My ideal stress / emotional eating client is a woman who has realised that food is not solving her stress. She might be performing highly in other areas of her life but eating is an outstanding issue that seems insurmountable and that leaves her feeling frustrated and concerned. She likely knows a lot about how she 'should' be eating but it's not happening. Together, we untangle what's going on and we separate food from feelings so she has strategies to deal with stress and emotions that allow her to eat peacefully.
2. My ideal public speaking client is someone who feels held back from their potential (or their boss feels like their public speaking is holding them back from their potential!). We work through what's underpinning blockages in their progress, they realise how normal it is to not love public speaking, and they come away with practical strategies to speak others the way they want to: confidently, persuasively, even inspirationally.
What sparked the idea behind your business?
My business started with the public speaking side of things. I'd been a Toastmaster for years but didn't feel like it was offering enough for people to really stretch themselves. I wanted to fill that gap.
I came to the stress/emotional eating side of things after I trained as a life coach and master coach. Clients were often saying to me, "I know what I should be doing but I'm just not doing it." My investigation into that knowing-doing gap led me to an Irish emotional eating coach, Emma Murphy of Eating Freely, who had identified, in language that resonated with me, that there was often trauma in that gap. I did her course and realised how helpful her approach was in freeing women from the stress - eating cycle. So now, I've added that coaching string to my bow.
What does a typical day look like for you as a business owner?
I love what I do and the difference it makes so my typical day is skewed heavily towards work at the moment: working with clients and developing courses and tools.
I balance that by making sure I get out into nature and by swimming mindless laps of a nearby pool.
What are some of the key milestones in your business journey so far?
I can't say too much without breaking coaching confidentiality but when I see people I've helped with public speaking turn up in the media, I find myself smiling for days afterwards.
On the stress/emotional eating side of things, the more personal stories give me the same feeling: the woman who walked past the confectionery aisle for the first time in her life, the woman who spoke up to her boss rather than sitting with unfairness, the woman who no longer keeps a secret drawer of food.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced so far?
Not surprisingly, the current economy is proving challenging. It's easy to see coaching as a 'luxury' and cut back on it in times like these.
Also, coaching takes you out of your comfort zone and, when lots of other things are uncertain, people don't feel like piling on more discomfort.
This economy is making me get really clear about the value I bring as a coach and making me good at communicating that.
Actually, hard times are a great chance to get coached because, as things improve, you get a headstart by not dragging your issues into your new life.
What are you most excited about in your business right now?
I love the freedom my clients get from understanding their own drivers. That's what excites me about what I do - helping them move into self-sufficiency and autonomy.
My business goals are around getting that freedom to more people. I'm a variety junkie so I love thinking up new ways to do that.
I see my future work as involving more bespoke approaches so that my clients really feel seen and that we're working on them, not just on their problem.
What’s worked best for you to build brand awareness and get customers?
Word of mouth. Coaching is a high trust model because people often open up in coaching sessions. They need to be sure that you're good for them. It's especially true for stress and emotional eating clients.
You'd think it would be less so for public speaking clients but limiting beliefs are everywhere and some of them can take clients by surprise.
Even in group coaching around public speaking, you can work on some gnarly stuff - and the group can be helpful for that.
What is one of the important lessons you've learnt as a business owner? What advice would you share to someone starting out?
Take every chance that's presented to you that you can take with integrity, and tell everyone what you're doing. People are busy. Give them them the best chance to find you.
How does being a part of She Owns It help you in your business journey?
I learn a lot from She Owns It and the other business groups I belong to. I pay attention to other people's successes, experiments and the improvements. It can save me a lot of time seeing what other people have tried and how it's turned out for them.
I especially love the techy people in these groups. That's not particularly my wheelhouse so I look to them to alert me to things that are going on. A recent example is learning about the difference between SEO and its AI counterpart. That might've gone right over my head without my business group colleagues!
⚡️ FAST 5:
1. One thing you’d tell your younger self starting out?
Get back on the horse!
2. Your favourite biz or personal development books or podcasts?
"Belonging" by Owen Eastwood (book).
"Hunger and Heart" - Kaila Colbin (podcast)
3. How many tabs do you have open right now?
I ran out of fingers and toes to count on. ;)
4. What's your go-to power song?
Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
4. A quote you love and why?
"If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just one." - Mother Teresa. MT didn't worry about how stylish her sari was or how many wrinkles she had; she just got things done.
How can people connect with you and your business?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erindaldry/
I will always give a public speaking special price to women who belong to SOI if they point me at their profile! Just ask what's on the table at the moment.
I’m looking for 3-4 women to try out my new course for stress/emotional eating. It'll be a special price with a partial rebate at the end for providing the feedback I'll be asking for. (Not testimonials, specific feedback on the course.) If you're interested, contact me now or look out for my request in the She Owns It community.
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