Jo Hooper: I loved the 10 things. I loved that. That would be such a cool post.
Heather Ebanks: Wait, Instagram, you know, spurred me on, it was inspired me to do a version of that. cool. So creativity, your physical draw, that draw that you chuck stuff in,
Jo Hooper: So. I loved your version much more than my own. Okay.
Heather Ebanks: what's something in your industry that frustrates you every single time you see it?
Jo Hooper: my god, so many things. Okay, how do I encapsulate this in one kind of rant? So something that kind of frustrates me but also makes me laugh is that there are so many business coaches out there who...
Heather Ebanks: Rant away? Go ahead.
Jo Hooper: who think that sharing screenshots of their Stripe notifications are proof enough that we should work with them. And it frustrates me because I know a lot of people will feel shamed by things like that. And sure, that's something that we can all work on is feeling
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Jo Hooper: not feeling ashamed by other's success essentially. But also it makes me laugh because I don't have my strike notifications turned on. I don't have notifications for anything so I couldn't even share the screenshots if I wanted to. But I guess what that is a symptom of is coaches using...
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Bye.
Jo Hooper: just using like boring and shamey tactics to get people to work with them. And for me, that just doesn't ever work. That would never me wanna work with someone. But I think it's still so prevalent in the coaching industry. And the other kind of part of that is so many, so many, not just coaches, but business owners and business influences.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Jo Hooper: basically talking about how you have to work yourself into the ground to get anywhere and nothing that came easy was worth having and I just think that's utter bollocks and I don't want to be miserable in the pursuit of the work success that I want and I don't have to be. So yeah, to be honest, a lot of the coaching industry really frustrates me but I'm so disconnected from
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. You Mmm.
Jo Hooper: the industry as a whole. Like I don't follow anyone. I don't follow any big names. just, have no concept of what like Marie Forleo or Gary Vee are doing. I don't really even know who Gary Vee is or what he does, but you know, these are the people apparently who are big in the catering industry. So yeah, my kind of way of dealing with that is just like totally disconnecting myself from it. I'm so deeply in my own lane. I've got no idea what's going on in other people's lanes.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Hmm. Yeah, that's probably the best way to go because I've spoken to a few coaches and they're basically very much on their own island. And I think that's probably the best way you don't want to too influenced. People come to you for that your specific set of skills anyway.
Jo Hooper: Mmm. Yeah me being so deeply in my own lane that I don't really see what's going on in other people in my industry's lane is very beneficial for me, but at times can be, can make a bit more work. So for example, I had an SEO audit down on my website recently. And one of the main questions was who are your competitors? And I was like, dunno.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: don't know who they are, don't know, don't follow any of them, don't know what they're doing. And so very kindly, the person who did the SEO audit was like, right, well, I'll go and look at some competitors and you can tell me if you think they're your competitors. And I was like, okay, great. Yeah, these people probably are, yeah.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. But yeah, can kind of relax the bow like you thought, you know, suppose if you say so, okay.
Jo Hooper: yeah. It doesn't benefit me to look at my competitors and yeah, that's just not a way that I can live a happy life is looking at what other people in my industry are doing all the time. How in any way would that benefit me? It wouldn't.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Yeah. What's something people do that looks productive, but actually isn't?
Jo Hooper: I think it's the planning your week on a Sunday night. Stop doing that, pals. Stop doing that. Do it on a Friday or do it on a Monday morning. Have a nice time on a Sunday. I think, and I know I sound like I'm being really flippant, but I think people do that to feel like they're getting ahead. And what that says to me is that they're already overworking.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: is that they're already over capacity if they feel the need to get ahead and if they feel the need to get ahead on a Sunday afternoon. And also I think subconsciously a lot of people do it because they're trying to fend off the Sunday scaries of that feeling on a Sunday of like, God, I've to back to work tomorrow. And what that tells me is that something is off in your business if you're feeling that on a Sunday and your way of coping with that is to write your to-do list or plan your week or whatever.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Hmm. You Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: Like just have a glass of red wine and a roast potato. You'll feel a lot happier.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Maybe it's just that everyone's still got that Monday blues mentality kind of still hovering around them and they think, especially if they're in a job they're not happy with, they're just dreading that Monday feeling. So they've got to feel like they've got to be ahead of the game and write that to-do list on the Sunday.
Jo Hooper: Yeah! Mm. Yeah. But then I'd be thinking, okay, if I feel like shit on a Monday morning, what can I do to make myself happier? Like maybe I get my like very favourite hot chocolate on the way to work, or maybe I, you know, listen to my favourite podcast before I open my emails, or what is one small thing I can do to make myself feel happier on a Monday? And I don't think it's right on my to-do list on a Sunday evening.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm-hmm. Great advice what's the trend that needs to be put to rest immediately? So many out there.
Jo Hooper: I'm also not very good with trends. Like I see so many trends and I just, know, content trends especially that I, I don't think I've ever done one or maybe I've done one like early on in my business, but I just, I don't tend to have any interest in trends. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it works for me.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm. Yeah, I've tried to. I've tried to go in trend. Yeah, agree with that. It's like really trying to get on a trend, but I'm too late to the party. But the time the trend has been ongoing, I thought, that's not really relevant anymore.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I also think as well like You know if it doesn't feel like you then don't do it and like a lot of the trends don't feel like me I guess so the one that has had a lot of airtime recently that I feel like it's starting to do my nut a little bit is
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Jo Hooper: what were you like in the 90s? Because it's that one Goo Goo Dolls song, it's Reese Witherspoon, it's Courtney Cox, it's like all, I feel like it's all over TikTok and Instagram at the moment. But to be honest, most trends I'm over by like the second version of it that I've seen. So that's another reason why I kind of don't do trends is just, oh, everyone's bored of it already. I don't want to be involved.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Mm. Mm. Mm. That's ugly. What do you wish more people would just admit out loud?
Jo Hooper: god these are good questions. What do I wish more people would just admit out loud?
Heather Ebanks: you
Jo Hooper: Just like the truth about how they feel so like you know we we spoke about But I love it it's fine. I don't mind working evenings because I love it You don't love it enough me to be essentially working for less than minimum wage until 8 o'clock at night like no no Be really honest with yourself. How do you actually feel I think that's
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: and that's not a very pithy answer I'm afraid but I think that's it is getting people to actually be really honest with themselves. I don't mind, I don't mind doing, working with that client for less because they've been with me for years. But you probably do mind though, like when their invoice gets paid do you just think that doesn't feel like a fair payment for the work I've done. Like you, if you're really honest with yourself you do mind.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Jo Hooper: If you're really honest with yourself, you don't wanna be working at eight o'clock at night. If you're really honest with yourself, you don't wanna be checking Slack, Trello, email, WhatsApp, and DMs to collate all your feedback from your client. Be honest with yourself and then take action to change those things.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Hmm. Hmm. Definitely a lot of things we do is basically an autopilot and we just need to go full manual.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. It's, think, yes, we need to go from order by it to full annual. I think there are so many things that we think we don't have control over, but we do. And there are so many choices that we are unintentionally making that if we were really honest with ourselves, we would make different choices. And so yeah, think it is, yeah, be honest with yourself. How do you actually feel? How do you actually want this to go?
Heather Ebanks: Hmm You Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: and then use the choice that you have to take action on that.
Heather Ebanks: Wonderful. Next question for you in the studio drawer. What is overrated or underrated in your industry?
Jo Hooper: What is overrated and underrated? I do think underrated is boundaries, is saying to people, clients, people that you're working with, all feedback needs to be on email. Or you can have one round of feedback included within the package and after that, it will be charged at this.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: because I see so many people who are overworking, resentful, feeling like their business isn't working, feeling like they're having to work all the time to make the money that they want to make. And if they were just honest with people about the way that they work, which is what boundaries are, is saying, this is what it's like when we work together, this is how we will work together. If they were just honest about those things at the beginning, they would...
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: reduce their workload enormously, they would be happier, they would probably be doing better work. And so for me, that's like, before you even start to look at your pricing or your business model, if you start putting some good boundaries in place, and being honest about them from the beginning, then you get back so much time and energy and brain space. So for me, boundaries are massively underrated.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: overrated. mean again I feel like I'm crap at this because I just don't see other people in my industry. I don't even really feel like I'm in an industry. I just feel like I'm doing my own thing. So I don't know. Thanks, thank you, thank you.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Yeah, cool. Yeah, don't know is a good answer. Accept that. Something you refuse to do even if it would make you more money.
Jo Hooper: so many things. I'm never gonna lie. I'm never gonna, I'm never ever gonna say, you'll make your money back from working with me within two months. Like, yes, there have been people who've said that that's happened for them, but I would never ever make a promise like that because I can have absolutely no control over that. So I would never lie or make up.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: shit or make promises that I can have no control over or no way of keeping. And I know that that is a thing that loads of people do. But yeah, no, I'd never make financial promises or any promises that are not within my control to deliver.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Yeah, it will be fully transparent so people know what to expect and you can't keep up a life for long anyway, he's gonna trip up on it and yeah.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. god no. Also I've got such a big mouth there's no way that I could lie and keep a lie a secret. the guilt of it would just kill me. Yeah. Yeah. I find it really hard.
Heather Ebanks: Okay, note to self, note to self, don't tell Joe any secrets, she will spill the beans. What's the most hilariously wrong assumption someone's made about what you do?
Jo Hooper: These are so good. Well, it's not about what I do, but anyone who thinks that I'm anything other than a minuscule tiny human is incredibly wrong because I am five foot and half an inch and that half inch is very important. When I was in corporate,
Heather Ebanks: Definitely.
Jo Hooper: It's very important. When I was in corporate, I had many old middle-aged men wildly underestimating me and I absolutely loved putting them in their place. So in one job that I had, I was like the communications lead for all of our communications around the Olympics and Jubilee. Yes, this is many years ago.
Heather Ebanks: you
Jo Hooper: And I went into a meeting with literally a room full of old white middle-aged men. And they thought I was there, obviously, to take the notes and make the tea. And I was very much fine with being like, no, actually, I'm here to lead the meeting and this is what we're gonna discuss. And I always thoroughly enjoyed confounding people's expectations of me.
Heather Ebanks: I would love to be a fly on the wall, see their facial expressions when you told them that.
Jo Hooper: I did, I mean being unapologetically honest and very straightforward and upfront as a tiny little human that people thought was there to make the tea and take the notes has not always done well for me throughout my career but made me feel, made me feel as powerful as I should have been.
Heather Ebanks: You definitely commanded the room and yes, power to tiny people.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I've never been a shy, retiring wallflower. Power to tiny people. Yes, I love that. Again, another wall moment. It really is.
Heather Ebanks: Lovely. Exactly. Another one to put on your wall. Thought so. Your wall's getting full. What question do you wish people would stop asking you and why?
Jo Hooper: The thing that comes to mind is like family asking things like, you busy with work? Like, I think I'm really lucky in that the people I work with and the people who kind of come into my world, well, is it that I'm lucky or is it that I'm like really bold and open about what you can expect in my world? But I really don't get many people taking the piss or many people that I don't actually like or want to work with coming into my world. So for me, think it's probably like, it just drives me around the bend when my family either ring me at two o'clock in the afternoon and they're like, are you busy? And I'm like, well, yes and no. Like, yes, I'm busy doing things that I wanna be doing, which is not answering the phone to you, but also no, I'm not like working myself into the ground. But I think the question that I would say I want people to stop asking other people is can I pick your brain? No, no, you cannot.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: Pick people's brains for free. That is not allowed. Your brains are not there to be picked. Charge them. Or just say no.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah, your time is valuable and you know, your skills, you need for people to appreciate that and pay me, you know, you can't pay the bills with them, you know, asking for advice. So yeah, definitely.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. chats? No, exactly. Wealthwater does not accept chats as a form of currency.
Heather Ebanks: What's your bad creative habit you secretly don't want to stop doing?
Jo Hooper: Okay, I've got two. One is telling myself that I'm not creative, because I'm not a painter or a graphic designer or a photographer or I'm not a legitimate creative, but I guess my creativity is in my words, the way I speak, the way I write and...
Heather Ebanks: Right.
Jo Hooper: As I say, I've just started YouTube and I'm really enjoying that and the creativity that comes with it. So I think one of them is telling myself I'm not creative when I am and I have found and am finding my versions of creativity. And two is starting and not fucking finishing every sewing project I ever pick up. I have my sewing machine and my overlocker next to me and...
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hahaha
Jo Hooper: I've got so many half finished projects and so many screenshots in my phone of clothes that I've put into my Sewing Inspo folder, which is like, well, I can make that. like cupboards full of fabric, which I sorted recently and thoroughly enjoyed. But I've got to finish some other, got to finish some actual projects.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm. Don't worry, it's a work in progress. all, you know, there's things that we need to get back to. There's no shade, you know, you know, you know, they're there.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. Maybe come winter. I'll get back onto my sewing projects but some of them are summer dresses so I probably need to start before then.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. so another side to you other than coaching, you can make clothes as well. Just to see what you've made.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I love, I love sewing. I, well, it's come from, I think probably every woman listening will be able to relate to this, but you'd go into a shop and you try on clothes and you feel like trash because they don't fit or they're always for me, they're always too small, too long, like too big in one area, too small in another area. Like I don't, my body shape doesn't exist according to the humans or machines that make.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: clothes and sizes. Exactly, so I was just like, do you know what,
Heather Ebanks: off the shop floor yeah
Jo Hooper: bugger this, I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna either buy clothes from makers where you can give them your measurements or I'm gonna start making them myself. yeah, when I moved to West Wales where I lived for a couple of years, I was house-sitting for a friend and I discovered her like great grannies.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: hand crank seeing a sewing machine and I just became obsessed with sewing and now I have three sewing machines and many, many unfinished projects.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Cool. You sound like my neighbour because she's got in the top floor in her attic, she's got like a whole wall of singer sewing machines. yes, they're beautiful. are,
Jo Hooper: Yeah they're so beautiful. They are.
Heather Ebanks: Well, that's your studio drawer. So of course I'll put all the information in the show notes about Jo and also her episodes to get to know her and her background.
Heather Ebanks: Wait, Instagram, you know, spurred me on, it was inspired me to do a version of that. cool. So creativity, your physical draw, that draw that you chuck stuff in,
Jo Hooper: So. I loved your version much more than my own. Okay.
Heather Ebanks: what's something in your industry that frustrates you every single time you see it?
Jo Hooper: my god, so many things. Okay, how do I encapsulate this in one kind of rant? So something that kind of frustrates me but also makes me laugh is that there are so many business coaches out there who...
Heather Ebanks: Rant away? Go ahead.
Jo Hooper: who think that sharing screenshots of their Stripe notifications are proof enough that we should work with them. And it frustrates me because I know a lot of people will feel shamed by things like that. And sure, that's something that we can all work on is feeling
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Jo Hooper: not feeling ashamed by other's success essentially. But also it makes me laugh because I don't have my strike notifications turned on. I don't have notifications for anything so I couldn't even share the screenshots if I wanted to. But I guess what that is a symptom of is coaches using...
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Bye.
Jo Hooper: just using like boring and shamey tactics to get people to work with them. And for me, that just doesn't ever work. That would never me wanna work with someone. But I think it's still so prevalent in the coaching industry. And the other kind of part of that is so many, so many, not just coaches, but business owners and business influences.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Jo Hooper: basically talking about how you have to work yourself into the ground to get anywhere and nothing that came easy was worth having and I just think that's utter bollocks and I don't want to be miserable in the pursuit of the work success that I want and I don't have to be. So yeah, to be honest, a lot of the coaching industry really frustrates me but I'm so disconnected from
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. You Mmm.
Jo Hooper: the industry as a whole. Like I don't follow anyone. I don't follow any big names. just, have no concept of what like Marie Forleo or Gary Vee are doing. I don't really even know who Gary Vee is or what he does, but you know, these are the people apparently who are big in the catering industry. So yeah, my kind of way of dealing with that is just like totally disconnecting myself from it. I'm so deeply in my own lane. I've got no idea what's going on in other people's lanes.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Hmm. Yeah, that's probably the best way to go because I've spoken to a few coaches and they're basically very much on their own island. And I think that's probably the best way you don't want to too influenced. People come to you for that your specific set of skills anyway.
Jo Hooper: Mmm. Yeah me being so deeply in my own lane that I don't really see what's going on in other people in my industry's lane is very beneficial for me, but at times can be, can make a bit more work. So for example, I had an SEO audit down on my website recently. And one of the main questions was who are your competitors? And I was like, dunno.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: don't know who they are, don't know, don't follow any of them, don't know what they're doing. And so very kindly, the person who did the SEO audit was like, right, well, I'll go and look at some competitors and you can tell me if you think they're your competitors. And I was like, okay, great. Yeah, these people probably are, yeah.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. But yeah, can kind of relax the bow like you thought, you know, suppose if you say so, okay.
Jo Hooper: yeah. It doesn't benefit me to look at my competitors and yeah, that's just not a way that I can live a happy life is looking at what other people in my industry are doing all the time. How in any way would that benefit me? It wouldn't.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Yeah. What's something people do that looks productive, but actually isn't?
Jo Hooper: I think it's the planning your week on a Sunday night. Stop doing that, pals. Stop doing that. Do it on a Friday or do it on a Monday morning. Have a nice time on a Sunday. I think, and I know I sound like I'm being really flippant, but I think people do that to feel like they're getting ahead. And what that says to me is that they're already overworking.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: is that they're already over capacity if they feel the need to get ahead and if they feel the need to get ahead on a Sunday afternoon. And also I think subconsciously a lot of people do it because they're trying to fend off the Sunday scaries of that feeling on a Sunday of like, God, I've to back to work tomorrow. And what that tells me is that something is off in your business if you're feeling that on a Sunday and your way of coping with that is to write your to-do list or plan your week or whatever.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Hmm. You Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: Like just have a glass of red wine and a roast potato. You'll feel a lot happier.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Maybe it's just that everyone's still got that Monday blues mentality kind of still hovering around them and they think, especially if they're in a job they're not happy with, they're just dreading that Monday feeling. So they've got to feel like they've got to be ahead of the game and write that to-do list on the Sunday.
Jo Hooper: Yeah! Mm. Yeah. But then I'd be thinking, okay, if I feel like shit on a Monday morning, what can I do to make myself happier? Like maybe I get my like very favourite hot chocolate on the way to work, or maybe I, you know, listen to my favourite podcast before I open my emails, or what is one small thing I can do to make myself feel happier on a Monday? And I don't think it's right on my to-do list on a Sunday evening.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm-hmm. Great advice what's the trend that needs to be put to rest immediately? So many out there.
Jo Hooper: I'm also not very good with trends. Like I see so many trends and I just, know, content trends especially that I, I don't think I've ever done one or maybe I've done one like early on in my business, but I just, I don't tend to have any interest in trends. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it works for me.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm. Yeah, I've tried to. I've tried to go in trend. Yeah, agree with that. It's like really trying to get on a trend, but I'm too late to the party. But the time the trend has been ongoing, I thought, that's not really relevant anymore.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I also think as well like You know if it doesn't feel like you then don't do it and like a lot of the trends don't feel like me I guess so the one that has had a lot of airtime recently that I feel like it's starting to do my nut a little bit is
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Jo Hooper: what were you like in the 90s? Because it's that one Goo Goo Dolls song, it's Reese Witherspoon, it's Courtney Cox, it's like all, I feel like it's all over TikTok and Instagram at the moment. But to be honest, most trends I'm over by like the second version of it that I've seen. So that's another reason why I kind of don't do trends is just, oh, everyone's bored of it already. I don't want to be involved.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Mm. Mm. Mm. That's ugly. What do you wish more people would just admit out loud?
Jo Hooper: god these are good questions. What do I wish more people would just admit out loud?
Heather Ebanks: you
Jo Hooper: Just like the truth about how they feel so like you know we we spoke about But I love it it's fine. I don't mind working evenings because I love it You don't love it enough me to be essentially working for less than minimum wage until 8 o'clock at night like no no Be really honest with yourself. How do you actually feel I think that's
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: and that's not a very pithy answer I'm afraid but I think that's it is getting people to actually be really honest with themselves. I don't mind, I don't mind doing, working with that client for less because they've been with me for years. But you probably do mind though, like when their invoice gets paid do you just think that doesn't feel like a fair payment for the work I've done. Like you, if you're really honest with yourself you do mind.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Jo Hooper: If you're really honest with yourself, you don't wanna be working at eight o'clock at night. If you're really honest with yourself, you don't wanna be checking Slack, Trello, email, WhatsApp, and DMs to collate all your feedback from your client. Be honest with yourself and then take action to change those things.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Hmm. Hmm. Definitely a lot of things we do is basically an autopilot and we just need to go full manual.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. It's, think, yes, we need to go from order by it to full annual. I think there are so many things that we think we don't have control over, but we do. And there are so many choices that we are unintentionally making that if we were really honest with ourselves, we would make different choices. And so yeah, think it is, yeah, be honest with yourself. How do you actually feel? How do you actually want this to go?
Heather Ebanks: Hmm You Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: and then use the choice that you have to take action on that.
Heather Ebanks: Wonderful. Next question for you in the studio drawer. What is overrated or underrated in your industry?
Jo Hooper: What is overrated and underrated? I do think underrated is boundaries, is saying to people, clients, people that you're working with, all feedback needs to be on email. Or you can have one round of feedback included within the package and after that, it will be charged at this.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: because I see so many people who are overworking, resentful, feeling like their business isn't working, feeling like they're having to work all the time to make the money that they want to make. And if they were just honest with people about the way that they work, which is what boundaries are, is saying, this is what it's like when we work together, this is how we will work together. If they were just honest about those things at the beginning, they would...
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: reduce their workload enormously, they would be happier, they would probably be doing better work. And so for me, that's like, before you even start to look at your pricing or your business model, if you start putting some good boundaries in place, and being honest about them from the beginning, then you get back so much time and energy and brain space. So for me, boundaries are massively underrated.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: overrated. mean again I feel like I'm crap at this because I just don't see other people in my industry. I don't even really feel like I'm in an industry. I just feel like I'm doing my own thing. So I don't know. Thanks, thank you, thank you.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Yeah, cool. Yeah, don't know is a good answer. Accept that. Something you refuse to do even if it would make you more money.
Jo Hooper: so many things. I'm never gonna lie. I'm never gonna, I'm never ever gonna say, you'll make your money back from working with me within two months. Like, yes, there have been people who've said that that's happened for them, but I would never ever make a promise like that because I can have absolutely no control over that. So I would never lie or make up.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm.
Jo Hooper: shit or make promises that I can have no control over or no way of keeping. And I know that that is a thing that loads of people do. But yeah, no, I'd never make financial promises or any promises that are not within my control to deliver.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Yeah, it will be fully transparent so people know what to expect and you can't keep up a life for long anyway, he's gonna trip up on it and yeah.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. god no. Also I've got such a big mouth there's no way that I could lie and keep a lie a secret. the guilt of it would just kill me. Yeah. Yeah. I find it really hard.
Heather Ebanks: Okay, note to self, note to self, don't tell Joe any secrets, she will spill the beans. What's the most hilariously wrong assumption someone's made about what you do?
Jo Hooper: These are so good. Well, it's not about what I do, but anyone who thinks that I'm anything other than a minuscule tiny human is incredibly wrong because I am five foot and half an inch and that half inch is very important. When I was in corporate,
Heather Ebanks: Definitely.
Jo Hooper: It's very important. When I was in corporate, I had many old middle-aged men wildly underestimating me and I absolutely loved putting them in their place. So in one job that I had, I was like the communications lead for all of our communications around the Olympics and Jubilee. Yes, this is many years ago.
Heather Ebanks: you
Jo Hooper: And I went into a meeting with literally a room full of old white middle-aged men. And they thought I was there, obviously, to take the notes and make the tea. And I was very much fine with being like, no, actually, I'm here to lead the meeting and this is what we're gonna discuss. And I always thoroughly enjoyed confounding people's expectations of me.
Heather Ebanks: I would love to be a fly on the wall, see their facial expressions when you told them that.
Jo Hooper: I did, I mean being unapologetically honest and very straightforward and upfront as a tiny little human that people thought was there to make the tea and take the notes has not always done well for me throughout my career but made me feel, made me feel as powerful as I should have been.
Heather Ebanks: You definitely commanded the room and yes, power to tiny people.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I've never been a shy, retiring wallflower. Power to tiny people. Yes, I love that. Again, another wall moment. It really is.
Heather Ebanks: Lovely. Exactly. Another one to put on your wall. Thought so. Your wall's getting full. What question do you wish people would stop asking you and why?
Jo Hooper: The thing that comes to mind is like family asking things like, you busy with work? Like, I think I'm really lucky in that the people I work with and the people who kind of come into my world, well, is it that I'm lucky or is it that I'm like really bold and open about what you can expect in my world? But I really don't get many people taking the piss or many people that I don't actually like or want to work with coming into my world. So for me, think it's probably like, it just drives me around the bend when my family either ring me at two o'clock in the afternoon and they're like, are you busy? And I'm like, well, yes and no. Like, yes, I'm busy doing things that I wanna be doing, which is not answering the phone to you, but also no, I'm not like working myself into the ground. But I think the question that I would say I want people to stop asking other people is can I pick your brain? No, no, you cannot.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm-hmm.
Jo Hooper: Pick people's brains for free. That is not allowed. Your brains are not there to be picked. Charge them. Or just say no.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah, your time is valuable and you know, your skills, you need for people to appreciate that and pay me, you know, you can't pay the bills with them, you know, asking for advice. So yeah, definitely.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. chats? No, exactly. Wealthwater does not accept chats as a form of currency.
Heather Ebanks: What's your bad creative habit you secretly don't want to stop doing?
Jo Hooper: Okay, I've got two. One is telling myself that I'm not creative, because I'm not a painter or a graphic designer or a photographer or I'm not a legitimate creative, but I guess my creativity is in my words, the way I speak, the way I write and...
Heather Ebanks: Right.
Jo Hooper: As I say, I've just started YouTube and I'm really enjoying that and the creativity that comes with it. So I think one of them is telling myself I'm not creative when I am and I have found and am finding my versions of creativity. And two is starting and not fucking finishing every sewing project I ever pick up. I have my sewing machine and my overlocker next to me and...
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hahaha
Jo Hooper: I've got so many half finished projects and so many screenshots in my phone of clothes that I've put into my Sewing Inspo folder, which is like, well, I can make that. like cupboards full of fabric, which I sorted recently and thoroughly enjoyed. But I've got to finish some other, got to finish some actual projects.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Hmm. Don't worry, it's a work in progress. all, you know, there's things that we need to get back to. There's no shade, you know, you know, you know, they're there.
Jo Hooper: Yeah. Maybe come winter. I'll get back onto my sewing projects but some of them are summer dresses so I probably need to start before then.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. so another side to you other than coaching, you can make clothes as well. Just to see what you've made.
Jo Hooper: Yeah, I love, I love sewing. I, well, it's come from, I think probably every woman listening will be able to relate to this, but you'd go into a shop and you try on clothes and you feel like trash because they don't fit or they're always for me, they're always too small, too long, like too big in one area, too small in another area. Like I don't, my body shape doesn't exist according to the humans or machines that make.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Mm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: clothes and sizes. Exactly, so I was just like, do you know what,
Heather Ebanks: off the shop floor yeah
Jo Hooper: bugger this, I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna either buy clothes from makers where you can give them your measurements or I'm gonna start making them myself. yeah, when I moved to West Wales where I lived for a couple of years, I was house-sitting for a friend and I discovered her like great grannies.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Jo Hooper: hand crank seeing a sewing machine and I just became obsessed with sewing and now I have three sewing machines and many, many unfinished projects.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm. Cool. You sound like my neighbour because she's got in the top floor in her attic, she's got like a whole wall of singer sewing machines. yes, they're beautiful. are,
Jo Hooper: Yeah they're so beautiful. They are.
Heather Ebanks: Well, that's your studio drawer. So of course I'll put all the information in the show notes about Jo and also her episodes to get to know her and her background.
