Claire Bartlett: Today I am joined by Rachael Jackson, who is going to be sharing her personal journey with Perimenopause being an entrepreneur and everything else that entails. ⁓ So talking Women in Business Network, it's really important have community around you, isn't it? And I think that stands for at any point in business. What led you to taking up that franchise? How long have you had that? And sort of where did that show up for you in your business journey?
Rachael Jackson: Okay, so my previous world, corporate world is retail management and shopping centers. So I'd always had that corporate background, ⁓ wanted to run my own business. And I'm honest, Claire, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted to work for myself. So I thought the first thing I need to do is surround myself with a group of people. Where can I find them? And that literally is as simple as that. led me to
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: actually rather than going and joining a network, this can be my business while I figure out what my longer term goals are. So that's how it started really. But I'm passionate about supporting women, helping them grow, not only professionally in their business, but that comes from your inner confidence and capabilities and how you show up. ⁓ I always focused on the developmental side of my team. So it just felt it went hand in hand really.
Claire Bartlett: for how long have you had that business?
Rachael Jackson: So just over two years now. Yeah. So that's been in the working of like 12 months, but we only got it signed off as a CSIC just the beginning of this year. So yeah, so that's in its early days.
Claire Bartlett: Okay, and how long do you have the CIC for? Okay. So you've had a very exciting two years then.
Rachael Jackson: think this is where the ADHD kicks in, it's just like I just need to keep going. ⁓ on adrenaline.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, how has the perimenopause fit into that? Were you already in perimenopause before you went into business or tell us about that?
Rachael Jackson: Oh, I think I mean, firstly, I have to thank my husband because he was the one who kind of had the conversation with me about this is what I think it is. So I do give a lot of praise to him. But yeah, I'm almost 46 now and I started taking HRT when I was 42. So quite early, really. But it's just a really difficult journey and it's hard to understand what's cause and effect. But yeah, it impacted me massively and things that I could have just taken on. and taken in my everyday stride were humongous tasks in the new world and I just was flabbergasted by how much it hit me really.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And do you put the transition into employment and wanting to work for yourself? Do you think that is rooted in the perimenopause and how that affected you? Or do you think, do you see a correlation there?
Rachael Jackson: I think, you know, I'd always had the dream of working for myself and I'd left the corporate world probably about 18 months beforehand. not but then at the women that I work with, you just see lots of common themes where they've lost confidence in the workplace, they have struggled to maybe not even identified themselves, what stage of life they're at, but it's just showing up in challenges that they're having. understanding how to kind of have that conversation with their team, their employer, whoever it may be, I can see that that's a real common thread that comes through for a lot of women.
Claire Bartlett: I'm seeing with a lot of my clients is actually there's sort of this feeling that something needs to change and they get this itch. think some people class it as a midlife crisis where you start looking to the future and you're like what do I actually want in the next 10, 20 plus years? And actually in the perimenopause there's a lot of shifts that people make, ⁓ one of going into self-employment and setting up businesses. So I find it really interesting when anyone makes a transition at this point in life, whether they've connected the dots, whether there are dots to be connected. But what I see most often with my clients is ⁓ they're experiencing perimenopausal symptoms in their business, they're really seeing the impact of it, but they haven't realized yet that that is what's causing them to feel the way they do. And often women are burning their businesses to the ground and they're walking away from it because they feel like they've lost their passion or their, you know, They don't have it anymore. They can't put in the effort that's required. And actually with just a few tweaks, they can get all of that back and have a really sustainable business.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah. Yeah, and that's really interesting what you say about effort because we measure ourselves on what we consider to be the effort that we're putting in rather than necessarily the results. ⁓ And, you know, if you align that to the corporate world, we call it productivity, wouldn't we? And we can be more productive, but it's understanding how to manage that. I for me, if I look back, it's very easy look back, isn't it, and join the dots. But when you're in the thick of it, you just don't understand what's going on. ⁓ And I thought, wait a minute, how could I deliver meetings, presentations to 100 plus people and now I can barely stand in a room of five to 10 people and have a conversation? And you really, really start to question yourself.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. I find it really interesting that actually it was your husband that highlighted it to you. And I think that's probably quite rare. I think a lot of husbands don't ⁓ didn't have the education around. I have sent him so many TikToks and YouTube videos and like watch this because you're gonna need to know what's ⁓ So did that pan out? What was happening there?
Rachael Jackson: I'd probably been, left the corporate world about a year or so before and you know we'd had a great 12 month and narrow boat, done loads of ridiculous things and just had a great time and life was actually really good but there was obviously a pattern emerging that was occurring on a monthly basis and my husband is very diligent and considers, is into the detail I guess whereas I'm bigger picture and so
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: he firstly he knows how to handle me and he just kind of said you know what Rachael this is what I'm seeing I've done some research this is what I've found you're not too young have you considered it ⁓ I think I just started crying because I had but I instantly thought that's ridiculous I don't I was 41 that is crazy ⁓ but for have someone else position the facts to you And to say, it's a bit of validation I think Claire, it's validation that what is happening is real, it is visible to other people. And so yes, that was the first step really. But I have to say, man might not still be with me now, but luckily we weathered the storm together, but it's not been easy.
Claire Bartlett: I do. I part of me feel sorry for the men that have to support us through it and the other half thinks you have got it easy you're not the one actually experiencing any bit but what if my husband will always know when my time of the month is or when like because he sees it before even I do and it's but it's the most infuriating thing don't point it out to me that's gonna make me feel so much worse but yeah he He's learned a lot and he's educated himself and he's seen the journey and I was 39 so you weren't too... and this is the thing there's so much education around the age bracket that people still think it's something that when you get into towards 50 but actually it's happening earlier and earlier and yeah I was 39 when I started looking into it and feeling symptoms and I think I was 40 when I started HRT so yeah.
Rachael Jackson: I will care. Yeah. for my husband was how my behaviour had changed. I'm not an emotional person, I'm not known to cry. So I didn't cry when I had children, I didn't cry when we got married, you all those milestones. just didn't have, that's just not my makeup. But then I was stood in the kitchen crying because it was a mess. And it's like, what is going on here, you know? ⁓ like, this is not like you. ⁓
Claire Bartlett: Hmm. Yeah, there's something going on there. I was crying at crying at tea. mean, I am a crier. I will cry a lot. when it got to the point where I was crying at TV adverts, weren't even emotional adverts. And I was like, Yeah, okay, something's changing. I need to investigate that. So what happened when you did start investigating it? And how did that work for you?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah? I went to the doctors quite prepared I guess, so I specifically asked, ⁓ I very clear when I was asking for my appointment what it was about so that I could hopefully see somebody who was geared up and ready to listen rather than just turning up for your general appointment but I also took a list of ⁓ this is I'm experiencing so I found the early stages of getting support quite easy. What I struggled with is then the continuation of care of which I found was really difficult. ⁓ see a different person every time, it's very much opinion based, you're too young, it's not right. And so I was having extreme symptoms at work getting any better. And ⁓ I one day I was going on ⁓ to on the train and for no particular reason I cried all the way there.
Claire Bartlett: Hmm.
Rachael Jackson: and was going to have a meeting and I just couldn't stop crying. And you just think it's ridiculous, but I got to the point where I was ⁓ desperate, I was almost to a degree trying to self-medicate and work out what I could do that could stop it. Because you've still got to function, you've still got to get up, I've got the children, ⁓ life happens. And I just couldn't cope living in that environment and feeling that way.
Claire Bartlett: So you ended up going private, is that correct?
Rachael Jackson: I did in the end, yeah, and you know, if I'm honest, I wish I'd done it sooner. But yes, I did because my symptoms were just so severe. And ⁓ again, to that validation part of me was like, am I making it up? Is it that bad? You know, ⁓ maybe is just how it is for everybody. ⁓ But I was asked to fill in a questionnaire and a real simple questionnaire of, I don't know, sometimes, always, never kind of thing, my symptoms were... always or extreme ⁓ and I play things down so if you just scale things on a one to ten I'd always go eight because I was running for improvement or two because it could all be worse and to be picking extreme extreme all the time all the time I was really flabbergasted and it gave me that realization that actually this is bad and I do need more help for it.
Claire Bartlett: and what happened at that point? Because obviously you're experiencing these really extreme emotions symptoms and finally were you being listened to and ⁓ finding for those?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, so you know, I went on this, it was an online call actually, it was the quickest way of getting my appointment. ⁓ she's like, how are you? I'm like, yeah, I'm great. And then in 30 seconds, I was crying. ⁓ do you know what it gave me? It just ⁓ me somebody who listened to me and actually said, you know what, I'm really sorry that life's like that for you. And that in itself, that one comment was invaluable. It was worth every penny I paid.
Claire Bartlett: Hahaha
Rachael Jackson: but she also just helped me figure out what was the best way forward. So we're able to make some quick adjustments to my current medication, but also I was then able to be prescribed testosterone, which is very difficult to get hold of on the NHS. And that kind of also took me on a road to identifying the ADHD traits and actually another potentially underlying health condition that I hadn't realized I had. which came out from the symptoms that I'd explained.
Claire Bartlett: Amazing. So let's dive into the ADHD side of things, because it is incredibly common for women at this age to have that late diagnosis. The connections that I see is that when we get to this point, we just were so depleted, we don't have the energy and the resources to keep the mask on that we've been wearing for so many years. mask slips. And also there's an element of we just don't care anymore. So how did that feel for you when you started understanding that that actually that was something that was what feeding the symptoms that you were you were experiencing.
Rachael Jackson: It because I'm going to say label and I don't like that word, but I didn't want another label and I already have a label with dyslexia that I never, I didn't use until I had a child who was diagnosed with dyslexia. And I thought, you know what, I can't hide from this if I'm telling them to accept who you are, embrace who you are, don't be embarrassed by it, but yeah, I'm hiding away. So that was the first time I kind of started talking openly about it, but I didn't want... another label because I don't want to be a victim if that makes sense and I'm not suggesting that people behave like victims but that was just how I saw it so it's like okay so I'm dyslexic and now I'm menopausal and now I'm ADHD and it was just like isn't how I saw my life panning out ⁓ equally what it helped me do was ⁓ and figure out
Claire Bartlett: Yes.
Rachael Jackson: that's why this has always been difficult, that's why you behave like that, that's why you think this way, that's why you have this emotion or you don't have this emotion and so what it has has really helped me ⁓ unpick is I am the way I am ⁓ so it's been almost a bit more like therapy I suppose and I kind of like my crazy head and the way it thinks anyway so I wouldn't change it but it just helps me understand it but there were symptoms that are
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: generally recognized to be more severe because they almost just collide and crash and again it was that validation of you know what you're not imagining this Rachael this is what's happening and this is the reason behind it because I think once you know what's happening then you can you're in better control better position to control and manage I guess
Claire Bartlett: Thank you. Yeah. And can you share a couple of those symptoms that are heightened if you have ADHD? Because I think the audience could really find that useful.
Rachael Jackson: Okay so the particular ones for me were the mental fog and the overwhelm that was a real big one. The other one was I don't know how to drive it some people call it restless leg. ⁓ feet the way I described it to the doctor was tingling they tingle all the time and that was one of the things particularly she said that was ADHD related. And so you may have the tingly feet and the restless leg through perimenopause, but it's enhanced and that is an ADHD symptom your nervous system. So it was just little things like that really. But yeah, I'd, ⁓ I to the point and I haven't really shared this with many people, but ⁓ I getting so overwhelmed and so upset that the only way I could release my emotion was to literally scratch my arms till they bled. And I did that frequently. And I can honestly say that actually since that appointment and my treatment has been changed, I haven't done that but that was the only way that I could manage the emotion inside me because you have to kind of keep it together and ⁓ got the kids and this that and the other and you just want to pick something up or throw it or scream or whatever and you can't do that but that feeling is still inside you.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. Rachael, I'm really sorry. I'm really sorry to hear that. And thank you for And I because it feels so all encompassing and internally, doesn't it? And like you say, you need a release for that. ⁓ And if the NHS aren't necessarily or I've not heard of explained that it's opinionated, but it but you are correct in that whatever there is no standardized treatment plan for for perimenopause in the NHS, it's doctor per doctor, isn't it? And what they think is going to be the right thing, can't really understand.
Rachael Jackson: It is and you know what, when I say opinion, let me give you an example of that. I went to see one lady and she I took the, so I was taking ⁓ Ischredin gel and the pedestrian tablets but having real dips in the middle when I wasn't taking the tablets for the two weeks. So one lady suggested that I take it continuously. Then I went to see another lady who said, ⁓ you're too young. End of story, no conversation, you're too young. So, and it's that kind of thing. In the end, I came off it and had the coil fitted to get a better balance. But it was at least three different people with three different views and interpretations on the guidelines, I guess. And all the while, that's your life, you know.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And it's so confusing when you're experiencing it and you're going through it you just need that support. And then it's like phoning HMRC and you can't see, a different piece of advice that you just need a guideline and someone to understand and explain what, is happening for you. So, you're now sort of on a better treatment plan and things are settling down for you and starting to, to calm down.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know, feel the best now that I've probably felt in four years. Which is, do you know, I feel like the way I described it to my husband is that I've been robbed of myself and I feel like I've got myself back, which is great. And you know, there are still dips, but they're nowhere near as extreme as they were. So I might get up and feel a bit ⁓ whereas I'd be waking up through the night
Claire Bartlett: I love that. I'm so pleased for you. Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: and my heart would be pounding, I'd have extreme palpitations and the first thing that would come into my head was just sheer doom. And for someone who's always been positive and a problem solver and can find a solution to anything, to then wake up through the night and think, oh my God, the washing's in the dryer and so the world's gonna end because of X, Y and Z. It's just, it's ridiculous.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: But that's how I was feeling, you know, I'd almost dread going to bed because I was so scared of waking up through the night and feeling just overwhelmed with thoughts.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, so through all of this, you've set up now two businesses, which is crazy when I say it like that. has it impacted your business and how has it turned, know, how have you what sort of entrepreneur have you become because of what you've been experiencing? ⁓
Rachael Jackson: So, but I had to do it because could see that I was on a downward spiral and I had to do something about it. So no matter how hard it was, I still had to keep moving forward. ⁓ it has been difficult because, you know, the overwhelm is massive. So overthinking, worrying, ⁓ things, know, ⁓ that I'd have held myself to a ⁓ high level for before in terms of.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: organization, efficiencies, that kind of thing. And I was missing basics really. But the biggest thing for me was I would just have some days where I literally couldn't function. And yeah, I'd have got up and got dressed and been in the shower, but I would sit and ⁓ not even be able to think clearly. So the day would become a write off. And if anybody, they're in their own business or they're working a ⁓ regular job. You can't just take two or three days out of your working week because that has a severe impact. But that's what I was having to do. I wasn't necessarily writing the moffers in, I'm not attending work this day, but I wasn't achieving because I couldn't focus, I couldn't think, I couldn't move forward. And that was quite a rate. That was, was monthly, you know.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. So what sort of coping strategies did you put in place for that? How did you build systems in your business to allow you to give yourself that space when you needed it and still be moving the business forward?
Rachael Jackson: So guess this ties into CIC and the ray of light is because I recognise and always have recognised the benefit of stepping away, having some clarity. I love being outside, I love the fresh air and what that does to you mentally, physically. ⁓ all this, I could always recognise what my triggers were and I knew how to help myself in some capacities. So I ⁓ that I had to remove myself from a situation and kind of rebuild again. I tried to be ⁓ sociable possible but within the constraints that worked for me ⁓ so knew that getting out and interacting with people would help me and even I found that really difficult I still had to do it but I just chose the right environment so you know I wouldn't put myself in a huge room with loads of people where it was crazy and know happy-go-lucky and all that buzzy stuff because that wasn't right for me but I would find a smaller environment and I would interact with the right number of people that I knew would help me and support me. equally ⁓ work with an amazing lady called Eileen Bobbin, I don't know if you've heard of her and she has a menopause awareness group and ⁓ she was a massive support for me so it was just having those people around you. But in terms of like running the business and the systems and stuff, I just had to keep going back and do what I could when I could. But it really came down to more and, ⁓ you making sure that I'd gone back and double checked and just breaking things and rebuilding again.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. So do you feel like if you'd set the business up 10 years earlier, for instance, before you got into perimenopause, that things would have progressed quicker? How do you think it would have looked?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, 100 % without question. I wouldn't have questioned myself anywhere near as much. I'd have just had the, I can do it no matter what approach. I'd have also had the energy to do it 24-7. And not that that is a good measure of what a successful business looks like, but I'd have had that enthusiasm and adrenaline to do that and I'd have wanted to do that.
Claire Bartlett: Mm.
Rachael Jackson: Whereas there's been times where I'm like, I just need to shut off and I don't want to communicate with another person. But equally, I know when I have that, it's probably the times I need to communicate the most, but it needs to be in that right manner and with the right people.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And did you, one of the things I see really often is a layer of guilt around this as well. And because we were so ingrained in hustle culture the moment with, you know, Gary V and Alex Hamozi and all of these great gurus that are amazing in business, but they have no idea what it is like to try and build a business and sustain a business through perimenopause. And all the advice out there is to just keep pushing, push through. So when we don't, and when we do listen to our bodies and we all we're forced to take the time off and step back, we then feel a lot of guilt around it. Why, you know, and we put ourselves down, why aren't you just pushing through? Why aren't you, look at you, you used to be able to do this if it was five years ago and all of this negative self-talk. Did you experience that?
Rachael Jackson: Yes, at the same time what I've also done is I'm able to switch off negative noise so if I don't feel that that noise is benefiting me in a positive manner, if it isn't supporting my business growth, if I'm not getting personal development or growth from it then I switch it off and I just don't let it in and that's when I talk about my strategies of how I look after myself so I switch the noise off but equally I have changed how I measure success. So yes, a profitable business is important, but the X of pounds isn't the number one driver for me anymore. Enjoyment is driver. The reward of enjoying what I do and who I mix with and who I do business and the results that they get are more important to me.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: from a personal reward and success measure. And yes, absolutely, I drive income. Yes, I drive a profitable business, but it's not all about the pounds anymore because I recognise now that ⁓ my is in a different place and I get satisfaction from other things rather than just the ⁓ cash at the end of it. So I think if you really focus on what success looks like for you, ⁓ because we were to ask many women, they don't necessarily start a business because they want to bring in X amount of pounds, they do it because they want flexibility, they want a better work-life balance, whether that's to look after children, whether it's to or take on a challenge, whatever that may be, there's different drivers for ⁓ and so I just measure it in a different manner now, my KPIs would look completely different.
Claire Bartlett: I love that. So there's two things I want to pick up from that. And one of them is that success. But I want to come back to that in a second, because how do you switch off the noise? Share your secrets, because that is something that so many women will not be able to do and they're being all consumed from them. So what's your advice in that area?
Rachael Jackson: So this may come down to the ADHD bit but for me are kind of in control of ourselves. for example we do most of our work through our phones these days, it goes everywhere with us but I don't have any notifications turned on. So if I am going to respond to emails I plan that time and that might be let's say it's 9 till 10 on Monday, that's my time for going into my emails and dealing with that.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: Equally, I have a time for on social media. I ⁓ plan my week and I have notifications turned off ⁓ that I am not dragged down a rabbit hole of I was doing this and now I'm doing that and I was going to do a LinkedIn post but I've seen this video and that's and it all spirals. It's so easy. I hear the same old stories but I just have discipline in terms of what I'm doing and when I'm doing it. But equally, you know, it's not just about the noise through your your phone, emails, whatsapps and social media is about who you surround yourself with. So I very quickly decide whether a relationship is going to be beneficial and when I say beneficial that doesn't mean leading to business, that means this is a person who is going to positively influence my life and my well-being that's a two-way thing, ⁓ ⁓ I am able to help support guide that person.
Claire Bartlett: Mm.
Rachael Jackson: not and it's not about having the volume of people it's about having the right people so I think it's just knowing what your triggers are and knowing where to just draw the line and cut it off.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, yeah, definitely about enrichment, isn't it? Enrichment in a two-way street. But what about the internal noise? What about the negative connotations, the negative speech? How do you close that off in your mind?
Rachael Jackson: for me for that I have I just have a real simple I say list but it's more visual for me of what are my successes and what am I aiming for so if my success ⁓ my goal let's say for a particular week is to be at a certain meeting or to achieve a certain goal or whatever it may be then I just have that in front of mine so I can look back and say well actually that was my goal and I've achieved it. So I think it's been really clear about the small bits because we focus on what we consider to be the end goal but actually it's what stepping stones have we put in place to get to the end goal. So if I've achieved those then well that's a success and I celebrate that and I think we spend too much time beating ourselves up and not being good enough and not enough time on focusing on, do you know what? I put lot of effort in and I've achieved that and the result was great because of
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: ⁓ And so I really try to focus on what did I achieve and what went well. And, you know, they can be tiny little things and they can be, you know, big celebrations as well.
Claire Bartlett: So it's very evidence-based with you. If you have the evidence in front of you, can say, it wasn't a failure because X, Y, and Z, and I've hit those goals.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, exactly. But equally, I think you have people around you who also are your cheerleaders and I think that's really important to have cheerleaders and not people who are just going to say, I don't know what, Claire, you're amazing. People who are going to be who are going to constructively support you and guide you to be the best version of yourself. And comes from within. That comes from being happy and with who you are and what you're doing and that you're enough.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: is enough, no matter what everyone else is doing.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, yeah, so true. going back to success, because we often have, you know, specific reasons why we go into a business, like you say, maybe it's flexibility, maybe it's just because we're really passionate about sharing ⁓ skills expertise or helping others. ⁓ But we reach the perimenopausal phase, very often, what we visualise for our lives and our business, what we deem as success, changes dramatically from what it was when we first went into business. started my first business when I was 30 years old, so over 10 years ago now. And what I expected and wanted at that point in my life is very different. My priorities are different. I want more time for myself and my family over financial gains, like you say. So of the key areas I work with with clients is understanding that and letting go those old... of success and their own old visualizations and giving them the, what's the word, this is the brain fog, the permission to give those goals away and set themselves new goals. ⁓ did find, I mean you've had your business for two years now, so do you find that your goals and success has changed in that time or has it been pretty stable for you?
Rachael Jackson: No, they've definitely changed and I think they've changed because when I started up I probably was for I probably went into the corporate mindset of this is this is how this is when this is a speed this is the execution and now I operate in a very different way. I'm much focused on productivity.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: So it's not about the number of hours you put in, it's about how productive, how intentional with your time. And that for me is the biggest mindset shift. There's no point being a busy fool, it's a number one question. You're busy, I don't wanna be busy. I wanna be productive. So I think that shift is quite remarkable really, because a lot of women come from some form of corporate background.
Claire Bartlett: Yes. Yeah, I love that.
Rachael Jackson: and you are so institutionalized in terms of what good looks like from the hours we put in, from how we show up, that kind of stuff. And I just had to make a transition from that was the old world and this is how I show up as ⁓ ⁓ I don't have to be ⁓ else's version of what they want. I can be my version. ⁓ And I find that really comfortable because
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: I'm just me, you know, I don't have to be me in this world, I'm just me.
Claire Bartlett: I love that. mean, you are creating the world. And this is the thing as entrepreneurs, we create that, that world and that division and how we're going to work and how when we bring team in, if we bring teams in, we get to understand the culture and create that culture as well. So ⁓ I that you've stepped away from that corporate regimented mindset, but like you say, a lot of us do go into business having and finally of being able to give that up and release that. that control element and just allow yourself to be you is amazing. I'm so pleased to hear that. And I think it's really important for everyone to be able to understand that in themselves.
Rachael Jackson: You know it is about confidence isn't it and I'm sure Claire you hear all the time you know I'm not sure I don't want to sell myself or you know how do I show up well just show up and be you because that's what people buy into
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And the confidence is so impacted at this stage, I think a lot of women struggle to show up as themselves. I think there's a lot of confusion actually at this point of, ⁓ who am I? ⁓ again, that leads into the ADHD and the other late diagnosis that happened at this point, because we are discovering who we actually are. If you take away all of ⁓ labels, the mum, the wife, the friend, the corporate career,
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: drivenly, like all of these things that we've been up to this point. But if you take all of that away, actually, who are we and how are we wanting to show up in the world? And it's a journey. And I think it can be quite difficult for some people, especially when you've then lost the confidence. There's a lot of self doubt that's built into it. But if you're kind and generous to yourself throughout that process, it's so powerful and so freeing to open up and say, actually,
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: mask is off this is who I am if you don't like it you know and
Rachael Jackson: And you know, thing is Claire, to a degree we're our almost enemies because we are the ones that apply the pressure, we are the ones who apply the expectation and yes, a lot of that is driven by what we see around us. But actually, if we stop and step back and say, this is what I want to achieve and this is by when and be really realistic about that, then it doesn't matter what everyone else is doing. You know, if you want three clients or
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: 33 clients or whatever that may be. That's your goal and you go after it in your world. It doesn't matter how many clients the next person is getting because they're a different person with a different model and it's just about being true to what you want I think.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, 100%. One of the things I see, which actually is one of the things I love the most is when someone comes to me and I ask what their goals are and their vision, you know, working on it. Actually, at this point, it's not always about scaling and growth and earning more money. It's about sustaining the income that we have, but working less hours to achieve it. And that is such a beautiful goal. Let's keep that income that you're used to that's sustainable and you're happy with, but let's free up some of your life so you can go and live it and experience life.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: ⁓ And for me, that's one of the most beautiful goals when people come to me with that. it proves that they're breaking free of societal pressures and expectations. I think that's brilliant.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah and that's really interesting actually because I first set up I'd something that I hadn't realised was really valuable so not my salary or the pension or the car but I'd lost my identity ⁓ and I hadn't ⁓ realised value of that until it was gone and so one of my early goals was just to have an identity back again of who I was but equally I didn't really know who I was because I've been so used to being
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: this corporate version of myself that that well who am I and what do I do? It like mind-blowing.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, it's such a transition to go through. And actually, there's a lot of grief that happens when we leave corporate, corporate world, because you've been that person since probably left, you know, college or university, you've been on this path, always chasing the next, know, progression of that career ladder, and the next promotion. So actually, when you step away from it, and people don't see it coming, they think this is great, right, I'm done.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: and then the next morning they wake up and suddenly you don't have to get dressed, you don't have to leave the house if you don't want to, you might have a school run, but suddenly you don't have anyone to answer to and it's a real transition and people massively underestimate that. ⁓
Rachael Jackson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah and it is because you know we all spend our time filling time we just do it with different things but when you are suddenly gifted this time and you're unprepared for it you know after the honeymoon period wears off you're in this world of do I do and how do I use it and I a very structured and very routine person but then you take that corporate world away and it's
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: ⁓ What do I do? I want to do everything. don't know what's more important. Should I be having fun? Should I be going for a walk? Should I be getting fit? Should I be driving a business? It's... Yeah. It's funny. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: crazy, isn't it? But just giving yourself the freedom and the space and time to it out and do a bit of this and a bit of that and not throw yourself all into one thing and you just replacing the corporate world for something else then. It's about having a balance, isn't it? ⁓ Rachael, thank you so much for joining me today. I've really, really enjoyed the conversation and thank you so much for being so honest and vulnerable with us and really sharing your story.
Rachael Jackson: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: If people want to connect with you, find out more about women in business potentially, where can they find you? Where's the best place?
Rachael Jackson: So LinkedIn is the best place, I do everything on LinkedIn. So yeah, Rachael Jackson on LinkedIn is the place to find me.
Claire Bartlett: And that's Rachael with an AEL at the end. Rachael, I will put all of the ⁓ in the show notes for everyone as well. But thank you so much again for joining us. ⁓ thank you to the listeners for listening this episode. And I will see you all next week. Take care.
Rachael Jackson: It is, just to be awkward. Thank you, Claire.
Rachael Jackson: Okay, so my previous world, corporate world is retail management and shopping centers. So I'd always had that corporate background, ⁓ wanted to run my own business. And I'm honest, Claire, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted to work for myself. So I thought the first thing I need to do is surround myself with a group of people. Where can I find them? And that literally is as simple as that. led me to
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: actually rather than going and joining a network, this can be my business while I figure out what my longer term goals are. So that's how it started really. But I'm passionate about supporting women, helping them grow, not only professionally in their business, but that comes from your inner confidence and capabilities and how you show up. ⁓ I always focused on the developmental side of my team. So it just felt it went hand in hand really.
Claire Bartlett: for how long have you had that business?
Rachael Jackson: So just over two years now. Yeah. So that's been in the working of like 12 months, but we only got it signed off as a CSIC just the beginning of this year. So yeah, so that's in its early days.
Claire Bartlett: Okay, and how long do you have the CIC for? Okay. So you've had a very exciting two years then.
Rachael Jackson: think this is where the ADHD kicks in, it's just like I just need to keep going. ⁓ on adrenaline.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, how has the perimenopause fit into that? Were you already in perimenopause before you went into business or tell us about that?
Rachael Jackson: Oh, I think I mean, firstly, I have to thank my husband because he was the one who kind of had the conversation with me about this is what I think it is. So I do give a lot of praise to him. But yeah, I'm almost 46 now and I started taking HRT when I was 42. So quite early, really. But it's just a really difficult journey and it's hard to understand what's cause and effect. But yeah, it impacted me massively and things that I could have just taken on. and taken in my everyday stride were humongous tasks in the new world and I just was flabbergasted by how much it hit me really.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And do you put the transition into employment and wanting to work for yourself? Do you think that is rooted in the perimenopause and how that affected you? Or do you think, do you see a correlation there?
Rachael Jackson: I think, you know, I'd always had the dream of working for myself and I'd left the corporate world probably about 18 months beforehand. not but then at the women that I work with, you just see lots of common themes where they've lost confidence in the workplace, they have struggled to maybe not even identified themselves, what stage of life they're at, but it's just showing up in challenges that they're having. understanding how to kind of have that conversation with their team, their employer, whoever it may be, I can see that that's a real common thread that comes through for a lot of women.
Claire Bartlett: I'm seeing with a lot of my clients is actually there's sort of this feeling that something needs to change and they get this itch. think some people class it as a midlife crisis where you start looking to the future and you're like what do I actually want in the next 10, 20 plus years? And actually in the perimenopause there's a lot of shifts that people make, ⁓ one of going into self-employment and setting up businesses. So I find it really interesting when anyone makes a transition at this point in life, whether they've connected the dots, whether there are dots to be connected. But what I see most often with my clients is ⁓ they're experiencing perimenopausal symptoms in their business, they're really seeing the impact of it, but they haven't realized yet that that is what's causing them to feel the way they do. And often women are burning their businesses to the ground and they're walking away from it because they feel like they've lost their passion or their, you know, They don't have it anymore. They can't put in the effort that's required. And actually with just a few tweaks, they can get all of that back and have a really sustainable business.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah. Yeah, and that's really interesting what you say about effort because we measure ourselves on what we consider to be the effort that we're putting in rather than necessarily the results. ⁓ And, you know, if you align that to the corporate world, we call it productivity, wouldn't we? And we can be more productive, but it's understanding how to manage that. I for me, if I look back, it's very easy look back, isn't it, and join the dots. But when you're in the thick of it, you just don't understand what's going on. ⁓ And I thought, wait a minute, how could I deliver meetings, presentations to 100 plus people and now I can barely stand in a room of five to 10 people and have a conversation? And you really, really start to question yourself.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. I find it really interesting that actually it was your husband that highlighted it to you. And I think that's probably quite rare. I think a lot of husbands don't ⁓ didn't have the education around. I have sent him so many TikToks and YouTube videos and like watch this because you're gonna need to know what's ⁓ So did that pan out? What was happening there?
Rachael Jackson: I'd probably been, left the corporate world about a year or so before and you know we'd had a great 12 month and narrow boat, done loads of ridiculous things and just had a great time and life was actually really good but there was obviously a pattern emerging that was occurring on a monthly basis and my husband is very diligent and considers, is into the detail I guess whereas I'm bigger picture and so
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: he firstly he knows how to handle me and he just kind of said you know what Rachael this is what I'm seeing I've done some research this is what I've found you're not too young have you considered it ⁓ I think I just started crying because I had but I instantly thought that's ridiculous I don't I was 41 that is crazy ⁓ but for have someone else position the facts to you And to say, it's a bit of validation I think Claire, it's validation that what is happening is real, it is visible to other people. And so yes, that was the first step really. But I have to say, man might not still be with me now, but luckily we weathered the storm together, but it's not been easy.
Claire Bartlett: I do. I part of me feel sorry for the men that have to support us through it and the other half thinks you have got it easy you're not the one actually experiencing any bit but what if my husband will always know when my time of the month is or when like because he sees it before even I do and it's but it's the most infuriating thing don't point it out to me that's gonna make me feel so much worse but yeah he He's learned a lot and he's educated himself and he's seen the journey and I was 39 so you weren't too... and this is the thing there's so much education around the age bracket that people still think it's something that when you get into towards 50 but actually it's happening earlier and earlier and yeah I was 39 when I started looking into it and feeling symptoms and I think I was 40 when I started HRT so yeah.
Rachael Jackson: I will care. Yeah. for my husband was how my behaviour had changed. I'm not an emotional person, I'm not known to cry. So I didn't cry when I had children, I didn't cry when we got married, you all those milestones. just didn't have, that's just not my makeup. But then I was stood in the kitchen crying because it was a mess. And it's like, what is going on here, you know? ⁓ like, this is not like you. ⁓
Claire Bartlett: Hmm. Yeah, there's something going on there. I was crying at crying at tea. mean, I am a crier. I will cry a lot. when it got to the point where I was crying at TV adverts, weren't even emotional adverts. And I was like, Yeah, okay, something's changing. I need to investigate that. So what happened when you did start investigating it? And how did that work for you?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah? I went to the doctors quite prepared I guess, so I specifically asked, ⁓ I very clear when I was asking for my appointment what it was about so that I could hopefully see somebody who was geared up and ready to listen rather than just turning up for your general appointment but I also took a list of ⁓ this is I'm experiencing so I found the early stages of getting support quite easy. What I struggled with is then the continuation of care of which I found was really difficult. ⁓ see a different person every time, it's very much opinion based, you're too young, it's not right. And so I was having extreme symptoms at work getting any better. And ⁓ I one day I was going on ⁓ to on the train and for no particular reason I cried all the way there.
Claire Bartlett: Hmm.
Rachael Jackson: and was going to have a meeting and I just couldn't stop crying. And you just think it's ridiculous, but I got to the point where I was ⁓ desperate, I was almost to a degree trying to self-medicate and work out what I could do that could stop it. Because you've still got to function, you've still got to get up, I've got the children, ⁓ life happens. And I just couldn't cope living in that environment and feeling that way.
Claire Bartlett: So you ended up going private, is that correct?
Rachael Jackson: I did in the end, yeah, and you know, if I'm honest, I wish I'd done it sooner. But yes, I did because my symptoms were just so severe. And ⁓ again, to that validation part of me was like, am I making it up? Is it that bad? You know, ⁓ maybe is just how it is for everybody. ⁓ But I was asked to fill in a questionnaire and a real simple questionnaire of, I don't know, sometimes, always, never kind of thing, my symptoms were... always or extreme ⁓ and I play things down so if you just scale things on a one to ten I'd always go eight because I was running for improvement or two because it could all be worse and to be picking extreme extreme all the time all the time I was really flabbergasted and it gave me that realization that actually this is bad and I do need more help for it.
Claire Bartlett: and what happened at that point? Because obviously you're experiencing these really extreme emotions symptoms and finally were you being listened to and ⁓ finding for those?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, so you know, I went on this, it was an online call actually, it was the quickest way of getting my appointment. ⁓ she's like, how are you? I'm like, yeah, I'm great. And then in 30 seconds, I was crying. ⁓ do you know what it gave me? It just ⁓ me somebody who listened to me and actually said, you know what, I'm really sorry that life's like that for you. And that in itself, that one comment was invaluable. It was worth every penny I paid.
Claire Bartlett: Hahaha
Rachael Jackson: but she also just helped me figure out what was the best way forward. So we're able to make some quick adjustments to my current medication, but also I was then able to be prescribed testosterone, which is very difficult to get hold of on the NHS. And that kind of also took me on a road to identifying the ADHD traits and actually another potentially underlying health condition that I hadn't realized I had. which came out from the symptoms that I'd explained.
Claire Bartlett: Amazing. So let's dive into the ADHD side of things, because it is incredibly common for women at this age to have that late diagnosis. The connections that I see is that when we get to this point, we just were so depleted, we don't have the energy and the resources to keep the mask on that we've been wearing for so many years. mask slips. And also there's an element of we just don't care anymore. So how did that feel for you when you started understanding that that actually that was something that was what feeding the symptoms that you were you were experiencing.
Rachael Jackson: It because I'm going to say label and I don't like that word, but I didn't want another label and I already have a label with dyslexia that I never, I didn't use until I had a child who was diagnosed with dyslexia. And I thought, you know what, I can't hide from this if I'm telling them to accept who you are, embrace who you are, don't be embarrassed by it, but yeah, I'm hiding away. So that was the first time I kind of started talking openly about it, but I didn't want... another label because I don't want to be a victim if that makes sense and I'm not suggesting that people behave like victims but that was just how I saw it so it's like okay so I'm dyslexic and now I'm menopausal and now I'm ADHD and it was just like isn't how I saw my life panning out ⁓ equally what it helped me do was ⁓ and figure out
Claire Bartlett: Yes.
Rachael Jackson: that's why this has always been difficult, that's why you behave like that, that's why you think this way, that's why you have this emotion or you don't have this emotion and so what it has has really helped me ⁓ unpick is I am the way I am ⁓ so it's been almost a bit more like therapy I suppose and I kind of like my crazy head and the way it thinks anyway so I wouldn't change it but it just helps me understand it but there were symptoms that are
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: generally recognized to be more severe because they almost just collide and crash and again it was that validation of you know what you're not imagining this Rachael this is what's happening and this is the reason behind it because I think once you know what's happening then you can you're in better control better position to control and manage I guess
Claire Bartlett: Thank you. Yeah. And can you share a couple of those symptoms that are heightened if you have ADHD? Because I think the audience could really find that useful.
Rachael Jackson: Okay so the particular ones for me were the mental fog and the overwhelm that was a real big one. The other one was I don't know how to drive it some people call it restless leg. ⁓ feet the way I described it to the doctor was tingling they tingle all the time and that was one of the things particularly she said that was ADHD related. And so you may have the tingly feet and the restless leg through perimenopause, but it's enhanced and that is an ADHD symptom your nervous system. So it was just little things like that really. But yeah, I'd, ⁓ I to the point and I haven't really shared this with many people, but ⁓ I getting so overwhelmed and so upset that the only way I could release my emotion was to literally scratch my arms till they bled. And I did that frequently. And I can honestly say that actually since that appointment and my treatment has been changed, I haven't done that but that was the only way that I could manage the emotion inside me because you have to kind of keep it together and ⁓ got the kids and this that and the other and you just want to pick something up or throw it or scream or whatever and you can't do that but that feeling is still inside you.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. Rachael, I'm really sorry. I'm really sorry to hear that. And thank you for And I because it feels so all encompassing and internally, doesn't it? And like you say, you need a release for that. ⁓ And if the NHS aren't necessarily or I've not heard of explained that it's opinionated, but it but you are correct in that whatever there is no standardized treatment plan for for perimenopause in the NHS, it's doctor per doctor, isn't it? And what they think is going to be the right thing, can't really understand.
Rachael Jackson: It is and you know what, when I say opinion, let me give you an example of that. I went to see one lady and she I took the, so I was taking ⁓ Ischredin gel and the pedestrian tablets but having real dips in the middle when I wasn't taking the tablets for the two weeks. So one lady suggested that I take it continuously. Then I went to see another lady who said, ⁓ you're too young. End of story, no conversation, you're too young. So, and it's that kind of thing. In the end, I came off it and had the coil fitted to get a better balance. But it was at least three different people with three different views and interpretations on the guidelines, I guess. And all the while, that's your life, you know.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And it's so confusing when you're experiencing it and you're going through it you just need that support. And then it's like phoning HMRC and you can't see, a different piece of advice that you just need a guideline and someone to understand and explain what, is happening for you. So, you're now sort of on a better treatment plan and things are settling down for you and starting to, to calm down.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know, feel the best now that I've probably felt in four years. Which is, do you know, I feel like the way I described it to my husband is that I've been robbed of myself and I feel like I've got myself back, which is great. And you know, there are still dips, but they're nowhere near as extreme as they were. So I might get up and feel a bit ⁓ whereas I'd be waking up through the night
Claire Bartlett: I love that. I'm so pleased for you. Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: and my heart would be pounding, I'd have extreme palpitations and the first thing that would come into my head was just sheer doom. And for someone who's always been positive and a problem solver and can find a solution to anything, to then wake up through the night and think, oh my God, the washing's in the dryer and so the world's gonna end because of X, Y and Z. It's just, it's ridiculous.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: But that's how I was feeling, you know, I'd almost dread going to bed because I was so scared of waking up through the night and feeling just overwhelmed with thoughts.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, so through all of this, you've set up now two businesses, which is crazy when I say it like that. has it impacted your business and how has it turned, know, how have you what sort of entrepreneur have you become because of what you've been experiencing? ⁓
Rachael Jackson: So, but I had to do it because could see that I was on a downward spiral and I had to do something about it. So no matter how hard it was, I still had to keep moving forward. ⁓ it has been difficult because, you know, the overwhelm is massive. So overthinking, worrying, ⁓ things, know, ⁓ that I'd have held myself to a ⁓ high level for before in terms of.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: organization, efficiencies, that kind of thing. And I was missing basics really. But the biggest thing for me was I would just have some days where I literally couldn't function. And yeah, I'd have got up and got dressed and been in the shower, but I would sit and ⁓ not even be able to think clearly. So the day would become a write off. And if anybody, they're in their own business or they're working a ⁓ regular job. You can't just take two or three days out of your working week because that has a severe impact. But that's what I was having to do. I wasn't necessarily writing the moffers in, I'm not attending work this day, but I wasn't achieving because I couldn't focus, I couldn't think, I couldn't move forward. And that was quite a rate. That was, was monthly, you know.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. So what sort of coping strategies did you put in place for that? How did you build systems in your business to allow you to give yourself that space when you needed it and still be moving the business forward?
Rachael Jackson: So guess this ties into CIC and the ray of light is because I recognise and always have recognised the benefit of stepping away, having some clarity. I love being outside, I love the fresh air and what that does to you mentally, physically. ⁓ all this, I could always recognise what my triggers were and I knew how to help myself in some capacities. So I ⁓ that I had to remove myself from a situation and kind of rebuild again. I tried to be ⁓ sociable possible but within the constraints that worked for me ⁓ so knew that getting out and interacting with people would help me and even I found that really difficult I still had to do it but I just chose the right environment so you know I wouldn't put myself in a huge room with loads of people where it was crazy and know happy-go-lucky and all that buzzy stuff because that wasn't right for me but I would find a smaller environment and I would interact with the right number of people that I knew would help me and support me. equally ⁓ work with an amazing lady called Eileen Bobbin, I don't know if you've heard of her and she has a menopause awareness group and ⁓ she was a massive support for me so it was just having those people around you. But in terms of like running the business and the systems and stuff, I just had to keep going back and do what I could when I could. But it really came down to more and, ⁓ you making sure that I'd gone back and double checked and just breaking things and rebuilding again.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. So do you feel like if you'd set the business up 10 years earlier, for instance, before you got into perimenopause, that things would have progressed quicker? How do you think it would have looked?
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, 100 % without question. I wouldn't have questioned myself anywhere near as much. I'd have just had the, I can do it no matter what approach. I'd have also had the energy to do it 24-7. And not that that is a good measure of what a successful business looks like, but I'd have had that enthusiasm and adrenaline to do that and I'd have wanted to do that.
Claire Bartlett: Mm.
Rachael Jackson: Whereas there's been times where I'm like, I just need to shut off and I don't want to communicate with another person. But equally, I know when I have that, it's probably the times I need to communicate the most, but it needs to be in that right manner and with the right people.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. And did you, one of the things I see really often is a layer of guilt around this as well. And because we were so ingrained in hustle culture the moment with, you know, Gary V and Alex Hamozi and all of these great gurus that are amazing in business, but they have no idea what it is like to try and build a business and sustain a business through perimenopause. And all the advice out there is to just keep pushing, push through. So when we don't, and when we do listen to our bodies and we all we're forced to take the time off and step back, we then feel a lot of guilt around it. Why, you know, and we put ourselves down, why aren't you just pushing through? Why aren't you, look at you, you used to be able to do this if it was five years ago and all of this negative self-talk. Did you experience that?
Rachael Jackson: Yes, at the same time what I've also done is I'm able to switch off negative noise so if I don't feel that that noise is benefiting me in a positive manner, if it isn't supporting my business growth, if I'm not getting personal development or growth from it then I switch it off and I just don't let it in and that's when I talk about my strategies of how I look after myself so I switch the noise off but equally I have changed how I measure success. So yes, a profitable business is important, but the X of pounds isn't the number one driver for me anymore. Enjoyment is driver. The reward of enjoying what I do and who I mix with and who I do business and the results that they get are more important to me.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: from a personal reward and success measure. And yes, absolutely, I drive income. Yes, I drive a profitable business, but it's not all about the pounds anymore because I recognise now that ⁓ my is in a different place and I get satisfaction from other things rather than just the ⁓ cash at the end of it. So I think if you really focus on what success looks like for you, ⁓ because we were to ask many women, they don't necessarily start a business because they want to bring in X amount of pounds, they do it because they want flexibility, they want a better work-life balance, whether that's to look after children, whether it's to or take on a challenge, whatever that may be, there's different drivers for ⁓ and so I just measure it in a different manner now, my KPIs would look completely different.
Claire Bartlett: I love that. So there's two things I want to pick up from that. And one of them is that success. But I want to come back to that in a second, because how do you switch off the noise? Share your secrets, because that is something that so many women will not be able to do and they're being all consumed from them. So what's your advice in that area?
Rachael Jackson: So this may come down to the ADHD bit but for me are kind of in control of ourselves. for example we do most of our work through our phones these days, it goes everywhere with us but I don't have any notifications turned on. So if I am going to respond to emails I plan that time and that might be let's say it's 9 till 10 on Monday, that's my time for going into my emails and dealing with that.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: Equally, I have a time for on social media. I ⁓ plan my week and I have notifications turned off ⁓ that I am not dragged down a rabbit hole of I was doing this and now I'm doing that and I was going to do a LinkedIn post but I've seen this video and that's and it all spirals. It's so easy. I hear the same old stories but I just have discipline in terms of what I'm doing and when I'm doing it. But equally, you know, it's not just about the noise through your your phone, emails, whatsapps and social media is about who you surround yourself with. So I very quickly decide whether a relationship is going to be beneficial and when I say beneficial that doesn't mean leading to business, that means this is a person who is going to positively influence my life and my well-being that's a two-way thing, ⁓ ⁓ I am able to help support guide that person.
Claire Bartlett: Mm.
Rachael Jackson: not and it's not about having the volume of people it's about having the right people so I think it's just knowing what your triggers are and knowing where to just draw the line and cut it off.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, yeah, definitely about enrichment, isn't it? Enrichment in a two-way street. But what about the internal noise? What about the negative connotations, the negative speech? How do you close that off in your mind?
Rachael Jackson: for me for that I have I just have a real simple I say list but it's more visual for me of what are my successes and what am I aiming for so if my success ⁓ my goal let's say for a particular week is to be at a certain meeting or to achieve a certain goal or whatever it may be then I just have that in front of mine so I can look back and say well actually that was my goal and I've achieved it. So I think it's been really clear about the small bits because we focus on what we consider to be the end goal but actually it's what stepping stones have we put in place to get to the end goal. So if I've achieved those then well that's a success and I celebrate that and I think we spend too much time beating ourselves up and not being good enough and not enough time on focusing on, do you know what? I put lot of effort in and I've achieved that and the result was great because of
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: ⁓ And so I really try to focus on what did I achieve and what went well. And, you know, they can be tiny little things and they can be, you know, big celebrations as well.
Claire Bartlett: So it's very evidence-based with you. If you have the evidence in front of you, can say, it wasn't a failure because X, Y, and Z, and I've hit those goals.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, exactly. But equally, I think you have people around you who also are your cheerleaders and I think that's really important to have cheerleaders and not people who are just going to say, I don't know what, Claire, you're amazing. People who are going to be who are going to constructively support you and guide you to be the best version of yourself. And comes from within. That comes from being happy and with who you are and what you're doing and that you're enough.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: is enough, no matter what everyone else is doing.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, yeah, so true. going back to success, because we often have, you know, specific reasons why we go into a business, like you say, maybe it's flexibility, maybe it's just because we're really passionate about sharing ⁓ skills expertise or helping others. ⁓ But we reach the perimenopausal phase, very often, what we visualise for our lives and our business, what we deem as success, changes dramatically from what it was when we first went into business. started my first business when I was 30 years old, so over 10 years ago now. And what I expected and wanted at that point in my life is very different. My priorities are different. I want more time for myself and my family over financial gains, like you say. So of the key areas I work with with clients is understanding that and letting go those old... of success and their own old visualizations and giving them the, what's the word, this is the brain fog, the permission to give those goals away and set themselves new goals. ⁓ did find, I mean you've had your business for two years now, so do you find that your goals and success has changed in that time or has it been pretty stable for you?
Rachael Jackson: No, they've definitely changed and I think they've changed because when I started up I probably was for I probably went into the corporate mindset of this is this is how this is when this is a speed this is the execution and now I operate in a very different way. I'm much focused on productivity.
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: So it's not about the number of hours you put in, it's about how productive, how intentional with your time. And that for me is the biggest mindset shift. There's no point being a busy fool, it's a number one question. You're busy, I don't wanna be busy. I wanna be productive. So I think that shift is quite remarkable really, because a lot of women come from some form of corporate background.
Claire Bartlett: Yes. Yeah, I love that.
Rachael Jackson: and you are so institutionalized in terms of what good looks like from the hours we put in, from how we show up, that kind of stuff. And I just had to make a transition from that was the old world and this is how I show up as ⁓ ⁓ I don't have to be ⁓ else's version of what they want. I can be my version. ⁓ And I find that really comfortable because
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: I'm just me, you know, I don't have to be me in this world, I'm just me.
Claire Bartlett: I love that. mean, you are creating the world. And this is the thing as entrepreneurs, we create that, that world and that division and how we're going to work and how when we bring team in, if we bring teams in, we get to understand the culture and create that culture as well. So ⁓ I that you've stepped away from that corporate regimented mindset, but like you say, a lot of us do go into business having and finally of being able to give that up and release that. that control element and just allow yourself to be you is amazing. I'm so pleased to hear that. And I think it's really important for everyone to be able to understand that in themselves.
Rachael Jackson: You know it is about confidence isn't it and I'm sure Claire you hear all the time you know I'm not sure I don't want to sell myself or you know how do I show up well just show up and be you because that's what people buy into
Claire Bartlett: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And the confidence is so impacted at this stage, I think a lot of women struggle to show up as themselves. I think there's a lot of confusion actually at this point of, ⁓ who am I? ⁓ again, that leads into the ADHD and the other late diagnosis that happened at this point, because we are discovering who we actually are. If you take away all of ⁓ labels, the mum, the wife, the friend, the corporate career,
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: drivenly, like all of these things that we've been up to this point. But if you take all of that away, actually, who are we and how are we wanting to show up in the world? And it's a journey. And I think it can be quite difficult for some people, especially when you've then lost the confidence. There's a lot of self doubt that's built into it. But if you're kind and generous to yourself throughout that process, it's so powerful and so freeing to open up and say, actually,
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: mask is off this is who I am if you don't like it you know and
Rachael Jackson: And you know, thing is Claire, to a degree we're our almost enemies because we are the ones that apply the pressure, we are the ones who apply the expectation and yes, a lot of that is driven by what we see around us. But actually, if we stop and step back and say, this is what I want to achieve and this is by when and be really realistic about that, then it doesn't matter what everyone else is doing. You know, if you want three clients or
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: 33 clients or whatever that may be. That's your goal and you go after it in your world. It doesn't matter how many clients the next person is getting because they're a different person with a different model and it's just about being true to what you want I think.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, 100%. One of the things I see, which actually is one of the things I love the most is when someone comes to me and I ask what their goals are and their vision, you know, working on it. Actually, at this point, it's not always about scaling and growth and earning more money. It's about sustaining the income that we have, but working less hours to achieve it. And that is such a beautiful goal. Let's keep that income that you're used to that's sustainable and you're happy with, but let's free up some of your life so you can go and live it and experience life.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: ⁓ And for me, that's one of the most beautiful goals when people come to me with that. it proves that they're breaking free of societal pressures and expectations. I think that's brilliant.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah and that's really interesting actually because I first set up I'd something that I hadn't realised was really valuable so not my salary or the pension or the car but I'd lost my identity ⁓ and I hadn't ⁓ realised value of that until it was gone and so one of my early goals was just to have an identity back again of who I was but equally I didn't really know who I was because I've been so used to being
Claire Bartlett: Mm-hmm.
Rachael Jackson: this corporate version of myself that that well who am I and what do I do? It like mind-blowing.
Claire Bartlett: Yeah, it's such a transition to go through. And actually, there's a lot of grief that happens when we leave corporate, corporate world, because you've been that person since probably left, you know, college or university, you've been on this path, always chasing the next, know, progression of that career ladder, and the next promotion. So actually, when you step away from it, and people don't see it coming, they think this is great, right, I'm done.
Rachael Jackson: Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: and then the next morning they wake up and suddenly you don't have to get dressed, you don't have to leave the house if you don't want to, you might have a school run, but suddenly you don't have anyone to answer to and it's a real transition and people massively underestimate that. ⁓
Rachael Jackson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah and it is because you know we all spend our time filling time we just do it with different things but when you are suddenly gifted this time and you're unprepared for it you know after the honeymoon period wears off you're in this world of do I do and how do I use it and I a very structured and very routine person but then you take that corporate world away and it's
Claire Bartlett: Yeah.
Rachael Jackson: ⁓ What do I do? I want to do everything. don't know what's more important. Should I be having fun? Should I be going for a walk? Should I be getting fit? Should I be driving a business? It's... Yeah. It's funny. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: crazy, isn't it? But just giving yourself the freedom and the space and time to it out and do a bit of this and a bit of that and not throw yourself all into one thing and you just replacing the corporate world for something else then. It's about having a balance, isn't it? ⁓ Rachael, thank you so much for joining me today. I've really, really enjoyed the conversation and thank you so much for being so honest and vulnerable with us and really sharing your story.
Rachael Jackson: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Claire Bartlett: If people want to connect with you, find out more about women in business potentially, where can they find you? Where's the best place?
Rachael Jackson: So LinkedIn is the best place, I do everything on LinkedIn. So yeah, Rachael Jackson on LinkedIn is the place to find me.
Claire Bartlett: And that's Rachael with an AEL at the end. Rachael, I will put all of the ⁓ in the show notes for everyone as well. But thank you so much again for joining us. ⁓ thank you to the listeners for listening this episode. And I will see you all next week. Take care.
Rachael Jackson: It is, just to be awkward. Thank you, Claire.
