Congratulations! You’re a qualified Mindfulness and Compassion teacher, and ready to share mindfulness with the world, all you need now is people to teach! Finding clients and getting people booked onto your courses can feel a bit daunting – especially if this is your first experience of self-employment and self-promotion.
In this short article, I will share 6 ways to open doors to help you find clients, but before you start any type of effective marketing, you need to get really clear on who you are talking to and how you will help them. I’ve created a worksheet to help you do this – see the end of the article for how to access it.
Once you’re clear on who you are talking to, here are some strategies to help you grow your business and open doors to new opportunities.
Build an online presence.
Social media (Instagram, Linked In, Facebook) is a powerful way to reach people. Create a content plan and be as consistent as possible. Your content can include tips on how to live mindfully, the benefits of mindfulness, you can share mini-meditations, short talks or quotes or poems. There are a number of great accounts to follow for tips on how to build your following (message me for my faves). Just remember, when you’re posting to always include a call to action, whether that is to book onto a course, join a waiting list, follow your account or join your mailing list.
Collaborate.
Think about your ideal customer and what else they might be into. For example, if you were targeting mid-life women, consider other areas of their life that they may be investing in, e.g. nutrition, menopause support, exercise, parenting support. Create a list of businesses in your local area that are targeting the same group of people and get in touch to offer a free introductory talk to their clients or write a guest blog for their website or do something on social media together. Collaboration in this way opens new audiences to you and your service.
Network.
Have a look for networking events in your local community – there will be lots! Not only will you meet potential collaborators, and customers, you will meet other business owners who could be a great source of support for you. If networking feels a bit daunting, rather than focussing on talking about yourself, focus on talking about Mindfulness and the benefits. This detachment has helped a number of my clients feel more confident with networking. Also, try and find events that connect with you and your values. You can also join events where you know your target market may be. For example, Local Wellbeing events. Take some fliers and talk to people about Mindfulness and what you offer.
Leverage your existing network.
It always surprises me how many of my clients are not leveraging the amazing connections they already have. I get it, but there are ways that you can do this that don’t feel ick! A great place to start is to write a big long list of everyone you know. Include people you may not have spoken to for many years. Include friends of friends, previous employers, colleagues past and present, friends of friends. Then make some decisions about who you’re going to reach out to for a coffee and a catch up. It doesn’t have to be a hard sell, but I can guarantee they’ll be interested in what you’re up to.
Position yourself as an Expert in the field.
You know more about Mindfulness and Meditation than a lot of people out there. Don’t be afraid to feel confident about that. One great way to establish yourself as an Expert in your field and gain clients is to be a Podcast guest. Get listening to ones that are relevant to your market and get in touch with the hosts to be a guest. Podcast hosts are keen as mustard to have guests!
Offer Free Taster Sessions.
This is a great way to give people a chance to dip their toe in before investing. Ensure that you provide some value, but also don’t give too much away. The key here is ensuring that you collect email addresses and permission to email them after the session. Doing something like this ahead of launching a course is a great idea as you can offer a small discount to those attending the taster session. Do make sure that you follow up – on average it takes 7-11 touch points before someone will buy!
Now’s the time to make those small steps to feeling ready to launch, and we hope the tips above will help. Good luck. You have totally got this!
Introducing Tracey Butcher:
Tracey is a MindfulnessUK graduate and has been teaching Mindfulness via courses and in the corporate space since 2020. She gained her coaching diploma and now offers coaching to help and support people who want to launch their own businesses or make big changes to their lives.
Did you know that only 7% of British men are comfortable discussing their health issues openly? Men’s Health Week aims to change that by raising awareness of health concerns that affect men disproportionately.
This year, MindfulnessUK is proud to partner with Alex Cunningham and special guests Loti Nambombe, Mohammed A. Mamaniat and Chris Robilliard in a session dedicated to men’s health, that will look at the best tools and influences as learned through the panel’s lived experience, and discuss some of the many bumps along the way.
In this powerful webinar, we will look at what role mindfulness and being more mindful in daily life have to play in this journey, how to make this valuable work approachable and accessible and share practical tips, and discuss the importance of creating a safe space for men to talk about their mental health. There will also be a Q&A session to address any questions you may have.
🔒 Please note that this is a men’s only event, open to anyone who identifies as male. We want to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all participants. However, we will share a recording of the session for those who are interested in learning more about Men’s Health (rest assured, we do not record personal questions or information).
Join us for this FREE webinar about men’s mental health
Alex Cunningham is a renowned wellbeing trainer, mindfulness and compassion teacher, and a facilitator of true story workshops and events. With a background in sales, he discovered his true passion lies in helping individuals embrace their uniqueness while recognizing their shared experiences with others.
Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to engage in an important conversation surrounding men’s health. Register now to secure your spot! 👇
Want to attend more events like Mindfulness for Men?Join the MindfulnessUK Community to get exclusive access to events, resources and sitting groups.
Tips and Strategies for Turning Your Mindfulness Side Hustle into the Main Event
Mindfulness teaching can be a rewarding and fulfilling career, helping others to manage stress, anxiety, and other challenges. Many mindfulness teachers start their teaching journey as a side hustle while working in other jobs, but with dedication and effort, it’s possible to turn this side hustle into a full-time career.
Here are some tips to help you turn your mindfulness teaching side hustle into a successful career:
1. Set Clear Goals
The first step in turning your mindfulness teaching side hustle into a career is to set clear goals. Think about where you want to be in two, five or ten years, and what steps you need to take to get there.
For example, you may need to invest in further training or certification, increase your teaching hours, or develop your marketing skills. Setting clear goals will help you stay focused and motivated as you work towards building a successful mindfulness teaching career.
2. Develop Your Skills
To establish yourself as a reputable mindfulness teacher, it’s important to invest in your skills and knowledge. Consider taking advanced mindfulness training programs, attending workshops, or seeking mentorship from experienced teachers.
Developing your skills will not only improve your teaching abilities but also help you stand out in a competitive marketplace and attract more clients.
3. Create a Business Plan
A successful mindfulness teaching career requires a solid business plan. This includes identifying your target audience, developing a marketing strategy, and creating a budget for your business.
Consider creating a website or social media profile to promote your services, as well as developing a pricing strategy and plan for growth. A solid business plan will help you stay organised and focused as you work towards building a successful mindfulness teaching career.
4. Invest in Your Business
As you build your mindfulness teaching career, it’s important to invest in your business to maximise your potential for success. This includes investing in marketing, networking, and continuing education.
One way to invest in your business is by taking a business development e-course, such as this one offered by MindfulnessUK. This course provides you with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and grow your mindfulness teaching practice.
Turning your mindfulness teaching side hustle into a successful career requires dedication, effort, and a solid business plan. By investing in your skills, creating a business plan, and continuing to learn and grow, you can establish yourself as a reputable and successful mindfulness teacher.
To take your career to the next level, consider purchasing MindfulnessUK’s Business Development e-course. This course provides you with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and grow your mindfulness teaching practice. Click here to learn more and purchase the e-course today.
Stepping out of autopilot and a cortisol fuelled existence and embracing every aspect of reality has truly transformed my life. Prior to finding mindfulness and beginning the practice I worked as part of the senior leadership team in a large, tough inner city secondary comprehensive school, a school located in one of the most deprived areas in the UK. In my last year at the school, I saw both colleagues and pupils present symptoms of stress. On reflection my SNS (sympathetic nervous system) was constantly triggered, and I could only plot myself at the extreme end of the stress-performance curve.
Most days I maintained a positive external relationship with both students and staff, but internally my thoughts were often negative and often inaccurate. Some days I just about managed to keep myself together whilst holding agenda driven discussions with people at all levels of the organisation, but once the office door was closed, I found myself in a sorry heap at my desk.
After doing 12-hour days I regularly arrived home frazzled, conversations with both friends and family were dominated by work, and the next Ofsted visit. I found it difficult to remember what friends and family had said during a conversation and I found myself sending constant reminders to myself just to remember the basics. I truly was a remarkable actress and my decision to leave the school came as a massive shock to all across the organisation. My loved ones simply rejoiced!
How mindfulness really did change my life.
I write this article almost a year after I made the tough decision to leave and I feel a warm glow throughout my body. Through self-reflection and studying mindfulness and compassion I have come to recognise that being in the present, stopping the constant negative rumination and appreciating the small things in life enables us to be fully aware, not just of ourselves, but of all we come into contact with. By being aware and allowing the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) to take a major role in my life I am now in a position to have open, enriched conversations, where instead of dominating the conversation I often just set my intention to whole-heartily listen to the other person. Yes, set my intention, I’m on a journey, but I’m not quite there just yet.
As I look back, I can see that my distorted negative thoughts fuelled conversations with friends, and we would both find ourselves getting embroiled in a downward spiral. Conversations held with close family members often became quite heated as I projected my low mood and toxic nervous energy onto my nearest and dearest. Emotional reactivity has been replaced with mindful pauses and an ability to start regulating my emotions. Yes, there are relapses, but these are now relapses and not the norm.
I’m a great fan of the 3-step breathing space, it gives me the space I need to respond mindfully in potential stressful situations. Just simply grounding my feet and taking a breath is often all I need to avoid being reactive, which I find diffuses the most difficult of conversations.
Introducing self-reflection and compassion into my toolbox for life has been truly enlightening. As I let go of past negative relationships and bring my awareness to what that person might have actually been going through at the time, I’m healing. Being compassionate to others throughout everyday is actually helping me to avoid having those negative relationships in the first place.
To truly cultivate mindfulness both in ourselves and others I now accept will take years, it’s a journey, but I’m going to enjoy the ride. Before embarking on the mindfulness voyage, I would never have got into the car or cooked a meal without the latest tunes blasting, now I feel life is my signature tune. I still appreciate listening to music when friends are over or when the children are in the car, but much to their dismay I’d prefer a mindful conversation.
Taking my daughter shopping has changed dramatically as now I take the time to control my responses and overall behaviour, patience is most definitely a virtue I’m starting to develop.
Mindfulness and Compassion go hand in hand.
Reading research on ‘Self-Compassion’ has been pivotal and thinking ‘is that kind?’ is a wonderful way to question our behaviour both to ourselves and to others. This has really helped me develop self-compassion, that and the wonderful Kirsten Neff from Self Compassion.
When reflecting on my practice, the major turning point for me was incorporating 30 minutes of mindful walking into my day whilst on holiday. Before mindfulness I would never have got up at 7.30am every morning on holiday and gone for a walk. A walk without headphones, just simply to appreciate the surroundings! This simple change has been transformational both physically and mentally. I now walk every morning for at least 30 minutes, and I’ve promised myself to do my upmost to incorporate this into my daily routine no matter how hectic life may get. Walking gives me time to be self-compassionate, it’s time for me, and it gives me time to be present, to just simply observe life without making a judgement. It’s also developing my resilience; I actually feel an inner strength and it sets the tone for a calmer day ahead.
Being self-compassionate and giving myself time to practice and develop my mindfulness skills is not only enriching my life, but my relationships with everyone around me. I even find myself questioning my own thoughts; is that kind? Could there be an alternative explanation? Being less judgemental, setting my intention to be kind and appreciating all I have in life are all fruits of mindfulness and on reflection I can now see the seeds of this fruit dispersed throughout my relations with others.
Using all I learnt on the IMC Qualification to influence health and well-being in the education sector.
After successfully graduating from the Integrated Mindfulness and Compassion Qualification by MindfulnessUKin October 2017, as a qualified teacher of mindfulness and compassion, I was on a mission to fully utilise all the skills I’d acquired from over the last two decades in the world of education and devise a comprehensive ‘Mindfulness for Life Tool Box’.
Mindfulness has truly transformed my life and I felt ready to share the fruits of the practice with organisations, individuals, and schools in order to alleviate the negative effects of stress and improve emotional health and well-being.
Practising mindfulness, not only gave me the confidence to set up my own company, Mindful Me Health and Well-Being, but also unleashed within me a creativity, enabling me to craft a programme (which became known as my Mindfulness For Life Tool Box) that was accessible and impactful for people.
Up until March 2020, I supported individuals, through Mindful Mates (a programme I designed for couples and small groups of friends), Organisations and Schools to cultivate their very own skills of mindfulness. The impact of the practice has been so far reaching, from enabling an amazing Y11 student to take control of her anxiety to such an extent she felt empowered to return to GCSEs and achieve success in every single one of them, to a new mum using her newfound skills to completely take the heat out of the bedtime routine, which resulted in a calm, happy baby and an even calmer, happier mummy who was no longer sleep deprived.
Bringing mindfulness into the workplace has enabled colleagues to step off life’s merry-go-round, creating time for them to plan and prioritise and allowing them the space to respond rather than react, which has led to healthier and more effective relationships.
The biggest impact of mindfulness was when teaching children.
I saw mindfulness having the biggest impact whilst I was teaching children in Y5 & 6. They not only religiously practised their techniques each week and completed their investigation journals, but in many cases, they also got their whole family involved.
The weekly feedback sessions were filled with fascinating applications of the STOP practice and the 3-Step, and tales of how the techniques had helped avoid playground altercations. This also led to others opting for mindful family discussions opposed to their daily technology fix. I’d read the research on the benefits of the practice for the education sector but seeing it first-hand and hearing how they put their techniques into practice whilst preparing for one of their biggest transitions in life was truly remarkable.
Hearing the children speak so maturely and with passion about ways in which they can stay calm and focussed and being greeted by their teachers’ feedback on how their concentration levels had improved was music to my ears.
Many people have asked me – What was the catalyst for my book? These moments described above were the catalyst. I felt compelled to reach out to even more primary schools to share with them the power of mindfulness to, ultimately, increase social mobility, by supporting young people and the people who care for them to become mentally stronger.
However, when I wrote the script in February 2020, little did we know what was just around the corner. With the lockdown restrictions initially putting a halt to my delivery I pressed fast forward on my book!
Seeing the importance of mindfulness for children led me to writing a book and creating the Parachute Project.
Moban and Sky, written by Bernie Leonard
Moban and Sky’s Mindful Adventure, is an illustrated guide with a series of seven mindfulness techniques. The book is specifically designed for parents and teachers to support children at home and in the classroom, helping primary aged children become more calm, confident and in control of their emotions.
This new book also forms part of a wider education project called ‘Parachute’ which I put in place to support primary schools across the UK to promote positive mental well-being in children. The programme enables pupils to have a very strong understanding of how to recognise and deal with mental health problems such as stress. It also offers pupils strategies and support to protect their own mental health and develop their resilience.
Parachute, which can be delivered as part of the PSHE curriculum, equips teachers with an imaginative resource which secures pupil’s’ interest and active participation. The package includes, a short-animated film, a series of videos, a class set of the book and downloadable, time saving teaching and learning resources. A nominated teacher will also receive online training from me, to support the programme.
You can take a sneak peek at my animation to support the book and the primary programme here.
As I sign off in May 2021, my ten fingers of gratitude are almost worn out, over the last year I’ve seen my book being published, my characters come to life in an amazing animation and over the last week ‘Moban and Sky’ have appeared in three classrooms across the UK and are already starting to make a positive impact on the well-being of our young people, as part of my Parachute Project.
I love wildlife programmes and constantly marvel at how the amazing advances in camera and optical technology, when combined with the skill, patience and deep understanding of camera men and women, can bring the beauty and elusive natural world into our homes. It has never been so easy for us to witness the raw splendour of nature, at once magnificent and gentle, yet red in tooth and claw, and humbly recognise and understand our place and responsibility as the only humanoid species currently extant on this unique planet.
It has also never been so easy for us to witness the devastation that we as a species have inflicted upon our oceans, forests and formerly pristine wilderness areas in the pursuit of power, convenience and commercial gain.
Here then is, as they say, the rub. How can we celebrate our beautiful planet without becoming anxious or depressed about the systematic destruction of its biomes and habitats, and their startling diversity of flora and fauna?
There is a deluge of information and imagery that continually alerts us to the real and perceived dangers of our individual and collective mismanagement of the environment. As meditators and teachers, it is important to be aware of how we react to all this information.
Once, whilst riding upstairs on a bus travelling through central London and discussing the environmental crisis with my adult son and his friends, I was, as a child of the 60’s held to account along with my generation, for much of what was wrong with the world in the twenty first century.
Of course, the Climate Crisis is far too complex to be blamed on a single generation or even individuals who hold power.
However, self-blame, inadequacy and guilt are common emotions that rise in response to the Climate Crisis. Feeling guilt is to be aware of wrongdoing but the emotion doesn’t have to be self-incriminating, negatively tying us into a virtual past from which we are unable to step forward and act.
Wholesome remorse can allow us to really feel grief around our species actions with gentleness and humility. To mindfully change our behaviour and take action to protect our planet, our home, in whatever ways we, as individuals feel able.
Kaira Jewel Lingo1 suggests, ‘Self-compassion in particular is a tool of climate resilience that can help us meet the pain of eco-anxiety and climate tragedy’.
Clearly, we cannot ignore what is happening to our planet and anger nor guilt will not stop what has already started.
Perhaps we should be wary of dwelling in a ‘present moment bubble’ when we practice. Through compassion for self and others, including all beings and our environment, we have an opportunity to reach out, to accept what we have done and in so doing, begin to mediate change.
We should try to remember that nothing can change until it is faced and accepted, and that often denial is our first response to loss, or the overwhelming reality and grief of what is happening around us and to us.
Clearly then, the task ahead of us all is to make a deep and honest self-appraisal of this global situation, and work without guilt or self-blame, understanding that over time our practice of compassionate mindful awareness can support the emergence of a new human story.
1 Befriending Eco-Anxiety: A Practice of Adaptation -Kaira Jewel Lingo
At this time of year, the question,” What is the perfect present to give the ones we love?” is never far from our mind. In search of something for my mum, I hit the shops; the packed shelves heaved with gift sets; the jewellery stores with the promise of love delivered with a shiny stone and the colourful jumpers guaranteed to keep us warm and cosy. Christmas overloads our senses: Garlands and Christmas trees, chocolate and cheese, all (somehow) delivering a message that we need to do this or buy that in order to have what we desire and make the ones we love happy.
We all know in a deep place inside us that these ‘things’ do not give us happiness. It has been shown, and we can feel it if we listen to ourselves, that the anticipation of buying something or receiving something materialistic is far greater than the actual acquisition. Our mindfulness practice gives us this knowledge, but it is easily dulled by tinsel and cake!
There was a time that I would be in those shops with my mum and as I walk around those same places now I know the best present I could ever receive would be for her to able to do that with me again. My mum has dementia and her health and memory have steadily deteriorated over the last year and it is so easy, and I am so aware, that my mind will drift to how I would like things to be rather than how they are. Sometimes, I liken the life I have now to feeling as though I am in a parallel universe. I am being coerced along this unknown, treacherous path and alongside me is another path that is soft and inviting and with the guaranteed destination of happiness. I am easily seduced as I have a powerful imagination!
My mindfulness practice has allowed me the possibility of acceptance and the deep pain I suffer as I watch my mother’s health and memory deteriorate is lessened by compassion. So, at this time of year, when I search for the perfect present, I know that, really, it is already with me. Happiness is not just laughter and our memory does not necessarily make us who we are. Love is not something that can be bought but it must be noticed. Being Mindful has allowed me the possibility of sitting with emotions both painful and joyful, both pleasant and unpleasant (and rarely neutral). Knowing there is a possibility of befriending these feelings and welcoming these emotions has allowed me to cultivate compassion in a way that has evolved alongside the changing relationship with my mum.
Christmas is a season where we like to give presents as well as receive them, but sometimes we can glimpse this time as just being another moment when we can practice compassion. Why is this time any different from any other time? The truth is it isn’t. Living with Mindfulness allows us the possibility of being with heartfelt gratitude and compassion for what ever arises and whatever happens and as I search for the perfect present to give to my mum, I know the perfect present is time and it is already here. Time, and another moment to spend with my mum, to just sit and listen to her and be with her because I know that this time, right now is the best gift of all.
Introducing Tracey Butcher:
