Celebrating Joana: Co-founder and Partner in Corporate Investigations with a young family
“I didn’t expect that so much could be changed! I have an incredibly busy life. I have a busy job. A busy family life. I am a busy person. I am probably not less busy now, but I feel I have more time! And if someone told me this before, for me it would have been YES, I’ll take it!” Joana
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
Hi, welcome. It’s Gitanjali here from High Definition You and I am speaking with the wonderful Joana. Hi, Joana, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and your story, what you do in your business, and in the world?
Joana
My name is Joana. I am a co-founder of a corporate investigations firm in London. I’ve been a corporate investigator for the past 15 years. So, it’s something that I’m deeply passionate about and it culminated in this project with two other partners of setting up our own very specialist firm, just over three and a half years ago.
Currently, we employ 18 people. So, it’s a growing and thriving business. But you know, we all, like all businesses, have hiccups. And myself, like all executives, definitely have my hiccups too.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
Amazing. And tell me a little bit about what your life looked like and felt like before we started working together, what were you struggling with? Why did you feel like you need help?
Joana
I think probably the first thing was, stress-related, stress-induced, you know, the work is incredibly high paced, high pitched, and, and very encompassing, I also have a young family. And I felt that at times, I was maybe taking time for one or the other in order to be essentially making up for time lost.
The stress of having to manage all of these different facets of my life was definitely a first. The second one is probably the lack of recognition. And I think I raised this with you at the beginning. And it’s not just the work, you know, I think when you’re sort of heading up, you’re your own firm, you know, you’re not getting appraisals, you’re not getting reviews, the stuff you’re getting is from your clients, but you sort of enjoy them for a really small period of time, it’s you, they come in, and then you forget about them straight away.
And it’s the same thing with sometimes recognition from the team, you know, so even my younger team, I was struggling and feeling that I was creating that impact. Um, and I guess, you know, these two sorts of constantly made me feel like I was stepping on my thoughts and stepping on my toes. I consider myself relatively proactive, I’m calm, but I’m determined. But I always felt like my thoughts were sort of ahead of me, and I was just not enjoying the moment.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
And did any resistance come up for you, when you were thinking about committing to this program with us to saying, yes,
Joana
Not really, it’s not like I felt I was at a tipping point, but I had been reflecting upon, and I’d spoken to people close to me about engaging in coaching. And, at the time, it was really more about finding the right person. I would have started it even before, but I just hadn’t really found the right person.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
And what’s changed for you since we’ve been working together for three months now? What does life look and feel like, you know, what’s different?
Joana
I think the first thing to say is that these processes really take their time, but for me, one of the real basic changes that I see is that I am trusting my instinct a lot more. And, and I, you know, whenever there is a decision to make, I definitely look at what my instinct says, and you know, to quote you, you know, what, where’s my piccolo for you will explain all of this.
And the second thought that I keep having is I found myself saying this to my husband yesterday, which was phenomenal, which was not outsourcing my wellbeing. I do consciously think about the reactions that I am having to a specific situation and thinking why is that having an impact on me? Should it have an impact on me?
And that has really changed how I perceive what’s coming towards me and how I’m using it to essentially help me move forward. And, and then, and this kind of leads into what I think I’ve already told you, pretty much my favourite thing about coaching is this wonderful concept of just getting these thoughts out, and whenever they do come in just allowing them enough time. They need to be there because they are there at times these negative thoughts, these fears, these vulnerabilities, etc.
But to just allow the mountain at that moment. And then the final thing, which I think is really exciting, and it’s definitely something that I relish in doing a lot more as the celebration of myself and celebration of what’s coming towards me, which I definitely did not take enough time to recognise and to appreciate and, and to live with.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
And how’s all of that benefited you as a leader and in your business?
Joana
The first area is really in terms of my day to day contact in my day to day life with my team. I get a greater understanding as well of where they stand, in order to also develop my own strategy.
In terms of time management, it’s been hugely impactful, because I’ve discovered, of course, has to do with lockdown as well, because we are all home, and we are all having to live and work and love and eat, everything in the same space. And defining when work time starts and work time ends and family time starts and ends becomes a lot more difficult because life is just more fluid.
So this has just allowed me to at times just recognise that I’ve got a very productive time in the evening, for example, and that maybe during the afternoon, I can take my kids out for a cycle, I can enjoy their company, they can enjoy my company, and it’s just allowed me a lot more breathing space.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
I’ve certainly seen that, that sense of being more in control of your emotions through that process and happier. And, you know, you mentioned your husband already, there’s a connection isn’t there between, you know, you as a leader, and then you as a leader in your own family life as well.
Joana
Absolutely, you can’t associate them because, I don’t go to work and stop having kids and I don’t have kids and stop having work, you know, so there’s an intrinsic connection between the two. But then also, I will add, as you will know, I’ve had this third area in my life that’s just popped up, and I’ve just had projects of my own.
And this is something that I think one of the first objectives that we had, for my coaching sessions was, I really wanted a hobby, which wasn’t my family, you know, doing family photos, or cooking or, all valid stuff. But I wanted my own project.
So I’ve engaged I’m already on my second kind of project around our house, which is exciting to find the time to be dedicating the mental space as well, to something without feeling the pressure that I have to be there with my kids, or that I have to be at work, just that me time, which is perfectly okay to have.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
And what was the moment that took me to the moment when you knew that the coaching was working?
Joana
I think the moment I recognise (I think I raised this with you at the time), it was work-related but I’ve even seen it in other facets of life. So I’ve seen it both with my family and with myself and projects. The moment where I saw it turning was, about a month and a half in, where I had to quite consciously say, I’m going to have this deadline to be sending this off, it was a report to a client and tomorrow’s bank holiday and I want to enjoy my bank holiday.
I don’t want to be working over the weekend and quite consciously taking that decision. And setting myself that deadline for the report to go out which was not a report I would have probably worked a lot the old me would have probably worked a lot more on that.
But to what benefits I’m having my weekend is having a little bit, the better language or having to make another point that maybe we could have made on a call. And so that for me was being able to do that being able to just, click PDF and click send and getting very positive feedback from the client and getting positive feedback from the team who I also didn’t make work on weekends, so I think that that was the first moment.
So there I sort of saw it as he was not being careless, but definitely caring less. But still, my investment was there because it was there throughout the process. And I felt I respected my team more as well by keeping that output also closer to what they had sent me. And I had my weekend and my bank holiday.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
Hat-trick! And what was it about the way that we work together that’s allowed you to get these results?
Joana
The first thing is that empathy is really key, and I feel trust in you and empathy towards me for who I am and how I am. There are things where we might be alike, but there’s the feeling that there’s a mutual understanding and a relationship that builds.
The other side is, is my reflection time, I know, it’s more positive. I definitely tended to be analysing the negative, I’d be looking at thinking about a conversation, a phone call, the reports and email, and then just be thinking about the Oh, my God, oh, my. And now definitely, I’m thinking more about wasn’t that awesome?
There’s a real shift in how the brain works and in how my brain has started to work. And it’s not done yet, because I definitely still have moments where I go, oh…. I definitely still have those moments. But it’s more positive reflection time, or the tone of my reflection, which has changed?
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
What’s really surprised you or delighted you about this coaching process?
Joana
I’m surprised and delighted by different things. By the surprise, the delighted is probably seeing the change, and I think is seeing the change. I don’t know about my team, I don’t really ask them.
My husband was telling me the other day that he actually felt that I had changed as well in these past three months, you know, visibly my demeanor at home. I’m really delighted about that, because I think it’s better for me as well, ultimately, and I didn’t think about myself all too much before.
I still do think a lot about others and how others are feeling but I definitely focus more on how I’m feeling about a situation.
And, and in terms of the surprise, I didn’t expect that so much could be changed. I started this process thinking, things are really good.
Probably in our first session, I thought, things are good, don’t worry about it, and you realise that they can actually be much better! It’s not that they were bad, but they can be so much better…
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
If someone’s watching this right now, and they’re considering taking that step investing in themselves, working together with me, in this coaching program, what advice would you give that person that’s being inspired by your story right now?
Joana
Finding the right person is really key and finding the right connection, the right personality as well. And, between us, that’s, that’s really worked. And I think between you and a lot of people, it works because I find you very adaptable. I’ve seen you in other contexts as well with other people. And so I think that’s definitely the first piece of advice.
The second… I don’t say that I was at a tipping point, which I sort of see maybe as having a breakdown. But then we never know how close we are to that, you know, it’s sort of one day just happens and you can get out of bed. And thankfully, I’ve never been in that situation.
But I would say not to wait until you are in that situation. Because the process of change can be so positive as well. And, I think about my story with you, I think about all of these improvements have been improvements both for myself and for others that I interact with. And so it’s not waiting for that.
And I think the preparation to be kinder to yourself, that’s a really good thing because we’re on this earth for a very limited amount of time. If we’re going to be nasty to ourselves, I doubt that we’ll be able to be good to other people as well. Just being kinder to us. Being prepared for that is good.
The final point is, I have an incredibly busy life. I have a busy job. I have a busy family life. I am busy. I am a busy person. It’s not like I feel less busy now, with all the adaptations I have experienced. I probably won’t. But I feel I have more time. If someone had told me this before, I would have said, Yes! I’ll take it, I’ll buy it.
This concept of time is something that’s really recurrent for everybody. I wish I had more hours in my day. And right now, I genuinely feel I have more hours in my day. Sometimes they’re even hours. I don’t know what to do with it. That’s definitely a positive change.
Gitanjali – High Definition You Coach
Amazing. Thank you so much. I’ve seen such a change in you already. And you know how much I love working with you and I love you. So thank you so much for sharing.
Joana
I really appreciate it and I’m really delighted to tell the story. And to help anybody take that step because it’s a step worth taking.