Blog November 3, 2017

We recently sat down with the Melbourne-based author and entrepreneur Natalie Cossar to discuss how she practices courage in her life, what the 6Weeks2Startup course was like and advice on how to overcome fear

In 1999, Natalie Cossar was in the crossroads of her career. After years of working with global corporations, she finally considered quitting to pursue her dream of starting a business. When she consulted a mentor about this plan, she was immediately crushed. “That’s not a good idea. It’s too hard. I don’t recommend you do it,” the mentor said.

Natalie, disheartened, thought about the comment and realized that it was unfair to be told something like that without alternatives or a logical reason. Despite this initial setback, she did what she wanted to do. That very first step – having the courage – to go beyond negativity, act against those who threaten, and accomplish good things is exactly what inspired Natalie at that critical point of her life.

“We All Have 10 Seconds…”

Today, Natalie’s mission is to empower people to be more confident and improve their personal and professional development. She’s the author of ’10 Seconds of Courage’, a book offering smart, quick and easy tips to presenting and taking on speaking engagements whether they be keynotes, interviews or one-on-one conversations. This book is a culmination of her many years of experience being the youngest female instructor for Dale Carnegie’s training organization to offering advice to clients for decades.

Asked what are the best tips from the book, Natalie said, “First, recognize the negative voice and decide what to do with it. One thing that we talked about in the book is a character called ‘NIV’, the negative inner voice, the voice in all of us that comes uninvited, impolite, intrusive and negative. If NIV is saying to me, I can’t do it, then I might simply rephrase it with, “I’m going to give it a go or I’ve got this.”

She adds another popular tip, a 10-second breathing exercise. “When we recognize that we’re in a situation that is not making us feel good, one that’s causing us to feel anxious, nervous or uncomfortable, we can simply press the ‘pause’ button. Stop. Take a few deep, slow breaths and say a mindful mantra. When we breathe in, we think the words, “I am…” When we breathe out, we think a new positive word. It might be, “I am relaxed,” “I am confident,” “I am ready.” We all have 10 seconds to do this.

A Transformational Experience

Despite two decades of experience running her business, Natalie still felt the stress, anxiety, and loneliness that were very common to entrepreneurs. So in early 2017, she enrolled in the 6Weeks2Startup program. One of the main reasons she liked the course was because of its compact length. “It seemed like a no-brainer,” she said, but what she got out of it was much more.

One of the very first things the course discussed was knowing your “Why,” based on Simon Sinek’s self-help book that encourages business leaders to find authenticity by focusing on their company’s purpose. “When I first learned about it, I realized that I better sit down to figure it out. I’ve always known my ‘Why’, but it was better to be crystal about it.” The result was being able to position herself and business in a quicker and more thoughtful way.

There were also very dark times in Natalie’s days that felt lonely and stressful. Since enrolling in the course, she found the ongoing, supportive community a refuge. She would log in to the private Facebook community or access the course materials in her own time. “I learned from everyone in class – enthusiasm from those just starting out and motivation from those who had some experience. They helped me reflect on what I’ve done and what I still need to do. It’s a community. We are here for each other. It’s a fantastic forum.” One of the best parts was having Startup2Life.com founder Anna C. Mallon as a mentor and advocate. “I would get emails like, ‘When can we meet?’ ‘Are you ready for the…?’ Anna pushed my buttons a few times, and that’s exactly what I needed!”

Her completion of the 6Weeks2Startup program came at the perfect time. Right now, she’s consolidating her business and planning to expand her work to target teenagers. While doing all these, Natalie is passionate about helping individuals and groups in finding solitude and doable strategies to facing difficulties. In her work, she’s able to manage and understand her business better after taking the 6Weeks2Startup course, where she has a supportive, ongoing community and access to business-building resources to last a lifetime.

If you’re looking for support, guidance, and focused mentorship, we are now accepting applications to our 6-week Startup2Life online course.

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