Inspiration

What a pleasure it was talking with Helen Calvert, owner of business support company Clear Day, The No bullsh*t Coach and podcast extraordinaire. Helen is an inspiring and empowering leader with a positive, direct and can-do attitude. Interviewing Helen we got the sense that anything is possible; that our mindset is our most important asset and hiring a coach can accelerate creating the life we want. A proactive creator of support networks both online and face to face, Helen is facilitating change in people “to increase your confidence and decrease your overwhelm”. We’re impressed.     

What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

I obviously have to take this opportunity to plug my own self-published book, The No Bullsh*t Guide To A Happier Life which is available via my website. It’s one that other people have given as gifts, which as an author is remarkable to know. 

The book I would want to buy every woman and I think it’s a good one for men as well, is Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. It is all about the journey of women and it’s a real game-changer. She uses the analogy of a cheetah in a zoo that doesn’t know what it’s like to be wild, and for me, having succinct ways of saying something that is really quite big, can be so helpful. I love things that I know are going to make people say, “Wow, I’m different now I’ve read that.”

What purchase of £100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)? (Brand and model, where you found it?)

This one made me smile because it’s hard to answer. As my boyfriend lives in the States, all of my money goes on travel so purchasing is not something that happens very often. 

I got a really nice hoody from the Silverstone Experience a little while ago, and I very recently bought myself a 2-litre water bottle which is probably going to change my hydration habits. It was around £15. 

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favourite failure” of yours?

I don’t particularly believe in failure because I think it’s a state of mind. Most things that happen are a mishap, misstep, or learning opportunity, it’s that something wasn’t quite right. Even though many things in my life haven’t worked out quite like I thought they would, I wouldn’t say I’ve failed, I’ve just changed course, done something differently or kept going until it worked.

I think failure or the idea of failure is something that really holds us back and I try to guide my clients away from the word. It’s more about what we have tried, what we have learned and how we’ve looked after ourselves in the process.     

If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it —metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why? It could be a few words or a paragraph. (If helpful, it can be someone else’s quote: Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?)

“Be excessively kind to yourself and squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of life.”

It’s what I say at the end of every podcast episode and something that I work on with almost every client. It’s simple, but it’s not necessarily easy. 

What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)

My phone. I put money into my phone because it is my whole life. It is my business (social media and email), my relationships because a lot of my friends are at a distance (Whatsapp and messaging my family), and it is my romantic relationship because he is over in America (video calls and keeping our connection going). It is absolutely essential!

Another investment that is worthwhile is my cleaner. Anyone who can get a cleaner should, because you’re providing employment for a start and also, there are better things in life to do than housework. If you can’t think of anything better to do than housework, you need to come and have a chat with me!

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I don’t think anything I do is particularly unusual or absurd because after all what is “normal”? Something that isn’t typical and is very me is that I like to fall asleep to Terry Pratchett’s audiobooks. He is my comfort listening, I’ve been a fan since I was eighteen and I know the stories inside out. 

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

Realising that I can have the life, things or relationship that I always dreamed of. That has been such a game changer because now I can say to other people, “Don’t be told that just because everybody else is miserable, you have to settle and be miserable too. You knew when you were younger what you wanted and society may have beaten it out of you but stick with it because that’s still what you want and you can have it.”

What has been a big change for me is that I’ve stopped planning. Now it’s much more about wanting to maintain what I’ve got because I love my business and my relationship, and I like where I’m living. When people ask where I think I’ll be in 5 or 10 years, my response is, “I don’t know, let’s find out . . . what an adventure!”

What one thing could you do that you aren’t doing now, that if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your personal life?  What one thing in your business or professional life would bring similar results?

There’s not a great deal apart from little things that we could all do, for example, personal life, drink more water and eat more fibre. I’m already exercising and doing weight training, which I would highly recommend because when you get to midlife, that’s what will keep you going on this planet!

Professionally, I have in my sights for this year to do more speaking events because I have found that it is helpful for what I want to be doing and for promoting the book. Otherwise, there aren’t any major changes because I’m fortunate to be in a place where if I see something that needs to change, I can change it because I no longer have mindset blocks holding me back. 

Have you ever engaged with self-help, mentoring or coaching? If so, how?

I’ve had plenty! Right from my mid-twenties when I had counselling. I’ve also had CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), which was probably what I worked with on and off the most. At the start of 2020, I did some work with an NLP coach (Neuro Linguistic Programming), which was incredible. I have also had a business coach. 

There are things that even as a coach, you can’t do for yourself. I recognise that it’s a privilege because I’ve paid for all of this and not everyone has that available to them, but it’s the best investment you’ll ever make.  If you can invest in yourself and get help from other people, why wouldn’t you? Do what works! It’s going to get you further along.

I’m a big fan of getting the help of whoever it is that knows the thing you don’t know or can bring out of you the thing you can’t bring out. 

To learn more about Helen visit www.clear-day.co.uk  and subscribe to her podcast.