The Freelancer Life: Meet Sarah Elliott
“I’ll be honest, I don’t really believe in work/life balance, it’s all just LIFE ”
We’ve all been there, or know someone who has. You want to make the move to go freelance but you:
a) don’t know where to start
b) feel too nervous to take the plunge
c) don’t know or understand what your goals are
d) all of the above plus how the hell do I get organised?!
Meet Sarah Elliott. Sarah, a personal development and fitness coach, founded her business Vault Coaching following her move from Canada to London. As well as sharing her own story about her move to freelance life, we’ve asked her to share her money-can’t-buy tips on how to squeeze in workouts when you work for yourself and how to manage the process of making your side hustle a full time gig.
Hello Sarah and welcome to The Freelancer Life!
Let’s get straight into it, tell us how you got started in fitness?
I've always loved moving my body, being a dancer growing up I learned that movement can be therapeutic and a great outlet. That being said, I've always been intimidated by the gym and found that there was this troubling impression that fitness was centered around aesthetic which never sat well with me.
When I moved to London I was introduced to a culture that didn't really prioritise fitness but saw it as a support to their lifestyle, which I definitely agreed with. I wanted to become a Personal Trainer in order to support my life coaching clients who had goals in fitness, and I've found I enjoy it much more than I expected because I make sure my clients align with my beliefs around fitness as a foundation to good health, both physically and mentally, not as a goal to look a certain way. I'm also passionate about breaking the intimidation factor for people, enabling them with the right information and tools so that they can confidently do their own fitness.
Tell us a bit about yourself - where you grew up, why you chose to come to London etc?
I'm a small town Canadian girl, grew up in Port Perry which is a town an hour outside of Toronto. My parents and Grandpa always encouraged my brother and I to dream big and they exposed us to the greater world outside our farm town, which I suppose is why my brother and I both live abroad now. I'm a dual citizen, as my Dad was born in England, so when I had the itch to change up my path, I thought the UK would be a good option given I had my British passport. I love my family and friends back home and am so grateful to be Canadian but I think London has this melting pot of people who are breaking all the societal rules. I get this feeling here that anything is possible and there are no standards to uphold. Whatever is it that lights you up, if you want to create something you go for it. People don't seem to search for approval as much here and also seem to value creativity and unconventionalism more.
Now, let’s talk personal development coaching. What support does it offer?
I like to describe personal development coaching as a middle ground between traditional therapy and your friends/family. It offers structured support for you to have time set aside in your week to talk through what you’re facing in your life in a way that’s more interpersonal than therapy in that I, as your coach, can interact and be supportive between our sessions as well.
Friends and family can have a vested interest in your life, whereas a life coach is a neutral, unbiased person who can be a listening ear, a guiding voice and source of pure encouragement. I support my clients in any aspect of their life that they are looking to either develop, enhance or build more momentum behind - there really is no topic that’s off limits!
The idea is that the client keeps their focus forwards on building, week over week, momentum towards their goals and I, as their coach, help keep them on track, providing resources, guiding with the right questions, encouraging them every step of the way.
Self-employed life can be tough. What advice would you offer someone who’s struggling to find a balance between work life and personal life?
I'll be honest, I don't really believe in work/life balance, it's all just LIFE and if you have a job that lights you up and you're passionate about, unless it's actually having negative implications on your life, there's nothing wrong with working a lot.
'Balance' is subjective to every person but if you are struggling and feeling burnt out I would look at HOW you're working. Are you doing the RIGHT work, the important stuff.
The other thing to consider is incorporating self care daily. I believe in creating a life you don't need a vacation from. So on your next day off, write down all the things you did that made you feel GOOD & BALANCED. Then see how you can incorporate that stuff into your daily life.
You are a firm believer in goals. What’s your blueprint for setting goals for yourself? What needs to be considered?
I've actually taken a completely new approach to goal setting in the last few years. I used to be the type of person who had a clear plan for everything. This approach kept me driven and focused and allowed me to accomplish ALOT but it was very rigid and sometimes led to a narrow mindset about what I could achieve. I got so hyper focused on these specific goals I'd set that I potentially missed out on other opportunities because they 'didn't fit into my plan.' The other issue with setting goals is that when life gets in the way and takes you on a different path, it can lead to feeling discouraged and let down whereas keeping a flexible mindset means you remain open and receptive to new paths and opportunities.
My approach now is to focus instead on creating feelings & visions for where you want to get to. Try to be specific about the feelings you want to have everyday and how you want your work and relationships to be instead of focusing so much on the tangible details.
An example would be, instead of saying 'I want to be a director at XY company, make 6 figures so that I can live in my own flat with a successful partner and be able to take nice vacations with my friends and family'. You could say I want to be a leader at my company where I have a direct impact on my team, I want to feel financially independent to my partner but create a cosy place to relax in and prioritise having adventures with my friends. See the difference? One has more emotion attached to it, which helps people stay more attached to the goal. If when you read it out loud it doesn't spark some sort of sentiment inside you, then it's probably not a rich enough goal. Choose words that make you FEEL something and you'll be more drawn to them day in and day out.
“If when you read it out loud it doesn’t spark some sort of sentiment inside you, then it’s probably not a rich enough goal. Choose words that make you FEEL something and you’ll be more drawn to them day in and day out.”
What considerations do you recommend to anyone you’re coaching who want to take the leap from working in the corporate world to diving in to or even starting a side hustle?
My first question is always, what role does your job play right now. Is it just a paycheck for you? Does it give you purpose? What are you trying to achieve with your job? There is nothing wrong with having a so called 9-5, and not everyone is suited to have a side hustle but just ensure that every bit of where your energy goes, it is with purpose.
The most important consideration, after you've defined that, is just to get GOING. Take Action. There is no right or wrong way to start. Anything you do is going to be more than what you did while you were just sitting/thinking/wishing for your dreams to come true. It can be the smallest step (ie. setting up a coffee with an old professor at uni or calling up that girl you saw at the coffee shop who was taking pictures of dogs), just get up and do something to create momentum. And then CONSISTENTLY take action, once you do the first step, start to take small steps every day or carve out time once a week where you will actually DO something towards your idea. And remember there are no rules when it comes to having a side hustle or diving into a hobby. You create the rules.
And lastly, get a life coach! Haha, but seriously, having someone to encourage you, support you, help you, is so valuable and the best investment I ever made. Even the best coaches in the world have coaches themselves!
How can you squeeze fitness into busy work schedules?
Find the type of fitness that you gets you excited. You'll be much more likely to prioritise it and stick to it if there's an element you enjoy. For example great music, partner work or strength focused.
I'm also very passionate about my clients getting more bang for their buck. You do not need to spend hours a day in the gym. HITT workouts (high intensity training) get your heart pumping in short spurts and allow you to maximise the workout in a shorter period of time.
I also think that the right type of fitness, depending on your energy that day, helps provide you with more focus and energy so finding the right time for you to workout is key.
But when time is tight, just MOVING during your day is enough, so don't write off the day if you didn't get to the gym, just make sure you walk during lunch, or get off the tube a stop earlier, or do a YOGA class if you're feeling tired. Something is always better than nothing.
