Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Gina Gardiner, CEO of Genuinely You Ltd, located in Ardleigh, Essex, UK.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I have two businesses, Gina Gardiner Associates and Genuinely You Ltd. Both businesses focus on Enlightened Leadership - before you can lead others well, you first have to lead yourself. We work with a wide range of people, personally and professionally. We help Businesses Owners to lead their businesses so that they become significantly more profitable in a holistic and sustainable way by helping them to take radical responsibility for their own performance and to develop the potential of their team so that they do the same. The result is a learning culture where people feel valued, have a sense of ownership, and businesses are able to harness the collective skills, enthusiasm, experience, and creativity of all involved.

Tell us about yourself

I am Gina Gardiner, a Two-Time #1 International Best Selling author with over 30 publications on leadership and empowerment. I am a Motivational speaker, Empowerment Coach, Transformational Leadership Trainer, NLP Master Practitioner, and Coach with over 35 years of experience helping individuals achieve happiness and success and Business Leaders achieve holistic, profitable success in their businesses. I am the host of the popular AMFM24/7 syndicated radio show 'Gina Gardiner & Friends,' which attracts around 2 million listeners a month. I have the ability to see more in people than they see in themselves and guide them to a purpose that is bigger than they ever thought possible. I have supported many individuals and couples to develop a greater sense of self-worth and the confidence to challenge and change limiting beliefs to become more loving towards themselves and others so they become the leaders of their own lives. I have developed many programmes, including the "Enlightened Leadership Programme," which is accredited by the CPD Standards Office. I was the Principal of an award-winning school for over 20 years, mostly from a wheelchair after a serious ski accident in 1983. My mission is to positively impact at least a million people in the next three years through the development of Enlightened Leadership.

Here is some background information:
Gina lives in the UK. She became the youngest Deputy Head Teacher (Deputy Principal) of the largest school in the district, aged 29, in September 1982. She had a serious ski accident in February 1983 when she fell between 150 and 200 feet down a black run when the mogul she was sitting on gave way. Gina became the Head Teacher (Principal) of the school 7 months later when the Head died suddenly in his sleep. She ran the school for over 20 years, mostly from a wheelchair. Necessity is the mother of invention. The greatest gift of her disability was the creation of a very different approach to helping people step into their genuine power. This facilitated a unique and highly effective leadership programme, based on mutual respect and people taking radical responsibility for their performance and shared responsibility for the success of the school. That the strategies were successful, and the success was sustained was demonstrated as the school won several accolades, including being on Her Majesties' Inspectorate's (HMI) 'Best 100 Schools (In England)' list twice during her leadership.

The school was one of only 75 schools nationally to achieve Beacon Status, which meant that she worked with large numbers of Heads, teachers, and governors and with whole schools, helping them develop their own leadership programmes to improve standards of leadership. She also undertook a range of roles to bring income into the school and to ensure the school remained at the cutting edge. These included being an Ofsted Inspector, Workforce Reform Advisor, Trainer Facilitator for the National College of Leadership, and a Trainer and assessor for The London Institute. Gina left the world of education in 2004 because her health was deteriorating, but she was not ready to sit at home and watch daytime TV. Since then, she has had an internal spinal stimulator fitted, and whilst she still uses a wheelchair to go into town or on holiday, her mobility has improved significantly.

Having left school, Gina reinvented her professional life and published her first two books (Manage Your Staff More Effectively and Kick Start Your Career) to give her credibility in the business world. Since then, she has worked with business leaders, helping them to create significantly greater profitability through the development of Enlightened Leadership initially with the most senior decision-makers and, depending on the size of the business, with Middle Management and the whole staff. The principles and the strategies developed during her Headship and through her studies are at the heart of the work she does with individuals, couples, teams, and whole organisations. They are tried and tested and easy to incorporate into daily life. Since leaving Headship, she experienced a growing sense that she was not fulfilling her true purpose. That there were so many people who were unhappy, lonely, sabotaging their relationships and professional success through fear, and that the quality of leadership in so many businesses had become toxic. Genuinely-You Ltd was created.

Gina is passionate about helping people recognise that they have the choice to be happy, to be successful, and to live a life full of joy and fulfillment. To help them recognise that they are not broken, that they are enough, and to help them access their inner resources to live life fearlessly. Gina believes her life's purpose is to be of service. To that end, Gina wrote the No. 1 Bestseller, 'Thriving Not Surviving – The 5 Secret Pathways To Happiness, Success, and Fulfilment' It offers people a structured programme to develop personally and spiritually and a safe place to belong, to be seen and heard and to feel supported in their journey to happiness, success and fulfillment. Over the years, it had become very clear when working with individuals, couples, teams, or whole organisations that the vast majority of challenges or issues fell into one of five categories: beliefs, particularly self-belief, love, and relationships, achieving and sustaining success, managing change and transition and finding a sense of purpose and fulfillment. These are represented by the five secret pathways in her book, 'Thriving Not Surviving – The Five Secret Pathways To Happiness, Success and Fulfilment.' In the book, She shares the principles and lots of practical strategies which have helped her and my clients achieve greater happiness, success, and fulfillment. This act is an SAT NAV to help people navigate the challenges of life.

The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle is the culmination of 30+ years of experience in transformational leadership. So many people are stressed and anxious because they are struggling to lead others or are being led by people who lead through fear and control. It doesn't have to be that way!! Her unique approach is at the core of the Enlightened Leadership Programme, which is designed to create lasting positive change by supporting personal and spiritual development alongside comprehensive leadership development. It is accredited by the UK Continuous Professional Development Standards Office. It is built on the premise that to lead others well, you first need to transform into the best version of yourself and lead from a place of wholeness: Leadership based on integrity, compassion, and courage. Gina believes it has never been more needed in our fast-changing world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

To consistently help Business Owners create greater success and profitability through the development of themselves and their staff. To see the transformation of individuals, teams, and whole organisations.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Ensuring the workload is manageable as I have lots of different projects and ongoing programs. Making sure I practice what I preach about work-life balance, especially as I love what I do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. To lead others, you have to lead yourself first, so take radical responsibility for your thinking, emotions, language, and actions - remember that everything you do is, in reality, a choice, and every choice has consequences. Not actively choosing is, in reality, a choice, and it is often when we allow things to drift that the consequences are most far-reaching.
  2. Having a success mindset is critical. If you believe you will succeed, you will make very different decisions than if you fear failure. The only real failures are to fail to try or to fail to learn from the experience.
  3. Invest in yourself - working with a coach and mentor can accelerate your development and underpin even greater success at whatever stage you are in your business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://genuinely-you.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genuinelyyouprograms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgina.gardiner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Genuinely_You
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginagardinerassociates/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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