Episode 31: How understanding your energy can change how you show up in business - with Kelly Vikings

00:54 You're listening to The Business of Stories with Susan Paton, showing you how to share stories that do the selling in your business so you don't have too. An important part of sharing your stories and being visible in your business and showing up as the guide for your idol client is understanding yourself – who you are what makes you tick what makes you unique and what you're here to do I heard someone say recently that running a business is a journey of self-development. And it's so true, it's a journey of self discovery and definitely one thats helped me see who I really am not just as a business owner but as human that feels all the feelings trying to figure it all out as I go. And I talked in episode 19 about how a session with Kelly Vikings found

01:52 Founder of New Earth Business really helped me to understand myself better and that in human design I'm a 6'2", six being a role model and two being a hermit. So I asked Kelly to come onto the podcast to share some of the fascinating stuff that she's created and teaches around energetics and human design, all the ways that she helps people create a business that works for them. And what happens when we have a business that is not aligned with who we are or how we're naturally designed to work? Here's my chat with Kelly

02:35 So, I am so excited to welcome my very good friend Kelly to The Business of Stories podcast because I just love how aligned what we do is. And I recently had a session with Kelly which I'm sure we will talk about today and when Kelly sent me my report I was blown away by how many overlaps there were in what we both talk about I like the importance of working with your energy, trusting your intuition feeling connected running a business in a way that feels aligned and of course storytelling. One of my channels was The Protocol which is the keeper of stories so lots of really interesting stuff for us to talk about and i've always believed but definitely understand even better now since working with you

03:28 That understanding yourself is so important, so that you can show up more powerfully in your business in a way that feels really aligned. And I know this is a popular topic with my audience because I did an episode recently called Your Energy Is Shaping Your Results and that was one of the most downloaded episodes so far So, I've been really looking forward to our conversation. Do you want to start by just introducing yourself and maybe explaining what is business energetics for people who don't know what we're talking about? Yeah, it's one of those things which especially in the online space people just assume that it's one thing and it's not. And I'll explain... so I'm a manifester – that's my energy type

04:22 And I'm also an emotional manifester. So the emotion cycle and rhythm is how we make decisions, and how I respond to my environments around me. When when we don't understand who we are at a soul level... ...and when we don't understand how we fit in, we're often scared of what people will think And some of us, you know are here to do things very differently and we can feel that somewhere within us but it's not until we understand what those things actually mean that we then give ourselves permission sometimes to do them. So one of the things I have studied, I've been teaching is advanced business energetics

05:09 And I've done that because the way that the world is, the way we are in business has evolved. Until we understand our advanced business energetics it's really difficult to kind of understand what's the natural way for me to do things and how will i enjoy it? and actually give yourself permission to step into that and own that particular way. It was 42, I was 42 sorry until i realised like oh! I'm a manifesto, I am here to speak Oh! I'm a 2-4 manifesto so naturally I collaborate and make opportunities just kind of land

05:47 But also I know that I need to have my hermit time as well and kind of like, for me it's in the forest and the woods and banging my drum. And you know that's me through and through – that's me in my cave! But also on the emotional side of it, I can be very sensitive so I have two dynamics this duality of power and revolutionising but then I also have this really sensitive ...kind of gentle, sometimes quite vulnerable side to me. And until I realised that...I had no idea! And so as a child the conditioning and the behavioural and patterns around me Everyone wants you to be a good girl You know? That's how your going to fit into society We do it naturally with our children Until we realise what their human design is We don't realise like what within them

06:43 And so my role as a mentor is to like bring out that potential and almost like show the mirror as to what's within. Because when we pull that out, we have strength, we have knowing and we have knowledge – and that's power! I think for what you were saying, you know, when you have that and you know that it's easy then to not put yourself in a box and to actually do things in a way that energetically align with you and your business And I think when you think of it from the point of view of people having to show up in their business, having to get visible, having to market themselves. Having to sell their offers which is not really what they started their business to do unless there in marketing

07:31 They started their business because they want to help people, they want to make a difference. They want to help change lives. They want to help people navigate the difficult journey that they navigated maybe and yet suddenly they're being told they've got to be visible, they've got to show up, they've gotta share stories... So what do you think is helpful about understanding who you are at the core that might make that easier or might help you to find how to do that in a way that does feel okay and safe and aligned. It's always what feels safe, and that's the nervous system so let's just pay attention to that because our nervous system our inner world is what's constantly communicating with us And I think it's easy to kind of ignore it or just push it down and sort of... Just gonna move over there for a minute

08:25 Because I've got stuff to do because i'm a human being, you know. And that's kind of like... Busy! Yeah, yeah, I'm busy and don't get me wrong you know? I've been a single mum, I've started my own business when I was a single mom, my first business. You know, I've had extreme and intense amount of pressure when my first business failed and I had to liquidate. Even in that survival of rebuilding again and everything we have to Give ourselves love and compassion that we always do the best that we can as human beings. And I think what helps us energetically in our business is this level of awareness, this level of... That's how i can get the best for me

09:11 I'm really passionate about this and it really pisses me off when coaches and mentors put people in that same box. You have to do things in this way, you have to post 10 times a day like No, some people their energy type it's not to do that. You know we have to understand that we can't judge ourselves on someone else and we can kind of like our expectations often are based on what someone else has achieved or somebody else is doing And that's not right for us. And so understanding how we are allows us to play to our strengths and reach our full potential, not squishing us or diminishing our voice. Yeah absolutely and I know from the session that i did with you that my human design is 6'2", which is...and this made me laugh! The hermit and the role model

10:13 And the minute you said hermit, I thought oh gosh that makes so much sense because i definitely am somebody that loves being out there. I love being in front of people. I love talking to people. I love getting on stage. I love connecting with people. I love doing in-person stuff But then I'm exhausted and I literally have to go to my cave, which for me is just indoors huddled up under the quilt or on the settee. You know light the fire and do you know what? Not talk! Yeah not even talk to my family. I have to just say to them I just need to be quiet like I'm fine stuff going on around me is fine but I just need to withdraw for a little while when I realized that

11:00 Instead of fighting it, which is very much what I did for the first 40 years of my life for sure and burnt out as a result and got very ill and had ME. And because I was constantly fighting that urge I But I just fought through it, like literally. I just kept going and kept going and because I thought that anything less was weak meant I wasn't keeping up! I thought I was too emotional, I was too sensitive... And I was fighting all of this stuff that I could feel but I was ignoring it in fact worse than ignoring it I was fighting against it and I ended up on the floor

12:07 The Business of Stories And the thing is, the world that we live in and how we fit into that and our peers. I had the exact same. I was very sensitive as a child. That two line is very sensitive. My parents were very conservative and showing emotion was either drama or weakness. If you had anxiety or depression, you were weak

12:54 And I'm really grateful to the systems that we can learn and, you know, human design is one of them. There are lots of systems that we can learn but what i love about human design is it gives you permission to be fully who you are. So for instance storytelling like if you wake up and you're like I don't feel like doing that today Yes, or what I have been leaning into more and more is I'll share that.

13:35 I'll share how I'm feeling right now. I've been doing it a lot on my podcast, is sharing where I'm at what's going on for me how i'm feeling to show people that it isn't all razzmatazz and you have to be on 24-7 and everything... You're not successful unless everything's working brilliantly and your smashing launch after launch It doesn't work like that And some people with that is their energy and they can do it It's not my energy and the more I talk about that, the more people reach out to me and say it's so good to hear from somebody who is actually talking about that other side of business. The stuff you don't always see, the times when you feel exhausted, the times when you can't talk to anybody and just need some time out. But interestingly, the other part of human design is role model

14:31 That was so interesting when I started to understand that a bit more because, I think that's something else i've been fighting. I think that for many many years I was very much behind the scenes right? I was PA, I was executive assistant, I was running other people's lives Chris Tarrant, Gabby Logan and people in media... People who were out there shining brightly Being a star, and I was in fact I remember Gabby describing me once in a magazine as you know the person that allows her to go out and shine. And be the bright star that she wants to be because I'm there behind the scenes keeping everything running keeping everything going

15:14 So for me to then step out from the shadows almost and actually get up onto the stage and hold a microphone, write a book and you know actually put myself out there as somebody who... well maybe people have got something to say. Maybe people do want to listen to it? Maybe it is useful to people? Reinvention, really. And I had to dig quite deep and I went through all the emotions of who do I think I am stepping up on the stage? I'm supposed to be backstage keeping everybody happy! I'm a people pleaser what am i doing getting myself up on stage?! And...and I had terrible stage fright for a long time and really at one point thought I don't think I'm cut out for this

16:07 And then I actually was talking to somebody who does Chinese medicine and talks about the five different energies and everything. And he said, you are absolutely meant to be on that stage. You've just gotta find the way that feels good to you. I just started more and more to see, I suppose that people were finding what i was sharing really useful. People wanted to come and work with me. People were feeling connected to me my book did really really well sold thousands of copies And I thought okay! Then you came along and told me that I was meant to step into this role model role

16:49 That was so helpful and I actually realised that I had to do that to start this podcast. Like, I had to be prepared to step up and say okay I'm not saying my way is the only way or that my ways the right way for anybody else, but I'm happy to share what I'm doing. I'm happy to share my journey and I'm happy to share what I'm learning and seeing and learning from working with clients and their insights on gaining along the way. I'm happy to share all of that if it helps somebody else. Yeah And I think that's been such a game changer for me is just really stepping into

17:29 That role model. And you can only do that when you feel you're ready? Yeah, yes good point! So I probably highlighted something that many others had highlighted before but it was just that right moment but you were ready to step into that role and rightly so. To me listening to you there you're putting other people on a pedestal i mean Chris Tarrant is just somebody else You know, I don't mean it disrespectfully. My view of him is he's bloody amazing as is Gabby. Yeah But you're no more or less than them and actually their experiences you working with them... ...you were always meant to work with them because then as you've started to really step into your power they have left something within you an imprint within your soul that you are able to now take forwards

18:27 As a leader, and I see you shining. And I think you're flipping amazing! Thank you! I love the work that you do and I am kind of biased anyway because you are just such... You really are such a beautiful soul. It's like the way in which you share your journey, your life journey. Your right in the arena. You've earned the stripes, you've got the badges. You don't hold back. Your really genuine and true And when you've got that and you're not, you're unapologetic. You know, you're here to share that and so we all have different parts within us that are here to do a particular thing. And your story is basically...you had to wait till a certain point in your life then go out and be the leader that you are here to be and always have been

19:19 Now, thank you. And I do very much talk a lot about sharing the journey and I remember specifically in the report that you gave me it said something about I'm here to experience the journey and then share it with others which is what I do But what would you say to somebody who is holding back from sharing their stories? Because obviously I come across a lot of people who are holding back and there's all sorts of mindset stuff getting in the way, and they're worried about what people will think or if people will judge them. Do you think that they may be not aligned yet with... do you think it has something to do with their energy?

20:00 It's always about our energy, Susan. Everything is energy-based and for me it's about frequency first leadership and as business owners we're all leaders The pattern here is we've talked a lot about strengths skills things that initiate so you can go out and create influence and impact in your business That's great! That's the real kind of positive side of this We break through, we initiate. We step in our full potential and boom! But there's the other side of this and that is that if we don't know and we're going in patterns and cycles that aren't serving us energetically...we all know it you'll feel like a resistance You'll feel like something just doesn't feel right for you That is the opposite side of this This is what I call The Shadow

20:55 And in human design you have like when you're aligned and everything's all okay, and working in a real flow. It happens really quick! Then you have the other side which unfortunately is the shadow... ...and it's the ailments. This can show up as you said earlier physically so projectors for instance they are here to express and teach However, the world that we live in hasn't necessarily nurtured them. They've been told to keep quiet who do they think they are to speak up? And so quite often projectors they keep it in but their nervous system is so acutely responsive that they feel this on an energetic level when they can get really poorly So understand that there's this powerful part of us but if we're not in alignment with our energy

21:47 It can make us really poorly, but also it can stop us from doing the thing that actually we're here to do. And these cycles and patterns they are not serving us But we will feel it! This is where when we understand our physical self and our soul-self That alignment is, yeah it's just really powerful. The other thing that I have become much more aware of is working with my energy like literally my energy like if I try and force something it's never gonna feel good it's never gonna come as easily as if I just wait until It's

22:47 So I'll know the things that I've got on my plate, but I'll kind of tune in a little bit and say which one right now excites me? Right now which one do I feel like yes! That's what I want to do. And it might not be what I thought I was going to do in the order that I was going to do it but I find the more that I do that, the more that my business becomes fun and enjoyable and easier And we need that, like business can be so serious. We need that element of variety and choice, and what feels good for us. And not necessarily always structure and strategy... There's a part for both isn't there? It is listening to what we need in those given moments but actually human design certainly advanced business energetics it goes beyond that because we all have within us a certain program

23:44 The Business of Stories podcast is a series that supports us to make our decisions. So if you think about how many decisions as the business owner we have to make on a daily basis, do I follow up that sale? Do I have that conversation with my client because I know it's going Do I reach out and speak to Susan, see if I can go on her podcast? Do I do my accounts? Do I invest in that mentor? There's so many things on a daily basis. Do I record that podcast or do I send out that report? Our decisions in our human design there are tell-tale signs So I'm not sure if you've got your report there but I am an emotional 2-4 manifester Does it say what you are?

24:28 It just says manifesto. Yeah So, Manifesters are initiating. That is for me you are here to lead a movement that I mean obviously you've got the story keeper as well within your charts and the tribe which is your community and your people so you are so here for doing what you're doing. And we said didn't we at the time it was almost like what you're doing now was almost written in the charts! It was just like wow And it's so interesting how I got here because it just kind of was such an organic journey that even 12 months before, I would have had no idea. I would be here now doing this writing my book creating my process creating my programs. I did not know that was coming but as it came it all just made so much sense and it all just fell into place so easily

25:22 And I wonder what happens, do you think when people love their business and they know they're doing the right thing but sometimes we can still feel a bit stagnant sometimes. And we can still feel like oh where's my energy gone? You know I still love what I do but I'm not quite feeling... But the thing is some of us are here to initiate something and then move into something else So for instance, you know when we think about the five different energy types. You've got manifestors, you've got generators, you've got manifesting generators, you've got reflectors and you've got projectors Now a lot of people know what they are in human design because it's the main thing so that's why I'm kind of focusing on this

26:08 Those five energy types, but our human design goes way beyond those five energy types. But they are a key teller because manifestos if they create something they have to inform their team people around them this is what I'm doing we're not asking permission we're literally informing them this is what I'm doing you know? I used to think that I had to ask my partner is it okay if I did like And it's really stepping into our power as manifestors. It doesn't mean that we can go off and do everything without any self kind of awareness or compassion, but it's just we're not here to ask permission. We're here implement and do but we can move to something else and sometimes it's a two-or three year movement that we create and sometimes it's a six month project But when we've done it, we all know that we need to move and do something different so we must listen to our bodies if that's the case

27:07 Manifesting generators, you know when people say just do one thing and there's no wrong in this I'm not saying slating their work. But you know Daniel Priestly, You must be this one thing! And it's absolute bullshit because some people are here to do more than one thing actually they can successfully juggle three or four maybe even five things so we can't like diminish their power manifesting generators are great The shadow of that is they can get overwhelmed and burnt out really quickly. They have to really listen to their energy and not overload themselves. Generators, they're the master builders like they are so good at done-for-you projects

27:51 Let me do it all. But they will, I've actually got somebody in my team that's a generator and i'm like no don't text me at 9 30 at night but they're on it all day until they get the project done. And I guess that's a good point if you have got a team or you know if you just work with other people It's important to understand isn't it what the different energies are? Yeah. Oh and your partner So what would you suggest for

28:47 For someone who's listening to this thinks, I think that something doesn't feel aligned or something doesn't quite feel right. Or I feel like I'm kind of pushing or forcing and I am wondering if it's something to do with my energy? What would be the first step for them how could they even start to understand themselves better So immediately with that, what I believe is that they're already receiving the fact that if they're thinking that then something within their body is communicating. Something isn't right within me energy wise now that can be a number of things it can be wake up in the morning and do you first before anyone else get to bed early turn off the tech look after yourself yeah that foremost

29:39 They don't need a mentor, they don't need a coach for that. They just need to look after themselves get some really beautiful sacred rituals to start your day That would be the first thing because you can do that it's accessible for everyone You can just start straight away But that helps you begin to really kind of ground and communicate with your inner world a lot more. And that's what energy is, it's trying to communicate with you. A lot of people just aren't listening. It is that noticing first isn't? It is yeah. Tuning in and like you say just acknowledging okay something here doesn't quite feel right so... Yeah if it goes beyond that and you start to think right okay well my business just doesn't feel aligned anymore I feel like

30:24 There's parts of it that just aren't fitting. There are parts of it that feel really heavy and like, I can't face this. And sometimes that's the shadow – remember we've got potential and then the shadow is clunky heavy? So that then would be about understanding yourself on that deeper level, you know and working with your business energetics but looking at your audience, your lead generation, your offer suite, your sales and marketing even how you do your revenue. You know your cash flow all of those things in business if you're energetically aligned with them then they should flow

31:10 And so if there's something that isn't feeling right, then energetically it's why? What's making me feel that way? What what's my strength with that? What am I missing? What's my blind spot? And that's where understanding all of this on a deeper level works because people invest a lot of money working with somebody and it's you must build this, you've got to do that and then you've got to do this. It was how I was taught as a mentor right at the beginning and it's just like no we're not all the same formula, we don't work like that as human beings so we need to understand how WE need to work for us

31:48 I actually talked about that in that episode, I was talking about energy. The difference when your energy is aligned and when it feels good, is even on a bad day when everything's going wrong. And it might get quite stressful you know me and tech have some very lovely relationship and when it's all going wrong I'm pulling my hair out

32:23 But I'm never doubting that i'm not on the right path. I'm never feeling like, that's it! I'm closing my business and I never want to talk to anyone ever again. I still know I am doing the right thing and I'm still loving what I'm doing – I'm just having a bad day. Yeah well we all have our own soul incarnation And so we're here, our soul does actually have a purpose. It has a mission and our business when it's aligned with that and it's plugged out of what society in 3D wants which is material success wealth all the figures all the stats but actually fulfillment and when I say wealth like riches you feel good within your soul

33:04 There's complete difference. It doesn't mean we don't make money or good money, you and I both have a good successful business but we're in alignment and yeah exactly as you just said some days just...you just have those days! You have a client or something happened that was unexpected that you can't control but you just kind of move through it quicker when you are aligned Oh, that was absolutely fascinating as I knew it would be. Thank you so much Kelly and one of the things i always love to do at the end of the podcast is give people an action step to go away and do. I was wondering what's one thing people could experiment with this week to run their business in a way that feels more aligned? Mmm...I love that! So we've talked a lot about their inner world The one thing that they can do today

34:00 is to remove the distraction, remove the noise and just take 10 minutes 20 minutes to just listen to what's within. When we're fully grounded it's not just about how we feel it's about how we show up and so when we run our business in this grounded energy instead of all being up here... This is what a lot of spiritual entrepreneurs are like up here It's like I'm forever pulling them down because when we lead from that place of grounded, rooted leadership it's not just about ourselves. It's about how we show up for others so yeah i would definitely take 10-20 minutes and just listen to your voice within

34:52 Lovely, thank you so much. And just if anybody does want to reach out and find a bit more about how you specifically help people where can they find you? I'm always on Facebook. You and me both! Yeah just Kelly Vikings or they can email me kellyvikings.com is my website and i've got my email address in there. Perfect yeah lovely well thank you so much. I could literally talk to you all day. I loved my chat with Kelly because it was such a good reminder that there isn't one right way to run a business. And the more you understand yourself, your energy, your instincts – the way you naturally work – the easier it becomes to build a business that actually works for YOU! When you're working in a way that feels aligned, showing up and sharing stories and connecting with your ideal client becomes so much easier.

35:53 So, as Kelly suggested take a few minutes today and listen to what your energy is telling you. Does it feel calm? Grounded? Expansive or does it feel resistant tense or heavy? Your body will let you know when something's not aligned when something doesn't feel true so it's important to listen And I'll see you next time for more stories that do the selling for you, so you don't have to. Thank you so much for being here. I love that we get to do this together! Would you do me a huge favour and please rate, review and follow this podcast in Apple Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts? And i'll see you next time for more honest conversations meaningful connections and of course stories