Meet the Experts: Vix Anderton, Founder of The Practical Balance

The ALL by MAMA Network has a whole host of experts handpicked to help you with your business. Today we would like to introduce you to Vix Anderton, the Founder of The Practical Balance

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Vix Anderton. I’m an energy and performance coach and yoga teacher. I also have a consultancy careers as an inclusive leadership and gender expert, which means I also have to balance my time and energy across different priorities in my life.

 

And that’s what I do in my coaching at The Practical Balance. I help busy, overwhelmed, procrastinating entrepreneurs, founders and sidehustlers balance their energies and get in tune with their natural rhythms to find more energy, more clarity and more confidence to create unstoppable success.

 

I help people who feel frustrated, disorganised or overwhelmed, like they have untapped potential, stuck in a rut, or are going around in circles live balanced and fulfilled lives.  People who work with me learn how to recognise what is good enough, how to take the small steps towards big goals, and to let go of the thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that are no longer serving them. I help people learn to tune into their natural rhythms, get clear on their values, vision and the things that are important to them.

 

I have been on a transformational journey over the past few years. One that has led me from serving in the Royal Air Force to a powerful place where I am connected deeply to my own feminine energy and can draw on a wealth of experience and traditions to inspire, teach, and support others on their journey.

 

That journey has led me to believe in managing your energy, not your time. Balancing your energies, moving between being and doing, is the key to unlocking your potential. Human beings aren’t meant to operate like machines — at high speeds, continuously, for long periods.  We have natural rhythms that influence our energy throughout the day and throughout the year.  By having a balance of activities - mental, physical, creative, social and spiritual - as well as time for reflection and rest, we can look after our bodies, our minds, our environments, and our souls, and cultivate the sense of purpose and autonomy we need to thrive. 

 

What inspired you to start your business

I started my professional life in the Royal Air Force. I served as an Intelligence Officer for nearly 10 years. Being in the military taught me so much about the value of discipline, structure, and planning - all tools that have helped me and that I now love to share with my clients.

These skills served me well when I left the RAF and moved into the international development sector to work promoting women’s rights around the world. But I also experienced the downsides of having too much of this kind of energy. I pushed myself harder and harder - no matter how much I did, it never felt like it was enough. I kept thinking “if I only do a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more” until one day, I couldn’t do anything. I felt lost, trapped and alone.

I was fortunate to be working with a coach who helped me recognise these signs. I was signed off work by the doctor for a much-needed enforced break. As I slowly started to piece myself back together, I decided that being in full-time employment wasn’t the right answer for me anymore.

I left my job with a vague plan to have a portfolio career of different freelance consultancy projects that would leave me time and energy to write and teach yoga.

And then I found myself on a VC-back incubator programme. It was a wonderful opportunity to create a tech-enabled business from scratch but I saw the same patterns and behaviours that had led me to burnout and that felt so familiar from my RAF days.

It was all about bigger, faster, more. Sleep under your desk. Work 100+ hour weeks. Sacrifice everything just to get to the next milestone and then immediately go again.

It was then I realised that there has to be another way to build businesses. One that values founders as individuals with lives, emotions, aspirations, and dreams. One that allows entrepreneurs to create the success they desire without sacrificing their health, happiness and souls along the way. And so The Practical Balance was born.

 

Describe your typical day

I’m not sure I have a typical day – the very nature of a portfolio career means I can end up doing lots of different things, even over the course of a week. Whatever I’m doing, I always try to start the day with a variation of my morning ritual. If I have lots of time or really need to get centred and inspired before the day starts, this could be anything up to 3 hours long; if I have to be up early for a client workshop, then I have a version that’s 5-minutes long. I always make sure I take some time to rehydrate, to meditate, to move, to journal, and have some breakfast.

 

When I’m not doing on-site work, I follow my energy patterns throughout the day. For me, that means deep focussed work in the morning for up to 2 bursts of 90-minutes with a break in between. I always struggle to get much done immediately after lunch so I try to take a break, maybe go out for a walk or read a book  - something I can enjoy doing rather than beating myself up for not working harder!

 

At the end of the day, I always like to do a little appreciation practice – I simply ask myself what went well today or what made me smile. It helps me focus on all the good in my life and everything I am achieving before I go to sleep with a guided relaxation.

 

Name three words that describes success for you

My mantra for success is to have a life I don’t need a holiday from.

 

Name three business tips that you would give to yourself, if you were first starting out.

I still feel like I’m just starting out and it’s been more than 2 years since I left my job! I remind myself that building anything worthwhile takes time so I can relax and be patient and to enjoy the ride as much as, if not more, than the destination. The entrepreneurial journey is a spiritual one so work on yourself and your mindset…everything else is figure-out-able,

 

How do you juggle work & play

I reject the premise of the question! I don’t believe in juggling work and play. I believe we can shape our lives and how we feel about them by choosing where we place our attention. I get so much satisfaction and fulfilment from my work, even the bits I don’t particularly enjoy doing, by setting an intention for how I want to feel. The same for play and love and rest. We’re complex beings with complex needs and we can learn to move through life in a way that feels authentic and healthy.

 

What would be your plan B?

I don’t really have a plan B for life…this is it, one shot. The business will evolve in the way it’s meant to...

 

Website and social media – www.thepracticalbalance.com www.instagram.com/thepracticalbalance www.facebook.com/thepracticalbalance