“It doesn’t matter what you do, you’ve just got to do something and learn as you go.” Sarah Manning-Ball on the first steps of starting her business - Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics.
In this episode of About The Adventure Podcast, Sarah tells us her career change story from working in the corporate world to following her dream of opening her own food business: Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics in North Nottinghamshire.
We recorded this approximately one year after our coaching session together. Themes include mental health, imposter syndrome, career coaching, and practical steps towards making dreams happen. This interview carries a content warning because Sarah talks about suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression at several points during the episode.
At the end of the interview, Sarah asks a question for you to explore if you are thinking about a career change.
This episode will be of most interest to people who are working in the corporate world and thinking about a total change in direction, anyone who is worried about taking the initial steps towards a different career path, and parents who want to spend more time with their children but feel limited by an office-based job.
To give you a flavour of the topics covered, here's a list of the questions:
What makes your picnics glorious and posh?
Where did the perspective that food is glorious come from?
What made you decide to create a business around this love of yours?
How are you feeling now compared to how you were feeling in the corporate world?
What made you suddenly see things so clearly?
Do you think part of it was about giving yourself permission to follow something you really enjoy?
What were the first few steps you took to make it happen?
What grew out of that?
What role has nature played in your journey so far?
How does that compare to how you would deal with anxiety beforehand?
What sort of environments do you work in now?
How do you manage the challenges of working with people now?
Have you needed to set boundaries with people?
What’s it like between the excitement of getting a booking and the commitment involved with that?
Have you had any wobbles since you started the food business?
What’s one of the highlights that you’d like to share?
What would you say to your younger self now knowing this information?
Do you believe in there being the perfect time to make a change like this?
What’s your method of working through your fears?
What question would you like to ask people who are in a similar headspace as you were just a few months ago?
Tune in to this episode of About The Adventure Podcast on the player below. It was recorded on 8th June 2023 while sitting next to a waterfall along a beautiful brook in the Peak District National Park. Listen for the sounds of rushing water and sheep in the background.
Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics
Take a look at Sarah’s website to find out more about her work, and follow Glorious Grazes and Posh Picnics on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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About The Adventure has a patreon community where you can contribute £5 monthly to the show. This supports the cost of making the podcast and in return offers you a 10% discount on coaching sessions with Sarah and events by About The Adventure.
Final notes
Email me with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests: sarah@sarahventurer.com and subscribe to my newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career coaching questions.
Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.
Thanks for listening!