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A lot of people will tell you what you shouldn’t do. And many people will tell you what they think is the best course for your life. But if we all listened to that, there would be no one in this world doing anything because everyone’s right and wrong at some point or another.

When starting a business, it’s natural to feel the pressure of what others say. But to achieve success, you have to tune out the noise and stay true to your vision.

Known as ‘The Girl Who Made Elon Musk Cry’, Niyc Pidgeon is a leader with a high-level network of clients and business friends, Niyc supports coaches to grow 6 & 7- figure Coaching Businesses Online and her clients have generated over $22 million dollars in the last five years.

—Niyc Pidgeon

Raw and Real Entrepreneurship with Niyc Pidgeon

Topics covered in the interview

Driving business traffic in 2010
Route to growing an audience
Fear of judgment
Following your truth
Dealing with critics

Niyc Pidgeon’s Bio

Known as ‘The Girl Who Made Elon Musk Cry’, Niyc Pidgeon is a leader with a high level network of clients and business friends, Niyc supports coaches to grow 6 & 7- figure Coaching Businesses Online and her clients have generated over $22 million dollars in the last five years.

Niyc is a best selling Hay House author, award winning positive psychologist, twice certified high performance coach, and investor. She is founder of the multi million dollar brand Unstoppable Success, creator of The Positive Psychology Coach Academy Certification, and her mission is to help millions of people change their lives through positive psychology and entrepreneurship

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Show Notes

Read Full Transcript

Niyc Pidgeon 00:00
I can really believe that being rich is about relationships. And it's about us all being able to enjoy the work that we do because they're so inextricably linked. And I just think it, even though it takes time, even though it feels hard sometimes, it's always worth it. Because why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you want to have those amazing friendships and connections and we can all rise and enjoy the journey together.

Susan Sly 00:27
Welcome to Raw and Real Entrepreneurship, the show that dares to bring no nonsense insight to those who have the courage to start, grow, and scale a business. I'm your host, Susan Sly. Well, hey, what's up Raw and Real Entrepreneurs wherever you are in the world, I hope you're having an amazing day. And, you know, I have a question for you. So we're in entrepreneurship, and we're building businesses, we're thinking about building businesses. And you know, at some point, we reached this juncture of being able to balance things emotionally as we're growing. And I can tell you from my own experience, that if you don't have the occasional wall kicking moment and question why you're doing what you're doing, I've had guests and we've had discussions over this, then I would say, you are not living into your potential. And my guest today is truly remarkable. She's known as the girl who made Elon Musk cry, and Elon and I went to the same university, so I can't wait to hear about that story. She is a leader with a high level network of clients and business friends, and she supports coaches and entrepreneurs to grow six and seven figure businesses online. And her clients have generated over $22 million in the last five years. So that's pretty amazing. She's been featured in Forbes and Marie Claire, and Goop, and Women's Health, and Men's Health. I want to hear about that one. She is a Hay House best selling author. Her book, Now Is Your Choice is just getting so many amazing reviews. She's an award winning positive psychologist, twice certified high performance coach and investor. She is a founder of the multimillion dollar brand Unstoppable Success, creator of the Positive Psychology Coach Academy certification. And her mission is to help millions of people just like you, change their lives. And on top of that, you will know when I'm interviewing someone from the Commonwealth, since I'm Canadian, but I live here in the US, we do get a little silly. So you don't know what's gonna happen in this episode. But Niyc Pigdeon, welcome to Raw and Real Entrepreneurship. I'm so excited to have you.

Niyc Pidgeon 02:41
Thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. And thank you for the amazing intro. I always think it's, it's nice when another woman gets to, we get to celebrate each other. So thank you.

Susan Sly 02:52
Well, before I

Susan Sly 02:52
talk about Men's Health, let me ask you this question. I ask all of my guests, What was your first business you ever started?

Niyc Pidgeon 03:04
Tie Dye socks. Yeah. We had this, I don't know whether you have it in Canada, we have the some like initiative in schools in England called Young Enterprise, which is where you're encouraged to set up a real business in high school. So I was the managing director of that business. And we actually bought socks. We went home and we tie-dyed them in our washing machines, brought them back to school and we sold them literally at lunchtimes. And that was my first adventure. And you know what I learned from that business? I learned that I was a terrible delegator. And I was actually taking on all of the workload myself. So I started to see at an early age that I needed to do something about that. The business didn't last the test of time. So it's not around anymore. But it was nothing of an adventure.

Susan Sly 04:03
Tie Dye socks, you know, I've never tie dyed a sock, but I did tie dye my share of shirts, and it's funny how things come around again, because my 16 year old loves tie dye, everything. And my girls just went through this big tie dye phase and I was like, Oh my gosh, like hide the cashmere. They're gonna tie dye the dog. They're gonna I mean, it's crazy. So of 300 people, you're the first tie dye sock person. Oh! So what, what was the the business that you started that physically felt like a business? When was that one?

Niyc Pidgeon 04:39
So the real business, it was actually back in 2010, the first one that I set up. And I was living in Amsterdam at the time, studying for my master's degree in positive psychology. And I read the book, The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, and I started to learn about this passive income idea and stop in trading time for money. And it was just this crazy concept that I was trying to wrap my head around. And I really wanted to master. So the first business that I had that was like my real business was a supplements company, where I would actually import a product, a green juice powder, which had superfoods and probiotics in it. I'd bring it in from America to England, and I would sell it on my little website. And I literally remember to this day, the first sale that I had coming in, and it was the 35 pounds, and it felt so good, because I wasn't sitting at my laptop, I was living my life. And I could see that money coming in on autopilot without me having to be there trading my time for the money. So it felt really, really cool to kind of get on that train and get started in that capacity.

Susan Sly 05:54
How did you run traffic to that business? Because that, that has changed so much. My first online business was 1995, at the beginning of the internet, so I was a health coach online. And I had clients from all over North America because I was, I believe potentially one of the first health coaches with an E commerce site. So I'm like an OG internet girl. Right? But how did you run traffic in 2010 to the, I'm just so curious to this supplement business.

Niyc Pidgeon 06:27
Super interesting, right? So I was one of the only people in England who was doing that kind of supplement at the time, it was very strange and weird. I mean, now you see green juice bars on every corner. But back then it was like, really unusual. So the product itself actually stood out. And I would have a lot of hits just from SEO. And then I would promote it on my Facebook page. So I started to get into social media, and I started to celebrate the results that our clients could get. And I was working as a personal trainer as well at the time. So as well as doing these in person, boot camps, and trading sessions with my clients, I was also pairing that with the online product so that people could do something and take this thing that makes them feel amazing. And what's interesting is they actually take the product still today. It's that good.

Susan Sly 07:28
Oh my gosh. So 12 years later, and you know, if you're watching on YouTube, Niyc is glowing, like absolutely glowing. And so testament to you with regard to that. And the reason I asked about the traffic is because there are a lot of you know, I was a personal trainer, too. So we, I said to Niyc before we got into the show, just reading her bio, and Sherlock Holmesing her, which is my word for being creepy. But, you know, I was like, This is gonna be the first of many more conversations. I just could tell. The reason I ask the question Niyc, about the traffic is, one of the things we're seeing today for the new person in business. So whether they're a solopreneur, they're starting a consultancy business, they're a personal trainer, or they're doing a tech startup, running traffic and SEO and so many things have changed in the last 12 years. What advice would you give to someone just starting out right now in terms of the best ways to get their brand out there?

Niyc Pidgeon 08:28
Yeah, it's interesting, because we've really tried and tested many, many different ways all across the board. We've tried YouTube ads, we are adventuring into TikTok ads, we do Facebook ads. For me, though, it doesn't actually even have to be paid marketing at the start. So I think a lot of people get nervous and apprehensive around the investment that you've got to make in growing a business online, whether it's time, energy, financial resources, and we can get so caught up in trying to go out there and find the millions of people that are going to buy our thing. The way that I started right at the start, and the way that I encourage our clients to actually get out there is just start by building a personal brand, and start actually with relationships first, because even though it's an online business, and we're sitting behind these laptops for hours a day, or we're kind of engaging with people on our phones, I really do believe that business is so much about relationships, so much about those deep connections, it's about the impact we're able to make. So I think, why not start there if that's where you're going to wind up anyway with customer service, customer care. I just love being on Instagram. I love reaching out to people with voice notes with my dodgy Geordie accent. I loved interacting with people, I love finding out about what it is they've got going on or where it is they're stuck or what it is they want to create for themselves in their lives. And yes, it might not be the fastest route to growing an audience, it might not be the fastest route to reaching those people around the world, but the depth of connection that you can get is always more than worth it.

Susan Sly 10:13
I am so glad you said that. Because there, there is a period of time where posting on a Facebook personal page or your, even your business page, you know, I grew mine to 600,000 people really, really quickly, there was a period of time where it was more of a blue ocean, and you could just post in there, you get a lot of traction. And I see people now in this camp, or they're like, it doesn't work anymore. No, it doesn't work anymore. Because in those days, there was more content than there was people. Now there are more people and more content, and how do you put yourself out there, set yourself apart. And I love what you said. It's about reaching out personally, it's about the hustle. Every single thing in our you know, any of the businesses that I built, is really come down to like you said, the personal relationships. And almost you know, a lot of people I've had on the show have become good personal friends. It's just, it's being that person who's going that extra mile. I love what you said. It's not the fastest way, but it's the most effective way.

Niyc Pidgeon 11:22
Yeah. And it's the richness in life. Like I really believe that being rich is about relationships, and it's about us all being able to enjoy the work that we do, because they're so inextricably linked. And I just think that even though it takes time, even though it feels hard sometimes, it's always worth it. Because why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you want to have those amazing friendships and connections, we can all rise and enjoy the journey together?

Susan Sly 11:51
Absolutely. What would you say to the person who says, Well, Niyc, I'm not like you, I'm not as outgoing. I'm really nervous to talk to people. What would you say to that person?

Niyc Pidgeon 12:02
It's totally normal. That fear of judgment comes up for us all. And I remember when I first launched my business online, what came up for me was, what are the girls at high school gonna think of me? Like, I'm 34 years old now and it's just such a crazy thought to have. And it's really easy for us to go there and think, Well, are they gonna judge us? Are they going to be saying like, who does she think she is writing a book or showing up on the internet? It's normal. And I always like to remember that we all have very different maps of the world and very different perspectives and viewpoints. And often, we are our own worst critic. So we can tie ourselves in not thinking about what if, or who's going to say this, or who's gonna think this of me. But when you get visible, and when you feel asleep, shine that light. And when you get out there, it's so amazing, the impact that we're able to have. So where I started, I actually started to teach myself and tell myself that on the other side of the hard thing, was my ability to fulfill my mission and help more people. So if I was nervous about making a video, I would actually get out of my head, and I would stop thinking or making it about the video or stop making it about the posts and actually make it about the person that can be supported and helped by the post instead.

Susan Sly 13:30
That's beautiful. And that other side of, it's like a hard workout, right? No, the hardest part is going to the gym or going to the yoga studio, or whatever it is. After we do the show, I'm going to hot yoga was so take off all the makeup and you know, change and do all that stuff. But that's the hardest part. And it's that surrender and knowing that on the other side of that there, it's just that feeling. that gratification. Dr. John Demartini, who I had on the show, and for people who didn't hear, so John is, he was featured in The Secret he is, you know, he works with people like Richard Branson, just amazing entrepreneur. And John was saying that our ability to earn is directly tied to our authenticity, and that when we're inauthentic and we're out of alignment with our integrity, that no matter all the things we try, nothing seems to work. We don't get the likes, we don't get the comments. We don't whatever in that moment, like you said, it's you know, get out of your head, just make the video, put the reel out there, version Done is better than version none. And just go for it. Right? I want to talk about that whole piece about authenticity and being out of alignment. So, especially for you know, we have a lot of men who listen to the show. It's not just a women's issue, but there is an interesting you know, dilemma that exists with a lot of women with imposter syndrome. And there's this, you know, this, this very apparent state of, I know I'm out of integrity, or I know, it doesn't mean that person's doing anything wrong. It just means is not in alignment for them. And I'll give an example. Let's say someone says, Oh, I really want to get as many likes as I can on TikTok so I'm gonna go and dance around in my bra. But it's not something I would normally do. And they do it. They know it's out of integrity, they get, you know, whatever 500,000, you know, likes or whatever it is. And then they know it's out of integrity. And there's all this fall back. So my question for you around this topic number one is, as a psychologist, how do we fight that pull and push between staying in integrity, and even if it's slow and steady, and that call to potentially, fame?

Niyc Pidgeon 16:00
Hmm.

Niyc Pidgeon 16:01
I think that following your truth is the work. And more and more in life in business, I have been doing the work to kind of unpick, and really lean into what it is that I feel inside and listen to that. Because it's so, so important. There's no, no one else that can be you. You are the most unique, amazing thing. And when you actually express and you live in that fullest version of yourself, the right people will flow to you. I remember a time, probably back in 2013, 2014, when I was showing up as a positive psychologist that really didn't feel positive or happy on the inside. And what I felt inside of me was like this separation and like this crunch between what I thought I had to be on social media, and actually what was going on inside of me was very, very different. And what I started to learn was that gap, and that separation inside of us is actually what stunts our growth. And it's actually what blocks the flow, whether it's the flow of money, or it's the flow of energy with followers and likes on social media. The more, it's not even being vulnerable, it's being honest. It's radical honesty with ourselves, and really learning to support our behaviors and actions based on that truth that we feel inside. And it can be hard sometimes. I remember, I used to live in South Africa. And I was in this amazing relationship with a guy. And there was a niggle inside of me that said, I need to move back to LA. That's where my truth is. That's where my mission is. And it really probably didn't make a lot of sense from the outside looking in. Why would I give up a amazing relationship to move back to a city that I loved? But it's those powerful choices, whether it's just a small decision that you listen to your intuition, or whether it's a big bold move, like moving continents, the more you listen to that intuition, the more you listen to the whisper, before it has to become a role, the more flowing you can get into in your life and your business too.

Susan Sly 18:24
So what happened to the relationship?

Niyc Pidgeon 18:27
I actually broke off the relationship. I was engaged at the time. And it was a really positive decision. So whilst it was hard, I know that when you listen to your truth, you can never go wrong, even if it doesn't make sense at the time.

Susan Sly 18:44
That's beautiful, listening to your truth. And, and that is going to come with detractors. Right? So when we step into that truth, and we're following our path, it's amazing how the critics show up because there are people out there who want to see us through a certain lens. It's a convenient lens for them, because it's a role we play in the story of their life, not necessarily the story of our life, because we're moving into a different chapter. It's neither good nor bad. It's just a different chapter. So have you encountered critics? And if so, have you dealt with them?

Niyc Pidgeon 19:23
Oh, yes. Oh, yes, every day, and in various different ways as well. So I remember when I first set up my online coaching business, and I launched a group coaching program, I was running Facebook ads and worked on it for six months. And when it finally launched date, I had one sale. Now one person in a group coaching program isn't actually a group. So a lot of fear and a lot of self judgment came up at that time. And my dad was actually telling me, Niyc, you can't be an entrepreneur. You need to just go back and get a job. You need to do something that's safe, something that's secure, something that's bringing you a guaranteed income. And there was a big question inside of me at that time, because I was actually listening. And I was saying, You know what, maybe I am crazy. Maybe I can't do this. But it was really, really important at that time to listen to what felt true for me. Because my dad was making this judgment and all this viewpoint based on his map of the world. He wasn't an entrepreneur, he had grown up, and he'd worked his way up the career ladder, in his job. So he was filled with love and care for me, and he just wanted the best thing for his daughter. But what is best for everybody else isn't always what's best for us. So I did what I would teach someone else to do. I put actually, on my headphones, put on a podcast, and I went out and moved my body every single day. And I just started to flood myself with positive stimulus and thoughts and feelings, until I could actually start to think differently and have more certainty inside of myself. So I started to trust myself more and more and more, even if people on the outside thought that I was wild to set up a business. And within 35 days, from that point, I've made $35,000 in my business. From there, I went on to make 100,000 in 100 days, and I did a million before I was 30. So now I have the juxtaposition, or the flashback the before and the after. Imagine I had gone and got a job. Imagine where I would be, then I certainly wouldn't be here talking here.

Susan Sly 21:43
And I love that you shared that story. Because it breaks my heart. The statistic in America is that in the tech world, 90% of startups fail. And 61% of Americans want to start a business, only 8% of them ever do of that 61%. That's the newest data that's out there. And, and it's hard. You know, it's hard I, one of the businesses that I started that, you know, was fantastic. It, you know, generated $22 million for me personally, but it was like, I had so much criticism, my husband criticized me, my in-laws criticized me. And like you, I just put on my headphones. And I go listen to Jim Rohn, or back in those days, and I you know, this was back in 2003, 2004. And it was just constantly, the voice of positivity had to be louder than the voices of negativity. And, and I think that, you know, one of the reasons we see so many people struggle is they're seeking their personal development on, you know, online. And online is also a slippery slope. Because you go on Twitter, I love Twitter. If you tweet at me, it's me tweeting back at you, unless you're an idiot, in which case, I might tweet back at you, but you're not going to like what I have to say. But, you know, you know, people will go on and they'll start to look for their favorite people who are positive, but then they start to see news and they start to see all these other things. I love what you said, like put your podcast on, move your body, change your fiscal state, changes your emotional state. With business now, and looking at if you know, if you were founding a company right now, and it was, you know, you didn't have any money to bootstrap it, Niyc, you had, you know, it was like, you've got, just you, you know, what would you do?

Niyc Pidgeon 23:45
I love this question. Do you know what just came to mind? Have you seen the TV program, I think it's like, the Undercover Billionaire. And they go out, and I, that just sprung into my mind. For me, it will come back to relationships and look at who can actually help me. And who has skills, who has strengths that I can balance with mine. And that would be my first port of call. It will be who has something that I can go and ask for support where for who knows somebody and just leverage the power of the network, because that's really where the wealth is. And there's so much opportunity out there. And if I look back at what it is that's actually supported me over the years, it is relationships. It's been role models that I've had right from the start. One of my friends mums was a woman entrepreneur back in Newcastle. And I remember her telling me, Nikolay, you're brilliant, you're always going to be successful. So it was listening to those small guiding words and really instilling that self belief within myself that allowed me to then go and make the choices to look at what was working for other people, and to really guide myself by other people's success. Starting to make those decisions like who can actually support me on this journey. So I would start there. And I feel like there's so much you can do now. I started my businesses with no money. I had a originally, once I got started in supplements company, so Richard Branson gave me a loan for 8500 pounds. And that was where I was able to have the conversation with him and with Elon Musk on a Google Hangout because of that investment. Now, that was back in 2013. And in 2019, I was able to sit at dinner with Sir Richard, on Necker Island, and tell him the story of how I'd been able to make that 8500 pounds into multi millions of dollars, because he had invested in me right at the start. And it was an amazing story to be on, because he said, How did you make the 2 million per year? And I said, You know what I did, sir Richard? I put one foot in front of the other. And I looked at what the next positive step in the right direction was, and I didn't have it all figured out but I just took it day by day, step by step, and look for the next right action in the right direction.

Susan Sly 26:15
You're amazing, you're absolutely amazing. And that, that person who takes the time to believe in someone else, right, it is so huge. And the, you know, people say, well, Oh, Niyc, you're so positive. And you think about it, if someone is negative, they're going to have an influence on someone too although it's going to be a negative influence. Right? And, and as people are listening, you know, Niyc and I would love, just whatever you're getting from this, just reach out on social, tag us. How did you make Elon Musk cry?

Niyc Pidgeon 26:50
So it's a really funny story. So we were invited as part of the Virgin Money, startup scheme to have a conversation, and Elon was in Los Angeles, actually. So Richard was on Necker Island, the Virgin Unite team were in South Africa, and I was in New Castle. And the production team had prepared a list of questions. And the questions were terrible. They were really, really boring. So at the last minute, I decided I was going to make up my own question. And I said to Elon, what is the most emotional thing that you've ever had to do in business? I'm a positive psychology, I'm curious— positive psychologist. I'm curious around what that is for you. And I could see the production team behind the camera going, Oh, my God. But I was looking down the lens. And what had happened was he recalled the story of when he just sold PayPal. And he was looking at SpaceX and Tesla, and he was trying to make a decision about which one to invest that money into. And he said, he felt like these two businesses were his babies. And he didn't want either of his children to start off. So what he decided to do was take all of the money that he had, split across both companies, and leave himself with absolutely nothing to live off. So he was telling this story and he was literally welling up with tears at the time, because he said that he didn't have any money to live off, he was sleeping on a friend's sofa. But look at what came from that decision and that choice. And I think what I learned from that was, it doesn't matter where they're given start, it doesn't matter whether you're a man or woman, what industry you're in. Businesses is an emotional journey, and even billionaires get scared. And I think that when you accept that there's going to be challenges, and you get used to running companies with this unstable footing, you understand, it's always going to be changing. Once you get comfortable with being uncomfortable, it's a lot easier to actually ride the wave, enjoy the journey along the way and trust the process, even though you might feel like it's messy on the way.

Susan Sly 29:03
So yes, even Elon Musk cries and we all cry. And that's the, that's the whole thing. You know, we all have those wall kicking moments and the, you know, the question, and I feel if you're not questioning yourself every day, then you know, you're not to your point, you're not doing the work, right? Like, why am I here? Who am I serving? How do I become better today? Where am I you know, out of my authenticity, how do I get back in balance? And, and one of the things for me was even with the critics. There's a, the apostle Paul wrote, you know, he said, I'm grateful for this thorn in my side. And I think about that, because it's like, you know, I'm grateful for that critic, or I'm grateful for that, you know, colleague who never gives me praise. And it's like, Oh, you just brought in a 60 million dollar deal but okay, what you know, what are you working on today? You know, and it's that those things to go, okay, if I'm seeking praise, then my mind isn't focused on the right thing which is service, right? So and it goes back to the social media conversation. If all you're doing is seeking likes, comments, then you're not focusing on the right thing, which is how do I show up and serve someone today? Or how do I, how do I put something out there that's going to allow someone to experience an emotion that's going to put them in a more positive state, which is what you do every single day. So, all right now we're gonna have, I don't know, just for fun. We're gonna have Commonwealth speed talk. I haven't done this with since Steve Sims. So Steve was on the show. And Undercover Billionaire, Glen Stearns is a very close friend of mine, the first Undercover Billionaire. And I can introduce you to his wife, Mindy. She's one of my best girlfriends. Anyway, as an aside, so I haven't played this since Steve Sims was on the show. Steve Sims is the concierge to billionaires. So we're gonna play rapid fire Commonwealth question.

Susan Sly 31:13
Okay?

Niyc Pidgeon 31:14
Okay, down.

Susan Sly 31:16
Lemon curd, Yes or no?

Niyc Pidgeon 31:18
Yes,

Susan Sly 31:19
Yes. Right? Delicious! Like, oh my gosh, okay. Um, did you watch Bridgerton?

Niyc Pidgeon 31:29
I didn't, but my mum did. And she loved it.

Susan Sly 31:33
All I have to say is, yes, do. All right. All right. Best British rock band of all time, many to choose from.

Niyc Pidgeon 31:44
British rock band. Ooh, can I say Dire Straits? Do you know who they are?

Susan Sly 31:49
Of course.

Niyc Pidgeon 31:50
Cool. Okay.

Susan Sly 31:52
Money for nothing.

Niyc Pidgeon 31:55
I remember dancing around the dining room table, my dad's CD on, such good music.

Susan Sly 32:01
Okay. Best Female British artist. Female British singer.

Niyc Pidgeon 32:09
Yeah, I love Adele at the moment. Love that girl.

Susan Sly 32:12
Yes. And Amy Winehouse before her time but her voice was like an angel. Oh my gosh. Yes. Adele. Adele slams like, Adele for President. Okay, she not running for president in the United States but neither can Niyc so it's all good. Let's see. Hmm. If you were in Harry Potter, which of the houses would you be from?

Niyc Pidgeon 32:38
Which one's Harry in? Gryffindor.

Susan Sly 32:40
Gryffindor. Of course, Gryffindor.

Niyc Pidgeon 32:43
Has been so long since I've watched Harry Potter. I feel like for every American, when you think of England, you think of Harry Potter. And the school that I actually went to was like this red brick school with all of the ivy growing over it. And it was actually like one of the castles or the schools out of Harry Potter. So cool. Going to school in England.

Susan Sly 33:08
England is so cool. I was there for over a month when I was in my last year of university and I was doing, this is how I, this was 1992. And we were doing crime scene quantification in a partnership with Oxford University. So I drove on all the M roads. I think I drank in every single pub. I have so many stories. Okay, who's your favorite Royal and why?

Niyc Pidgeon 33:34
I love Harry. He's just so real. So normal. And I feel like because we're similar ages as well, we got to grow up and like, see him at the rugby and just see him living a normal life. I think it's just been really, really refreshing for the royal family to have, like a younger, more kind of mainstream, I guess you would say, member of the royal family.

Susan Sly 33:59
Okay. Princess Diana, all the way. The night she died, I was, I cried so hard. And you know, I was just, I grew up my, my grandma, I was raised by my grandmother and my dad. And my grandmother's best friend, my auntie Pam, was from England. And she was from south of London. And so every afternoon we had tea. And when Di and Charles got married, we got up at whatever, three or four in the morning and I remember watching it, I loved Diana. So that's, she's the goat in my opinion. That's all I have to say about that. Last, last rapid fire Commonwealth question. If you could import either a trend or a lifestyle piece, something from the UK to America, what would it be and why?

Niyc Pidgeon 34:55
Me is, the table manners. Another really weird thing but I love the theater of British dining. And I feel like it's really special if you go to, for example, the Ritz or like the IV in London, and all of their knives and forks, all of the spoons, the many glasses, it just feels really special and traditional. And I think that those English traditions are something that we perhaps haven't carried forwards in our families or coming across here to America. I just think that's really enjoyable and really special.

Susan Sly 35:34
I cannot agree more than manners. Absolutely. I'll finished with a funny story and give my, the last word to you. But the, so when we were last living in Canada, there was a family that moved from the UK. And the little boy, his name was Harry, first day of school, and the teacher says, and please don't forget to tell your parents to send an extra pair of pants with you tomorrow. And he goes home. He's like, Mommy, they want me to bring an extra pair of underwear to school.

Niyc Pidgeon 36:11
Oh my goodness, because pants are trousers? Yes. So true. It's a, there's literally a language barrier between American English and English English.

Susan Sly 36:22
There is. So anyway, yes, pants are trousers. And in Australia, thong is not what you think it is, Americans, anyway. And you don't say, you don't say nugget in Australia because that's not what it means. So that's all I have to say. We can have a whole Commonwealth dictionary. So final words, Niyc, what do you want to say to the person who's listening, who's just starting a business or getting the courage to start one? What do you want to say to them?

Niyc Pidgeon 36:52
Trust yourself and trust the process. It's not always going to be easy. But you can't go wrong when you rely on yourself. And I think that's something that I've learned over the years. It's like when you trust yourself, it's always going to work out.

Susan Sly 37:07
Trust yourself and trust the process. I love it. Niyc Pidgeon, you're amazing. And everyone, you can go to Niycpidgeon.com, tag us both on social. If this episode has been helpful, please, please, please, wherever you're listening, give us a five star review. We'd love that. And if you have a comment or a takeaway, go to Susansly.com. I would love to hear from you. I get to see them all. So please do send them over. And with that, Niyc, thanks so much for being here. And go out there, rock your day, everyone. This has been another episode of Raw and Real Entrepreneurship.

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Author Susan Sly

Susan Sly is considered a thought leader in AI, award winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker, best-selling author, and tech investor. Susan has been featured on CNN, CNBC, Fox, Lifetime, ABC Family, and quoted in Forbes Online, Marketwatch, Yahoo Finance, and more. She is the mother of four and has been working in human potential for over two decades.

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