Don’t worry about being perfect- no one else is either. I used to want everything to be perfect, but you know it was exhausting and sometimes I would get lost or hyper focus upon details that really weren’t a big deal. Plus your imperfections are what make you special and attract your tribe.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Richardson.
Tracy Richardson is a Therapist (MSc.), Wellness Consultant and Author at Serendipity Wellness® based in Warwickshire, UK. Tracy she takes a whole person centred approach to facilitate healing and optimising wellness with actionable solutions that simultaneously enhance health, performance & business life. She has been helping to inspire and educate others to care for and value themselves through positive behavioural changes since 2018 — because ‘wellness makes you a well-being’.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I’m from the West Midlands, in England, and as a child I was into everything, I enjoyed playing the violin in the school orchestra, most sports and academics, but my loves were with horses and reading. Looking back I was one of the kids that never really fitted in, but was quite happy doing her own thing. I never felt like an outsider, I just never wanted to play with dolls or gossip, I was busy investigating things and asking ‘Why?’ pretty much all the time.
Then into my teens I was a track athlete and that was my life, until I became ill at 18 and was unable to return. Having always had an interest in the body and how it worked and why it did what it did, being ill only served to fuel my interest. Initially I was a victim and the question “Why me?” Was asked a lot, but eventually I saw it as my body speaking to me and warning me, although at the time I couldn’t interpret this and it went ignored.
Years later I found my way and after my journey had taken me through the fitness, healthcare and education sectors, along with achieving 3 degrees along the way, I found the wellness space. It took me time to find the authentic me and embody my gifts, though I am now fully immersed in supporting the wellness of entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to make the most out of themselves.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
I could get lost in books and have always been a voracious reader. Though at school it was mainly fiction books as opposed to non-fiction, now it is totally the reverse.
The book that changed my life was The Witches by Roald Dahl. I read this aged 10, twice in a weekend. Once on a Saturday and then again on the Sunday as I loved it so much. This was the first recollection I have of telling my mum I wanted to write a book. I couldn’t believe how writing a story could actually be someones job and how anyone, anywhere in the world could read the same book. At 10 this was a bit mind blowing.
Now I know I’m not a writer by profession, but it is a superb way of using words to convey a message and to put it out there to more people.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I have made a lot of mistakes in life, but then who hasn’t? But then as long as you learn from them and don’t keep repeating them it’s all good. As the late, great Zig Ziglar said, ’Failure is an event, not a person’.
When I first started writing this book, I think my biggest mistake was underestimating the timeframe from writing to publishing, because, editing is an involved process- who knew?! Well, my editor knew, and she soon set me straight.
It’s not exactly funny, but what did I learn? It reinforced my belief of placing value in something. Just because you may not see the value of something on the surface, does not negate the fact that it is there, it just tales for you to see. If I hadn’t been though it and experienced it, I probably wouldn’t think that editing was such an involved and necessary element.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
This book helps to make restoring and optimising wellness more accessible.
There is an abundance of information out there and knowing where to start can be a tricky path to navigate. Along with this the demand for our attention is at an all time high, so it needed to be a book that you could pick up and read any chapter, or the chapter that resonates with you most, with easy to action practical solutions that you can go and action right away, without having to read the whole book. So manageable bitesized chunks.
The impact I hope, helps to reduce the overwhelm surrounding the available options, to fill in the gaps in understanding and, provide clarity around the influence that your choices have when it comes to your wellness. So that people would be able to confidently make changes to achieve sustainable results and, build wellness freedom to live life the way they want to live.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
It’s not really a a book that shares a story, but a compendium of ways to support the body, mind and soul, by influencing wellness. Although, they are strategies that I also utilise myself, so I walk my talk. Do I get it right all the time? Nope. But, I am human too. As I say to my clients, so as long as you are hitting 80% success, then you are still an A student at the school of life.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
A few people have said to me over the years that I should write a book, mainly my mum. Perhaps she was just bored of me telling her ☺!
The idea for this book had been sitting there on a shelf in my brain for 2 or 3 years, and then I joined an online group, where they spoke about book writing as though it were super simple and you could do it in 28 days. So I thought, ‘if not now, when?’
And that night I sat and formulated my basic structure and what I wanted to include.
The catalyst for writing this particular book was that I was repeating similar advice to my clients when supporting them with their wellness, or sending out wordy emails packed with information. What better than to put it all together in a book.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I work with clients daily, as a Therapist and Wellness Consultant, and have been blessed to be a part of many peoples journeys to restored wellness. For me it is when you see the lightbulb moments and it clicks with the client that they are in charge and responsible for their choices, that is when I feel warm and glowy. Their progress speeds up and as with the ripple effect, this also impacts upon other parts of their lives to, like being able to participate in family time or resume hobbies.
One client that will always stand out for me is an 80 year old lady with osteoarthritis knees that required replacements, though due to her health history she was not a candidate and so had struggled for years just to complete basic tasks. After her first session I received an email from her daughter to say that the biggest win for her was being able to cross the road before the crossing lights changed for the traffic to resume. She hadn’t been able to do that in over 15 years. That’s huge. It is not always the obvious breakthroughs that stand out, but the seemingly insignificant that has a profound effect on someones daily activities that really hits my heart.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The main crux of the problem is that wellness is not a consideration for most until they don’t have it. And, then they look for a magic wand to ‘fix’ them. Unfortunately your body doesn’t care what you want, it has a job to do, which is to keep you alive, so if that means symptoms manifest and you experience things like pain or limitations on your capabilities, then that is self preservation kicking in.
Firstly, awareness and education around what wellness is, why it is important and how to maintain it should be foundational principles incorporated throughout the educational system and within all employment. It should be a non-negotiable. If the past few years is not catalyst for having wellness at the top of your priorities, then society needs a big wake up call.
Secondly, you need to be aware that they have a choice. There are an array of options when it comes to supporting your wellness, but it is the simple things that work, that seem to get cast aside in favour of the latest thing. ‘Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can’, Arthur Ashe state this brilliantly. You don’t need the latest gym gear, the latest shake, supplement, trainers, tracker or app. They won’t make you well. What you need most is to move into sync with nature.
Thirdly, with wellness I believe there are no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’, only ‘betters’. What works for one person, may not work in the same way or be counterproductive for the next person, so it is about finding what works for you. But understanding what and how to do things helps to underpin the principles of why to incorporate certain aspects- because when you know better, you do better.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is encouraging people to do the right thing by showing them and leading by example. Embody what you preach, because actions speak louder than words.
I’ve always believed that leading by consent and ensuring people know how and why they are doing things is the way forwards in life. Not only does this create strong allies and connections, it is placing others in a position of making informed choices for their betterment and the betterment of the collective.
‘If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change’ ~ Ghandi.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Don’t worry about being perfect- no one else is either. I used to want everything to be perfect, but you know it was exhausting and sometimes I would get lost or hyper focus upon details that really weren’t a big deal. Plus your imperfections are what make you special and attract your tribe.
Your voice is necessary. I used to hide my light under a bushel and was really self critical and anxious about speaking my truth or being judged, and that maybe I should try to fit in with the crowd. Probably stemming from childhood bullying. But having worked though my stuff, I now feel that I have things worth saying, that will bring value to others lives.
Not everyone is going to like you, and even some of those who say they are on your side, actually aren’t. This was a hard truth, because it’s human nature to want to be liked. When you are a loyal and supportive person, it is hard realising that not everyone acts the same way, and not all of these who profess to be for collaboration and have your best interests at heart actually do. Be discerning and remember that actions speak volumes.
Be the authentic and unapologetically you. Yes I become sad when people I could help are not open to my experience and advice, but you cannot force people to see things from your perspective. If someone falls away, don’t count it as a loss, it simply means that your timelines are not matched up, you are not in resonance and so it was not a great fit. If the opportunity was meant for you, it won’t pass you by.
Do not feel guilty for charging for your services. There is a misconception that those of us that work in the wellness and healing spheres should do so for free. It is something that is somewhat of a stereotype, and whilst every home should have a healer, the time, study and real world experience that has gone into honing the skills to be able to help others should no be diminished. I guess this comes down to belief systems, it took me a while to realise that there is an energy exchange for everything, and that money is just one way of exchanging this.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
‘Light is Life’ Dr. Jack Kruse.
I used to spend a great deal of time at a computer when I worked 10 years in education, in an office with awful fluorescent lighting. Often getting to work in the dark and returning in the dark and cutting in 12 hour days. Little did I realise at the time that `I was not seeing natural light and that my light environment was directly impacting my wellness (and the symptoms I was experiencing were die to this unnatural environment). Not everyone realises how very important our circadian rhythm or light-dark cycles. Learning about how your cells interpret and respond to light and dark was invaluable learning for me, so I have a great deal to thank ‘Uncle Jack’ for.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Yes, Dr. Jack Kruse, I would love to sit down with him not only to thank him for sharing his knowledge, but also to learn more about his journey, his motivations and where he sees modern life heading with regards to light and wellness.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I look forward to connecting with your readers in the online space.
https://www.serendipitywellness.co.uk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@serendipitywellness
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serendipitywellness.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serendipitywellnessuk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-richardson-serendipity-wellness
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Thank you, and the same for you also.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Tracy Richardson Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.