Ep 11. Emma Perks on Money Mindset and Finding Business Success Without Compromising Your Values

I am Meegan Care mindset coach and meditation teacher. This podcast is here to help you unwind self-doubt, people pleasing, imposter syndrome, and overwhelm so you can step into the confident leader you were born to be women. It is time to bring your purpose into the world in an impactful way without sacrificing your well.

Are you ready? Let’s begin. Kia ora wonderful people. This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Emma Perks. Emma has a thriving women’s holistic health business called Full Circle Physiotherapy, and Emma was one of our founding members of the Impactful Women Group Coaching Program. and we talk about business, we talk about pelvic health, we talk a little bit about vaginas, and we talk quite a bit about money mindset.

As a small business owner, I think you’re gonna love this conversation. It’s fun. We go deep into the mindset staff, listen in. Emma Perks Full circle physiotherapy. Welcome. Welcome to the podcast. Thanks so much for joining us. Tell us all about your business and why you started it. Thank you for having me. Okay. All full circle Physiotherapy we are a team of msk and pelvic pelvic health physiotherapists that
cover both North and South Taranaki, and we are here.

Sort of we are a unit run by women for women, and yeah, we help all women from all walks of life for through their major transitions. So whether that’s puberty or pregnancy, postnatal, all the way through to perimenopause and post. And we help them with all sorts of things such as pelvic health concerns, whether that is back pain or incontinence or prolapse or any gynecological surgeries or painful periods, painful sex, endometriosis, the list can go on.

But yeah, that’s basically. Who we serve and who we are. And we’re based within the TAHI space where I obviously know yourself, Megan. And also, I personally work out every other Monday as well, so we have like two. Two clinical locations. The business actually started just with myself. So as I said, we’re now a very neat little family unit of four. There’s myself and then there’s Erica Snowden and there’s also Nicole Royale, both pelvic health physiotherapist just like me. And then there’s Kerry who, our admin manager who’s like, oh, mom , and she’s the guardian angel. The captain who steers the ship sometimes. And but when I first started the business, so that was 2015, I remember, cause my youngest was one and my eldest was three. It was the most ridiculous time to open a business on massive sleep deprivation. But it was just me. So when I started, it was just me in a room. With an idea. and Hope and Dreams, and yeah, it has evolved. Where are we now? Like 2023 into, as I said, this really awesome group of women who I work with on a daily and we help other women.

That’s really cool. Yeah. And you, you helped so many women in our region at such a needed service. Why Pelvic Health Physiotherapy? Why that for you?

Yeah, so I mean, I, my, my own story is that I started, I’ve been a physio for, oh God, nearly 20 years. And I actually as a student had a placement into women’s health physiotherapy. So it was kind of came on my radar pretty early on. Which is unusual for most physios. But I have found it really interesting.

I think everybody thought I’d got like the duff placement cause they’re like, Ugh, vaginas lucky. You. But it was actually, I found it fascinating. It was so great. And then I did it again as I was a rotational physiotherapist. This is back in the uk. And then, yeah, I had another really great, really great placement there with an amazing
mentor, one of the best physios I’ve ever met.

And then, yeah, when I moved to New Zealand with my husband in 2011, I just got into msk, like sports, physio cause it’s what I knew and it was easy to, easy to slot in. And then I, we were trying for our first baby, which took a, a wee while and then I had my first baby, Eliza, so she is now eight. And yeah, I think it was just really, I opened my eyes again.

I already had privilege of knowledge of pelvic health, but I think it was when I was in our antenatal group. With everyone, with their, you know, first babies and all the conversations around some of the stuff that we would talk about, like, you know, some council, but just how our birth went and our experiences and how that wasn’t always great.

And I just, I guess I realized I was really privileged to have this previous knowledge before I had. My children and how not a lot of people had that . And it, it really became then like my passion and my purpose because I could just see how like physiotherapy and pelvic health physiotherapy in particular can really make such a, an impactful difference to people’s lives.

Far more so than treating 16 year old school kids with smelly socks and ankle injuries. I, that was just not where I was at . I was like give me vaginas any day over yeah, that and that’s kind of how it came about really. So, yeah. Yeah, fantastic. Because I think that that’s the thing I really noticed about you and the team at Full Circle is that your why is very front and center.

The you know, the support that you’re giving women and women’s health is very clear and to the forefront. And I think that’s just such a very beautifully, it’s natural of course, but it’s very clear in terms of your brand, and so what’s something you know now? That you wish you knew when you started your business.

Oh, so many things. From a opening a business thing like being a business owner. I remember very distinctly when I opened my business, my fallacy of thinking was, oh, I’ll work less but get paid more.

So not true. Like, could not be further from the truth I work way more now in a way. So that was my, that’s not true if you’re thinking of opening a business. However, it does give you immense flexibility and is like a baby, like it’s my own creation, which is really amazing to see it evolve. It’s worth worthwhile journey.

I think. The biggest take home for me is that I’m not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. I think when I first opened my doors, I said it was just me in a room in, you know, somewhere renting a space really hungry for business and really like, oh God, this has gotta do well. Was in a, in a very fortunate position where my husband was working full-time and my backup plan was, if it all goes to shit, I can just shut up shop and go home.

It’s ok. Like that was my backup plan. But really I really wanted to obviously succeed and, and, and make it work. So yeah, I was just very hungry for the business and, and you’ll know, like, you know, again, coaching and things, people starting business. Times when it’s very slow and you’re not gonna be busy every day.

And equally, I’m not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea. I found that I was so hungry for business that I was trying to reach everybody and not necessarily spread myself thin, but I was trying to think of all the ways I could network with so many people, which was advantageous. But equally, there’d be a lot of doors slammed in my face and you know, trying to Not even con Well, yeah, I was trying to convince people that a. pelvic health physotherapy was a thing, you know, that it’s something that’s really important and it should matter to a lot of the medical world I suppose I, I was very much out physiotherapy. All I’d known was hospitals and clinics. And I knew that. My evolution of business was gonna be different.

And I remember manifesting at the start, I wanna work with this group of professionals who think like me and who have the same values as me. But at the time it was just little old me room. And so me trying to reach these very medical model people and you know, Bribing them with platter of donuts from public catering.

Every time I went, go see anybody. That’s the way I felt They would let me in, morning tea the way through to a lot of GPs hearts is to provide them with a donut. But yeah, there was lots of, and, and there still are now, if I’m honest. There’s still people that I, I, I probably. You know that I’m not their cup of tea, the way I run my business is not for them. And that’s ok. But I feel like yeah, as time has gone on the way in which I have my business is involved, I attract the type of clients who know
they’re gonna get benefit from me.

And that’s what matters to me. More so than other professionals’ opinion, maybe, you know, just to care less a little bit about what other people think, as long as you are staying true to your purpose.

So, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you, you, you are really carving your own path, creating your own path with this business.

And so I imagine coming to that point where you’re like, you know what? I’m not gonna be for everyone. I’m just gonna accept that kind of, probably freed things up a lot for you.

Yeah, it was actually quite liberating. It’s I remember my husband laughing at me cause all I had ever known when I went to work as a physio with a uniform, right?

Like you’d wear a uniform when you go to work and it gives you a sense of identity. And I’d always, sports physio was polo and just short or something. And when I was working for myself and he was. What are you wearing? I was like, well, I’ve got polo shirt. Cause you know, that’s, that’s got my own branding on and everything.

Now. He’s like, you look like a dick . Oh bless.

Was that, it was, I was still trying to fit this model of what I was and what I’d known and actually when I started wearing my own clothes, it’s such a bizarre thing. But once I started putting, started wearing my own clothes and becoming my own authentic self and being comfortable with that and letting go of that conformity and uniform and like, I, I was that, but I’m not that anymore.

And stepping more into my and say authentic self, that’s really a, I honestly feel that was like a turning point for my business was when I just started to be more like me and less like others.

So Fantastic. Yeah. More like me and less like others. Yeah. You start to, you can. You can feel it when it’s not that right, but, but we often don’t know how to make the change.

And then you start to kind of maybe accidentally or maybe someone you love tells you, you look like a dick and so you change what you were in and then things change and then you can really feel it when it clunks in and you’re like, hang on a minute. This is me inside my business is reflecting this.

There’s a deeper level of authenticity.

Mm. Yeah. A hundred percent. A hundred percent.So good. So good. So you’ve been a part of our impactful Women group coaching program for small business owners.. What made you just decide to enroll in the program?

Okay. So well it was a no-brainer for me, , just cause I know, cause I know, and I know Amy and Amy had been a big part of my brand and, and foundation of my business.

So I, I knew both of you knew my business inside out, but, so I had, I felt like I had an advantage a bit like Kate I suppose. Cause she, she already had a lead in, right? Yes. I, I had. I had had coaching before, so I had business coaching previously when I, which is found really, really helpful. Yes. When I first started my business one, the first one was a lady who was lovely, lovely lady she actually worked at a bank.

And it was, and that was my first introduction to coaching really, and like a lot of coaching as you realize when you go into it, it’s more about your sense of self than it’s Yeah. Business, you know? And she was really the first one that really kind of, I felt like pushed me in terms of asking the harder questions and in a really nice way.

You know, so started asking me what is my why? I can now see what she was trying to ask me then. But at the time I was like, oh my God, this feels so awkward. And I don’t, I, I dunno, a lot of my answers were, I just dunno. So, That was my introduction to coaching and I had to go for about a year. And then Covid happened and it all got a bit messy and obviously life got a bit messy, so I kind of moved away from that.

And then once we kinda got back from Covid, I, I really saw the value in, in business coaching and I would call it my brain dump. So it would be at the time I still had a team. It was very small. I think it was just me and kerry and a contractor physio. So it was great having Kerry but I really needed someone else to brain dump with.

And so I had a guy who was, again, different, completely different background, really helpful. And really good to make me focus on, I, I told him what I felt like I needed. I, for me it was the numbers, like finances. It’s not my thing. I avoided like the plague, and so him, but there was just something about a few moments during that coaching season and a few comments and I was like, I need a woman . It was nothing against him. And I have nothing against men. But when you like, again,as you understand, my business is run by women for women to have a male influence of my coaching. He just didn’t quite get what my business was really about. And he would have quite like throwaway comments, you know, like, oh, you know, kind of you know, women’s bits and stuff.

And I’m like, Hmm, that’s just not gonna sit well with me if you can’t say the word vagina. I don’t think I can be in in coaching with him. And so yes, it, it was really helpful and I took lots from it. So when I was looking last year or whenever it was I was looking for, I had been searching for my people for coaching and then, As I say, when you guys came up, I was like, oh, done deal.

Because A, not only do I know what awesome people they are, but, and I, they know my business inside are, they identify as women themselves and I know that it’s gonna be more than just, more than just numbers, which is important. And I do take that on board. We talked, we’ve coached around that. Yep, yep. Lots of that.

But it’s just so much more, and I dunno how to describe it other than that. But it’s just more than what I have received in previous business coaching. I think as well, what really makes difference a group, so again, I’ve done coaching on individual and at times it’s quite confronting, which is, is a, you know, it’s a good thing.

It did make me reflect a lot, but I think sometimes, Being in a group. There’s just that sense of community and it’s that sense of I’m not on my own, and other people are going through similar stuff and it’s, it’s just, it’s just a bit more reassuring. So I think that, yeah. Is another, that was another plus for me.

Yeah. Beautiful. Yeah. And I had hoped that we would have that synergy as the group, but it’s honestly, it’s really delighted me, how much has been there, how much trust and how much mutual support through the group. Like I said, today at the end of our group call, Always leave our call. So inspired for all of our businesses for moving ahead in that way.

So yeah. So glad you joined. And how has the impactful women program impacted you, either as a business owner or as a person? What would you say is the kind of on top thing around that?

Oh, I think I’m gonna use the word. To lean more into my intuitive sense which is what I think was missing from my previous coaching.

And, and maybe that’s when I say it more than that. Maybe that’s what I’m leaning to. Yeah. It’s that, it’s more of the sense of my own decision making, but confidence in my decision making and leaning into that intuitive feeling of like, this is the right decision for my business and this is the reason why.

And sometimes I don’t even need a reason why. It just is the right decision and I don’t have to justify that to others or if I, you know, If they question it, I, I’m, I’m sure of my decision. Yeah. So I think it’s maybe helped me, I think personally I’ve been on a bit of a journey intuitive since this last year, like 2022 was real getting to know myself a bit better.

And so it’s been quite a nice way of transferring that into my role as a business owner and not being frightened actually being a strength as opposed to a bit weird.

You know? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And so what have you learned that surprised you during the course of the three months?

Probably, well, I say surprise me. I think that this, it’s still my, my mindset around money. That is my, it comes up weekly for me.

And again, that’s probably very much kind of transferring into what’s going in my world outside of business as well. It shows up a lot in other, in other areas of my life. So maybe, but again, it’s, it’s been useful to acknowledge that. Fear, I suppose is the right word, or, yeah. You know, like that. I, I, it, it, I just don’t wanna go there.

I, I just feel like I, you know, even though, even when I said to my business coach, you know, two years ago, like, I don’t like numbers. I’ve always known, I don’t like numbers, but the stories that I tell myself around that aren’t necessarily true. Numbers are neutral. And she told me this lots of times, money is neutral.

But it’s very much our relationship with it. And so, yeah. So it’s been surprising that that’s still a thing for me. I think there’s lots of layers to that. I think a big thing from a physio perspective is coming from. A sense of service and very, having worked, like my, the majority of my training, I suppose, has always been in the nhs, so you don’t, there’s no money transaction, you know?

Yeah. Like Yeah. Public health. Yeah, public health. Like you turn up, you do their service and then you go, and then if you have a cancellation, you’re like cup tea. You’re not thinking, oh my. That’s a cancellation. That means that if I have three of them in a row, that’s a big chunk of my daily earnings. How am I gonna pay my rent?

It’s just a completely different mindset around it. Yeah, and I, I, I find that a lot with even with some of my team who’ve come from cause essentially they’re employed but they’re very much they’re involved with the money side of things. You know, they’ll take transactions from people if cares not here.

Whereas in previous maybe physio clinics they’ve had, you know, they’re not a part of the money, they’re not a part of that transaction. It’s very much go and see, I dunno, Sophie on reception and she’ll sort out
that for you, you kind of removed from it. So it’s quite interesting.
It’s been quite an interesting, like look at things of why things are
the way they are.

And I definitely think that plays a part. And also, you know, like how
much you’re worth. Why do we charge so much? And you know, when you increase prices and all, all your beliefs around money come up again and that barrier is there again. And I thought I dealt with it, but here it is again.

Yeah, it’s just, honestly it’s the on a daily. But what what’s been so helpful with that, I think has been, yeah, that idea of and I think we had like a few coaching sessions about it, but like, you know, that what that one main one that we had, which was basically, you know, just to lean into it more. So rather than, you know, avoid it actually what happens if I look at the numbers every day?

What happens if I, you know, actually yeah, kind of lean into it more and I’ve done. From a business sense as well as as, as well as personally. And that’s been so, so helpful because it’s just rather than this big thing in my head that, you know, it’s, it’s made me look at the numbers and it’s made me forecast better, essentially, which will help, I know, manage, manage things better next year.

So yeah, that’s been, that’s probably been like the biggest thing for me personally. I know it’s got different things, but Yeah. And, and I’m sure it. It will continue to show up and, but it, it’s also being okay with that and knowing that that is, I say it’s a barrier of mine, but I’ve also got some tools that I can look at it and as you say, it’s
actually how am I feeling about that and is there anything else that’s
feeding into it and is that actually true what I’m telling myself or is
it something that I’ve listened to previously?

And that’s just what I’ve told myself sort of. Yeah, so good, so good. And around the money stuff, it’s like, because we, we hear that a lot and because I work with a lot of service providers and women in business who, who offer a service who are about
holistic wellness, that kind of thing. I hear it a lot of, oh, I’m not interested in the numbers.

I didn’t get into this for the money. And so then there’s this big blind spot, right? But the realization of, well, hang on a minute. It actually takes time to unwind that and create a different relationship with numbers, with money. It’s just not a one and done kind of thing. You, you live your way into it as a business owner, and every time you expand out or you take on a new team member, you offer a different service.

You increase your prices. Here comes that stuff up, it comes again, and we get to look at what’s our mindset around money. Shows up all over again.

No, no. Yeah. And like you say, it plays out in it’s, it plays out in so many other, like other parts of life really. And it’s been, I say it’s not just professionally, but personally really helpful for for us to, for example, as our family, to look at the budget and, and again, we had noticed and, and just transferring some of that.

To outside of business has been really helpful because again, it just helps remove the fear around it. And actually I identify, you know, again, like previously I would say like me and my partner, we would probably like clash the most whenever it was a heated discussion around money. And it would always be.

So we didn’t wanna clash, so we just didn’t talk about it. So we just kinda take it off the table, but then by , but by not talking about it, that created this other problem. So yeah, it, it’s been, I guess, for a business owner, because I had, I sort of delegated that role to behonest, of like, well, I’m, as you say, I’m not, I’m not here for the money.

I’m here for, I’m the service and I’m the person people come to see and I’m. You know, like I’m part of that and I had almost like removed that,that that role of, I guess, accountant to, to my accountant. I had just handed that over to him and almost, you know, every meeting I catch up, I’m like, do we need to talk about anything?

Like, you know, is there anything you need, anything I, I’m on a need to know basis. I don’t really understand what you do. I don’t really need to know why, but you just tell me what to do and it’s very disempowering. Yes, I hadn’t realized. It wasn’t him, that was me. That was, you know, that was me kind of pushing it away.

Oh, well that’s your job. And, and, and that’s kinda why I pay you to, to do that job. But it’s just having that understanding that that money, as you say, comes into everything. It’s kinda, its important. It’s not the only thing that’s important, but it’s important. And the consequence of such is that you have to be involved with it and face those awkward.

Barriers around it, because otherwise yeah, you’re just disempowering yourself. It only makes it worse. Yeah, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. And it’s brings me
back to the principles actually that I learned in my counseling training around right relationship. You know, how can we expect to have, you know, a healthy relationship with money if we’re ignoring it, if we’re stuffing it under the table, if we are never talking about it.

It does take you know, like you said, looking at those barriers, looking at what’s inside of me that is preventing a healthy communication and relationship with it as a business owner. And then of course, cause I think business is such a, such a big piece of personal development for us. You know what I learn in my business about myself, I take out into my family life, into my friendships, into my other relationships.

It’s such a big learning. Yeah. Yeah. So we’ve got another round, another enrollment of Impactful women program coming up. What advice would you have for women that might be considering joining the program? Okay. So I would, I think if you, it would be beneficial for anybody really. particularly if you’ve never had, if you’ve been on the
fence about having coaching or like, you know, coaching for yourself as much as it is for your business.

So You know, I, like I said, I, I’ve been fortunate to have a bit of business coaching before I, I joined, I impact women, but I was looking for something that was just a bit different. And so you could save yourself time by going woman in business and that for as say like community of women that have.

That you feel really safe and secure, whereas, but also having that coaching that isn’t just about the numbers and it’s not just about marketing and it’s not just about it. It’s really what I say like lies beneath. It’s about, as we were saying, like intuitive sense of self.

What’s your mindset around that?

What are your self-limiting beliefs that you have around that? I think it’s more the psychology of businesses, but I think. Women brings a lot, and I think it’s huge. It also really, personally, I, I find psychology of anything really, really interesting. So if you are interested in, you know, investing that, and it is time and it is money, but it never to be, it’s, it’s so fruitful and so helpful.

Yeah, if you’re looking for that coaching sense of things, that gives you a bit more of the psychology behind things. And if you’re not quite sure what you’re doing yeah, I would say it’s absolutely, absolutely worth the time and money and investment. Because you is a commitment. You do have to, yeah, show up and, and what have you.

You have accountability. So yeah, so I think it would be, again, for me,
it was a no-brainer. Oh, and I look, I’m so glad you joined because anytime you first run something, it’s like, actually, what is this gonna be like for people?
Hmm. It’s a bit of a leap of faith. So to have you woman say, yep, you know what, we’re in, and it’s wholeheartedly exceeded my expectations as a coach.

So, so thrilled. Hey, so thanks so much for joining me today. Last question. What’s your favorite. book currently, and it can be business or otherwise.

Okay. I read a lot, . I know you do. This was a hard one to pin down, but I think what would be the most universal helpful for other people was a book called Fear Less by Dr. Pippa Grange. And it’s basically, I had to write the tagline, how to Win at Life Without Losing Yourself. And it’s actually like a sport. She’s a psychologist, but it’s a sports psychology book. But It was definitely, definitely one of the, Books that I read that really acknowledged yeah, fear and the psychology of why we do things.

And it’s really challenged me in a lot of ways. So really easy book to read and I loved it. So Fantastic.

That isn’t one, I’ve, I haven’t heard of that. And so I’m gonna give little look. Thank you. You, Emma. Yeah. So good. Alright, Emma, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast. loved hearing your journey with impactful women.

Cause obviously I’ve witnessed it, but to hear you reflect on that has been just such a joy. Yeah.

Thanks again. Yeah, thank you. It’s been great.

Hey, thanks for joining me on the podcast. Hope you really enjoyed that episode. I love talking to Emma about her insights around impactful women, but also her take on her business, her why she does such an amazing job in our community and her business is thriving. If you are interested in checking out about the next round of impactful women, our group coaching program for small business owners, where we go deep into
supporting your mindset, your business psychology, to become more resilient, to become stronger.

So that you don’t get so stuck in overwhelm and stress closing and onburnout, we’re starting on the 8th of March. I know you’re gonna love it. If you’re feeling called to find out more, feeling that pull in your heart, send me a message, email info@ meegan care.co.nz, or just DM me on Instagram and we’ll talk details.

Okay? Talk to you real soon.