Jeanette Eriksson created Nordicly out of her passion for making people feel and work better to achieve more. Jeanette uses innovative Scandinavian thinking in her coaching approach when working with individuals wanting to achieve personal goals, improve their leadership skills or maximise performance. Having provided leadership to large teams for many years, whilst gaining national sports success including at national team coaching level, Jeanette has learned all the tricks of the ‘personal & business development’ trade. Jeanette is also a best-selling author in the UK, US, Canada and Mexico, by contributing to two 1Habit books.
Whether you need help to improve yourself and pivot in our new, ever-changing world, or build your people and help them achieve clarity and progress in life and/or perform at a higher level at work, Jeanette is your Nordic(ly) solution.
Jeanette Eriksson, Leadership/Performance Coach
Hello there, Jeanette. Happy New Year! How is 2024 feeling so far?
Happy New Year! I keep telling everyone how 2024 will be a great year, and as my attitude is always ‘let’s focus on the positive’, knowing that a half glass full approach is way better than the opposite, I genuinely feel that is the case. 2024 will be a better year if you have that approach, and let’s face it, after a few not so stable years for most and for the world, we all need for 2024 to be a good one. I always say that with regards to the future, and outcomes of whatever the plan, there are two outcomes or truths; one is that it won’t work and it will be bad, and other is that you will achieve what you will have set out to do and the result will be fantastic. Neither is obviously true, as the future has not happened yet, so why not focus on the latter option, as at least with that attitude it means that you make better decisions, based on good planning and attitude, rather than acting out of fear. And we all know that decision-making based on fear never ends up with the best result.
So, tell us a bit about yourself.
I always say that I am Swedish but an honorary Brit having lived in London over half my life, however I think it is probably time to revise that statement as I am now also actually British (hello Brexit and dual citizenship) and am currently living outside of London, having achieved a goal which was brewing for a while; the dream to live by the seaside.
A couple of years ago, and during the pandemic, I kept saying how I really wanted to live close to the sea, but have a close distance to the city of London. I love the hustle and bustle of a big capital city, as it creates a drive and flexibility in people, and London gives me energy. However, city living also exhausted me (I am aware of the paradox, which is London in a nutshell) and with age you realise that time is precious and we all need quality down-time.
So, after I kept wishing my summers away in Hackney, London, due to flat-living and no water close by, I decided that ‘next summer I want to live by the sea’ and have lunchtime swims and beautiful spaces to ‘rest’ my mind. And et voila, it arrived.
I am not saying that I sent the request out into the universe and suddenly the opportunity presented itself, but what happened was that I started aligning my actions with my goal and made choices out of ‘what do I want’ rather than what ‘do I not want’ and the following summer I was living within a few minutes walking distance to a 3 mile beach and the summers took on a new meaning. And all whilst being a shortish train ride away from central London. A total win-win really.
Do you think having Swedish values and upbringing gives you an advantage when living abroad?
Being Swedish at the core, with almost 30 years of UK residence, I feel I bring the best of both worlds to my approach to my leadership, coaching, attitude and solutions. I always look to find the best way of doing something, whether it is getting the best out of people, achieving personal or company goals, with a direct Scandi approach but with the gentle and polite ‘British’ way. And I always try to approach anything with a “there are no problems, only solutions” and don’t sweat the small stuff. What’s the point in getting all worked up over small things? Better to save that energy to ‘real’ issues, which you can then more efficiently fix.
Congratulations on Nordicly Coaching – how did that idea come about?
Firstly, I have to admit that I really do dislike the term ‘coaching’. I obviously don’t dislike what it represents as coaching is awesome and we all need it, but the I feel the title has become tarnished from bad publicity. So, if anyone can come up with a beautiful hybrid of coach/mentor/life strategist/accountability person/personal development guide/professional growth facilitator/(self)leadership advisor/change catalyst then let me know, ha ha. As that is exactly what I would like to define myself, albeit a very lengthy title – and what I am passionate about.
Looking back, I have provided ‘coaching’ for a very long time. Almost my whole life really. It started at school when I was asked to mentor fellow students at really quite young age to then receive a school scholarship at 16 based on being good at sport, but also for ‘being a great leader’. I was voted captain for my British handball team since 2003, lifting British Cup and League championship teamwork trophies over 12 consecutive years. And in 2007 I was asked to be assistant National coach to the England women’s handball team, building a group of young women for the Olympics 2012.
Leadership is something that I am completely passionate about and I have been in a leadership role since 2003 in Higher Education, having had several roles and moving up the leadership ladder, which then resulted in me wanted to take on the coaching aspect even more, as I know I was really good at it and it was a driving passion. So, in 2017 I decided to take the plunge, trust my gut (which has served me well my whole life) and took voluntary redundancy from a job I adored and left a team I was passionate to lead, for the opportunity to follow my dream to have my own company; Nordicly Coaching & Consulting was born.
As I am currently back enjoying a fairly senior management and leadership role in Higher Education, it allows me to ‘practice what I preach’, as well as providing coaching on the side as a passion project. Last year, for instance, I ran a ‘How to Live Your Best Life’ seminar in London with a writer from Sweden, and I am currently giving leadership coaching a lot of focus, as I strongly believe leadership – self-leadership and leadership for others – is the key to all success.
As well as great leadership, communication is also something very close to your heart and features in your coaching and choice of roles you have had. Why do you think these two skills are so very important?
Leadership is everything, whether providing leadership to others, or providing self-leadership to yourself. When it comes to life, goals or driving a company forward whilst having staff on board. And in order to provide great leadership, you need to communicate well. This includes your self-talk, as the story you tell yourself is the one that defines who you are, so that can be a negative one or a positive one. If that story is a positive one, then you will train your brain to think that way.
I would say the same things about problems, as if you think about something negatively too much and too long, the brain will perceive this as important and ‘clearly this needs lots of focus’ and the thoughts become just that – negative. In my coaching I teach people how to change that focus and create positive stories and thinking that will focus on the good and what can be changed. So that things do change and those goals and dreams are achieved rather than spending time focussing on irrelevant things in the past or something that hasn’t happened yet.
This is a topic I could go on and on talking about, as I am genuinely passionate about it. So, for the extended version, and find out about my views, experience, concepts, advice and ‘techniques’, which will allow someone to understand where things can be improved in order to ‘be your best’ and deliver the best for others and, even more importantly, for yourself – then you will just have to book a session or attend my next talk. I have had so much positive feedback, so I know it is really useful stuff.
You mentioned self-leadership earlier. Why is it so important you think?
Oh, self-leadership is the key to everything and is a cornerstone in all aspects of my coaching, as it is an essential skill that can significantly enhance various aspects of your life. It involves developing a deep understanding of yourself, including your strengths, weaknesses, values, and goals. This self-awareness allows you to make informed decisions that align with your beliefs and aspirations. Also, it enables you to regulate your emotions, manage your responses to situations, and adapt your behaviour to be more effective in different contexts.
When you practise self-leadership, you become more motivated and focused on your goals, leading to enhanced productivity in your personal and professional life. It encourages continuous learning and growth, making you more open to feedback, willing to try new things, and committed to improving yourself and your situation. Also, self-leadership can strengthen your relationships by improving your communication, empathy, and ability to build and maintain healthy connections. By understanding yourself better and developing your leadership skills, you become better equipped to navigate various challenges and interactions with others.
Overall, self-leadership is a powerful tool that empowers individuals to take control of their lives, make informed decisions, and build strong relationships. It fosters personal growth, enhances productivity, and enables better decision-making. Cultivating self-leadership skills can lead to a more fulfilling and successful life, and is also the core of becoming a great leader for others. So…so very important really for all things including goals, life and simply being the best you can be for yourself and others.
You have been awarded the Brainz CREA Global honouree three times! Congratulations!
Aw, thank you! It’s fantastic! And after I took the leap to start my own business I was worried that it wouldn’t work and I had way too much self-trust. My parents have always instilled a belief that there is nothing I can’t do or succeed at. Which isn’t always true of course, but if you have that attitude then you don’t allow doubt to stop yourself, and if you start then you can only win or learn…but not ‘fail’.
Luckily, my self-employed venture worked out great, and since 2017 I have been a very busy woman enjoying my coaching and consulting journey, and continuously building my ideas, confidence and self-trust, and loving the complete joy by having many strings to my bow. For example, I have been a guest on several podcasts in both USA and Australia, enjoyed being a contributing author to two Amazon best-selling books in USA, Mexico, UK, regularly popping into the Swedish National radio by doing a little UK correspondence reporting and running online courses and coaching sessions.
Future plans
Be the best leader I can be in my current role as I do love Higher Education and working to improve the University sector and attitudes, whilst developing staff and maximising ‘output’, and make my company maximise its success whilst continuing and extending my passion projects.
There is a lot of iron in the fire at the moment, including ideas for another group coaching event, a couple of live seminars directed particularly at women in either leadership roles or simply are looking to develop better self-leadership skills with better goal setting, working out exactly what they want to achieve, and most importantly why.
And for my own self-development, I am just finishing an NLP coaching course and am planning to writing some more articles. For the past 10 years I have talked about writing a book, and there is a non-fictional book waiting there, having had a taste with my book contribution successes. This future book would likely be an observational piece on human behaviour filled with funny anecdotes as well as important messaging but for now, that will have to wait as I want to be the best that I can be and continue to achieve self-growth, wearing all my various ‘hats’.
As it is key to invest in your own mental health, I always make sure I get that much needed down time, filled with hygge (you cannot underestimate candles and great smells!), sea swimming, mindfulness and finding joy in the little things. We only have one life, so why not aim to fill it with everything from success and growth, whilst also taking much needed breaks and work out the next positive steps. That way we constantly have that oxygen mask on hand and build self-trust, and THEN we are ready to help others around us. As anyone I have worked with knows, I call it the upward spiral, and that is the only spiral I am aim to be on. Should it occasionally move the other way, then I need to have the tools to turn the tide. And that my friend, is the key to everything ‘living your best life’.
Finally, Jeanette. What would be your professional dream opportunities?
Take my coaching abroad to countries that perhaps could do with a bit more of an understand of the benefits of a Scandinavian leadership approach, such as USA, Canada and Australia, where the general attitude is more conservative/formal, as in the UK, and I would be able to share skills and attitudes which could bring better leadership, better returns on investment and keep staff happiness at its peak. In the meantime, there is plenty of work to be done in the UK, and want to be in the forefront of a better attitude towards leadership and new, less formal, more efficient ways of working.
If someone said “let’s wave a magic wand”, then I guess the ultimate role would be being an in-house coach who is simply there to boost and give staff a chance to quickly ‘snap’ back into productivity and positivity with some extra tools in their belt. How many times is this not something we have all needed? Yes, we have colleagues and we have managers, but having that independent person, who confidentially can give you that pep-talk or get you to understand yourself in times where self-reflection is needed, guidance or a steer, or one simply needs a safe-space-moan, wouldn’t that be the dream? And when the staff are vented and happy, productivity will soar and so will be the company!
How can people get in touch with you if they are interested in group coaching or get you involved in any events?
Let’s have an online FIKA! (a Swedish coffee break…Google it haha). I am happy to have an informal chat with anyone online to see how I can help, including defining requirements, via a non-committing, and simply a complementary, connection. And that is always a winner, regardless of you end up working with someone or not. I love connecting with people and communication is fun, so hey, ping me an email at jeanette.nordicly@gmail.com giving me as much or as little information as you want. My website is currently getting a revamp so for now, but I do post some updates on the Nordicly Facebook and Instagram accounts. And as spaces are limited, I operate on a first come, first served basis, and operate a waiting list.
