Interview with Jill Chivers
” First tell us about who you are now and where you came from to get here “
I grew up in a coal mining town in the 1970s and 80s, which shaped me in so many ways. I scraped into university (didn’t know what ‘study’ meant during high school) and did a business degree, picking the only major that didn’t repel me (marketing).
One of the bravest things I ever did was move to Sydney when I was 20, just after graduating, not knowing anyone or having a job, and only having temporary accommodation. I was desperate to get out of Central Queensland and live somewhere exciting, which Sydney represented to me.
I got two jobs in Sydney and took them both – one was as a research assistant at the University of New South Wales, a day job I didn’t think would take me anywhere I really wanted to go (and I was wrong), and the other answering the phone at Network Ten on Saturday and Sunday nights (no-one else wanted that shift!). I learned so much from both jobs, and eventually added a third to it (marking papers for the third year marketing course).
In my early 20s I was headhunted to Deloitte, a global advisory and accounting firm, into the health consulting division, a job I got as a result of the work I’d done and the unit I’d been attached to at the University of New South Wales (that day job I thought was never going to go anyplace).
That was my first conscious experience of how things link together and can magically happen when you can’t see the connections or magic at play. I worked for Deloitte for 6 years, moving into IT consulting which meant working on huge projects multi-year, multi-phase, multi-million dollar projects. That work took me all over Australia and eventually to Canada to work for the Global Partner for Change Leadership – a career highlight I thought might come much later. Working for Deloitte shaped me in so many ways, and I still find myself referencing experiences I had there, some 13 years later.
I worked for a boutique (read: small) training firm in Sydney for a while, then (reluctantly) started my own business, as a corporate trainer. I really had no idea how to run a small business and I bumbled around doing my best, trying to get the hang of it. About 3 years in, I finally felt like I might be able to make a decent go of it, and I really honed my craft and became more interested in facilitation than training (two related but very different skills and art forms).
I became very successful as a corporate facilitator, and had some very recognisable and desirable firms as clients, and I was doing work I loved, that stretched and grew me, in the field of leadership and communication. I designed a very creative program that we ran for senior leaders at a huge global firm for nearly 5 years, another career highlight that still warms my heart every time I think of it, even now.
I first entered the online space, on the ‘other side’ (a creator of content, vs. a consumer of it) in 2009, again with no idea.
I learned many hard (and expensive) lessons, and sadly my first website didn’t work out the way I’d wished, and was decommissioned last year. Happily, 3 other online ventures have been a success and I continue to explore and learn about working on the online space in a way that feels genuine and ethical to me, and those I work and interact with. I’ve just started my 4th project with an online presence.
And that’s about where we are now – with me running a number of businesses whose platform includes a significant online portion, as well as continuing to present to live groups, facilitate and create great projects that will help people and engage my creative talents.
” As a woman, what are your Top 5 Relationship Tips for young women? “
Everyday Life
[Tweet “It’s not about the hot and heavy. It’s about the everyday”]
Hot and heavy is great in short bursts that don’t last long (and there’s a place for that).
If it’s long-term you’re after, how you rub along together on an everyday basis is what really counts.
Living
You will never know what you can and cannot live with until you are faced with living either without it or with it, in reference to a real live breathing person whom you realise that you love.
Forget the big declarations (“I could never…”, “I would never put up with…”) – wait until you’re there, with your beloved, and see what’s possible.
Some Days
[Tweet “Some days you’ll love him (or her) so much your heart will physically hurt”]
Other days you may wonder if you even like him (or her).
This is natural and to be expected.
Do not be surprised or alarmed when you have those days when you look at him (her) and think, ‘you’re a bit of a snob/idiot/slow poach/dork/fashion victim’.
So long as you don’t feel like that every day (and if that’s the case, it’s okay to get alarmed (and make a change)).
Your Battles
Pick your battles.
You cannot, nor would you want to, win every fight.
Best advice: for some issues, don’t even start putting on your armour – let it go. Tough to swallow if you think you’re right, or you deserve something, or he’s wrong, or whatever justification you use to engage in warfare.
If you don’t let some of this stuff go, you’ll be constantly mopping up the mess.
And you probably won’t even remember the dimensions of the issue that caused so much angst and bloodshed.
And Don’t Be
Don’t be a princess or a goddess all the freakin’ time.
[Tweet “It isn’t always about you and being adored”]
Sometimes it is, and that’s a beautiful thing.
But sometimes, and try to make this even-Stevens if you can swing it, it’s about the other person.
THEY come first, THEY are who you are thinking about, THEY are who you are doing this thing for (even you don’t really want to), THEY are the one you say “no problem sweetheart” to even though you’d never in a million years have no problem with it but since it’s them it really isn’t a problem, THEY are the one whose happiness means more to you than anything else.
” If you had you time over, what would you change in the past to be a better person today? “
Tough one, as this question kindles up feelings of potential regret, which is not something I do very often or find much value in.
Sure, you sometimes wish to reflect on past situations and mistakes, so you can learn and move on. But apart from that, it’s past, it’s gone, and now we’re here, in THIS moment.
I think of things that I know I’d have regretted if I hadn’t done them.
If I hadn’t had the courage to up sticks and move to Sydney when I was 20 – jobless, friendless and almost homeless – I’d have regretted that, and I’m so glad I had the courage to do it.
If I hadn’t have taken the job offer by Deloitte in my early 20s to join their health consulting team, despite being warned against it by all the people in the public health sector (where I was working) who said I shouldn’t do it (“real health is in the public sector” was the popular refrain and reason given for not joining a private consulting firm) – I hate to think where my life would have ended up if I hadn’t have said YES to that opportunity.
If I hadn’t said yes to my boss who asked me to be the first Australian to join a global team based in Canada – where would I be if I hadn’t said YES to that? And those are just the external opportunities – there’s so many things I said YES to, listening to my internal navigator, that I am so glad I did. They’ve made me the person I am today.
” What is your business about and how do you see it being of benefit to today’s world? “
I run several businesses and I believe they are all of benefit to someone.
Shop Your Wardrobe was created out of my own experiences with dealing with a compulsion to over-shop.
I literally “shopped til I dropped”, I shopped all over the world, and shopping was my favourite hobby. My shopping had started to spiral out of control to the point where I didn’t understand why I was buying and buying and buying, when I already had so much (more than I could possibly use and wear). I healed myself by taking a bold, radical step – having a year without clothes shopping.
That year changed my life, and it also was the catalyst to creating Shop Your Wardrobe which serves women who shop too much and want to stop.
It is the only membership site of its kind in the world, and we offer a range of programs from free to paid.
Your Media Mastery was created because of my own media success – over 50 stories in Australia, New Zealand and American media in 3 years – and receiving requests from entrepreneurs and networking organisations to share how I achieved that.
So I created a home study program for other entrepreneurs and small business people who want to harness the power of the mainstream media – nearly 40 use-it-now strategies that anyone can apply to their own message and business. I also coach entrepreneurs on media skills – how to prepare yourself and your message so you take full advantage of the “big stage” you have been given the opportunity to share your message on.
Jill Chivers.Com is where the full range of my experience and skills is available, and where a lot of corporate clients go to check out what I do and how I can help them.
I’ve sorted how I can be of service into three main categories – I am a speaker and emcee, and can bring sparkle and vibrancy to events, conferences and off-sites. I am a consultant, coach and mentor, and can help shape your business and your products/services so they are best positioned to reach your ideal clients. And I am a world class facilitator, and can design and delivered a facilitated event that exceeds your expectations.
And my latest venture is a joint project with my friend and colleague Imogen Lamport, called Svelte in Style: How to Look and Feel Great While Losing Weight.
We’ve written a book for women on a weight loss journey, or those about to embark on one, to help them look and feel absolutely terrific while they are losing weight. Looking and feeling great isn’t a “nice to have”, we believe it’s a “necessary to have” for women who have weight loss goals, and our e-book shows them how to do that.
” You’ve only been a recent visitor to GeekandJock which is really cool.
Where do you see their value and why is it a great thing to become a participating member of their site? “
I love that the site is targeting men but you get so many women visitors.
We all need a helping hand when it comes to relationships but many women seem much more predisposed to talking about their relationships concerns, which means they get a place to vent, a sounding board, and often some new ideas to throw into the mix.
It seems that many men keep their relationship cards close to their chest, which can mean they don’t get the input or support they need when things are rocky.
GeekandJock aims to provide that input and support and for that, I salute them!!
What’s Your Jill Chivers thoughts?
Yes, now tell us what you think of Jill in the comments below – let her have it haha