Audrey Martin is the Founder of IKARO Consulting, a Sydney Australian-based company that provides Leadership and Life Coaching services. Since 2020, IKARO Consulting has delivered individual and group programs for both the corporate, business world and the general public.
For more information on IKARO Consulting visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Audrey, to know a bit more about her journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Audrey: For a long time, I had a feeling deep within me that I could do more and give more. I knew it was my responsibility to take the steps to fulfill that journey, whatever it might be. I kept asking myself “why were you brought to this planet? What can you do to give more while feeling truly fulfilled?”
I love Coaching and Facilitating and considering the 15 years of background I had in that field in corporate, it made perfect sense to build my own Coaching – Consulting Business. My aim is to help as many people as I can tap into their potential and shift their mindset so they can be at their best, living the life they were meant to without fear and self-doubts stopping them. Having gone through an inner transformation myself, I know how liberating and freeing it feels and I wish this feeling to everyone. It really came down to choosing to do what I love, each and every day, while making a positive impact on the world we live in.
Q. How did you get started?
Audrey: I took off traveling the world for 13 months before the global pandemic. During that time I did some deep reflection using the Ikigai Model, which I knew about. I also wrote daily and kept a journal on my insights, travel experiences, encounters, and ‘aha’ moments. When returning to Sydney in Australia where I currently live, my “Why” and my goals were clear but I still needed to figure out the details.
My background was in the Personal and Organisational Development field in Corporate so to add to my Leadership and Performance Coaching, I completed a Diploma of Life Coaching to expand my tools and techniques. I wanted to create a more holistic approach (body-mind-spirit), which is more aligned with my values. The aim was always to help everyone, not just the corporate or business world.
To get started, I took various courses, attended seminars, learnt from mentors, listened to many Podcasts and read lots of books which I still do, mainly for inspiration and resources. Then, little by little I built the foundations. I have several projects in mind to contribute more but I am taking it one step at a time… It’s a journey but my vision is clear.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Audrey: Building a consistent clients pipeline. I had a clear idea of the clientele to target and the methods I wanted to use but sometimes, the universe has a different plan for you than the one you have in mind.
You have to keep at it and persist but then comes a time when you have to be wise enough to pause and re-assess what’s working and what needs to be thought through again with new strategies. I had to keep an open mind, ask myself different questions and expand my options to re-direct my actions. It’s a process and not an easy one but the beauty is never in the destination. The growth, the learning, and the development is the beautiful part and it truly lies in the journey, not the destination. The destination is the cherry on the cake but I truly believe fulfillment comes in baking the cake!
The one obvious lesson for me is “Be inflexible with your vision but be very flexible with the ways to get there”. The opportunities and encounters that will knock on your door might not be the ones you ever expected or thought of but they might be the exact ones you need to keep you moving forward on your path.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
Audrey: I think the memorable things for me are witnessing the inner transformation in clients. One of the participants, in a program I ran last year, told me at the end of the day “Thank you. This was life-changing. I only wish I could have attended this program 20-30 years ago. I think my life would have been different”. His comment moved me and filled me with even more motivation and inspiration to do more. This is why I do what I do and I love it.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Audrey: Oh so many great books to recommend, which one to pick! I think all our desires, everything we wish to Be and achieve sits on the other side of Fear. Fear, doubts, self-limiting beliefs, insecurities paralyse us in so many ways, which is a shame considering how much limitless potential lies within each and every one of us. So, I would recommend a book on the topic of fear. There are many good ones out there and one of them is “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers. It carries some good messages and tips on the topic.
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Audrey: I want to help people be genuinely fulfilled with who they are and what they do, finding that sense of meaning and purpose in life. I believe it is essential for self-actualization and being more at peace.
If we can achieve that at an individual level, I think we will experience more compassion towards ourselves and others, which in my opinion, is a key element to raising our collective consciousness.
If I can help play a part in this, then I will be satisfied and fulfilled with the impact I am leaving behind when it’s my time to go.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Audrey: Be clear about your “Why” – Why you are doing it – and never forget it.
You will face a mountain of obstacles and setbacks but if your “Why” is powerful enough to you, you will find the inner strength, patience, and perseverance to never give up. When our “Why” is clear, somehow the “How” finds its way. As Paulo Coelho wrote in his book The Alchemist: “when you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.
To keep up to date with Audrey and her journey, visit their website at http://www.ikaroconsulting.com/
