Jodie Cook

Welcome, great to have you here đź‘‹

I'm Jodie, founder of Coachvox AI. We make AI coaches.

After selling my agency in 2021 I wrote my new book, Ten Year Career: Reimagine business, design your life, fast track your freedom.

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These blogs are for entrepreneurs who think differently (or want to!)
Topics include mindset, lifestyle design and how to run a business without it running you.
August 18, 2021

Jump and the net will appear

The grass is always greener. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Better the devil you know. Don’t fly too close to the sun. These phrases keep you thinking small and acting smaller. They prize comfort and familiarity over the unknown. Their fear-based lessons encourage movement away from perceived risk and back to safety. The gras...
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August 16, 2021

Solitude stint

Could you live alone, for a month, in the middle of the woods? No phone, no internet, just you and a stack of blank paper? Could you be content with the simplest of existences as you lived out your days? Basic food, modest furnishings, no music, only the sounds of nature around you? No alarm clock, just rising and sleeping with sunrise...
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August 13, 2021

Persistence

It’s seen as a good thing to be persistent. Not to quit. To never give up. But where’s the part where we make sure that what we’re fighting for is really what we want? There’s little sense in persistence for the sake of persistence. Winning a negotiation that you didn’t care about in the first place. Proving someone wrong on something ...
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August 11, 2021

Spring cleaning

Last week I removed every item of clothing I owned from its wardrobe or drawer and put it on the bed. Then I sorted every item into three piles. Definitely, definitely not, maybe. Definitely: These were clothes that I love and had worn recently, that suit me and I feel good wearing. Definitely not: These were clothes I hadn’t worn in a...
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August 9, 2021

Introducing yourself

I used to think that success was not having to introduce yourself. I thought it was having others introduce you or everyone already knowing who you were. Having others seek you out and introduce themselves as if you were a celebrity. Now I realise that success is probably not having to introduce yourself but doing it anyway. Assuming n...
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August 6, 2021

Ten things I know for sure (this week)

1. No one remembers who said hi first. So say hi first. 2. Most opinions are irrelevant. 3. If it’s not how you would spend your last hour on earth, do you really need to do it? 4. A little customer service goes a long way. 5. Challenger banks are the future. 6. There are 2,755 billionaires in the world and nearly all give millions awa...
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August 4, 2021

Banish the beige

In Graham Allcott’s book, How to have the energy, he recommends removing beige food from your diet in favour of a rainbow of vegetables. What if beige was banished from all aspects of life? Beige commitments: Removing “meh” experiences from your diary and only committing to what you really want to do. Beige clothes: Donating whatever d...
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August 2, 2021

I’m not f*cking around

Jason Feifer of Entrepreneur magazine has a mantra and it’s: “I’m not f*cking around”. He created the mantra to stay focused. To remember why he was taking risks and holding himself to high standards. He was on a personal mission to have an exciting career and to push himself into doing things he knew he was capable of doing. I especia...
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July 30, 2021

Expanding your comfort zone, putting yourself first, writing a bestselling business book

Here are the articles written for Forbes during July: Why successful entrepreneurs put themselves first Self-centred. Unconscientious. Selfish. These are some of the shame and guilt-ridden words that might swim around in an entrepreneur’s head when they choose to put themselves first. But entrepreneurs should think of themselves as ass...
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July 28, 2021

What are you capable of?

I think about this question all the time. Every single day. What am I capable of? When I’m in the gym, when I’m at my laptop, when I’m writing down ideas. The answer is a lot. We all are. Humans operate far within their comfort zones, all the time. We unconsciously crave comfort. We’re soft. We haven’t needed to push ourselves because,...
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July 26, 2021

Lapping everyone on the couch

Not feeling too fit? If you’re jogging round the park, you’re lapping everyone on the couch. Not found a job? If you’re up early writing applications, you’re lapping everyone on the couch. Making that first sales call? Producing resources from your ideas? Lapping everyone on the couch. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Taking simple a...
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July 23, 2021

Boom and bust

A colleague was feeling stressed and decided she would book a seven-day yoga retreat. However, to that point, she’d never taken a single yoga class. Boom and bust thinking is rarely a good idea. In any situation. But when overwhelm takes over it’s easy to think you want the exact opposite of what you have now, and to talk and think in ...
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July 21, 2021

Habits of eventual millionaires

I'm not ashamed to admit I have a folder on my computer called the folder of motivation. It's where I keep screenshots of emails, quotes and concepts that keep me on track when I'm feeling a bit meh (technical term!) There's one I'd like to share with you. I saved it back in 2016 and it's by James Altucher, an entrepreneur, angel inves...
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July 19, 2021

A surface level life

Reading the books you think you should be reading. Watching the shows everyone else does. Attending the meeting but saying nothing. Going for a walk but looking down at your phone. Scrolling social media instead of playing with your kids. Making small talk with friends instead of asking how they are and delving into the answer. Going o...
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July 16, 2021

Ten things I know for sure (this week)

1. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it. 2. Others will want old versions of you and it’s down to you to say no. 3. Everyone’s favourite radio station is WII FM; what’s in it for me. 4. “It only happens every four years” isn't an automatic reason for you to give away your time. 5. Department stores are ...
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July 14, 2021

Obsessions

An endurance athlete I know has a mantra: Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. He’s dedicated to training, nutrition, endurance and being better than he was before. He’s dedicated to understanding his body, heart rate, performance and recovery. Some may say obsessed. Some obsessions are undeniably good. An obsessi...
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July 12, 2021

What's next?

Since the news of my social media agency’s acquisition was made public, and I told you why I made that move, there are two words I keep hearing: What’s next? Everyone I meet or bump into wants to know. I’ve never heard the question more. Even LinkedIn is itching to find out: It’s awesome that so many people are keen to hear what I’m pl...
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July 9, 2021

Choosing yourself

Once upon a time, if I wanted to win big in a particular profession, I had to wait to be picked. A musician, an author, an illustrator, a photographer, a model. A CEO, an advisor, a presenter or commentator. I would diligently present my work in front of a panel and they would say yes or no. I would create my CV and send it off whilst ...
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July 7, 2021

Three options

For every scenario there are three options. The option to accept and let go. The option to make a change. The option to leave. They are the only three. Unhappiness occurs when you choose the wrong option or try to make a combination of options work. Unhappiness occurs when you avoid choosing. Friction builds until the decision is force...
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July 5, 2021

Fear stories

Fear stories are told, often unsolicited, to us by others. You’re having a baby, and someone needs you to hear their childbirth horror story. You’re starting a business, and someone is adamant it will go wrong, as it did for them. You’re looking forward to the theme park and they remind you of that rollercoaster crash. You’re taking on...
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July 2, 2021

Ten things I know for sure (this week)

1. Life is more peaceful if you are always early instead of always late. 2. Being tired knocks points off your IQ and patience. 3. You should never attribute to malice what is probably stupidity. 4. Jack Grealish is the most fouled footballer because he is one of the most talented. 5. Netflix documentaries are funded by people with a l...
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June 30, 2021

World class memories, traits of great leaders, rebranding retirement

Here are the articles written for Forbes during June: How to develop a world class memory within a year Brilliant business relationships are built on memory. Remembering someone’s name and the name of their spouse or kids. Remembering their interests and preferences; how they take their coffee, how long they have been a customer or wha...
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June 28, 2021

Neomania

An obsession with the new. The latest, the shiny, the first of its kind. New collections, new issues, breaking news. We are obsessed with the new and it has many implications. Shop displays must update every week to catch our attention, as must website banners. To halt our scroll, social media content has to be fresh. Stock photos lose...
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June 25, 2021

It has yet to be done

But it’s not impossible. Records are broken every day. Things once considered beyond human capability happen. Someone spots a way forward, they break through, they make it work. Those determined enough can see the possibility. They aren’t deterred by the prospect of impossible. But as soon as you believe it's impossible, you will stop ...
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June 23, 2021

Choosing your day

You can wake up in the morning and decide to have a bad day. You can choose to see the bad in whatever comes your way. You can notice the litter, the traffic and the cold. You can find fault in a colleague, friend or partner. You can fly off the handle at any comment and misinterpret any email. If you want to have a bad day, you can ma...
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June 21, 2021

The company we keep

As social creatures, we unconsciously imitate the people around us. Groups of friends start dressing the same. Kids develop the same mannerisms as their parents. Spend ten minutes talking to someone with a strong accent and you’ll pick up a twang. If all your friends are starting YouTube channels, guess what your next move will be. We ...
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June 18, 2021

Ten things I know for sure (this week)

1. When the weather is grey you must work harder to maintain your brightness. 2. It’s impossible to argue with someone who refuses to bite. 3. Football matches have 22 people on the pitch and 40,000+ people in the stands. The ratio holds for artists and critics. 4. Being normal is not aspirational and should never be put on a pedestal....
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June 16, 2021

Better than SEO

If I fancy ordering some soft drinks for the week ahead, I might run a search on Google to find some to buy. What I’m not going to type: sweet-tasting sugar-free brown bubble water What I am going to type: Pepsi Max The best form of SEO is people searching for your name, not being one provider in a sea of many.
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June 14, 2021

When you value security

Valuing security means you make certain decisions. You might choose to find a job rather than start a business. Buy insurance. Live in a different neighbourhood. Avoid the unknown and stick to what is certain. Take the dead cert rather than risk the gamble. Ironically, what you think is secure rarely is. At any moment, a global pandemi...
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June 11, 2021

Rejection letters

For a reason I don't quite know, I kept all the rejection emails I received when applying for jobs and graduate schemes after university. Perhaps my former self knew I would be writing this with a smile one day. Three are included below but there were many more. Supermarkets, banks, the NHS, even KFC. All rejections. Finally, I was acc...
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