EPISODE 47

The power of presence and connections - learnings from Necker Island with Hannah Nieves

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I’ve got something a little fun and different for you today - a two way conversation with a true multidisciplinary visionary, Hannah Nieves. We share our learnings from Necker Island and the power of presence and connections.

Hannah Nieves is the founder of Hannah Nieves Consulting, a full service consulting agency; HN Haus, a network and education platform for multi-passionate women; and This Hudson Studio, a multifunctional creative studio in the Hudson Valley. With three brands under her wing, Hannah knows the complexities of running multiple brands and has a passion for serving multidisciplinary founders.

In this episode, Hannah and I reflect on our time together at Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, which is something I had on my vision board for such a long time. We both came away with some incredible learnings, in particular the power of being present and creating deeper connections through authenticity. It was an amazing experience to gather with people we’d never met before and build such deep connections. 

We talk about building a simplistic business and life, the importance of self care and how we both approach this in our own lives to maintain a sense of balance. Our time away on Necker Island taught us about being clear on our values, and owning the greater mission behind why you do what you do. 

I went to Necker Island at a time when I was really burnt out from a hectic couple of years of business. With no preconceived expectations, it surprised me how grounded I felt on the island and I’m so grateful for the connections I made with incredible people like Hannah. I hope you love this conversation and feel inspired as we reflect on the unique experience we shared together.

Topics discussed:

[1:35]: Hannah talks about how she ended up at Necker Island and decided to go without knowing how much it would cost. 

[3:10]: Hannah runs 3 companies; a full service agency for branding and PR, a community and network for multi-passionate women, and a creative photo studio. 

[4:00]: Rebecca has 3 brands; the only soundproof filming studio outside the big networks in Sydney, a full scale production company operating across Aus, NZ, and UK, and the video business boot camp. 

[6:00]: Hannah shares her favourite part of Necker Island - being able to disconnect, build relationships, healing a part of herself that needed healing. 

[6:50]: For Rebecca, it was grounding. She was burnt out and didn’t go in with any preconceived expectations. 

[8:00]: It was surreal and it felt like they were transported to a different place. They were present instead of being on their phones, which is so different from normal life. 

[9:30]: Rebecca was ready to close business in 2020 but when covid hit, business skyrocketed. Necker Island ignited the desire inside to teach industry peers how to build a better business. The ripple effect is powerful. 

[12:00]: Hannah talks about how being still is hard but how she incorporates rituals into her day to come back to the present moment. 

[13:25]: Rebecca loves tech free time and is about to do a big solo trip, which she is nervous about. 

[15:25]: When Hannah came back from Necker Island, she felt like things online lacked depth. She took away the need for deeper connection and the responsibility we all have to make an impact on the world. This shift called in new clients who resonated with this. 

[17:10]: Rebecca also experienced an energy shift and started sharing more about her boot camp and going all in. 

[19:00]: When Rebecca came to Australia, she took the approach of just being herself. It’s exhausting to try to be someone that you’re not. At Necker, everyone was just themselves and left their ego at the door and if you can bring this into business, the energy is so much better. 

[22:15]: People can feel the energy when someone is being inauthentic. A valuable lesson at Necker was about the need to be authentic in order to build connections.  

[23:35]: When people know who they are and what they stand for, it ripples through. Hannah talks about harnessing this and clarifying your values, which flow through into your brand. 

[25:30]: When you nail your message, you can feel like a record on repeat and bored with saying the same thing. If you change your message, you can cause confusion but simplicity is always the key. 

[27:30]: Where to find Hannah

Links & Resources.

Connect with Hannah Nieves: 

• Website: https://hnhaus.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hnhaus/ 
• Podcast: HN Haus Podcast

Connect with Rebecca: 

Download my 5 Step Checklist to Choosing the Right Video Supplier here.

Sign up to the waitlist for my signature program The Video Accelerator here. 

Instagram: @therebeccasaunders

Thank you for listening!

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