143 - From crime scenes to cruise ships with Rhona Morrison

What happens when all of a sudden life serves you lemons, and all of your plans go out of the window?This is what happened to my guest Rhona Morrison when her husband sadly passed away on the day of her retirement, and everything that she thought she'd be doing suddenly changed.In this episode Rhona shares her story of how she went from crime scenes as a Forensic Psychiatrist to a speaker on cruise ships and all the things in between. We talk about:Why understanding herself as an extrovert, someone who recharges through people and activity, shaped how she chose to grieveHow a single unplanned sentence in a meeting with a publisher ("imagine if I could be a cruise line speaker") turned her memoir into a business book, and opened the door to an entirely new careerThe dinner-table conversation on an Antarctic expedition cruise that led, three weeks later, to her first booking as a cruise line speakerWriting and delivering five bespoke 45-minute lectures from scratch, with almost no notice, on her first paid cruise ship bookingThe layered imposter syndrome of becoming an author, artist, and speaker with no formal training in any of them and how she talked herself through itWhy she stopped comparing herself to colleagues who could "quote chapter and verse," and instead identified her own strengths (building trust and taking a thorough history)Her advice for spotting your own strengths: observing others, borrowing the "nuggets" that fit, and building your own version rather than copying someone else'sWhy storytelling, not bullet points, is what makes her lectures land, and how it also protects her from the fear of "being caught out"The moment a former patient, now years into recovery, turned up at one of her public talksLife doesn't always go as you planned, but giving yourself permission to do things differently, and be open to different opportunities can often be the path to something amazing.Click here to find out more about Rhona Morrison To get a copy of Rhona's book* I don't talk to dead bodies https://amzn.to/3STyRmuPlease note this is an affiliate link.EnjoyBarbara NixonBARBARA'S LESSON DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX EVERY FRIDAYJoin a growing community of Business Leaders unlocking their leadership potential. Subscribe by taking the Confident Leaders Scorecard and get your free report with practical tips to get you started. https://barbara-dn4exwq0.scoreapp.com and a weekly lesson every Friday in your inbox.JOIN ELEVATE - A one day deep dive coaching event for Founders and Senior Leaders who are stuck in the weeds or struggling with self doubt. https://www.barbaranixon.co.uk/work-with-barbara/elevate/