Each and every person has the capacity to heal themselves of their emotional pain and thus pave the way for global peace to be achieved.
Nola is an advocate for people everywhere; people of all ages and every walk of life. As a successful and insightful multi-award-winning international business woman and author, Nola is not only globally recognized for delivering outstanding results against the strongest adversity, she is enduringly passionate about teaching and inspiring her fellow human beings to live lives of positivity, compassion and love.
Born in Australia, Nola is committed to empowering people to turn the tide against acts of revenge, violence, hatred, greed, and power and control struggles. Nola knows that change is inevitable and, as a leading change agent long-recognized for her capacity to make a difference and role model the right behaviors in context to the situation, Nola’s global organization Serenidad Consulting® is her vehicle to affect the changes that she knows the world needs.
One of Rotary International’s Inspirational Women 2011 and the USA’s Women of Impact 2014, Nola rose from a childhood of severe constraints to become a senior manager at age 16, a senior leader at age 19, and has three times risen to the top of her chosen profession. She leads Serenidad Consulting®, founded in January 2010, in its strategic intent to facilitate positive relationships and global peace outcomes. Her guiding principles of Excellence, Great Leadership and Positive Personal Power to achieve peace in relationships at every level around the globe, are eloquently articulated in her books. Nola successfully delivers up what others avoid doing, and continually raises awareness about issues that others label “too hard.”
Nola sees peace through an educator’s lens and strongly and consistently advocates for ‘prevention’ strategies and education being the real long term solution to the ongoing global conflicts and increasing levels of violence and discord.
Where did the idea for Serenidad Consulting come from?
In 2007 I bought 10 acres in the Australian countryside and named it “Serenidad”; Serenidad being a Spanish word meaning “serenity.” The tranquility of that initial acreage home supported both the completion and publishing of my first two books in 2009, and my decision to form a corporate entity that could “roam the world and do good things.”
I designed the new entity specifically to provide products and services that are synonymous with helping build peaceful and positive relationships in every context of societies around the world, and with outcomes that could benefit all of humanity.
The foundation principles of Serenidad Consulting® came from the teachings in my first book No Boxing Allowed – Excellence, Great Leadership and Positive Personal Power. I wrote our corporate bi-line, “International Consultants in Excellence, Great Leadership and Positive Personal Power,“ to support Serenidad Consulting’s strategic intent and it’s been used consistently, since Serenidad Consulting’s inception in January 2010, to convey key messages about greatness, peace and personal empowerment.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My typical day involves responding to many emails; liaising with, coaching and mentoring consultants on assignment; liaising with clients; assessing the viability of new business opportunities and also being involved in finalizing key bids/tenders; and monitoring and responding to key global political, social, environmental and cultural changes.
My productivity is definitely enhanced when I take brief pauses and also timely breaks during the day. These breaks help me gain time for reflection and also foster the mental agility I need for fast response times and decision making when necessary. On as many days of the week as possible, I also allow my body to sleep as long or short a time as it needs, as sleep time is the body’s time to build and repair and also the mind’s time for conscious-to-subconscious processing and filtering of the information I’ve absorbed during the day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Some ideas are far more complex and long term than others so each plan for bringing the idea to fruition is in context to the idea’s intended purpose. Factors such as:
• long term strategic benefit of the idea, from a ‘humanity ROI’ perspective;
• reach factor (how many people can benefit from the idea);
• costs involved in bringing the idea to fruition and how the short and long term funding can be achieved; and
• how many workers will be required to support the idea and what structure(s) need to be in place (or created) in order for the idea to gain traction;
are all key to my decision making.
Once an idea is risk-assessed and deemed viable, I will source information from a variety of people before finalizing a plan for implementation of the idea. To date, all ideas (for new products and services) have been personally funded by me and this has enabled Serenidad Consulting to remain in the driver’s seat with regard to delivering on its strategic intent, and in control of how its own outcomes can be achieved.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Governments being constantly challenged to do the right thing for their country’s people and the environment.
I can see that many people take ‘time’ for granted and display a selfish, non-holistic view of the world and their contribution to it. However, this attitude is changing, slowly, and that gives me a sense that people are becoming more willing to embrace their personal power, and act for good.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Effective prioritization of daily, weekly, monthly and annual projected workloads. This is critical to being able to achieve down-time to recharge and sleep, and also make the right business decisions in the right timeframes.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Speak up loudly about injustices (done to you); don’t take on-board the pain of other people’s lies, indiscretions and inadequacies; and never forget give to yourself too, not just to others.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Each and every person has the capacity to heal themselves of their emotional pain and thus pave the way for global peace to be achieved.
When each person achieves peace within themselves by letting go of their emotional baggage and any desire for unlawful power and control over others, then peace on earth through all layers of humanity, which is the stepped model Serenidad Consulting has devised, can more readily be achieved.
This is a strong message in my latest book, Post-Traumatic Stress – Not a Life Sentence (Viewing Trauma and its Effects Through a Resilience Lens), in which I present facts and science to survivors of psychic (emotional) trauma and give them tangible strategies and helpful tips to implement in their journey of empowerment, recovery and healing.
Too often we see incorrect labels (such as the “D” so often linked to post-traumatic stress symptoms) used to provide not only excuses, but also crutches, that inhibit a person’s innate ability to heal and move from a ‘victim’ mindset to a ‘resilient, thriver’ mindset. One important and pivotal chapter in my latest book is “Resilience for Life,” where I encourage readers, as I’ve always done, to achieve self-awareness and then Self
Intelligence, these factors being the key to people understanding their motivations and also unconscious barriers to achieving internal peace.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Reassess the corporate strategic plan when pivotal changes (both outside of our control and also as a result of our decisions) occur, and make discernment-based changes to the plan when necessary.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Not allowing for a “too hard” basket to ever be created. In others words, if something seems impossible to achieve then it shouldn’t be shelved (as a first choice of action or more correctly, inaction).
Something is more likely to be achieved by documenting an (evolving) strategic plan, and maintaining communication and an enduring commitment to the strategic vision.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Funny, I don’t use this particular “f” word as my consistent teaching is “There are no failures in life, only opportunities from which to learn and grow.”
The biggest lesson I’ve learned since Serenidad Consulting was founded is not giving to myself as I’ve done to my workforce or clients. I believe the key driver of the business must always be rewarded/compensated for his or her efforts.
I’ve overcome this shortcoming through some business restructuring, but mainly through reprioritizing and reevaluating service delivery frameworks, and also hitting the pause button until conditions are more conducive to implementing The Peace Ranch® and its services.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A moveable/transportable business, i.e. one that can move from site to site, that sells affordable, fresh foods and drinks to passersby and stopping motorists, and uses easy to-go/takeaway packaging that is fully recyclable or compostable.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Luckily, for both personal and professional use, sheets of anti-slip material used to prevent rugs from moving on slippery or carpeted surfaces. The double-sided material is cut to fit the footprint of the rug and very easily and simply placed under the rug (using whichever side suits the surface the rug is being placed on). The rug can be easily peeled off the material, cleaned and returned to its place on the material, when ready.
This has been the most practical, safety-enhancing product I’ve bought in many years.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Nitro PDF (by Nitro Software Inc) for its cost-effectiveness and easy use in the editing, conversion and securing of PDF documents. We use it as our first choice tool for maintaining the efficacy and security of our PDF documents and also to reliably convert PDF to image and WORD (where practicable and allowed).
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Earth“, by Frank Press (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Raymond Siever (Harvard University), © W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco 1974.
It is a university-level, geology textbook full of technical data but is also highly educational about how the earth is structured, its movements and interdependencies, and highlights its inherent fragility and place in the wider universe. New Editions are likely available however this one is a gem!
What is your favorite quote?
“Helloooooo” – Robin Williams (wearing a wig and meringue mask), Mrs Doubtfire movie.
This small quote is synonymous with positive energy, courage, the importance of being authentic, and taking positive control of a bad situation.
Key learnings:
• “Time is Priceless” (ref: No Boxing Allowed) but, in order to be used for good by everyone, it’s not infinite. Make positive and meaningful use of time, and value everyone’s time equally for no one person’s time is more important than another’s.
• Achieving peace within is the key to achieving peace in our relationships at each higher level. It’s beholden on every person to heal themselves of the pain that they carry so that their interactions with others can be positive and constructive, rather than the opposite.
• An easy catch phrase about achieving best outcomes: “The instant you stop ‘pushing,’ the best solution will come.”
This message is about letting go of what you can’t control:
“the more you push for an outcome that is only for your own good, and not mutually beneficial, the more resistance you’ll strike from others. The instant you stop pushing for an outcome that you believe is the only valid outcome, universal energy will shift in the opposite direction, pressure will come off without you even knowing, and the best solution will surface very soon thereafter…….. You can push hard all you like, not give an inch and make something happen just for the sake of it, but the long term outcome will never be the best one.” (Ref book, as above)
• Don’t create a “too hard” basket because once it’s created it’s likely never to be empty. “Too hard” baskets become an easy way out for people to take, and foster non-accountability and an avoidance mentality.
Remember, grace accompanies positive action but not a negative attitude.
Connect:
Nola Hennessy on Twitter:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.