Think Like a Boss founder offers stress-busting tips

From passing out on planes in her early 30s due to the stress of her career, to building an online business where she counts Khloe Kardashian as a superfan, Maggie knows a thing or two about life’s pressure cooker situations.

As we approach Stress Awareness Month, starting today, April 1, Maggie has spoken about her journey from banking and burnout to growth and empowerment Queen and has some top stress-busting tips to share.

Maggie Colette counts KHlow Kardashian amongst her social media followers

A former senior audit manager in private banking, Maggie was at the top of her game and to family and friends it looked like she had it all – travelling around the world business class, a £150k a year salary, and mixing with some of the world’s wealthiest people.

But in fact, she was physically and mentally exhausted and after passing out on a plane en route to Mexico she was told by her doctor that her lifestyle was putting her at risk of suffering a heart attack before turning 35.

Maggie knew something had to give.

“That was a real turning point,” said Maggie “My body gave me two choices – either continue doing what you are doing and suffer the consequences or walk away.

‘It was so scary having to face that. I was so close to burnout; my lifestyle was killing me. I had to choose another way of life. I didn’t even need to think about it. I knew what I was doing wasn’t right.”

After taking some time out to travel around Asia, Maggie’s creative juices started to flow and she set up a travel blog when she returned home, which turned out to be a huge success.

“‘It was a bit like a hobby initially – I set it up as a space to document my travels. But I started getting more readers, and then PR companies began to reach out to me. It opened up a whole other world.”

Having found her new niche, Maggie began to support other bloggers and influencers on how to monetise their blogs, which then evolved into business and mindset coaching, which is where she has found herself at home.

“I love Instagram as a social media platform, so I chose to focus on that area,” she said.

Maggie now offers one-to-one coaching, group coaching, expert panels and is currently working on the relaunch of her podcast, Think Like a Boss.

But as well as teaching women how to boss their careers, she also advocates for a balanced lifestyle, something that is often forgotten when you're working for yourself. And is why she’s especially keen to offer her advice to others in the wake of Stress Awareness Month.

“The pressure of using social media is very well documented,” she said. “That’s why it’s very important to use it in a way that is beneficial and rewarding. And there are some key ways that you can do that.

“Although my business is online and social media is a large part of that, I am very focussed and intentional about how I use it and engage with my community.”

Launched in 1992, the theme for this year’s Stress Awareness month is ‘regaining connectivity, certainty and control’, based on a survey of 2,000 British adults by the non-profit Stress Management Society which showed that 65 per cent of people in the UK have felt more stressed since the first lockdown began in March 2020.

With the new challenges we are facing, from restriction fatigue to post-lockdown anxiety and balancing working from home with childcare, we could all use some help after a trying 12 months.

Here, Maggie offers her top three tips for keeping the stress out of your social media life.

Be intentional

“If you are going to use social media, think about how you are going to use it and set a specific time to do so. Schedule that time in and be strict about how long you’re going to do it for. Then as soon as it’s done walk away from it. Put your phone away in a completely different room if you have to, but don’t let it creep into your personal time.”

Prevent triggers

“If you notice you’re being triggered, and not in a good way, mute those accounts or even unfollow them. One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was ‘be clear on your intention and your mission’. If you’re following accounts that are not helpful to you or leading you forward in a positive way then step away from them.”

Ditch your phone

“Obviously, we can’t get rid of our phones completely, but try to aim for at least one phone-free day a week if you can. It feels amazing! And if you can’t bear to be apart from your phone completely, at least delete your social media apps from your handset over the weekend to make sure you don’t get overburdened by your notifications.”

To find out more about Think Like a Boss, follow think_like_a_boss_co on Instagram.