Meet The Speaker: An Interview With Lorna Mann

Meet the speaker

Next up for our Meet the Speaker series is Lorna Mann. Lorna is a trained life coach, six-time marathon runner and a journaling advocate. Her career started in publicity, where she spent 20 years in the profession, most recently working for a highly regarded film studio in the UK. During her time as head of department and as a leader she realised that the most fulfilling part of her role was seeing people achieve their full potential. With this potential in mind Lorna had a desire to add to her skill-set in a meaningful way, and she embarked on a training programme to be an executive coach. We caught up with Lorna to find out more.

Tell us a little about yourself?

Allow me to introduce myself! I’m Lorna. I’m a six time marathoner, I’m a life coach, I’m a journaling advocate, I love the mountains and I’m the kind of person that wants to try anything once, even if it scares the life out of me! My values are ones of Connection, Challenge, Bravery and Vulnerability.

I worked in the film industry for 20+ years – starting at age 14 on a work experience placement, getting my first full-time job the day after finishing my A-levels aged 17 and becoming the youngest head of publicity at a studio at age 24. I have some amazing memories, great stories to tell and made some of the strongest bonds in that time, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience in that time. However, all good things need to come to an end, and in 2020 I took a leap and ended that chapter of my life, and started to write a new one. I fell out of love with what I did, and I definitely got too comfortable and set in my ways. I recognised that a change was needed, and it was only me that could make it! So in February 2020 I left a job that I knew I could do, one that I considered myself very capable of doing, for something new. I had no idea what.

Lockdown helped me realise what I really dreamed of doing, and in the last 12months I’ve started to pave my new path! That new path includes coaching, facilitating workshops, consulting for companies as well as working in a completely new industry for me!

What do you feel is your greatest achievement to date?

My friendships and connections are my greatest achievements. I am so fortunate and grateful that I’ve led a very social and connected adult life, which means I have the greatest support network, cheerleading squad and mentors that I could ever ask for, that reaches far and wide across the globe.

How did you first get into life coaching?

I remember this vividly. I love to run, and I am an early riser. I ran from my office in Fitzrovia up to the top of primrose hill one morning in January 2019. It was mid month and I remember thinking I didn’t really have any career goals set as I ran up the hill. As I got to the top I thought that maybe I should invest in some coaching. I let that percolate, and by the time I got back to my office I wanted to invest in myself more, so I opened up Google, found a reputable coaching training, and booked in. I took a leap, and it changed my life. It was through that course that I was coached by my peers and realised that I needed to make a big change. I coached myself into making the career change that led me to being able to connect with you in my session!

What is your main goal when coaching?

I want people to realise that anything is possible for them – if you dream about it you can do it – coaching simply helps you work out the path – turning dreams into a vision, a vision into goals, goals into action points!

How have you found journaling to help you in your career and daily life?

Journaling helps clear my mind – by physically writing something on a page it either feels like a release or a plan – depending on what it is I need to write. I love to start my day by writing a stream-of-consciousness page to simply get out and realise the words running through my head. Once that’s done I feel like I’m clear and focused for the start of my day. I also love to write lists, so journaling helps me thrash out a to-do list and I also love to take a break with a coffee and simply jot down what I’m grateful for in that moment, especially if it’s a challenging day, and that just takes 5mins! I also find it so cathartic to reflect at the end of my day (either the end of my working day, or the last thing I do before I sleep) and write down what I’m grateful for that day, what challenged me, and what was the lesson learned.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

Be brave. My friend Charlie Dark is a huge influence on me as well as a dear dear friend, and he always encourages me to just try. I’ll share ideas with him and he’ll look me straight in the eye and say “what’s stopping you do it?” and often the answer is “nothing”. When I learned to accept that the worst that can happen is that I get a “no” or I make a mistake and learn from it the world opened up for me. I found myself empowered to just try, and more often than not I was taken on a journey that either changed me for the better or taught me something. I will always encourage people to feel the fear and do it anyway!

If you could invite any 3 people to a dinner party, who would they be and why?

Oh this is such a hard question to answer! This answer will change daily, but for now I’ll say:

Andy Warhol. I want to hear his stories, I want to know what inspires him. Rich Roll. I am a HUGE Rich Roll podcast fan, and to have a conversation with him in real life would be such a treat! My best friend Paul. He’s always at my side, and I cannot have this dinner and replay this to him saying “you had to be there”…