How to really have it all!

Racing driver, businesswoman, TV presenter, motoring journalist, mum of twins and mentor, Rebecca Jackson, believes every woman can have it all, part of her success is building a supportive team to help you achieve your full potential and your goals.

Rebecca Jackson, racing driver, businesswoman, TV presenter, motoring journalist, mum of twins and mentor.

How do I do all that? And how do I be present with my children? Some say there’s a big secret waiting for you and some say they woke up one day with a major epiphany. For me, it is over a decade of building, years of learning, years of teaching and sharing and mastering. And I’m still learning. We all are, and we are all on a journey. I am just so blessed to have had such an enriching journey so far that I can now share some of that with the people I love, the people I work with and of course my children.

In my life so far there have been a few things that I have been proud of achieving. Racing at Le Mans is one of them. I was a club level racer, very low in the racing ranks and very new to it with just two seasons under my belt before I decided that I would race at one of the most iconic and arguably the most prestigious endurance race events in the world; Le Mans 24. And I did it. My fouryear plan was achieved in three and a half years, with dedication, alignment, positivity, realism, connections and coincidences. Now you might be thinking, ah connections, rich parents? On the contrary. Rich in emotional support maybe but not financially. Everything I have built has been self-started, self-made and self-propelled. But do we really exist in this “self” mode?

No, I don’t believe so. Your team is everything. And it is up to you to create your team. The cleaner who you love to see and/or you love her/ his work. The PR consultant who you also grab a social wine or coffee with - government covid guidelines permitting of course. The mechanic who prepares and fixes your car that you drive on the edge of traction, and sometimes over. Yes, I put my life in your hands, trusted mechanic. Everyone in your team matters. A top athlete works with a mindset coach and guess what, every significant person in the athlete’s life also has some degree of training to ensure the message the athlete hears is consistent and useful to his or her outstanding performance.

What else am I proud of? Potty teaching my twins. That really is an achievement and every mum reading this will certainly identify with that! Being present is another joyous achievement of mine. It’s not for everyone and part of what I teach is that it takes a village to raise a child and how much of that village you are, choose to be, want to be and suits you and your family is...up... to...you.

There is no guilt for working. If it creates such bad feelings inside you though, it’s time to act and change. Stressed with the work life balance? Feeling on the point of burn out? That’s a different story and a different matter and problem to address. I believe all women deserve to drop the guilt, have what they want, feel good about themselves and genuinely experience inner happiness. And on top of all of this, have time for themselves.

Some women might be thinking I am bat ship crazy, how is this even possible? A few years ago, I was running a successful used car business - which I started single handed and ran it for 11 years. I managed to grow it from £500 and a Vauxhall Cavalier to a multi-million-pound turnover company selling top marques. At the same time as this, I was a professional racing driver, which involved racing all over the world, raising sponsorship, maintaining sponsorship deals and their commitments as well as an intense physical training regime. On top of this - yes really - I co-hosted several automotive TV shows and did 40 brand new car reviews a year for the likes of the Telegraph and What Car? How? Did I ever sleep?

Finding what drives you is a key to success and happiness in anything, not to mention the levels of productivity achieved. I am a relatively ordinary person living an extraordinary life, and we all can and deserve to do that.

I discovered something about the human brain on this journey too. You will get varied output depending on so many variables so far removed from length of time on task. The brilliant American psychologist William James stated that the average person “develops only 10 percent of his latent mental ability.” It is possible to train he brain, reprogramme it and develop greater latent mental ability. In a way it is complicated because having the awareness is part of this development yet acting on it is another layer to it as well as understanding the impact of some of the variables and how this can impact your life, goals, achievements and wellbeing.

For example, the brain needs to slow down to access greater levels of intelligence, wisdom and guidance. In its most basic form, when someone is angry, cross, frustrated, burnt out, tired, and/or tense, their brain is dipping in and out of “Flight or Fight” mode. When this mode is fully engaged, reasoning goes out of the window, which is why people find it hard to listen to another person’s point of view when they are having an argument. It’s almost impossible to resolve anything until everyone has calmed down; brain out of “Flight or Fight”.

Take it a step further and slow the brain down into Theta waves, which are the waves most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain during meditation, then ideas, relaxation, “aha” moments and more wonderful things which help us be productive, happy and aligned occur.

Every woman deserves to and can “have it all”

There are five ways you can improve your mindset and general wellbeing within a week. Deeper work is required for those who wish to really excel and let that inner goddess step out proudly, strongly and courageously.

1. Identify any problems or pain and categorise them into “Cannot change, can change.

2. Do some exercise - even as little as 20 minutes two to three times a week

3. Create mindful moments during the day whether that is 30 seconds before you start your engine (if you are driving anywhere), drinking a cup of tea or cuddling your children/ partner/friend

4. Say no sometimes - try it! Trust yourself.

5. Analyse your bedtime routine. Could you go to bed earlier and calmer? Setting screen restrictions on your phone and going to sleep after a meditation or some pages of a good book can transform the daytime hours.

I believe every woman deserves to and can “have it all”, achieve greatness, feel lightness and fulfilment while enjoying inner happiness and having more time for themselves.

I run three 12-week courses a year and work with six ladies each time. Courses are designed to work alongside existing commitments and enrol in July, October and January.

Rebecca Jackson BSc helps women find inner happiness, greater levels of achievement, lightness and fulfilment while having more time to do the things they love. She is a racing driver, TV presenter, motoring journalist and mum of twins. Her achievements in business awarded her a Michelin Inspirational Woman title three years running in recognition of her trailblazing progress in a typically male-dominated domain. Mentoring@rebeccaracer.com