reNotes example:

Raj Nathoo is a business coach and entrepreneur who helps people thrive in their work and personal lives. He is known for his high energy and passion for helping others, and he likes to shine a spotlight on what we can do to improve our lives. Raj is a morning person who loves the fresh air and the opportunity to get out and about early in the day. He is also a sole founder, with a lot of experience in the business world.

Raj started his own bookkeeping business in high school. He then went on to start his own company, Keystone Active Learning, which helps businesses with their learning and development needs. Nathoo's experience with racism and apartheid has fueled his work in helping others identify their own career growth paths.

The concept of a corporate university is becoming more popular in the US, as traditional universities are not preparing students for the workforce as well as employers would like. Technology has made it possible for smaller organizations to offer this type of training and development, which is self-motivated and often more effective.

Raj says leadership is not just about today, but about looking forward to the future and taking care of the world we live in. He also sees it as very important to identify our own purpose in life.

Raj's father was rejected for a MasterCard because he had no credit history. He made the decision to move to Australia  18 years ago based on his desire to provide a better life for his son.

Raj found it difficult to make new friends after migrating, but he eventually did. He advises that it is important to keep in touch with old friends, as well as to try to fit into the culture of the new country.

Raj has also worked in diversity training. He talks about how he has learned to communicate better and how he thinks that the concept of people mixing together can help to improve race relations.

Raj became a successful businessman despite having very little formal education. He attributes his success to his hard work and determination, as well as to the support of his family.

Raj recounts how his father started a successful business with only five years of education, and discusses the role of younger generations in making positive change in the world and the importance of mentoring future leaders and building their capacity to influence change. Raj also believes it is important that young people are engaged in political discussions and have a say in how their tax dollars are spent.

Raj advises that anyone wanting to start a business should first have a good understanding of their motivation behind wanting to do so. He also suggests that people ask themselves why they feel they could do a better job than their current employer.

Raj's wish for the world is that people align their purpose with their values.

Hi, I'm Carrie Benedet. And this is my podcast thriving matters, where you will find tools to revitalize you and your relationships, whether at work or in your personal life. A little bit about me. I'm an education consultant specializing in emotional intelligence. And I use creative approaches that empower people with proven processes. I'm known for my high energy, passion and compassion for those in need of help. And I like to shine a spotlight on what we can do. I'm here to bring positivity, confidence and strength every day everywhere. My mantra in life has been, let's give it a red hot shot. Welcome to thriving matters. And my guest today is Raj Nathoo. And welcome, Raj. I hope you're cool.

Raj Nathoo
Thanks, Carrie. Yeah, it's quite hot today in Sydney. But luckily the AC is working. So that's a lifesaver.

Carrie Benedet
A blessing isn't it? Thank heavens. Look, it's a pleasure to have you on today. And you know, from one, sort of, I'm a, I would call myself a mini entrepreneur at the moment. So a sole founder to another. Your life story and your work story is absolutely amazing. So I always ask my guest firstly, though, what actually puts helps you get out of bed each morning just as a start because we're talking about all things thriving, thriving matters is the name of our podcast. And you know, when I say that people go this girl's delusional because she thinks thriving is always energetic and happy and optimistic. And you know what, some days it's hard. yakka so what what gets you out of bed each day? What did this morning for your eyes.

Raj Nathoo
You mean besides my wife. Now actually, I'm a morning person by nature Carrie. I love mornings I love for the mornings. I'm actually not much of a sleeper, if I may put it that way rather late. But I literally function on five hours of sleep. I just love the mornings, the fresh air. In fact, for the past month, I couldn't go to the gym because of the new COVID restrictions. The gym was opening too late for me. So I was going for walks at 530 in the morning and coming back at about seven so that was amazing. Because the streets are deserted. There's no one out there you just just beautiful. Yeah, fresh air. So the mornings itself is what gets me out of the bed the energy. It is

Carrie Benedet
in. I'm a morning girl too. I love it. So get those shoes on and off we go and talk with the you talk to yourself or you listen to someone talking or you or you ring a couple of people and say g'day for the morning. Oh, well done you. So, listeners, our episodes are all about ordinary guys and gals doing extraordinary things in life and work. And everyone's story is absolutely precious. And whether we think we've got a story or not is another matter. But usually our curiosity is what brings us together. And I've been lucky enough to connect with Raj. And his story is really worth telling. So Raj, you're have a business background, you're a coach, and entrepreneur. So tell us a little bit about Raj. Just pop by as

Raj Nathoo
well, you know, you talk about you said you you're a mini entrepreneur. And I think my entrepreneurship started when I was back in high school back in South Africa already. Because the high school I was going to going back just before that growing up in an in a country where it was where apartheid was the rule of law. It was legal racism was a legal form of government and living in that country. The school that I went to, it was compulsory to learn accounting as a subject for my entire high school years. And so when I was in Year 11, my dad who had his own business, he was in contact with a lot of smaller entrepreneurs, and they will always want to look out for cheap bookkeepers, you know. So my dad told me one day, why don't you just start your own bookkeeping practice because you know, basic accounting, and he says, I'll help you complete the tax submissions that they need to submit the interview, obviously we talking about back in the 1980s, you know, so there wasn't all these regulations that we have today for accountants, thank heavens. And so my first foray into starting my own business was my own bookkeeping practice. And by the end of year 12, I had about 18 clients that gave me enough money to pay for my uni fees. So first foray into entrepreneurship. And since then, I've always been in business, I think for the greater part of my adult life. I have really worked for any organization, or not even more than six years, I think in total, for my entire, what, 35 odd years. So I've mostly just been in business for myself.

Carrie Benedet
What, thank you for that that's, that's giving anyone listening, have a great idea of who you are and what it is. So that all those that background, that life experience you've gained living in a path of apartheid and experiencing racism, racism, in a way, I think has fueled who you are today and how you go about it. So now you have your own business. Yeah. And it's, it's called,

Raj Nathoo
it's called Keystone active learning. So we focus on medium enterprises, medium businesses, we help them with their learning and development, sectors of the business to help develop talent within the business for them, identify areas where they might need talent, where we find specialists, people that we can bring into the organization. And then we also develop a talent framework for them a learning framework for the business so that individuals working within the organization can identify a career growth pathway for themselves, rather than looking to exit the company. And because the company doesn't offer career growth for them, a lot of organization and that seems to be a trend going forward. Now, it started in the USA, where organizations are starting to adopt a learning framework or a knowledge, knowledge center for not just for the organization, but for their staff as well. In fact, just before coming into this call with you as watching a recording of a webinar, which I couldn't attend, purely because of time difference with the USA, so I was watching the recording, and Sandra Lachlan, in that recording, she was talking about more and more organizations in the USA having to adopt an approach that they actually are a sort of a corporate university. Yeah, because University is not preparing individuals for the world of work the way they would like them to. So with organizations, large organizations, at least, can offer this to individuals. Individuals have a bit of a better idea of what's expected of them in a professional world, rather than what the universities are teaching. Now, you know, the thing with technology being as it is today, that kind of capability is not just the domain of large organizations, now, medium sized organizations can also have this kind of capability. And that's what my focus now business is all about bringing to medium relations.

Carrie Benedet
I really like your name to Keystone, Keystone. It is interesting, isn't it, because more and more people are now being more self directed and self motivated around their development, where and you know, I mean, a large educational organization, there was quite a move about more than a decade ago around this notion of self directed, self motivated. And I think that's if we're talking about how you lead people for that. Anyone who's running their own businesses, leading departments in organizations, whether you're the CEO, the general manager, or, you know, the director, or whatever it is that we call, we have a responsibility really to lead for others, not just ourselves. And the variety of options available, you only have to look at Mindvalley. And what it offers is, that is all all self motivated, you know, based in some amazing practices. And more and more people I think, are seeking that out when they they don't get the opportunity in the workplace, or they believe there's favoritism or some bias in place. Because we will all react to things when they're unfair, or we feel that we don't have a voice, or that we're not able to contribute as best as we could. So we go looking elsewhere.

Raj Nathoo
Yeah, no, that's very true. And it's amazing. You mentioned Mindvalley, because Vishen Lakhiani started mine Valley and his book on the extraordinary mind, that was probably one of it's still one of my top five favorite books that I've written a few years. But the absolute eye opener for me if you I don't know if you've read that book or not carry but it's an amazing book. Yeah. And he is he set out those 10 principles. And one of them which he calls a whole don't follow all the rules, which is it's a phrase that is coined obviously, referring to rules, because we are so sort of Surrounded by society's rules or organizations rules that we feel there's no opportunity to grow as individuals. And he sort of tells you to just get rid of those chains and follow your own path, identify your own purpose. And if you look at what's going on in the world around us, and you're talking about leadership, I think people actually grabbing the leadership thing by the scruff of the neck in a sense, where they quitting their jobs and wanting to lead their own lives. They're taking ownership of their own destiny, in mass in a way, in some cases,

Carrie Benedet
well, I think, well, I said to someone this morning, out of my walk, I have a local coffee shop that I popped by to get a juice in the morning, and you say, you get to know local identity. So this particular morning, I was sitting down having a chat with Mike, and he's sort of a self made man as well. So it's always find interesting finding people's stories. And he, you know, and he said, You know, I'm looking at generations now what, what we're going to be leaving for the next generation, and then what they will be leaving for the generation after them. And I think that's one of the keystones of leadership, as well, is it's not just for today, you know, it's you know, it's not just we talk about being in the moment, yes, we can be present and in the moment for ourselves, but we actually have to look forward. Because

Raj Nathoo
the thing is that it's actually an excellent point. Because it's, it's a point that my son in law, who's 25 years old, we often have the same discussion over the dinner table. And he his point is that being the generation is coming from and what are they going to inherit from us as a world that dead? What kind of a world are we inheriting from you? You know, and and? Well, I tell him, that's very true when I tell him, but remember that we also in my parents, in particular, inherited a world after World War Two. So they also inherited a world vastly different from what they would have liked to inherit, you know, it has played out in the past, but in a different way. You know, but as human beings, isn't it amazing that we get these challenges that we can work towards? I look at it from a positive way rather than Yes, look, the debt is going to be there. I mean, I think Gary, in our younger years, means our African, I'm not quite sure, but Australia, but back in the 70s 80s, we had double digit interest rates. So that was a reality already then. And we grew up in that world. You know, my dad going to the I remember him with a small business going kept going to the bank manager for a loan for a bank overdraft, you know. In fact, I have a funny story that my dad had this habit of always paying for everything you wanted in life. Yep. And then the bank manager called him one day and said, Why don't you apply for a MasterCard? So my dad said, Well, I have a need for a credit card. He said, well just get it anyway. You know, you're obviously just trying to sell a MasterCard to him. My dad actually got rejected, simply because he had no credit history.

Carrie Benedet
USA, right. You gave me just back a memory of having four I decided to have 10 years at home because we ended up with four children. So we had our own incident playgroup, right. And we we had 70 and a half percent interest rates and one wage for kids. And I used to, I used to solve a for a whole decade does that design, so make cash money? And he was telling us telling that to somebody else, if you actually go back and go, Well, we did it, we actually did it. We can do it again, whether we want to or not. But Roger, you just gave me an insight into some of your story. So let's share that some of that with your with the listeners as well. So when did you come to Australia? Tell us a little bit about that. Because I

Raj Nathoo
came in 2003. So that's, what 18 years ago now? Yes, yes. So? Well, you know, obviously it was, it was at the back of some personal tragedy that I went through in a in a holdup in our business, our I was actually I'm actually living a second life. And I don't go out too much on that, because there's just too much of negativity on that. And I'll rather focus on the positivity of it. But I suppose you as parents should make decisions in your life that are focused on your kids, because you want a better life for your kids. Even you carry you've got kids, but you've got grandkids and you speak to no end about them all the time. And then the passion that comes out is amazing. And it's beautiful to see that and the same thing applies with me as well. And my son was exactly two months old when that tragedy happened to me and so I just sort of made the decision that you know what, I don't want him living in a world like this but but yourself will If that country, sadly, because you know that that's a country you're born in, but and the amount of opportunity there isn't a country is unbelievable. Unbelievable, because you having to grow a country from the ground up again, you know. So that's where opportunity actually resides. But then again, it's when we talk about fright and flight, you know, that's what creeps in. And we talk about you and I talk a lot about emotional intelligence, and you make those emotional decisions. And today, when you're 18 years later, you come you're safe, secure, and you look back, and you ask yourself, did I really make that decision emotionally? Or if I had to really sit back and think about it would have made the same decision? You know? And I can't answer that question on quite honestly, I can't. Because when I look at my son, and how he's doing well in his career, and how he loves his job, and I don't think he would have had that same opportunity there. So when I look at it from his perspective, I say, What's my purpose in this world, my purpose in this world is always to make life better for the next person, whether it's my son, or anyone else, I, I, I get into contact with like with you, I might do something that might make your life better. And that helps me it makes my world a better world. That's all purpose is really essentially, isn't it that we help each other in not just me, it's not just about me. And that's what I try and tell my trainees or clients that I'm coaching as well. It's nothing what you're doing is about you. It's always about the next person, what are you doing for the next person? And that's basically what Maslow also mentioned, you know, all those years ago, that when at the very top of the pyramid, it's all about what can I do for our next person in as

Carrie Benedet
we often use for the good of the village as a term, don't we? I thought that because I think what has has happened though, is we've actually come back to the village, our neighborhoods, our neighbors are supporting each other. We've done that, but what you just you just bought up something for me, when you were talking about with my son, BT had been able to do that. And I think it was the other day, we were talking about sons, mothers and sons and families, and we've got a wedding coming up, and which is lovely, hopefully in March, aiming for one of the boys. And when I was speaking to another woman the other day, she said to me, she said, I've always said to my sons, you you will become a man, when you can think of others, not yourself. Beautiful. You think of others first and not yourself. Beautiful. And you just said that, because I think you did have emotional intelligence. And I'll tell you why. One of the competencies that we know about for emotional intelligence is this thing called Emotional reasoning and how we reason. And a lot of the people, you know, a lot of the companies, the certifications, anything or the information around emotional raisings says, when you take into account not just the technical data, and you include what you know, about the emotional data that's going to come in, and then how you are able to manage that. And then you make a decision based on all the data, not just stats, not just the bottom line figures, but your and you don't just make it on emotions, you know, this desire to have what you want, when you make it on behalf of others. Yeah, that comes together in that in the decision making. That's the gold. And I think that's what you did.

Raj Nathoo
Yeah, it's basically like Ed de Bono said in six thinking hats, if you might remember as well from that book, amazing book as well that you take the emotion out of it, take the feeling factor out of it, and then look at it for the data, look at it for the situation you're in, and make your decision looking at each of those six areas individually, and then put it all together and say, Okay, what's my final? So how am I gonna move forward? You know, although I know I mean, that time, it was sort of a knee jerk kind of decision. But, again, you know, you still think back, oftentimes and ask yourself, would you have made you sort of challenges your line of thinking, and it's always good to do that, you know, to, to sort of maintain some kind of perspective in your life, on how you're thinking about doing things and going forward as well. It gives you sort of a roadmap on how you should be rationalizing against decision making, you know, when you make

Carrie Benedet
a major change in your life, wasn't it? Oh, yeah. Look, you know,

Raj Nathoo
migrating is not easy for anybody. Whether you're coming, you know, as a refugee, or you're actually purposely migrating to another country, because it's free. requires you to now form new friendships. Yep. Those are friends you grew up with from childhood days. And in fact, just yesterday in a training session with someone, I asked them that there were six people, then I asked them a question that how many of you here are still friends with people that you went to school with Primary School in high school and other districts, only one picked up their hand, which was amazing. But then the other five were also migrants. So some of them said, We keep in touch through WhatsApp, thanks to the technology of that, or that, but not often, but the one person that did pick up the handset we, we normally go out every couple of months or so often for a dinner or something like that as a catch up with some groups of the old friends. Um, thanks, Hank. Thank you, Evan, still very much in touch with my high school friends. I make it a point of keeping in touch with them at least every couple of weeks or so even 18 years later. Because it's I think it's really important to do that. Old friends are gold friends, you know, that's SSA. But in the same way, I've also made a lot of new friends. Yeah. And, and that's, that's also an amazing thing to have. So I'm very, very fortunate from that perspective. But then coming to a new country, it's also a case of culture. How do I fit into the culture of this country? Besides, besides the Australian accent, and myself, trying to make sense of that. I suppose I always have to be careful of when I'm coaching or training, making sure that people do understand my accent. And I think 18 years later, I've gotten a lot better at what it was like before. I've learned to speak a bit slower, and maybe open my mouth a bit wider, just to make my message more clear.

Carrie Benedet
It's very interesting when you speak with people, and they go, can you say that again? Please. And you the Faro lions? Come on? They're going, Deborah, what did she say?

Raj Nathoo
I think the most fun I have though, is when I'm speaking to people. And like when I'm doing a bit of diversity training. One of the first questions I ask them is, where do you think I'm from? And I would rarely ever get South Africa as an answer. Unless someone in the group is South African, or they know somebody who's South African, they always go to Fiji or India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, one of those countries in Okay, simply by looking at the color of my skin. And so, this is a good start to diversity training to stop you from making assumptions. Yeah. But rather kitchen, no people first, you know, and and so when you look back at the apartheid X experiment, I think if they would have just promoted the concept of people mixing together and communicating together, that country will not have as many challenges as they have today is what they would have had, just by virtue of those barriers between races would come down. And this country itself as well, we've got so many different ethnicities, people from so many different, I think we almost represent every nationality now. Right now, at least a suburban living here in the pons area, in northwest Sydney. I think Blacktown is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Australia.

Carrie Benedet
I was only only in blacked out on the weekend saying a very friend. And I hadn't been out there for absolute ages. And I was what opposite great trip to just to see how it's grown. Who was who was at the shops, all that sort of stuff. And yeah, and it's I just think that's that is that's to me is the magic ingredient for Australia is the mixing pot that it is, oh yeah.

Raj Nathoo
And if we can just find how we can use that advantage to our benefit. As individuals as an organization. You mentioned what we can do together. Unbelievable.

Carrie Benedet
So as you've talked, you've shared a couple of things that have been really significant in your, the way you've you lived your life and the decisions you've made. So from your huge change that you experienced as a young father in South Africa to migrating to Australia. So it was all your family here now have most of your your extended family.

Raj Nathoo
Yeah, so I have two other siblings. One the middle, fortunately, so I can get to speak to two different generations because we actually seven years apart each way and so yeah, we all here so that's really and that's another big advantage for me and my whole family. My mom's here my my dad was here but he passed on you in Australia but yes, we as a family, we all year. So that's really beautiful for us as well. Yeah. And and for anyone who's listening with a migrant, if you're alone, that is, that is a challenge when you don't have family close by you start adopting families, you know, with neighbors or friends or your kids for parents or friends, parents and things like that. So if you look

Carrie Benedet
back on your, your career at the moment, when do you apart from say, petitioners Mind Valley, the you know, the extraordinary mind? You've mentioned that book that was significant for you? Has there been a mentor a significant person? And we've already discussed you, the big the big change that you had in South Africa? Has it been anybody else that has or continues to be someone you regard highly and is significant for how you look at your business, and how you live your life?

Raj Nathoo
Oh, well, firstly, obviously, my dad was an amazing role model, because this is a man that had literally four or five years of education, only in his life, had no money. You've been the eldest in the family. And this is post World War Two. You had to start working at a at a very, very young age to support the rest of his family. His father, my grandfather was actually making uniforms for the Army for the British Army in a world war two days, so. So my dad was working at a very young age. And eventually, when he became an adult and got married, he identified an opportunity on one as a salesperson going store to store to take orders back in those days when salesman is travel.

Carrie Benedet
We used to call them travelers,

Raj Nathoo
travelers that's used to call me as well traveled is

Carrie Benedet
very different to the travelers in Europe who are sort of gypsy based. Yeah,

Raj Nathoo
yeah. Yeah. So you want to travel to Israel himself. And he came into this little town, and which was a mining town, and you saw this metal, one of his customers, and his customers told him, Oh, look, you know, my business is not really succeeding, and I'm looking to sell it. And so my dad went back home and spoke to my mom. And he said, but you know, sounds like a good business, if you've got all these ideas, but where are we gonna get the money? And so he went to his cousin, brother and his uncle. And amazing thing is that both of them said, Look, you know, because the those days was all dealing pounds and shilling. So little coins, you know. And so his uncle had this little shop where he was located next to the movie theater. And you were selling chips and coatings and things like that. And yet, this turns that he would just throw all the coins in, because I'm not cash registers those days, right. So it's unclear to me just go back in the room in the back, then you'll find one of the stanzas take it home and count it. And whenever you've got the money pay me and I don't even want to know how much it is. But my dad been who he is, he went home and accounted for every cent that was in the turn and gave him a record of it. And that's how he bought the business.

Carrie Benedet
Oh, brilliant story. I love that. Love that.

Raj Nathoo
And I often think of that, they said, you get that kind of trust today. You really you really find that kind of trust today, you know. And so, and that's how he started that business with five years of education. And he became a self made multi millionaire. After about, I think about eight or nine years of running that business, he and my mom went on the six month World Tour. Because the $6,000

Carrie Benedet
would have been huge money for them there

Raj Nathoo
those days with. You can't go from here to Queensland for a week for six hours.

Carrie Benedet
But isn't that a beautiful? Because that's all about trust, isn't that?

Raj Nathoo
So when you look at role models, I oftentimes look at those old folks. Yeah, how did they do things, there was just this blind trust given to each other simply because we are president. That's it. Nothing more than that, because we are connected. We are family, and we need to be there for each other. And somewhere along the line, I think we tend to lose some of that as we becoming more more than more technologically. I don't know if technology's got to do anything to do what it really is speaking. But I think we just on a very much self focus today, rather than being like I was leading Korea. What can you do for another person? What can I do to help another person you know, in that's what it is?

Carrie Benedet
Yeah. Because more and more you're hearing people say, these days, we're actually not going for the organization or the name of the organization. We're actually going for the what they stand for, so people are really walking with their feet and saying, we actually like what you stand for and your social outreach. Yeah. However, it's, you know, whatever it looks like, and there are so many amazing people doing some fantastic stuff around that. Our younger. Yeah, I find our younger generations are very vocal about sustainability, about the about the world, about about the value of people and the sense of fairness. That's what's happening. And I think what, what's happened for me in the last couple of years, especially with COVID, I'd like to dispute this idea of the great resignation. I think what we've got in front of us is the great re contemplation. I love that. Yeah, I love that. And we contemplate we really re re contemplating what, what we're willing to live with how we're willing to live, who we who we evaluate, valuing, and yeah, this this notion of the world, because I think our jobs for what you and I do in our work, we're builders of leaders, and it's the next generations that we need to be able to influence and gather, gather up the old girls with the gray hair like me, and and say, Come on, we've, you know, we've got a great role here to be mentors for younger leaders, and they will do it differently to us. And they should do it differently, because the world is a different place.

Raj Nathoo
Oh, yeah. You know, when I listen to my son, he's 25. And listen to some of his views. And what amazes me when I, when we really get into a political discussion, of course, is back in high school used to be very quiet, but suddenly, he's come out of his shell, and he's got all these worldviews. You mentioned sustainability, that's one of them is very big about that. And then the other day, Tommy said, Dad, you know, I'm not happy with where my tax dollars are going. And I said, Okay, so what's your idea, I'm thinking, get better be prepared for this out of this one thing in here. And he says, out of every dollar, I would like an X percentage to go towards, towards what the government's agenda is, but the Y percentage is left behind, I must be able to dictate where that money should be going to. So if I feel that, you know, 35% of every dollar that I pay in tax must go towards education. That's my decision. He says one thing, I'll make sure that none of my 35% Let's say for argument's sake, goes towards military armaments. And he says, because I think he does enough of that in this world. And I said, that's actually a really good idea. You know, I wish we can actually come up with a system like that. That's, I said, to think about it, maybe you might just have a blueprint to something I don't know, you know, but this is the kind of thinking we having to, to work with us as parents of younger or future leaders of this world. And that's amazing, right? Yes. And he said, because he told me says, Look, technology's available for us today to be able to do that kind of stuff. So why, why don't we do that?

Carrie Benedet
Ya know, or the conference, the conference, those conversations are super important. I, at one stage, when our kids were growing up, I'll just share this with the listeners. We had someone who was in the young liberals, we had someone who was in young labor, at the universities, and we had someone who had declared that he was voting Green at the time. And then the youngest said, Well, I think a lot of you are mad. But anyway, on a Saturday night, when we had friends and come around to the didn't we, you know, lifelong friends of ours would say, oh, my gosh, was always entertaining at the minute depths on a Saturday night. But what we loved was it your kids had opinions? And they had to their grown ups do now. But at a younger age, perhaps not. But I think it's really important. You've got to test as we were better to test your opinion out your family, will you soon going to find out who's who's the black sheep or you know, the all those. Note all those labels we give each other but it's about having a voice, being able to discuss and not abuse or disrespect someone and I think that's another thing that that I'm seeing here. We've got highly charged emotional states over the last 332 to three years with COVID Totally different circumstances for people, whether you've been lost job, whether whether it's just an attrition thing, whether you've decided to resign and move on whether you're looking for it, we still are able to choose the way we think about things and if we're talking this notion of emotional intelligent intelligence, I like to think of them as relational skills. You know, the way we can flip the conversations or see To understand is Stephen Covey, you know, put to us. I think that's the beauty of the time we're in seeking to understand it might take a bit more energy, and might have to bank our own opinions and not be so judgmental. But it people's reasoning is very, can be very different to our experience. Well, yeah,

Raj Nathoo
absolutely. And this is why I'm so passionate about education. For me, education is front and center of most of the world's problems. If we just focus on make teaching more people, letting learner teach people to think for themselves, make decisions, better decisions on their own, educating them on how to make decisions and take ownership and things like that. I think we live a much better world. You know, kids or young kids are fortunate to have a thing called the internet, which we didn't have a we have to go to the library to borrow a book only to find out that someone else has already got all of the only copy that's there. And for me, it was much more even difficult, and even that growing up, but the thing is that we've got access to a world of information at the click of a mouse. And I think it's going to make better adults better leaders for tomorrow, once they have access to all US education,

Carrie Benedet
and skills, I think skills of being able to work through the information, they've got to make sense of it, but also to say, you know, what's, what could be the truth? What may not be my what might be scurrilous or false? I think they're, they're the skills that we need. So some of those ones as well. If our listeners are listening, have been listening today, would you have any tidbits of advice? If they were to start their own business at the moment based on you look, you're looking back. And secondly, if you had a wish for the world, if you had something that you actually wanted to sprinkle some fairy dust or some magic around, what might they be?

Raj Nathoo
Okay? I think firstly, if you want to start a business, first, have a good handle a good understanding of your motivation behind wanting to start a business, I think that would be the first thing I would tell anyone, a lot of times I encounter people that want to start a business because my friends have done it, or my siblings are doing it. And they're extremely successful, or I'm working for this boss, but I think I can do a better job on my own son, something like that, you know, similar to what's going on with the great resignation, as we said earlier, what's the motivation behind quitting your job? And thinking that starting a business would be is the next best thing for me to do? They could understand actually what's driving you? What isn't in alignment with your own purpose, and your own values in this world. And if you feel that you can do a better job than the company you're working at. Ask yourself, why do you feel that way? Do you have the necessary tools and all the other things that you're going to be needing? That will make you successful in your role? Do you think that existing clients in your existing job will actually follow you? And why should they?

Carrie Benedet
I think that's the best question, isn't it? Why should they exactly?

Raj Nathoo
You know, all the Ask yourself this question is really hard before doing anything, not that I'm being negative about starting a business, because going into business is one of the most amazing journeys you can ever have in your life. But I'd like you to make sure that you know why you're doing it. I mean, there's statistics out there to show enough stats test out there to prove that most businesses fail within the first three to five years and those that succeed. And I don't want any one of you to be one of those statistics. So, so understanding your purpose and and that's what I'm all about in terms of my businesses first, having it alignment between what you want to do in this world, your purpose, and whether you are actually doing that when you actually are living your purpose.

Carrie Benedet
Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Now if you were to sprinkle us that magic wand, the Raj magic wand, what would you want to sprinkle? I love I love the sort of the notion of the of the ones that just goes back and just start seeing to dribble down on top just theory.

Raj Nathoo
That's a really interesting question. And I think it probably will have to take me back to my roots because in what I said pretty much earlier that if we can just learn to communicate with what people with each other and take an interest in one another just the way you and I are taking an interest in each other yet today. And I oftentimes do that with my training and coaching sessions as well. Last week, I did yeah, it was a small group I had as well, where I took an interest in each and every person and they took an interest in me. And that's what it's all about. And we just spoke about how, what a diverse, ethnic, ethnic ethnicity of people we have in this country, making what an amazing country will be. If we just drop our barriers, you know, and just go knock on your neighbor's door and say, Listen, this, this is who I am, let me know more about you, let's have a coffee together, come over to my place for a coffee and let's just get to know each other, you know, and same thing with the person next to you in your workplace or on the other side of the screen. The second interest, yeah, I suppose that would be my magic one.

Carrie Benedet
Because we all we all can be really bias in how we look at or make assumptions about somebody just because of weather, they've got a birthmark on their face, or a scar from a fire or they don't dress like we dress or you know, they may drive the big car and you've got the middle part or whatever it is, we've all got this, these, these barriers. So I think curiosity is when I say curiosity kills the cat. Well, I'm gonna say curiosity opens the doors.

Raj Nathoo
Exactly. Scary. If you ask anybody, why are you doing something long enough? And they'll give you an answer. And you keep on asking them why. And you may have heard of this before. Eventually, each and every one of us are coming to the same final answer, which is I want to be happy. Yeah. So we all here for the same thing. Anyway, eventually.

Carrie Benedet
It's me joy. This has been a pretty great conversation today. I must say, Raj, I have to thank you for that. And if listeners wanted to find out more about your business, you've got a website. You're available on LinkedIn. So your website

Raj Nathoo
is Keystone coaching dot online.

Carrie Benedet
Beautiful. Keystone coaching dot online? Yep. Yep. Beautiful. We'll put those in the notes as well. I know you're on LinkedIn. That's where, where we find most people these days. And listeners, if you would like to know more about what I do carry better debt. You can find me on all socials, you'll usually find me saying something around this notion of thriving, thriving isn't easy. Raj has just given us an amazing story of his life experience and the choices he's he made based on situations that that he found himself in, when he then decided to look at the benefits for the generations that are coming after him. His decision was made a lot easier, I believe. So thank you for sharing that today. It's thanks. And I'm sure there are more great stories. And I love the notion of the can of coins that trust in the candidate coins. I love that. Our listeners if you would. If you've enjoyed this episode with Raj Nadeau and Kerri Bernadette pop on to your favorite platform. We all like a little bit of love, and it's time to give her a little bit of love. We're all sort of greeting a new year 2022. We're trying to be as agile as possible, because change is all around us. It's a certainty that we're going to be dealing with change most days, most months, most years from now on.

Raj Nathoo
It's a reality that we're going to live with forever. That's it. That's it.

Carrie Benedet
So over to you now, listeners, thanks for your company today. Thank you, Raj very much. It's been a great conversation. And listeners. Just remember, you are precious, and you're thriving letters. I've been out. I'm Kerry Bernadette. This is my podcast, thriving members.