Bestselling author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Noor Hibbert shares her journey of self-discovery which led to the transformation of her own life and now, others, says Rebecca Fletcher
Before Noor discovered her potential, she confesses she was more ‘hot mess than life success’. Battling anxiety and depression, aged 24 she was working as an 18-30 holiday club manager selling booze cruises and living on three hours’ sleep when she became pregnant with her first child.
‘That was probably the moment it hit me. I thought that by the time I became a mum that I’d have it together. I remember thinking I’m going to be a mother and right now, I have no clue what I’m doing.’
A determined Noor began mapping out a new path. She tells of how she would drive to MacDonald’s car parks to access free Wifi to do an online course on how to start her own business in between making client calls. Working forty hours a week and travelling constantly as well as juggling a toddler at nursery, Noor suffered a health scare at 31 weeks pregnant with her second child which was the tipping point.
‘It wasn’t easy but I quit and decided that I was going to bet on myself. It was a turning point for me. If it really matters to you, you’ll stop making excuses.’
Starting her first online business whilst on maternity leave was just the beginning. Noor set herself a goal of earning £500 a month - the amount that would mean not having to return to her old job. Within a matter of months, her own brand products had featured in GQ and Tatler, generated over six figures in sales and Noor was travelling the world, ending up in Hollywood at the Oscars’ celebrity gifting suite. Despite the success though, Noor had a nagging feeling there was something else. A visit to her mum’s Hampshire home proved enlightening.
‘I remember seeing a book in her office - Selling with NLP - I felt drawn to it. I took it on honeymoon and in the book was a coach who would travel, hold events and train people. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. I just knew that I wanted to do that. The book found its way into my life by complete divine intervention.’
It was a lightbulb moment and Noor applied to return to university to train to be a coach, all whilst still on her honeymoon.
‘I was always fascinated by how the mind works – I’d studied psychology at university. At that point though, I didn’t really know what coaching was.’
In April 2016, Noor took the plunge and invested in a coach to help build her own online coaching business and by September that year, she had already signed up her first six coaching clients and made her first £10k. Fast forward to 2019 and Noor had hit her goals of hosting her own TEDx talk and set up her own podcast, Think It Get It. Her first book, Just F*cking Do It, was climbing up the Amazon sales chart after an interview on BBC Radio 2 and Noor had become the proud founder of This Is Your Dream – a platform where she helps people transform their mindset, master manifestation and live their best life through her monthly coaching memberships as well as offering support to those building their own businesses. The key to her success?
‘You have to believe that you’re meant for more. Trust that when you believe, everything starts to shift.’
It's part of the philosophy she shares in her latest book, You Only Live Once, which is already a Sunday Times bestseller, and talks about designing life on your own terms and helping to unlock the freedom to pursue your dreams. With many of us stuck on autopilot as Noor sees it, it’s easy to lose sight of the power to change what we already have within ourselves. Noor encourages her mentees to ‘reprogramme your mind and create an identity designed for success.
‘You have to do the work. Commit to changing your mindset. It really is that easy. Change those thoughts and your life will change. It takes discipline but the outcome is so phenomenal. Until you start doing it and seeing the changes in your life, you won’t believe it.’
It’s about visualising the life you want – what does an ideal day, month, week look like to you?
‘Decide on a vision for your life. What does success mean to you? I didn’t know all the fine details but I knew I wanted to be able to choose. It’s like going into a Cosmic Costco – everything’s there and you can buy it in bulk, no limits. All you have to do is fill your trolley.’
Manifesting success is just one of the principles Noor outlines in her book but it’s also something she practises and preaches in her JFDI Academy which thousands have joined over the last few years.
‘More than ever people are starting to wake up to life - what they want and don’t want. People have had thinking space to reassess what’s important to them. My hope is that by us taking ownership of our own lives, people reading my book and sharing the message, we can start to have a ripple effect. When you understand that there’s a way to change, you don’t feel hopeless or helpless.’
Noor’s sense of purpose and passion for helping others has certainly played its part in excelling as a coach. She’s proof that doing the work, works.
‘Faith is everything, courage is everything. I wasn’t brave. When you focus on your ‘why’ it gives you bravery and courage.’
With family very much at the heart of all Noor’s goals and achievements, it’s no surprise that the county where her family gather holds a special place in her heart. After all, Hampshire was her maiden name.
‘Home is where the heart is and my mum’s house is where we all get together. So many memories - everyone always congregates there, family, friends. It’s the centre of everything.’
Noor’s a big fan of Alice Holt for headspace and time spent in nature when she’s home too.
‘I love going there with the kids. I find forests so powerful. Just forest bathing, with my shoes off and feeling really grounded.’
Having already achieved the goals she set herself for a ten-year period in less than five years, surely this year warrants a rest with her fourth child due any day?
‘I need to think about what really matters to me - it always comes down to how am I able to help more people,’ Noor smiles. ‘Right now, I’m focusing on this new baby but I’m hoping to write another book and I’ll be working on how we can take this message even further.’
Noor’s advice for those looking for a new direction this year?
‘Make a decision on what it is you truly want and a non-negotiable plan to make it happen. You’re not asking, you’re not hoping, you’re not wishing, you’re deciding. There’s a very different energy to decision than hoping, wishing and wanting. Start to take action every single day towards that goal and watch how the year completely changes when the intention is working towards creating that life that you want.’ thisisyourdream.com
