Freedom Through Freelancing - with Bettina Deda

Courage is one of the most important parts of a business owning woman's life. It's the fire of our ambition, livelihoods and wellbeing. It's also a core ingredient to the work that today's guest is most passionate about. Bettina Deda is a freelance writer, editor and author who is on a mission to empower other women to face their fears and live with purpose and creativity. 

Are there any particular processes for risk management that you might have developed as you've grown that you'd be happy to share?

The biggest risk as a freelancer is balancing or managing the workload. Sometimes, you have work and you think, “Oh yeah, that's great!” but I can only manage a certain amount of work in writing because you need several hours to get it done. Sometimes you have enough work and think, “oh, it's all great! I have enough to do. It's fun!” Then all of a sudden a client may be lost and you need to replace them. I rely a lot on networking so I try to put some things in place where I can then go back to and look for work if I need more. 

In what ways has being born in another country enhanced or perhaps challenged the work that you do now?

I arrived in Australia 14 years ago and before that I had a long career in public relations. I actually thought when I came here that I don't want to do that anymore and felt it was time to do something new. If I'm in hindsight, looking back, I actually ended up circling back to what I was doing there because now with my content writing, editing and copywriting. I'm not only a writer, I also help people with content marketing ideas. I did a messaging workshop this week for a new client, helping them to figure out what they want to say on their website. I think my career in Germany has kind of helped me as well here, but I didn't see that in the beginning.

How would you describe the shape of a good life for you? 

I always say a healthy lifestyle, it's not only not being sick, it's just really a balance of different areas. Obviously the nutritional side of things, your diet, what you eat and what you don't eat. Then there is the emotional side of things and physical wellbeing. The year of my separation was really the most challenging year in my whole life, it was far more challenging than COVID for me and I realised how much I started doing all these new things that then helped me go through this year and a lot of it was around mindfulness. It was changing my diet, being more mindful about all sorts of things. I got into this habit which comprises meditation, journaling, gratitude, all these things, personal development and exercise. 

Want to know more about how Bettina Deda has tips on breaking out of the corporate world and becoming a freelancer?

Have you been toying with the idea of starting a freelance business to monetise your creative pursuits? Are you looking for that delicious balance of a steady income and joy from working, but not sure where to find it? Wondering how best to navigate networking in the digital age?   

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