Ep 228 Make Millions to Impact Millions: How to live a Pain Free Life with guest Lady Anne Welsh

Coming out of one of the most challenging periods for our generation, this timely conversation with Lady Anne Welsh delves into all things pain related, from physical, emotional, personal, relationship, and more.

Sharing her own personal journey and the insights she has learned from building a global business, Painless Universal, Anne shares how you too can live a pain free life.

Anne Welsh  is also an internationally recognised author and motivational speaker, connecting with people on how to deal with physical and mental pain on an individual basis or working closely with corporate decision makers.

Anne is a member of Cass’s Executive Board of the Global Women’s Leadership Programme that seeks to inspire, equip and connect women to become thriving leaders. She is a global leader in Sickle Cell awareness and former Chairperson of Sickle Cell Society UK. 

Having lived with pain since her childhood, Anne is an expert in improving the wellbeing and performance of people and organisations and has launched Painless Universal as the platform to support these endeavours after the tremendous response to her bestselling book, “Painless – Living with Pain, Finding Joy”.

Anne has been featured on BBC Focus on Africa, Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2, the Sun, Channel 4 news, Thrive Global and many other media outlets as well as many major African television and radio programs.

Tune in now to Ep 228 of Make Millions to Impact Millions with Laura Tynan: How to live a Pain Free Life with CEO Lady Anne Welsh and enjoy this brilliant conversation with a truly inspiring individual: lauratynan.com/podcast
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TRANSCRIPT

Laura Tynan: So today I am delighted to be introducing you to Lady and Welch who is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of painless universal. This is such an important conversation we’re going to be having in such a relevant time, as so many people globally are experiencing unprecedented pain brought about predominantly from the Coronavirus pandemic, but also through every other aspect of life. So this conversation is not only timely, but it is incredibly valuable. And Welsh is an internationally recognised author and motivational speaker. And she’s connected with people to support them dealing with both physical and mental pain. So in today’s conversation we’re going to be hearing about on his own personal journey in dealing with chronic pain, how she came up with the idea for painless universal, what was the origin of building this company, and most importantly, as well, what listeners can do so what you can do if you’re listening right now and you’re experiencing pain in any aspect of your life, what are some of the tools What are some of the resources available to support you in overcoming in dealing and managing without pain, any positive supportive way? So I’m super excited for this conversation.

Laura Tynan 0:01
Anne welcome to the show

Anne Welsh 0:08
Thank you how are you, Laura?

Laura Tynan 0:10
I’m wonderful. How are you doing today?

Anne Welsh 0:12
I’m great, thank you so much for having me.

Laura Tynan 0:15
It’s so amazing to have you here. I’m so excited to delve into all things around painless, universal, the company that you’re running, especially in this period of time, I think there’s a lot of people out there, definitely experiencing pain in many different types of forms. So, such a relevant topic to be discussing today. But before we delve in, can you give us some background as to how painless universal came about? What’s its origins?

Anne Welsh 0:43
That’s a great question, actually. Because I myself, I’m amazed at how far we’ve gotten to where Hangtown because this whole, this whole thing started. And I started very basic. I started with my book called painless, painless, living with pain finding your joy. I wrote this book because of someone who was born and diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia. And I live with parents, because I used to think it was just a chronic pain that I used to suffer from my fault. Oh, he’s so horrible that it was the chronic pain, not realising this was more than chronic pain. This was something to do with the way the external environment swarmy such as the social effects, their effect and scored if that of getting married, if out of having kids that fed off and getting a job and ever feel about life will stem from the pain I suffered from? Because one can I realise that when you’re in pain, your things of life are reduced, because you can’t do anything when you’re in pain. And initially, when I was younger, what I thought about was just the chronic illness just get better, because I was leaving out parents house. So it was it wasn’t a big deal. As I got older, I realised I can’t stay in my mom’s house for the rest of my life. And is to start thinking in a bigger picture than then those that are understanding the impact the pain was having in my life, the constant pain I was getting from my sickle cell which was, you know, impacting my life where I couldn’t apply for a job because if you apply for a job you I will get interviews and they said okay, you could come on Tuesday for the interview we have we’re seeing so many other candidates. That Tuesday probably because I was nervous anything like that. And I wouldn’t turn up and then call me on enemies internal community and hospital. So that reality started kicking in, I started crying so getting depressed anxiety, I think it’s myself would never get a job would I ever be this would I ever be this would something this pain always be a barrier to my success. So when I launched a book in 2019, I realised that the book was one angle, there was more to it. I said, again, any response from people around the world, or read the book is so interesting, that more needs to be done. The book is just there read it has given me that direction. And that’s when the idea of doing a lockdown. Okay, and with this painless universe, so I said, we need to have, we need to have, because what saved me, I need that to save others. Whatever pain you’re going through social pain, emotional pain, physical pain, mental pain, you name it, you need that help to save you, you need that parent. And that’s how painless Basler was born.

Laura Tynan 3:35
Just incredible. And and you can tell you know, meeting you knowing you that this is a mission for you. This is bigger than just a business this is bigger than you This is something truly global, where you’re on this mission of this feeling I get when I speak with you around painless universal, that as a truly as a global mission to help people everywhere to create a painless life. So take us back. So it seems like you know, obviously suffering from sickle cell. And it being a chronic disease has been something that in many ways was very debilitating, to today, you’re running a business, you’re a mother to two beautiful children, you have your family, you also have the most incredible background in finance and what you’ve done working with presidents and in which is a completely other conversation to have. But you’ve been incredibly successful. So you went on your own journey it seems to not overcome it but almost like manage everything that was going on at the same time as you know dealing with something that is very chronic. So what did that journey look like for you? Because I know you share in your book, some physical mental support tools, and for people so that they can use in their own life. But what did that journey look like for you to how you are where you are today. .

Anne Welsh 4:50
I say to people on and like to be honest, because people look at my success and they’re so great. So glamorise because you can see some of my posts on Instagram and Mason’s amazing success. Yes, it’s been successful. But it wasn’t always that way. It was. It was a mindset stuff. And I needed to switch the mindset. It’s almost like turning a light bulb on when you realise them yourself. I mean, this runs somebody, no, sometimes you go into a dark room and you ask yourself, Oh, I could I manage without the light, I could just sit in here. Oh, my I retainer, we just adapt to no lights in the room that guests there while you say to yourself now turn on the lights is much easier. I think it got to that point where in my life, I needed that mindset. I needed something to switch. I was on this mindset of, I want to be painless. I need to be pain, painful, but how do I get there? I don’t know how I was working with my my boss, incredible man, former president of Nigeria. And he said to me, I was crying I’ve never met, I will never forget that day. I was crying and saying to him and hospital, my life is so miserable. I don’t even know why people didn’t give me opportunities. I don’t deserve any opportunities, why people talking to me. And I sent him a text and he said, a very nice text back to me. And that takes, you know, just read along the lines that other people are suffering around the world. Why are you why are you condemning your own life? That people without shoes without food and they find a reason to live? And there you are. You are in a nice hospital bed. You have all your wonderful doctors around you and you are still complaining. What if you are in a position where the hospital was disgusting? They barely have the magazine to give you the doctor’s name, you know what was wrong with you? And you had you had all these disadvantages. It said to me and you have a wonderful family. At the time I didn’t quite understand what that meant. Because when I was in my own pain, I was in my own suffering. I had this bicycle so I think I just got out of the intensive care ward. So I don’t understand that and I thought to myself Gosh, why did I even ask you for your colon? That was just not necessary? I should have skipped that I should have just kept this to myself. I didn’t I didn’t need this right now. I was going through my mind dance. And as I slept over the next hour Dr. King I started crying again. Oh My doctor was like you are frustrated with this we’re trying to do everything for you. We’re trying to make you better. Why did you keep making it more challenging from yourself as like but every time I tried to do something sick or stop knocks me back 20,000 steps I thought oh no offence what is the point of level? Why am I still here? Tell me what is my purpose and he had all this colleagues because normally when a doctor comes around because all they do your doctor senior doctor everyone’s and he’s able to see a consultant and I said to him I don’t understand what the spine is all about. Why am I suffering so much I put the pain is not going away. I’m in constant pain, motor let can’t get a job. I’m still living with my mom. I don’t think any guy wants to talk to me. And luckily I was married at the time. But still, I didn’t feel the need when my husband was loving me because that was the point. And in the night something switched asked when I turned on my lights to light went on. And I really had a flashback. I saw those people that the former president was telling me about I saw them I don’t know how I saw them that I saw them. I saw people one foot going about with their deck with a smile on their face. I saw people going through all those different payments of their life. People going through divorces having a really bad divorce and then their husband leaves them with absolutely nothing. And they have to stand up again. I saw all of that, you know you just have this flashback vision. And I was in so much pain that night. I was pressing on I don’t even know this the drugs I was using. But I saw all of that. And all my vision then I realise and you need to stop. You need to stop this in your pain in your own suffering mama in your own environment. You need to be able to find your own job. It doesn’t matter what you’re going for. You need to find your own job. I saw my mother waking up every morning to give me food in the hospital because I want you to in hospital. So Should she wake up at first in the morning at five in the morning, cook the food be at the hospital to 630 to give me the food that will wash me up I saw my mom. I saw her cry. I saw my sister’s crying that they might lose their system because we’ve just lost my my brother. We lost when he was 10 I was eight. I saw my mother crying. Oh she doesn’t want to use another child and I saw that I thought other people’s pain And I realise and you are given an opportunity and you’re here for a reason. Stop feeling pity yourself. You have loved and people who are around you giving you that love, they deserve that love back, stop grieving in your pain, stop feeling that you need to hate them. And that’s how the pain is thing started with within me.

Laura Tynan 10:31
Wow. And thank you for being so like authentic and vulnerable and open with that story as well. You know, we talk a lot around mindset as well in the podcast and the business, and the the power of reframing and your situation. But to reframe it from a place where, you know, as you said, you literally want question, what’s the point of living? Where I don’t actually felt like, you know, if I’m living through constant pain, what is the point and to get have that mental strength to shift it and practice gratitude for your mom, for the people around you for the fact that you had this hospital bed, as your boss was saying? That’s really something else. Where do you think that mental strength came from then?

Anne Welsh 11:13
I think it came from pity for others. Yeah, that mental strength just came from the pity because I saw other people I stopped seeing just myself, because the pain is that we really see ourselves. We don’t see anybody else. We don’t think anybody else is going through that pain, when we think is just us in that moment. And that is so wrong. And so wrong attitude to do. It’s like you see people who have mental health problems, you see people who are going through grief, and they always think is just then that that has affected is just them that that divorce has affected. They forget the kids who aren’t divorced in the process. You see people who are going through business pain, entrepreneurship, they forget the staff who have also lost a job, they just think it’s them that that loss of their entrepreneurship as a fact that they forget their staff who are solely dependent on them. And that’s the thing about pig pen is so selfish. We are so selfish when we’re in pain. We can’t think about anybody else. I never used to see anybody I can’t see why. As long as it’s me, as long as it’s, as long as all I thought about is just Alice in that pain. Nobody else has suffered. I thought it was so easy for my mom to just wake up in the morning. I didn’t know what difficult and she had to go to school to tell them how daughter who is no longer a child who is no longer exempt from those rules that you can use it as a spews that my daughter is sick. She had to go through those difficulties to explain to them, I need to make time for her. Got my sisters, they had to go for do leave work and they were working far away. And they will have to arrive fast in the morning to get there to see me. I forgot my husband, I’ve got the it was having on my choo train. That when you realise when you shift that grief, that difficulty, that challenge you’re going through, and we start appreciating other people’s own challenges, then your mindset start to shift. Then your mindset start to shift, I need to do something to be better. I need to help them. I need to give them my joy. Because my joy is their job is my sister one time told me every time you’re sick, we can’t eat in the house because we’re so sick as well. But we never tell you. We hide it from you. And this is how I was shocked to hear that she’s there every time you’re sick. You’re so angry. You tell it take it out on us. You tell us horrible things, because you’re so dropped off. But you don’t realise you do that thing to us. They don’t know, let’s think back it’s happened enough. Took a moment. I thought I can’t be that horrible past I can’t be no it was not true. I argued I slept on it. So what would you tell me such mean things that you know, I’m sick, I am sick. So that’s always my excuse is that I am sick. And I just had to change the mindset. I had to find my empathy within myself. I had to grow empathy for love a human and realise that it’s not just me. I need this infrastructure of my human beings, my family around me. And without them, I’m not a good person. I cannot be better, they helped me get better. So the same love they gave me I needed to give it back to them. And that’s how my mindset changed.

Laura Tynan 14:46
And that’s the mindset shift. Those when you were saying about illness, so sickness is very selfish. It reminds me in that journey when done of actually recognising the impact it’s having on people around you and seeing how you can give back to them is a line on one of my favourite songs. And it says, when you’re, when you’re feeling helpless help others. It’s that idea of like, there’s more, there’s other people hurting, there’s other people that we can help naturally that can give us a source of strength as well. So I know we’ve spoken so far about Elon, their pain in the sense of a chronic pain, but pain is universal touches and supports people across a variety of different pains. It’s not, you know, unless you have chronic pain, this is not for you. And so maybe you can tell us a little bit more about the mission of payments, universal, the types of people you’re helping, and the types of pain that people can be experiencing. Because you’ve mentioned like entrepreneurship, pain, divorce, relationship, mental health, especially now, right, especially in this period of time.

Anne Welsh 15:54
You know, I think painless universe was just born at the perfect time. And this is just true. I probably I was, I was destined to stay alive. I always say to people, I was definitely there like for this particular time, in our history of going through this pandemic, when we are facing all kinds of pain because I look around we’re supermarket of pain, we took offence pain, we’re not ashamed to talk about any kind of pain. Are you talking about relationship pain, being a young stopping, being an entrepreneur, entrepreneur, I we talk about being a person who is going into university lonely, less pain, you know, we just have this thing of pain, chronic illness, pain, because we believe and I know, for a fact, when you have pain, what heals you, is when you could talk to another person, go for it, ask them the issue, that is the biggest killer, because you can No, I am not alone. In this. We talk about relationships, people are looking to date and can’t find that right partner, we pair them up with other people, because it is so important when you could talk to other people who are understanding this. I’ve tried this as well. I’ve tried to do other different in different areas. When I tried to talk to someone, for example, I’m just using this example. If I tried to talk to a friend of mine who might be single, and I’m giving her my point of views. She’s looking at me say we don’t understand my own pain. And like, What do you mean, what is there not to understand? She said he’ll go home after a hard day’s of work. And you go back to your loving kids and your husband. I go home after a hard day of work, I have to now think about how do I meet that man I want to marry. So I now start that next job of thinking, How do I meet? Because she said, If I don’t prioritise that I could be single for the rest of my life. I could just work as my career and guess it. She said you go home and you see your kids are happy. And I sat back and I thought that’s probably true. We all have different things. But what what works best for everyone. We talk about obesity pain. I can’t go to someone who’s going through that pain. I say, Oh, by the way, just eat this thing. You lose the weight. What do I know? Yeah, it might work for me. It might not work for her. So the issue pose herself up with someone with similar pain that she’s going through, there’s a chance they will solve their problem. So painless universe, our job is very simple. We’re supermarket of pain. I I talk about your pain.

Laura Tynan 18:41
Yeah. And I love that supermarket of pain and that you actually give recognition to the different types of pain? Because, yes, I think the obvious ones are chronic pain. I mean, I know what sickle cell is the invisible illness, right. But there’s so many different types of things that we see that we until we can see it physically, we don’t recognise it, or we don’t acknowledge it, or even within society, it’s not necessarily acknowledged. And I love that you’re giving a voice to that, for so many people, whether it’s relationships, or it’s loneliness, or business or physical or mental, emotional, anything, that this pain is, like, a it’s real, and it’s worthy to speak about. And it’s, there’s a place where you can be supported, and that you don’t have to just get on with things. You don’t have to just, you know, suck it up, like stop being overdramatic about this whatever, and get on with life and know there’s a place that you can go and actually get support because every pain is valid. And the aim is to become pain less. So I just love that you’re taking such a broad approach to creating a supermarket for all types of pain in the world. So just can you tell our listeners a little bit more about it? You know, what is available for them? What types of support? Do you offer within payments universal? Like, if there’s someone listening right now thinking, You know what, what am I talking about I resonate with so much that I’m experiencing a pain in my life right now. Like, what is the support that’s available to them right now

Anne Welsh 20:16
it’s full, you can listen to our archives of shows and look for one that was resonant to chew could be inequality, pain, it could be gender bias, pain, it could be sexual change pain, it could be anything, you know, go to our archives has shown look for something that is that you think this is something I that applies to me, listen to that conversation and see how that person has overcome their own challenges. What they did to find a job because everybody we talked to on our show, must have a reason that’s a pain they’re going through. But also, how do they become that pain? That’s a key player for us, when we have that conversation is going to stand? Yes. Do you went through pain you’ve went through, you’ve gone through almost anything in your life. But what did you do to get past that pain to find your joy again, and still live, you might still be living in and out pain, but you still found a way to find that joy. So we have that archive. We also pair you up with Santa says as well. So they have a group of services that were partnered up with that we could list you could pair you up with and say, give you a list of the pain you tell us what pain it will tell you what services are out there for you. We also do pair for bear we pay for but someone else who’s going through similar thing like you are. So if you if the show is not enough, we pay for someone and then you pay for you could start painless conversation within those three days, while the consumer and that’s I mean, that’s the focus for the consumer.

Laura Tynan 21:49
That’s fantastic. And that’s all through painless. universal.com. Right. Absolutely amazing. I love your show as well. I love the variety of guests that you have on talking about all things pain, and I just love how you’re redefining this whole narrative around what pain is. And that there is so many different solutions and ways that people can move forward in life. If you had to give one piece of advice to someone listening, and this is going to be a big question. I know because pain varies obviously so much. But to someone listening who may be as you know, sitting here right now, thinking I actually am in a place of real pain, and I just don’t know what to do. Given your own experience your journey, what you’ve learned from building your business. What piece of advice would you give them?

Anne Welsh 22:38
Well, depends what pain they’re going through. But as I said, Pain is pain was supermarket of pain. So you’re going through something right now, I will ask you what is your card for? If depends what you’re going for, I will tell you, believe me, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t see this as your end goal. Don’t see this as your stepping stone. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. If you determine to live. The first thing you need to make yourself aware of you need to be alive. So make, do everything possible. Ate, right. Drink, well, exercise, go out for walks. Do that to stay alive, be a life. It’s like you’re trapped in the forest. The first thing going through your mind is how do you escape it. You can’t escape that for a while you don’t think of how to protect yourself each step of the way. So how do you protect yourself as we eat white, drink white, keep that keep healthy. Then, once you’ve got that sorted, your mind is not happy because you’ve done exercise, the blood is flowing in the right area. You need to keep blood flowing to this brain of us. It just needs it needs to keep exchanging really good air fresh air all the time. Once you’ve done that, that’s step one. Step two, sit back and think about why is this pain, a pain in your backside? Why? Is it because it hurts? Is it because it’s chronical? Is it causes emotional? Is it because it’s physical financially? What? Why is this then you ask the next question. Now what can you do to make take away this pain? So it’s less more of a problem and pain in your backside? What can you now do is that you should apply for a job is it that you should try and humble yourself because sometimes pain is all about Eagles going through the forest to making this all difficult for the other parts the mine? Sometimes you just lower your Eagle waiver view. See how you can make it work best for your kids or for whatever the dog whatever? Is it a job, humble yourself and find the job starts we always think oh I want to get a job I want to get be the CEO of the company. Do we anybody start off that way? Start a job Humble yourself. Start with a low paying job and then we’ll improve your skills Use the internet internet has so much resources, better yourself, and go and get and then get into the job market and keep writing for that is in quality pain. Why are you taking note of what people are saying? Find your own joy your own community or skin and embrace yourself is a gender change thing? To well to always talk, we’re filled in it, where in the world today, they doesn’t matter what you do, people always talk about you. But you have to find your community who supports you look around, there’s so many people who are loving, that we have more happy, humble people in this world than we have people who are hateful. So focus your energy on those who love you. If you notice people who don’t like to give you comments 2020 to drop them, drop them and find your Java, that would be my advice.

Laura Tynan 25:57
Fantastic. And what really stood out for me from what you were sharing is, sometimes pain can be ego, and the importance of humbling ourselves. And my goodness and my own experience, how easy it is when you’re experiencing pain to get so wrapped up in the whole world world should care about the pain that you were feeling. And humbling yourself is a big one. I know for sure. Of course, that was a big question. Pain looks and feels different for everyone. So you know, you have amazing resources on painless, universal comm where we encourage people to obviously go and check out you have so many different shows and interviews you’ve had with so many different people. So plenty of support and plenty of support for people, whatever they are going through for sure. And thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your incredible personal experience your own journey of building payments universal and doing what you’re doing of giving people the supermarket for pain, whatever they’re experiencing and just knowing that they have the support in place. And if they so choose to go for it and seek it out, to support them with whatever they are going through.

Anne Welsh 27:11
Thank you so much, Laura. I mean your work is truly amazing. You are helping so many women find their joy as well. I mean that’s one of the reasons we really wanted to talk to you because your work is truly amazing. I think you should keep doing that to keep keep us focused keep women especially that direction now we can do it. We can we just need to believe in ourselves and we can overcome any pain we’re going through

Laura Tynan 27:37
What a way to close out the show. Because yes, I have been on your show also sharing about my own journey and pain of inequality and different things like that. So yeah, amazing table to turn the tables and have the opportunity to interview you this time. I can get you to share your story. Thank you so much Anne

Anne Welsh 27:57
thank you so much, Laura, thank you