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Holly Matthews: Actress Turned Self-Development Coach and Bestselling Author

August 1, 2024

Holly Matthews, known for her roles in BBC’s Waterloo Road, Casualty, and Byker Grove, has successfully transitioned from TV actress to acclaimed self-development coach and founder of The Happy Me Project.

Holly’s journey into the world of self-help and personal development is marked by her award-winning coaching, bestselling book, and regular contributions to major media outlets including BBC radio, magazines, and national newspapers. She is also a familiar face on shows like Lorraine and Channel 5 News.

An author whose debut book reached the #1 spot on Amazon and was named Health and Wellbeing Magazine’s Best Wellness Book of 2022, Holly continues to make waves with her latest release, Find Your Confidence, published by Bloomsbury on September 12. This book guides readers through nine confidence-challenging scenarios, offering practical tools to boost both internal and external confidence.

Holly’s personal life, including her experience as a widowed mother of two daughters, Brooke and Texas, profoundly influences her work. She is dedicated to helping others embrace their true selves and find joy, encapsulated in her mission to help people feel “more happy and less crappy.” Her unique approach to self-development is straightforward and actionable, making mindset work accessible to everyone, particularly entrepreneurs seeking to build confidence and achieve their goals.

One of Holly’s clients praised her impact, saying, “Holly has absolutely changed my life for the better. I am 1000% more confident, more present, joy-seeking, and aware of how amazing I am, thanks to her fabulous coaching.” Becky Hill, a Brit Award-winning pop star, also commended Holly: “Holly is the most wonderful human with such a rich life experience. Her book reflects her voice and life lessons, which are incredibly valuable and easy to embrace. I’ve recommended this book to everyone I know! Thank you, Holly, for the book we all knew we needed.”

What was the inspiration behind The Happy Me Project and your newest book Find Your Confidence?

The Happy Me Project came into existence after the death of my husband Ross to brain cancer in 2017. There were so many people watching what was happening, and I wanted to find sense in something unfathomable to my brain. This then grew legs and took on a life of its own, soon becoming workshops, a membership and my first book. Find Your Confidence, my second book, was inspired by my work as both a self-development coach (the internal work) and my work as an actress (the external work). In nearly all my coaching work there is an element of confidence and self-belief work that needs to be done in order for people to live their best life and this book is my answer to this.

Who do you admire?

The people I admire tend not always to be those that we tout around as success stories in life. The people who I admire or people who live their life as themselves and are unapologetically who they want to be. Then I would say people in the public eye that inspire me, Emma Thompson (a force, a feminist and a brilliant actress!), plus people like Pink or Stacey Solomon who live their lives unapologetically as themselves. I am inspired by our new deputy prime minister Angel Rayner who came from a council estate to be in this incredibly influential position (without compromising her values). I admire bravery, those willing to be vulnerable and I am genuinely inspired by people every day.

Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently?

Oh, my goodness, lots. My business has often consisted of me throwing a lot of shit at the wall and hoping some of it sticks. My business has grown organically, and I’ve grown with it. This means that there have been many missteps along the way. If I could go back now, I would recognise the need for momentum in those moments of growth and having the right foundations to support those moments. I have historically not always been ready for the tidal wave when it came and by default sabotaged those moments. I would also have recognised earlier that I should bring in other people to do the stuff I’m not good at so I can concentrate on the things I am good at.

What defines your way of doing business?

My first job – by writing a letter and asking for what I wanted. In this letter I stated clearly who I was and was explicit about what I wanted from my contact with them. This was my first TV role at just 11 years old and I wrote that letter to a casting department of a BBC drama. My business hasn’t changed since then – in many ways I still ask for what I want. I still do things in a way that many others don’t and I’m still explicit in stating my intentions and what I want. My business is often defined by impulsivity and giving things a go, saying yes even when I have absolutely no clue how to do something.

What advice would you give somebody who is just starting out?

I would say let go of how you think it should look, because it will lightly have many twists and turns and different routes to get to where you want to be. I would say remember to take care of yourself and work on my ‘pause and propel’ system. This means going full steam ahead and propelling in some momentum and making sure to cushion these with the ‘pause’. We are good to no one if we are burnt out. I’d also say remember to take inspiration from people but don’t get so caught up in that it becomes a distraction. The best thing you can do is lean into being the most you that you can be (which by default makes you original!).