Andrea McLean - You Just Need to Believe It

I greatly admire how Andrea fearlessly shares her recovery journey in the pursuit of serving others. Let her story inspire you to transform and grow.

GABRIELLE BERNSTEIN, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE UNIVERSE HAS YOUR BACK

Andrea is a glorious human being and an inspiring writer - she is going to help so many people with this wonderful, healing book.

BRYONY GORDON, #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND AWARD-WINNING MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGNER

I know this book will change the lives of so many people. The stories Andrea shares are honest, open and captivating to read, but at the same time full of incredible takeaways that are transformational. That combined with the practical steps she shares makes this book so impactful and one Ill read over and over again.

CARRIE GREEN, FOUNDER OF THE FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR ASSOCIATION AND AUTHOR OF SHE MEANS BUSINESS

An inspiring shot in the arm for any woman who wants to thrive and live her best life. Its like sitting down with an honest, kind friend who will champion you through good times and bad.

SUZY WALKER, PSYCHOLOGIES

A fantastic self-help double dose of adrenaline and empathy from someone who has challenged herself to the limit and really understands other women.

VIV GROSKOP, AUTHOR OF HOW TO OWN THE ROOM

Published in the United Kingdom by:
Hay House UK Ltd, The Sixth Floor, Watson House,
54 Baker Street, London W1U 7BU
Tel: +44 (0)20 3927 7290; Fax: +44 (0)20 3927 7291
www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published in the United States of America by:
Hay House Inc., PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
Tel: (1) 760 431 7695 or (800) 654 5126
Fax: (1) 760 431 6948 or (800) 650 5115; www.hayhouse.com

Published in Australia by:
Hay House Australia Pty Ltd, 18/36 Ralph St, Alexandria NSW 2015
Tel: (61) 2 9669 4299; Fax: (61) 2 9669 4144; www.hayhouse.com.au

Published in India by:
Hay House Publishers India, Muskaan Complex,
Plot No.3, B-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070
Tel: (91) 11 4176 1620; Fax: (91) 11 4176 1630; www.hayhouse.co.in

Text Andrea McLean, 2022

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the readers discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made, the failure to take medical advice or for any material on third-party websites.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-78817-727-6
E-book ISBN: 978-1-78817-731-3
Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-78817-728-3

Interior images: Nicky Johnston

To all those imprisoned by your fear
the key to your cage has been inside you all along.

Here are some home truths about quitting your job to follow your dreams in the middle of a global pandemic:

1. Its not as romantic as it sounds.
2. Its euphoric and terrifying at the same time.
3. No one will understand what the hell youre doing.
4. There will be days when youll think, What the hell am I doing?
5. It will be the worst of times.
6. It will be the best of times.
7. Every day for a very long time, your overriding emotion will be fear.
8. Youll lose your carefully planned safety net.
9. Your relationships will be tested to the limit.
10. Youll wish youd done it years ago.

Its August 2021 exactly nine months since I quit my job. The job I did for 26 years; the job that saw me travel the world and experience the incredible highs of interviewing some of the most famous and influential people on the planet, as well as the lows where Id force myself to walk through the stage door, the bright smile on my face hiding the knots of sickening dread in my stomach.

Why would someone leave a highly paid job that others would do anything to have? So many reasons but in my case, it all came down to one: every day, my gut was telling me that I was in the wrong place.

And my head was telling my gut to shut up because I had (still have) bills to pay and a family to support; it was telling me that people were relying on me and that no one walks away from a job to follow their heart. Not just any job, either, but a high-profile one, anchoring an award-winning, ratings-grabbing national daytime TV show.

But after writing my third bestselling book, in which Id taken all my lifes learnings and poured them onto the page to help other women feel good, I realized that I needed to take my own damn advice.

It was 2020 and the world had gone into free fall. Entire nations had ground to a halt as the planet was gripped by a pandemic that would change all our lives. My website, thisgirlisonfire.com, which had started as a simple blog two years earlier, was becoming a business run by me and my husband and co-founder, Nick, who was working flat out without a salary to keep it going.

However, this business was helping everyone but me. I was the breadwinner, funding the website through my other work, but I was unable to immerse myself in it fully. I wanted to give it everything I had. I wanted to jump all in. But how could I?

Then it occurred to me that there were people way smarter than me who had made decisions and business forecasts for 2020. They had meticulously planned how they thought things would go, and then BAM! The world changed and everything was whipped away from them in an instant.

And I realized that Id been too afraid to make the leap from a job that no longer fired up my soul towards one that I really wanted to do. The core of a job that was in my heart when I drove to London as a 24-year-old with everything I owned on the back seat of my car, and then slept on floors and worked for free to get experience: that core was to interview people I was fascinated by and whose story could help change the lives of those who heard it.

Nick and I sat down and worked out every single thing that could go wrong if I left my job and focused on the business. Its the best thing to do when making big decisions: list every possible disaster and break down how you would respond to it. That becomes your crisis management list your failure blueprint.

We broke it all down, we looked at our finances and we figured we could scrape together six months worth of funds to keep us going until the business started making some kind of income. And if the business didnt work or took longer than anticipated? I mentally and practically prepared myself to sell our family home. Our projected figures, even when stripped back, looked tight (very tight) but feasible. It could be done. All I needed to do was