Meet Hunt Ethridge

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hunt Ethridge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hunt, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

While imposter syndrome is something we all struggle with, it was an anecdote about 10 years ago, that helped me re-think it and look at it in a new way. I’ll add it here as I feel paraphrasing it can reduce its potency: “Some years ago, I was lucky enough invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.

On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name*. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of, “I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”

And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”

And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.”

Also, as someone who used to be a fashion editor attending swanky VIP/backstage events, I was always worried I’d get seen through and kicked out as an imposter. Finally, I realized, if I was THERE, then I belonged there. We all did!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

While I have my hands involved in many projects, I wanted to shed a light on my passion project, my Quest with a capital “Q.”

What I mean with “a capital ‘Q'” is that I’m attempting to do something that will take many years and that no human has ever done.

I am going to speak to one person in every country on the planet about what dating, mating and relationships are like in their country/area. Like Anthony Bourdain did with food, I want to see what our relationships tell us about ourselves a species and culture. What are the similarities across all nations? What are interesting differences? How does each country see itself?

So far I have spoken to Greece, Iceland, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, & Ukraine. Only approximately 195 more countries to go to! I am fascinated by all things in this realm and look to become the most knowledgeable person on this subject on the planet.

Check out the interviews on YouTube @QuestForAdvice

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Curiosity – If you are always interested in the “why” of things, it will always lead you to new doors!
Empathy – Everything that you do is 100% unique to your own situation. And yet, as a species, anything you experience has also been experienced by everyone, for millenia. If you can put yourself in others’ shoes and understand we’re all going through this human experience together, it can help you to bond and understand others better.
Joy – People want to be around people that make them happy. If people genuinely like you, they will FIND ways of working together or CREATE roles, simply to bring you on board.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

As I have been doing this for over 15 years, now, my types of clients have changed and evolved.

Back then, online dating was still considered taboo and my clients were many middle-aged men, feeling like they were at the end of their ropes. If they were open, the coaching was easier, because we needed to start at the beginning and build slowly, gaining confidence and skills.

Now, as swiping is as natural as sneezing, people look at dating, and my industry different. Now, a lot of younger folks are realizing that this particular piston isn’t firing as well as they want it to. Their work and friend pistons are good, might as well find an expert to get everything up to snuff! I love this new attitude as it involves a knowledge of learning, training, even a bit of sacrifice. All good things to help you succeed!

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