Darren: On this week’s episode of The Engaging Marketeer, I am speaking with Ashley Lawrence, also known as the Flip-Flop Psycho. No, he doesn’t kill people with flip-flops—or at least, I don’t think he does. I haven’t actually checked. I should probably ask.
But no, Ash Lawrence is a coach, a business expert, and a psychologist. He helps people with the issues that stop them from excelling and achieving their goals. So, I’m going to be talking to Ash about how he does that, what his theories are on what’s stopping businesses from growing, and how they can get where they want to go. This is going to be a good one!
The first thing that’s obviously stuck in my mind is—why have you gone with the name The Flip-Flop Psycho? It’s a bit aggressive.
Ash: Yeah, so that’s probably just my personality. About ten years ago, I was working with a personal trainer in a gym. He recommended a client to me, and this client came to one of my seminars. Now, this guy actually owned the hotel where I was giving the seminar. He attended the session expecting to see a psychologist in a suit, but instead, he saw a guy in shorts and flip-flops. So, he just came out with it: We’ve got a flip-flop psycho here! And that’s how it stuck. It’s actually been a great brand for us—people definitely remember me!
Darren: Do you ever get questions like, Why ‘psycho’? Are you going to start shouting at me?
Ash: Yeah, sometimes. But when people ask what I do, I tend not to say “I’m a psychologist” because the minute you do that, people go, Oh no, you’re analyzing me! And they put their defenses up. But honestly, I’m not sitting here analyzing you right now—
Darren: Oh, I bet you are.
Ash: I already did, mate. You’re done!
Darren: One of the big things you talk about is mindset. How much of business success is determined by mindset?
Ash: 100% of it. Your mindset shapes everything—how you approach problems, how you react to failures, and how you pursue success. If you don’t believe you can achieve something, you won’t even try. If you expect failure, you’ll get failure. It’s all about rewiring your brain to think differently and proactively.
Darren: So, it’s all in the mind?
Ash: Absolutely. There’s a saying I love: What you focus on expands. If you focus on problems, you’ll get more problems. If you focus on opportunities, you’ll find more opportunities. The people who win in business aren’t necessarily the smartest or the best—they’re the ones who believe they can.
Darren: That’s interesting. Have you seen people completely transform just by shifting their mindset?
Ash: Absolutely! I had a client who was struggling in business for years. They always blamed external circumstances—the market is slow, people aren’t buying, competitors are stronger. But when we worked on shifting their mindset to focus on What can I do? How can I improve?, everything changed. They started taking ownership, putting systems in place, and within a year, their revenue tripled. Same business, same market, different mindset.
I also worked with an entrepreneur who was about to close their business because they thought they weren’t cut out for it. They had a great product, but they lacked confidence. We focused on changing their internal dialogue, helping them see the value in their own expertise. Within six months, they went from nearly shutting down to expanding their client base by 300%.
Darren: Impostor syndrome is something so many business owners struggle with. How do you help people overcome that?
Ash: The first thing to recognize is that impostor syndrome isn’t a real thing—it’s just a set of symptoms caused by self-doubt. You’re not actually an impostor; your brain is just playing tricks on you. The key is recognizing that and taking control of your thoughts.
Darren: Easier said than done!
Ash: It is, but there are simple tricks to combat it. One of my favorites is the elastic band trick. Wear one on your wrist, and every time you catch yourself thinking, I don’t deserve this success, snap the band and replace the thought with three positive alternatives. It sounds silly, but it works—it rewires the way you think.
Darren: If there’s one takeaway for business owners, what would it be?
Ash: Trust the process. Too many people get obsessed with results—I need to make X amount of money, I need to land this big deal—and they lose sight of the steps that actually get them there. The most successful people focus on the process. They know that if they do the right things consistently, the results will come.
Darren: So, focus on actions rather than outcomes?
Ash: Exactly. When you focus on the process—building relationships, improving your skills, delivering value—the outcomes take care of themselves. If you only focus on the end goal, you miss the steps needed to reach it.
Darren: And how can people reach you if they want to learn more?
Ash: Just search Flip-Flop Psycho—I’m all over social media. Or visit ashlawrence.co.uk. I’ll also send you the link to my free ebook on impostor syndrome.
Darren: Brilliant! I’ll put the link in the description. Ash, it’s been a pleasure—thank you!
Ash: Cheers, mate. It’s been great!
