Personal Development
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Let’s talk about the ‘F’ word…
Well, I don’t know about you but I’m thinking about FUN! How much of it do you have in your life currently? I know it can be hard to remember what fun is and how it even feels to have fun after the dire events of the last 12 months! However, it’s something that really struck me after looking back over 2020 and realising just how much I had thrown myself into working, studying, and stepping out of my comfort zone (which I can safely say also takes a lot of energy and emotion!) When it came to prioritising some carefree fun that would help to fill up my cup…
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Life after coach training…
Business planning, credentialing and exploring creative approaches to coaching! I can happily announce that I have completed the taught element of my Postgraduate Certificate in Business and Personal Coaching after months of attending tutorials that have kept me well and truly enthused about entering the coaching profession and having spent many hours practising my coaching with willing volunteers. So, as this part of my journey comes to an end, what is next? Well…the work continues! I am currently spending most of my days flitting between the roles of mum/home school teacher, blogger, coach and student. In between teaching, keeping two energetic boys entertained all day, and dishing out snack after…
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Kickstart your yearly review and find your focus for the year ahead
After reluctantly emerging from my Christmas cocoon, and finding out that another lengthy period of lockdown loomed ahead, I made the decision to pause and take stock of the last 12 months. I wanted to extract any useful ‘life lessons’ that I could from what was such a challenging time (for many different reasons), to ponder ‘What next?’ and start the year with renewed focus and something positive to work towards as lockdown continued. If, like me, you love putting pen to paper and taking time out to journal (or just really want to give it a try) then I have packed this post full of questions that will prompt…
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Coach Training Update (The Journey Continues!)
Since my last post, which outlined my steps to becoming a coach, I have completed the second module of my coaching course (yay!) and thought it was about time that I shared what I have been learning about coaching over the past month. I will also provide some more useful tips for new coaches that I have picked up during my training and give you some simple coaching tools that will help you to: What have I been learning? My training programme covers many different topics and approaches related to coaching as well as allowing me to practise my coaching skills with clients. Here are some of the areas that…
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Steps to becoming a coach…
If you have heard about coaching and are curious about what it can do for you, or if you are interested in training to be a coach, then read on to find out about my experience of coaching so far and why I decided to become a coach. I will share how I chose my training course, the top tips I would give to new coaches, and the resources that I have found to be particularly useful. On top of all that, I have included some coaching tools that will enable you to: You can go through the exercises by yourself or get together with a friend and coach each…
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The two parenting books that helped me through lockdown (and beyond!)
Review of Mindfulness for Mums by Izzy Judd and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry I have never been much of a fan of parenting books, and after nearly 12 years of being a mum I have managed to steer clear of them, probably owing to some fear that they would confirm I was getting it all wrong and really was as clueless as I felt! Having come to an acceptance over the years that I don’t have to have it all sussed, and that seeking support is absolutely not a sign of weakness or inadequacy, I was curious about what I could learn from…
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Pause, Reflect, and Discover… What can you learn from lockdown?
As we take tentative steps towards opening up our businesses and communities, as well as making our own personal emergence from lockdown, there will undoubtedly be a mixed bag of feelings and a whole range of different experiences. Maybe you have actually relished the time to pause or perhaps there was no time to pause at all and you were busier than ever. You might have had to spend time recovering from the virus or have endured a long period of isolation to shield yourself and other family members from it. Maybe you have been going through immense heartache and have been grieving over the loss of loved ones, or…
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Nothing compares to you…
What to do when you feel like you don’t quite measure up to others I know I should really give myself a break, like many people in lockdown right now I’m in the midst of adjusting to a new way of life, figuring out this home learning business, and dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing what life will be like for us all afterwards. Yet, in spite of all the upheaval, and the fact that we are all just doing our best to get by right now, I’ve still found that whenever I’ve been scrolling through social media to see what the outside world is up to, I’ve been…
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Body confidence, working smarter, showing compassion and the importance of self-belief – Key takeaways from the Life Lessons Festival
The Barbican Centre, London – 15-16 February 2020 It was the first time that I had ventured to a festival dedicated solely to the topic of wellbeing and I was bubbling with excitement at the prospect of listening to, and learning from, the array of high-profile speakers that were listed on the Life Lessons Festival programme. Before the start of my sessions I took the opportunity to head over to the Waterstones pop up shop where I picked up my free copy of Philippa Perry’s The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will be Glad That You Did). Being a bit of a bookworm it was…
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Beat procrastination and start accomplishing your goals
Just a few thoughts that run through my mind when I am tackling my task list for the week: I don’t mean to boast but I have become quite skilful in the art of putting things off! At times my goals just don’t seem like a big enough priority (I just know I want to achieve them someday…) or they are taking me out of my comfort zone, requiring that extra bit of effort and confidence on my part. If you can relate to this then read on to discover what I found out when I attended a session on ‘How to overcome procrastination and boost productivity in order to…
