We are in unchartered territory. The Coronavirus pandemic means many of us feel scared, restricted and isolated. So, this led me to think, do we want to react or to respond? Do we want to stay scared, feeling out of control, unsure how to proceed, trapped? Or could we find a way to make even these times feel less of a life sentence and more a blessing? Will You React or Respond? It’s easy, when faced with a new or frightening situation, to feel negative, down or fearful. I’ve felt those feelings over the recent days, and I’m sure you have too. That’s just our natural human reaction, trying to ..read more

I was reflecting recently that a majority of people I work with want to increase their self-confidence and belief in themselves.  This seems as true whether you are starting off in your career or whether you have reached the top of your profession. Someone very senior in their organisation can have more issues around confidence than someone lower down – often due to the expectations they put on themselves and feel from others. I also rediscovered some notes I made long ago from a book on this topic written by Gloria Steinem.  Re-reading my notes reminded me that we have the power to change to ..read more

Wow! We’re so grateful to be alive! This week’s storm brought a tree down in our garden. Not just any tree. This was a 12 metre high blue cedar. It’s taken 6 men to clear it, over several days. The great thing is, no-one was hurt.  Even the house came off virtually unscathed. And this made me think how grateful we can be to be alive. The tree came down within metres of our house and that of our neighbour.  We were all in.  The tree could have crashed through the roof.  But it didn’t.  We are so lucky! How great is it that, out of some of the darkest corners of our lives, we can come face to fa ..read more

Today I’d like to tell you  story.  A story about a man who was facing burn out.  And how he turned things around. I’m telling the story because it’s a familiar one to many people I work with. The great thing is, they can, and often do, turn things around. I hope you do too. Burn Out This man, a senior leader in his organisation, had been overworking for months and years.  Finally he broke down with exhaustion.  He’d ignored the signs for years, and tried to cover them up, but now he couldn’t fight it any more. He realised that the burn out had a purpose: without pain we don’t change.  He also ..read more

How often do you feel to be at your best? Firing on all 4 cylinders, confident, happy, taking the world in your stride? Not often? Or at least, not often enough? What impact would it have for you if you were at your best? At home? At work? In your personal life? Well, what if I shared with you an effective approach you can use to help you be your best, whenever you want or need to? Even when things feel wobbly, and you feel anything but your best? Visualising You at Your Best The first step is to remember a time when you were at your best.  It doesn’t have to be a work situation, or related to ..read more

In the spirit of giving, I thought you might like a change from my normal post. So here’s a heart-warming story of one man’s transformation from stress and anxiety to confidence and positivity. A story for you to enjoy this Christmas… Last week I received an email from a previous client of mine.  This is what it said: “It’s been a while since I saw you, probably 3 years or more.  I just wanted to tell you how my life as progressed since our sessions together. With my anxiety I have now accepted that I will probably always have to deal with it from time to time. A lot of the calming mechanisms ..read more

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with things you need to get done? You and thousands others! And what tends to happen is, we lose all our productivity.  Instead of working through things, we get distracted. Perhaps you find something easier to take your attention away, and your list continues to grow. There is, however, a solution, which I was reminded of by a client recently.  It’s the 4 D’s approach. Let me explain. The 4 D’s Approach When we arrive at our desk, our work-place, or our computer, we generally have a list of things to be done. For instance,  a ‘to do’ list, a mental list, or a ..read more

The way we narrate our live shapes what we become. You can change your story and so change your life. Powerful stuff! This means that, in large part, we are in control of our own destiny. How we talk about, and view, our own lives, helps us become that person and create that life. So we can create the best version of ourselves or we can completely mess our lives up. Just through the stories we tell ourselves. What’s your story? Is it the one you want? The thing is, our own narrative or story can be incomplete, or misleading or even untrue.  But if we tell ourselves that story often enough, we ..read more

Do bad things happen to you? Does life sometimes feel unfair? I guess most of us have felt that way at times. It’s what we do about it that makes the difference. Are you a bystander in what’s happening to you? How about grabbing your life with both hands, creating the future you want? Let me explain… It’s too easy, when things feel hard, to become a victim of our circumstances. Or to lash out at the unfairness of it all, and blame others, the weather, politics. Or to feel the need to ‘rescue’ others in order to make ourselves feel better. Even when others don’t need or want that. Any of these ..read more

I was asked recently to contribute to an article for Champneys about Life Coaching. I was delighted to do so, as Champneys is a place where I have enjoyed leading lots of coaching workshops. It’s all about demystifying coaching – helping people understand more about what it is and how it can support them. It tells you something about how it works, what happens and how to find a good Life Coach. The article includes a section from me about my journey into coaching and why the work is so important.  Perhaps take a few minutes out of your day to read the article. If you want to know more about Li ..read more