What counts as traumatic experience?
We’re surrounded by news reports about the tragic things that happen in our world. War, catastrophic floods, hurricanes wiping out entire villages. These things are so devastating we call them ‘traumatic’. We understand that word ‘trauma’ to mean something BIG. ...
The deeper meaning hidden in your intense reactions
If you prefer your life to be simple and uncomplicated, welcome to the club! We all want a straightforward life, where everything makes sense. A life where what happens to us and how we respond is predictable and safe. But for some of us, it doesn’t happen like...
How to cope when you feel abandoned.
The world is often a difficult place to navigate. People say and do hurtful things to each other. Sometimes by accident, and sometimes on purpose. Even those people who should love and support us can sometimes neglect their ‘duty of care’. We can feel bruised and...
Signs you may have trauma and not know about it.
It might surprise you to know that many people find 'everyday' situations difficult.‘Ordinary’ situations like attending a meeting at work. Even ordering coffee in a cafe, or driving the kids to school can cause extreme discomfort in some people. If you’re one of...
How to deal with rejection – top tips from a professional actor.
One of the big things that binds us together as human beings is our innate fear of rejection. This fear can impact what we do, who we speak to and the opportunities that we say Yes or No to. How we deal with rejection (or the fear of potential...
Crying needs to be normalised!
Most of us have had experiences when we were young of being told “Big boys/girls don’t cry” “Don’t be scared” ‘Wipe away those tears and put on a smile!’ And as we get older that phrasing might change to “Cheer up, it’s not that bad” “Pull yourself together”...
The truth about self-awareness and sensitivity and why you should care.
If you’ve ever experienced going to a networking event, and being the odd one out because everyone else knows each other - you’ll understand what it feels like to be excluded. If you’ve ever stood up to speak in public, and felt your throat go dry and your palms...
You’re not broken: Sensitivity is a Superpower!
If you’ve ever watched the news or read an article about the level of injustice in the world, and been overwhelmed by a deep sense of sadness and helplessness - you’re not ‘over-reacting’. Maybe you’ve attended an event or party with friends, even had fun and...
How exploring your past could stop procrastination and accelerate your business success.
It would be wonderful if all our experiences were happy and joyful and nothing bad ever happened to us. Of course, that’s a pipe dream; bad things do happen and we often get hurt. Yet what if we could change how we experienced the traumatic or hurtful things in our...
How a great loss taught me how to find hope and joy through trauma.
18 years ago, I’d just had my first child and then my life hit rock bottom. But today I know that that might have been the best thing that ever happened to me. You wouldn’t believe how many people are walking around out there, who’ve been through something that has...
The fine wool suit that never quite fitted.
10 years ago in April 2010, almost a year after qualifying as a coach, I was still searching for my niche, so I could attract people to pay me for coaching. I felt completely out of my depth, not knowing how to find clients, and feeling like a fish out of water. I’d...
The Art of Taking Up Space
During lockdown I’ve been taking my daughter out for driving practice. She’s doing really well now, and I can’t believe it was only a few short months ago that we drove round and round the local village car park (totally empty!) - stop, start, stop - trying to...
What a sunflower can teach us about connection
Do you sometimes feel isolated or lonely, yet feel there’s nothing you can do about it, because the ‘normal’ connection solutions don’t apply to you? “If you’re feeling lonely, you should join a group or a class,” they say.“Invite a friend round for a meal” ….That’s...
How to speak up, even when you feel inferior.
When you meet ‘successful’ people, do you feel inferior and assume they know more than you? Do you assume that what you say would be irrelevant or they’d think it was silly, so you stay quiet ? (and then give yourself a hard time later because of what you could have...
Something holding you back? How to get unstuck.
In this blog, I want to explore how to get unstuck from a certain kind of stuckness. This stuckness can be relentless, infuriating and downright exhausting. It feels like one leg is held tight in a concrete block, and we can’t move anywhere without huge effort. It...
When it all feels too much: taking on the ‘D’ word.
Why is mental health still such a taboo? Why is it ok to say you’ve got a headache, or the flu or a broken leg, but it’s not ok to say you feel depressed ? I’m writing this to share my own experience, and to give you hope that if you’re not feeling well, either now or...