Mission Imperfect: navigating life with coaches Kirsty and Kathryn

Something a little different for Christmas Day and the lead-in to the new year: inspired by the 12 days of Christmas, we have a series of coaching questions for you, (very) loosely connected to the days of the song. Don’t worry: there’s no singing from us…relief all around! Today’s (last!) question for you to mull over and which we also answer in the episode: ‘Which of the suggestions for the 12 d...

The paradox of selflessness…we tie ourselves in knots considering how you’re supposed to give of yourself if you’re not supposed to have a self; ponder the middle ground between selfless and selfish (self-full??); discuss whether the practice of preventative mental and emotional self-care is really fully ingrained in society, and agree that giving of ourselves doesn’t mean sacrificing ourselves. W...

It may not be in the dictionary – yet – but what we mean by ‘comparisonitis’ (comparing ourselves, mostly unfavourably, to others) is a trap we can often fall into! We discuss how comparisons start but how they actually provide an unhelpful and unfair measure of ‘how am I doing?’ – which is really the question we want to be answering.  Today’s question for you to mull over and which we also answer...

Christmas = jolly, right?! As much as we love the word jolly (and roly-poly), we know that unfortunately the festive season can be a source of stress rather than joy sometimes. In this episode, we discuss some of those sources of stress, and more importantly what we can do to counter them. Also, Kirsty admits to sometimes being Scrooge (but that’s not a bad thing!), our views on Christmas games va...

The power of a pause is our topic this week – to rest, review, regroup, re-energise. In a busy world of ‘doing’, sometimes we need to take a pause, and it’s a great antidote to the ‘autopilot trap’. We discuss conscious awareness and when we might want to tune in and tune out in a moment of pause.  Today’s question for you to mull over and which we also answer in the episode:  ‘Where in your day t...

If you’re waiting for the Confidence Fairy Godmother to wave her wand before you take action, then this is for you. We talk about the Confidence Catch-22 and the importance of various c-words (no, not that one – behave!) in building confidence: having the courage to start, offering yourself compassion as you learn, letting go of self criticism, and developing competence. Remarkably, we fail to men...

Is self-belief just another word for confidence? We think not! We explore the subtle differences and why it even matters in this week’s episode, plus what impacts our self-belief and how we can grow it, even later in life. Today’s question for you to mull over and which we also answer in the episode:  ‘ What do you like most about yourself ?’ Find us here: Kathryn: www.kbmindfulcoaching.com Kirsty...

Talking about the right kind of resilience – ditching “manning up” and “bouncing back” in favour of Kathryn’s 4 step cycle, and Kirsty’s allowing-not-wallowing. Along the way, things get a tad biscuity. Today’s question for you to mull over and which we also answer in the episode: Recall a time when you demonstrated your resilience: what does that tell you about yourself? Resources: https://www.kb...

Transformation is one of those buzz words – especially in the world of coaching. Hear our take on what transformation in life coaching can be, in a good way! Clue – there’s no caterpillars or butterflies in sight – the transformation in you is about your thinking.   Today’s question for you to mull over and which we also answer in the episode:   ‘What thought about yourself do you want to transfor...

We discuss the imperfections of perfectionism (eg self-criticism, failure to act, burnout and a clone army); the possibility that doing our best is perfectly acceptable; the perfect storm of conditioning that creates perfectionism, and how embracing our imperfections can make us less imperfect. Along the way, we confirm that Kathryn looks human, and discover that Kirsty says ‘absolutely’ way too m...

A warm welcome to our podcast – Mission Imperfect: navigating life with coaches Kirsty and Kathryn. So who are we? We’re both former HR professionals, mums, and now life coaches, but we are definitely two people, living in London and Devon respectively. We love tea and biscuits and talking all about the messiness of life, and finding your own path through it, imperfectly but your way. In this brie...