Pressing Pause

You have responsibilities, people counting on you, expectations to meet, a schedule to stick to, a to do list to tick off, goals to hit… no wonder it can feel like you don't have any control over your own life. But perhaps you have more choices than you think… In this episode I share: How to find choices where it seems you have none What these choices can look like Making your own micro choices Re...

Joy is a lovely feeling, right? The more joy we can feel the better so why am I recording a podcast episode about the scariness of feeling joy? Because sometimes our joy feels so good we're gripped by the fear of losing what the people, the life, that give us such joy   In this episode I share: Where our fear of joy comes from How we think we're protecting ourselves What to do when your joy become...

A different type of hangover with no alcohol involved and very real physical symptoms…   In this episode I share: Why introverts feel so physically drained by being social (even with people we love) What it definitely does NOT say about who we are How to deal with an introvert hangover when it happens Resources: Find comfort, understanding and inspiration in The Haven's weeklyish email letters her...

Is it worthy of celebration if you can't buy a greetings card for it? We think celebrating is for the big stuff in life, the landmark moments, the goals met, the milestones reached. But this could be stopping you from gaining a myriad of benefits available when you celebrate the smaller stuff in life too. In this episode I share: What makes us think we shouldn't celebrate the smaller wins in life...

There are demands on your attention, voices and noise coming at you from all directions so how often do you actually listen to yourself? What might you discover, and gain, from paying attention to the voice coming from within? In this episode I share: A simple prompt which tunes you into your intuition How to differentiate between the voices of your intuition and your fear What benefits you reap f...

Having a plan is good, but what about when the plan becomes restrictive and stops working for you? Changing it might sound simple but it can bring up all kinds of challenging feelings.   In this episode I share: The plan that's no longer working for me What I made changing the plan mean about me The new plan (and how it works for you too) Resources: The Calm & Joy Catalyst will be starting on Mond...

We think that if we aren't making big changes, taking bold action, if we don't see the impact of our efforts quickly enough that means we're not getting anywhere and there's no point in trying. But perhaps there's a different way of getting to where we want to go?   In this episode I share: Why breaking a big goal into smaller chunks can still feel overwhelming What a micro movement is and the pow...

It can be baffling when there's a new habit we want to establish, something we really want to do, and yet we find it so hard to actually do the thing. But if we can find a way to tackle what's going on here the reward is increased self-trust. In this episode I share: What's getting in the way of us doing what we want to do on a regular basis How we can get moving in the direction we want to go in...

When there's something you want or you've been thinking about why is it that you see related examples and opportunities everywhere you turn? Is there something magical going on is there a neurological explanation for it?   In this episode I share: The scientific explanation for the law of attraction How we can harness what's going on in our brains The beneficial impact this can have on our daily l...

We might spend time away from home for lovely reasons like going on holiday or visiting friends, or it might be for a more troubling reason like caring for a sick loved one. Even if we're happy to be staying somewhere different it can be still be a source of stress as we're away from our home comforts and personal space.   In this episode I share: Why we can struggle away from home even when we're...

What might we regret in the future and what can we do about it now to mitigate them? Bronnie Ware's book 'The Top Five Regrets of the Dying' got me thinking along with a realisation about the regrets I hadn't had before. In this episode I share: What the top five regrets of the dying are What connects them all that relates to life right now What realisations this has given me about how I live my l...

To do lists are useful, they hold you accountable and it's super satisfying when you get to tick things off. But a to do list is never done. It eats up your time and reminds you of all that you haven't yet done. So I have an alternative to suggest. In this episode I share: My different kind of to do list What it includes and how to write it The huge benefits this list can bring you How to get star...

We might know logically that our needs are valid, that we're not being unreasonable with what we want, that we're allowed to take care of ourselves but that doesn't mean it's easy to do! We can find ourselves dealing with feelings of resistance and discomfort in ourselves, perhaps as well as the opinions of others. In this episode I share: How I've tended to my own needs Where the resistance we fe...

When we want to make changes or try a new habit it can feel daunting or overwhelming, particularly if we put pressure on ourselves to do it right first time. But when we treat something as an experiment it eases the need (or belief) that it must be the solution we were looking for. In this episode I share: The benefits of try something as an experiment Different ways you can conduct your experimen...

Choosing a word to guide, inspire and remind you of how you want to feel or what you want to do isn't just for January. You can pick a guiding word any time for any time period and benefit from its gentle nudging support. In this episode I share: Several questions/journal prompts to help you reflect if you already have a guiding word An exercise that connects you to the wisdom of your body (with t...

The podcast has had a refresh! And I've kept what you love about it – bitesize episodes packed with insight and inspiration, tools and top tips on how you can bring more calm and joy into your day right now. For this episode we're looking at the message that you have to hit rock bottom before you can justify taking care of your own needs and wants.   In this episode I share: The external condition...

Calm and joy may be two little words but there can be a lot of thinking and baggage tied up in them. Feeling calm and joy isn't as simple as we'd like it to be because there are obstacles that trip us up and get in the way.   In this episode I share: Five of the biggest obstacles obstructing your path to calm and joy Why they don't have to be in your way after all How to get past them (or blow the...

Joy is an emotion that we think is straight forward – who doesn't want to feel joy, right? But in reality is just not that simple. There are structures and messaging we take in from the people and the world around us that mean our thinking about, and our freedom to feel, joy can get quite knotted up. In this episode I share: What gets in the way of our joy What's actually true about joy How to dea...

Boundaries can seem like a big deal that will take lots of time and effort to figure out and will mean upsetting people too. But actually that isn't necessarily the case. You will already have boundaries that you communicate and uphold and you can make use of them for the future.   In this episode I share: What boundaries actually are How to recognise your existing boundaries How your current boun...

I became a huge fan of The Repair Shop TV show during the 2020 lockdowns and it gave me more than comfort and entertainment – something that we can put to use in our everyday lives to support our own wellbeing. In this episode I share: The foundational part of the restoration process that can apply to us humans What we need before we can make changes An experiment to breathe love into your life Re...

Dipti Solanki is a coach guiding grieving people through the healing process. We often link grief to the death of a person but we experience grief in many ways, for example when a relationship or we lose a job. And while we can be in the absolute depths of grief it is still possible (and necessary) to find moments of calm and joy. In this episode we discuss: What makes grieving even harder to deal...

I'm doing something different this episode as Christmas is in a few days. I've decided to record for you a reading of a classic Christmas story – A Visit From St Nicholas but you might know it better as Twas the Night Before Christmas – by Clement Clarke Moore.   So, take a moment to pause, relax and enjoy this Christmas tale… Resources: Find lots of resources to help you to bring down your overwh...

Bridget Johns is a professional organiser and declutter coach who teaches women to reduce their mental load by decluttering their homes, phones, calendars and minds. Clutter isn't just about being overwhelmed by stuff taking up space in our homes, a cluttered mind can lead to mental overwhelm. In this episode we discuss: What's needed before you can start to declutter Minimalist vs maximalist livi...

Alice Mcdonald is a Separation and Divorce Coach who helps women with older teens and adult children to navigate their break-up and create their new future. As you'd think that calm and joy are in short supply during the breakdown of a relationship it was really interesting to hear about Alice's experience and advice. In this episode we discuss: The double whammy women go through with losing their...

Some days are just hard, right? You might not know why but you wake up and all you want to do is get back under the duvet and stay there. But you can't –you have responsibilities, a long to do list, commitments. So what do you do? Take a JED… In this episode I share: What a JED is! A different way of approaching your to do list That rest is productive (yes, you read that right) The drawback of for...