The Aligned Achiever with Siobhan Barnes

In a world where hustle culture is glorified and even rewarded, burnout has become an all too familiar companion for many people. It’s easy to feel trapped in our beliefs that we're failing, if we're not enough. We run a real risk of burning ourselves out if we don’t take a step back to ask whether the standards or expectations we are putting on ourselves are realistic.  Burnout is a sil...

International Women’s Day is upon us this week and this year’s theme is focused on inspiring inclusion.  According to the IWD website “When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.” Whilst it’s great that we celebrate International W...

Most of us have a running to-do list of “things” to get done. Not only at work but in our personal lives too. The mental load is real!  For me, as someone who works mostly from home, I’m a huge fan of maximising my time and making the most of any trips “out”. If I have a meeting in town, I’ll try to run an errand beforehand or go to that special supermarket to pick up that one item I can only get...

Join me in celebrating 100 episodes of the Aligned Achiever Podcast! I’m taking you behind the scenes of what inspired this podcast and my top reflections and learnings from this journey as an introvert and “quiet” person. In my 10 years of coaching women, I’ve found a common thread: many of us experience invisible forces that take hold of our thinking without us realising that the narrative we te...

You can always start again. As this episode goes live it is officially the Lunar New Year and for me, mindset wise, the Lunar New Year feels more like the official start to my year than January 1st. Reflecting on the year so far, reminded me that there is no arbitrary date that we have to wait for in order to make a change in our lives or career, regardless of the size of the change.  But I do kno...

It can be challenging to know how to find the time and energy to continue to show up to work in the face of difficult personal circumstances. This was something that came up for many of the participants in my recent Work / Life Design course. This could be changes in relationships, children being sick, an aging parent, or grief and loss. Regardless of what’s going on in your personal life, we’re o...

I’ve seen a theme recently with my clients as well as in my own life, and that is wanting to control and be able to influence our outcomes in life. Whilst we can’t actually control all aspects of our lives, there are some ways that you can gain a sense of calm and control especially in your career. The juggling act of having a career and a personal life can feel like complete chaos at times, and b...

The other day I was catching up with some girlfriends on all things motherhood, work, partners, health…the works! During our call we were talking about what we wanted to do differently in 2024. What I realised from that call was that I’m in a unique and lucky position to be able to talk with many incredible women about the same topic.  From coaching sessions with clients I’ve personally had some r...

As I was reviewing my lessons from 2023 and thinking about what I want to do the same/and differently in 2024, I realised how much of my goals are still driven by the notion that achieving more, in less time is “better.” If you asked me if I believe “more in less time is better” I would say “no - not necessarily” but so much of my goals last year were driven by that narrative. Which if I’m honest...

Have you been raring to jump into 2024, or are you feeling a little slower to start this year and get into your goals? Either way, you’re in the right place if you’re looking to do things differently in 2024. We live in a culture where achieving more, in less time is the ideal goal. The underlying assumption: Faster is better.  But this underlying assumption can cause one of two things: Either we:...

There’s something about the new year that just feels so exciting. Truthfully, you can hit reset on your goals and intentions any time, but the global phenomenon of the new year, and businesses taking a bit of a break seems to make it a natural time to bookend your career and life goals and start again in the new year. It’s time to be done with the old way and find a new way of doing things that wi...

As we close out 2023, I want to share with you my thoughts on what I want for you as you begin to step into the new year…. And most importantly support you with how you’re going to get this one thing I want for you. Spoiler alert: The one thing is all in the name of this podcast - which is all about aligned achievement. What’s the point in working on goals if they don’t really matter to you? In th...

The end of the year can be quite overwhelming. Amongst deadlines and social get togethers, we can also be thinking about what’s in store in the year ahead. When we’re reflecting on the year that’s just passed, it can cause us to question ourselves, our choices and our paths, and it brings up the question of, can I do things differently? In this episode of The Aligned Achiever podcast I’m delving i...

We’ve now entered December, a time for most of us of to close out our projects, wrapping up plans, reflecting and getting ready for the holidays. I hope if you’re here, it’s because amongst all the closing down of the year you’re also thinking about planning for 2024, and I want to help get you started so that you can get through what is the end of a season for many of us and step into your new se...

There’s been a theme with my clients recently around how to have difficult conversations and handle conflict at work. There are an endless number of reasons for conflict in the workplace, but some of the most common reasons that I hear are that people are feeling stretched, there’s less people on the team to get the job done and the big one is simply, stress. When there’s a feeling of stress and p...

The personal development space is rife with slogans about the power of gratitude.  And it’s true, gratitude IS important in a world that has us seeking more and better “things” in life.  The next promotion, a bigger house, a newer car, the latest iPhone. The desire for more can keep us in a state of lack and always wanting. The desire for more can make us feel like what we already have isn’t enoug...

How do you deal with things, when everything around you feels like too much? Whether it’s the news, your busy schedule or navigating a difficult situation or period in your life, we often try to escape the uncomfortable feelings or the challenge that comes up in these moments rather than facing them head on. If you’re feeling like it’s time to let go of your less-than-healthy coping strategies thr...

Have you ever met anybody who leans into those difficult conversations and can always keep their composure? There is a level of authenticity required to feel confident and find your voice in the workplace and this is something that a lot of women struggle with. If you’re facing a situation where you know you need to have a hard or difficult conversation, now is the time to reframe that into an opp...

Have you heard of the term “Essentialism?” It was coined by the author Greg McKeown who wrote the book of the same title. Essentialism is fundamentally about designing and taking control of your life so that you can purposefully direct your energy to bring you closer to your goals. It’s about knowing the things that will move you forward and putting them before everything else, and living by desig...

High achieving women come to me thinking they need career advice or support, but the real reasons they seek me out are a little more hidden. The women I work with are very capable, high achieving, incredibly amazing women who also struggle, so they come to me (and other coaches) looking for support to fully understand their career options and opportunities and to answer the question “where do I wa...

Your mental health is paramount to being able to achieve your career goals and live a fulfilling life. This means it’s an essential part of the work I do with clients when we’re exploring their career trajectory, aims and opportunities. Inspired by Mental Health Awareness Day on October 10th, I wanted to speak to you about mental wellbeing and more specifically what hypnotherapy and mindset work h...

Do you have a difficult boss? Or have you had one before?  A challenging relationship with your boss can lead to you questioning your career decisions or looking for a way out when you actually love your job and are really good at it. It’s also one of the biggest challenges in the workplace that leads to burnout. It’s not easy to be in the position of having a difficult boss whether it’s because t...

We’re officially into the final quarter of 2023. How are your New Year's Resolutions and goals holding up? Do you still have a clear vision of your goals for this year? It’s often at this point in the year that I have colleagues and clients come to me feeling as though they haven’t been able to get any traction on their goals and feel that they’ve let themselves down by not heading in the dir...

Is there a perfect career path for you? Is there a right or wrong when it comes to choosing whether to persevere on your current path or quit and do something else?  After over 10 years of working with high achieving women, I’ve come to know that there is no right or wrong answer to navigating career pivots.  There is, however, a perceived “right” from the perspective of societal expectations of w...

If you want to make aligned decisions in your career, it requires you to be in the best headspace possible. To feel relaxed, at peace, and ultimately, in a state where you can make these big decisions. For so many women though, they are chronically stressed, overwhelmed and burnt out, making it increasingly difficult to achieve our big goals and desires. This is why it is so important that you kno...