This Year's Word with Courtney Symes

This month I'm focusing on FUN.  I live in Australia, and it's our last month of summer. So, I want to make the most of the last warm days and long evenings doing things I love, such as spending time in nature, and hanging out with people I love spending time with.  In other parts of the world, it might be your last month of winter, and you need a boost to get your through the last few weeks of co...

In the spirit of journeys, this guided meditation will take you on a journey through an enchanted forest. Grab my FREE Yearly Reflection Guide with Worksheet + 50 prompts here.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog ,...

In this guided meditation, we’re going on a journey. A sacred journey into the depths of your being, an exploration of the sanctuary within – your heart.  Grab my FREE Yearly Reflection Guide with Worksheet + 50 prompts here.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide...

Welcome to 2024! I hope you’ve had a wonderful start to the new year.    Have you set goals or resolutions for yourself for the year ahead, and are now wondering how you’re going to achieve them?   Or perhaps you haven’t set any goals, but are curious about what changes you could make to enhance your life this year.    If either of these scenarios resonate for you, then stick around!    In this ep...

Welcome to my first guided meditation podcast episode! As my podcast continues to grow and evolve, I will be exploring different ways to add value to your weekly audio fix. I’ve long been a fan of meditation, and the benefits it offers to clear the mind, reduce stress, and increase breath awareness. This year, I have set the intention to share more guided meditation episodes in addition to my regu...

Reviewing the year at the end of the year can be a daunting task. In previous years, it would take me days to read through my journal entries for the year and capture what went well and what I learned. This year, I did something a little different. In this episode, I share how I record my yearly reflections quickly and easily, as well as my highlights and lessons learned from 2023.  Grab my FREE Y...

We don't want to live in the past, but reflecting on past experiences and learning from them can be a healthy, cathartic process - especially if done with intention and gratitude. This month, I'm going on a journey of reflection. Over the next few episodes, I will be sharing some of my own reflections with you, to demonstrate how profound reflecting can be. In this episode, the question I’m reflec...

I often find it comforting to consider that many of the problems I encounter in life are not new or unique. In fact, there is a good chance many people have experienced what I’m experiencing before. Whilst our journey through life is unique, our thoughts, feelings, and reactions are what make us human. This is the beauty of philosophy, which is the study of the truths or principles underlying all...

What is wisdom? How do you define wisdom? How do we become wise? These are some of the questions I will be pondering on my Wisdom Journey this month, and in this episode. I had fun asking various people, including my family and children these questions about wisdom. And whilst the answers varied, there were some common thoughts and observations. Wisdom is a quality that has been admired, sought af...

This month, as we focus on the theme of simplifying our lives, I caught up with The Plant Power Coach, Kerryn Sawyer to discuss how a plant-based diet can help simplify your lifestyle. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, where we talk about Kerryn’s plant-based journey to date, how embarking on a plant-based journey might be easier than you think, and we also share some of our favourite books....

I use a To-Do List every day, and I think I can safely assume most people use a list in some form or another to help them remember and prioritise tasks. There’s no doubt a To-Do list is a valuable tool for staying organized and managing your tasks effectively. But have you ever wondered if you’re getting the most out of your To-Do List, or if there was a way you could make a list more effectively?...

Often, life can feel complicated and overwhelming. A never ending To Do list, family commitments, work commitments, cooking, cleaning, exercising, and more... Phew! It never ends.   This month, I'm on a mission to dial things back to uncover what really matters in life. I'm going on a journey of simplification. In this episode, I’ll share eight practical strategies to help you streamline your day...

In our month of grace, I thought it would be fitting for my final episode on grace to focus on ways we can get ourselves out of a funk or overcome a case of the ‘blahs’. These are the nine main things I do to shift negative energy when I’m feeling a bit flat. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful the next time you need a lift...   Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling...

In a recent interview, Jane Fonda shared her concept of living life through a series of “acts”. This analogy really resonated with me, so I break it down further in this episode.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog...

In this episode, I dig deeper into the concept of how we can show ourselves more grace by using one simple word... Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog , or connect with me on Facebook .     

“Life is measured in love and positive contributions and moments of grace.” - Carly Fiorina So, what exactly is grace, and when was the last time you expressed grace, or were the recipient of grace from someone else? In this episode I explore how we can introduce more grace into our lives each day. Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of...

This month on my blog and socials, I’ve been asking and pondering life’s big questions. Today’s question is: What do you want most in life? I selected this question as I’d love to unpack and work through this one with you. I’m also hoping it will really challenge you to not only think deeply about the future, but also reflect on how far you’ve come. I’ll also present some questions you can ask whi...

This month on my blog and socials, I’ve been asking and pondering life’s big questions. One I’ve really enjoyed mulling over is: What piece of advice would you give your younger self? Picking one piece of advice was TOUGH. So, I narrowed it down to the piece of advice that would apply to everyone, and have the most impact on ALL areas of our life. I eventually landed on Love Yourself. Here's why l...

A few years ago, I discovered a hack to read more books. But now I was reading more books, I was faced with a new problem: I couldn’t remember what I’d read! Because I was reading so many books now, they all had the tendency to blur into one another. I was also writing my own book, and wanted to recall some of the information I was reading, but didn’t have a specific process for recording this inf...

In this episode, I share some of the best pieces of advice I’ve acquired from my favourite books ( you can read more about them here ).  This list is not in any particular order, and is certainly not exhaustible. Let me know if you enjoy this episode as I would love to create more episodes like this in the future. These are the top ten books I'd gift to my kids to set them up for life.  Check out...

"Studies show that there is a direct relationship between your ability to read and your success in life. Skilled readers enjoy better jobs, higher incomes, and greater opportunities for success in all realms of life.” - Jim Kwik, Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life  Reading is one of the best life skills we can cultivate – for learning and pleasur...

Welcome to day five of the Mindful Moments Challenge 2023. In this episode, we'll be exploring mindfulness through our senses.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog , or connect with me on Facebook . 

Welcome to day four of the Mindful Moments Challenge 2023. In this episode, we'll be exploring mindfulness through our breathing.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog , or connect with me on Facebook . 

Welcome to day two of the Mindful Moments Challenge 2023. In this episode, we'll be exploring our connection with others.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog , or connect with me on Facebook . 

Welcome to day two of the Mindful Moments Challenge 2023. In this episode, we'll be exploring the environment around us.  Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey , as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time .  Grab your FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog , or connect with me on Facebook .