Your Time To Grow

For years I have yearned to be one of those people who get the job done way ahead of time, giving them time to be smug and relaxed. Instead, I find myself consistently working right down to the wire, feeling the pressure of the deadline. I procrastinate and I’ve berated myself for that but I am also a high achiever. I am definitely driven by a deadline but it’s taken me a long time to realise it. ...

Last week we were thinking about self-forgiveness in terms of moving on after making a mistake. It got me thinking about leaders too and how we can become better leaders through self-acceptance and forgiveness.

I listen to my client as I watch her mentally let go of the belief that she needs to do at all. It's liberating for her. In that moment, she lets the ideas come and go, observing them with curiosity; she's in the zone. She leaves lighter, focused, and ready to accept herself... because sometimes you have to let go to grow.

Have you ever considered your career potential? By this I mean the potential to be happy and fulfilled in your career. Most people I meet are tremendously critical of themselves and their capabilities. This is true whether they earn £16k or £100K+. Most people don’t appreciate themselves, their job or their journey and this can be a barrier to reaching your career potential

I think we can all agree that we can't do it all and that attempting to do so causes overwhelm can't we? Once you have accepted this fact then next comes creating a strategy for creating the life you want. Before you can ask for what you need, however, you need to understand what that is. So in this podcast, I am going to take you through understanding what you need and then how to ask for it - wh...

Our values are the things which we believe to be important in the way that we live and the way that we work. Our values affect our behaviour and act as an internal navigation system guiding us along our journey. Today I am going to take you through an exercise on how to identify your core values.

What do you want to be famous for?” A question that tends to stump people at first, with a lot of umming and erring. Ultimately we are talking about your reputation – what you want to be known for and that is of particular interest if you are looking for clients as a business owner or if you are applying for a new job or are wanting to take the next step up the ladder.

We all have a purpose in life even if we don't know what it is yet. For some they have a clear vision of their purpose early on in life - their path is laid out for them and all they have to do is take the first step. For others, the vision is unclear, foggy and the path is ambiguous or perhaps non-existent

As humans, we like to find meaning in our day-to-day life so we create and construct a narrative and the way we tell them matters - to others and ourselves. Our stories are powerful

I was musing over the weekend on what to talk about today and then it came to me - values. I was thinking about how in re-evaluating my values I had made some life-changing decisions. So I decided to share my experience as a case study. Here goes….

I don’t feel guilty about spending my money - I have earned it and I know I've done nothing wrong in spending it on myself. I do however feel ashamed about spending it. Whether it's money, time or another resource we all need to invest in ourselves without feeling guilty or ashamed of doing so. In this episode I tell you about my own experience and give you some tips for investing in yourself this...

One of the reasons people come to me for coaching is that they want to do something they love but they don’t know where to start. I love what I do, I mean really love it and I am so grateful that I found career coaching relatively early on in my career. I remember a conversation where I said this and a friend of mine argued that not everyone has the luxury of doing something they enjoy and being p...

Have you got all of your New Year’s resolutions sorted? Raring to go? Or are you procrastinating on what you want to do? For many people, the New Year involves making a list of all the things we want to do over the coming 12 months. Many people choose to stop a certain (usually ‘bad’) activity, some start something new or vow to find a new job or look for opportunities in your current one. We begi...

If you need or want to listen to others more effectively then one of the best things you can do is stay curious.

How often are you present? By which I mean actually focusing on one thing at a time, right here, now and in the present? If you're anything like me, you'll be listening to a podcast whilst you're doing something else! Here's seven easy ways to stay present.

I saw my friend's Facebook status and all it said was "ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH". I gave it a sad smiley face and messaged her to find out if there was anything I could do. As she talked I realised something - her cup was empty. I (gently) pointed this out to her and said: "you need to show yourself kindness too."

Christmas - for some a wonderful time of celebration and gathering together. For others a difficult time of melancholy or sadness. For most a time of self-imposed and unnecessary stress. It can seem like there are so many things to do - planning Christmas Day, writing Christmas cards, watching nativity plays, buying presents, doing the big shop, finishing up work. Right now, it feels more busy, le...

When you think of leadership skills you might consider 'communication' or 'motivating others' or 'listening' but how many would say 'gratitude'?

I’m grateful. Generally, sporadically, genuinely grateful. I’ve been practising gratitude a while. Even as a happy-go-lucky, hopeless optimist I’ve learnt some things on this journey and I wanted to share them with you. I hope to inspire you to consider putting on your gratitude goggles too.

It’s easy to be grateful when it’s all going well but what about when it’s not?  What about if you are going through a crisis of some sort. How many of us even want to be thankful if we have been made redundant, if we (or someone we love) are ill, or if life is really hard right now? Even if life isn’t traumatic we still forget to be thankful for what we have. So why should we be grateful and how...

"I hate my job. I really want to move but I can't. I am stuck." Whether it's the security of a permanent position, a good salary, a job amidst a pandemic, or another reason you might need to stay in a job you hate, or one which you are bored in or demotivated. If this resonates with you here are 3 tips to stay motivated whilst you plan your alternative.

Do you wish you had more progression at work? Maybe you would like more recognition for your contributions? Are you making the most of your talents at work? Perhaps you're struggling to recognise your own talents after having kids? I ask because I speak to folks in coaching sessions who want more but feel shy about shouting about their talents and strengths. I mean, how are you going to get notice...

I am an advocate of doing something you love every day – from making time for self-care through to the job that you do. Today I would like to focus on your job/career/business – whatever you call it and whatever you have. It might be a combination of all those things. I want to talk to you about managing your career, rather than letting it manage you. I want to show you that you can develop your c...

You might think that it's pointless, incongruous or unimportant to consider your career during Covid-19. That's OK. It's likely managing your career will only be important to you if it's a priority for you. It's ok not to have the headspace (which I cover in this episode too) but, if you do then here are five easy tips for managing your career in the current climate.

When my brother introduced me to 'The Chimp Paradox' it changed my life. I suddenly understood why I thought the way I did and why I reacted to certain situations in a way that wasn't always constructive! When your chimp needs to feel in control it asks: what's in it for me?