relationships Archives

Simple spirituality for dogma-shy desperados October 23, 2019 – Posted in: Advice, Personal Development, Spirituality

As someone who has come to understand how important ‘plugging in’ spiritually is to her life, I have developed a rudimentary and ever-changing spiritual practice. But, before you run for the hills in horror at how pious that sounds, please understand that the words ‘rudimentary’ and ‘practice’ are foremost in that sentence. Like a lot of us, I have found traditional religion tricky to stomach and I am tired of other people’s dogma. So, I…

Letting go of people, places and things July 4, 2019 – Posted in: Advice, Relationships

I have had to let go of many things in my life; old habits that were no longer serving me, old unhelpful thoughts and self-limiting beliefs, old favourite clothes that were worn through, old homes my expanding family had outgrown, old ways of working etc. Always, before letting go, there was a period of trying to cling on (denial) and always, during letting go, there has been some kind of sadness. More often than not,…

Lessons from Love Island June 12, 2019 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence, Personal Development, Relationships

If, like me, you’re new to delights of Love Island you may, on first viewing, have been shocked on several levels: the amount of flesh on show (I realise this comment identifies me as seriously middle-aged but I grew up with Bananarama and Duran Duran and those guys wore their clothes on TV), the forced/heavily controlled environment (like Big Brother on speed) and the painful desperation of the contestants, all makes for very uncomfortable viewing.…

Happy Couples – how to keep your relationship happy every day (not just on Valentine’s) January 31, 2019 – Posted in: Advice, Personal Development, Relationships

Valentine’s Day is marketed to us as a ‘day for lovers’ and, of course, in some ways it is. It’s a day to maybe put extra thought into your primary relationship and make more effort to show your special person just how much they mean to you. But, I would argue that every day is a day for lovers because actively loving your partner (and yourself) is the key to keeping your relationship happy every…

Where’s the real gender gap? December 4, 2018 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence, Personal Development, Relationships

I had a conversation with a friend the other day who was passionately reminding me how unfair she believes things are for women in this day and age. This is because by doing the bulk of the childcare (which a lot of women choose to do) they lose out financially, both at the time of caring for their little ones and when they return to work. She was very angry about the gender pay gap.…

Have yourself a confident Christmas… November 30, 2017 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence, Personal Development, Relationships

For those of you who regularly read my blog and my advice column you’ll know that I’m all about authenticity and being real. Why? Because perfectionism and mask-wearing are two of the biggest barriers to confidence that I’ve come across in my six years as a coach. I’ve worked with hundreds of people (probably thousands now) and they all tell me that pretending to be someone or something they’re not feeds their insecurities. And dismantles…

Truth, Trust and Teamwork July 17, 2017 – Posted in: Advice, Leaders and Teams, Relationships

Meet Sam. It’s his first day in a new job. A top marketing job no less in a company he’s admired for years! He’s excited about the project, the prospects and the people. He’s joined forces with a team of executives who all say they want the same thing. He and his team all agree they want to win. They want to beat the competition and be the best they can be. Sam leaves for…

Finding your inner sparkle July 3, 2017 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence, Relationships

Your inner sparkle is THE ONLY sparkle you should be interested in showing to the world. Why? Because it’s the real you and that’s what’s always most attractive. Your inner sparkle is unique and you’ll know you’ve found it when you feel like you are flowing through life, connecting easily with people, and generally attracting positive things into your world. How to find it… STOP comparing yourself to others and start concentrating on being truly…

Kindness and Quilting June 19, 2017 – Posted in: Advice, Relationships

My daughters were recently given a beautiful patchwork quilt made by my beloved grandmother. In fact, it was the last thing she made before she died over 20-years ago so they are delighted and deeply touched to have it. They are young, modern kids who love YouTube and gymnastics and shopping sprees. But they also have huge respect for anything authentic and homemade, especially things they can tell have been made with love and kindness.…

Do you think GET-DO-BE? April 18, 2016 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence, Personal Development, Relationships, Spirituality

Over the years I’ve often seen quotes suggesting that in order to attract true love into your life you have to ‘be’ true love in your life. And this used to really confuse me. But, I think I understand it a bit better now. As a culture we’re programmed to think that we will ‘be’ a certain person once we ‘get’ a certain thing.