Why NO is a Complete Sentence. July 27, 2021 Are you expected to say yes to everything? As a business owner I was always told that the answer should always be yes, and then ask what’s the question? But are we expected to say yes to everything out of fear? Fear...
February is usually one of the least favoured months of the year (I’m not surprised! It’s cold, grey and summer seems a lifetime away), which is why it’s the perfect time to add a refreshing splash of positivity in your life. If you’ve got the winter blues and you’re in need of a healthy dose of optimism, do something for yourself today. Here are 5 simple ways to hit the reset button on life.
Self-Care Tips – How To Get Rid of Stress and Anxiety When You Run a Business NOVEMBER 26, 2019Self-Care, it’s something we regularly ignore because we get caught up in the stress of life. Running your own business, whilst running a house and caring for kids is a lot...
5 Things You Can Do To Get Off The Treadmill Of Life NOVEMBER 7, 2019 Feeling as if you are stuck on a treadmill, or feeling as if you all you are doing is ‘going through the motions’ every day of life – is no fun. I know that. I’ve been there AND got the t-shirt!...
60 Things You Can Do With an Extra Hour OCTOBER 22, 2019 The clocks change at the weekend and Daylight Savings is about to end and just like that you will have an extra hour every day! Listen we are all busy and got a ton of things to do, so stop moaning about how...
It’s not always about 6 figure incomes, some just want to pay the mortgage! SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 Listen if this speaks to you don’t be ashamed. Money does not bring you happiness, but it is up there with oxygen! Personally, I struggle with all the bullsh*t claims on...
The DNA of a Business Owner: Are you an accidental business owner? AUGUST 21, 2019Speaking from experience, I know that most business owners eat, breathe and live everything about their business on a day-to-day basis. When you run your own business there are no set...
Success Rituals For The Busy Business Woman JULY 26, 2019 Unfortunately, consistent high performance doesn't happen by accident! In life we have two options. Option one is to respond reactively, but that means summoning energy just when you are at your weakest. The...
6 Unmissable Tips to Get You Through The School Holidays Without Losing Your Mind or Your Business MAY 23, 2019 With all this lush weather I’ve been daydreaming about holidays a lot! Whether it’s a chilled staycation, keeping the kids busy with outdoor paddling pools...
5 key Secrets to Unlocking your Full Potential MAY 7, 20191. Write your business ideas down Yes, this a small step to take but I often find that getting back to basics helps with clearing a foggy, unclear mind. Writing your ideas down is a critical step to unlocking...
13 Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Work/Life Balance. MARCH 20, 2019 Maintaining a work/life balance is easy when you run your own business right? You typically work from home and you have no one else to answer to, so it should be easy to switch off. WRONG!...
There’s nothing more satisfying than silencing your phone, turning it over, and dozing off again—especially when it’s chilly Monday morning. It’s freezing outside, and you’d sooner skip breakfast than leave your warm bundle of blankets. Don’t worry, we’re all guilty of doing this from time to time – no judgement here!
8 Things No One Tells You About Running a Six Figure Business FEBRUARY 13, 2019 There is so much on social media from people either claiming they are earning 6 or 7 figures or they can help you achieve 6 or 7 figures. In my experience many business owners simply want...
For me, the idea of meditating took some warming up to. I saw it as a new age hoo-ha, and I don’t think you can blame me! But after years of rave reviews from friends, colleagues and clients, I decided to give it a go. Surprisingly, the area in my life that has reaped the most reward has been my business! I can honestly say it has changed my life!
It’s that time of the year… 2 days to go until we close the door on 2018 and open up to the excitement and endless possibilities of 2019.
Clearly like everyone else, I’ve taken some time out to review 2018 and set some time aside to clearly consider the coming year. I did all the business planning weeks ago, but I wanted to set some time aside for me to consider my personal direction for 2019.
It’s that period between the hype of Christmas and New Year. Typically busy in my household as it’s my husband’s birthday on the 27th, so when you’re starting to think about stopping with all the excesses we have another celebration. So I manage to carve out some reflection time to evaluate what worked and what did not! In 2018 I had some great wins and some EPIC failures.
So as we approach the end of the year, it’s been really powerful to take some time to reflect and take the learning – always the learning.
From the outside it’s easy to project this glossy image of what being a successful business owner is like, the travel, the laptop lifestyle, the great reviews and brilliant client successes. But it’s important to me that to be transparent. As it not all lap top lifestyle and sunny postings.
The Masks That We Wear - And Not Just on Halloween! OCTOBER 31, 2018It’s that time of year again. You either love it or hate it, but either way Halloween is here to stay. After seeing all the ridiculous costumes and scary masks on display in town, it got me thinking....
4 Top Tips to Building a Brand You’re Proud Of. OCTOBER 29, 2018"If you start messed up, it's not your fault. If you stay messed up, it is your fault." I saw this quote recently and it has been on my mind ever since. Running a business is toughAs a small business...
Stress Discrimination OCTOBER 29, 2018If only there were such a thing as Stress Discrimination. Stress affects us all, each and every one of us, pretty much everyday. If only it discriminated- because then it would be a much easier fix! A recent survey carried out...
5 Top Tips on How to Prevent Digital Dementia OCTOBER 23, 2018Do you ever find yourself forgetting the simplest of things? What were you just talking about? What did you need to get from upstairs? It’s becoming all too common for us to accept our flustered selves as a...
As a business coach, I am constantly seeing people through their hardships; some handle it excellently, and others not so well. However, some of the strongest people I know have had days where they completely crumble under the pressure. But if resilience is a fixed quality – you either are resilient, or you aren’t- then how can this be? I spoke to Jane Evans, a Stress Intelligence Transformer, to get some clarity.
There is no one-size fits all approach to starting a business. What works for some, most definitely will not work for others. When we think about start-up companies, traditionally we think of the likes of Facebook, Google or maybe even Innocent, but despite media speculation about the entrepreneurial spirit of the younger generation, the average age of an entrepreneur in the UK 47. So, can we really view ourselves as being ‘over the hill’?
Self-esteem is an amazing but fragile entity. In short, self-esteem is your opinion of yourself and your abilities. It can be high, low or somewhere in between; when it’s high we feel more resilient, we’re less vulnerable to anxiety, rejection and stress. But when it’s low, oh boy it’s low. While everyone occasionally has doubts about themselves, low self-esteem can leave you feeling insecure and unmotivated, it will leave you uninspired and doubting every choice you make – not good especially when you’ve got a business to run!
The Gender Pay Gap fiasco. It’s almost reaching Brexit level- we can’t avoid the topic! We turn on the news, it’s there. We walk down the street, it’s there. Just like Brexit, people see the headlines in the news and make up their minds with no further thought.
Believe it or not we are now into August, we are firmly past the halfway point of the year. But why wait until January for a ‘new you’? Personally, I see no better time than the present to switch things up, work on myself and ultimately grow my business. When I say this to my clients, time after time they will tell me they aren’t ready, they don’t have the experience or the prowess to take the much needed next step. Sound familiar? Their response assures me of one thing; they’re suffering from Imposter Syndrome. It’s something I spent years dealing with, but didn’t know it had a name!
Today is International Friendship Day, and it got me thinking….
Our relationships have had a huge impact on behaviours, emotions, and overall health, and who we choose to spend our time with is vitally important when it comes to our well-being and in turn our business success.
Finally, the day is here! Today marks National Intern Day, and is the first year that I have cause to celebrate!
In most aspects of our lives, a little clutter doesn’t hurt: be it in our wardrobes or in our cars. But the most distracting and debilitating cluttered space is in our heads. A cluttered mind usually results in us trying to run in ten different directions at once, with the end result being that we haven’t got very far at all. So, here are my top tips for decluttering your mind:
When I got up this morning I had it all planned out, a strategy rewrite, a couple of business meetings, work on my book and then a swim. I had not expected to be on national radio – BBC Radio 5 Live! Read how it went…
My theme of March is ‘You’re Worth It!’ Because, let’s face it, you are. Every single one of you has started your own business and your own empire. You’ve taken that courageous step into entrepreneurship, which totally makes you a boss. So I intend to guide you through March, giving you the help, support and love you need to make this month your best yet. Are you ready?
Lets run away to the beach together. It’s the Christmas run up – of course I’m wound up. I want to run away to the beach… You see I planned my month very carefully so I could stop working on about 18th, but so many of my lovely clients have been poorly so now I’m playing catch up and I’m backed up. Also who knew but we’d be inundated with new business enquiries in December!
Everyone is ill! My clients are dropping like flies… so instead of a business blog I thought we’d have a little fun. Here are 50 ways to make you feel fabulous again so you can keep rocking your business – even when you’re feeling under the weather.
It took me 30 years of semi coaching peers, colleagues, friends to realise that it was my “thing,” the work that didn’t feel like work. A mass of experience, several recessions later, a ton of business qualifications and whole lot of fun, enter stage left the “thing” I was always meant to do. A calling, no that sounds too “woo woo.” The business that felt real to me, the work that I was always meant to do. That really did have dramatic impact and helped transform people’s lives as it transformed their business.
If you want to uplevel your business, yourself, your business networking, leadership, and time management skills, it’s time to get reading. Here are my favouite
I love networking and dislike networking in equal measures. Learn about the 5 main networking personalities and which ones to avoid!
❌ STOP COMPARING ❌ START LIVING YOUR LIFE AND STOP LIVING OTHERS PEOPLES LIVES.
Social media is amazing but let’s be honest it’s where we can see everyone else’s achievements in all their splendid glory. So when it comes to comparing what’s happening in our lives, it’s pretty hard when we are faced with it day in day out, scroll in scroll out. Read more…
How to let go of the fear of fucking up! APRIL 3, 2017 It's quite common you know. I know we all think we are special and we are, we really are. BUT many many people are fearful of failure. So try and understand why you feel the way you do. Many of us are...
Saturday self care or essential maintenance? JANUARY 21, 2017 So, I've walked the dog for an hour and it was absolutely beautiful, a crisp, frozen carpet of grass in the early morning winter sunshine. Gorgeous ,with a streaming take a way coffee and a happy...
How to get through Blue Monday - the most depressing day of the year? JANUARY 16, 2017 Blue Monday reminds me of that incredible tune by New Order, I remember being dumped unceremoniously by my then boyfriend and I was brokenhearted. Blue Monday was playing and...
How to manage email stress JANUARY 15, 2017 A study found that one in three office workers suffers from email stress. Is that you? Making a decision the first time you open an email is crucial for good time management. I advise and encourage practising the...
Why I love you just the way you are... JANUARY 8, 2017 I heard that gorgeous Billy Joel song on the radio yesterday. It takes me back...to a younger version of me, a version that was super excited about everything, the art of the possible, the future, about...
Letting go and moving on... DECEMBER 30, 2016 It's that time of year, time to reflect - NOT beat yourself up and acknowledge what went well and celebrate it, and look at what maybe didn't go to plan and learn from it. I reviewed my 2016 goals the other day, and...
Digital addict: are you? AUGUST 31, 2016 Surprisingly, 77% of consumers believe that time spent without gadgets and technology would help liberate them, improve their relationships and make them better people, according to Mashable.com. We’ve just returned from...
Actions speak louder than words AUGUST 31, 2016 You are what you do, not what you say you'll do. #actionspeakslouder To say I love you is lovely to hear, easy to say and less easy to mean. Actions speak louder than words... To demonstrate that you love and care...
Choose carefully... JANUARY 30, 2016 If we are the average of the 5 people we spend most of our time with, then we should choose more carefully!
Ditch the drama JANUARY 29, 2016 I have learned (the hard way) that some people just attract drama. So as a parent of two teenage girls my regular mantra of "step away from the drama" or "ditch the drama" have become two of my most used sayings! Its hard...
Working mums - feeling guilty for working? JANUARY 29, 2016 Very interesting results from a poll of 2000 women carried out as part of a recent radio publicity survey: Almost 90% of women said that they felt guilt for having to leave their children to go to work 71%...
So proud she bothered MAY 23, 2014 Another milestone achieved, my little girl voted for the first time, and she was chuffed. We turned out at about 9pm - there was plenty of time, so why did so few just not bother? The news today has been full of hype about it...
Make an impact MAY 12, 2014 IMPACT - INFLUENCE - INFORM - IMPRESS! Isn't it all in our heads, we are as influential and impactful as we choose. We just have to choose. So choose to leave a legacy. A legacy. It’s something that very few men and women in...
I built a global business from my kitchen table APRIL 26, 2014 I was never looking for anything else, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. So it literally started with an eye cream and has grown into a booming global business and it all...
3 reasons why I know a great stylist APRIL 24, 2014 She is super stylish is a relaxed, feel amazing way She has an intuitive style of what will look great on you She loves a great coffee and is a devilish internet shopper and can source great outfits that...
She is 18 tomorrow... APRIL 23, 2014 This time 18 years ago I was massive. 4o weeks pregnant and like a puffed up whale. I had refused to buy any maternity clothes and yet bought a lot of stretchy clothes. The first of all my girlfriends to have a baby,...
7 ways to start a GREAT day APRIL 21, 2014 Love them or hate them, mornings are inevitable. Some burst out of their slumber with renewed vigour, some crawl from their foetal position and take an eternity to get going. Some need mood enhancers ie coffee or...
The selfindulgent selfie APRIL 20, 2014 I love the famous Oscar selfie! It captures the moment and went on to make twitter history! I'm all for a great selfie, with friends it can capture a great moment, friends being friends. Mostly the poses are funny,...
For the love of beetroot APRIL 17, 2014 It makes everything so PINK! Been poorly. Starting juicing. Fallen in love with beetroot! I thought it was something you had in vinegar at christmas with cold meats. It came in a jar, sometimes in small balls,...
Fall in love not in line APRIL 16, 2014 Fall in love with what you do. Fall in love with your friends and family. Fall in love with yourself! Fall in love with life and do not fall in line. Have you ever noticed the difference in attitude between...
Respect to all the London Marathon runners APRIL 16, 2014 Total respect to everyone who was there - runners and supporters alike. I did finish the 2012 London Marathon and it was one of the most amazing thing I have achieved. I was not, and still am not a...
Fearful of everything... APRIL 15, 2014 Failure? Success? Living? Dieing? Surviving? Being sad? Being happy? Why so many FEARS? When did we all become so fearful? We were not born fearful, nor were we taught how to be fearful, but somehow as we evolved we...
Learn to say NO to support your effectiveness APRIL 4, 2014 Simply put, we all need simple practical solutions to help them get the most out of every day. It’s so easy to lose your focus these days. We are constantly flitting between emails, texts, social...
I am the one and only! MARCH 23, 2014 I love listening to Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2 - the children and I love his humour and music. Friday morning's on his "surprise" guest was the singer and one hit wonder Chesney Hawkes, and their conversation was to focus...
Move over you're a bully! FEBRUARY 28, 2014 Following on from my previous blog on bullying, I thought I'd update you. It doesn’t stop just because we are no longer at school. It doesn’t stop because maybe we’re bigger / taller than them. It doesn’t stop just...
My very successful friend who is currently falling apart FEBRUARY 28, 2014 Picture this – she’s bold, brash and gets results. She laughs loudly and builds great relationships. She knows may people and has few friends. She’s always been a high achieving alpha...
Be a fearless failure NOVEMBER 22, 2013 So if failure is simply getting it wrong more times than the other person then sign me up! But failure is wrapped up in so many other layers? I'm NO psychologist - the closest I came was an A/O level about a million years...
Self worth - 10 feet tall & indestructible! NOVEMBER 21, 2013 Wouldn't it be great to feel ten feet tall and indestructible - every single moment of every single day! We all know how important it is to value our worth in the business world, but when it...
Bullying comes in different packaging NOVEMBER 20, 2013 With Anti Bullying Week next week (18th - 22nd November 2013) www.antibullyingweek.co.uk and it just got me thinking, as we assume bullying happens in the playground and occurs between children. However I...
“Me time” a guilty pleasure or critical need for existence? NOVEMBER 19, 2013 “Me time” a guilty pleasure or critical need for existence? It's good to put yourself first, because then you have more energy to give others. -- Valerie Bertinelli Stop the...
Is your timing off? NOVEMBER 8, 2013 Is there every a "right time"? Do you just think your timing is off? Do you have time to do the thing you'd love to do? Or do you use time as an excuse? I now know that if you want something done just give it to a busy...
Christmas at Costa in November? NOVEMBER 8, 2013 Christmas has come early at Costa! There I was - I had 40 minutes to kill. Seriously though when do working mums ever had 40 minutes to kill! So there I was - a medium skinny cappuccino was on my mind and they...
Be kind to yourself! OCTOBER 28, 2013 Take control and remember to be kind to yourself... Taking control of your life is getting in touch with your values, setting meaningful goals and identifying your vision. To be in control of where life is taking you means being...
Cheesy to retire at 50! JULY 4, 2013 Cheese matures with age....not my cheese. He's decided and I've promised... better get my skates on. I attended a great and thought-provoking FREE training on Monday - Carie Lyndene - The Success Coach. She made some great...
7 Tips to get you off the sofa and out of your comfort zone! JUNE 17, 2013 Where is your happy place? The place where you feel most comfortable? Sofa, your bed, your garden, the beach, we all have one. Your comfort zone is actually not THAT comfortable. It...
Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the World! JUNE 16, 2013 We've all had the stomach lurching moment - the presentation in front of a crowd of people, walking into a room of strangers, the first date, the job interview that you really wanted,...
Don't raise your voice improve your argument JUNE 3, 2013 Funny isn't it that sometimes as a parent you over compensate. Let me explain, my father, who I love, is a shouter! His version of attempting to explain something is to say the same thing, exactly the...