Inspiration

I get my inspiration in many different ways, here are a few people and books that inspire me.

A grateful heart

The saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ applies to me as it takes a number of guides, supporters and friends to keep this small business and business owner up and running.

Firstly Dr Brené Brown, whose work has fundamentally changed me and how I am in the world. Here’s her blog and her videos on empathy and on TED

We all need people to encourage us, and especially those who hold up a ‘believing mirror’ to show us who and how we can be in the world. Four special women have done this for me. So a wholehearted thank you to;

I’m not sure I’d be doing this if not for Karen Knott at Prime Time Possibilities. I turned to her when I wanted to muster up the courage to show up and be seen and wasn’t sure how. Her immediate belief in me and the difference I wanted to make in the world made such a difference and, working with her I learned the tools and techniques I needed to bring this business to life, together with the confidence to do it. She continues to hold up the believing mirror to me and I can’t thank her enough for her unwavering and continued support and friendship.

The sensitive way in which Karen Anderson therapist and coach guided me through Brené Brown’s Daring Way course encouraged me to to hop on a plane from London to Las Vegas to do the Rising Strong workshop with her. And it was THE most transformative weekend workshop I’ve ever done. I thank Karen for sharing herself and her skills; for creating and holding a space where I was comfortable being me and for gracefully teaching me a range of tools to live a wholehearted and authentic life. Karen is an absolutely wonderful therapist and I am so grateful for her support and friendship.

I know the ladies in my Business club will always be there and I thank them for that and the wonderful work they do in the world, (in alphabetical order);

Priya Tourkow, Great couples therapist.

Stacey Chapman, Amazing Acupuncture  & fabulous Web support, who has supported me every step of the way getting this fabulous website up & running.

And also Jeremy Lazarus at the Lazarus Consultancy started me on this path by teaching me NLP tools and techniques which enabled me to heal and find myself and to believe that I could help others.

And last but not least thank you to the others in this small and growing community providing support to childless women. It’s wonderful to know that we’re all providing something different and are happy and willing to support each other.

Books that inspire me

What shall we readHere’s a selection of books that I love, well quite a long list really 🙂

Rising Strong: Dr Brene Brown (Random  House 2015)

Daring Greatly: Dr Brené Brown, (Gotham, 2012)

The Gifts of Imperfection: Dr Brené Brown, (Hazeldean, 2010)

I Thought it Was Just Me: Dr Brené Brown (Gotham 2008)

Big Magic: Elizabeth Gilbert (Riverhead books 2015)

Self Compassion: Stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind: Kristin Neff, PhD. (Hodder & Staughton, 2011)

Broken Open: Elizabeth Lesser, (Rider Books 2004)Brene brown books

The Artist’s Way: A course in Discovering and Recovering your Creative Self: Julia Cameron. (Pan Books 1993)

The Wise Heart, Buddhist Psychology for the West  Jack Kornfield (Rider books 2008)

The Untethered Soul, the journey beyond yourself: Michael A. SInger (New Harbinger 2007)

Letting Go, The Pathway of Surrender: David R Hawking, M.D.,Ph.D. (Hay House 2012)

Better than Before – what I learned about making and breaking habits: Gretchen Rubin (Two Roads 2015)

Bird by bird – some instructions on Writing and Life; Anne Lamott (Anchor Books 1994)

How to Meditate, a practical guide to making friends with your mind. Pema Chödrön (Sounds True 2013)

The Places that Scare you, a guide to fearlessness: Pema Chödrön (HarperColins 2001)

Letting go etc

Storycatcher. Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story; Christina Baldwin (New World Library 2005)

The Secret of the Shadow, the Power of Owning Your Whole Story: Debbie Ford (Harper Collins 2002)

The Grief Recovery Handbook: John W James and Russell Friedmand. (Harper Collins 2009)

On Grief and Grieving: Elizabether Kubler-Ross and David Kessler (Simon & Schuster 2005)

Transitions. Making sense of Life’s Changes: William Bridges, (Lifelong Books 2004)

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway: Susan Jeffers, (Vermillion, 2007)

Man’s Search for Meaning: Viktor E. Frankl (washington Square 1959) Firestarter etc

The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin, (Harper Collins, 2009)

The Alchemist: Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins 1999)

Turn Your Passion into Profit: Corrina Gordon-Barnes. (YouInspireMe 2012)

NLP

NLP at Work, Sue Knight, Nicholas Brealey, 3rd edition, 2010

Successful NLP, Jeremy Lazarus, Crimson Publishing, 2010

Words that Change Minds, Shelle Rose Charvet, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co, USA, 1997

A river journey as a metaphor for life

f you want to be the best you can be and learn how to be happy in life, the CHANGE YOUR LIFE programme will do this. I work with women in London & the SE.I’ve taken several river trips over the past few years, including two through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. They were life changing and some lessons I learned were:

  • If the climb is hard, then it’s okay to ask for help.
  • If you don’t give up the view from the top is amazing.
  • If you look at things in the same way that everyone else does, you’ll only see what they see. Taking a different perspective can be life-changing.
  • In unfamiliar waters or where there are big rapids, the ride will easier with an experienced guide.
  • If you have the right people on your boat (and in your life) the ride will be smoother and much more fun.
  • The current will always take you downstream no matter how hard you work against it so it’s better to know where you want to go rather than battling against the flow.
  • If you’re stuck on the rocks, in order to get free you may need to leave some baggage behind (what baggage is keeping you stuck?).
  • If you always sleep in your tent, you’ll miss the stars.
  • If you scout the big rapids and plan your course (set goals) the ride will be smoother.

And most importantly, if you’re in the right current and you let the river do the work, then you’ll get where you want to be. If, however, there are lots of rapids in your path or you’re stuck in a backwater and can’t get out, then you will benefit from some help to give you a push, to discover which current is right for you, and to steer you into it.

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