Although I specialise in stress and resilience, among other things, I actually don’t believe in managing stress or stress management. That’s a bit of a mind-bender for some, but this nuance in semantics is actually pretty important. These terms presuppose we’re going to have stress and it needs to be managed, which is buying into the paradigm ... [Read On]
Sometimes the practical tools are just not enough
I’ve always been quite a practical person – able to fix a blown fuse or repair a piece of broken china, or organise a kitchen to work well for the cook. And when I think about it, this actually pervades my approach to personal and professional change and stress transformation. As soon as I started specialising in stress and resilience for instance, ... [Read On]
Stripping things back to the essentials
For me, June has been a month of enjoying the simplicities of life; enjoying a thermos of fresh ginger tea on cold mornings, lighting candles in the early wintry evenings. With all the rain we’ve had here, I’ve been chasing the sun on the days it has appeared and soaking it up. I’m feeling like my solar battery has been filled up again. Sunshine is ... [Read On]
I Still Get Stressed – Confessions of a Stress Junkie
Honestly, I still get stressed sometimes. Yes, I’m a Business Coach and Intuitive Healer who works with business owners and professionals across a range of areas, but especially around getting out of the cycle of stress or avoiding/escaping burnout. I'm also human. Perhaps one of the main reasons I've ended up specialising in stress is ... [Read On]
Give Yourself Permission to Change Your Own Rules
It’s so easy to forget that every one of us is influenced by our individual, unique set of ‘inner rules’, values, precedents and social norms – some of which we are conscious of, and some that are unconscious. In either case, they drive our thinking, our behaviour, our decisions – virtually everything about how we do life. And it’s because they ... [Read On]
A fresh take on dealing with depression and anxiety
Allison used to describe herself as ‘slightly depressive’. Outwardly to many people she was cheerful, friendly and successful. Close friends knew she had the odd low moment, although they didn’t know how often those moments came along. She’d feel ridiculous if they knew. At times she would feel so low and unable to help herself that she would sit ... [Read On]
More on how to beat overwhelm at work
What I notice for a lot of people wanting to beat overwhelm, lower their stress and feel more control in their day, is that they’re not taking that control. They’re bobbing on an ocean of busy-ness, demands and distractions and going where the merry water will take them. They may occasionally try grabbing an oar and shuffling some water, hoping to ... [Read On]
How to beat overwhelm at work and rock the house
It turns out that I am excellent at overwhelm. I do it brilliantly, and sometimes it can be thoroughly paralysing. That feeling of, there is so much to do, it’s so overwhelming, I CAN’T DO ANYTHING. That has meant I have also learned over the years, the many ways to NOT DO OVERWHELM. Quite helpful I’ve found. Lately I’ve worked with a number of ... [Read On]
Resilience is an inside job: Steve Gurney Interview
Last month as part of my 90-day Resilience for Leaders programme, I caught up with the ever-energetic Steve Gurney to talk resilience: what it is, how it applies to life and performance, and what it takes to win against the odds. Steve, one of New Zealand’s most respected adventure athletes, inventor, speaker and author, speaks candidly here about ... [Read On]
Letting go to make space for the new
I realised this week how in the midst of the move to my new website I was feeling rather wistful about letting go of the old one; Fresh Ways Forward (aVara came a little later and was more of a brochure website). I wanted to pause and honour FWF and all it stands for. It was as Fresh Ways Forward I established my business just over 10 years ago. It ... [Read On]