I turned 40 last month. Numerous people have eyed me wonderingly, gauging whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Honestly, it feels good. I like nice round, even numbers, but I also know that the main reason it feels good is because I’ve made some big decisions this year that feel right for me and I’m in the midst of a lifestyle ... [Read On]
What I didn’t expect to learn at marriage counselling
I’ve had many conversations with people this year who are not quite sure what they want out of life, or an area of life such as their job or a relationship. I’ve noticed a tendency for people to be clearer about what they don’t want than what they do want. And it seems many of us don’t even let ourselves ask the question: What ... [Read On]
Straight up: 3 tips to be more intelligent
Sitting in yet another noisy café today (what is it with the acoustics in cafes?!!), I found myself feeling aurally bombarded, brain-fizzed and about to burst as I sat tapping on my laptop, trying to have a productive hour before a meeting. I managed to have the presence of mind in that moment to take what I often describe in my seminars and ... [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]
Are you addicted to ‘hard’?
I caught myself recently, in the midst of preparing for a webinar I was due to deliver, in that old pattern of what I call effort-ing. That is, over-preparing and over-thinking, all in the name of doing a good job of course, but not overly helpful. I paused, thought about what really needed to be done (a tiny bit of tailoring and that was it) and ... [Read On]
The Surprising Side of Transformational Change
Change can be a funny thing. A few of weeks into coaching with her, a client told me of her experience the weekend before while she was out with family friends: she’d found herself that day feeling so relaxed and happy laughing with them that she thought she must be pretending. She’d been experiencing depression for several years and it had been ... [Read On]
Our Work Journey is Part of Our Spiritual Journey
Aye caramba … are you in the midst of one of those ‘character building’ moments at work or in your business? It reminds me of when I lived in Eastern Europe and was flying to a different city every week, or at least every month - and if anyone had mentioned 'spiritual journey' to me then I would have laughed in their face. (That might sound very ... [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]
Welcome to Start With You
Welcome! I am delighted to announce the official launch of Start With You. This new platform is going to enable us to bring you better Blogs, communicate more easily with you and start bringing more programmes and products. Start Me Up Toolkit If you’re an existing subscriber, you will automatically receive my FREE Start Me Up Toolkit – a ... [Read On]
10 MORE Things I’ve Learned During Business Rebrand
I wrote my first ’10 things I’ve learned’ back in mid-2013 when I was finalising the new website. Soon after that I became very unwell with glandular fever and decided to put the new site and launch on hold while I recovered. I had a lot of time off and it wasn’t until the following January that I revisited the new website and realised we didn’t ... [Read On]