While I was writing Quietly Confident, I researched many of the ‘self’ concepts. Self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-belief, self-compassion, self-care, self-acceptance, self-worth, and self-respect. The difference between these phrases is subtle and nuanced but each is important in its own way. I’ve written about some…
Some years ago I worked with Annie, a woman in her late 60’s, who told me she wanted to be more courageous. “I don’t want to jump out of planes or learn public speaking,” she told me, “but I do want the courage to be…
Most of us are fortunate enough to have at least one person in our lives who is there to lend an ear, offer words of support and show kindness when we’re navigating a difficult time. And we happily do the same for them when they’re…
Over the past few months, I’ve had more conversations about stress and overwhelm with clients than at any other time in my career. It seems that life is unsettling for many people right now. Taking proactive steps to identify and address the sources of stress…
Most of us associate meditation with sitting in silence and emptying our minds but it’s much more nuanced than that. It’s as much about journeying into the inner depths of ourselves as it is about finding a way to create inner quiet. It’s maybe best…
You’ve probably heard me say many times that our brains have a strong negative bias. We remember painful events from childhood and easily recall moments in our lives when we were criticised, made a mistake or embarrassed ourselves. Even clients approaching middle age tell me…
Almost a decade ago now, a thoughtful client of mine from Spain, Carmen, sent me an email to ask if I’d be open to sharing my meditations on a free meditation app, Insight Timer. I was using the app myself and loved it, but hadn’t…
We will all encounter adversity in life at different times and it’s likely there are hurdles to face ahead, but it’s also true that many of the things we worry about don’t actually eventuate. This means that the habit of worry, which uses up precious…
Every now and then, you hear a story or you’re faced with the kind of news that makes you stop and re-evaluate everything in your life. I had one of those moments last week. The story isn’t mine to share but it slowed me down…
