I’ve often told people over the years that I’m prouder of passing my driving test than I am of my BA, MA or PhD. 

It’s absolutely not because I liked my driving test the most. In fact, I haven’t used my license for years – because I work from home, because I live in London and because, with the whole of my soul, I hate driving. Many of my friends relish being in control of a vehicle; they feel calmed by the activity of focusing their mind and reactions on the road. I’m repelled by knowing these machines can’t be reasoned with; that I and those around me are at the mercy of mindless button-pushing, with a margin for human error as small as it is deadly! I’d much rather discuss, argue and develop stories and concepts into being, putting something unique in the world that wasn’t there before and never would be if I didn’t develop it. That’s why, at least for me, spending five years on a thesis was always going to be more calming than driving to the supermarket!

Somehow, though, I did it. I suffered for my not-art and passed my theory and practical tests. I have my licence, it’s there (somewhere) in my desk, whether I choose it to be part of my life or not. And because of that, I know something far more important: it is possible to achieve your personal ‘impossible”, and to experience the chain reaction of confidence that begins: “I thought I couldn’t  do that, and I did, so perhaps I can do this next thing too…” Just as the writing and presenting I do for Indicator Films might terrify someone about to do their first work presentation, the right coaching turns an ‘impossible’ into an ‘interesting’, and a dream into a more-than-achievable goal.

If you’re ready to build confidence and grab lifelong tools to keep your voice clear and your choices authentic in work, art and life, Rewire Your What-ifs is for you. Secure your place now or nab a giveaway on Instagram at 6pm tomorrow! 

Rewire your “what if…” circuitry away from anxiety and towards engagement with your goals, values and personality. Each session will be a mix of practical coaching tools and creative exercises to get you more comfortable in your driving seat for art, work and life. Week 1: Goal-setting Sometimes a busy or stressful time means dealing with the ‘immediate’ in our lives constantly and the ‘important’ more rarely. This can mean what we want takes a back-seat to what we fear. Today is a chance to connect with each other, reconnect with ourselves and explore relaxing and intriguing coaching tools to focus on what you enjoy, love, value, and what steps can connect your wishes and hopes to your habits and goals for the work, art and life you want.  Week 2: Characterisation – in Life and Art! Who are the characters that we carry in our minds, whose opinions, wishes and values affect our decision-making? Both in our fiction and day-to-day life, today is an opportunity to get to know those voices, ask what they want, and ask yourself whether you still want them as major or minor characters. Enjoy a mix of exercises to bring your own voice out of the chorus, and actively select which voices get to stay in your backing group!  Week 3: Plotting – The Story So Far Today we explore the relationship between character and plot: how events create characters, but also how characters, as they change, change the world around them as a result. Enjoy a mix of practical exercises, story tools and problem-solving activities to make your story grow your way. These techniques will work for decisions on the page as well as those you make in work, at home and with family and friends. Week 4: Time and Place Today we’ll look at what it means to feel present in your life and story, and how that sense of being present allows you to experience and utilise your time. Make un-rushed, value-centred choices about what you do, how and who you spend your time with and what you give space to in life and on the page. Explore and develop incisive questions for your unique story, on the page and off it! Week 5: Freedom Not Fear: Approaching the Blank Page When you are clear about your character’s objective, it’s much easier to know what dialogue and actions they will select. This is just as true in life as it is on the page or on the stage. Today, we’ll be using tools, activities and resources to explore self-direction and value-aligned action. Bring “show don’t tell” into your boundaries in work and life, and into the quality of your creative and professional writing. Week 6: Moving Forward A celebration and summary of the discoveries you’ve made in art, work and life. Requests welcome for any favourite exercises to revisit, as we honour the journeys so far and plan for what happens next. Looking back to goal-setting in week 1, what are the things that were important to you then and how are you going to keep the ‘important’ above water when the ‘immediate’ is all around?

The answer to where you are going is the same as the answer to how you will get there:

One authentic step at a time.

Every journey, every voice, is unique. Your coach doesn’t choose your path, or walk it for you. They will be there to hold your map, keep one finger on the destination you’ve picked, and make sure you stay emotionally hydrated…but it is always your journey. 

If you’re looking to build confidence in person or on the page, grab a free 30-minute intro chat on my homepage or say help via the contact form. I look forward to supporting you on your unique journey. ✍️

✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️

#writing #speaking #confidence #confidencecoaching #author #coaching #writingcoaching #speakingcoach #writingcoach #confidencecoach 

#mondaymotivation #richmondlife #petershamnurseries #transferableskills #lifeskills #softskills #writeyourstory #speakyourmind #speakyourtruth #walkyourownpath

In 2015/2016, my self-esteem through the floor and the relationship and job I thought were lifelong both over, I met one of the writers in this pile.

She became my editor for one anthology, introduced me to my next editor who included me in two further anthologies so making me a colleague of another of the writers in this pile (and later published my first collection). 

Remembering the passions and strengths I had, thanks in a very large part to the warmth and regard of a writing community who genuinely celebrate and support each other, was a life lesson that brought me to the next step in my career: coaching training with the company of, yep, another of the writers in this pile.

Everyone here, those I know and those I don’t, brought me back to myself and to how I pay that forward. 

Happy #internationalwomensday everybody, I’m proud to be in a pile with all of you.

#internationalwomensday2022 #writingcommunity #writing #coaching #writingcoach

The time I was first conscious of wanting a coaching qualification was shortly before Lockdown, when I was telling a client what coaching was not.

This is a pretty common experience partly because coaching, like mental health or creative writing, is a young enough profession that the benefits and vocabulary aren’t as familiar or established in most people’s minds as other professional areas. But it’s also because the lines between coaching, mentoring (at one end) and psychotherapy (at the other) aren’t always immediately clear.

A key definition of coaching is “witnessing and supporting a client’s thinking process: challenging limiting beliefs, identifying goals and supporting development in life and work.” The coach does not need to be more experienced than the client in their line of work, or in their life (that would be impossible!). Nor does the client need to come with a problem requiring “treatment” as such (if a coach thinks a new or existing client would be better served by a psychotherapist, we’re bound by ICF regulations to refer them and not to take the work). As a coach, my job is to explore what the client wants, how their thinking process plays out and – in life, work or art – any blocks that might be holding them back. 

At the end of March, I’ll be completing Barefoot Coaching’s accredited training course in Business and Personal Coaching. Studying to become a coach means receiving as well as giving a lot of coaching from tutors and peers, and I can’t begin to do justice to how much respect I have for how well they understand how people think, feel and learn. It’s truly been both the safest and most exhilarating educational experience of my life.

Until I reach my 100 hours that allow me to qualify as a PCC (Professionally Certified Coach), I’ll be offering half-price chemistry sessions where coach and client explore whether they want to work with each other. If you or someone you know would like to explore their goals, blocks and dreams for work, art or life, just quote “newsletter discount”.

For many of us, it’s been harder than ever to find our way back down that rabbit hole.

It isn’t a lack of ideas. That’s the one thing it categorically isn’t. Ever. Selecting a starting point from among every memory, every emotion and every question we’ve ever had about the world, and then for that small voice to stay louder and clearer than the self-doubt, stress and overwhelm long enough to follow, was never as simple as ‘just write a sentence’…

…until it is. When you do it because you’re curious. Not because you’re sure where it’s going, or sure you’re worthy, or aren’t feeling overwhelmed and overshadowed. Just because you’re curious. You write a sentence, to find out what happens next.

It’s been harder for a lot of writers these last two years, and different for all. But when the time comes, when the rabbit hole calls, listen. There’s one way out of writer’s block: curiosity.

From Enhance Your Edit course material, 2022