10 little things for everyday self-love and reconnection

I connect and work with so many personal development leaders who wait until they feel stressed out, unbalanced and disconnected before they decide they need to practice what they preach and actively work on themselves from the inside out first. Feeling the responsibility of their working lives and keeping up with the demands of caring for others, they can often put their own foundations of self-love and care to further down the order of the day than they would ever mention to their clients and those in their teams.

Living your purpose in life to serve other people and leading that purpose requires being open to new perspectives, staying curious and creative and using the power of your own insight to make decisions. And all of this amazing stuff uses your precious energy. If you don't have the energy, your purpose in life begins to feel hard and that can be the slippery slope to that word that makes us all think we’ll never go there - burnout.

Staying balanced and being in good natural energy is a practice, it’s not something you learn and then just do. Leading a busy life can easily take over our connection with ourselves that cultivates that wonderful energy that keeps us in a high vibe. Having a few mindful ways you can reconnect with yourself throughout your week can really build up a gentler way of being with yourself and help you to tune in more rather than tuning out with distractions and those things you know are not serving you. Watching hours of Netflix or scrolling on socials might feel good at the time, but then afterwards it’s back to reality and you know deep down there is something that still feels unresolved inside and that feeling is your inner self begging you for a little mindful self-love and care.

I first started doing these things when I was a little girl. It is amazing that when we were small, we easily managed to be present doing little things. Being present with ourselves cultivates greater self-awareness, natural acceptance and ability to let our thoughts come and go. It is good for our mental well-being and for the energy we need to be the best of ourselves.

As we grow older though and we want to serve powerfully, we have to consciously create time and space for these types of activities and the value in doing a few of these in your week is immense.

1.Be mindful with your cup of tea

I used to sit for a longer time with my tea when I was grieving from losing my mum and partner.

Something about being with a hot cup of tea in your hands is comforting and feels giving to yourself and your emotions. Simply sit for a longer amount of time but in quietness with your daily brew. Make the tea and notice the habits you choose over and over again while you do this act. Notice the way you place the cup and pour the milk etc. Notice that you want to fill the time you wait for the kettle to boil (multitask anyone?). Once made, don’t eat with the drink, just have the tea and be with the experience of doing something really simple for yourself. Sip slowly, look at your tea. Let your mind wander to what made you want this cup of tea today, let your thoughts wander back to you and your needs. This is a meditation in itself.

2. Bake and savour your favourite treat

Baking has been a connective practice of mine for a long time. Long before I realised the benefits it was bringing me to help me be more present with myself. I put some relaxing music on and lose myself in the chemistry and mixing of making something from scratch. And the best thing? You have something really delicious to enjoy and share. Challenge yourself to eat it more slowly, take your time over the eating part and use all your senses to experience and be grateful for what you’ve taken time to create. And if your mind tells you that you don’t have confidence in baking, I highly recommend giving yourself a break from trying too hard and just having a go. Biscuit making is a great way to begin. Ask my daughter, she started with biscuits and now there’s no stopping her! She makes the best millionaires shortbread I have ever tasted!

3. Be at one with nature with a small bird sanctuary in your garden

I have adored birds since I can remember. Watching and being around birds will bring you back to so many things that will fuel you and make you feel instantly reconnected with yourself and the world again. Birds are an integral piece of our natural environment and can help us connect with our own natural cycles, watch them eat seeds and replant them all over, look for different species and help give back by doing the RSPB great garden bird watch !

4. Plant seeds and watch nature grow

Nature is amazing and actively participating with our natural world can help us reconnect with ourselves and with our natural ability to let go of what we no longer need. Getting involved doesn’t need you to be an expert either. Every year I plant a crop of sunflowers, I buy seeds from my local garden centre and plant them in my little greenhouse and I enjoy nurturing them and watching them grow. I love it when it’s time to take them out of their nursing trays and plant them in my border at the bottom of my garden. I can see them growing from my kitchen window and they bring me so much joy. At the end of their cycle, I dry the flower heads and keep some of the seeds to give back to the birds.

5. Watch the sunrise to help you breathe

Getting up early to watch the sunrise quietly is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give to yourself. It reminds us that after the end of one day there is a new beginning. It taps into the knowing that we have inside that is OK to let go, it is OK not to hold onto yesterday and to just live for today. How beautiful is that?

6. Write your way to more self-love

I cannot recommend keeping a journal enough. Keeping a notebook to hand will help you to clear your mind and understand your thoughts and patterns. It helps you to be present with those inner habits, to accept them and to create space for more mindful intentions to appear. It relieves stress and overwhelm and encourages the greatest benefit of self-development - reflection. Reflection is a mindful superpower. If you’re not taking some time to reflect, you could be repeating many self-limiting beliefs that create resistance and frustration. Be still with a little bit of writing once per day and you will open up some amazing insights.

7. Reconnect with others regularly

We called ourselves The Grateful 8 !

Honestly, as an empath, for years throughout my twenties, I used to find phone calls really uncomfortable. When I look back I was just a little afraid to just express myself as me. My mind chatter was strong back then. Actively creating conversations with others over the phone and on video calls, especially at this time, can help you to know that we are all connected and we are all moving through changes. I recently completed an amazing 6-month mentoring journey that connected me deeply with seven other purposeful souls. I have made connections for life and we are now creating something incredible together! Take daily actions to connect!

8. Have a nanna nap or meditate!

Remember that feeling that your eyes are just asking you to rest them for a few moments in the afternoon slump? This has been a revelation to me! And I have to say it does not happen often. But when it does and I allow myself to be rejuvenated by a daytime sleep, it’s the most amazing feeling in the world. And if you struggle for that time to switch off, breathe through the tiredness and meditate. Meditation and breathwork can help you reset too and as a meditation teacher I fully advocate meditation for self-care and deep connection, but the message here is to sleep when you need to sleep. Experts agree that the body needs 7-9 hours of sleep per day and if you’re not managing that, taking 5 minutes in the afternoon to close your eyes will at least recoup some much-needed energy. Set an alarm if you need to. I am sharing reset meditations over on my Instagram.

9. Take a bath and light a candle

I have always loved a self-care bath. For me, water is our great healer. Water is representational of our emotions and spending time relaxing in the water can help your muscles to let go and your mind to follow suit. I used to use so much stuff in my bath though which most was probably not that good for my skin. Over the last few years, as I’ve become more present with my body, I’ve been experimenting using more natural ingredients in my mindful self-care soaks like natural oils and salts. And these days I am even collaborating with other brands and practitioners that advocate self-care and mindful connection. I actively seek out people who make self-care a priority in themselves and their clients as one of my key values is the powerful changes a connection with self can bring.

10. Read an inspirational story

Something for me that is much more connective than social media and watching tv is to read something inspirational in a physical book. I love to hold an actual book in my hands. I connect with it physically and this is a much more mindful experience than watching a youtube video. The book I co-authored with Inspirational Women of the World contains 21 incredible stories of overcoming challenges from women all around the globe.

Not only am I really proud of this book but I am currently collaborating with Hayley Kooner Beauty by sharing a limited amount of signed copies with this specially put together self-care Eve Taylor gift box that you can combine your mindful soak with something to reconnect with your inspiration! You can order your limited edition gift box for yourself or someone you’d like to encourage self-love with below.

The gift box contains:

1. Eve Taylor® Uplifting Bath Oil

2. Eve Taylor® Relax and Self indulgent candle (orange, geranium, ylang-ylang and lavender)

3. A signed copy of my book ‘Inspirational Women of the World’

   Buy the gift box here.

*Eve Taylor products are ethically sourced and contain 100% essential oils from sustainable sources. Most of the packaging can be recycled. And the brand runs a ‘Give Back to Nature’ campaign, in partnership with Trees for the Future who plant a tree on their behalf for every product sold. Check out my live interview on self-care with the lovely Hayley over on Instagram here.

How to make Winter walks your source of JOY!

Now that we have transitioned over to Autumn and Winter is on the way, and yep we can physically see the effects! The rust-like and golden coloured leaves, the soaking morning grass, the nip in the air as we sip our morning coffee at the window. We may begin to think cosy thoughts and perhaps our usual walk may begin to slip from our day as we hunker down to work each week and let nature do her thing. Perhaps you’re feeling that it is getting a little more difficult to get up and out in the mornings, the days seem like they are getting shorter and you really must get on with that to-do list first.

Heads up though!, you started getting outside in the spring and summer to help you to stay grounded and balanced in your mind remember and perhaps you even have a mindful walking practice. Right now it is even more important to continue with that commitment you made to yourself.

With everything that is shifting outside in the world, we need to work with nature more than ever for a better more balanced state of being for ourselves and those we support in our lives.

So I thought I’d put together some tips and little incentives to motivate you to continue walking in nature and even maybe a longer walk than usual over the coming colder months ahead!

Firstly! Don’t let the weather stop you!

Get your favourite coat out!

Go prepared! Wear layers and take a waterproof, my mum always used to say ‘you can take things off, but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it with you’ I take a backpack so I can take my hoodie off if I get too warm. My walking boots and my coat are probably my best buy and they have lasted me years! Oh and some good comfy socks and a cosy hat are a must as it gets colder!

Set the intention to reset!

I like to set an intention for my walk, the reason for this is that often we chose to walk in nature to clear our minds and reconnect to our souls. Why not try setting an intention before you set off? How would you like to feel? Is there a specific goal you’d like to achieve on your return or something you’ve been putting off that you want to complete?

My fave little SMASH flask!

Keep your tummy happy!

There’s nothing worse than having to head home because you’re peckish and thirsty. Pack up a little flask of your favourite hot drink or soup (I like Dream Magic mushroom coffee!) and maybe a couple of biscuits or an energy bar. I have this little SMASH flask that I got from Homesense! It is small enough to fit in my pocket and gives me a warm break after a short meditation session.

Plan a break or stop off if you’re going further!

If you are planning to go further afield, arrange a stop-off point where you can rest for a while and get warm, log fire and cosy chats anyone?

Log fires are the best!

Harry makes walking a treat for me!

Take a furry friend!

If you don’t have a dog, you could try borrowing one for the day. Having Harry has always got me out and about in all weathers, he’s great company and always puts the fun into my walks, he just loves a stick and has me kicking stones and fallen apples for him to chase for hours, I’m sure I’m his human rather than him being my dog!

Start a personal charity challenge or a new commitment!

I started the #walk1000miles challenge at the start of the year for charity and although I don’t think I’ll quite make the 1000 this year, I have gone a long way toward this and I have got outside in nature for a walk at my local nature spaces every single day throughout 2020. This has hugely supported my mental health at a really difficult time. For the rest of the year and to help me complete the challenge strongly, I have set myself a 90 day challenge to help me complete a personal well-being goal before the end of the year! Feel free to send me a message if you’d like support with a goal and let’s finish 2020 on a high!

Taking a few pictures on your phone will create joyful memories to help you on the more challenging days.

Switch off but capture your experience!

One thing that I do practice is not looking at social media while I am in nature, this helps me to cultivate a practice of presence and calm. But I do like to go live to share messages and take a photo or two on a few of my walks.

This helps me to capture the feeling of my walk, helps me to create a relationship with nature and notice the beauty of the seasons and the little things that change, especially at this time of the year! Plus they make awesome pics to share later!

We are all in this together!

If you’ve not seen too many people in your day and you pass a stranger, a smile goes a long way and can change your state of being and that of others too! So make the effort and say hello to your fellow walkers! If you can, arrange to walk with a neighbour or a friend. Giving someone the gift of your time and presence is precious.

Let’s all help one another with a smile

Allow mother nature to support you.

FEEL nature’s gift to you!

The most powerful thing I have experienced in nature is the ability to feel again! After many years of pushing my feelings to one side, through daily walks, I have learned to breathe deeply, feel my feelings, and even enjoy the process of moving through emotions and returning from my walks feeling renewed, refreshed and ready to begin again! Breathing deeply out in nature has even improved my asthma! Start by feeling the feelings nature gives you, try using all your senses by walking on a cold frosty morning, in the rain, crunching the leaves under your feet, using your senses will help you reconnect with yourself in a way that staying indoors simply can’t do for you!

Bring a little bit of nature home!

I’m well known for bringing a bit of nature back with me from my walks! ‘What’s she brought back now lol!’ But honestly, let your inner child come back out to play! Look for conkers, acorns, pine cones, give yourself a little challenge to find the most interesting thing before you return! Nature is a magical place when you notice what you notice!

Cosy up when you get home for your reset!

Give yourself a cosy retreat!

Why not get a meal ready before you go, go for a walk and then indulge in a lovely spa bath when you get back before you eat. There’s nothing quite like reading a book in the bath after a long nature walk.

If you’re reading this and thinking, I wish I had this motivation! I have created a brand new coaching program that includes walking with me one to one, so we can use the healing power of nature to help you to reconnect with yourself, your vision and your life goals. Check it out here, or book in for a powerful conversation call with me and let’s talk!

We are so busy talking, we've forgotten to LISTEN to one another

Mindful listening

These days we are so focused on our thoughts and actions that we often forget how to listen with care. Practicing mindful listening simply means that you are intentionally engaging in the skill of deep listening. The art of listening is as much about your mindset as it is about the actual  practice of listening.

This is not something that many of us will have been taught to do in our lives or work! However, when you believe that listening deeply is important and that the practice of listening will bring about positive response, change or action, then this skill will become a great asset to you.

Try this exercise to begin practicing deep mindful listening:

Choose ten minutes where you are going to practice mindful listening. At first try this on your own with your surroundings then later try with a partner and then following this in a group of people.

1.     Pay attention to your intention

Set your intention to mindful listening. By setting an intention to practice deep listening you have focused your attention on the exercise. You must believe that listening is important so focus on why you might want to listen deeper for these ten minutes ahead. Make the commitment to yourself to do this for the full ten minutes.

2.     Remove distractions and get comfy

Turn your phone, laptop, TV whatever might distract you off or to silent. This will produce the right conditions for mindful listening. Make sure you are comfortable. If you practicing with another person is there anything that can be done to make them more comfortable and remove distraction too?

3.     It’s not about YOU

Take the focus away from yourself. Put yourself into the situation fully, the atmosphere, the other person’s shoes if you are practicing with a partner or group. Practice respect for the experience, situation or other person. If you are thinking about yourself, you won’t have the space or attention to give to mindful listening.

4.     Be quiet

We don’t often get a chance to practice being quiet in our busy lives, but you need to learn to become still in order to be able to hear the whole experience. If you are not used to being quiet or spending time listening, try a walk outside in nature. Listening in intently to the sound of our natural world can be incredibly calming, healing and will help fine tune your listening skills. Practice trying to listen in for the gaps in any noise of the birds singing, the wind whistling or the rain drops falling.

Listening is a lost art

Practice deeper listening on your own and with others…

 5.     Be curious

Don’t make assumptions and assume you know everything. Listen without judgement, release the compulsion to react. This is especially important if you are practicing mindful listening with another person or group. Making assumptions can make us miss important details in another’s response. If you are listening alone while you are in a park for example, then listen deeper than you normally would.

What can you hear that you wouldn’t normally hear? How can you listen more intently? Be curious about what is there.

6.     Be kind to yourself and others

You may find that you feel it difficult not to want to start thinking about what YOU want to say next, to butt in, or be judgmental in your mind before the other person has finished their sentence. Be patient with yourself and bring yourself back to your original intention – to mindfully listen deeply to this experience and/or the person present. By practicing bringing yourself back to the mindful present feeling you will slowly improve your skill. If you found yourself distracted by your own thoughts and you think you may have missed something, you could clarify and ask them if what you think you have heard is correct.

7.     Use your heart to listen

Try your best to connect deeply with the experience or the other person. How can you open yourself up more to listening deeper? Allow your heart to listen so you connect to them on a deeper level than normal. Listening with your heart means practicing empathy. When we pause and give empathy and respect we are fully acknowledging that person by holding the space for them to speak. We are allowing the space for unsaid communication to begin. We are allowing the other person to be open towards us and in turn a sense of awareness of the experience or the other person will become clearer to you.

Want to go deeper? It all starts with you…

The key to cultivating deep mindful listening and genuine connection to others begins with the relationship that we have with ourselves. Practice intentionally and quietly listening to yourself and own heart so that you may notice the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise in yourself. Rather than trying to put them to one side, just be aware of their presence.

If you take time out to listen in and understand yourself more with empathy, love and non-judgement, you will begin to feel more appreciation and compassion for yourself. This in turn will help you to feel more respectful, loving and compassionate for others and will improve your genuine connection, your deep listening skills and improve your relationship with yourself and others.

If you’d like to try my mindful walking exercise to begin your journey to a deeper connection with yourself simply download this here.

I also offer one to one nature coaching sessions in person or via zoom - connect with me today to book this powerful experience!

“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.”

― St Benedict.

The Tree of Life and ME

How I grew through change and found the strength to love and grow again…

I haven’t written in quite some time….

2019 was an incredibly challenging year for me and those closest to me. 2018 ended on such a huge high. My business was going pretty well, my family were all well and I was celebrating my two sisters milestone birthdays at a party at the end of December. But then January came. My mum fell ill visiting my sister over in America and flew home after some tests at the doctors. After a hospital visit, it was clear she was seriously unwell. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was inoperable. My lovely mum succumbed to a bad bout of flu and passed away before treatment could even begin March 12th. Oddly, my dad also passed away from a brain tumor too 10 years previous, so it was particularly tough going through the process again. I kept my meditation practice up throughout that period of time. I wanted to be present for mum and not go into a panic about knowing she was going to die, and my practice helped me to do that. To reflect on mum’s life, her values and what she brought to our family, her friends and our community.

My family…

Mum’s values remain deeply rooted within me.

The next few months were emotional and challenging but I wanted to remain present with it all and spent lots of time walking in my beloved mother nature who supported me to let go of lots and lots of tears. Even though it seemed an age before the funeral, it was quickly over and I took on the role of executor sorting legalities. I kept rooted in my mum’s values, that she would have wanted things to be done properly and work with good people. This seemed to happen naturally anyway but on reflection of being focussed on my mum’s values (her roots) that focus really helped to keep me to remain grounded and rooted too during this time. It was almost as if I connected deeper with generations of mothers and daughters before me and the love and connection between them all. Letting go of our parents can bring up awareness of ancient values, but also difficult habits and patterns of behaviors long before our our own lives were present on this earth. I became aware of the interconnectedness of all things on a level much closer to home than ever before during that time.

I slowly got back to my coaching after a break and some extra support to help me process what had happened and things began to feel more balanced. For a while, my branches had been swaying around in the wind, but it felt OK to allow that to happen. Because of my mindful practice I could allow myself to bend through this massive change and not break. I allowed myself to spend time deeply exploring and expressing my emotions. All of them. Everything came up. Anger, sadness, my love of precious my life, terrible aching holes of separation which was deep sorrow and loss. I was mindful of everything I was going through and asked for help when I needed to. Walking mindfully in nature has assisted me greatly during emotional release.

I was continuously reminded of a tree and how it is the symbol of renewal of life, how we are part of this continuous circle, how my practice has helped me so much to let go of mum in the form of her physical body when she was passing over, deeply knowing that she would still be with me even after her death in some way.

The tree of life is a powerful symbol

Nature helps us to accept life as it is…

She had planted a seed in me of her amazing values of compassion, kindness, selflessness, and truthfulness, I vowed that her legacy would live through my coaching work even more than before. A cycle had begun in my mum and completed when she passed, but she lived on through me and my family.

As the months passed by my grief evolved and shifted shapes, and still continues to do so, healing is not a straight line and we are all always learning. But I knew that now that as I had lost both of my parents my life would never ever be the same again. Now I really truly had to grow up and even in my 40’s I realised that there were some things I still hadn’t truly taken responsibility for. Practising self-awareness with meditation and being in nature is not about relaxation or escaping life, it is the opposite, you become acutely aware of your own behaviours, your limiting beliefs and habits and the areas in your life where you are going around in little never ending circles. Being present with yourself instead of running around in those circles is always beneficial.

Then in September, my whole world fell apart again when my partner went missing and was found later in a nature reserve in Somerset. He had taken his own life. Just like that, no warning signs, no note. I don’t remember even feeling shocked, just a deep sense of separation. The person I had spent the last 11 years in a relationship with and was practically a father to my children was gone. Just. Like. That. An outwardly happy go, lucky soul, I thought I knew, had vanished from existence. Love crashed around me. My fresh start after losing my mum that I was just beginning to feel, fell underneath my secondary grief and loss. But somewhere, somehow a deep sense of purpose and love came through me. My values and my roots from my mum, the tree of life that was really me, came back in stronger than I ever thought possible and I realised that I was going to have to let go all over again.

This was a journey I HAD to take. There was no choice, I was going on this rollercoaster ride whether I liked it or not. I was blessed from that point onwards with connections to people that had the same values as me. His friends, my friends, his family, my family, his networks, my networks. everything was merging together. People were so kind and compassionate, so understanding, the gap between us human beings suddenly became a lot smaller through this tragic loss I was experiencing. Love showed up and reemerged in a BIG way! Together we raised Darran’s funeral costs and a good amount for a charity that works to support men’s mental health. I found myself empowered through my deep sadness. Losing Daz has been the most challenging period of my life, but also the most self-aware I have ever been.

Loss and separation last year brought more and more connection and clarity for me, which sounds crazy but it did. I could see how everyone was pulling together through my loss, their loss…, his death was actively helping other people to open up and let go. When someone dies, love grows even bigger and so seeds of life are sown yet again. And so the symbol of the tree of life came back to me once again. Yet another cycle had completed and also begun. Another chance for me to become even more rooted and grounded in my values and my truth while the wind blew me around me and my family. Another chance for me to learn to let go and to plant more seeds in their place, to show up in my life as my true self, be kind, compassionate and find new ways to allow love to grow…

When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.

To continue my journey to help myself and others, I am walking 1000 miles in 2020 in support of men’s mental health.

Find out more about the #loveYOUmore movement that was created in memory of my partner Darran below.

#loveYOUmore

2018 - A reverse Christmas wish list!

This year, I wanted to do something to acknowledge growth in myself and my business in 2018, but most importantly to share my gratitude for all of my experiences that have given me joy and brought me much more understanding about myself and my work.

What’s a reverse Christmas Wish List?

I kept seeing people post their wish list for their businesses in 2019, and it got me to thinking - why are we always so focussed on what we don’t yet have instead of being grateful for what we already have in our lives? Knowing that having a focus on the present moment brings you powerful presence in your business and can bring you more of what makes you feel good, always fuels my creative spark to help others to live in the moment.

So I decided to use the idea of a reverse bucket list and combine this with Christmas reflection by asking my Radiant Leaders group to share the experiences/moments and learnings that made them feel genuinely grateful from their heart, to help them bring more of doing what they love into their businesses and lives.

Here’s a condensed version of my reverse wish list, if you want to read the detail of the moments that made my transformational year, you’ll need to join my Radiant Leaders facebook group!

This year has been a year of big realisations for me! I have leaned into standing out from the crowd by being simply being myself, not who I thought I ‘should’ be despite having the knowledge I needed to experience this in all it’s emotional glory. It’s a road less travelled, but is definitely worth the blood, sweat and tears!

The things I am truly grateful to have experienced and taught me so much in 2018;

1. Rising above the bad times and gaining perspective on my bigger picture - it’s so easy to get lost in the detail of life but my mindfulness practice frankly has saved my life this year! The ups and downs of business can make or break you but if you can keep your focus when things get crazy it can be a game changer.

2. Going deeper and peeling off another layer created a beautiful space for me to grow - Although doing the deeper work can bring up a lot of fear of facing the unknown, it also brings huge rewards as it opens up the space you need to stay creative and motivated in your business.

3. Learning that ‘nothing’ is in fact everything! - Spending time in nature quietly observing and noticing the beauty and stillness of our earth is really a great and little known business secret to being able to slow down to speed up. Connecting with myself and the world this way has brought me great focus and clarity with my vision and work this year.

4. Getting brave and sharing my story - I was grateful to be able to connect with some incredible people and share my story in various ways, from online interviews, to workshops, public speaking and two published books. Sharing your story is not really for you, it’s for other people as it inspires them to grow in their own unique way and do the same.

5. True gratitude has to be felt deep inside - you hear/read people talking about gratitude and how it changes our businesses, but if you don’t really feel it, you’re just sharing it on social media, writing it in an affirmation or journal or chanting it over and over! Feeling grateful - truly grateful for what you have right here right now is where it’s at.

6. Life is for living - experience is absolutely the only way to learn and grow - this year has been all about getting out there and making connections, without actually getting out from behind your laptop you’re not really living! Get out there and connect!

7. I have become my own heroine this year - one of the quotes that has really influenced me this year is ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’ Gandhi. There really is nothing quite like changing your outer world by committing to your inner transformation. It shifts your energy and opens up new connections and experiences that align with who you really are.

8. My 2018 vision came true! - I set powerful intentions this year to let go of some very old habits, bring myself into closer alignment, open up space for new connections and to host meditations and my first retreat - all of which came to fruition! I connect regularly through meditation to my vision for my life and work and this creates a powerful connection and direction for me. When you connect to your vision in this way, you can attract what you deeply desire and the world rises up to meet you!

I cannot express enough how grateful I feel for the moments I have been blessed to experience this year. Reflecting in this way has made me realise how important it has been to be in s state of ‘being’ instead of doing. To feel my way through the ups and downs of life and to appreciate every moment.

I’d love to hear what you are grateful for this year and how it has changed what you want more of in 2019.

Why keeping simple this Christmas is the most powerful thing you will do for your business

'Practice presence -- embrace the place where life happens.'

Eckhart Tolle

After spending the best part of 6 weeks recovering from a bad bout of illness and asthma, I am now almost fully recovered with plenty of time out from being online and working hard on my business. One of the lessons I have learned and have reflected on during the latter part of this year is the message that’s been on my mind and in my heart for months now - Karen you need to KEEP IT SIMPLE.

I had heard the message, received it and passed it onto my connections but not acted fully on it myself! Isn’t it always the way in our businesses? It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to do everything at once and it’s one of the major reasons small businesses fail in the first five years.

If you’re always doing doing doing with no pausing for presence, you’re on the road to destruction, and that’s not the reason why you started your business. Keeping it simple means, connecting back with your heart, working from within and focussing on gratitude and the love for your work (why you started in the first place!).

I have realised deeply that don’t want to just keep my head above water, but actually soar in my life and work and that’s going to take commitment to keeping things simple not just in my business but in my whole life, my bigger picture.

So what does keeping things simple actually mean when it comes to your life and work and why does it matter?

• It opens up space for ideas and inspired action to come through

• It allows you to conserve and share your beautiful energy with the world

• Keeping things simple brings that focus you need to be really amazing at what you do.

• It helps you to communicate better with your connections, clients and collaborators about your vision and the value you can bring to the world.

So how can you do that and why start now at Christmas when everyone else is throwing caution to the wind and drowning their sorrows that second bottle of wine?

Keeping things simple this Christmas can mean putting the POWER back into your life and work ready to the New Year by:

• Reflecting with pure honest gratitude for what has already passed and for what you have in this present moment.

• Using your intuition, the present moment and your heart space to actively create your daily experience over the holidays. 

• Having some fun and laughter - let go! You’ll be amazed at how this opens up your energy!

• Doing simple things that bring you joy - I’ve been enjoying being fully present by doing some baking, swimming, drawing and of course walking my Harry bear!

• Setting a powerful and emotionally connected intention and theme for 2019

Practicing presence can have an incredible transformational effect on you and your work. It brings you back to a place where you can fully work from your uniqueness and help you stand out from the crowd!

If you’d like to get into the art of simple presence, practice these skills and begin your New Year working with intention and inspired action, so you can focus and be in your own flow, I’m sharing my best tips and exercises on how you can strip it right back and keep it simple this Christmas in my Radiant Leaders group for connected, heart centered women leaders. Join us here.

Let me know how you’re getting back to basics this season!

I'm done with being unkind to myself! Share the love...

I am declaring war on unkindness…

What will it take to stop those negative thoughts of not doing enough, not being enough, not achieving enough?

What are we all trying to achieve anyway? Where are we all rushing off to anyway?

As I am recovering from an illness at home at the moment, I don’t have much choice to rest as I’m still a bit weak after being incapacitated. It’s #WorldKindnessDay today too, and as I was playing with some graphics I decided to write myself a little note to remind me to be kinder to myself today. I really don’t need to rush back into my business, rush to try and join in on social media, rush to get all the jobs completed in my home, rush rush rush. The voice in my head telling me I have to get strong, I have to be back achieving again asap otherwise ‘this’ ‘that’ ‘the other’…

My little note to self!

This is the note I added to my desktop.

I then thought I wonder who else is feeling like they need this message today?

So I just started sending it on messenger to a few people, then I thought I’ll just keep sending it to a few more, and a few more. Before I knew it I was feeling the compulsion to send it to everyone. I was a little worried that people might think I was spamming them! A little reminder, we all need it don’t we? We can all be so unkind to ourselves through our thoughts and actions without really realising it.

I had an amazing response from many, I was astounded really! Here are just a few and they are still coming back to me. If you want to feel better, first do something for others!

The real secret to healing through fear and change

Four weeks ago I began to feel unrest in my breath. It started in my solar plexus and this began to affect my practice and my walks out in nature. I am very connected to my breath being a strong advocate and teacher of mindfulness, and I had noticed that something felt off.

After then experiencing a bad cold, I was feeling a shift coming. Not just physical but a much deeper shift inside myself and my world. Over the weeks my breathing got worse, after attending a silent meditation day retreat, I was back at the doctors being given an inhaler and antibiotics for a chest infection. I hate being unwell and for a few days I resisted the complete rest that I needed in the present moment, tried to carry on and then the most scary thing happened at the end of that week.

I couldn’t catch my breath, even with the inhaler. I could not control my breathing and by the middle of the night I was shaking all over, for the first time in my life I was really terrified and in deep fear, I called 111 I needed to truly surrender and ask for healing support. I realised deeply in these moments that my breath is my life force and my source of connection, that I had taken my breath so much for granted, that I had not let go into the present moment and I began to lose a level of trust in myself when I intuitively felt something was out of alignment for weeks.

A deeper connection creates light, diminishes fear.

But why had I not asked for help at the first signs of feeling off? Well of course, it is the reason that so many of us do not ask for support. The compulsion to keep going out of FEAR. Fear that we are not enough, that others many not see us for who we really are, that we don’t want to appear to be weak in some way. That as a woman in the business world we are ‘always on the upward trajectory’ and not showing what is really going on inside.

I’ve been shifting strongly in my life and work path for around three years now and each time a change comes, fear invites me to go deeper. Each time it happens I further allow it show me what needs to be shown and peel off another layer to my true self.

I decided to share what was happening online in my Radiant Leaders group. As soon as I did a chain reaction began, others who were feeling the shift came forward to support me back to love and alignment with myself. Even when we can’t see our own way our of the dark, our connection with ourselves and others never gives up on us. Love never ends, it always finds a way to connect back though us, even if that is through our fear. I have learned this last week to truly surrender to my breath, to my connection to my life force, to receive with grace that I needed connection and support with this process. No surprises that this strong shift happened in the lead up to 11/11, a time of strong connection and burning healing in the world. As I watch the news of catastrophic events in California this feels even more poignant this week.

To enjoy the rainbow, first enjoy the rain. Paulo Coelho

As a highly sensitive and through my quiet practice I feel energy strongly, not only in myself and others but in world events and I believe that we are all being called to connect with ourselves on a deeper healing level to allow more love and light into ourselves and our own world.

Over the last week I have been called to look for rainbows a message of a union between the sky and the earth, the rainbow serves as a bridge between the two.

As a result of this awareness, some of my connections came forward and offered support as we shared with each other about what was currently happening for us. Connection! Connection brought me back. I began to breathe through the discomfort and pain and as a result my own connection began to come back to myself and through others…

One of those beautiful souls is Liz Carreira who connected with me via my closed Facebook Group Radiant Leaders. Liz offered me a distance reiki healing…

“Karen and I had been talking about which essential oils could best support her with her symptoms. After going through it we met for coffee where Karen took away a sample of an oil blend with how she could apply them”.

”When Karen posted that her symptoms were quite bad, I felt guided to get in touch and offered Karen a distance reiki session, and results were incredible. On the follow up after session I mentioned which oils i used and these same oils were perfect match for how Karen was feeling. I absolutely love what I do and enjoy helping people by giving them the space to allow healing to take place. And combining it with therapeutic grade oils just amplifies it even more.”

Another one of my Radiant Leaders Anna Alcock also supported me. Anna said “As an Empath and woman of Intuition, I felt called to support Karen through a time she needed to be held. To nurture her energy and emotions through a period of massive transformation. When your body is processing change, the fears, emotions and physical symptoms can sabotage the opportunity to evolve. I wanted to support Karen to grow through these changes, recognising a significant point in her journey back to her truth”.

I believe I was offered these guided healing supports because I energetically called for them through my own connection to myself and the present moment. My connection to who I really am is strong and even though I temporarily went into deep fear and isolation, my connection brought me back from fear to love for myself, my breath and those around me.

When you feel disconnected from life and fear kicks in, remember that it is always temporary, as everything is, this too shall pass. As a result, my breath-work and practice is now becoming stronger than ever. I feel a detrimental connection to my breathing and what it means to breathe and be fully present. When fear of change kicks in, remember who you are, breathe deeply and reach out for support, connection and healing. The love will always be there, ready for you to reconnect, waiting for you to let go, surrender and remember who you are, to know that ALL. IS. WELL.

“Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.” 
― Eckhart Tolle

If you’re currently feeling the deep fear of change in your life and work, connect with us in my free group Radiant Leaders for women who want to create their lives from truth and love. Creating high vibe connections are vital for your energy and growth. Join my amazing FREE tribe of supportive & authentic leaders who are born to shine their light in the world just like you. JOIN RADIANT LEADERS

About my connections…

Liz

Liz Carreira enjoys helping people by giving them the space to allow healing to take place combining Reiki with therapeutic grade oils which promotes healing and recovery.

You can find out more about Liz and her work in her Facebook Group here.

Anna

Anna Alcock is an intuitive guide, artist and energy Healer. She works with all the elements and your energy to align people back with their soul, to their truth & what brings them joy. To recognise the signs and synchronicities that show up as sign posts along their way giving them the courage to share their voice . You can find out more about Anna and her work here in her Facebook Group.

5 little things to start your month off mindfully

Do these 5 things for a more mindful month ahead…

1. Set a powerful intention and let go of control

   It’s not a secret to those who know me, that I love setting intentions. Setting an intention is much more powerful than setting a goal because it’s all about trust and not forcing things though. Trusting yourself to know you that when you stop trying to control it all can create incredible experiences that come from within, mindful, creative and heart-centered ideas that come to life by taking inspired action. Try using the simple visualisation of letting your intention go by imagining a bow and arrow and pointing it toward your target, Now let it go and trust that you can!

2. Press your reset button

   Take some time our to be still out in nature, just be in the present moment and reflect on last month mindfully. What happened that you can be grateful for? What are those experiences that have brought you more joy and happiness last month? What would you like more of? Reflect and be thankful for your journey. The past is gone and the future is not yet here so be grateful for today.

3. Declutter and clean your desk

   One of the most effective things you can do for your focus and productivity is to clear out the old and make way for the new. An untidy desk can make you feel slovenly and in low spirits. Clear out that old paperwork, tidy things into folders and get a damp cloth and clean away that dust and old energy to make way for new fresh clean experiences and even money! I like to bring in a little something from my mindful walks in nature and refresh these each month. Conkers, leaves, a sprig of pine which smells divine!

4. Get inspired

   I like to begin each month with a new listen or read! Keeping your brain active with inspiring information or stories is a great way to relax. I must admit I’m loving audible at the moment I easily get through a book every few weeks. But also appreciate the feel of an open book in my hands too!

5. Be mindful about money

   One of the things I do each month is to reflect on my finances. I spend time looking at my money. How has it flowed in and out of my accounts this month? Does it feel good? Is there something that feel blocked to me? After all, money is just energy and it’s only the meaning and emotion that we give it that can make it a good or bad experience.

“Wherever you are , be there totally. Eckhart Tolle”

I’d love to know if you have little mindful things that you do at the start of the month! Let me know or share in the comments!

Are you tuning out or tuning in?

Are you spending time escaping your life? Becoming a little unconscious to the crazy busy world? Do any of these things resonate with you?

• Sleeping in more than you'd like at the weekends and your snooze button is worn out

• Getting down that bottle of wine without really realising it

• Polishing off a large packet of your favourite snack in record time in automatic pilot mode

• Not able to help getting involved in the latest office drama

• Collecting those busy badges of honor

• Scrolling and rolling on social media for hours until your eyes are so tired you have to go to bed

• Binge watching box sets until you feel ready to throw up

• Not being able to speak to anyone before your first of a million coffees

All of these things are deadening the voice inside you. They are tuning you out from your inner voice. That inner voice that would tell you if something is off or out of balance. Something may be out of kilter and needs your attention. Perhaps there is a truth that you don't want to hear? And it's not always the first thing that we feel.

The trouble with escaping it all is that often these things that disguise themselves as pleasurable, and it is easier not to listen in because, you are telling yourself you don't have time or it'll blow over eventually. However, one day those emotions and thoughts you are pushing to the side will start to spill over. And when we don't have the inner awareness to acknowledge our fears and emotions we can be so out of touch with them that this can spark a negative effect on our outer experiences, relationships and on how our business is going.

This can show up in our outer experiences in many ways:

• You finish working late and no-one has tidied the kitchen (again). You feel less than valued and end up shouting at the person you are supposed to love the most.

• You wake up late for an appointment and struggle to have patience with the other drivers on the road who seem to be intent on making you later than ever.

• You don't get an answer to the text you just sent, so you text someone else for attention and when they don't answer straight away you feel hurt and angry.

• Everyone at work is just plain annoying 99% of your day, it's more comfortable to hibernate at your desk than to potentially have a conflict in the office.

• You never have quality time with your loved ones there's just too much to do and not enough time to do it all in. This is making you feel depressed.

• You just want an hour to yourself but your diary is constantly packed out with things for everyone else but you.

• You never seem to get past that financial target and are consistently worried about your outgoings

It's just not sustainable to continue to live in this way. More importantly you're probably not feeling like you're really living if this is your experience of life. The reason is because your emotions are not being felt and expressed, you're avoiding what's really going on and you're scared to face that voice inside because it is going to tell you the truth, and so you go round in circles day after day, week after week. And there may be a deeper message that you are ignoring.

For example:

• You're feeling disconnected in your closest relationship - so you shout at the dog

• You're feeling down about your career or business but you're too fearful to change - so you keep procrastinating talking to your boss

• You feel lonely - so you keep berating yourself for not finding that person you crave a close connection with

• You had a hurtful experience in the past that you never want to go back to again - so you keep a distance from people who remind you

There is a way back to truth that will help you on your journey to getting back to feeling more alive, regain balance with your emotions and get back to feeling good again each and every day.

There is bad news and good news :)

The good news:

It is entirely your choice to feel more alive and even better than you ever thought possible and the way you can begin to do it is totally free.

The bad news:

You are going to get uncomfortable doing it.

What is the answer? SILENCE.

Yep. Silence.

Silence can change your life as it allows you to listen to the truth. It's the way the light gets back into your life. When you become quiet silence will speak to you. It will be your greatest teacher. It will support you to process the emotions, thoughts and beliefs you have been escaping from. Sound a bit strange?

Listen to silence. It has so much to say. Rumi

Giving yourself the gift of silence will open up a powerful space for you to listen to that voice within and let go of what is causing you to disconnect with yourself so often, and yes it could get a little uncomfortable along the way, but with support it's a small price to pay to feel the freedom of actually living.

Next time you feel like numbing out from your day to day life, instead of reaching for that second or third glass of vino, try taking a few moments of silence, perhaps take quiet walk and see if there is a thought or emotion present. Try listening and connecting with your breathing, and experience the moment with all of your senses. Just be. An experience of connecting with yourself in this way may well have an important and enlightening message for you that might just change your life and your business.

Have you tried connecting with yourself through silence?

If you'd like to explore the power of silence further, why not consider an online or offline retreat where you can take some time away to reconnect with your inner world?