(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

Ok, back to writing practice first time since November…breath…and timer on….   

“It seems to me that working through hard transitions in life is exhausting. And there is no moving away from the tiringness of it all. The endless considerings and thinkings. The decisions to be made, both small and immediate, as well as seemingly huge and long term. And the impact of them all.

The transition I have been navigating seems to have become a full time job in itself. Being a mother is central, and learning to also take care of myself well enough to do that, with all the love and careful care needed – for everyone. Then I also have 3 roles in my working life, and steering through these can feel overwhelming. What to prioritise, when, who, how…..

There has been tremendous fear at play. Constant evaluation of what is true, how to trust myself, – even if to trust myself at all. (Hence writing this is just a bit scary! – but keeping going…. doing it anyway…)

And, through it all, coaching has been a constant source of accessing an assuredness. 

Something steady, 

something within me to draw on. 

Continuing my own coaching support has been an essential way of making space to really listen to an inner knowing. A steadiness within me that I can find and sit with for a while. 

Opening a space for listening can bring such wonder. 

And when I am coach, sitting with a client, I never cease to be in awe of the amount of learning we do together, in partnership. Together we journey through the experiences of being human in what can seem a very complex and turbulent world is quite something. 

I was intrigued that what was most important to those who contacted me after writing about accessible coaching was exactly that – to make coaching an accessible service for everyone wherever possible.

My coaching currently covers a number of continents, working with teachers in Nepal, and across to a mother of 6 in Canada and those in between. The work that my clients do in coaching, positively impacts their families, friends and communities as a whole. By me, holding a space for that small amount of people, they go on and support others. 

And that is what every good coach does.

All my Spring Forward offer places are now full. Due to the response and in the spirit of making coaching fair and accessible for everyone (and making the world a better place of course!) I am keeping the fee the same as the Spring offer, for anyone who wants to coach with me this year. I am full right now but will have space after Easter. 

And please remember my offer at the end of my blog posts is always there – if you know anyone who can’t pay at this point for coaching but would benefit enormously from it at this time – please get in touch. 

My own coaches are Katie Harvey and Robbie Swale. I don’t seem to have the vocabulary to express the difference their coaching presence has made in my life to write here. But I couldn’t be more grateful. 

There are many good coaches out there, and many more people who would hugely benefit from their practice. I know some wonderful coaches who are changing lives for the better. If we are not a good fit, there will be a coach out there who is, and I can always point you to them!”

It’s scary for me posting these again! ….aaaand I must admit I went over time on this one ….but I am getting back to a regular writing practice, something consistent…. 

Practice. 

We become what we practice – and we are always practicing something 

(Help me Robbie Swale – who said that?! It is full of truth….) 

(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

Ok, timer on….

Energy has been playing it’s part in my life lately, with my own daily experience and that of my client’s.

‘Energy’ or, it’s absence, has come to the fore as a significant, if not one of the the key components to wellbeing. 

As part of my work I have spent time experimenting with varied breathing techniques, from my Dramatherapy, my singing, right through to Yoga and meditation. 

If you can make a little time – breathing is bloody wonderful! 

It can support you on a number of levels – if you are mindful of how you breath. Not the normal, unconscious shallow breathing you are doing right now, but mindful, conscious breathing. 

If you have a few minutes here is how: 

(Read until the end before you embark on this….)

Perhaps listen to one of the tracks I have listed below – or even all of them! My favoured Breathwork technique for energising, is lying down (if possible where you are!), somewhere where you won’t be disturbed for 5 – 10- 15 minutes or so. 

This type is a 3 part breath, 2 inhales and one exhale. The first inhale using the expansion of the abdomen and then the second inhale expanding the chest, and then breath out in one out breath. When you remember, keep the shoulders relaxed. Inhale and exhale through the mouth for a more energising impact, or through the nose if you want to take it easier.

This really is a fully somatic experience! And here is why…

The oxygen in your bloodstream, within about a minute of this technique, will reach your brain, which activates the pituitary gland and your hypothalamus which then begins to flood your brain and body with a mix of hormones, including endorphins. Within a quite a short space of time, your energy levels begin to rise. You will feel tingles or a numbness, sometimes around your face, or in the tips of your fingers, anywhere. Sometimes there can also be a release of emotion, just allow yourself to feel it. That’s ok and can be very beneficial to releasing tension or stress which is causing your energy to be low.

Trust the process. 

Keep breathing. 

And then after the time you set, hold the breath in for 40-60 seconds if you can, and then breath all the way out until your lungs are as empty as you can make them, and hold the out breath for 40-60 seconds. Then return to your regular breathing rhythm, but a little more mindfully. 

This is breathWORK. It is called work for a reason! It can be hard work! But keep going for the time you set, and you will begin to feel the benefits. 

If you have any questions please just email or whatsapp me. I would happily offer you a 20 minute breathwork session as a gift. 

If you are pregnant or have high blood pressure then make sure you check with your doctor before taking on any significant breathwork. Perhaps for now, listen to these tracks and just mindfully breath more deeply. 

And then notice. and enjoy the sensations and experience that arises. 

Until next time….

Joey is a fully qualified Theatre for Development Practitioner and Certified Strategic Intervention (SI) Coach under teachers Tony Robbins, Chloe Madanes, Mark Peysha and Magali Peysha, with 20 years experience in the field of facilitating, training and coaching.

(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

………………….

So, Here I am, writing once again with the timer on. And I’ve been pondering what might come to me that would be useful, kind or necessary and worth writing today…

I think it could be useful for me to explain a little about how coaching sessions bring about change for those we work with. As I’ve said before, wouldn’t it be wonderful if coaches became as normal as dentists – sore tooth? Go to the dentist, want to change something? Go to a coach. 

 ….. before I do though, it seems important to mention that I coach with an integral belief that whoever I’m working with already has the answer somewhere within them – or at least the capacity to work it out and know what to do. 

Inside you, and me, and everyone, is an inner knowing, a wisdom. And it is my job to support whomever I am working with to access that from within them, and bring it into focus.

In order to uncover this knowing, each coaching conversation, we work out together:

• What work we will do together, what question to explore or what change to bring about;

• How we will know we have done the work; what the indicators will be

• And how we are going to do that work….

And then, we crack on. 

A recent example for a session this week comes to mind …. A very capable and often calm lady, recently separated from her husband, has recently found her responses to others hard, prickly and difficult.

The work to do? was how to conjure a pause, a noticing, and then a calm and steadiness in a stressful situation. 

How would we know we had done the work? 

She wanted to feel a confidence in her ability that she can stop, and respond better when challenged.

How would we do it?

By tuning into how she would like to feel and experience these moments successfully. How she might respond if she could be exactly how she wished. To know exactly what that would be like, somatically, mentally, emotionally….

She realised that to practice noticing in the moment and knowing how to sense into a presence – even when faced with a rising anxiety or an external stressful situation would be the work. Finding presence. 

And so using applied drama techniques, visualisation and meditation in our call together she was able to access within her, and then embody the sensations, thoughts and experience of finding presence in the moments she needs. 

We then embedded this into a small external prompt, a necklace she wears, where she anchored that sensation of presence and calm. 

She left feeling calmer and more confident she could still be at ease, and kind, in stressful situations…. 

And …. 5 days later, today, she sent a voice note: she was faced with a harsh comment at home. In that moment, she felt her necklace, breathed deeply and sensed back into the experience she wanted to create. 

She said she was calm, and more gentle. 

She has managed this on a daily basis all week. 

It is a beginning, and she won’t manage it always (alas, still human are we all!) but it brings her comfort, and a sense of being in control, knowing that she can. 

The truth is, if she can make this a regular practice, she will reduce experiences of stress and anxiousness and increase sensations of confidence, calm and kindness. 

…. importantly, will then be able to respond with her calm wisdom. Which, by the way, was within her already. It was already there…. She had just covered it up…. 

Timer off…. 

I hope that might give you an idea of what a coaching call is like, and how it might support you or someone you know. 

Thanks for reading this far 😊✨ speak in two weeks x 

So, it’s bee a while. A month in fact! Too long. And I missed 2 Fridays in my writing commitment. (Read more about why I have a writing practice here) I’m wondering if that is ok, really ok. In those moments, when I didn’t bother writing, and I gave up on my commitment that day, I told myself it was ok. 

But, then, this week, I’ve been dipping into Robbie’s Swayle’s next, and enlivening read – “How to Keep Going When you want to Give Up”. And I realised, I was in danger of giving up writing again. And, I noticed, feeling just a little deflated and in the rumblings of failure about it. *

All August I have given myself good reasons (excuses perhaps) not to write ….. but delving into his second book this week has reminded me that I committed to this practice because….

I wanted to commit to something,

TO KEEP GOING at something.

TO KNOW – that I can be consistent.

Work my way out of a limiting belief that I can’t stick to anything.

To Be Consistent.** So here I am. Timer is on, and I am writing once again. Committing, and heading for consistency proof ….. and of course, attempting to forgive myself for slacking…. 

Now I am here though, I remember a whole host of reasons why it is important to find something small and manageable to be consistent with. Small steps. Baby steps. And then stage by stage watch it grow and build into something. This can be 15 minutes cleaning a day (see TOM) or reading 10 minutes a day until you finish a book. Or learning to play and instrument with 10 minutes practice a day.

Because, I begun to consider while writing this, that actually it is tangled up in self worth. I remember John Rogers found a good metaphor – We can imagine self worth as the water in a plastic bottle. Every time we commit to something but don’t follow through, we are making tiny pin prick in the bottle….

If we let someone down, psh….a little water starts trickling out

if we are late, drip drip….

if we tell a small lie…a little more starts to dribble,

if we are rude, psh….a bit more sprays out onto the floor

….. if we make excuses to ourselves to not write over August (ahem, cough) when we committed to doing so – no. matter. what. …. well you know what happens next…… pshhhhhhhh

And so the water in the bottle slowly empties. By a trickle, but slowly it becomes less and less full. Until we can, eventually begin to believe, we aren’t capable. Those more negative thoughts in our heads gather evidence, ‘negative self talk’, as my colleague likes to call it. The chatter get’s louder. 

They can creep up on us before we realise their strength….Sometimes that means we become uncomfortable, grumpy, not the best of ourselves for those around us. Sometimes it can wreak havoc on our mental health. Sometimes it simply means we go through much of our lives having proved our limiting beliefs to be true. And so never fulfilling our potential, or feeling fulfilled. 

As humans when we commit and we value it, then we show value in ourselves. 

I made a promise to myself. And didn’t follow through the whole time. I’ve noticed. I caught myself. I forgive myself. I am keeping going now. aaaaaand there goes the timer – and now once again I have to be brave. Check for typos and post this. Eeeesh now should I just give up? It is tempting! You guys might actually have read this far….arghhh! Scary. So easy not to bother….!

But no, I have re-committed. Not just to the writing practice, but to BELIEVING IN MYSELF just a little bit more. 

Something we can all do with bolstering sometimes. 

*Worth noting that Robbie’s first book is sited in the first of these blogs, and was the inspiration for this writing practice in the first place

**just realised – ha ha like TBC – I will be ‘To Be Confirmed’ – yes I am consistent!

Joey is a fully qualified Theatre for Development Practitioner and Certified Strategic Intervention (SI) Coach under teachers Tony Robbins, Chloe Madanes, Mark Peysha and Magali Peysha, with 20 years experience in the field of facilitating, training and coaching.

So, I was coaching this week, and together with my ‘coachee’ we were reflecting on the incremental changes she has felt over the months we have worked together. Although at times the change hasn’t felt huge, what each small realisation and adjustment has done, is enable everything, most days, to become easier, clearer, ‘in flow’.

When she said ‘in flow’ an old metaphor for coaching came to mind. In fact a metaphor for what, I think all of us who are working to improve ourselves do. It involves heavy ice, a river, and an ice pick….

The metaphor is beautifully explained in one of my favourite books – ‘The Space Within‘ by Michael Niell. And in the next few minutes I will attempt to paraphrase it….

So, here’s the story…. in your minds eye see a river, a beautiful river but completely iced over. Under the shiny ice the river is flowing, always, without pause. You have a feeling that the beautiful river, flowing underneath is an ever flowing eternal wellbeing and wisdom. Some kind of energy source that flows through us all, deep within – some call it the universal mind.

This river of ‘wisdom and wellbeing’ has been within us always, flowing. But as we grow up, our thinking, our experiences, they all ice the river over. Covering it, obscuring it. And we learn how to push and shove and navigate a precarious ice road.

We forget how to flow, and be carried along.

As we work on ourselves, and especially when we go through a coaching process, we can imagine we are going down to that river bank regularly, and we hack away at the ice, attempting to free the river. We find new and wonderful ways to break it up, to disband it, to take off chunks. Slowly we begin to change the structural build up of the ice, but it still refreezes every night, slowly reforming, covering over the river. (Old ways of thinking, habits, they die hard!)

Sometimes it is frustrating and difficult. Sometimes it is fun and exciting. Some days you break away a huge chunk – and the river flows through it, and even helps you, it carries away other chunks slowly thawing the ice and carrying it downstream melting it back to water again and forming part of the flow from which it first came. Then, gradually, more and more chunks break off. And the river begins to work for you. Until the river flows freely, easily.

And that is the moment where my lovely client now finds herself, right now she has released so much ice back into the river that the river is working for her, supporting her, carrying her. Things are easier.

That may change one day again, because everything does, but for now, her work has improved her experience of life. And now she knows where to go and how to find that ‘flow’ once more.

So I thank Michael Niell, this concept has been so helpful, especially when I, or my coachees feel they may have gone backwards (as inevitably we all do) …… because ‘the Space Within’, is the space within us all….. and is, indeed the wisdom of the river under the ice.

(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

Glastonbury is a place of incongruent congruence. An audacious variety of supposedly conflicting communities, in complete harmony and acceptance. A temporary fairyland, but one where real humans, with all their troubles and faux pas – just be.

Just be. Without fear of judgement. 

There are Hare Krishna teachings, Christian scholars, full on techno, adult LGBTQ clubs, heavy rock, rock and roll, standard pop, hip hop, grime, laughing workshops, Buddhist meditation, folk, classical violinists, circus, African dance, punk, comedians, politicians……. I just cannot write it all out. So. Much. Variety. 

All. All. All…. 

….’Accepting The Other’ in this suspended realm of the festival. 

I heard no criticism 

….(well, apart from for Boris Johnson and Prince Andrew who were not present as far as I know)  

I heard no judgment of others there, despite a huge disparity of beliefs, styles, background.

And I’ve been pondering, can that style of community permeate out into the world and create something tangibly positive? Can all of us take something of this sense of acceptance and openness out into our worlds? 

Here’s how I think we might….

I am now, in Vietnam, working more on catching my judgements. Judgements will come. Always. As I, like you, am human. 

We think – therefore we judge. 

But to notice our judgements is key. To say to ourselves – ah! There is a judgement. I am judging right now! And then, to look for the humanity in those we are passing judgement on. 

Because all humans, at our very core, are good. We are calm. We want peace and love (cue Ringo Starr!) and in that way – we are the SAME. 

However, our thinking patterns, our experiences, our assumptions and our judgements leave us blindsided. Somehow that is opened up at Glastonbury Festival. 

200,000 people seemed able to suspend their over-thinking and just be for 5 days. 

To suspend the impact of our thinking, more frequently, will enable us to be more open, more caring, more compassionate, and create more meaningful connections. Perhaps you could try to catch a judgment you have today, and replace it with acceptance and love. 

Ok, cheesiness over now! Have a great weekend – in peace and love, love and peace, peace and love (Ringooooooo Starrrrrrrr….) 

This is part of my 20 minute writing practice, I sit down, write for 20 minutes, stop. check for typos. and press send! Ok, timer is on….

“…..So I have recently been thinking g a lot about the reality that we “are living in the experience of our thinking” – and noticing thoughts. Which to put strength in. Which to dismiss. Which to pay attention to. 

I read a report last year that explains we have well over 6000 thoughts a day. Nothing we can do about it. The flow of thought will come, it’s seemingly unstoppable. Mostly unconsciously we are often paying attention to a thought, feeling the reaction and acting accordingly before we have really articulated it to ourselves or others that that is what we are doing. 

Actually in some ways this is Very clever! And very useful sometimes. But sometimes not so useful. Perhaps more often than not it is detrimental to our well-being. 

What I am also coming to understand (and by that I mean not only intellectually, reading it, gaining the knowledge, hearing people say it – but actually have the ‘realisation’) is that there is a ……..space between…….

A space. 

Where naturally there appears to be an easier wisdom.

A sense. 

A tuning into something true. 

As I heard Michael Niell say once – our very best ideas will often come in moments of a quiet mind. I find that to be true in myself, and in my clients. 

So – Glastonbury? Where does that come in? 

I have been finding ways to allow my thoughts to flow, to be, to come through, notice them, BUT, not worry too much about them. 

I know I will never stop them, but also i don’t want to always give them too much power over my experience of any moment and also over my actions. 

So, while pondering this and wondering through the maze of Glastonbury the most wonderful magical glorious……

📣📣✨✨🎪🎪🤹‍♂️🤹‍♂️ ‘THE TENT OF ALL THOUGHTS!’….. 📣📣✨✨🎪🎪🤹‍♂️🤹‍♂️ 

appeared as if by magic into my mind. This enormous big top is the most incredible art installation (in my imagination!). All full of …

rage, 

ease, 

calm, 

crazy, 

calamity, 

catastrophe, 

excitement, 

fun, 

colour and stories!! 

Oh so many stories! 

Seriously way. To. Many assumptions I make up 🫣🙈😆

And I have started to use this ‘tent of all thought’ a few times a day.

There is an animated ringmaster at the doorway calling all thoughts to ‘come on in – explore!’ 

As thoughts come in they are called to –

‘please! Come in! To just be, in the tent, with all the other thoughts! please feel free to swirl around, and create and cause magical wonderful havoc! in this tent for all thoughts!”

And this analogy in my mind, has somehow enabled me to make more space. When I remember to open the tent.

It’s almost as if the right hand side of my brain is suddenly freer. Clearer. I find my confidence in that space. My calm. My sure and steady. 

I might even one day create my own tent of all thought at the festival myself! I’ll give Mr Eavis a call…..”

(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

Last weekend we all went to Glastonbury Festival. We danced until our knees were killing, sang until our throats hurt, and marvelled at the enormity of it all. 

I have begun to ponder what can be learned from such an experience. For us, as individuals and for the wider communities we live in. 

2 things come to mind and the first I will write here. Next time (in two weeks) I will write the second learning.

So, today in this piece, I hope it might remind you to just stop, look around, and find peace in what you already have right in front of you. 

When we found an appreciation, a presence, and a   s l o w i n g   d o w n  it made the experience SO much more enjoyable – as opposed to rushing between everything with a FOMO mindset! (might have been guilty of that too…ahem)

Then today, I was listening to Brenée Brown and she poses the age old question:

“If we are not satisfied with our life as a whole – does this mean we need to go and get or do other stuff that will make us satisfied? Or does this mean we need to stop taking for granted what we have, so that we can experience real contentment and enoughness?”

This is so relevant here. Before Glastonbury I was, if I am honest, already noticing an uneasiness that there would be “SO MUCH TO EXPERIENCE IN A SHORT SPACE OF TIME ARGHHHHH” – the idea we would be constantly missing something better. 

Then, of course, I was judging myself for having that feeling, unimpressed with myself when intellectually I know better. And knowing how incredibly LUCKY we were to be going to what is one of the greatest shows on earth! 

Oh dear….. The human experience can be so convoluted (!) 

But, it was a huge lesson for all of us. There is nothing better than learning through experience eh? And Glastonbury was a wonderful analogy for the rest of life. 

We all noticed, when we were frantic, desperate to see or do something coming up, we were torn, distracted, unsatisfied, rushed. 

In the lead up to those events we were always one eye on the clock, judging how long left and we had how far we had to go, rather than really looking and enjoying what was in front of us. Which was more often than not something quite magical.

Is this not always true?? The answer is stop taking for granted what we already have. We have enough. Experience it, and experience presence and the resulting calm, contentment and satisfaction that we are here, and we are alive. There is magic in that. 

So, here I am again, another 2 weeks has passed and I find myself at my desk – timer on. 

“When I post anything, write anything, even say things out loud sometimes – I find these filters incredible useful:

Is it Kind? 

Is it Necessary?

Is it Useful?

(you can see me explain more about these in this video)

I have been wanting to write about coaching. And I wondered if that might be a little self serving, so haven’t until now…

But, I’ve had to check it….is it Kind? Necessary? Useful? 

The answer is yes. In fact coaching, as a service for people, is KIND, NECESSARY AND USEFUL. 

But so often seemingly inaccessible to so many. It often has a feel of being a service to the privileged. 

I am on a bit of a mission to change that. Because powerful coaching changes lives. 

As many of you will know by now, I am playing with a variety of ideas to make coaching more available and affordable for everyone, in every walk of life. It’s part of a wider aim to ‘normalise’ coaching – like so many other services we access —— “I have a sore tooth, I go to the dentist” – “I need a haircut I find a hairdresser”  –  “I want to change something, I go to a coach”. 

My coaching is more affordable than an NHS dentist, it’s around the same price as a family cinema ticket, it’s cheaper than most haircuts! And has a powerful and uplifting impact on your life.

It astounds me what creating space with a coach can do. The benefits of coaching are HUGE. I have proof:

The difference these women below have created for themselves is amazing, and a direct result of accessing space with a coach. 

Because that is all coaching is, a space where you can think better, all I do is facilitate your thinking, to allow you to find the right answers. Because more often than not, you already know them. Working out how to be more resourceful, calm, present, and better communicators generates big changes in your life. 

These women have done exactly that: 

An accountant I worked with has gone from feeling ‘like a timid snail’ at work, unable to speak up even in small meetings, to now facilitating online workshops, securing a new role in her company, and speaking at an event with 300 people present. Over a few months her confidence has soared. She now believes in herself, and her capabilities.

A wonderful 3rd year student who came to me in February on the verge of leaving uni, feeling unable to cope with the pressures of the final year. 3 months later, she told me that the change in her is “beyond huge, I have made amazing progress – my achievement in my work is beyond my wildest dreams” (folks – she just got the highest mark EVER given on her course for her dissertation – which will now be published!). 

I completed a 6 month engagement last week with a wife, mother of 3, and a primary school teacher who felt ‘like a crushed woman’ back in December. She came to coaching exhausted and looking find energy to be more motivated, find joy and set an example to her children of togetherness, discipline and care. And it has worked. She is (and I am) beyond proud of what she has achieved, and the steadiness and contentment she now can find within her, even in the most stressful situations. 

I am often in awe of the power that holding a coaching space can open in people.

And I want to make sure everyone is able to access coaching and bring about change for the better. These are just one of a number of stories….see what people have written about coaching on my reviews here.

So – Kind? yes because if anyone reads this and has a coaching session with me it will be a free initial session. (I always offer those here) 

Necessary? Yes, because coaching enables people to be better human beings. 

Useful? Yes because you may not have realised my coaching is less than a family cinema ticket or haircut – So it is affordable! 

So, if you have been thinking about doing some work with me, then please do book a free coaching session to get a flavour of what is possible. 

You never know what you are capable of.

Ooooh this one took me 26 minutes!! (ooops!) 

Have a wonderful Weekend Folks

Joey x

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