self-care

What if 'networking' were just part of life?

What if 'networking' were just part of life?

We mamas are used to this of course: parks, GPs, recreation grounds and nurseries are fertile friend-making turf - it's how we grow our essential support networks, toting our kids’ vital stats as easy ice-breakers⁣⁣

But then the kids get older, there are less vaccinations to tick-off, you hang out less in the park, more mums re-enter the working rat race so that the school run becomes a quick kiss and drop off/pick-up rather than an opportunity for a catch up, and then suddenly you’re not meeting anyone new and not really speaking to anyone else outside your close family or colleagues. All that is left is said networking events - my very worst fear…

5 ways to manage tech 'creep' as a working mama...

5 ways to manage tech 'creep' as a working mama...

 Working mamas, would you classify yourselves as ‘blenders’ or ‘separators’?

As in, are you happy for the boundaries between work and home to become blurred so that you can dip in and out of emails in between supper, bath and story time, juggling both mama and professional roles simultaneously?

Or would you rather they were slightly less porous so that you were able to choose when to take off your work hat and when to fully embrace time as a parent and partner (not forgetting to ringfence the essential me-time that keeps us all sane)?

Sadly – for separators – technology has made blending an almost inevitable part of managing the mama work/life/parenting dilemma. So most of us have had to become blenders whether we choose to or not…

Can women really 'have it all?'

Can women really 'have it all?'

Having it all can mean lots of things. It depends on you: what you are like as a person, your unique talents, skills and knowledge, as well as what brings you joy. Ultimately, to create a life that is in alignment with your needs, you need to know yourself. Balance, happiness and fulfilment require radical self-honesty:

What do you want your legacy to be? How important is your career to your sense of self (does it define you or is it just something you do to pay the bills)? What do you consider the most valuable things in life? What does success look like to you? What kind of parent do you want to be? What are your life goals? And what is worth sacrificing in order to achieve these?   

Why self-care is a revolutionary act

Why self-care is a revolutionary act

As a life coach for mums who want the most from life – to be the best mama they can be AND to find fulfilment and happiness in the workplace – self-care is one of the most important items in my coaching tool kit. 

Why? Because we can’t have it all and do it all, all at the same time, without it.

Going on a mama sabbatical and why naked, wild swimming made me cry...

Going on a mama sabbatical and why naked, wild swimming made me cry...

And this, I learnt, is what being wild means. Not just the outdoor camping, the cooking on an open fire and the lack of electricity but the unfurling of the constrictions that we unknowingly place upon ourselves. Being wild means peeling back the layers of conditioning, being untamed, unfettered and giving yourself the permission to be messy rather than permanently nice, neat, kind, happy, caring, good and flexible. It means trusting that what you are feeling IS who you truly are and that you don't in fact need to fit in. In essence, being wild means revelling in the freedom to be yourself.