Today we are talking about progress, not perfection. Let me tell you a story. I looked at my running stats, I was ten miles short of where I wanted to be that month. I spent hours working out if I could squeeze in a few more runs. Of course I would be able to but it would mean sacrificing something else. In the back of my mind a question floated around: will it matter in 12 months time? The truth is, I couldn't tell you how many miles I ran last week, let alone a year ago. In this instance, no, it wouldn't matter so what was I doing? I was aiming for perfection.

Life can get pretty busy and when it does, listening goes out the window. When we are busy we can feel overwhelmed and stressed out and feeling this way makes it hard to listen – to ourselves and to others. Main body I was reading an article by the University of Missouri which said that 45% of our time in daily communication is used to listen and yet it is one of our most ineffective communication skills. Why? I think part of it is because we are all so busy.

Saying yes. Imagine that you said yes to every opportunity that came your way? Shonda Rhimes did for a whole year and it changed her life. It could change yours too, if you're strategic about it.

Changing your career can feel very uncertain and indeed it can be uncertain. This is especially true if you have been doing something/been in a role for a long time. Before you make the leap it’s important to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. With that in mind, in today’s episode I want to give you three things to consider before changing your career.

Have you ever wondered about the secret of success and how *those* people get ahead? I can tell you the secret – there is no secret. Getting ahead is about the mindset you have and the behaviours you exhibit and best of all, they can be learnt, practised and implemented. Here are 8 behaviours that successful people demonstrate for you to start with…

One of my favourite pictures of change is that one where the leader says “who wants change?” and everyone puts their hands up. Then the leader asks “who wants to change?” and everyone looks at the floor. Change is hard sometimes, especially when we don’t choose it but what if we change our perspective and choose to be a leader of change?

Today I want to talk about nurturing your leadership skills. Maybe you already lead a team, maybe you are aspiring to that. You don't have to lead a team in a company/institution to be a leader - you might be self-employed, a parent or a volunteer down at your local sports or social club or within the community. This episode is for all the people who use leadership skills - formally or informally.

When was the last time you felt heard? Like someone was really listening to what you had to say? As we are in Mental Health Awareness Week I wanted to touch on why listening to others (and ourselves) is so important and two tips on how to be a better listener too.

As women, we face different challenges in the workplace to our male colleagues, particularly in positions of leadership. These range from being held to a higher standard than our male counterparts to having to contend with old-fashioned notions such as choosing between “a career or a child?”. Overcoming these obstacles can seem daunting, but there are strategies you can use to turn these barriers into opportunities.

When I speak to mums in my tribe about going back to work the number one thing they say to me is: “I don’t have the right skills anymore”. Now they might not say it in exactly those words but that is the underlying message. I believe that ultimately it’s a lack of confidence we suffer from when we return to work after a break but to tackle that, we need to face those fears head-on. After the previous three episodes Ihope that already you are seeing a glimmer of hope, a spark of self-confidence? If not, trust me and bear with me as I take you through the skills you need to return to the workplace. I have only discussed 5 here, but there are many more. These would be the ones I would focus on and are those an employer will be commonly looking for.

Raising a family takes love, time and effort and is often described as one of the most rewarding things you can do. Days turn into months and years and suddenly the kids are at school and you are ready to do something for you. Sound familiar? Many parents I speak to find themselves wanting to return to the workplace after a significant career break of anywhere from 5 to 20 years. Do you want to know the biggest barrier to returning to work after raising a family? 

It always amazes me how soon you need to start planning your return to work after your little one arrives. You think you have all the time in the world and suddenly your baby is 6 months old, sitting up, eating and starting to move around and it's time to start planning your return (or not). Preparation is key. Let's look at the logistical and emotional needs in returning to work.

It's 2015: In the top left hand corner of my diary there is a number scrawled in black ink. It tells me that I have 36 working days left before I leave for my second bout of maternity leave. Hindsight is a useful thing isn’t it? The benefit of going through this process once already has made me make crucial changes in preparing to leave. I thought it might be useful to share my experience.

For years I have yearned to be one of those people who get the job done way ahead of time, giving them time to be smug and relaxed. Instead, I find myself consistently working right down to the wire, feeling the pressure of the deadline. I procrastinate and I’ve berated myself for that but I am also a high achiever. I am definitely driven by a deadline but it’s taken me a long time to realise it. What about you?

Last week we were thinking about self-forgiveness in terms of moving on after making a mistake. It got me thinking about leaders too and how we can become better leaders through self-acceptance and forgiveness.

I listen to my client as I watch her mentally let go of the belief that she needs to do at all. It's liberating for her. In that moment, she lets the ideas come and go, observing them with curiosity; she's in the zone. She leaves lighter, focused, and ready to accept herself... because sometimes you have to let go to grow.

Have you ever considered your career potential? By this I mean the potential to be happy and fulfilled in your career. Most people I meet are tremendously critical of themselves and their capabilities. This is true whether they earn £16k or £100K+. Most people don’t appreciate themselves, their job or their journey and this can be a barrier to reaching your career potential

I think we can all agree that we can't do it all and that attempting to do so causes overwhelm can't we? Once you have accepted this fact then next comes creating a strategy for creating the life you want. Before you can ask for what you need, however, you need to understand what that is. So in this podcast, I am going to take you through understanding what you need and then how to ask for it - whether it's in your personal or professional life.

Our values are the things which we believe to be important in the way that we live and the way that we work. Our values affect our behaviour and act as an internal navigation system guiding us along our journey. Today I am going to take you through an exercise on how to identify your core values.

What do you want to be famous for?” A question that tends to stump people at first, with a lot of umming and erring. Ultimately we are talking about your reputation – what you want to be known for and that is of particular interest if you are looking for clients as a business owner or if you are applying for a new job or are wanting to take the next step up the ladder.

We all have a purpose in life even if we don't know what it is yet. For some they have a clear vision of their purpose early on in life - their path is laid out for them and all they have to do is take the first step. For others, the vision is unclear, foggy and the path is ambiguous or perhaps non-existent

As humans, we like to find meaning in our day-to-day life so we create and construct a narrative and the way we tell them matters - to others and ourselves. Our stories are powerful

I was musing over the weekend on what to talk about today and then it came to me - values. I was thinking about how in re-evaluating my values I had made some life-changing decisions. So I decided to share my experience as a case study. Here goes….

I don’t feel guilty about spending my money - I have earned it and I know I've done nothing wrong in spending it on myself. I do however feel ashamed about spending it. Whether it's money, time or another resource we all need to invest in ourselves without feeling guilty or ashamed of doing so. In this episode I tell you about my own experience and give you some tips for investing in yourself this year.

One of the reasons people come to me for coaching is that they want to do something they love but they don’t know where to start. I love what I do, I mean really love it and I am so grateful that I found career coaching relatively early on in my career. I remember a conversation where I said this and a friend of mine argued that not everyone has the luxury of doing something they enjoy and being paid for it, that most people have to put up with their job and just get it done in order to pay the bills. I disagree. So here's how to start thinking about when finding your passion

Have you got all of your New Year’s resolutions sorted? Raring to go? Or are you procrastinating on what you want to do? For many people, the New Year involves making a list of all the things we want to do over the coming 12 months. Many people choose to stop a certain (usually ‘bad’) activity, some start something new or vow to find a new job or look for opportunities in your current one. We begin with good intentions but how long do they last? For most of us, we’re lucky to make it to the end of January. This year  I want to start a no-resolution revolution.

If you need or want to listen to others more effectively then one of the best things you can do is stay curious.

How often are you present? By which I mean actually focusing on one thing at a time, right here, now and in the present? If you're anything like me, you'll be listening to a podcast whilst you're doing something else! Here's seven easy ways to stay present.

I saw my friend's Facebook status and all it said was "ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH". I gave it a sad smiley face and messaged her to find out if there was anything I could do. As she talked I realised something - her cup was empty. I (gently) pointed this out to her and said: "you need to show yourself kindness too."

Christmas - for some a wonderful time of celebration and gathering together. For others a difficult time of melancholy or sadness. For most a time of self-imposed and unnecessary stress. It can seem like there are so many things to do - planning Christmas Day, writing Christmas cards, watching nativity plays, buying presents, doing the big shop, finishing up work. Right now, it feels more busy, less magical.

When you think of leadership skills you might consider 'communication' or 'motivating others' or 'listening' but how many would say 'gratitude'?

I’m grateful. Generally, sporadically, genuinely grateful. I’ve been practising gratitude a while. Even as a happy-go-lucky, hopeless optimist I’ve learnt some things on this journey and I wanted to share them with you. I hope to inspire you to consider putting on your gratitude goggles too.

It’s easy to be grateful when it’s all going well but what about when it’s not?  What about if you are going through a crisis of some sort. How many of us even want to be thankful if we have been made redundant, if we (or someone we love) are ill, or if life is really hard right now? Even if life isn’t traumatic we still forget to be thankful for what we have. So why should we be grateful and how do you go about it?

"I hate my job. I really want to move but I can't. I am stuck." Whether it's the security of a permanent position, a good salary, a job amidst a pandemic, or another reason you might need to stay in a job you hate, or one which you are bored in or demotivated. If this resonates with you here are 3 tips to stay motivated whilst you plan your alternative.

Do you wish you had more progression at work? Maybe you would like more recognition for your contributions? Are you making the most of your talents at work? Perhaps you're struggling to recognise your own talents after having kids? I ask because I speak to folks in coaching sessions who want more but feel shy about shouting about their talents and strengths. I mean, how are you going to get noticed if you don’t let yourself shine?

I am an advocate of doing something you love every day – from making time for self-care through to the job that you do. Today I would like to focus on your job/career/business – whatever you call it and whatever you have. It might be a combination of all those things. I want to talk to you about managing your career, rather than letting it manage you. I want to show you that you can develop your career you into one that you love. You can create the life you want to live and find balance. It sounds a lot for a podcast no? Give me eight minutes to see if this resonates with you.

You might think that it's pointless, incongruous or unimportant to consider your career during Covid-19. That's OK. It's likely managing your career will only be important to you if it's a priority for you. It's ok not to have the headspace (which I cover in this episode too) but, if you do then here are five easy tips for managing your career in the current climate.

When my brother introduced me to 'The Chimp Paradox' it changed my life. I suddenly understood why I thought the way I did and why I reacted to certain situations in a way that wasn't always constructive! When your chimp needs to feel in control it asks: what's in it for me?

When it comes to your work life, how many times do you think to yourself "I can't do this" or "I need to learn more to be competent" or "I should have chosen a different career"? You get caught in the spiral of listening to your self-talk...

I would definitely describe myself as productive (80% of the time at least!) I'm driven by a deadline and during Covid-19 all my deadlines have disappeared and I'm finding it hard to manage my personal productivity, by which I mean I am giving myself a hard time for not doing more. Now if you are too, listen on for some tips on how to cope with it.

Sometimes I think motivation is vital to success and other times I think it's not important at all...so in this episode I explore the feelings of motivation, why it is (or isn't) important and types of motivation

Celebrating success, whether it's ginormous or minuscule can feel hard but it is critical to reaching even bigger goals and achievements...but how do we even go about it?

For most of us, we really want to do the thing which scares us but the thing is….it scares us. In this episode I explore what stops us achieving our goals and how to get going again.

This time a year ago we certainly didn’t see a pandemic coming! As the days carry on and more and more uncertainty comes our way, it’s easy to lose your motivation and find yourself in a downward spiral, and that’s the most challenging time to stop the momentum and turn things around. If that’s the case, keep it simple and start to reach for little things to help you feel better and climb your way out.

We all have bad days and for some of us our anxiety gets in the way of us achieving our goals by causing us to feel overwhelmed or paralysing us into indecision. Here's how to refocus using the Eisenhower Matrix.

We all have dreams and desires and there are moments in any goal where we feel it's not going well (see the previous podcast episode for more on this!) But what if the goal you've set is a toxic goal?

In life it can be easier to forgive others before we forgive ourselves and some of us hold ourselves more accountable and to a much higher standard than we hold others; this can be especially true when we are working towards a goal. In the middle of the process it (and you) might look or feel like a failure. If you stop then, it almost certainly will be.

Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice - unknown. Sometimes, we need to give ourselves permission to change so here are my top three reasons to do so.