10 days after I started my dream job as a newly qualified midwife, I handed in my notice. I had dreamed of being a midwife for years. Qualifying was a monumentally proud moment for me, not to mention the moments I was privileged to be see the arrival of many beautiful little humans (including 5 […]
When I was a student midwife, I found myself one day in a room with seven other healthcare professionals, working furiously to save the life of a woman who had just given birth, but was now haemorrhaging. Everyone was working quietly (to reassure the woman and her husband) but fast. There was perfect teamwork; each […]
I often speak about the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’, usually in relation to conversations in a leadership context, but this week I am focusing on how to listen, really listen, (and what to listen to!) as a simple form of mindfulness to help relieve stress. Listening is sometimes called an art and a science. […]
One of the biggest challenges we face in building our confidence and resilience is… ourselves! Our negative self-talk is possibly the most disempowering aspect of our mind. It’s an extension of our survival instinct, honed over millions of years of evolution. Our mind is always watching out for danger. In today’s world actual life and death […]
Last week I had a coffee and lovely chat with a business colleague who is also a nurse and now runs her own business. We were joking about the first aid kits we carry around – like most nurses we carry around band-aids and other bits and bobs – not in case we need it […]
Confidence is a soft skill that is transferable to every part of our lives. When we don’t feel confident we lose out on opportunities for business development and/or personal growth. The only person who has ultimate control over your confidence is you. Just as no-one can give it to you, no-one can take it away […]
Busy people often don’t think they have time for coaching. But there’s coaching principle called ‘Pausing for Performance’… …and the best example of how it works is think how you’d feel if you worked all day and through the night. How productive would you be the following day? If you have ever woken up refreshed […]
We all know that stress doesn’t feel good, but did you know what effects it has on your individual organs? Here is a tour of your body in the minutes after a stressful trigger… SKIN: pales as blood diverted to vital organs. HEART: begins to pound, sending blood around body carrying sugar (energy) and hormones […]
How effective are your conversations? Or a more direct question would be…how often do you listen – really listen – to someone who is trying to convey their feelings to you? There are plenty of quotes about the subject such as “You aren’t learning when you are speaking” and “We have two ears and one […]
If we visited the zoo today, went to the chimp enclosure and popped a balloon, what might happen? You can imagine the scene. The noise. The screeching. Chimpanzees running around wildly. Some inconsolable. Youngsters huddling under the big arms of their parents. Parents rushing to scoop up their youngsters and carry them away from danger. […]