Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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How to speak in public – even if you hate it
So, you’ve known about your speaking engagement for ages. You accepted it months ago, not quite believing the day would ever come. But the weeks are whizzing by and you’re beginning to have sleepless nights over standing up there in the spotlight. You know you need to get preparing but each time you even think…
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What if they find me out?
I’m starting with a new coaching client this week. In our recent Discovery Session to explore if we wanted to work together, she shared her nervousness about her new leadership role. “What if I’m not up to it?” she confided. “What if I should have stayed where I was?”. “What if they find me out?” Ah,…
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How to leave it all behind
Do you have a mantra before you go on holiday to check you’ve packed the essentials? You know the kind of thing – ‘money, toothbrush, passport, tickets?’ It seems we may now need to add ‘matching shoes’. One of my coaching clients, a senior leader in the non-profit world, showed me this fabulous selfie of…
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Unfreakability V Overwhelm
One of my clients shared in a recent coaching session that she was totally and utterly overwhelmed. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t decide what on earth to do next in any moment, and wasn’t able to make decisions, even really tiny ones. It was tough to hear her beat herself up so much. She’s a…
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Strong and stable or weak and wobbly?
I was talking with one of my coaching clients yesterday. She’s the director of a social enterprise in Manchester and was sharing how challenged she’d been by how to ‘be’ with her team after the recent terrorist attack. I really felt for her. There was a lot of anxiety and disbelief in the office and she…
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It’s lonely at the top
Do you ever get to the end of a week at work and feel as if you’ve just sailed single-handedly across a vast ocean? You’ve managed a dozen mini crises. Had a multitude of conversations. Made some easy and some difficult decisions and steered the organisation, as successfully as you know how, through the ebbs…
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Loneliness at work – what you can do
A while ago I worked for a large UK charity where I shared space with four colleagues in a bright, well-equipped office. There were dozens of others working on my floor. The organisation employed hundreds of people around the country. And yet, I was thoroughly lonely. On paper, the job was perfect, but sharing an office with heads-down introverts where…
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Big, audacious plans for 2017? How to stay positive
So, it’s a brand new year. Your plans for 2017 are all drawn up and they’re exciting and ambitious. Wow! There’s a lot to do if you’re to grow income so dramatically. And you want to get those new campaigns up and running, too… Yes, you’re ambitious for the organisation. Audacious even. But you know…
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The Twelve Ways Of Christmas
On the First Day Of Christmas my client said to me… “How about a blog on how to survive Christmas when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed by work?” What a great idea, I thought. So here are my Twelve Ways of Christmas to help you be calm, happy and fully festive over the holidays. Enjoy! On the first…
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Five Big Questions. One Short Chat. CEO Caroline Davey
Today is World Prematurity Day, so today’s mini video blog is with the lovely Caroline Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss, supporting babies born premature or sick and their families. Bliss is very close to my heart – I have a dear friend whose daughter was born months too soon and is now a thriving teenager. Bliss was…
Got any book recommendations?