Category: Uncategorized
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Choosing change
A meaningful career change will often affect vital components of our lives. At best it is an exploration of who we are, and a journey towards a more lively expression of ourselves – living up to our values and spending time on what energises and interests us. This is often what inspires us to change.…
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The right sort of hesitation
When facing a big choice, it’s natural to be scared. Meaningful changes bring real risks. Recently I have been holding back from committing to leaving my current job, and I have been asking myself, is this healthy caution or putting off the inevitable? As a change manger and coach, one of the tools I use…
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Looking back
To move forward, it’s important to look back. Not in a navel-gazing “tell me about your childhood” sort of way. But a very practical opportunity to reflect on what we’ve done and why. It can be surprising to reflect on how far we’ve come. Not the big goals we’re still hoping to achieve, but the…
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Ebb tide
Ebb tide moments happen. I’m in one now and it’s tough. They are the times when everything feels difficult, when you have to recognise that some dreams were out of reach and adjust to that. This is happening right now because of my frozen shoulder which is a pain in so many ways. But I’ve…
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Little steps
My fitness journey didn’t start with a marathon. It started one evening in lockdown, in a park in the dusk with a battered old pair of trainers. Feeling how my mind and body were struggling with so little movement in my daily life. And having a playful experiment to find a way of running that…
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Be smartly stubborn
I’ve had a few tough weeks with a frozen shoulder which is really getting in the way of my marathon training. It’s a weird but painful condition that comes out of nowhere and takes its own time to go away. I’ve tried to keep going as best I can, really wanting to keep my goal…
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Coming alive
One of the things I love most in coaching is seeing a client come alive. It’s hard to describe, as everyone’s different. Sometimes the first sign is something I feel myself – a sense of lifting or lightness as I listen. As a coach, tuning into my own feelings can really deepen my understanding of…
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Does flexibility suit you?
Some people thrive on options, others do better having just one thing to do. I was coaching someone today and we were coming up with a plan for her to look after her physical and mental wellbeing to help deal with work stress. She had a good sense of what worked for her (running, yoga,…
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Running in the rain
When I started running, I used to be very much a fair weather runner. But one day I just had no choice – it was go or abandon my C25k programme. So I headed out in the rain anyway. And at first it was miserable and soggy. But there was a point when I realised…
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The weather is never perfect
If you wait for the perfect weather, you’ll never go for a run. Maybe it’s too too cold. If it’s not too cold, it’s too hot. Too wet. Too dark. The side of us that doesn’t like being uncomfortable is incredibly creative at finding reasons not to go. Even if the weather’s perfect, it will…
Jessica Smith - Life, work and fitness coaching 