Philip Kirkpatrick, partner at law firm Bates Wells, took a two-month sabbatical, travelling across Europe by bicycle. Philip describes a sabbatical as a significant time off for a long period. He has taken three sabbaticals so far. Cycling from his home in North London to Istanbul. Crossing Europe from sea to sea brought tremendous benefits - offering a reset , rest, recovery and loads of opportunities for exploration and discovery.

"Away from the daily grind, there is time for reflection and renewal" says Philip.

Community Farm Chef, Kori Kanayama authentically and vulnerably shares her journey with Anxiety.

" I've tasted this way of being is being more true to myself on one end and on the other, what are we transforming ourselves for? I would like to do something to serve, to support others. I am cooking as a way to hold space and bring people together. There's a reward enough in the process of transformation while being resilience, and not being so relentless to myself. I am learning a hard lesson about what happens when I neglect myself. In my life journey, the last person to get nourished was me.

Kori Kanayama is a Community Farm Chef enriched by an accomplished background in organisational development. Described as a teacher who cooks elegantly nourishing seasonal foods in harmony with nature using the highest quality ecologically grown produce.

Language relating to self-care and clarity about what it is and what it isn't is essential. Words matter and how we describe ourselves and labelling ourselves in a negative way. Just because we have a hard time doing something we want to do or what does not serve me, does not mean we neglect ourselves. What does holding ourselves accountable look like when we are being self-compassionate?

"Finding my own answers to that definitely indicates I am on that journey. What is liberating is knowing there are always choices and being clear about what the options are." says Kori Kanayama.

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff PhD is a core companion for the self-care journey as is embracing the powerful concept of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a psychotherapy model developed by Richard Schwarz.

Kori Kanayama

Kori Kanayama is a community farm chef available for live in chef assignments, group cooking workshops and intimate catering. She lives on a farm and cooks seasonal foods in harmony with nature, respecting the innate favours and goodness of ecologically grown local produce, combining traditional Japanese, Italian and other cultural foodways. Kori cooks and teaches how to cook authentic dishes that nourish and heal from the inside.

Welcome to Future Focus: Wellbeing and Resilience where we focus on journeys that keep us well and support our resilience. No two journeys are the same and we recognise that there are some habits, practices, lessons that can nurture us and help us. We flourish and strive and love to capture and share these pearls of insight and wisdom with you.