If Anne Can

Alka Chandiramni is a global mobility specialist who provides deeply trusted assistance to companies and individuals, helping to ensure that a move to another country is successful for everyone.

In Alka's professional life, she is the one who offers advice and has the answers. This podcast explores how we can all deal with the inevitable times when we face adversity.

Creating a roadmap to visualise the road ahead

• Dealing with people who are not at their best
• Helping people see outside themselves to regain focus and find the answers within themselves.
• Creating a bridge for people to reach the other side 
• Practising what you preach and being authentic

Changing your story

• Growth mindset to embrace change
• Recognising change 
• Your vibe is your tribe - the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people, especially when dealing with adversity. 

Personal adversity- Alka's accident in Bali

• The kindness of people
• Giving up control
• Learning to look for the bigger purpose and see what unfolds. 
• Developing patience and walking before you can run

Reaching out to others when you are the one who usually has the answers

• The kindness of strangers
• Small acts can have a significant impact
• Finding strength from within
• Not letting people's negativity impact upon you  
• Taking responsibility for your actions

Dealing with loss through a creative practice 

• Playing the cards you are dealt

The fallacy of perfectionism

• Overcoming the urge to be perfect 

References
The book I bought for Alka's son, Vihan: A Portrait of The University of Manchester
You can find out more about Alka here: linkedin.com/in/alkachandiramanisingapore  

My guest today is Kate Pollitt, a business coach gifted at helping others to get out of their jars to see what is written on their labels. 

We talk about how time is finite and how important it is to recognise what makes you unique and connect with what lights you up.
Once you do this, especially if you have a light touch and have faith in yourself, you make better choices in all aspects of your life. 

 Recognising what makes people and businesses different - using this as the bedrock of the creative and strategic process

• How Kate uses this built-in intuition to reveal people's secret sauce. 
• How she brings everything together in images and words to show the big picture.  

Why can't people see their qualities? Being in a jar and not seeing the label 

• The notion that people are good at seeing other people's strengths but terrible at seeing their own  
• Stepping out of your head and seeing what others see. 

Negativity bias

• The danger of negativity clouding our vision and recognising what makes us unique.  
• Opening yourself up and asking other people what they think you bring to the table.
• How to build a picture to see your qualities.
• How to connect with your qualities.

Anxiety and perception 

• People's worlds have become smaller.
• Beginning the process of stepping out of your head and reaching out to others.
• Quieting the voices in your head.

Keeping hold of the joy of life and living life lightly

• Looking at things with a lighter heart and less fear.
• Approaching things with a lighter touch and having faith in yourself.

Tackling difficult things

• Lists and Trello to keep things organised 
• Doing what lights you up gives clarity and confidence.

What is it that lights you up?

• Using stories from your life to reveal what lights you up
• Taking the opportunity to spend time connecting to what we love doing
• Letting go of what we struggle with 
• Steering toward the light

References
The book I bought Kate: Who Moved My Cheese? Dr Spencer Johnson
You can find Kate here: www.desirebranding.uk

My guest today, Tina Kirwin-McGinley, is a teacher of the deaf and has worked in schools in Manchester for over thirty years. She is also a swimmer, cyclist and dear friend to many.

We could talk about all of the above attributes, but I want to focus on Tina's gift for making life better for everybody by always leaving a place better than how she found it.

We talk about -

 Taking responsibility for things that are broken in the local neighbourhood; The  Planters Project

• Noticing what is wrong 
• Taking responsibility to make things right
• Asking  the right questions 
• Making things more beautiful so everyone can benefit

Being the person who notices and puts things right

• Deciding not to turn a blind eye
• Being persistent enough to take consistent, planned steps and follow up.
• Making the time for a long-term commitment and persevering. 

Planning the steps to take and overcoming resistance; Playing Field Project.

• Transforming a derelict space and seeing the potential
• Sharing tasks amongst others and addressing concerns.
• Persevering  
• Creating something beautiful and attending to the details
• The quiet satisfaction of keeping the space beautiful as a gift to others

The satisfaction of taking action with others; - Wombling

• The choice to be the person who makes the neighbourhood a better place to live 
• Why don't people help?
• Being active and noticing things
• Make your voice heard and ask why.

Civic responsibility and pride in where people live, work, and travel

• Whose responsibility is it to fix things?
• What steps can individuals take?
• Improving things for others and yourself

Directing energy into something that might make a positive difference for everybody

• The importance of planning the next steps
• Mapping a course of direction
• Nurturing of community and friendship
• The importance of loyalty and long-term engagement
• Being patient

References:
The book I gave to Tina was Ikigai, The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life: Hector Garcia and Francesc Mirales  

My guest today is Sandra Phinney, and she has lived many lives, from teaching to social work to owning a music store and farming.
 Now in her 70s, Sandra is earning her living as a writer and has no intention of retiring.
She lives off-grid with her husband on the Tusket  River outside the town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a place called Caanan, population eleven.
They built their own home twenty years ago, the roof still stands, and their marriage survived.
One of Sandra's greatest joys is to paddle her canoe in the wilderness.

We talk about her incredible sense of home and her love for her environment and community. 
 
How to find the heavenly invisibles in the heavenly visibles

• Mary Oliver's poetry and looking beyond the obvious. 
• The importance of nature
• Using all your senses, not just your eyes.
• Recording things is not enough; empathy is also vital. 

Community

• Cultivating the broader community and a sense of family. 
• How living in the wilderness does not mean you have to be a hermit.

Finding Interest in your local community.

• Finding fascinating people and activities in your local environment.
• Unexpected and fascinating friendships. 

Concern for the environment

• Taking a stance, especially with concern for the waterways and forests. 
• The consequence of taking a stance.
• Learning from the community and taking care of each other.

The Building of Bella 

• The joy of building a canoe and handing it down to the next generation. 

References
Mary Oliver: Poet
The Book I bought for Sandra: Derek Jarman: Modern Nature
You can find out more about Sandra's work here: www.sandraphinney.com


Sandra Phinney Bio
Sandra’s byline has appeared in over 70 publications from regional magazines and newspapers such as The Chronicle Herald and Saltcapes Magazine, to national publications including The Toronto Star, Subaru’s Six Star, The United Church Observer, Canadian Geographic, AAA Living, and The Conservator (Nature Conservancy of Canada.)

Sandra started her freelance career at age 54—twenty-three years ago. She didn’t have a clue; she just knew she had to figure out how to earn a living as a writer. (Her former lives included teaching, social work, owning a music store, and farming.) Now, a septuagenarian, she’s still earning her living as a writer, with no intention of retiring, although she’s also dabbling in the realm of writing personal essays and trying to find markets for those along with her mainstream stories.  

She’s penned four non-fiction books:

·       Risk Takers and Innovators: Great Canadian Business Ventures since 1950 (Altitude Publishing, 2004) 

·       Pierre Elliott Trudeau: the prankster who never flinched (Jackfruit Press, 2006)

·       Maud Lewis and the “Maudified” House Project (Hawthorne Lane Publishing, 2014)

·       Waking Up in My Own Backyard: Explorations in Southwest Nova Scotia (Pottersfield Press, 2018)

To satisfy her craving to teach, Sandra gives writing workshops on various topics such as memoir and travel writing. 

She lives off the grid with her husband, Barrie MacGregor, on the Tusket River outside of the town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in a place called Canaan (population 11). They built their own home 20 years ago; the roof is still standing, and their marriage survived.

Sandra is a member of The Writer’s Union of Canada (TWUC), Travel Media Association of Canada (

Tina Devine is a  traveller, free spirit and coach.
She has lived in ten different countries and has learned to be comfortable with change and making a home in other places.
We are exploring the concept of home, especially if we deal with change.
We discuss what home means and how gaining a better understanding of yourself will lead to better choices when dealing with the upheaval of finding or being in a new home. 

Making a home

• You can make a home even if you are only a resident for a short time.
• Connect with the familiar and with established friendships to ease the transition. 
• Deal with transitory relationships by being present and connecting with the day.
• Find things you are passionate about and are a regular part of your identity.  
• Get outside and do something to find connections. 

Take time to notice what is in front of you 

• Doing rather than being
• The beauty and magic of being fully present 
• The importance of the one-mile circuit and savouring your surroundings

Signs and synchronicity 

• Understanding and seeing the shadows in your unconscious
• Change as a spark to learning and acceptance. 
• Sitting with yourself and not judging. 
• Not fighting nature to gain a better understanding of the subconscious.
• The magic is beyond the shadows. 

Choices

• Moving beyond, I don't know.
• Practising making choices without consequences. 
• Taking responsibility and not abdicating choice to somebody else.

Being open to invitation and possibility

• Desire and finding a way
• Understanding your internal guidance system and having the power of your conviction. 
• Tapping into what your body and mind are telling you.

The Book I gave Tina was: A Fortune Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East: Tiziano Terzani. 

You can find out more about Tina at:  www.devineintentions.com.

Tina Devine's Bio

Tina Devine is of Irish heritage, born in Germany and currently residing in Mexico where she continues with her global adventure to explore her creative spirit and find the perfect night of salsa dancing! 

Tina is an Award winning Creatrix, Artist, Published Author, Entrepreneur and energy practitioner. She is a self taught artist, who co-creates art with her clients to energetically activate fast, deep and transformative healing. 

Artistically, Tina combines energy and intentions with abstract acrylic pouring and brushwork to create and channel her art in a flow state.

As a living example of her work, Tina supports those ready to raise their energetic vibration to step into the life they most desire.

Her magic lies in seeing you, your potential and your dreams not yet imagined.

My guest today is Mindy Cowap, founder of the M Project and a  finalist of the 2022 Enterprise Vision Awards Inspirational Woman of the Year. 
  
Seven years ago, after her mother's devastating subarachnoid haemorrhage, Mindy felt lost and decided to improve her health and vitality. The experience was transformational and Mindy felt compelled to share her rejuvenation with others. 

We talk about 

Finding who we are supposed to be

• The joy of discovering strength and capability.
• Developing an  I can attitude.
• Harnessing energy to try new things in midlife.

Not asking others to do what you wouldn't do yourself

• Being a motivator and inspiring others to take part.
• Being willing and unafraid to be vulnerable. 
• Providing a toolkit for others to thrive.
• Developing strength. 

Midlife loss of confidence

• Change of circumstances and hormonal shifts. 
• Using a transformational period to flourish.
• Changing attitudes to ageing.
• Stepping into yourself and embracing a different identity.
• New experiences and the energy of menopause.

The Expectation Effect

• How your expectations can transform your life.
• Things can turn out well if you expect them to.
• Having a go at something you may not expect to do well at.
• Shaking off limiting beliefs

The importance of movement

• Building strength and looking after your bone density.
• Keeping hold of your muscle mass and being physically fit.
• Getting women moving.
• Dance challenges, connection and fun!      

You can find out more about the M Project here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themprojectmovement

The book I bought for Mindy was:  The Expectation Effect: by David Robson


 Mindy Cowap Biography

Mindy Cowap is the founder of The M Project and The M Project Movement.  "I am on a mission to show women that as we reach midlife and beyond, we can breathe life into life!  Often feeling lost, restricted or trapped by hormone shifts, roles & responsibilities and more, we can lose our identity and our joy for life.

The M Project is a toolkit to flourish with all the experts with the added value of opportunity to experience alongside that.  This isn't a pain-point-chasing menopause group, this is a movement, a sisterhood for enrichment and empowerment.  We have one life and we can breathe life into that life!  

The M Project has a Movement, it is a private Facebook group.  A free, safe space for women to connect, to be inspired, to be educated and to have fun!”

Hold On Pain Ends: Naomi Gilmour: Motivational Speaker, Business Woman and Suicide Prevention Advocate

If you are lucky enough to live into mid-life and beyond, you will likely have experienced some profound loss. My guest this week, Naomi Gilmour, has taken the brave step of facing the debilitating grief of loss and, in the process, rebuilt her sense of self and now shares her learnings with others. 

Before we recorded this week’s episode Naomi and I went for an early morning dip in a lake. It was pouring with rain, but a beautiful rainbow lit the sky when the clouds parted. Rainbows are especially symbolic for Naomi, and we both believed that the spirit of her beloved brother, Nick was there with us at that moment. 

Please put your hand on your heart  and allow yourself a slither of happiness as you listen to Naomi’s story. 

Naomi and I discuss  

How diversity and loss have shaped Naomi’s understanding of her purpose

•  Stripping back the layers to recover a sense of self and heal. 
• How Inner work has connected to who Naomi is, what she is here to be and what brings her joy and making no apology for this.  
• Finding purpose in pain and creating an impact. 

    The Importance of being alone and cultivating inner peace

• Loneliness; learning to be alone and silence the mind.
• The importance of stepping back
• Making time to reframe work 
• The fear of what people think and getting over external judgement and validation.
• The importance of self and inner peace and how looking to the outside won't make you happy.   
• Being happy in the moment. 

Slithers of Happiness

• The joy of small signs in day-to-day life
• Enjoying micro-moments
• Anchoring into things.

Anchoring

• Feeling comfortable in uncertain times.
• Dropping anchor to stabilise yourself and looking towards a lighthouse. 
• Using a token to remind us that everything is always in flux, and this too shall pass. 

The Significance of Your Hands

• Our hands have been with us for a lifetime.
• Naomi's definition of hope - Hold On Pain Ends.
• How to drink life whilst it's fizzy.

References

Naomi’s Book: Love You Love Your Life https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-You-Your-Life-Discover-ebook/dp/B09YKWHV6W

You can find Naomi here: https://www.happyhearthq.com/about/
https://iamnaomivictoria.com/
 

The book I gave to Naomi: is Extreme You Step Up. Stand Out. Kick-Ass. Repeat. Sarah Robb O’Hagan

Naomi victoria Gilmour Biography. 

Naomi inspires and entertains audiences with her keynote talks about life lessons, resilience and reframing. Her life has been far from plain sailing, and she uses her first-hand experience to help others.

Some podcasts are transformational, and this is one of them for me. In today’s episode of the If Anne Can podcast, I’m talking to Kim Gowland, and she explains the difference between change and transition. A process that can be bewildering and confusing for many of us.  

Kim and I discuss  

The difference between change and transition

• Change is external, something happening to us, e.g. change of job or having a baby.
•  Transition is the psychological process brought about by change.    

The Process of Transition

• Letting go: E.g. of identity or something we love
• Neutral zone: we know we’ve let go, but we don’t know what’s next. This is where people feel confused.
• New beginning: this comes at the end of the process after the work to achieve clarity is completed.

Looking for Meaning

• Transition as a joyful journey if approached with a  spirit of curiosity
•  Rediscovering values, finding confidence and a sense of purpose

Taking Action

• Staying accountable and generating momentum
• Taking responsibility and being proactive
• Understanding procrastination
• Looking out for signs and being alert for things to emerge
• The paradox of choice
• Understanding transition as a life skill
• Enjoying the journey

References

The Book Kim mentioned: Transitions; Making Sense of Life's Changes: William Bridges.

The book I gave to Kim: Range: how Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World: David Epstein

Kim Gowland's Bio

Executive and Leadership Coach. Brilliant Transitions Coach.  

I coach senior leaders in the cultural and public sectors, to help them navigate change and transition and be more confident and inspired in their careers. 

Alongside my own work under Kim Gowland Coaching, I am an Associate Coach for North West Employers, coaching senior leaders working in the local authorities across Greater Manchester and the North West region. I am also an Associate Coach for Lois Burton Ltd and People Make it Work, coaching clients in the cultural sector including at Tate and Coventry City of Culture.

1-1 Brilliant Transitions Coaching

My 1-1 Brilliant Transitions coaching programme helps clients navigate personal or professional change and transition and build new confidence, meaning and inspiration in their careers and wider lives. I have helped clients leave jobs or careers that no longer serve them and find delight in a new professional path, to create a better work-life balance for themselves and their families, to rediscover their confidence, creativity or sense of adventure. My job is to help my clients to feel more in control and empowered, and to work with them so they move from a place where they feel stuck, confused, unhappy or helpless to feeling clearer, happier, more confident, more authentic and more able to fulfil their potential.  

I also run occasional Brilliant Transitions workshops, the next one will most likely be in January 2023.

·         You can find out more about me on my website https://kimgowlandcoaching.com

·         Join my facebook group Brilliant Transitions  www.facebook.com/groups/brilliantransitions

·         Email me on [email protected]  Tel: 077252 69069

At this time of year many expat families are moving back to their home countries, and some will find repatriation harder than expatriation.    

In today’s episode of the If Anne Can podcast , I’m talking to Amanda Jaffe about the challenges of repatriation. Amanda and I were expats in Singapore, and we repatriated to our home countries during the pandemic, me to the UK and Amanda to the USA. 

We returned home with new identities, which meant we had to change our lives.  

This is a great listen for anyone who is facing repatriation or who has repatriated in the last few years.

Amanda and I discuss  

Home

·         The difficulties of re-engaging with home after a period away where your role and identity have entirely changed. 

·         Overcoming  feelings of dislocation.

·         Walking as a way of grounding yourself and rediscovering your surroundings.  

·         The need to discover new activities.   

Identity

·         Preserving a hard-won new identity.

·         Making what you experienced as an expat relevant to your return.

·         The importance of enjoying each day and not being too focused on the future.

·         Giving yourself time to reacclimatise  but at the same time being open to new experiences and opportunities.

·         Overcoming the physical shock of returning to a new climate.

Community

·         The joy of finding one friend. 

·         Activating networks. 

·         Looking  for ways to engage and reach out.

·         The impact of turning up.

·         Finding someone who would miss you if you didn’t show up, even if that takes some time.

·          Remember to have fun!

References

You can find out more about Amanda at: www.amandajaffewrites.com

The book I gave to Amanda: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times: Katherine May

Amanda’s biography        

My guest today is Amanda Jaffe. Amanda spent thirty years working as a lawyer in Washington DC and New Jersey, but in 2018, she moved with her husband to Singapore and got the opportunity to ‘finally begin writing.’

First, a blog for friends and family, and then, with the encouragement of the American Women’s Association of Singapore Writers’ Group, she began to publish articles.

Just as she was cementing her new identity, she had to move back to her home in New Jersey and then to California.

She has maintained a creative writing practice and has taken the opportunity to combine writing with work and volunteering in the non-profit sector.

Amanda’s writing focuses on narratives that convey a strong sense of location and dislocation, and as a returning expat, she says ‘finding my cadence has been unexpectedly challenging.’ 

An early memory of a cruel teacher left me dreading the thought of ever trying to create an artwork.

Meeting Kate Hughes and attending one of her art classes changed my mind, so I was delighted when she agreed to be a guest on this podcast.

I thought our conversation would revolve around how she escaped the restraints of school teaching and smoothly moved to create her art studio, but it proved to be so much more.

Kate talks movingly about how being prescribed the mini pill after the birth of her second child led her to suffer debilitating depression and anxiety. She had to leave her teaching job and relocate to Manchester. Throughout her suffering, she trusted her innate bravery and focused on creating art.

Kate happened to see a Facebook post where she learned that one of the side effects of the mini-pill was depression. Within days of coming off the medication, Kate regained her health.

She uses her energy to share her love of art with others.

Her classes are both energizing and cathartic, and if you can get to her Manchester studio, I urge you to sign up. After all, if Anne Can ……..

References

Reach Kate Hughes at Outside The Lines Art Group Outside The Lines Art Group | Facebook

 |
 | Outside The Lines Art Group | FacebookThis is a safe space for you to explore your creativity. A group to enjoy and celebrate processes, techniques an...

The book I chose for Kate is: Keep Going; 10 Ways To Stay Creative In Good Times And Bad: Austin Kleon

The Book Kate chose for me is: Bloody Brilliant People: The Couples and Partnerships That History Forgot: Cathy Newman

#art #mentalhealth #artclass #Outsidethelines #IfAnneCan