Mistress Wellbeing

Hi, I'm Leila and I'm a retreat junkie.

What?! You too??!!!

Tell me more about your retreat fantasies while I take you on a journey...

 I've teamed up with my beautiful colleague,Trish, to design weekend retreats that will nourish your body, soul and spirit, give you time to reflect deeply on life and plan your future direction.

We warmly extend an invitation for you to join us!

I want you to be clear about what you're signing up for, so here we discuss our point of difference. We are offering not just yoga, meditation and down time, but also an opportunity to deeply connect with yourself and others in the safe container of Gestalt group.

Connection is our raison d'être.

Connection with other living, breathing human beings, instead of a screen or a zoom room.

It's a healing, biological imperative which is being eroded daily by pandemics, fear and overwork.

I can't wait to be with you on retreat!

Many of my high performance clients struggle with the idea of support.

It feels weak.

Vulnerable.

Not OK.

So here is my exposition, my exegesis, on support. It's more complex than we might think.

If you're ready to lay down your sword and shield for a few brief moments, let the drawbridge down and feed those voracious crocodiles in the moat, here's your opportunity.

Viktor Frankl is one of my heroes.

If you haven't read Man's Search for Meaning, it's a short, beautiful read that will touch your soul.

The enigmatic piece of wisdom we're exploring today is this:

In the gap between contact and response is where we find choice and freedom.

Finding the gap is often the issue, and awareness is the key.

So let's explore how to find the gap.

Where is this gap and what does it look like? Is it the gap between the trains on the underground, is it the gap between my two front teeth, or is it the delicious gap between contact with the world and my knee jerk response of fear, overwhelm, frustration or anger?

Join me in the experiential homework and let me know what happens.

 

Welcome to a slightly different format fpr the month of January - Microcasts.

I'll be sharing short, sharp 5 minute podcasts about topics which are central to my work and which I think are mind-blowing, simple, awareness building tools.

Today we're visiting the Paradoxical Theory of Change. 

Put simply, growth and change happen effortlessly when we stand on the firm platform of self acceptance and self love.

New Years resolutions don't work because they come from a place of self hatred.

If you know what I'm talking about, then listen on as you avoid stumbling over last year's elliptical, which now acts as a pot plant holder in a corner of the living room....

It's not easy speaking out about 'This Subject'. 'The Great Unspeakable'. 'The Predicament Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned Despite Suicide Rates Soaring'   By listening to the podcast, you are creating what I call 'The Threshold Effect'.   This is the remarkable improvement in mental health that occurs when you decide that enough is enough, and make that appointment, book that GP, see that therapist, buy that best-friend-for-life-when-nobody-loves-me dog, and make a bid for freedom.   And in doing so, in taking action, you remove the stopper from the pressure cooker that is your mind, with its 60,000 thoughts a day, mostly negative and largely repetitive.   You invite the possibility of change.   I'll say that again, You invite the possibility of change.   Because having kids, working in a responsible job, being a daughter, wife and most excellent mother, can create a prison, which makes Alcatraz and the Chateau d'If look like a play date in the park.   Here's the thing, are you thinking your own thoughts or society's thoughts? I'll let you ponder that one over the Christmas break, and leave you with my newly minted Bio, one that I feel truly expresses the essence of who I am and what I'm about.   My very best wishes for you and your dear ones this Christmas.

Marja Koivisto is a specialist career coach from Finland.

Today I'm interviewing Marja about how she works her magic with her clients to uplift and support them to make change.

She shares her three questions, which I find uplifting to contemplate,

"What inspires you and brings you joy?'

"What matters to you?' And,

 "What are your skills, the obvious and the more tacit, hidden skills?" 

This interview was a delight, we both felt uplifted and excited by the possibilities available to us all as we build awareness and create change.

The missing key to this process often, is support.

How do you thrive in the high stress environment of Law?

Join Chantal McNaught and myself as we explore her experiences navigating a career in Law.

Beyond Panic attacks under the desk to the self compassionate process of allowing emotions, becoming interested in what they have to tell us, and making deliberate choice towards wellbeing and success.

Instead of reaching for the Scotch, we open up the ways to work positively with stress, anxiety and emotional discomfort so that we can take positive action and make change.

Apologies for the poor quality of this recording!

It's December and I'm asking you to rest. 

Seems crazy, right?

Today I've deliberately chosen this highly contentious subject to explore because I see the world around me going mad.

Linkedin is full of posts about working all day Sunday, sleeping at the office etc etc.

If you feel like laughing at me when I suggest that you carve out some time to rest, please take a look at how you've structured your life so that you can do it differently!

And listen in about how rest can refresh and open you to a whole new take on life, filled with vibrancy, radiance and joy.

Making contact with ourselves is one of the biggest gifts of therapy.

It can be easy to get distracted from our own values and prioritise the values and expectations of the external world over our own deep inner knowing.

Life can become dull, flat and stuck.

Today I want to give you permission to do you. I'm exploring how to connect with your precious internal world and the vitality and delight which flows into life when you do.

Let me know what you think.

 

 

This is a bonus episode I've created to give you a taste of my meditation library which is freely available here

When we deliberately generate an elevated emotion combined with a strong intention, shift happens.

Repeat this meditation often, come to recognise how elevated emotions feel in your body and give yourself this fuel to create the vibrant, exciting life you desire.

As always, let me know how you get on!