Project Love

Hi lovely,

We are back! After our quarterly monthly break from recording and we are jumping back behind the mics with a special relationship episode. 
We got together with the playful power couple: Madeline and David McQueen to talk about how they have made love last (while having two children and running a business together) for thirty two years. 

I’ve known Madeline and David for over ten years and they offered me invaluable guidance and advice on love and relationships in the years when I was dating.  They have always been intentionally open about talking about their relationship and sharing about the ups and downs, warts and all, of being in a long term relationship. They believe passionately that friendship in your relationship is key and that every relationship requires work to help it to thrive.
They are also both coaches and so they bring a level of insight, self-awareness and a no-nonsense practical attitude to their relationship which you don’t often find in other couples. 
They have so many pearls of wisdom to offer on how to make love last and so in this episode Vicki and I got to ask them about how they have made their love last for over thirty years and what advice they would give to others about how to cultivate a happy and healthy relationship. 
As ever, when I speak to Madeline and David, I came away with so many gems and aha moments (and was squirming in my seat on a number of occasions too, as you’ll hear!). So I hope you find some valuable gems in this too.
If you enjoy this episode please leave us some of those shiny 5 STARS on your podcast channel - every review makes such a difference (and it makes our day)! 
Lots of love,
x Selina

Hello lovely, 
Well here we are, at the end of another quarter of 2020 and what a quarter it has been!
In this week’s episode, we talk about how the last 3 months have been for us, our happiest moments, our most challenging moments and how we are navigating what is known as the ‘messy middle’ point of the pandemic.
We’d love you to join us for this quarterly check-in, grab your Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020 journal if you have one or simply answer the questions as we go through them. As always, we find these quarterly reflections to be so nourishing and we hope you do too 😍
Join us live!We also invite you to join us live on Thursday 8th October at 7pm (BST) on Zoom for our quarterly Project Love love-in. They are gorgeous - a chance for us all to pause and reflect on these past 3 months and to set our intentions and commitments for the following quarter. Sign up here to join us!
We really hope you enjoy this episode. It’s the last in the season as we take our scheduled podcast break in October. We’ll be back for a new podcast season in November!
Much love,
X Selina & Vicki

Hey there, it’s Selina here this week and I cannot wait for you to tune-in to this week’s episode. Because on the pod this week is none other than the wonderful Emma Gannon. I got to hang out with her on Monday to talk about her brand new book Sabotage: how to silence your inner critic and get out of your own way which is out TODAY!
It is such a brilliant book and considering I talk a lot about the topic of ways that we hold ourselves back in life and how to overcome those inner blocks, this book had a surprisingly powerful impact on me. It really did help me to get out of my own way and commit to my dreams with more power than ever before. I can’t recommend it more! 
And if you haven’t heard of Emma Gannon before (although I suspect you will have) then you are in for a treat. Emma is a best-selling author, blogger, speaker and award-winning podcaster. Her book The Multi-Hyphen Method is one I recommend to anyone who loves the idea of creating their own career, her debut novel ‘Olive’ that came out this summer brings an incredibly important topic to the table - one of choosing to be child-free and her podcast Ctrl Alt Delete is the number one career podcast in the UK with the most incredible line up of guests ever. 
The best way to get more of Emma is through her newsletter ‘The Hyphen’ - my favourite newsletter out there, subscribe to her podcast Ctrl Alt Delete and of course buy Sabotage, out today!
And now tune-in to this week’s podcast episode as Emma and I dive deep into the topic of sabotage! 
X Selina 

This week on the Project Love podcast we are talking about what it's like to run your own business. 

With so many of us spending much more time at home and travel being limited, more and more people seem to be using the time to embark on the adventure of starting a business or a side hustle. Particularly coaching businesses and online businesses.

And so as two people who have found huge joy and fulfilment in running our own businesses over the years, we decided to make this the topic of this week's episode, sharing our experiences of quitting employment and starting our own businesses and what it's really like being our own boss.​

And a whole lot more!

If you are dreaming about starting your own business and you’d love to have a coach by your side, helping you to get really clear on what you want that business to be and getting it off the ground and happening, then I have just opened the doors to my Career Change Coaching programmes 🎉​ 🎉​ 🎉

The 6 week Career Change Kickstart programme is particularly good for you if you have a business idea you want to get off the ground. You could have your very own business up and running as early as November! Imagine that!
If that idea gets you really excited, then head on over to selinabarker.com and book yourself in for a discovery call!

I can't wait to hear from you :)

x Selina

Hi lovely,
I have such a nourishing conversation for you today.
I spoke with Tosh Brittan, a divorce life coach and the founder of Divorce Goddess, about what it means to have a mindful divorce 
Tosh has helped over 1,000 people from all around the world with her coaching, online courses and private group. She has been featured in the likes of The Sunday Times, Weekend FT, BBC, ITV and Sky and is co-author of the bestselling books ‘Mindfulness Through Challenging Times’ and ‘Ceremonies - The Art of Ritual Living’.
In this episode, we talk about the concept of divorce wellbeing that is central to Tosh’s work and how we can move through a divorce, separation or a break up with mindfulness, compassion and self-kindness. Plus how we can support our friends on this journey too.
If you are navigating a break up, a separation or divorce right now then please know that you are not alone and I really hope that you feel supported and held as you listen to this episode.
So much love, V xx

Hello lovely, it’s Selina here 👋full of excitement because TWO big things are happening this week.
First of all the Project Love Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021 journal is now today officially ON SALE! Order your copies over here. 
Aaaaaand on Tuesday my very own Audible Original Series: ‘The Career Change Coach’ went live! 

I made this series at the start of the year. It was supposed to go live in April but then, well, you know...a global pandemic got in the way. And so finally it is out in the world and it is free on Audible UK!
💛 If you have Audible then adding it to your library and leaving a review would absolutely make my day! 💛

The series follows me as I take six people on a Career Change journey. Each episode follows a different person as I coach them and, between coaching sessions, send them off to experience something that will help them along on their journey. You’ll hear me offering tips on how to make a career change throughout the series and at the end of each person’s coaching journey you’ll hear me help them create a plan going forward.
The aim is that, by the end of the series, you will have learnt practical tips and gained confidence to embark on your own career change journey. 
I really am so proud of this series and can’t wait for you to hear it too!
And to celebrate the series going live this week, I’m doing my first ever solo episode on the podcast! I talk about my own career journey over the past decade:

Lots of love, X Selina

Hi lovely,
In this week’s episode we are talking about looking at exercise in a whole new way! 
If you’ve listened to previous podcasts, then you’ll know that both of us have documented our (at times) huge resistance to exercise. In fact, if you told us a year ago that we would be doing a podcast episode on this, we wouldn’t have believed you! 
In this week’s episode, we talk about how we have worked through our own resistance to exercise (and how you can do it too!), the many ways to get your body moving (including the activities and practices that work for us), tips on how to find what works for you. Plus so much more.

While we talk about exercise that is available to us as two able-bodied people, there are also all sorts of kind of exercise you can do if you have limited mobility. You'll find some great suggestions here.
We had so much fun recording this episode - we hope you enjoy it! 
We’d love to hear what resonated with you and where you are on your own exercise journey - simply reply to this email or send us a DM over on Instagram @loveprojectlove. 
Much love,
X Selina & Vicki 
Resources:Couch to 5K (NHS): https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/

Hello lovely, it’s Vicki here 👋
I have such a treat of an episode for you this week!
I got to interview Laura Mucha, who is the author of Love Factually: The Science of Who, How and Why We Love and We Need to Talk About Love (the paperback). 
This book is such a fascinating read! It is the culmination of 10 years of extensive academic research and 10 years of interviews with hundreds of strangers, aged 8-95, across every continent around the world. 

Laura Mucha is an ex-international lawyer and award-winning poet, writer and speaker. She has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, WNYC, ABC and Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. The Guardian describes her as “a fantastic nosy parker” and Richard Curtis, creator of ‘Love Actually’, describes her book "as much better and more useful than my film". Wow - what a testimonial! 
I loved reading Laura’s book. I’ve never come across a book that covers the ins and outs of love with such depth before. The book takes you on a journey that explores love and loss, infidelity and commitment, dating, monogamous relationships, non-monogamous relationships. Attachment theory and so much more. As well as talking about the lightness of relationships, the book also talks about the darkness of them too, including the complexities and nuances of abuse in relationships. We talk all about this in the episode and included below is a list of resources relating to abuse.
In this episode, we also talk about some of the most important lessons that Laura has learnt about love, in over a decade of research and interviews (including how it impacted her relationship with her ex partner who is now her husband!). And we talk about Attachment theory (which is actually the focus for Laura’s next book). I had sooo many questions on Attachment theory, that we’ve decided that Laura is going to come back onto the podcast to talk more about this fascinating topic. Also linked here is last year’s episode on Attachment theory with Psychologist Helen Dent (our most popular podcast episode!) and here is the episode about Attachment theory and dating.
This conversation with Laura is PACKED FULL of so much wisdom about love, I can’t wait for you to listen to it! 
And before you do, I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of places left on my 3 month love coaching programme, starting in September and October this year. 
This programme is my absolute heart and soul and it would be such a privilege to work with you if you’re feeling the call and you’re wanting some guidance and support on your love and dating journey. 
If you are interested in working with me 1:1 this year and you would love to have me as your personal love coach and dating wing woman for three months then do get in touch - I would love to hear from you! Simply head on over here to find out more and to book in your discovery call! 
I hope you enjoy the episode 💕💕💕
Love, Vicki X
Resources of support for help with abuse below: 

https://www.refuge.org.uk/ in the UK

https://www.womensaid.org.uk/ in the UK

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/getting-help-for-domestic-violence/ in the UK

www.thehotline.org in the US

Hi lovely, 

It’s Selina here this week, flying solo for the first time since before lockdown with our first guest on the show since March. And wow, what a guest.
I had the pleasure and joy of getting deep into conversation with Nehanda Truscott Reid and it ended up being a truly transformative conversation for me and I have a feeling it could be for a lot of other people too, whether you are a mother, are thinking of becoming a mother or simply interested in the motherhood journey. 
Nehanda is a mother of two, Holistic Wellness Coach and founder of The Soul Mama Journey where she supports women through the sacred transition of motherhood from pre conception onwards. Nehanda believes motherhood holds the potential to be a gateway of our deepest healing and transformation and is passionate about helping more women navigate this path consciously and spiritually. 
And I will be honest, I’ve never really got into the whole ‘motherhood is sacred’ thing. In fact I’ve struggled a little with the identity of motherhood (as we unpack in this episode). But having devoured the episodes of Nehanda’s own podcast - the Soul Mama Podcast (which I cannot recommend more) I felt so inspired to explore motherhood in a new way with Nehanda and wanted to bring you guys along on the journey with me.
And wow am I glad I did. This conversation was SO powerful for me. It really shifted something within me. I’ve been experiencing a whole new level of joy and connection to my son and within my role as a mother ever since. And so I cannot wait for you to listen to this too. 
Spread this among the mothers you know and love - lockdown has been one hell of a testing time and the words from Nehanda are like a soothing and healing balm.
To find out more about Nehanda and how to work with her (which I couldn’t recommend more), visit her at: www.soulmamajourney.com

 Follow her on instagram: @soulmamacoach

And subscribe to: The Soul Mama Podcast

X Selina

Hi lovely,

We are back after a one month break and the world is still feeling weird. Here in the UK, while we’re not in full lockdown anymore, things have certainly not returned to normal, but then, as Edward Enninful, editor of UK Vogue says in his brilliant editor’s letter for the August issue (mentioned in this week’s episode) ‘there is no normal to return to’.
And so we feel it’s important to not try to normalise this new way of living, but to keep addressing the challenges of living in the shadow of a global pandemic, while also continuing to look at the unexpected opportunities that have come with these unprecedented times. 
And so that is what we’re doing in this week’s episode: exploring how we are adjusting to living a life that isn’t like the life we were once all living. And how we are continuing to find opportunities for growth, learning, fun and adventure in amongst it all.
Project Love Coaching Programmes - doors now open!
We have been LOVING coaching over the past few months. This is a time so ripe for change - people just seem ready for it. And we are opening up our doors again to take on new clients. Selina has spaces on her two Career Coaching programmes starting this month and Vicki has spaces on her Love Coaching programme starting in September. 
If you’re ready to transform your career or love life, then we are ready to take you on that journey. Come and book in a discovery call!
Find out about the Get Ready for Love Coaching programme and book in a discovery call with Vicki. 
Find out about the 3 Month Career Change Coaching programme or 6 Week Career Change (or Business Kickstart) Coaching programme and book in a discovery call with Selina.
X Selina & Vicki