Thrive Not Survive

I get the opportunity to talk to my nanny about her life. A simple but gorgeous journey, and I just love that despite the hardship of having her first husband my grandad have his first heart attack in his 30's and subsequently being a widow by 53, he considered her life to be filled with love and gratitude. She talks about finding love again at work and her love of travel and her family. What it was like to leave school at 14 and her fondness for the wolves football team, and Billy Wright  that she served every day at Beatties Department store in Wolverhampton. A nostalgic look down memory lane and one she enjoyed enormously. I love you nan.

I wanted to capture the simple life of my 93-year-old nanny, she talks about how even though she was married and pregnant she thought the baby would magically come out of her belly button. The lack of food and veg made getting a tomato at Christmas a wondrous and joyful experience. She talks about her expectations of life were very simple, and how she has enjoyed it despite the grief of losing her first husband at 52, after several heart attacks, and having to become the breadwinner. Finding love again at the office, and her love of travel.

I love you nan and your positivity and zest for life has always inspired me. Thank you so much for being wonderful 

Shelley Johnson an ex-professional dancer and mother of two. She describes her experience of having to pivot her business during covid and in doing so created an incredibly inspiring online community here how she did it. She describes having to navigate facebook links with her oldest participant  Donald who is 90 She also is a brilliant storyteller talking to her was truly inspiring. I hope it inspires you too

Stella Bayles has fitted so much in already. She talks about overcoming imposter syndrome when dropped into a crazy world of PR at 18.  A world that happened to be full of Oxbridge graduates. Her qualifications consisted of grit determination and a working-class work ethic. Plus a penchant for trainers and hip hop. Her idea to create cutting-edge software to track analytics in the PR world has sent around the world. laying her hat in New York for 3 years. Stella dives into her quest for answers and peace during lockdown sending her on a spiritual journey. Finding unexpected love with a boyfriend from her teens and how her thirst for travel and adventures will never be quenched. A brilliant fun exploration of the life and passions of a brilliant woman.

This emotionally inspiring episode covers all topics, from lifelong learning to keeping gratitude for life as a key element to thriving, a new found love of yoga, and the quest for health, after the shocking aftermath of covid. We talk about friendships and how they are the elixir of life, and  Justines and her friend Daisy's Brighton Peeps project in lockdown capturing the amazing images and stories of people in Brighton.

 Join me for a deep dive into what helps Claire thrive in this forever changing world. Her passion for her work and her new charity. I ask her about her resilience and her penchant for risk taking and whether her drive to take immediate action is a skill she has developed or was born with. Her routines that keep her happy, meditation sea swimming and learning from her mistakes and her regrets.

This episode is an introduction. Its time to think and take action to help ourselves to really live our best lives and what that means to us. We can rewire our systems to optimise our energy and change our thoughts to change our chemistry. I believe change can happen, we don't have to be endlessly stuck in repeating patterns of habits and behaviours that no longer work for us and make us miserable.  I have radically changed the way I think, to change my body my mind and my reality, and so I know it is possible, and if its possible for me it is for you.