Emerging From My Digital Cocoon!
On remembering the *magical* power of community, HealthCareer Transitions, and what's coming up... mini-workshops and more!
Have you ever felt totally adrift, only to find, soon after, a strength in shared experience so empowering that you switch gears into your happy place? It may sound cheesy, but this is definitely what I’ve been experiencing lately.
Hello!
First of all - Hello friends! I’ve been absent from the online world for the past 6 months so I wanted to share a little with you about what I’ve been up to, what I’ve been learning (or re-learning) about the power of shared experience, and what you can expect to see here in the near future…
What I’ve Been Up To...
So, winter (in the UK) has come and gone since I last posted here (although the fluffy booties currently keeping my ankles warm might say otherwise). For me, it’s been a winter and spring of processing and percolating - mirroring the natural world I suppose - digesting the dropped leaves of the last year and preparing ground for a season of growth and adventure.
I’ve been busy creating new ‘preventing burnout’ workshops for some trade union organisations, delivering coaching at Dulwich Therapy Rooms and on Zoom, and working in the background on how to better shout, sing and story-tell about the work that I do (including doing this wonderful course). I’ve been studying Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Organisational Consulting (using a model rooted in psychodynamic thinking, or in other words - understanding what’s going on unconsciously when we come together as teams). Lots of exciting learning, that I can’t wait to share more about! And still doing freelance improvement coaching within the NHS…
While I’ve been fully self-employed for 2 years now, I’ve found myself embedded within an NHS organisation that has been weathering storms of massive uncertainty, staffing cuts and restructuring. Dealing with the fall-out from this, what that brought up amongst colleagues and within me - which I expect I’ll write more about in time - has taken lots of energy. It has also led to a great deal of growth, and reaching a place which feels a lot more peaceful.
It helps that I have also been doing some retreating this Spring - first to a Vipassana 10 day silent retreat (wow - this was a super interesting experience, and intense…more on this in future posts I’m sure!) and then to a beautiful long weekend of mindful self-compassion, focussed on the theme of radical acceptance.
[I started to explain radical acceptance here because I found the practice SO transformative, but it’s hard to explain without getting deep into it, so I will save that for a future post.]
It’s funny how you can almost ‘re-discover’ certain insights over and over. I chuckled to myself when I realised that this striking insight I was singing from the rooftops (radical acceptance), that had felt so liberating this spring, was actually the same thing I’d written about on my last post here. What that highlights to me, on reflection, is the difference between remembering something intellectually, and remembering it by deeply feeling and experiencing it.
The Power Of Community
One of the things that made this deep experiencing possible, was the space held by our brilliant retreat facilitators, and the power of going through the experience together as a group.
There is so much power in community.
I’ve been reminded of this again and again in 2024, as I’ve found community in lots of places that has helped me move from feeling slightly isolated as a solopreneur, to feeling really connected and invigorated. For example, I have…
Joined some business mentoring communities.
Joined a wonderful small group of coaches all training to use IFS within coaching (more on that soon - I cannot wait to share because I’m gaining so many amazing insights from this work!)
Connected with a local space - Dulwich Therapy Rooms - to deliver in-person coaching (bookable here).
Become a partner coach for an amazing new platform ‘HealthCareer Transitions’ - a lovely community of people who are considering their next career steps.
Joining the discussions reminded me of how isolating it can feel when you’re questioning leaving a career that is so intertwined with your values, identity and community, that carries status and security, and that is viewed a certain way by society. It’s ten years ago now that I started along that ‘career questioning’ path, and it has been so nice to connect with others and share solidarity and community around doing something less conventional.
If any of that sounds like you, I really recommend checking them out - it’s a lovely bunch of people. And do share as well - I know there are a lot of people out there who could use it (it includes people exploring side hustles and portfolio careers, or wanting to overcome burnout and stay within healthcare - it’s not only about leaving).
So, feeling buoyed by community, I hope that I can share some of that same magic here on The Reconnect.
What’s In The Pipeline…
I’m working on sharing more about the work that I do, so you will be seeing me posting more on here and on Instagram/Facebook/(maybe LinkedIn).
What you can expect to see:
Mini-workshops - testing an idea of running some short workshops - an opportunity to tune in and connect during a lunch break or at the start or end of the workday. We’ll be doing exercises in things like mindfulness, self-compassion, and befriending your inner critic. If this sounds like something you might be into, and particularly if you have a preference for days/time of day, let me know in the comments or by email (with time zone if you’re not in the UK).
Useful exercises, podcasts, meditations and other bits and pieces I think you might enjoy.
Inside Out 2 is coming out soon!!! If you haven’t seen the first one, watch it soon, because I’m planning to write about it and…there will be spoilers. It’s just such a great illustration of how our minds work, I love it! (It’s a cartoon where the main characters are the emotions inside a girl’s head).
And lots more musings on our emotions, and the challenges we face when trying to make a positive difference in the world but working within systems under strain.
As always, I would love to hear what you think. Where do you find community? What would you most like to read about or use this space for? This is a fledgling online space but I’m looking forward to building community around our shared experiences, so please do reach out and share!
I really reasonated with what you said about the difference between remembering something intellectually vs remembering it by feeling it. There's so much that I've learnt about myself, but in moments when I'm feeling stuck, doesn't remembering what I've learnt isn't that helpful.
I've also been thinking about community a lot recently. I run networking events for other female business owners in Glasgow, which was great, but they've highlighted how I am craving more in person time with like-minded people. I was looking into volunteering at my local park to help with gardening.
I really enjoyed reading this!