MO2VATE

Do you feel
uncomfortable...
talking about money, wanting
money and charging what
you are worth?

Be ready
to bounce
back!
Find out nine
ways to stay
resilient in
challenging
times.

Susan Totman What

does post
shares why you should never listen
to the doubters regardless of your
pandemic
situation or challenges! marketing
look like to
ISSUE 07 | you?
APRIL 2021

T H E W IN N I N G F OR MU LA 1
2
Contents. FROM THE
EDITOR.
BUSINESS Spring is in the air!!.... and we’re
definitely feeling it at MO2VATE
4. It’s OK to Talk About Money!
HQ. This is our 7th issue of this
6. Post Pandemic Marketing fabulous magazine and we have
been amazed at the loyalty
8. Building Our Own Table
and support our subscribers
10. What Does Connection REALLY Mean? have given us, so much so
we now have a new name for
12. From Ego to Empathy  you... MO2VATORS, because
that’s exactly what you are. You
INSPIRATION
HEALH motivate us to keep going and
16. The Future is Female keep bringing you inspiration
14. Peace Without Therapy through these pages, so thank
26. Autism, My Friend 
you.
18. Mobility - It’s use it or lose it! 

20. Nine Ways to Stay Resilient  FEATURED This month we highlight all of

those articles we couldn’t in our
22. A Journey to Change Medicine 28. Behind the Mask 
Inspirational issue due to fitting
24. Effects of Guilt on a Person’s Behaviour them all in, so you’re definitely
30. Our Truth Sets Us Free in for a fabulous read again. We
asked for articles around World
INSPIRATION 32. Set No Limits 
Autism Awareness Day too as that
was recognised in April and you
34. Transforming Trauma Into Hope  did send them in. They all touched
36. Confidence is Contagious  our hearts.

38. All Three are Me I couldn’t let this month go

without mentioning our fantastic
40. The Not So Secret Sauce 
book project, namely ‘Stories from
42. Darkness to Light around the Globe’ and so far we
have 23 wonderful ladies taking
44. Strength 
part with more to join us. This
book has been developed from
46. Wither an Adventure
SOCIAL our Inspirational Issue in March
48. Climbing Back Up! 50. Succeed at Home Schooling  and it’s a must read. The articles
were just a snippet and the ladies
have been asked to either expand
on these stories or write another
area of their journey. You’ll be
blown away is all I can say. We will
of course be having a book launch
with readings from some of these
women and this will be one not to
miss folks.

Have a
wonderful
few weeks
until we meet
again for our
ANNIVERSARY
issue in June.

3
 It’s OK to Talk About Money!
W
hy do so many women shy away from talking about money, wanting money,
charging what they are worth and shouting about their success?

At the ‘Her Story Conference’ for women (before COVID-19 hit) I listened to incredible
stories of survival, breaking through barriers, creating their life out of lemons. It was so
inspiring YET not one woman had talked about their financial success.

I was meant to be sharing my story on that stage; how I’d lost my brother at the age of 23,
how I got married and divorced a year later, how finding out I wasn’t pregnant for the second
time made me stop and think seriously about my life…so much so that, aged 27, I got up and
walked away from everything. I decided that the universe was telling me something and it was
time to make a change.

I booked my first overseas flight and since then I’ve travelled to over 45 different destinations,
but my travel bug needed funding! The high flying corporate world of sales provided these
funds but involved 50 hour weeks. Fast forward 12 years and I decided enough was enough.

My passion was reignited by helping others break free. YET every time I worked with another
awesome female entrepreneur with incredible knowledge, skills, and expertise, they were
struggling financially, and I noticed that they shied away from money!
Talking about it
Wanting it
Monitoring it
4 Charging it
 Kylie Anderson
Basically giving, giving, giving, and surviving not thriving. kylieandersoncoaching.com

When women earn good money, they make a positive

impact with it. They give it back to their families, they
make a positive difference in society. Yet often when
women talk about wanting money, they feel guilt and
shame. And, when women do share their success, they
are quickly, and often brutally, shut down by other
women! I saw someone share their success of hitting £1
million, the women who jumped on her for doing this
were awful, nasty, and unsupportive.

How can we change this without talking about it; by

exposing it and putting it out there into the everyday
stream of conversation? Money is simply a form of
transaction and energy after all.

The first step is to ask yourself ‘what do I truly want?’.

Get clarity around two core numbers:

1. Get your ‘life covered’, the costs of all the basics of rent, mortgage, food bills etc. that you
need to cover each month.

2. Create your ‘lifestyle’ figure. Add in at least 2 - 3 things annually that you really want to have
in order to live your best life.

Add these two figures together and there’s your annual and monthly target. Now ask yourself, is
your business set up to achieve this? If not, you have some work to do!

It’s time for women to feel elated by earning good money! It’s time for us to feel genuinely
excited about charging what we’re worth, to stop feeling guilty about having money, to
celebrate each other’s success!

Here’s to your financial success.

5
 Post Pandemic
Marketing
The last year has been a whirlwind of
emotions for everyone, so much so
that it would be difficult to find anyone
that hasn’t been affected in one way or
another, either personally or financially.

We are now entering a new era, the

post-pandemic era. Thanks to the
vaccines the UK is starting to slowly
lift lockdown restrictions. So how will
businesses operate in a post pandemic
world when it comes to marketing?

Businesses will review their

marketing budgets

During lockdown businesses tightened

their belts, and in a recession,
marketing is usually one of the first
business functions to go. So it wasn’t
a surprise when reports showed that
advertising spending was down.

Many offline channels like billboards, radio adverts and

TV adverts saw a massive decline, but now that people are
getting back outside, this is an area of spending which could
see an increase.

A quieter daily commute and less advertisements

The daily commute used to be a great opportunity to

advertise products and services. From billboards and radio
adverts, to posters on public transport. Everywhere you
looked there would be an advertisement for a company,
product, or service.

But now companies have discovered the savings they can

Emma Dunlop-Walters make by having employees work from home. With less
er-marketing.co.uk commuters, businesses that advertise on the commute might
need to find other ways of getting their marketing in front of
people.
6
The High Street will need to revamp its marketing.

For many people across the world, online shopping was the perfect solution during the
pandemic. They could order anything online and not have to worry about going out and
risking their life.

Many online companies took advantage of the fact that all their competitors had been
forced to shut their doors, and as a result they saw profits soar.

The fight to save the high street is tougher than ever

There were a lot of high street casualties during the pandemic and a lot of big names
failed to survive. With less shops on the high street, people are finding less reasons to
venture there, and instead are opting to shop online.

The high street was fighting online shopping before the pandemic, but now the fight has
been taken up a notch, which means they need to find new ways to get people into their
stores.

Marketing will be crucial to bricks and mortar businesses, but after being
shut for so long their budgets are likely to be small.

The post-pandemic world is the start of a new era. So much has been lost and the
economy has been stretched to its limits, but with time things will get better. We have
lost many large businesses but there are a lot of small businesses emerging and this will
help bolster the economy.

77
 Building Our
Own Tables
Lisa Fenton
propelledbypossibility.com

Y ou wonder why we sound angry when we

talk about our journeys.
Well, we are exhausted and tired of the fight.
We are not giving up, we are just moving on.
We are not sad, glad, or mad we are just done.
Done with what you ask?
Done with seeing our male colleagues and peers
keep information from us. Seeing them go on
excursions and exclude us. Doing the preparation
and getting no credit or thanks. Doing the office
housework, and creating the strategies with no
credit or perks, and being told sorry no raises this
year. Seeing the statistics on the wage gap. Not
getting the opportunities to be on those panels,
and not getting the opportunities for funding and
investment.
It is no longer our goal to create our own seat at
the table. We are coming together, supporting,
mentoring, and cheering each other along. We
are choosing to level up! We are building our
own tables.

8
We are going after those opportunities that
create excitement, choosing to do more of
the good, going after the liberating versus
the limiting, focusing on our processes and
levelling up. We are boosting our confidence,
focusing our insights, getting clear with our
intentions. We are deepening our learning,
building our communities, dealing with
new challenges. We’re letting go of small
things, creating new visions, connecting
with our whys, adjusting, committing to new
dimensions, and growing our momentum.

How are we doing all this? Through strategies

such as a personal audit looking at the signs,
truths and judgements and working with the
facts. We are taking strategies, creating plans,
executing them, and pushing our boundaries.
We are considering how we present ourselves
professionally, investing in self-care and in
coaching. We are prioritising ourselves and
getting comfortable with saying no.

Growing up we were never taught, or given

awareness, on how challenging it would be
to get to and break that ceiling. The gaps are
changing but why should we sit around and
wait? It will be a long time, if ever, before
these gaps are eliminated. Time and time
again we see women, who are more than
qualified, get passed by and we’re taking
action to put a stop to it.

We do not just need women to champion

levelling up, we need men to work towards
reducing biases, changing the vocabulary,
championing on our behalf, mentoring
and sponsoring and holding other men
accountable. To those who are supporting us
by refusing to be on all male panels, bringing
us to the table, mentoring and sponsoring,
bringing us into investment and funding
opportunities, supporting fair performance
evaluations, giving us credit, sharing office
housework, offering equal access, using the
correct vocabulary, and speaking up when we
are talked over - we see you and appreciate
you.
9
 What Does
Connection
REALLY Mean?

10

In a world where we are constantly connected to
digital devices, Covid has proved that we can still
feel very alone without human connection.
Connection has been the underlying theme of
the rollercoaster journey of my life; from being
part of £250,000 product launches, to losing
one of my companies due to contracting a rare
illness and becoming blind! Having a strong
connection to my life’s purpose and a deep
connection to my support group (my husband,
business partners and 3am friends) are what have
enabled me to both ride the wave of success and
pick myself back up from hitting rock-bottom.
So here are some ways that you
can feel or create connection in
your life:
USE YOUR VOICE:
As the founder of a speaker agency, I have
seen many people deliver keynotes, and I can
guarantee it’s not the polished presentations that
make the impact, but the ones where people’s
stories touched the audiences’ hearts. As Maya
Angelou said, “People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will
never forget how you made them feel.”
Therefore, I’m encouraging YOU to connect
with others by telling YOUR story. You don’t
need to be a professional speaker, you can speak
on podcasts etc. to inspire others, and this is
especially needed on topics like Mental Health,
where people think they’re the only one feeling
that way.
BE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF
YOUR COMMUNITY:
We all love it when we feel useful to others,
and being of service is the ultimate sense of
connection. I see this every day with my
homeless organisation ‘Under One Sky’, where
our volunteers go out on the streets daily to
not only offer our homeless friends clothes and
food, but a chat over a cup of tea, and that’s what
is appreciated the most. The fact that they are
heard, seen and receive compassion from us,
gives them a reason to survive another day.
So how can you serve your community?
SIZE DOESN’T MATTER:
Large networks don’t always mean valuable
connections! Many people are striving to build
their followers to illustrate credibility. But having
a large network actually detracts from how well
you know your connections and how impactful
you can be. So, don’t just focus on growth,
remember that people follow you when you show
them how much you care and the rapport that
you’ve built with them as an individual.
As co-founder of a speaker’s consultancy,
we regularly help experts build their impact
and their audience, and our advice is to start
making big ripples in a small pond with your
immediate network. It’s exactly how we’ve had
an engagement of 82% throughout building our
Facebook group to 10,000 members… we add
value with weekly training, connect our members
together to their needs and interests and involve
their opinions and resources as an essential part
of our community… true connection.
Kelly Tyler
www.speakerinsight.com
11
 Ceri Griffiths
willowbrooklfp.co.uk

FROM
EGO TO
EMPATHY
Embracing your kindness, But hitting my forties really changed me. It truly did. It was gradual, but I
your empathy, your softer stepped into my own and my perspective changed. I had the chance to be
side allows you to win on professionally coached, and it was a game changer. When faced with what
a whole new level. But I truly valued, and what I really wanted my life to represent, I knew I had
do you know what may so much more I should be bringing to the table. I chose to be brave and
be getting in your way? embrace the strengths that I had for so long suppressed, and to start a new
Your ego. What is your company with these values at its very heart. And so my financial planning
ego telling you about business was born. Financial advice exclusively for divorcing women. And a
what success looks like, mission started to give financial services a feminine shake up, removing the
and have you checked in egos, stripping out the noise and motivating women to engage.
with this lately? Checking
in with my ego led me to
leave a highly successful
corporate career, and to
start on a whole new, more
aligned path.

My ego had been with me

from childhood. Whilst I
experienced more joy with
English and languages and
art, I was able to do well
in Maths and Science. I
chose them, because they
were “harder”, and I would
be proving more by doing
them. I did a Maths degree
for that very reason. I
didn’t value the strengths I
have that didn’t fit my ego
and I spent a corporate
career chasing success on
this basis.

12
What has been the hardest part? Being brave enough I love this Brenne Brown quote,
to show my empathy. To show up with kindness, with “When we have the courage to
authenticity and vulnerability. But it’s been absolutely walk into our story and own it, we
the part that has made the difference. Social media has get to write the ending”.
allowed me to shake off the austere and corporate image
of financial services, and to talk about financial planning Have you walked into your story?
on a human level. But more than this, it’s made it easier for How will you write the ending?
women to reach out and get the advice they need, because Mine is with empathy and kindness.
instead of feeling intimidated by a big corporate image, Removing the ego was the best
they know they are reaching out to someone just like them. thing I ever did.

13
 Peace Without
Therapy

When the lockdown first went into effect, I was in Seattle. My oldest daughter was about to
give birth. I left while things were still open and came home to Amsterdam with everything
closed. Within weeks, my husband was laid off, and all my work dried up. Pivoting earning
possibilities was crucial and I kicked it into high gear, looking for the opportunities in the
obstacles.

14
 I’m a personal development junkie with loads
of certifications and degrees, from a Master’s in
Leadership to a Certification in Aromatherapy.
I teach and facilitate experiences for others to
discover, embrace and transform themselves
and I love it.
Yet, for myself, 2020 tested me: family crises,
broken bones, illness, and reimagining work
in a world with limited access to people and
experiences. I’d sometimes find myself waking
up in the middle of the night or early in the
morning in a panic, my heart and mind racing
with some irrational fear, or voice telling me
what a failure I am. Sound familiar?
What I kept coming back to was the practice of
affirmations. What am I telling myself?
How am I framing this situation? What
opportunities do I see? What beliefs about
myself are holding me back?
As I ebbed and flowed with affirmations, I
started setting alarms on my phone to remind
myself to stop for a few minutes. I anointed
myself with specific essential oils to help solidify
the neural pathways I was creating in my brain.
I knew this was going to be my grounding
practice.
Let’s segue and talk a minute about
aromatherapy. Scent is one of the most
undervalued and most powerful senses. It’s
the only sense that bypasses cognitive thought.
Scents entering your brain travel straight to the
limbic system, creating a direct link to your
memories and emotions. The chemical makeup
of essential oils can change our brain chemistry.
This has been shown with lavender oil, and the
calming effect it has when smelled.
“Aromatherapy is a supportive process
to neutralise old patterns of trauma and
dysfunctional behaviour by gently clearing old
emotions and mental associations and creating
new positive affirmations and experiences.
Through using scent and intention we can
quickly and easily influence our mental-
emotional terrain and therefore our overall
health and well-being”, as stated by Adora
Winquist, an expert in the field.
Additionally, the science when it comes to
affirmations is sound. It is more than telling
yourself, “everything will be alright”. It’s about
training your brain to respond differently when
those nasty triggers call us into the spirals of
despair. We can fundamentally change our
brain’s response.
The shift I feel when I do this now, is nearly
instantaneous! I’m breaking through old beliefs
and living into new ones. What started as an
individual thing, is now blossoming into a
community. I realised
having more people
doing this with me,
is better! Now we
are gathering in a
shared virtual space
(not Zoom) where we
can share and grow
together. Come and
join us!
Shawna Snow | shawnasnow@mac.com
15

Women are so talented, with
different gifts and attributes to
men. But do we nourish, love,
AND master them? Most of us
do not.
Some might ask, “What are
feminine gifts and attributes?”
Ask yourself what gifts you
connect with women and
femininity.
For over 20 years I have
nurtured, accompanied,
and supported women,
mumpreneurs, and girls in
becoming the best version
of themselves - they decide,
AND go forward! Yet my
toughest challenge is seeing
the ingrained beliefs holding
them back. My biggest wish
is that women support each
other and acknowledge their
inner wisdom and femininity;
remember their true female
essence and use it in business
for a sustainable and enjoyable
life.
Bernadette Bruckner
bernadettebruckner.com
16
The
“Bitch alert! Women’s
advancement is the future!”
My credo: “Nurture a woman,
and you nurture a whole world
and family for good!” And I
Future
ask, “What can you do today
to nurture your feminine
essence to fulfil your dreams,
intuition, inner wisdom, AND
vision?”
In 2021, let us embrace our
IS
true female essence and make
the world a bright, loving,
caring, and nurturing place.
BE the role model you love
AND use your voice for good!
Female
Remember:
‘The hand on the cradle is the
hand that rules the world!’
Who ARE the game changers
in the world?
Sometimes saying “YES”
once, standing up and being
seen once, using your voice,
even when imperfect, once,
can inspire many to stand up
for themselves!
Dare you say “YES?”
My credo for 2021 is simple:
DISRUPT EVERYTHING!
Are you with me?
MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Alison Fleming
Harmony Glass

A background in Customer Service Management, coaching

in communications skills, face to face, and telephone skills
led me into Recruitment Management overseeing teams
of advisors. I had been designing, putting into practice and
overseeing the running of bespoke assessment centres for
different companies and working for a local authority in
the registration dept for 15years before moving into self-
employment as a celebrant.

This year, completely changing my business module due to COVID restrictions. I have also had to change
my business quite drastically because of a physical illness- a diagnosis of a crumbling spine, meant my
whole focus has had to change on what services I am able to offer.

Having the experience of many years in business- both private and government bodies, my skills are
many, but it is this year that I have found a passion for speaking and wish to generate enhanced skills in
making me a more confident speaker and able to be open to speaking anywhere.

Fenella Hemus
AboveBeyond Coaching & Training

Fenella Hemus trained as an NLP trainer with the

Tad James Company, one of the oldest NLP training
organisations in the US. Now, under the name
AboveBeyond Coaching and Training she both trains other
coaches and supports ambitious individuals and high
achievers to take their success and fulfilment to the next
level in a balanced and sustainable way.
Fenella’s area of expertise is in mindset, resilience, emotional intelligence, communication and
mindbody health. She incorporates neuroscience with a breadth of learning and development
experience gained over 30 years working with people of all ages in different sectors. Fenella fully
believes that everyone is capable of magnificence if given the opportunity and right environment.

A dynamic and energetic speaker, with a love of the practical, Fenella gives tools and techniques that the
audience can use to harness behaviours which drive positive personal change and optimise their own
performance and wellbeing.

Treading the less conventional path, Fenella trained in Fine Art and went on to build playstructures and
run an adventure playground before becoming a trainer (and personal trainer for a while). She has a love
of adventure and hitched around Australia, worked with street children in Colombia and walked puma’s
in the jungle in Bolivia as well as taking up climbing at the grand age of 40.
17
 Mobility - It’s use it or lose it!

Y
our body is a Super-Adapter! Say what?!
Your body has evolved to become brilliant
at adapting to what you need it to do. What
you do every day shapes your body. So if you need
your body to climb rock faces for 8 hours a day, it
will adapt to become good at climbing rock faces.
Equally, if you require your body to sit for 8 hours a
day, it will adapt to become very good at sitting.

The ‘problem’ can arise when you suddenly ask your

body to do something else, a different movement,
one that it isn’t used to and hasn’t adapted to, we
do something different and find that our body
‘grumbles’. That grumble might be felt as a sprain
or a muscle pull, a tightness, or just an ‘uuumph’
noise when you bend down to pick something up!
George Cooke As a super-adapter your body doesn’t want to do
bygeorgepilates.com movements that it’s not regularly required to do.

18
So what can you do? Your body likes VARIETY of movement. Lots of different movement
patterns will give your body the ability to respond and react well to changes in its
environment. There aren’t ‘good’ or ‘bad’ movements or ‘good’ or ‘bad’ postures. Even
sitting, for all the bad rep it gets, isn’t a ‘bad’ posture. The problem is too much of the SAME
movement or posture. Remember, your body wants variety of movement.

Your weekly Pilates or Yoga class is a great start, it will help you develop an understanding of
your body, explore your range of movement in a safe way, let you explore techniques to keep
your joints mobile, and will give you a solid foundation to work from during your daily activity.
However, sadly this 45 minute class once a week is probably not going to be enough to help
your Super-Adapted body to discover new movement options!

Think little and often. It’s up

to you to bring more variety
into your movement patterns
each day. Think about your
shoulder and hip joints, how
many different positions do you
put these joints into every day?
Could you add more variety to
your movement? Walk more,
stand more, sit on the floor
more. Something as simple as
sitting on the floor more could
make a huge difference. Could
you try sitting on the floor
instead of on the sofa for the
first 10 minutes of your next
TV marathon? There are lots of
different seated positions you
could try. Could you work at
your computer in any seated
positions other than ‘normal’?
Could you place the computer
on a low table and work from a
seated or kneeling position for
a while? Get creative; explore
how you could sit in a way that
requires your spine to take on
a different shape, change the
angle of your shoulder or hip
joints. Remember, your body
will thank you for variety, so
keep changing the positions you
put your skeleton in as often as
you can.

Just keep moving!

19
 Nine Ways
to Stay
Resilient

I
s your life looking a bit like one of those strange and
unaccommodating landscapes that Dr Who comes
across as he or she steps out of the Tardis?

Dr Who has a sonic screwdriver to hand and a Tardis

that can spin into another dimension, but the Doctor
keeps turning up in new worlds whose very existence
is challenged. Thank goodness the Doctor gets to
regenerate every now and again…

Dr Who really is the embodiment of resilience!

But as we haven’t invented a sonic screwdriver (yet),

this R.E.S.I.L.I.E.N.T acronym may help in the meantime to
withstand this ‘alien’ environment and bounce back stronger
and wiser.

Reconnect
Come back to your whole self in presence with an
observing and curious disposition. Self-awareness
is key to knowing your strengths, accepting your
vulnerabilities, and appreciating how resilient
you can be; reconnection to your whole body
and mind is the way to increase that awareness.
Journaling your observations helps you to
deepen that understanding and be on the
front-foot when things go awry.

Expectation
Expecting that life will play out as you want
it to, is like expecting Boris Johnson to do a
Morris dance for your personal entertainment;
the thought may entertain you, but the chances of it
happening are slim.
20
 Sharon Wright
gorgeoushearts.com

Letting go of the pictures

of how we want things to
be, leads to a more open
and adaptable space from
where we can evolve.

Self-care
To have a resilient mind you need
a resilient body. If you are tired and
irritable, resilience is like the hare to the
greyhound.

Intuition
Trusting your innate wisdom which is
accessed from a space of presence and
settlement within, leads to more access
to the same. Intuition is like a muscle
that needs flexing; it helps us to be more
resilient by discerning what our next
move needs to be.

Leadership
Leading with love and responsibility helps us
to be resilient as we step up to what is needed
and put aside our own agenda.

Improvisation
Control is inflexible and snaps in the changing winds of
life. Letting go of control, being flexible, and trusting your
spontaneous and creative flow, leads to the choices that
help you to be resilient.

Empowerment
Feeling that you are a victim of circumstances makes it easy to give up, but there
is no growth in that dimension. Empower yourself to make the choices that transform and
enrich; empower others to do the same and you will be one hell of a resilient ninja.

Now
The present moment is your universe and where your resilience is needed. Claim your whole
resilient self unapologetically and bring it to whatever you are doing.

Trust
There is no resilience to be found in self-doubt. Confidence that you can walk across the
hot coals of adversity means facing your fears with courage, knowing that there is a bigger
picture, and that change is always just a Tardis spin away.
21
 MY JOURNEY TO
CHANGE MEDICINE

F
our years ago, I was
laying on the floor
too sick to get up. I’d
been through some tough
things before, but this was
the first time I thought I
would die. It is also the day
I began a journey to change
medicine.

I was a quiet, shy child

and always somewhat
of a medical mystery. I
knew that pure grit got me
through more days than I
could count. Yet I never
gave up on the chance
that someday my medical
team would reach a solid
diagnosis.

After decades of seeing specialists around the world, a simple Google search led to a discovery that would
change my life and the lives of thousands of others. I read an article discussing a relatively new diagnosis
that was poorly understood and rarely recognised and for the first time in my life, a diagnosis fit my
symptoms perfectly. I could not contain my excitement when I finally had answers.

It also didn’t take long for my network to take notice. At their request I began sharing what I was learning
and doing by founding a Facebook group and speaking at local support groups. Six months later a top
chemist reached out to me to learn from my community. Then, twenty-two months later, Facebook
Headquarters noticed what I was doing and invited me to attend the Facebook Communities Summit at
Facebook headquarters.

22
My actions, vision, and grit have inspired a community to come together to have educational discussions
about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) to help many people just like me who suffered for decades
without answers or a good treatment protocol.

This community has been chosen several times by others to create initiatives to change the way we do
medicine, to include how we diagnose patients and how they receive care in our medical system in the USA
and around the world. Then the pandemic hit, and my mission became critically important as it became
clear that MCAS was co-morbid with COVID-19.

By early 2020, my community had become the largest

MCAS community in the world, and the million plus
exchanges this community had in the years before were key
in helping medical teams find any treatment protocols to fight
COVID-19. It doesn’t end there. There are additional signals
that the way we do medicine is changing as it was discussed
in a recent article from the Royal College of Physicians.
They called for significant changes to managing the care
for chronically ill patients including MCAS and COVID-19
long-hauler patients.

I am neurodiverse, chronically ill, and disabled but I am

powerful and just getting started! People say the work I
am doing is so meaningful to so many. I hope I can teach
everyone that no matter how dire things get, you always have
the choice to be powerful, make change, and hope for the
future. Yes, you can impact the world. Virginia Phillips
aoeenow.com
23
 Effects
of Guilt
on a Person’s Behaviour

24
Guilt can be described as
taking responsibility, and
regretting actions that have
been done, actions perceived
as wrong.

Shame and guilt are very

closely related. When we are
shamed, we feel humiliated,
we view ourselves negatively,
and we start to experience low
self-esteem and depression.
When we are shamed for not
being able to affect a work-life
balance, we accept the blame
for this discrepancy and we
start to feel guilty. Research
indicates that people who are
more prone to shame, are also
more likely to show signs of
depression.
Guilt is a way of punishing ourselves, and this can be
very detrimental to our well-being. If we feel guilty,
there are two negative outcomes. First off, by only
accepting the guilt, we do nothing to change, and the
situation does not improve. Secondly, by accepting
all the guilt, even when it is wrongly ascribed, we can
end up depressed and our overall functioning comes
down.
A mother’s guilt is an example of chronic guilt.
Women who are wives and mothers, and are in a
paid job, often feel guilty about not being the perfect
mom, wife, and homemaker, as depicted through
media. They are constantly torn between their career
and their home. Typically, this inability to balance
home and work life is portrayed as an individual
problem, and not the result of imbalanced socio-
economic trends. The guilt a working woman
often deals with can be crippling, emotionally and
mentally and ultimately also take a toll on her health.
Learn to harness technology so that it works for
you. Stop checking work emails at home and stop
checking personal emails at work. If there is a crisis
at work, you can set aside some time from your
personal time, to respond to work mails/calls but
attending to work issues on personal time and vice
versa cannot be the norm.
You don’t have to be in ‘on’ mode 24x7. Set aside
some time in your day for ‘me time’. You could
choose to sit with a glass of wine and do absolutely
nothing else; indulge in some mindful meditation; go
for a walk…What is important here is that you make
the time for yourself to do something that makes you
happy. Ideally, keep a bit of each day for yourself.
The thing to remember is that shame is never good
for anyone. But guilt, at some level, is actually good
for you, especially when
it makes you want to do
something to correct
the situation. That said,
remember you need to
be clear whether it is

Strategies to eliminate guilt:

genuinely your fault, and
how much, if any guilt,
you need to accept.
Set up clear boundaries between home/personal life
and work life. It is crucial that we learn how to be Andrea Smith
‘fully present’ in every aspect of our life. True, this is www.andreaasmith.com
easier said than done. However there are ways to do
this, and there is no harm in asking for help.

25
 Autism,
My Friend
I always knew I was a bit
different, however I feel
that putting a label on it
made me feel included. I
have had mental health
throughout my life and
autism was only ever
suggested when I was 19
by my care coordinator.
Before that, when I was 3, I
was diagnosed by a speech
therapist with selective
mutism, little did I know
this was a sign of being on
the spectrum. From the age
of 4 I developed a passion
for writing, and then when
I was 8, I first learnt about
space and decided I wanted
a career involving space and
or writing, these became
my special interests which
I still have a passion for till
this very day. When it was
first mentioned, a referral
was submitted for me to
get tested, but because I
was in the middle of moving
to university the referral
got delayed and then later
cancelled.

26
 Whilst at university I was diagnosed
with BPD (Borderline Personality
Disorder) and later admitted to
the Maudsley hospital for a 2-year
intensive therapy for people with
BPD. Whilst there, autism kept
being brought up, but my therapist
said before I could get a proper
diagnosis of autism, my mental
health needed to be more stable
so they could work out what traits
were BPD or autism. Once I left the
Maudsley a referral was made. I
was told I would be on the waiting
list for 18-24 months but, as I was
in and out off hospital due to my
mental health, the doctors felt I
needed to be pushed up the list, so
I waited just under 6 months. I feel
the process was quick and I had two
sessions with the experts, and they
scheduled a call with my mother.
Once that was over, I had an
appointment booked in to find out
my results. I was given a diagnosis
of Autism level 2 at the age of 30. I
felt relieved and was given a letter
confirming what the doctor had said
and told I would receive the report.
‘but you don’t
look any
different!’
My mum did not understand
about autism, and when I told her,
I remember her saying ‘but you
don’t look any different!’ I gave her
some information and explained
how my mind operates in different
ways, giving her examples based
around me, and this helped her to
understand not only my autism, but
me as a person.
Autism is such a wide spectrum, and
no two people will have the same
traits. Even though I am verbal, at
times I struggle to communicate
and express my feelings and I find
writing best for me to do this. I
have many traits; like being a fussy
eater, and although I have learned
to disguise things that I do with my
food, I tend to just avoid certain
types to make life easier. I am also
sensitive to touch, cannot stand
hair on my body and I like precision.
Sherell Cherish Salmon
linktr.ee/SCSalmon
27
 Behind the Mask
I was the little girl who my mother didn’t know she
had. I would happily play on my own or I liked being
around adult company. I had a few friends at school;
I was never part of the crowd though. I liked being
with the dinner ladies or the teachers, they made
me feel safe whereas my peers were unpredictable.
I have memories of coming home from school and
locking myself in the toilet so that I could replay
back every conversation I had that day, every social
encounter. I would be playing pretend in my mind
whilst my hands would be in a world of their own,
flapping every time an emotion ran through me. The
bathroom would become my sanctuary, the only
28
place I could lock myself in and make everything go
away, I could be in my own little world and no one
would know.
Fast forward twenty five years. I have two children
of my own. My girls are Autistic. N is my beautiful
social butterfly, a people pleaser, a worrier, her
hands can move like mine, she is like me. M is my
sensory seeking beautiful rainbow bubble, classically
autistic, diagnosed at twenty one months old, never
happier than when she is upside down watching
YouTube.
 Centre
Feature

Then there is me, Alison. I’m now thirty six and

I’m Autistic. I’ve always been Autistic, but I
received my diagnosis at thirty four. At fourteen I
was diagnosed with anorexia and anxiety disorder,
I was given numerous medications and therapies.
Did they work? No. Why? Because I was Autistic. “I have
finally
Anxiety disorder wasn’t supposed to make you shut
down, it wasn’t supposed to make you over analyse

accepted
every social interaction you have. It wasn’t supposed
to affect your daily living skills meaning you can’t
drive or plait your child’s hair. I have co-ordination
difficulties, I have sensory issues, I like to control
every situation and people generally confuse the hell
that it is okay
out of me.
to ask for
I now have a diagnosis. What does that mean, do I
ask for support? Not quite, when you have masked help.”
and hid your difficulties for over thirty years it is
hard to take off that mask. It is difficult to ask for
help, it is difficult to admit that I struggle with basic
skills. The difference is, now I know why I think the
way I do, I have finally accepted that it is okay to ask
for help. It is okay to self regulate (stim) by moving
my hands or pace as this helps me to regulate
myself.

I set up “I am her voice - Our Autism Journey”, in

January 2019. I initially set it up as a hobby to share
mine and my girls’ Autism journey. It has become
so much more, it has helped me help myself, my
children and potentially others from being lost. I
offer support to help children and adults express
themselves, and to help them find ways to regulate
their senses and emotions.
Alison Blaney-Wombwell
iamhervoice.co.uk 29
 Our Truth Sets Us
17 months ago, I applied to the
New South Wales Government
Victims Support Service for recognition
of childhood rape. Today I received a
reply and I literally burst into tears. 40
years of emotion exploded as I read
these words from the Assessor acting
under the delegated authority of the
Commissioner of Victims’ Rights.
free
“Ms Gibbins was the victim of an act of violence
and as a direct result of that act, she suffered
harm. I have determined that Ms Gibbins was
a primary victim of an act of violence under
section 19 and 20 of the Victims Rights and
Support Act 2013 (NSW) (‘the Act’) and has
established eligibility for victims support.”
Why the tears after all these years? Why does a
stranger writing to me make any difference?

“I was
exhausted
from the
emotional
trauma of
keeping other
people’s
secrets.”
30
e I was exhausted from the emotional trauma
of keeping other people’s secrets. I was
emotionally and physically sick from being
called a liar by those who felt threatened by my
truth. I hated feeling like the bad person when I
hadn’t done anything wrong.

Desperately desiring unconditional love is

a powerful force and sometimes illogical in
nature. As a mature woman, who has been
happily married for 33 years and raised 5
beautiful children while juggling university
degrees, career, and family, I repeatedly asked
myself why I still felt the need to be believed.

Apparently, while my healthy adult self knew

I was a highly competent, capable, and loving
human being, my inner child still felt abused,
abandoned, and rejected. I learnt that at times
of stress my default thoughts and feelings
chose to activate without permission and the
physical manifestations were a consequence of
Because belief matters. What we believe that innate response.
determines how we act or react in any given
situation. And being believed connects directly This learning was hard, very hard, but it
to our core. Not only are our values and beliefs allowed me to deal with my reality.
the foundation of our life, they are deeply
rooted in our psyche. So, when we believe To live a healthy adult life, we need to be
that someone in authority will protect us from comfortable with our authentic self.
harm, we rely on them to act accordingly. When
the person is someone we love and respect, Our truth sets us free.
we believe their protection is guaranteed.
And when this guaranteed response does not
happen, the only logical conclusion can seem
like, ‘I must have done something wrong’. When
that person is physically bigger, manipulative
or threatening in behaviour, it also results in
feelings of fear, helplessness, and paralysis.
When we get strong enough to tell our truth
and the individuals do not believe us, it is
devastating on many levels.

Going through the process of writing down

my story was brutal. Choosing to unpack
and release 40 years of painful memories -
extremely distressing, but for me necessary.

It was necessary because I needed closure. Annie Gibbins

anniegibbins.com

31
 SET NO LIMITS
W
hen a child is born, as a parent
we see only perfection – a
beautiful being created by US!
As they begin to grow and develop their
own little (or large) personality, we begin to
learn about them as a person separate from
us.

So, what do you do when “they” tell you

that your child will never drive, never finish
school, never do all the things that you’ve
dreamed for them? You fight back.

At 3 years old, Joshua was adorable and

precocious. His verbal capability was well
beyond his years – he spoke like a little
adult. He would ride in the tow truck with
his Dad, entertaining customers for hours.
No matter how long the ride, he could
carry on a conversation well beyond what
any child his age should be able to, with
appropriate adult vocabulary.

32

32
In relating to children his own age, he would
often be silent and stay apart, enjoying spending
time with the adults instead. We began to realise
around that time that there was something a bit
different about this little boy of ours.
By the time he was 5, without seeing an emblem
or words, Joshua could identify almost any vehicle
by make and model. One day, we were sitting at
McDonald’s for lunch. During that 30 minutes, he
accurately named each vehicle going by. Despite
this phenomenal ability to retain specific things, he
struggled with others. He could read digital clocks
but struggled mightily with analogue. Things that
required manual dexterity took longer to learn.
At school, “homework” was a nightmare.
Worksheets that required using objects like
pennies for counting, created hours of frustration.
Then one night my husband had an epiphany,
bringing in a huge box of Matchbox cars.
Immediately, Joshua used the cars to count, doing
his homework in a flash. His teacher adapted
his school environment using the same method.
We realised in that the “way” Joshua processed
information was different, but that he did process
it ALL, and then some.
“JUST
BECAUSE I
DON’T DO
SOMETHING,
DOESN’T MEAN
I CAN’T.”
As Joshua got older, he would encounter much
larger challenges than pennies. After 6 years we
got a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, which is
on the autism spectrum and were advised about
all the “nevers”. Fortunately, we all disagreed,
including Joshua.
When people declared he was too much of a
wimp to play high school football, he donned the
uniform, did the gruelling double sessions, and
played for 2 months, at the end of which he said,
“See? I could do it - I just didn’t want to.”
Determined to prove everyone wrong, Joshua
graduated with EXTRA CREDITS, drives any
vehicle, including his Harley, tractors, and
commercial trucks, and works full time.
Looking back, Joshua regrets, to a degree, our
decision to get a diagnosis because, in his words,
“Diagnosis sometimes stigmatises a person to the
point that people won’t offer them opportunities
because they assume they’re too stupid,
uneducated or unable to comprehend what they
want to do. Just because I don’t do something,
doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“Your success and your happiness lie in you.” – Helen
Keller
Susan Totman
virtualbusinesspro.com
33
 Transforming
Trauma Into Hope
“
Your response to life’s turbulences determines
how well you progress positively along the
continuum of life.”
Having undergone different types of personal
trauma including sudden and devastating violence, I
understand what it feels like to lose a sense of self.
I’ve had to rebuild my face, literally- and redefine
myself over the last seven years.
A former Chemistry teacher at public secondary
schools in Trinidad and Tobago, I survived being
shot in the face, chest and shoulder during an
attempted robbery in 2013, twenty days after my
47th birthday. I remained in intensive care for several
34
days. My chin had been blown away, what was left
of my lower jaw was fractured from ear to ear, my
tongue was macerated and threatened to slip into my
throat and I sustained less severe wounds to my chest
and shoulder. It was three weeks before I was able to
speak again and nine months before I could eat solid
foods once more.
Unable to return to work for over a year, I lost
my job. I sold my car and the money from its sale
was pooled with my life savings to be used for
reconstructive and plastic surgery. After slipping into
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I sought professional
help and eventually began a journey marked by
determination and resilience.
Now retired on medical grounds, I am an author, still an
educator, an inspirational speaker and an advocate against
gun violence. My previous books were centred on my injury
and recuperation. The first one was ‘From Lion to Lamb, A
Spiritual Journey’ followed by a prayer book, ‘Gently Powerful
Personal Prayers for Collective Grace’ and the third, ‘Bounce
Back Better, 10 (+1) Key Steps for Building Resilience’.

During my recovery, I sought warmth, security and comfort

through faith, books and true stories of overcoming. These
elements provided the impetus for me to conceptualise a new
series of true, inspirational stories in an anthology called ‘Hot
Cocoa on a Rainy Day, 10 (+1) Stories to Warm Your Heart’.
The intention was to provide inspiration, to turn hurt into hope
and to give other authors a platform to share their stories and
help others.
Caron Asgarali
Having progressed positively through my own trials, I caronrasgarali78691029.wordpress.com
understood that lessons learnt from reading about the trials
of others could be transferrable, even if the challenge was
different. With that in mind, I engaged nine other authors to
share their stories in the book so that readers are taken through
the progress of, not 1, but 10 (+1) individuals and so are
inspired and motivated into taking action to progress through
their own trials.

My story has touched many lives, inspiring others by my

healing and attitude after the injury. This led to my nomination
as one of BBC’s Outlook Inspirations in 2018 and being named
as an Amway Hero for
Determination in 2019.

35
 Confidence is Contagious

Confidence is the state of feeling

certain about the truth, and a
feeling of self-assurance arising
from one’s own appreciation of
their abilities. My questions of, ‘Do
I appreciate myself and my own
gifts? Do I know how powerful I
truly am?’ arise from my heart as I
began writing this excerpt from my
home office during COVID. What
would everyone think of me if my
own curtain was pulled back and I
showed up vulnerably?

Well, I went through an existential

crisis of meaning where the
wounds cut deeply and aren’t
available to the naked eye. Every
Friday for nearly a decade, we
hopped into my mom’s SUV
and drove an hour to visit my
grandparents and cousins. Thus,
began my experience to the world
of addiction.

I watched in horror and curiosity

as two of my male cousins hid
drugs and money in the walls of
the home, and witnessed one
too many fights between them,
begging my grandmother to give
them her last cent. As I grew older,
my fear of turning into someone
who knew the pains and problems
of addictions manifested into my
little world. The good Catholic girl
became an alcoholic the moment
booze touched her lips.

36
My drinking career began at
17 and lasted a solid 10 years.
At 25, I lost my job at the top
pharmaceutical company in the
world. By that age I was having
multiple seizures, throwing up
blood and blacking out after a
night of straight partying. That
lasted for 2 years until I was
driven out of every friend circle,
and family wanted nothing
to do with my performances.
Luckily, I landed on my feet in my
career, but not in my personal
world. I begged my family for
forgiveness only to be met with
disappointment.
Brittany Young
I knew something needed to calendly.com/shespeaksbravely/
change, but I was not sure how to spiritual-visionary-session
ask for forgiveness. Remember I
did not have a lick of confidence,
but the voice of God sparked
something deeply within my soul.
My sobriety story began slowly
and in a CrossFit gym. I walked in
one evening, announced myself
as if I were the keynote speaker
at the White House and was
met with pure love. I was home,
thus beginning my self-healing
journey.

Today I am 7 years sober

and counting. I run my own
successful Soul Activation and
Breakthrough Bullshit Coaching
Business. I help multimillionaire
women leave their stories
behind, step out of slavery
mindset and into sovereignty
consciousness while up levelling
their spiritual game. Within
this body of work, I am able to
tap into God, angels, and spirit
guides with working with my
clients. I never knew this was my
purpose! God has a funny way of
letting you know you’re meant
to be seeking guidance through
your trials and tribulations.
Redemption sure is sweet on the
other side!

37
 All
Three
Are
Me
I don’t know about you, but the task of writing about myself isn’t
easy, I’ve really had to think. Who indeed am I? I knew what I
wasn’t, that was easy enough, but now I’m trying to think about the
things people have said about me, including the compliments, and
that’s embarrassed me slightly.

What exactly is the problem with us women when it comes to

accepting compliments anyway? Is it modesty? Is it disbelief?
Maybe it’s both! I guess we all have to try and start listening more,
not just brush those compliments aside, because they’re nice to
receive, aren’t they?

Jannette Barrett

38
I’ve learnt to take them as a gift! That’s really
helped. Yes, a ‘gift of kindness’ is lovely for both
the giver and the recipient. I think my most
unexpected gift of kindness was when a friend of
mine nominated me for ‘Carer of the Year’ back
in 2017. I was utterly spellbound. What on earth
did she see in me that could warrant such an
honorary nomination? I certainly couldn’t see it.
As far as I was concerned, I was merely doing my
job to the best of my capabilities. With a no frills,
straight talking, honest bespoke approach. Oh I
did have some stubborn clients with the thickest
of skins, but I persisted because they all deserved
great care, just as I would want for myself. Trust
was an issue with most of them and from reports,
it was warranted. All I did was ‘flip the switch’
when I took over and the results birthed the
nomination.
Today, I use all three of my personas to my
advantage because I’m finally whole. My name is
Jannette Barrett, but I use my aka ‘Ms Lyricist B’
and I project my resilient persona ‘Machete’ when
it’s necessary. All three are me.
I am a multiple published author, actor, singer
songwriter who also dances, mimes, and creates
performance poetry. I love me now, I’m indeed
incredible just like I’ve been told I am so many
times. Thank you to all of you who saw my
trueness, boy was I blind. All those qualities
are great but add that to being a wife for three
decades, as well as a mother and grandmother. Oh
yes, I’m quite something. The adrenaline junkie
granny with the caring nature of an angel, Haha!
Funny.

So there I was, having

to now look at myself
differently whilst sitting
at this table within a ball
setting surrounded by
incredible people, and I
was one of them. I was
a finalist. A finalist for
‘Carer of the Year’ in
the Midlands area. How
on God’s earth did that
happen? I wasn’t even on
social media so where did
all the supporting votes
come from?

Forced to join Facebook I

placed one post, just one;
and it shared like this awful
covid-19 pandemic. It was
a turning point for me,
a dramatic evolution of
my chrysalis self into the
butterfly I am today.

39
 The Not Phoenix Madley
www.visionary-heart.com

So Secret Sauce
Sometimes do you feel that you are on a big set of invisible scales? The
weight of the world against you? Are there times when you try to measure
up to everyone else? Are there days you feel like that? Many of us grew
up with beliefs on what being an inspiration means. And who we had to
be to reach that ever-elusive spot. Many of us often compare ourselves to
others to feel like we have some form of worth and value in our own lives.
Am I okay? Pretty enough, smart enough, skinny enough? Am I worthy of
love and acceptance? Am I deserving to work towards the things I want to
achieve? Am I important? Am I making a difference in the world and to
the people around me? Am I making a difference in my own life? Look at
her, him, them! They are inspirational. They seem to have this secret sauce
to life. And here I am in my own life, not being an inspiration to anyone.

40
Really? Come on! The things we tell ourselves. I can promise you there is no secret sauce to being
inspirational. There is only a secret sauce when you make pasta. And this is so not pasta! It does
not matter how many people see you as an inspiration in life. And even if people do, could you
accept being inspirational if deep inside, you feel that you are not? You can only receive other
people’s compliments on being inspirational when you recognise, feel, and know that you are. Of
course, not everyone will be inspired by you. Simply because not everyone can appreciate what
you have come to give. Not everyone can appreciate who you are. Only the right ones will.

You are here! Da Da! You showed up for life. And because of that, it means you are already
inspiring people every day. Therefore, you have already accomplished so much. You are the secret
sauce in your own life. That then means, it’s not so secret. Your inspiration should not be a secret
to you. I know you have endured hardship, challenges, loss, and failure. You have probably faced
joy, happiness, and adventure as well. Whoever said, being inspirational had to be in flashing
lights, for the whole world to see? If you can see it, then you have already gained an audience with
the inner world of yourself. And if a few people around can see, the ones who love you, then you
cannot tell me you are not inspirational. You are always a bright star in someone’s reality, lighting
up their world and your own. At any moment, you might inspire someone by just being you!
From that point, it is then you can say, ‘Here I am world, take me as I am. I see me. And because I
see me, I feel worthy to be seen by others. To embrace the inspiration I am’.

41
 Darkness to Light

I lived in a home with a manipulative, narcissistic, gaslighting, aggressive mother and a very passive
father. He was #teammom for life and we, my siblings and I, were second class citizens. The girls
relegated to the bottom of the respect pile.

It was often a rotten existence at home but I had a lot of coping skills which I utilised daily.

Going out for as long as possible to meet my friends, spending time immersed in books and as much
fantasy as possible with Nancy Drew and The Famous Five, the girls at St Claire and Mallory Towers,
and writing poetry.

That poetry was filled with feeling. It was emotion central. I got everything out in every poem and it
was extremely cathartic.

My poems are still emotion filled but in a different way.

42
See, I did lots of work on myself to get to a place where I could enjoy writing poetry and fully love my
rhyming style without all the anger, sadness and upset behind it.

Don’t get me wrong, those fuelled some epic poems as a child but now, now my poetry is fuelled with
everything, all the wildness, the beauty, the magic, the emotions, everything. And it feels whole, so
much more expansive and healed. It’s now a joy to write all my emotions rather than it coming from a
place of hurt.

Genius
To the waters and the wild
Come to me, stand by my side.
You are ready now my child,
To upgrade the light in shadow mind.
Lover, sovereign, warrior, magician,
Every moment pure submission.
To their powers all day long,
And in the night, you will grow strong.
Keep it simple, stay on track,
Know your worth, have your back.
Take all precise steps you can SEE,
They are for you, they set you free.
Feel in to it, stop your thinking,
This is where the magic kicks in.
Never ever second guess,
Magic does not respond to stress.
There are some words that you should know,
They will help your genius grow.
But they require you to be,
All you say and all you see.
Boundaries, surrender, integration,
Values, trust, implementation.
Submission, action, holding tension,
Power, genius, resurrection.
You are the lock, I am the key,
I hold the codes to set you free.
I see the things you cannot see,
I’m ready for you, come to me.
And when you do, you will find out,
What your life is all about,
Where you’re going and what you’ll need,
What to take and what not to heed.
One last thing before I go,
Something you should really know.
I bring the truth and lay it bare,
For you to look at if you dare.
I hold the mirror for you to see,
All that you are and who you can be.
Now is the time, and I see it clear Ciara Heneghan
Today is your day and this is your year. ciaraheneghanconsulting.lpages.co

43
 STRENGTH
I
n the mid 1960’s my future as a young
teenager was chosen for me. I was informed
by my father, a minister in a well-known
religious sect, that I had grown up far too
inquisitive (I think he meant attractive) and
in the eyes of the elders in the church, I was
a danger to myself and to his standing in
the church. So, he gave me two choices, no
discussion was encouraged. I could join the
church group of young men and women who
sold their religious magazines from door to
door every day, or I could choose marriage to
a favoured young man in the church, who had
already approached my father for my hand in
wedded bliss.
44
I knew this young man, and I also knew of his
reputation as a Lothario in our township, but
being a naive child of seventeen this seemed
the better option. He was twenty-one, tall
handsome, and a charmer who promised me the
world if I said yes. The wedding was set, my
mother beside herself with the arrangements,
she advised me not to bother myself about all
the bits and bobs, as that is what my mother and
sisters were for. All I had to do was continue
to work as a salesgirl and dream of the white
picket fence, with a rose arbour at the front gate
of a white stone cottage, two children playing
quietly at my feet, a gorgeous Golden Retriever
dog beside them. As I daydreamed, I had no
inkling of the heartache that I would witness
and be part of.
The wedding date was set, I now busily
added anything and everything to my ‘Glory
Box’ that would make a home for us both.
Weekends had become a frenzy of sewing. A
wedding frock of satin and lace materialised
from mother’s sewing room, fraying tempers
did not help as she tried to organise fittings for
bridesmaids frocks, plus new attire for herself.
The big day arrived, I sat staring at the white
dress, unease cramping in the pit of my
tum, when I heard the doorbell go. I heard
mumbling then a child cry. Puzzled, I peeped
out, to see my father usher a young woman
into the lounge, holding her hand was little
girl no older than three. Father had just gulped
back a large whisky as I entered the lounge,
his words landing like lead pellets in my ears.
“This is your young man’s lady friend, and
she says this is his child, I will put a stop to
this debacle right now, then drive you to stay
with your aunt ‘til we have sorted this out.” I
knew my mother would have hysterics and my
two sisters would follow her lead. Me? I was
seventeen and would heal.
Many years have passed, and I will be forever
grateful for the amazing strength it must have
taken for that young lady to ring the doorbell.
Kez Wickham St George
kezwickhamstgeorge.com
45
 Wither
an Adventure
The year 2020 changed the world.
Thinking of one person who did not
experience change from the global
pandemic is nigh to impossible.

Our office was running full-tilt and

suddenly I received a text from a
colleague firmly compelling me to stay
home because of my asthmatic lungs. Rita Preston
The Shutdown occurred in the middle www.ritapreston.com
of our busy (income tax) season in the
United States.

Life changed for all of us at some point
in the early months. Wither and mope?
Make a new life? Sitting still was not an
option for me. I needed ‘something’
to do. For personal satisfaction, for
stress relief, for growth. My retired
husband, a disabled veteran, has been
my cheerleader!
On a lark I signed up for a discounted
writing course advertised on social
media. The adventure was afoot!
Writing courses to sharpen my long-
brushed-aside skills as a scribe.
Unbeknownst to me, a dear friend, an
author in her own right, was being led
to launch a collaborative book series.
Hearing her call, I leapt at the chance.
One year post shut-down, I am now a
co-author working on the second volume
of our series, while crunching numbers in
the tax office owned for over 30 years by
another cherished friend.
I eat lunch at my desk, but instead of
working through lunch, or surfing
the internet, I pull out my lime green
clipboard with my ‘list’ and my drafts, and
I read. I rarely edit there. Just read.

46
 “One mini vacation every day!”
Now that winter is fading away, I
may take a short walk. I find myself
refreshed after this break and my hours
on the job are less stressful and pass
with less effort. One mini vacation
every day!
My classes continue. I carry a notebook
and jot ideas. I take photographs
(another hobby) and thank the inventor
of the digital age for saving me fortunes
in film developing costs! The difference
is that I jot a note or thought about the
photo before the day’s end. There may
be a story hiding in those pixels!
Just look at the calculating occupation I chose!
Never say never!
As the warm weather arrives, I hear motorcycles go
past the office and my home. My husband, disabled but
doing his best not to wither, has been tinkering with
our ‘toys’. We anticipate the wind on our faces. My
notebook will be in my travel pack with my camera!
Adventure beckons!
Whether or not there’s a shutdown, I shall not wither! I
will nourish my spirit!

The pandemic shutdown allowed me to

look at desires I tucked away decades
ago. My high school English teacher
counselled wisely: Writers traditionally
starve. Keep writing as a hobby and
find something from which to earn a
living. My chosen university major?
Foreign language and international
studies! I said I ‘hated’ math.

47
 C LIMBING
BACK UP!

I
am a Scottish woman who has Cerebral
Palsy which has resulted in walking
difficulties along with a speech and hearing
impairment and manual dexterity problems.
I epitomise drive, motivation, and passion.  With
a vision to turn my life around, my self-leadership
journey has made me the person I am today.
Along the way, it has been key people in my life
that have been instrumental to my success. I have
a PhD; two Masters, and a Bachelor of Honours
in Information Technology. I was fortunate and
able to manage my academic success parallel to
my life adventures with exhilarating recreational
opportunities with the “Tall Ship voyages”.
Fulfilling my career aspirations and supporting
community engagements, I’ve led an incredible
active life.

48
In 2017, I had my life laid out in front of
me following my PhD Graduation. I was
excited and looking forward to commencing
my career, wherever it took me. However, not
long after the celebrations in July that year, my
life changed drastically after a traumatic accident.
It completely locked my body further with the
underlying existing impairments of Cerebral Palsy.
My body was literally on fire all the time. Even in the
three months before the accident, I was up scaling Ben
Lomond with my able bodied male friend in the Spring of that year. That’s how active I
was and then my physical agility went in a flash! Little did I know, climbing back up to
retain my drive, motivation and passion and resume life in the fast lane would test my
resilience further. The weekly rehabilitation sessions with my fabulous physiotherapist,
Audrey was intense and painful at times, but I started to regain strength and became the
‘Jules’ I once was. I loved being able to laugh again. I owe it to Audrey who understood
what I could do before the accident and helped me climb back up to get my life back.

I have led a very independent life with the use of assistive technologies. The traumatic
accident changed my outlook in life. It has taught me the basic necessity about
accessibility. Society still has a long way to go to be accessible whether it is physical,
social, or a digital presence. While my mobility was restricted
and rehabilitation was a priority, I undertook a Master in Law
(LLM) through Open University. As well as having a personal
understanding of disability and equality-related issues, I knew
having background in a legal discipline would assist me
wherever life takes me.

I’m looking forward to a new chapter in my life and can’t

wait to see where my drive, motivation and passion will
take me next!

Dr Julie McElroy
juliemcelroy.com
49
 Succeed at Home Schooling
Many schools stayed closed at the start of term, leaving “working from home” mums faced with maintaining
a work/life balance whilst coping with their child’s online education. Teaching your children can be
hard during lockdown. However, with a little planning and goal setting you can create a home learning
environment for your kids that will help reduce anxiety for all of you.

Firstly, understand the key strategies that help kids learn :

1. link theory to reality by demonstrating what you want to teach

2. focus on building vocabulary and ensure the meaning of words are understood

3. make sure your child understands the basics before introducing more complex
material or concepts

4. kids learn by understanding, not memorising

5. motivate them and implement practical, joyful, interesting activities in relation

to the subject your child is learning

6. get to know your child’s learning style and personalise a study strategy

7. ensure there is a schedule and a dedicated space for home learning

Let go of stress and worries!

What would Einstein do?

Einstein put great emphasis on
the importance of understanding
things. He said ”Anyone
can know. The point is to
understand.” He also said that if you can’t explain something
to a six-year-old, you don’t understand what you’re explaining.
How do you know your child understands? Wait for the “aha”
moment, you can see when the penny drops!
50
The importance of learning from mistakes
We work hard to ‘train children to pass exams’ but they don’t always
understand what they are learning. They will memorise to avoid
failure, leaving many of them stressed and fearing forthcoming exams.
I hope that the events of the pandemic will give rise to change.
Education teaches us to always know the answer and avoid making
mistakes, but it is only by making mistakes and facing challenges that
we are forced to formulate novel and creative solutions.

Redefining our children’s Education

We have the chance to change how we approach
education as we step into the 4th Industrial
Revolution. How will we cope with this challenge?
What skills and knowledge will we need to help our
children to succeed? How will schools to pivot meet
these new challenges?

I believe that it’s time to reframe how we think about the situation.
In his article, “Learning through play: how schools can educate
students through technology” John Goodwin argues: “While
traditional educational metrics of literacy and numeracy are vital,
society also requires learners to have a range of holistic skills to
thrive in the modern world. These include creative, technology,
innovation and interpersonal skills”.

Learn to love Learning

Learning to love and embrace learning is an extremely
important life skill! I refuse to buy the media stories that:
“Kids are falling behind academically”. Kids are only
falling behind if we choose to measure them on scales that Eva Sekeres
have been broken for decades. They aren’t falling behind shanshija.com
they are adapting, learning new skills, overcoming. Kids
are surviving a pandemic that has shaken their world
before they have fully understood it.

51
 Business Coaching
THE BUSINESS DIRECTORY.
Ascend Performance Coaching Arah Perrett Consultancy Karen J Burge - Business Coach
www.ascendperformancecoaching. www.arahperrett.co.uk www.karenjburge.com
com hello@arahperrett.co.uk karen@karenjburge.com
vicky@ascendperformancecoaching. 07944 478 348 07962 275 115
com
07975 742 975 Melitta Campbell, Business Coach Karin Weiser
www.melittacampbell.com karinweiser.com
Listening to Your Voice melittacampbell@me.com Karin@karinweiser.com
www.listeningtoyourvoice.co.uk +41 79 304 6575 +45 2685 9778
ruth.pearson@listeningtoyourvoice.co.uk
07828 028 559 Hayoka Consulting Aurora Wellness
www.hayoka.co.uk www.aurorawellness.uk
Empowered Leadhership donna.dibbert@hayoka.co.uk hello@aurorawellness.uk
www.empoweredleadhership.com 07834 694 838 07985 672 045
renee@empoweredleadhership.com
1+858-663-0445 CS Planners Dare 2 Be Coaching
www.csplanners.com www.dare2becoaching.com
Trusha Lakhani Action Coach stefanie.csplanners@gmail.com alison@dare2becoaching.com
www.actioncoach.co.uk/trushalakhani 905-906-9414 310 344 5184
trushalakhani@actioncoach.co.uk
07971 564 111 Kylie Anderson Coaching Academy of Entrepreneurial
www.kylieandersoncoaching.com Excellence
Annie Gibbins kylie@kyliemenz.com www.aoeenow.com
www.anniegibbins.com 07843 092021 virginia@aoeenow.com
annie@anniegibbins.com 07192 908222
+ 61 4 1474 0741 The Geek Coach
www.thegeekcoach.co.uk Keri Ellen Tietjen
Thrive 365 michelle@thegeekcoach.co.uk www.keriellentietjen.com
www.thrive365.co.uk 07577 357256 keri@thewildfiregroupllc.com
bep@thrive365.co.uk + 65 0622 6114
07747 760015

Coaching
Above Beyond Lady Boss Royalty Mindset Coach
www.abovebeyondcoaching.co.uk www.msladyboss.com www.royaltymindsetcoach.com
info@abovebeyondcoaching.co.uk bintimkubwa@gmail.com hello@royaltymindsetcoach.com
07923 367 545 07931 322 893 07032 313 061

Soulful Living with Andrea Helen Pinkett Fresh Mindset

www.soulfullivingwithandrea.com.au www.helenpinkett.com www.freshmindset.co.uk
andrea@soulfullivingwithandrea.com.au hpinkett101@gmail.com maxineking@freshmindset.co.uk
400683136 07540 874 882 07788 914 296

Andrea Onadeko Relationship Coach Mojo Coach Alison Lincoln

www.andreaonadeko.com mojocoach.co.uk www.alisonlincoln.co.uk
andrea@andreaonadeko.com mandy@mojocoach.co.uk alincoln2913@icloud.com
07958 749 966 07891 084 093
Sue Curr
Clarissa Kristjansson Not a Rehearsal www.suecurr.com
www.clarissakristjansson.com www.notarehearsal.co.uk suecurr@suecurr.com
clarissa@thelittlebreathingspace.com deb@notarehearsal.co.uk 07802 544 805
+46 7206 96 950 07753 424 282
YBU Coaching
Mastering Your Monday OVP Coaching ybucoaching.com
www.masteringyourmonday.com www.ovpc4schools.co.uk ybu_coaching@oulook.com
hello@masteringyourmonday.com info@ovpcoaching.co.uk 07568 332 863
1+302-981-1271 07505 784 546
Parent Teen Coaching
Bernadette Bruckner The Effect Coaching instagram.com/parenttennetwork
www.bernadettebruckner.com www.theeffectcoaching.co.uk parentteen2@gmail.com
brucknercb@gmx.at effete111@gmail.com 07886 735043
6801306752 07950 237596
Brittany Parsons Coaching
Hearts Entwined Andrea A Smith calendly.com/shespeaksbravely/
hearts-entwined.com www.andreaasmith.com spiritual-visionary-session
Lyn@Hearts-Entwined.com hello@andreaasmithg.com information@brittanyparsons-
0115 727 0107 07967 151790 coaching.com
52 +26 7280 7458
 Coaching
Ciara Heneghan Consulting Exceed Coaching
Habit Breaker
ciaraheneghanconsulting.lpages.co www.exceed-coaching.co.uk
www.habitbreaker.org
inessence@mail.com lisa.cobble78@gmail.com
christine@habitbreaker.org
+ 35 385 878 7875 07984 528563
07932 488943
Walking Without Skin Your Reason to Breathe
Propelled by Possibility
www.walkingwithoutskin.com www.yourreasontobreathe.com
propelledbypossibility.com
lois@walkingwithoutskin.com sarah@yourreasontobreathe.com
lisafenton@live.ca
+278 2563 1959 07725 818898
+ 905 447 4768
Sevda Hussein Shumba Wileman
Gorgeous Hearts
www.facebook.com/sevda.hussein www.shumbawileman.com
www.gorgeoushearts.com
sevdaauthenticitymovement@gmail.com pehps@msn.com
THE BUSINESS DIRECTORY.

sharon@gorgeoushearts.com
07510 760910 07752 054430
07909 292642
Eva Sekeres
Shawna Snow
www.shanshija.com
strongertogether.lpages.co/stronger-together/
awekeva@gmail.com
shawnasnow@mac.com
07956 665489
31 65 203 6696

Business Services
Mercury Franchise School Propelled By Possibility Strategy Cards
www.mercuryfranchiseschool.com propelledbypossibility.com strategycards.co.uk
c.white@mercuryfranchise.co.uk lisafenton@live.ca sarah@strategycards.co.uk
07507 478 194 (905) 447-4768 01343 818 150

Inspired People Premier Property Solutions KI Leadership Institute

www.inspiredpeople.co.uk premierpropertysolutions.co.im www.kileadership.com
jo@inspiredpeople.co.uk caitrionaellis@gmail.com arthiemoore@kileadershipinstitute.com
01214 033 832 07624 252757 72 439 4220

Ask The Chameleon Leave A Better Legacy G Kaur Consultancy

www.askthechameleon.co.uk www.leaveabetterlegacy.co.uk www.gkaurconsultancy.com
rachel@askthechameleon.co.uk haworth@eggandnest.co.uk admin@gkaurconsultancy.com
07976 884 543 07377 005177 07535 973758

Changemaker Central Property Smiles Nicola Matthews

www.speakerinsight.com www.propertysmiles.org nicolamatthews.co.uk
kelly@speakerinsight.com slphimister@gmail.com hello@nicolamatthews.co.uk
07956 887545 07852 002105 01283 808046

Virtual Business Pro

www.virtualbusinesspro.com
susan@virtualbizconnection.com
207-322-2567

Charity and
Social Enterprise
The Swap Shop The Luca Foundation Julie McElroy
theukswapshop.co.uk thelucafoundation.org.uk www.juliemcelroy.com
rachel@askthechameleon.co.uk info@thelucafoundation.org.uk juliemcelroy@hotmail.com
01332 232 054 01926 754 076 07870 759480

Street Style Surgery Unique New Adventure

www.streetstylesurgery.co.uk uniquenewadventure.com
sissy@streetstylesurgery.co.uk unarlappin@gmail.com
07793 633003 07872 580732

Revival Sanctuary Virtual Biz Connection

Networking www.revivalsanctuary.co.uk virtualbizconnection.com
enquires@revivalsanctuary.co.uk susan@virtualbizconnection.com
53
THE BUSINESS DIRECTORY. Finance
Health Empowered Alignment
theea.life
Jo Outram
Financial Ftness Club
and Fitness align@theea.life
07873 557 574
www.jooutram.com
joanne@financialfitnessclub.co.uk
07791 091 599
Monika Mateja Primal Nature
www.monikamateja.com www.primalnature.info Finpert
mmateja921@gmail.com primalnature.eml@gmail.com www.finpert.co.uk
07872 066176 07916 125 146 contact@finpert.co.uk
07541 594 627
By George Pilates Anita Andor
www.bygeorgepilates.com www.anitaandor.com Anna Goodwin Accountancy
bygeorgepilates@gmail.com info@anitaandor.com www.annagoodwinaccountancy.co.uk
07739 180681 07976 183631 anna@annagoodwinaccountancy.co.uk
07711 805 183

Willow Brook Lifestyle Financial Planning

www.willowbrooklfp.co.uk
ceri.willowbrook@sjpp.co.uk
01495 766740

Hynotherapy and NLP

Limitless Transformation My NLP Works Oakes-Wilson Hypnotherapy
www.limitlesstransformationja.com www.mynlpworks.co.uk www.oakeswilsonhypnotherapy.com
nlptrainingjamaica@gmail.com markwood@mynlpworks.co.uk info@oakeswilsonhypnotherapy.com
876-556-5177 07816 055 552 07827 061 637

Oxford Spires Hypnotherapy Live Your Life Hypnotherapy Tracey Cole

www.oxfordspireshypnotherapy.co.uk liveyourlifehypnotherapy.co.uk traceycolenlp.com
oshypnotherapy@yahoo.co.uk aniko.hevizi@gmail.com tracey@traceycolenlp.com
07837 281 693 07886 394 365 07815 016 169

Lifestyle
Elke Wallace Lynne Page
True Colours with Sarah Heron travel-pa.com/Lynnep
www.truecolourswithsarahheron.com e.wallace.info@mail.uk
07952 254 810 lynnep@travel-pa.com
hello@truecolourswithsarahheron.com 07368 184 620
07545 145 765
Whiskey’s Orchard
www.whiskeysorchard.co.uk Paterson Photographic Services
Harmony Glass twp111281@hotmail.com
harmonyglass.co.uk ingrid@whiskeysorchard.co.uk
07799 409 337 07538 522 707
ali@harmonyglass.co.uk
07961 668 996
Heidi McCurdy
Colour & Style Analysis heidimccurdy.com
www.colourstyleanalysis.com coachhmc@telus.net
info@colourstyleanalysis.com 604-538-7154
07773 027 243

Marketing
Jakenna Creative Design Thoughtful Innovations Laura Rose Creative
fb.com/Jakenna.creative.design www.thoughtfulinnovations.com www.laurarosecreative.com
info@jakennacreativedesign.com Robert@thoughtfulinnovations.com laura@anchoranddash.com
314-304-7149 07956 559 201
54
 Marketing Writing
Deearo Marketing The Visuals Adviser Book Brilliance Publishing
www.deearomarketing.com thevisualsadviser.co.uk bookbrilliancepublishing.com
hello@deearomarketing.com abbi@amoreantos.co.uk admin@bookbrilliancepublishing.com
01763 764334 07966 712 017 020 8641 5090
ER Marketing Real Good Kim Lengling Author
www.er-marketing.co.uK www.realgoodlive.co.uk www.kimlenglingauthor.com
hello@er-marketing.co.uk james@realgoodlive.co.uk lenglingauthor@gmail.com
07427 607018 07792 670490 814-724-9099

L&G Associates
THE BUSINESS DIRECTORY.

www.landgassociates.co.uk
hello@landgassociates.co.uk
Counselling Online 07736 351 341
Wellbeing www.counsellingonline.ie
mary@counsellingonline.ie Nicci Lou
00 35 3860 709 843 niccilou.com
info@niccilou.com
Aurea Reis Debs de Vries 07903 531 599
aurea.reis1@gmail.com www.debsdevries.com
07990 674 991 debs@debsdevries.com Nishka Writes
07748 595565 www.nishkawrites.com
Gabrielle Anya Rafello nishkawrites@gmail.com
www.gabrielleanyarafello.com Alison Wombwell +91 993 034 5535
gabrielle@gabrielleanyarafello.com www.iamhervoice.co.uk
07913 724 183 allieb2911@hotmail.co.uk Tamsy Ashman
07549 699 089 tsashman@gmail.com
Connection Studio 07679 035 46
www.connectionstudio.net Lucy Atkinson
jess@emotihealth.com lucyatkinson.org.uk The Lone Penguin
07784 698 576 lucy@hypnohelp.uk.com www.thelonepenguin.com
07969 247 928 ss@steveshelley.org
Origin of Energy Coaching 07548 885 576
originofenergycoaching.com The Hand of Nature
lavinia@originofenergycoaching.com www.thehandofnature.co.uk Bob Sanderson
07391 446 058 info@thehandofnature.co.uk bobsanderson@talk21.com
07952 241 215 01384 374767
Jannette Barrett
jancancare1@gmail.com Visionary Heart Tecassia Publishing
07818 814 519 www.visionary-heart.com www.tecassia.com
visionaryheart@yahoo.com info@tecassia.com
Mind Body Alignment 07518 810 613 07908 521342
www.mindbodyalignment.co.uk
hochgatterera@aol.com YBU Coaching Caron Asgarali
07712 165 197 www.ybucoaching.com caronrasgarali78691029
ybu_coaching@outlook.com .wordpress.com
The Loss Connection 07568 332 863 caronasgarali810@gmail.com
www.thelossconnection.co.uk + 1-868-370-4086
laura.bridgingthegap@gmail.com The Old Fellah
07989 321091 www.theoldfellah.co.uk Debora Luzi
tutisltd@aol.com www.deboraluzi.com
At Home with Ayurveda info@deboraluzicoachingand
www.athomewithayurveda.com Mel Riley Counselling healing.com
lbretherton@btconnect.com www.meljriley.co.uk 07780 693788
07818 045393 meljriley@yahoo.co.uk
07958 721040 Gill Whitty-Collins
Donna Marie Yoga www.gillwhittycollins.com
donnamarie-yoga.com Recovery After Abuse gill.whittycollins@gmail.com
donnamarieyogateacher@gmail.com recoveryafterabuse.ca +41 79360 9266
susan@susanball.ca
Monika Mateja Meena Chan
www.monikamateja.com Odelia Marvan www.meenachan.com
monikahealthcoaching@gmail.com odeliamarvan@gmail.com meensarav@gmail.com
07872 066176 + 316 4821 5675 + 148 0414 7291

Sherell Salmon Rita Preston Kez Wickham St George

linktr.ee/SCSalmon www.ritapreston.com www.kezwickhamstgeorge.com
relly_s@msn.com represt@mdvl.net author@kezwickhamstgeorge.com
07763 869696 814-282-2111 +40 380 6157
55
56