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“Strive to make everyday the best day of your life, because there is no good reason not to.” Hal Elrod

Am I Failure For Giving Up My Leadership Role?

Mar 17, 2021

Am I Failure For Giving Up My Leadership Role? This is something that at least three people have said to me in the last week and having been through these exact same thoughts myself I thought it deserved some time on the blog this week.

Let me begin by saying that actually giving up a job that was stressful, making you poorly and feeling as though you couldn't cope was a decision showing your strength.

Being a leader or a manager might have meant a bigger salary and more responsibility and feeling as though you're doing the social norms of climbing the career ladder. But actually who is all of that for? What good is the higher salary if you never have the time to invest in making new memories? If you're spending each moment of the day chasing your tail and missing out on valuable time with those that you love. Or that your health suffers so badly that it makes you ill or has long term consequences for living well.

The real secret to more joy and happiness in life is having freedo...

Mental Health

Oct 06, 2020

A few years ago working in early education was tough for me. The pressures of knowing what young children needed to flourish but having the daily battles of trying to help others see. Breaking down the relationships built up with children and the time for connection because ‘formal learning was a priority.’ As a leader I often felt that I spread myself too thin. The more I did, the more that was expected from me.

Those above me didn’t want people who loved and cared about their job. They needed machines that were unconnected from love to go through a process. This sadden me deeply.

I remember one day stopping to look at my reflection in the mirror. My skin looked grey and tired, my shoulders and neck ached, I felt dizzy with worry about all that was expected from me and wondering how I could ever do all these things well.

My weekends had become consumed with work. Often turning down invites from friends and family. When I did go out I felt like ...

Anxiety Around Coronavirus

Mar 17, 2020

At this time of uncertainty it's easy to see feelings of anxiety and fear creep in and start to take over. I want to help you take action today to feel more positive.

Here are my top tips;

Gain control in the situation as best as you can.

Get to grips with whats making you worried and think about what you can control right now to help. If it’s the children being at home for the next few weeks then something you can control is planning how you days will look. Why not download my free daily planning guide for home where I share an example of a daily schedule.

Have a routine

We know that the brain thrives on routine, repetition and predictability. If you can't carry on with your normal daily routine during this time create a new rhythm. If you're educating your children at home during this time create a visual board showing the order of the day.

3. Emotional and physical support

Mediate, stretch, do yoga or follow a HIIT workout from you tube in your living room. Adding...

Hygge Quotes

Jun 11, 2019

A good motivational quote always fills with me positivity to start the day.

Here are some of my favourite Hygge inspired quotes.

“Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson” ― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. -Simone Weil” ― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

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“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

“You cannot buy the right atmosphere or a sense of togetherness. You cannot hygge if you are in a hurry or stressed out, and the art of creating intimacy cannot be bought by anything but time, interest and engagement in the people around you.” ― Meik Wiking, The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well

“Craft makes our homes more human." -Ilsa Crawford

“Material goods rarely alter our levels of ha...

Is Hating Your Job Damaging Your Body?

Jun 11, 2019

With 75% of the Early Education workforce experiencing between levels 3 to 5 for their work related stress we look at the impact of this on our bodies and consider what we can do to support our wellbeing.

When I worked as an early years teacher and leader I often had feelings of overwhelm and anxiety around doing my job well. I had an ever growing to do list and very little time to do these tasks. I would get up early to be the first in work and would always be the last one to leave. My weekends and evenings were often consumed with more work! My social life become non existent as I was either working or exhausted. Does this sound familiar?

The stress of the job was having such a negative impact on the way my body was responding. My skin was dull, my eyes had lost their sparkle (and had been replaced with dark bags) and I was exhausted and achey. No amount of expensive face cream or make up would give me a healthy glow.

We know that when we face ...

Be More Optimistic

Jun 11, 2019

Feeling more optimistic has a link to our level of positivity and happiness. When we feel more optimistic we approach a task with increased confidence and strength that it will go well. Yet it's really easy to get stuck in a cycle of self-doubt when it comes to things going wrong.

Identify Negativity

First identify what it is your feeling negative about. Make a list of all the solutions you can think of to solving the problem you have. Moving towards positivity and hope. Then commit yourself to taking one of these actions next time you feel this way.

For me my house sale has recently fallen though. My initial thought was “Oh no this is terrible what are we going to do now. Then I turned the situation around and thought well at least now we have more time to find our dream home (as we were about to move in with relatives), I'm saving money (as our next house will be bigger and have a more expensive mortgage) and lastly, I'm feeling tired so at least I do...

Leading with Optimism

May 16, 2019

Identify Negativity

First identify what it is your feeling negative about. Make a list of all the solutions you can think of to solving the problem you have. Moving towards positivity and hope. Then commit yourself to taking one of these actions next time you feel this way.