My painting of comfort and joy

Today is a quiet day for me. My heart feels so much better already and I am now mentally prepared to hear whatever the Dr’s have to say. I feel okay. I am no longer scared I now see hospital and their teams as part of my support network. Thank you to everyone who stepped forward and helped.

Thank you to everyone who stepped back and gave me space. 

I know it wasn’t easy for many of you as many would have wanted to be able to ‘do’ something and yet your doing nothing was your something. It gave me space and time to be.

Continue reading Healing My Heart

For those that don’t know yet I was recently told that the bottom of my heart is not working properly; it is not opening fully. Whilst I know the medical profession are talking about the ‘physical’ heart and I am working with them to heal that on a physical level; by resting, changing my food and lifestyle.

I am also being curious about what am I not opening up my heart to right now or what or who am I holding in my heart right now that is causing this heaviness. Or what am I opening my heart to that could damage it; both physically and emotionally. I am really listening to what my body and heart are trying to tell me that I am not hearing or didn’t hear? In this moment I am so grateful for knowing what kind of listening I need and who is best to provide it and to be able to ask for the support I need in this moment. Continue reading My Heart Is Broken

Resentment in the dictionary is defined as “bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.”

It was one of those emotions I often liked to pretend I did not experience because I just wanted to be seen as a lovely, kind and caring person inside and out.

But it really bloody hurts when you feel that you have been treated unfairly and often we are totally justified to feel resentment or resentful.  The difficulties come with what happens next. If you hang onto resentment almost denying that is how you feel it can fester inside. Therefore, how you process and then act on your emotions determines your efficiency and your effectiveness. Continue reading How To Manage Resentment

How many times have you said to someone or they have said to you; “You are not listening?”

So much frustration and overwhelm can be created simply because some speaks and feels completely frustrated that what they have said has been misunderstood.

Many relationships breakdown because our brain hears words, phrases and tones and assimilates it with what we already know and then completes the picture on auto pilot and then when we summarise what we heard often we add in our interpretation and tone.

We then get accused of not listening, when in fact we are listening but we are not necessarily leaving the other person feeling heard.

In this short video I talk about the importance of using their words exactly. I am aware when I watch this video back that this is role play and I am aware that summary is an extreme version and that your summaries might be more accurate.

The important thing to notice is whether the response you get is similar or not as the response we get is the only true calibration of what is working. Not everyone will tell you how it feels and some won’t ask for feedback for fear of what they might hear.

So often these thoughts are kept inside; slowly but surely undermining communications and relationships.

If you are keen to be the best manager, leader and or parent you can be and you want to develop your skills to Motivate, Manage or Mentor others;
Don’t miss our annual retreat where we explore listening, questioning and feedback skills and unravel what is holding you back from getting or giving the response you want.

Sheryl Andrews – The Strength and Solution Detective

Founder of Step by Step Listening, Sheryl Andrews has always been keen to create space where other people felt safe to speak their truth no matter what that was. She is well known for her ability to motivate manage and mentor others through change and loves nothing more than turning overwhelm into a clarity and confidence that change can and is happening.

But what many didn’t know is that in private behind closed doors she was not always able to do that for herself, she was fearful of upsetting others and often did not ask for her own needs to be met. She was no stranger to lapses in self- belief and an overwhelming sense of not being good enough. A mother of a blended family of 5, a business owner and friend she was often surrounded by people who cared about her but she found it hard to ask for help. That was until she attended her own programme and learned how to educate those that support her in the art of listening that worked for her.

Sheryl and her team now runs retreats, one to one coaching and online group coaching course that provide you with a space and time to gain clarity, focus and direction whilst unraveling what is really holding you back and plan your next best step with confidence. For regular updates and examples of how listening skills can resource you to manage yourself, time and others through change check out Free Success without stress newsletter

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At the heart of every business is sales. Without clients you cannot do more of what you love.

So why is it important, in my opinion to have professional photos?

There is the obvious one, in that they are better quality and once you have invested in them, they will be at the right resolution for all kinds of marketing material such as pop up banners etc.

But for me, which probably won’t come as much of a surprise, it is more about the emotional side. When you work with a professional photographer, they know how to position you so that you get the best angle and how to use the light to work with your image. Continue reading How Do Professional Photos Improve Your Sales?