I am a very lucky girl because I know some really scrummy and inspiring people. One of these is the gorgeous Corrina Gordon-Barnes from You Inspire Me who helps many, many people turn their passion into a profitable business.

Corrina recently interviewed me about the lack of energy that business owners frequently feel, and what we can do about it. She captured this interview on video, and I am very happy to share this with you today. So I invite you to take a peek…this is actually my first video appearance, and is a great opportunity for those of you who I have not yet had the pleasure to meet to get to know me a little better!

If you would like to join us on the 27th November in London to help burst through that energy block and get things moving again then scoot on over to this page and secure your place!

Interesting fact: Do you know how Corrina and I met? A few years ago, I was working on a project and wanted the domain name youinspireme.co.uk. When I discovered it was taken, I had to go see which clever person had already bagged it. It was love at first sight, and the rest is history! And it’s thanks to Corrina that I met the lovely Rosanna and Blanka, who are co-hosting the workshop! See…amazing what curiosity can bring!

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I have been a bit quiet recently. But just on the blogging and newsletter front. You see there are huge, huge changes going on in my life right now, so there have been other priorities in my head. I would really like to share these exciting experiences just because I am learning so so much from them and my developments are just a living proof that with the right knowledge and support we can emerge from something potentially crushing simply shining, empowered and hugely excited about life.

Before I start, I would like give myself a little high-five for being so publicly open about my personal life in this post. A few years ago, I was too shy to even register on a forum let alone leave a comment, or write a blog post or anything like that. I’ve not always been this brave, but boy, is life fun when you start pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone!

Basically my whole life has gone upside down, inside out, side-step, tango, waltz, fox-trot and jitterbug.

Since April I have done the following:

- amicably ended a very lovely 8.5 year relationship

- changed my ‘day job’ (I quit an unfulfilling job in finance and now work part-time in Business Development for an inspiring company that works with personal development and leadership training and I will soon go on to facilitate workshops and coach individuals)

- finished renovating my house in order to put it on the market

- thought long, long, long and hard about where I want to live in this world (I’ll keep you posted on my decision!)

- re-homed my beautiful dog (heart-break city!) as I wont be able to give her the attention and time she needs to thrive after my house is sold

- started doing fun but brave things such as Dj:ing

- expanded my social life in Sweden and UK by about a million % (which takes quite a bit of coordinating actually!)

And at the same time making exciting progress with my company:

- qualified as a Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition Consultant

- launched my coaching services and seen some amazing results with a fabulous client!

- joined up with 2 lovely girls to plan a fab High Energy workshop in London in November 2011 (read all about it here)

When writing this it just feels like a list of things, but it when you are actually in it and living it, it really is incredibly intense and challenging. And I am sure that if you have ever done any of these things you will appreciate just how much they can impact your life…let alone when all happening at the same time in the space of a few months!

The most amazing thing I have experienced is that by applying all the things I learned over the years, I have not only managed to survive this incredibly turbulent time, but I feel that I am leaping from it full of love and life and zest for new exciting things.

Here is what has been the key to keeping me sane, happy and healthy:

1. Raw Food
I have been really motivated to keep as high-raw as possible simply because I immediately notice the positive effects. Cooked food does not give me the clear mind and the super high energy that I have needed for this period. Having a clear mind means that I am able to analyse my feelings much better and make sensible decisions. It has also prevented me from comfort eating and numbing any pain with things like refined sugar or heavy comfort food like toast! Working through these feelings is far more progressive and healing I find!

2. Avoiding stimulants
Staying clear of coffee, refined sugar and alcohol has also reduced the risk of feeling any extra anxiety and keeps my blood sugar stable. If I feel I need pepping up then I will either go for a run, or have a little nibble on some raw chocolate instead, which does not shock my body like coffee does. If I need the relaxing effects that alcohol can give, I do some yoga or exercise and make sure I take a few deep deep breaths. I have also been very kind to myself and when I do really feel I need time out, I will take it. Sometimes that means saying no to some people and commitments, but in the long run this ’selfish act’ is a great investment and actually makes me a nicer person to be around!

3. Exercise
This has really been a saviour. Exercise relieves stress tremendously and there is nothing like a good work out to release mood-elevating endorphins. I am also finding it really fun to set myself physical goals and challenges which offers a great respite from the emotional ones I have been experiencing!

I have also found that I have stayed away from comfort eating rubbish food or binging on booze (like I have done in previous years when facing a challenging time) because moderate exercise makes me feel a lot better. And since I know how good working-out makes me feel, it means that I don’t want to feel hungover or sluggish from comfort eating and therefore refrain from eating and drinking naughtiness.

4. Positive supportive and inspiring people
I am so in love with the people that I have in my life these days! I find I tend to stay away from people who deal with their unhappiness by trying to bring others down with negative remarks and energy. At a time when you need to be really brave, you need people who support you. Even if you don’t personally know people like this, reading inspiring books and blogs, or connecting with others on the internet or by attending inspiring events is a true gift!

5. Coaching
I draw on the wisdom I get from my coach and from my own knowledge of coaching. This is such a powerful tool for personal growth and bursting through challenging times. Becoming aware of why we think and act in certain ways is hugely empowering, and mastering the skills of breaking things down into small achievable steps is so useful . Oh, I could go on and on about this, but I wont. But it really has made the difference between crumbling into a heap of despair and rising out the ashes like a glorious, sassy phoenix!

So, dear friend, that is what my life has been the past few months. There are lots of exciting and challenging times ahead, but I am learning so much and am actually feeling pretty bloomin’ spectacular.

I really hope this post inspires you to see any challenging period you experience as an opportunity to grow and do brave things. It really is quite amazing!

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I am going to keep this post short and sweet as it has a similar theme to a previous post …

Last night I looked at Christoffer with my puppy dog face and said “Pleeeeeeease can we watch a film together since it’s our holidays?” He didn’t take too much persuading, but he did have the condition that it would be an animated film. Since I fortunately have the mental age of a three year old, I was more than happy with this clause.

Before we managed to decide which animated movie to watch, we came across a nice film called ‘Bedtime Stories’. It’s not animated but it is a fun ’suitable for kids of all ages’ movie starring Adam Sandler, 2 cute kids and a hamster with huge googly eyes. Adam Sandler’s character, Skeeter, has to look after his niece and nephew for a week, and on their first night together Skeeter tells them a story, but to his chagrin the kids join in on the narration adding their own imaginative details. The next day the story comes true and Skeeter soon realizes that it’s the kids’ details that are realized and not the parts he come up with. He wants them to come up with stories that get him the Ferrari, the girl, the money, the promotion, but kids’ brains don’t work like that and they come up with far more exciting things like gum-ball rain and snot monsters. It might not turn out exactly like they imagined but the essence is there.

When the kids do add their details Skeeter tries to censor them: ‘That would never happen’ or ‘That’s not possible’. Not surprisingly the kids are hurt by this and the first time it happens they clam up and retreat under their duvets. But still the stories become reality.

How many times do we censor ourselves with ‘That would never happen’ or ‘Be realistic’? Who’s to say it will never happen? Isn’t life way too mysterious and magical to edit it in our minds? Isn’t it better, and more fun, to imagine and visualize events that blow our minds and to leave the details for Lady Universe to take care of? If we keep reprimanding our wonderfully creative and limitless minds for coming up with things that we think will never happen, eventually we will dry up. Our minds will become limited and will clam up and retreat under the duvet.

So sack your mental editor and let loose your mermaids, gum-ball rain, snot monsters and talking trees and write your own script to this adventure we call life!

** Stay tuned kids because I have given my editor the sack and am bursting with new blog posts. Watch out for another one in the next few days!**

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