Make Your Move Coach

I love those moments in life when things seem to synchronise….last Monday I was talking to a client about finding purpose through her passions. On Tuesday I was preparing for a webinar on creating a portable career across cultures when I saw a friend had recommended a podcast episode which (among other things) talked about the Japanese concept of Ickigai (a reason for being), this is a tool that I have been using in my coaching, and especially portable career conversations for some years now and it can be very powerful.

The idea of purpose can have us tied up in knots, but if you look at it in terms of Ikigai you can break it down into these simple questions:

What are you passionate about?
What are you good at (either natural or learned talents)?
Is there a pain in the world that you want to solve? Is there a problem that you feel called to serve?
Can you get paid for it?

Exploring purpose in this way can unlock a new way of seeing your career or life path (your purpose may not necessarily be something you turn into a profession). Using this concept in the webinar I held last week, attendees were able to brainstorm their ideas on these questions and then join the dots, leading them to some aha moments and new areas to explore.

If you haven’t come across this concept before I highly recommend listening to Feel Better - Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee - interview with Jay Shetty on Relationships, Routines & Finding Purpose. If you are interested in exploring this concept more you could try brainstorming these questions yourself and see where it leads you or get in touch - I would be happy to chat about this with you.

Sending lots of light for your week ahead.

Hello everyone and happy Monday!

I was at an event recently where someone read this inspiring poem. It really resonated for me and I hope it will for you.

As we race towards the end of another year it can be easy to get swept along with the pace of social events, deadlines to meet, presents to buy and things to organise.

Personally, I find this a very good time of year to stop and reflect, looking back at everything that happened: the good, the bad and the in between. And in looking back, and then forward towards the coming year I'm going to think about how to connect myself to this powerful idea of daring 'to dream of meeting my heart's longing' and what that might look like for me. Maybe it is something that would be helpful for you too.

X Holly

I'm currently writing a webinar on creating portable careers for one of my corporate clients. Reflecting on my own journey I know how important taking your work with you when you move from country to country can be.

Equally, I wonder if I'd have ever had the imagination (or necessity) to reinvent myself and career change if I hadn't moved overseas. Or if I would ever have found work that gives me such a purpose, and uses my strengths and passion to serve others, if I had simply stayed where I was.

How about you? Have you built yourself a portable career? Or would you love more information on how to do this? If you need some help with this, you know where to find me. 😊

Four tips to help self motivation.

As many of us know well, self motivation is one of the key attributes required by anyone who has repeatedly had to reinvent themselves.

Of course, continually finding a source of self-motivation can be a challenge. How can we try and set ourselves up to be positive, motivated individuals with the self-belief to achieve our dreams?

Here are a few tips that can help:
1. Positive self-talk - create affirmations that resonate for you and get used to being your own best friend.
2. Who inspires you? Think about inspirational mentors or role models in your life. What do they do to stay motivated?
3. Create an environment that lifts your spirits.
4. Build a support network or hire a coach 😉 - having your cheerleaders around you when times are tough can be game changing.

For expats around the world this time of year can mean transition. Did you know, there are three stages of transition, that actually begin with ending?⁣ Speaking to and thinking of others who have recently made a big life change and moved to another country sparks feelings and memories of my own transitions. ⁣
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Despite the natural excitement of a new adventure, transition can bring up feelings of loss, loneliness, isolation, sadness, disorientation among others. ⁣
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According to the model developed by William Bridges, the three stages of transition paradoxically begin with ending.⁣
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𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 1: 𝑬𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑳𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒐⁣
You’ve just arrived, but you have also just left a fully formed life in another country leaving behind friends, family, networks etc. The energy taken to get you to your new destination may leave you feeling flat. You may find yourself feeling a sense of loss, overwhelm, disorientation, denial and frustration. ⁣
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𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 2: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒁𝒐𝒏𝒆⁣
This is a bridging stage -where you may still feel in limbo but it can provide opportunity for renewal, discovery of new passions and talents. It’s uncomfortable as you continually stretch your comfort zone.⁣
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𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 3: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑩𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈⁣
This can be a time of real acceptance and energy. Suddenly your weeks start to fly by as you extend into your new life. You may feel as if you finally arrived. ⁣
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If you have just made a big life change, and you’re wondering why you are feeling empty and a big meh….know that you are not alone, and that your new beginning will start when you have had a chance to process all you are going through. ⁣
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A few things that can help:⁣
❤️Show yourself compassion⁣
🫂Give yourself space to feel all the feels (even the tough ones)⁣
🕓Allow yourself the time to live this experience, a beautiful life of your creating is waiting for you on the other side. ⁣


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This is your Monday morning reminder that it takes courage to go for what you want. It's not easy but you can do it 💪. Make your time abroad count.

Why summer is the perfect time to Dream Big

Here in Spain, the summer holidays are in full swing which changes up the day to day routine. With childcare to consider and less time available to get things done, it can be a bit of a juggle....and you may think it’s a good time to shelve thinking about what you want to achieve for your self.

Despite being pulled in lots of directions, I find the summer is actually the best time of year to DREAM BIG! A change in tempo allows me to focus on my professional (and personal) development and to think about planning for the future. It is the time to create dreams…not necessarily to put them into action but to invite them in.

Getting away from the day to day, travelling, catching up with friends and family are all important parts of life overseas and enrich the experience so enjoy it!

How do school holidays affect your day to day? Do you find yourself dreaming big while taking time out from the old routine?

If you would love some help starting to form new dreams for your future then why not reach out to me on the DM. I'd love to hear what you’ve been thinking about.

Nurturing your personal and professional growth overseas.

Living overseas as a partner on expatriate assignments can be challenging for your career. You are supporting the family, driving the logistics of the move, finding a place to live, new schools for the kids, balancing the emotional needs of your partner and children. Yes, you are the person who holds everyone else up.

So it’s not surprising that it is a challenge to find the energy to think about your career, after all, life keeps you pretty busy. You're busy learning new skills, new languages, navigating new cultures and ways to communicate but somehow this feels unquantifiable. So you lose sight of what you have to give.

Sometimes it’s difficult to think about committing to anything else - yet you feel like something is missing. Do you know what I mean?

If this feels like you then remember...

💫 Each person is unique with their own potential. The key is to see what yours is.
💫 Life is a journey and as a life long learner, driving your own personal and professional growth is important.
💫 It is all about how you look at it. Which opportunities does expatriation give you? Is it to work, learn, create, retrain, reskill, or volunteer?
💫 Setting goals (even small ones) helps kick start motivation and grow confidence.
💫 It can be difficult to make change happen on your own, but having someone at your side to believe in you and lift you up will help you create shifts in your life.

If you are about to embark on a life abroad or you’re currently feeling stuck and need to find your path abroad I am here for you.

Hello remember me? ⁣
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Ok, it’s been months. I’m sorry. I’ve been doing lots of coaching and no posting apart from in my group on Facebook. ⁣
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But I thought I'd share some musings from a recent coaching session that have really resonated for me, maybe they will for you too. ⁣
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A client and I were discussing the ideas she client had for different things she could do professionally. What normally shows up in these discussions is doubt and a good dose of imposter syndrome. Fears around being judged by others; fears around whether whatever you put out there will be good enough; doubts around whether your idea will work or not. This is not the first conversation I've had playing to this theme, and it will not be the last.⁣
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But what she said next really stayed with me. She said '𝑰 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒚.'⁣
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I find this really powerful - does this resonate for you too? ⁣
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I’ll be honest - for me, I’ve been getting in the way of being visible as a coach and instead immersing myself in the work. That is ok, but I know it’s not making use of my need to be creative AND to make a greater connection with others. ⁣So here I am.
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What about you? What might you be standing in the way of at the moment? ⁣If you got out of your way, what would you do?

Hugs
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𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑿⁣

Life goals…..

Whatever the ups and downs of life. To continue this adventure together.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all ♥️♥️♥️

What’s different about this picture?

There’s no background. No colour, no life, no mess, no one else, just me.

But when was life ever like that? We would not want it that way. But sometimes, when it comes to thinking of yourself everything piles on top or in front, so you don’t think so much about yourself and your future as much as what’s right in front of you.

When we come to thinking about balance in our lives, particularly as expat partners, we can find ourselves on life's river letting life happen to us as well as holding everyone up around us. But by paying attention to everyone but ourselves we become reactive rather than proactive in our own lives.

If this feels like where you currently are, how can you be more proactive in your life and put yourself back in the picture?

When I asked last year what you needed more of in 2022, 80% of you felt you needed more balance in your lives abroad.

Now that the year is in full swing I'm finding that 'finding balance' is something on the forefront of my clients minds too.

The idea of balance and what it consits in means different things to different people.

It might mean having the right balance between work and life, it might mean financial balance, it might mean a balance in childcare and division of domestic labour, or balance in your relationships.

⚖️ If I ask you the question - How balanced does your life feel - how would you answer?

If you knew last year that you wanted more balance in 2022 what are you doing to find it?