Dawn Murden Coaching

"New Year, New..." meh.

My birthday is on the 1st of January, so I totally get why Jan is a great time to come up with lots of ambitious resolutions, goals, targets... whatever we want to call them.

And yes, while I will be setting some "challenges" for myself in 2026, I am framing them as investment. Investment in myself, rather than a "new start" or a "new me".

Here are my three tips for investing in yourself (all free btw):

1) Reflection.

One thing the start and end of a year makes us do is reflect. But why wait 365 days to do it?

Every month I reflect on the previous month: what went well, what could have been better, client wins, my wins, personal highlights, etc. I often do it at my lowest and it helps to change my perspective, i.e. I get some!

I use Notion (notion.com) to do this. I have a planner with filters, and it's a recurring task.

2) Make the bed... or set small, achievable habits.

When I was really struggling with my mental health, my small habits were things like "get up", "brush my teeth", and "make the bed".

On my journey to recovery, the daily tasks we often take for granted have been replaced by more ambitious things, like "long run/walk with Diego" (image below) as I have got a half marathon this year. However, some small goals like "make coffee mindfully" and "make the bed" have remained.

There's something to be said for starting the day with consistent, small habits. I use Finch (finchcare.com) to help me with this.

3) Ask for feedback, regularly.

This could be from a family member, friend, partner, colleague, manager... really anyone in your life that you trust to help you with this investment in yourself.

As part of a leadership programme I enrolled in, I had to ask five people to describe me in three words and then collect those words. What came back made me think differently.

You could also ask things like... "What do you most admire about me?", "What's one thing that you think I could improve on?", or a more lighthearted: "If I was an animal, what do you think I would be?"

Think about your objective, and that will help with the who and what you ask.

DM me if you'd like to any extra tips with Notion, Finch, etc. And I'd love to hear if any of this helps you!

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If you're looking for other ways to invest in yourself, the first cohort of the Lead Next Workshop with Laura Leslie (siskincoaching.co.uk) and myself starts this February. These small group half-day workshops are designed for aspiring and new leaders. We are offering a significant discount to our first two cohorts as we want to work with you in developing this exciting programme. So that's £95 (instead of £299)!

Register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ln2wHR9siN6bgwP3aAzdUrbg4g7uN-v_rRwpiKArcz4/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=117656068700998539785

Turn the clock back exactly a year today 🕒

.. I was less than 24 hours from breaking point.

On 7 January, I was urgently signed off sick from work.

Six weeks later, I resigned from a company I’d spent eight years building a customer success career in.

So much changed after that:
Our plan totally changed
We rented out our house
Moved into a self-converted camper full time
Stayed in some dreamy places
I started my own business, became a Board Trustee, and began working with mental health organisations including the NHS and Mind.

It was a total reset.

You can totally change your environment. BUT you still carry the mental health challenges with you.

They don’t magically vanish.

I don’t think I ever truly believed they would just disappear. But maybe I'd hoped.

What I’ve learned is that recovery and change take courage, time, and patience. Reflection. A support network. And it's forever ongoing.

Back to work today. And this is what's on my mind.

I’m curious. Where were you exactly a year ago today?

IMAGE: Me smiling a couple of days before I got signed off work. You never know what someone's dealing with behind their smile. Be kind. 🫶

🥳 I have some super exciting news 🥳

I've joined forces with the wonderful Laura Leslie, CEng FIMechE, to offer a powerful group coaching workshop for aspiring leaders next year.

Laura and I both spent spent time in leadership roles before transitioning to our coaching careers. We can't wait to support you in your next steps!

Register your interest now to benefit from a special early bird offer: https://lnkd.in/ewwjBDtR

This year I set myself a goal. 🎯

> Become a Board Trustee of an organisation with a mission that I care deeply about <

I left my SaaS leadership role in March, and by October I had accepted not one but THREE roles. 🥳

I had searched for a Board Trustee role previously, but finding any new role — paid or voluntary, junior or senior — takes time and effort.

I carefully recrafted my CV and searched for organisations that really struck a chord with me. A mission and vision that pulled at my heart strings, and good people so that I could be a part of a team again. (Because being self-employed can be rather lonely.)

I'm thinking of writing a blog about this experience and putting together some resources to help others. What do you think?

It's just dropped! 🎙️ ☀️

In the latest episode of Seasons of Leadership, I speak to Elodie Levasseur — former International Executive at Universal Music, and Founder & CEO of The Shine Bright Academy.

We discussed:
- Blending neuroscience and Tao Ta***ic principles in coaching
- Feminine and masculine energy... which has nothing to do with gender
- The self-limiting beliefs that leaders often struggle with
- Elodie's journey of climbing the corporate ladder
- Leading with agreements versus expectation, and how it can totally change your outlook
- Finding your rhythm and flow (because "balance" is overused and overrated)

Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6O8079VtP6oqVKPeTWC8Jv?si=1-Z4xA_rRyK2gRTZ1mHisg%0A