Joy Reclamation with Emma Woodford

When do you feel alive af?

One of the times I feel it is when I get into cold water.
Again today I noticed the little voice- it’s windy, the water is choppy it’s cold just getting changed are you sure you want to do this.

I got in up to my waist, my skin hurting and my breath taken.

Again the thought well you have done this and it’s hurting, you have done enough you don’t have to go into your shoulders.

And again I settled my breathe, reminded myself I’ve done this many times before, even when it’s been colder and proceeded to get the girls in and up to my shoulders. (I find a few expletives and noises help)

Every time I move, extend my arm or leg a bit of me feels that tingle of the water.
So in my body and present.
As it eases, looking for other things to keep me present, noting the little waves lapping against my neck, the sound of the geese, the sunshine, and noticing the calm that comes through my body.

Getting out, seeing my red skin, feeling the after drop and the getting warm in my dryrobe.

I love it!

I also feel alive AF when I’m coaching, no pain here, but what is the same is the presence. This time the attention is outward, with my clients, no distraction, no where else to be, no one else in mind. The excitement, the sorrow, the joy, the dreams, the hurt, the frustration, the anxiety, what ever the client brings I can hold it, we can hold it.
There isn’t a feeling quite like the pride, excitement and love for my clients when a client have breakthroughs, take action, see new patterns.

There are other things too, when I feel alive af but these two are feeling most present for me today , as I sit at the lake in the sunshine.

And I’m curious what makes you feel alive AF and when was the last time you felt it? Let me know in the comments I’d love to hear.

Who been watching the olympics?
What’s been the best thing you’ve seen so far?

January can be such a strange month emotionally. It can feel a long time since December payday. It’s dark. Everyone’s meant to be back at it while still half hibernating. I think some people feel like they failed January, when some New Year’s resolutions are challenging to say the least, and almost give up on thier dreams for the rest of the year. For some it feels more like January happened to them.

I’ve been sitting with that, rather than doing a proper “January review”. I don’t really want to review it. I want to notice what it quietly showed me.

I had to cancel two things this month. The January Ruddy Joyful Walk, and a coaching call, both at short notice, because Mother Nature was sending Jack Frost out to play and I was attending a funeral, I didn’t expect it to impact my energy as much as it did. I really hate cancelling. It matters a lot to me that I show up and it matters just as much that when I do, I’m in good energy. So that was uncomfortable cancelling and also the right call.

There were other moments that felt completely different. I finalised and delivered a full Reclamation Sessions week. I coached 12 amazing people. There were stretches where I felt so aligned and excited.
I had a really fun date night with my husband, at the WWE no less, I was so surprised at just how much i enjoyed it! The kind of thing that reminds you you’re not just managing life together.

I spent time updating my website, actually working on my business as well as in it, which always shifts something in me. I planned dates with friends and family instead of vaguely hoping they’d happen. That felt grown up in a good way.
And I rested. Properly. I listened to my body. I didn’t go flat out and hit the wall by the end of January like I’ve done so many times before. That’s newer for me. And it feels important.

I’m not taking a big lesson from January. I’m just paying attention to what costs me and what doesn’t.
If January felt heavy, or messy, or like it took more than you expected, you’re not doing it wrong.
If you want to tell me what your January was actually like, you can. I’m here.

This is me bringing a thing back because I liked it too much to let it disappear.

I’m offering two free coaching sessions each month. Proper one-to-one coaching. Up to an hour. No pitch at the end. No expectation it leads anywhere. I e said this before but …I just really flipping love coaching and want to do more of it for the sheer joy of it.

Each month I’ll loosely hold a starting point from my work, mostly so there’s something to lean on if that helps, but you can bring whatever you want. You don’t need to prepare anything or make it fit.

Anyone can book. New to coaching, coached with me before, curious, unsure, fine. It genuinely doesn’t matter.

This month’s starting point is relationships and how you show up in them, mostly because that seems to be what’s “in the air” in Feb, right?!. But if that’s not your thing, bring whatever is.

Two sessions only!

When they’re gone, they’re gone. Link’s there if you want it.drop me a message I’ll get the link over to you.

There’s a really common belief I see in women who are doing life well, which is that rest is something you get after you’ve earned it.

After the week is done.
After the thing is finished.
After you’ve held it together properly and not complained too much. …Then you can soften…Then you can enjoy things.

The problem is that the finish line keeps moving!There’s always something else that feels more responsible than stopping, so rest stays theoretical and joy stays conditional.

I don’t think this is about ambition. I think it’s about how early many of us learned that ease wasn’t just available, it had to be justified.

But IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE EARNED!
It’s so flipping important ladies!

This week I felt my energy dipping, maybe point in cycle, maybe due to a few long days or a combo with some other things thrown in, the point is the reason why doesn’t matter. I noticed my energy was dipping and adjusted my plans accordingly to include sitting watching traitors.
Something I haven’t been great at is proactively planning in rest, this year in my calendar I have weekends blocked out to keep free for me, to rest, to recharge. That might look different on each of those weekends but I’ve protected that time from the start of the year.
If your exhausted Joy will feel more of a distant friend.

Every so often someone says to me, usually quite quietly, I keep thinking is this it.
Not in a panicked way, more like a wondering that comes and goes, often late at night or in the gaps between things.

I don’t think that question means you need to change your whole life.
I think it means something in you wants more contact, more honesty, more of you actually in your own life rather than just managing it from the outside.

My 1–2–1 work is a place to bring that question without needing to turn it into a plan straight away.
We talk, we listen, we don’t rush.
If you’re curious what it might be like to explore this together, you can message me. That’s usually how this work begins.

If it sounds a bit like you, and you’re curious what it might be like to explore this together, you can message me. You don’t need to know what you want yet.

I do a small amount of free coaching every month and I want to explain it once so I don’t keep half-explaining it elsewhere.

Each month I offer two free one-to-one coaching sessions. They’re up to an hour. They’re proper sessions, not tasters. There’s no pitch at the end and no expectation that they lead anywhere. I just really love coaching and I want to keep doing some of it purely for the Joy of it… and for the ripples of joy that can be created from it.

Anyone can book. You don’t need to be a certain kind of person, in a certain place, or interested in working with me longer term. You can be new to coaching, have worked with me before, or just be curious. It genuinely doesn’t matter.

Each month I’ll loosely name a starting point from my work, mostly so there’s something to lean on if that helps, but you can bring whatever you want. You don’t need to prepare anything and you don’t need to fit the theme.

There are only two sessions a month, when they’re gone, they’re gone. If you see me mention that the link is open, that’s all that’s happening.

The link will be in the comments here too.

In the words of pitbull - we’re bringing it, we’re bringing it, we’re bringing it back!

I’m bringing something back because I want to, I loved it last time round so its back on the regular (And I might have had a little reminder from my mentor ☺️)

I’m offering two free coaching sessions each month. Proper one-to-one coaching. Up to an hour. No pitch at the end, no expectation it leads anywhere. I just really flipping love coaching and I want to do a more of it for the sheer joy of it, and for the ripples to get bigger and bigger!

Each month I’ll loosely hold a starting point from my work, mostly so there’s something to lean on if that helps, but you can bring whatever you want. There’s no requirement to fit the theme or arrive with anything prepared. (Although often the best sessions are when you do have something you want to work through rather than a complete blank page)

Anyone can book. New to coaching, coached with me before, curious, unsure, fine, not fine. It genuinely doesn’t matter.

This month’s starting point is coming back to yourself, mostly because January seems to pull people away from themselves without asking and if that doesn’t excite you…that’s fine bring what does!

There are only two sessions.

When they’re gone, they’re gone. The link’s there if you want it.