Fiona Crump - Coach

25/06/2026

Toxic productivity is an obsessive preoccupation with being productive and it is marked by a sense of guilt or shame when you fail to achieve or when you engage in non-productive activities.
Anybody who engages with the outside world will find themselves faced with multiple messages about what they SHOULD be doing and what they SHOULD be achieving.
Expectations of productivity at work seem to have risen exponentially, on top of this you are expected to be a perfect parent, to make time for mindfulness, to lose weight, work out, travel, be environmentally conscious and to be constantly available to friends and family.
Author and journalist Oliver Burkeman says it is not “really difficult” to achieve everything on your to do list - “it is completely impossible”. And somehow, in the acknowledgement of the impossibility, lies a sense of “relief and relaxation”. Letting go of unrealistic goals and resisting the demands of toxic productivity will ultimately lead you to a much happier and more fulfilled life.

Need help to do that? Get in touch.

15/06/2026

Clients often come to coaching because they are facing a tricky situation and they hope I will tell them what to do, so it often comes as a surprise when I tell them that I won’t ever give them advice.

I will listen, I will try very hard to understand their predicament, I will help them to explore the situation, I will share knowledge and I will challenge their thought processes. We might look at how their personal values will impact their decision, or how their decisions will affect other aspects of their life but ultimately the decision should and will be theirs.

The philosopher Jean Paul Sartre said, “You are free, therefore choose”. He went on to explain that although it might feel easier to be told what to do, it may ultimately lead to resentment and a sense of being trapped. Existentially, it is better to regret a life that you have chosen than to resent a life that has been forced upon you.

If you work with me I will always do my best to help you make the best decisions in life but I will never tell you what to do.

18/05/2026

30/04/2026

Just as the tide ebbs and flows, so do our lives. But did you know that the sea pauses in between phases? Between an incoming tide and an outgoing tide there is a period of slack water where the sea neither rises nor falls, indeed, nothing much happens at all.
We could learn a lot from the sea.
When transitioning from one phase of life to another - from single life to marriage, from marriage to divorce, from one job to another, from work to retirement - it’s good to pause, to reflect and to plan.
Carve out some time, take some long walks or a holiday perhaps, chat to friends or, (dare I say it?) consult a coach.

20/04/2026

I stood for a long time in front of this image and quotation from Banksy at a recent exhibition because it really made me think.
Many of the people I speak to at the moment are feeling overwhelmed by the political and environmental state of the world and yet feel helpless, unable to influence change.
This helplessness can be debilitating and ultimately depressing in a “what’s the point?” way.
The point is, small actions may bring about small changes but small actions repeated many times by many people can have a huge impact on the world.
If you live a small, quiet life, committing daily acts of kindness can make a difference to you and to the people you are kind to.
If you live a larger life then you have a bigger canvas to paint your kindness on, more people to influence in a positive way.
If you have a public platform you can use it to spread hope and positivity more widely.

This does not mean we should not challenge damaging behaviour from others. We should, and loudly.
But if, like me, you worry about the amount of hatred in the world, then don’t add to it. Challenge it firmly but kindly. Allowing yourself to hate damages you far more than it does the object of your hatred.
Be creative - Banksy started off challenging the status quo quietly, to a local audience in Bristol. As his fame grew he used it to speak out against war in the Ukraine and Palestine, as he earned more money he spent it helping migrants at risk of drowning. A bigger message spread more widely.
So, let’s be dangerous together and make the world a better place. One small act at a time.

🌎

14/04/2026

Today is International Moment of Laughter Day.

Laughter is known to reduce stress and boost optimism. It is essential to healthy relationships and general wellbeing.

What makes you laugh?

For me it’s children laughing uncontrollably (especially my grandchildren), one particular friend who can always make me laugh out loud, (thanks Joy), BBC Radio 4 s The News Quiz (which helps me laugh at those things I would otherwise despair of), and - amongst other things - my husband’s “dad jokes”.

What never fails to make you laugh?

10/04/2026

I took this photo in Shakespeare and Co., the most wonderful bookshop in Paris. It is a quotation that bears repeating. The words are painted directly onto the wall, above a doorway which makes them welcoming and gives them a certain permanence and solidity.
You have absolutely no idea who that new neighbour, stranger on a bus, immigrant, fellow walker or random person in a book shop might become to you. They may fill your life with joy and happiness, they may make you think fresh thoughts, they might even make you feel seen - properly seen.
Surely the risk is worth it. If they turn out to be the wrong flavour for your life it’s usually easy to extricate yourself and to chalk it up to experience.
Please don’t let fear get in the way of new friendships. You might just miss out on meeting an angel.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to you all.
Whether you see Easter as a religious holiday or as a Spring break, there is no denying that it is a time of renewal. Migrating birds reappear, hibernating animals emerge and dormant plants burst into flower.
I always think this is a much better time of year to think about personal growth and to make wellbeing changes than in the dark days of January.
Less resolve is needed and change flows more easily when the natural world seems like a bright and hospitable place to be, being outdoors requires less layers, there’s an abundance of glorious fruit and vegetables available and other people are more cheerful too.
What changes are you thinking of making in the coming weeks?

23/03/2026

We had some beautiful blue skies and sunshine over the weekend and, to make the most of them, we tried to get out and about locally. On Friday we visited tremenheeresculpturegardens near Penzance.
One of the sculptures is called Skyspace and it is a large, entirely white chamber which is open to the sky. You can sit inside, cocooned in silence, and just peacefully watch the sky, the clouds and an occasional passing gull.
This is the same sky which had been over our heads all day but framing it made us see it differently, made us notice small details.

I guess that’s also what coaching is - taking the time out to sit and focus on the detail of your life, to frame and re-frame situations in order to understand them or appreciate them differently. The same life - just viewed differently. When did you last take time out just to notice?