Ciara Bruton Holistic Business Coach

Nice article about Vipassana Meditation on the Journal today

10 days silent meditation in Ennis: No phones, no talking, and no outside contact whatsoever Cormac Fitzgerald has just completed a silent 10-day meditation course – here’s what he learned.

"240 hours of Silence" - BBC Sounds
A nice listen for anyone curious about the 10-day meditation retreats I go to at Vipassana.

"Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught by the Buddha more than 2,500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. The practice died out in India, but survived in Burma, and is now a growing movement around the world.

To learn the technique students complete a 10-day silent retreat, which includes 10 hours of daily meditation. There is no eye contact, no communication, no exercise, no reading or writing, no technology. No distraction from the journey inwards. They must try to overcome the habit of reacting to sensation. By doing so, over 10 days students train themselves to stop reacting to the vicissitudes of life and experience the interconnectedness of all living things. It is notoriously difficult, but what insights does it afford? What difficulties, both physical and emotional, are faced along the way?

We hear the experiences of people who have made it through 240 hours of silence. Vipassana was popularised by S.N. Goenka, who learnt the technique in Burma from his teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, and in 1969 travelled to India to conduct the first Vipassana course in this tradition outside Burma. There are now around 200 Vipassana meditation centres around the world, attracting people from all walks of life. The course is free, and non-sectarian."

Heart and Soul - Vipassana: 240 hours of silence - BBC Sounds Inside the world of vipassana meditation - 10 days of demanding, illuminating silence

Anyone needing support with their holistic business (starting or growing), you can book a free session with me during Local Enterprise Week.

We can work on marketing with or without social media, tech tools, website optimisation, email marketing, niche, messaging, creating posters/ marketing material etc.

https://www.localenterprise.ie/Westmeath/Training-Events/Online-Bookings/Review-your-Marketing-Strategies-Mentoring-Clinic-9th-March-LEO231151.html

There are 3 spots left at the moment

Review your Marketing Strategies Mentoring Clinic 9th March LEO231151 - Local Enterprise Office - Westmeath Reboot your Marketing with our Marketing Mentoring Clinic! We are offering mentoring to help you review your Marketing plan and to help you look at innovative ways to market your services or business in Co. Westmeath. Mentor: Ciara Bruton

National Enterprise Week is on 6th-10th March.

In Westmeath, there are free 1:1 mentoring sessions available with mentors for start-up grants, HR, Social media and Marketing (that's me!) . There's also the Trading Online Voucher webinar if you're thinking of getting a website in the next 6 months. and there are other talks too.

In Roscommon, there's photography advice and a business breakfast.

I tried to post the links to the Local Enterprise Office websites but they weren't coming up properly, so just google "Local Enterprise Office Westmeath/ Roscommon/ Offaly/ Longford" and then go to the section called "Training and Events" and you'll see it there. There are national events but each county has their own schedule too.

Westmeath Business Owners: I'm doing a Marketing clinic for the Westmeath Local Enterprise Office this week on Thursday 6th October. It's mostly funded by the LEO so the cost for the session is €10. If you would like support with any of the following areas, feel free to book in. There are 3 slots left.

Marketing Strategy:
Identifying where to find your target audience and how to be more visible to them- online and offline.
Clarifying and communicating what you offer in a way that connects with your target audience.
Conducting market research to better understand your ideal client so that your marketing speaks to them
Creating a short-medium term marketing plan for your business

Marketing through your Network:
Becoming more visible to your target audience through collaborating and networking with people who are well connected to your target audience
How to get more referrals and word-of-mouth for your business through your network

Website Optimisation:
Evaluating if your website is effective in “selling” on your behalf
Optimising your website to convert visitors to customers

Email Marketing:
Understanding how email marketing could benefit your business by building long-term relationships
How to set up and/or grow your mailing list
How to create email automations and sequences
Creating a plan for your email content

Social Media Marketing:
How to use Facebook and Instagram effectively
Creating a social media content plan
How to schedule social media posts in advance
How to create professional-looking graphics for social media
Audit of your current social media presence and get advice on how to improve it

Sales Mindset:
Feeling at ease with selling without using “tactics”
Having sales conversations rooted in integrity and relationship building

LEO221468 Review your Marketing Plan Mentoring Clinic - Local Enterprise Office - Westmeath Reboot your market plan Mentoring Clinic! We are offering mentoring to help you review your Marketing plan and to help you look at innovative ways to market your services or business in Co. Westmeath. Mentor: Ciara Bruton

Holistic Business friends, you're welcome to my place this Saturday to hang out in nature and have lunch and a chat. Informal. All welcome. Details here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ciarabruton/735280 #

FREE- Register – Holistic Business Potluck Lunch in Nature, Co. Westmeath – Ballymore, Co, Westmeath, Sat 23 Jul 2022 11:00 - 13:00 Holistic Business Potluck Lunch in Nature, Co. Westmeath – Ballymore, Co, Westmeath, Sat 23 Jul 2022 - Let's gather in nature and good company to chat and connect with each other. This event is an opportunity to meet other holistic business owners informally. It may lead to having a business besti...

I'm back again with Westmeath LEO this Thursday 29th July running a Marketing Clinic.

There are 2 spots left for 1-to-1 coaching with me focused on any aspect of your marketing that you want. It's FREE for you as it's paid by the LEO, and is open to any business trading more than 6 months in Westmeath.

Feel free to share to any local business friend you know would like some marketing/ website support. More info below. Thanks!

The topics that may be covered in this clinic are:

Marketing Strategy:
Identifying where to find your target audience and how to be more visible to them- online and offline.
Clarifying and communicating what you offer in a way that connects with your target audience.
Conducting market research to better understand your ideal client so that your marketing speaks to them
Creating a short-medium term marketing plan for your business

Marketing through your Network:
Becoming more visible to your target audience through collaborating and networking with people who are well connected to your target audience
How to get more referrals and word-of-mouth for your business through your network

Website Optimisation:
Evaluating if your website is effective in “selling” on your behalf
Optimising your website to convert visitors to customers

Email Marketing:
Understanding how email marketing could benefit your business by building long-term relationships
How to set up and/or grow your mailing list
How to create email automations and sequences
Creating a plan for your email content

Social Media Marketing:
How to use Facebook and Instagram effectively
Creating a social media content plan
How to schedule social media posts in advance
How to create professional-looking graphics for social media
Audit of your current social media presence and get advice on how to improve it

Sales Mindset:
Feeling at ease with selling without using “tactics”
Having sales conversations rooted in integrity and relationship building

Review your Marketing Plan Mentoring Clinic 29th July - Local Enterprise Office - Westmeath FREE reboot your market plan Mentoring Clinic Telephone/Online Mentoring. Mentoring provided by Ciara Bruton

FREE marketing coaching this Thursday if anyone would like to book a spot. It's my first marketing clinic through the LEO and there are 2 spots left. It's a 1-to-1 coaching session focused on any aspect of your marketing that you want. It's paid by the LEO, so it's free to you and is open to any business trading more than 6 months.
https://www.localenterprise.ie/Westmeath/Training-Events/Online-Bookings/Review-your-Marketing-Plan-Mentoring-Clinic-24th-June-LEO211820.html?fbclid=IwAR2ayx0Va36E4nIR50UvBVk-d9wBav0NhKjsNIZrRNPjd1A-IsQlsiDIeeA

Review your Marketing Plan Mentoring Clinic 24th June LEO211820 - Local Enterprise Office - Westmeath FREE reboot your market plan Mentoring Clinic Telephone/Online Mentoring. Mentoring provided by Ciara Bruton

THE FINE LINE BETWEEN “I NEED TO DO MORE” and “I’M EXHAUSTED” WHEN YOU’RE SELF-EMPLOYED. It truly feels as ungraceful as me in this picture and is a big thing to navigate. Here are my thoughts on energy management for holistic business owners.

The Battle between your Inner Boss and your Inner Employee: When you had a job, you had to show up whether your pet died or you stayed up too late working or scrolling. You showed up because you had external expectations to meet. You had a boss and colleagues. You had a transition to work- you drove/ got the train. You had a time you needed to be there and you knew the exact latest minute you could leave your house to make it on time.

Now that you’re self-employed, none of that stuff is built in. YOU are the boss and YOU are the employee and so you have the inner drama of your inner boss and inner employee trying to negotiate. What time does work start today? What am I meant to be doing today? When is lunch? When do you need this task done by? I’m stuck. I’m tired. I’m bored. I can’t concentrate. I’m scared. I’m going through emotional waves of fear. All the things. Happening internally. !

So what have I done since then to translate some of the beneficial elements of employment into self-employment? Have I gone back to a very exact timetable and structure like I had at school? No! My inner employee is too unruly for that despite the best efforts of my poor long-suffering inner manager!

I’ve written a full blog post on this which I just cant fit in a short post. It’s a pain trying to fit big reflections and ideas into smaller posts and it takes half the day. I’m experimenting with allowing myself the space to write longer posts on my blog instead of trying to edit it to within an inch of it’s life for Instagram.

I’m going to send this full blog post out to my email list on Sunday. Join my email list via the link above. I hope you have a great day.

Do you resonate with the idea of an Inner Manager and an Inner Employee?? Comment below, I’d love to know.

Holistic Practitioners, I know how you "just want to help people" and I see how generous you give in your content, in your business, in your energy. BUT, unless you are a breatharian (person who lives off air instead of food!), you need to make sure you're also taking care of your bottom line.

The phrase "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" is the title of a book by social media marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuck. It means Give, Give, Give, and then ask for the Sale. He said that most people are spending all their energy crafting sales messages and writing content that says "Buy my protein powder 25% off" and that leads their audience to tune out.

I see the opposite with us holistic folk. We give, give, give and don't ask for the sale. We have blocks around mentioning our business and fear that "people will think I'm just in it for the money".

No. They won't think that. They know your heart. And that belief is something you need to work through yourself.

Instead of thinking that selling is gross, you need to realise within yourself that by telling people about what you do and inviting them to book with you, amazing things can happen for that person: healing, wellbeing, balance, vibrance. Tune into that instead of your own discomfort.

I think 80-20 is a good rule. So every 5th post, talk about your business in some way and have a call-to-action such as "Get in touch/ DM me if you have questions about it/ I've got 3 sessions available for next week" etc.

On that note, I best do the same myself!! I've got one coaching session available this week and 2 next week. If anyone would like to book an Enquiry Session with me to see if my coaching is a fit for what you need support with. Non-salesy, just exploring "Is this the support I need or not?". DM me "Enquiry Session" and I'll send you more info.

Go forth and sell, my pretties!
Day 22 of

I'm such an extremist. An extremist who teaches and talks about balance and staying connected to yourself whilst trying to do 100 days of content when I usually post a few times a month. And in December, I posted 0 times! (I did do stories though)

So in the interest of BALANCE and actually having space to process the growth that's coming as I move through the discomfort and blocks I've had around self-expression, I need to change my own rules for .

I'll write a post another day about what I've learned so far in doing this, but in short- I'm actually now enjoying the creative process of seeing what "comes to me" to post each day and just going with that. On the other hand, I've been posting too late and it's taken my evening headspace time leaving me tired and wired.

So what are my new rules? I will continue my 100 days of content, but with weekends off cos that's more balanced and sustainable. I also really want to make longer-term content such as youtube videos and blog posts which I'll send to my email list weekly. So that's my next focus.

I'm going to ask on stories tomorrow for video and blog post ideas that you think would be helpful for holistic business owners in their first 2 years of business.

Content suggestions welcome in the comments below! And/ or advice on my 100 days of Content challenge. thanks!

Day 21 of

And it's the weekend. Will you give yourself time this weekend to listen inwards? To hear yourself. To let the week settle in your system. To allow your subconscious time to process what's been going on.

In the empty space, the insights come. When you're doing some cleaning, the brainwaves come. When you stop trying to figure things out, the clarity comes. Your inner voice is always trying to guide you, it just needs space to be heard.

Quiet. Slow. Less. Be. Space.

When do your best insights come? Comment below.

Day 19 of

I have nothing to say today because my brain is tired. So here's a photo that makes me laugh. From 2017 when I was doing a work exchange at Happy Buddha yoga retreat centre.

We lived at "The fun house" which was named such because it had previously been known as "The haunted house" lol. An old property, we cleaned it up and it really was fun.

I said I can't be in a photo cos I have a massive spot on my forehead. My 21 year old wild friend Bryce decided to backcomb my hair in order to distract from the spot. I think it worked!

A time I remember myself as feeljng light and free and simultaneously lost and scared.

It was the messy phase when one phase of your life ends and you have no idea what the next phase is going to look like. So you're stuck in this transition period. Limbo. You don't know who you are or what youre actually doing.

It feels gross and yet its natural. Now I understand it as winter. Stuff has died off. Alot is going on under the surface. And spring will come. And it will be beautiful. Winters are natural. There's no need for us to fight them. The stress comes from thinking you shouldn't be in winter. Every season is OK.

That's my ramblings for today. Big love to anyone navigating winter- emotionally or practically in snowy Ireland today.

Energy work, coaching, meditation, yoga, reiki can help everyone. Holistic work in general is simply bringing people back into connection with themselves, to their true nature, to being centred and in balance.

And it’s true, that everyone could benefit from it. BUT from a business perspective, you need to narrow it in.

A few benefits to being more specific about who you help and with what: 1) you become really knowledgeable and confident in what you do 2) You will likely be more effective in what you do when working with similar patterns in people over time. 3) it's easy for you to talk about your business to others 4) it's easy for people to recommend your business 5) It's easy to know where to "find" people who are struggling with the problem you help with (aka marketing).

Lots of resistance can come up for people when choosing a niche/ a narrower focus for their business. It can feel like you're excluding people (but you're not, you're just being specific). There is also fear around picking the "wrong" niche" (instead- just see it as an experiment for 3 months- I'm going to trial this niche and I can change then- it feels like a big deal, but it's not. I see lots of people evolving their business all the time.)

I really love working with people on their niche and clarifying who they help and how to communicate what they're about. It truly is the foundations for your business and once solid, it all gets much easier.

You know where I am if you need help with it and want to have an enquiry call about working together. I usually send you questions to journal on in advance of our call about where you're at, your challenges and your vision and we simply talk through these things together to see if it's a fit between what you need help with and how I usually help people. All very relaxed. Also, I'll be teaching courses after March.

Who do you LOVE LOVE to work with? Comment below (question inspired by Thomas .millennial.coach question to me this week. Thanks Thomas!)

Day 17 of

Your vision for what you want to create and bring into the world is unique to you. Your vision is a communication between you and your inner knowing. It comes to you through your intuition and it’s unique to you.

While this vision is still forming, you may look around to see how others are doing your “thing”. It’s almost like searching externally for a visual cue of how it could look for you when you do it. To me, this feels like part of the creative process... checking what is already out there whilst in communication with my intuition. I think “Yes, I like that element of what she’s doing” and “No, I don’t like that element of what he’s doing”. It’s like filling in the gaps between my idea and how to actually do it.

I often feel like the creative process within our businesses can be like baking a cake... there’s the idea, then there’s time when it’s forming and baking internally, then there’s the cake. The important part is to remember is that it’s your UNIQUE cake and you need to keep consulting your intuition, your inner guidance through the creation process.

It’s a noisy world with lots of different drum beating. Observe them then tune out of them and listen to your own drumbeat: your rhythm, your expression, your path.

Day 15 of (it's getting easier!)

Your vision for what you want to create and bring into the world is unique to you. Your vision is a communication between you and your inner knowing. It comes to you through your intuition and it’s unique to you.

While this vision is still forming, you may look around to see how others are doing your “thing”. It’s almost like searching externally for a visual cue of how it could look for you when you do it. To me, this feels like part of the creative process... checking what is already out there whilst in communication with my intuition. I think “Yes, I like that element of what she’s doing” and “No, I don’t like that element of what he’s doing”. It’s like filling in the gaps between my idea and how to actually do it.

I often feel like the creative process within our businesses can be like baking a cake... there’s the idea, then there’s time when it’s forming and baking internally, then there’s the cake. The important part is to remember is that it’s your UNIQUE cake and you need to keep consulting your intuition, your inner guidance through the creation process.

It’s a noisy world with lots of different drum beating. Observe them then tune out of them and listen to your own drumbeat: your rhythm, your expression, your path.

Does this creation process resonate with you?

ENTREPRENEUR FRIENDS:
For about six weeks, I been a part of Tad Hargrave of Marketing for Hippies' Membership Program.

On February 10th, he'll be emailing his whole list about it and opening up 100 more spaces and then closing it down for a while but he's offered us members first dibs for our friends. For $100 USD/month you get access to his considerable vault of eBooks, online courses, and videos, his thirty days programs, teleseminars, weekly group coaching calls and more. For $25 USD/month you still get quite a lot.

If you’re struggling with your marketing, can’t figure out your niche or how to communicate what you do or get enough of the kinds of clients you want, you should check this out:

https://marketingforhippies.com/membership/ Tad Hargrave

When I started my business, I spent so much time trying to see into the future, trying to see what my business would look like, trying to know how it would all work out before taking a single step. In Myers Briggs Personality typology, this was me using my Introverted Intuition function. This function is also known as "perspectives"... it's like running simulations in your mind of different possible scenarios. It's bigger picture thinking, understanding how one thing connects to another thing.

What I now know is that, in leaning heavily on my "intuitive function", I was not using my "sensing function". *Stay with me while I explain the terminology! Intuition and Sensing are "cognitive functions" that we all have. It's like being left or right handed. We have 2 hands, but a preference or tendency to use one over the other.

The sensing function, which I was not using enough, is the one that relates to using the 5 senses, experiencing life through the senses aka taking action and gaining experience! Can you think of someone in your life who is like this?

Most holistic practitioners are stronger in intuition over sensing. The word holistic relates to "holism" which is defined as the belief that each thing is a whole that is more important than the parts that make it up. This is big picture, connection thinking - intuition. The stereotype of intuitives is spacey, airy-fairy, head in the clouds, artists, creatives etc.

I wanted to post this to alert an awareness that if you notice your tendency is the philosophising, thinking, dreaming, then you may need to build strength in the opposite skills too- in doing, taking action, trying things without knowing how they are going to work out. Reducing the gap in the strength of one function over the other will help you to be more rounded and balanced.

If you're curious about your personality "type", you can check out http://16personalities.com . It's based on Carl Jung's work and it's been a huge tool in my self-awareness. If you know your type, post in the comments below! I'm INFJ.

Day 12 of

Feeling reflective this evening. It's easy to get caught up in this crazy bubble of Instagram and business and learning more and doing more.

Its easy to go off track and chase false gods, illusions of success.

We don't see wisdom, morals, concentration and steadiness of mind modeled enough in our society. Instead we see kardashian type things.

Its hard to stay sane, grounded in what's truly important.

This poem is often attribted to Charlie Chaplin but his office said he didn't write it . He read it out at his 70th birthday.

This is the kind of stuff we need to be consuming more of. Real stuff about our humanness. Let universal truths be the messaging we are absorbing inspiring our choices in life.

As a society, I see we are hungry and searching for realness, for meaning, for connection to our true nature.

So I share this poem today for all who are striving to live a spiritual and material life in an integrated way .... wanting to have an impact, learn lessons, experience life whilst cultivating a deep connection to their inner guidance, to deeply understanding their human nature.

Wishing you every strength as you walk this path with awareness, wisdom, compassion and love. 💛 Ciara

Day 11 of

Before client sessions, I always light a candle. I light the candle and think of my client. I say "May this session be for my client's highest good".

In lighting the candle, I'm releasing attachment to how the session goes and I'm fully trusting that whatever comes up in the space between us, is the right thing for the client.

I'm connecting in with my intuition and committing to deeply listening and hearing my client, whilst also listening for intuitive insights at the same time which can add to the angles and ideas we have in our conversation.

Lighting the candle is a ritual that switches me out of Ciara mode and into coach mode. It transitions me from thinking about myself and my life and brings me into the present moment where I start to hold the space for my client's highest good.

I am such a perfectionist and some times I used to go home from teaching at school and think of all the things I'd done badly... I used to have to say to myself "I did my best, I'll try again tomorrow, the kids all went home in one piece!".

When I started coaching, I had the same pressure on myself... "What if the client doesn't get anything from the session?" I had to reel myself in and remind myself that I've gained from every single session of BEING coached by others. They weren't all brilliant (for me)... some I ended up crying during because they stressed me out so much (really not a good fit for me!)... but I still benefited from each and every coaching session. I grew, I learned, I had an experience.

This way of thinking has helped me to trust that there will be benefit from whatever happens in a coaching session. It's an experience. It's growth. It's done with the right intention.

I'm sharing this candle ritual as it may be of benefit to any newly qualified holistic therapists, healers, coaches or mindfulness teachers who may be reading this.

Drop a candle emoji below if you think you'd like to include this in how your prepare before you see a client

Day 10 of

I have a 5 minute challenge for you today.... it's actually so easy that you'll think it's stupid... until you do it and then you'll think it's great!

So... the challenge is (drumroll)... to set a timer for 5 minutes and spend those 5 minutes ASKING FOR HELP. I know.. an underwhelming use of a drumroll.. but hear me out...

Oftentimes when we are stuck, we're not fully sure why we are stuck. We kind of know the next step, but it feels massive or your mind is trying to figure out the step after that before it does the first step. Basically, your head is muddled with trying to figure things out- you don't know the landscape of the problem, you don't know what the factors are in your decision, you don't know what you don't know.

And that stops us from asking for help- because we don't actually know what we need to ask... you don't even know what to type into google! So... have a think for a moment about whatever open files are in your head that your mind is trying to figure out and jot down a few people in your network who you could have a chat to who might be able to fill in the blanks for you so you can get your head around the thing.

Or maybe you know exactly what you would love help with but don't know who to ask for that help. Brainstorm who you know that might be able to recommend someone to you.

Perhaps you're on a treadmill of doing it all yourself and haven't stepped back to think recently about how could things be easier.

Help could take the form of a friend to brainstorm with, an accountability buddy, someone to read over what you've written, some feedback about your website/ social media, conversations with ideal clients about their problems, referrals from past clients to their network, chatting with a tech-savy friend...

Whatever it is, big or small, identify which help you think you need and then ASK FOR THE HELP!! Seriously, if we spent 5 minutes a week doing this, we'd all spend alot less time lost and stuck AND we'd build a strong support system around us -to-stay-sane-and-not-quit-business!

If you could wave a magic wand right now, what help would you wish for? Comment below, you never know, someone might appear with the answer!