Hello Soul Gym Members,

I'm currently looking for people who have been running Leadership and/or wellness retreats in warm sunny beachy places Globally.  Ideally, I would love to speak to anyone who has "been there, done that" to begin taking steps toward my "Wake Up" Leadership retreat project.  

Facilitating and designing transformational leadership experiences is my strength and I've been doing that in Corporate environments for over 15 years, however, I find myself challenged when it comes to organizing and planning the logistics of events and arranging travel.

If you are someone who loves planning retreat events and travel and/or you could recommend someone, I would really appreciate your referrals.  

If you are someone who currently runs retreats and/or you have already "been there and done that", I would really appreciate connecting with you for a quick 15 min. call to hear about your lessons learned or insights. 

I am grateful for this wonderful community and look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks so much,

Chantal 

I've been absent from work and social media in general for a long time, but I'm getting ready to get back to it.

I wrote what is probably my first LinkedIn post in 2024!

“Living is easy with eyes closed

Misunderstanding all you see

It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out

It doesn't matter much to me”

As long as I'm sober, I'm ok.

I got through having my sober heart broken. I stayed sober. I was ok.

I got through a global pandemic, more grateful than ever for my sobriety.

Sat with my mother in the last year of her life, profoundly grateful for my sobriety, that I wasn't making it all worse with my drunken pain. 

I got through all this and more in the last (almost) 10 years. Sober. As long as I'm sober, I'm ok.

I didn't even really think I needed to think about my ‘recovery’. I had my sobriety. 

Then life reminded me that it's not just about sobriety. That there's a lot more I need to recover from. That my sobriety doesn't mean much if the grief and pain are still tucked away, quietly eating away at me unnoticed. 

In January, I had no choice but to face it. The chronic stress. The grief. The depression. 

I deactivated and deleted social media profiles. Cancelled obligations and longed for events. I retreated beneath my duvet and let the depression take hold. I had no choice, it was taking me with or without my consent. So i may as well accept it. 

I've learned a lot about myself in the past 6 months. About who I am, what truly matters to me, and what I want from my life.

I know now that, valuable though my sobriety is (and that is still intact, and wasn't under threat at any point in these hard months), I am and will always be in recovery. 

Because life is fucking hard. There are reasons I would drink a bottle of wine a night and hide it from my friends. My life isn't easy, and if I don't remember that I have to prioritise recovery then this will happen again. 

I've learned a lot about the importance of compassionate support, and what a person might really need when they're feeling stuck in life. 

And I'm looking forward to bringing this to my coaching when I open my books for clients again in September, once my son goes back to school.

But first, I have beaches to explore, festivals to dance at, and hills to climb! 

What are your summer plans? 

[Photo credit: Marcus Nagle at Strawberry Fields on a recent Liverpool trip]

What would you do if the leaders you trusted most advised you against accepting the biggest opportunity of your career?  

A client of mine, let’s call her Lisa, recently faced this exact scenario and reached out to me saying she was likely going to turn down a significant promotion that would almost double her income.  Her boss and other influential leaders around her told her she wasn’t ready. They said they really cared about her and didn’t want to see her fail. This filled her with self-doubt and made her question her abilities.

Coaching Moments

I asked Lisa to walk me through her decision-making process.  As she spoke, it became clear that her fears were rooted in old narratives, and she couldn’t rise above the noise alone.  We can’t outrun our humanity and our human brain is wired to protect us.  When faced with the fear of failure, our brain reminds us of ALL the worst-case scenarios, which often fuels self-doubt and erodes our confidence.

I guided her through a series of coaching questions to help her gain clarity so that she could make this big career decision based on facts and rational thinking vs. listening to other people’s opinions and the imaginary barriers her brain was making up to keep her safe. 

The Power of Support

We can’t succeed alone. We need other people to believe in us when we are struggling to believe in ourselves. I reminded Lisa of her strengths and distinct unique abilities.  She didn’t need more qualifications to be ready - she was chosen by the CEO because of who she already was. 

Triumph over Self-Doubt 

Lisa made the decision to honor her talents and step into the next level of Leadership.  She accepted the human nature of her brain and redirected her focus on making meaningful progress in her career.  She is now putting her strengths to work in the new role and has significantly increased her income, her influence and her ability to have a greater impact. 

Listening to Voices of Possibility over Fear 

You are the creator of your future, and you get to decide when you’re ready! Instead of being unduly influenced by the voices of fear or by the scary old reruns playing in your head, please stand up for your highest and greatest good.  Choose to see new possibilities as a gift and listen to the voices that encourage you to step into your own greatness!

Reflect and Act

Think about the people you are surrounded by every day:

• What voices are you choosing to listen to? 
• Are they fear based or possibility-based voices?
• Are they helping or hindering your leadership growth and progress?