How Change Changes You Podcast

Welcome to Episode 12 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. This week we speak with creative and vibrant Denise Engel about the magic that happens when you learn to let go of expectations and open up to the unexpected twists and turns of life!

A timely interview as this month celebrates International Women’s Day on the 8th March. We talk about the importance of female empowerment, that age is but a number and you have the power to create a life of your choosing that fits you, even if it makes no sense to those around you! During our chat she drops this golden nugget  “Once you figure out you don’t need someone to save you -  you save yourself!!

Denise shares so much wisdom in this conversation - about life, love, creativity, family and self care and so much! At 55 years old,  she’s feeling more vibrant than ever before! Putting this down to truly being comfortable in her own skin and creating the life and business that brings her the most joy! She adds “owning who you are and what you want out of life is key to finding fulfilment and happiness”.

Growing up in New York in an Orthodox Jewish household Denise shares how she was raised to believe she had no voice and no choice and was given no real tools, only rules as to what to expect from life. Years later after an arranged marriage, she gave birth to four beautiful daughters, which she later brought up as a single parent.

Denise shares that for many years she just made things work. It wasn’t until she got to 50 years old, when her daughters were all away at College she suddenly thought “now it’s my time”. With that thought she gathered up her savings and travelled to Europe - where on a last minute intuitive change… she ended up meeting her now husband. Five years on they’re celebrating their anniversary and enjoying life in Gateshead.

Denise is founder of 2 creative businesses Mind Spice Art and more recently Denise’s Pieces - where she upcycles furniture, breathing new life and colour into each piece - so they can be loved once more! She shares how creativity is part of who she is - allowing herself to express her love of colour, crafting and design. She loves nothing more than to see the joy on people’s faces when they find a truly unique piece of furniture that they couldn’t have found anywhere else! 

I hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording this episode - the nuggets of wisdom are truly endless - from viewing life as an unfolding adventure to embracing your unique chaotic impulsive side to truly create a life that you love.

We’d love to hear your comments. Which parts of the conversation resonated with you? What were your main takeaways?  Please feel free to comment or ask any questions below.

Connect & Follow Denise at:

Welcome to Episode 11 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. This week we speak with Craig Stephenson, a Senior Project Leader by day with a passion for personal training! Craig set up “The Total Coach” a few years ago after becoming a qualified PT and realising how much he loved helping people transform their fitness levels.

We talk about the relationship between your physical and mental health in and outside of work. As a Mental Health First Aider, Craig talks about how he utilises his experience over the last 15 years leading large diverse teams helping people bring their authentic selves to work. We talk about the importance of developing psychological safety to create a culture of support and celebration.

Craig is 45 and is based in the North East of England.  He comes from a sporting and Project Leadership background.  We talk about the skills he has developed across team leadership, personal motivation, coaching and mentoring and with in-depth knowledge in various areas within mental and physical health..

Craig supports clients on successfully completing and outperforming on significant sporting and endurance endeavours such as ultra marathons, iron man competitions, cycling time trialing through both personal training and  mindset coaching.

He has also coached clients through significant life challenging events from major proposal presentations, job interviews and resource management.

Craig is a Mental Health First Aider and has utilised his experience across his 15 years successfully leading large diverse teams in a multi million pound consultancy company helping people bring their authentic selves to work. We talk about the importance of developing psychological safety to create a culture of support and celebration.

He shares his experiences in leading and developing wellbeing, mindfulness and mental health resilience strategies and programs for a large global consultancy company and their associated clients

Connect and follow Craig here:

Welcome to Episode 10 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. This week we speak with Rachael Beattie who shares how the many changes and challenges in her life have truly shaped her into the person she is today! From her Bipolar & ADHD diagnoses, to becoming her Mum’s carer following a brain injury to losing 7 stone in weight; Rachael is convinced that ANY change is possible!

Rachael lives in Cramlington, in the North East of England with her husband, 7 year old daughter and teenage sons. She became a tutor/coach back in 2010 with no clue that in 2023 she would be a Certified Neurodivergent Coach and an ambassador for people across the world!

In our conversation Rachael openly and honestly shares how having ADHD and Bipolar has had a huge impact on both her life, and her dedication to found and develop an online neurodivergent community that is both non-judgemental and hugely supportive.

Rachael is a breath of fresh air - down to earth yet extremely knowledgeable & passionate about making a difference to people who might be feeling as though something is wrong with them - we talk about the importance of bringing awareness to how your unique brain works & finding ways that actually help it work for you instead of against you!

Not only do we dive into neurodiversity but we also talk about the importance of loving yourself from the inside out & accepting yourself at a deep level of your overall health & wellbeing as a human being.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Rachael - we’d love to hear your thoughts, comments & questions - there are links to how you can get in touch with Rachael below

Follow or connect Rachael here:

Welcome to Episode 9 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. Here Lauren Pla shares how diving into her own inner, personal development work led her to view how she parents in a completely different way.

Lauren lives in New Jersey, in the US with her husband, 22 year old daughter and 16 year old son. She shares how her parenting has changed and evolved over the course of her ever-increasing self awareness. We talk about the importance of observing ourselves - noticing how we think, feel and act, and how that impacts how we relate to our children. We also cover the power of accepting all parts of  ourselves, so we have the ability to do the same, for the greatest growth of the people we’re bringing up!

Lauren speaks passionately about practicing compassionate curiosity. How it can help you as a parent avoid falling into the trap of constant stress through judging and trying to control your child, in the name of love and protection; instead of trusting them, giving them space to find their own ways, whilst being there for them in a supportive and loving way.

Lauren openly and honestly shares her ongoing journey into becoming a more conscious person and parent - reminding us that it's not easy, BUT it is often more simple than we think!

Lauren is a Certified Life and Empowerment Coach who has a passion for illuminating the inner strengths we are born with. Having experienced a variety of different challenges through her life, Lauren came to realize that the lessons she took from each one were invaluable, and she feels a deep pull to offer her insights to younger generations so no person ever feels like they need to do life alone.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to everything, and embracing the Human in each moment is what makes the journey beautiful. She currently coaches Teens and Young Adults around confidence, resilience and self-trust. She also coaches Parents through the stress and feelings of disconnection during teen-hood.

Follow or connect Lauren here:

www.hinenicoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/laurenpla/

Welcome to Episode 7 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. Here Damon Bowen-Ashwin shares his personal change story, being diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 40 and how it saved his life! Damon shares that If you’d have told him a year ago that the growth of his brain tumor was the best thing that ever happened to him, I wouldn’t have believed you! In fact, he shares, “I’d have been petrified as well as angry and upset that there had been any post op growth!” Damon is half way through chemotherapy having already completed radiotherapy last autumn, and has never been so happy and in love with life. He is now on a mission to prove to himself and the world that we can do anything if we put our mind to it – he wholeheartedly believes this to be true.

We talk about the mental, emotional and physical challenges faced navigating ongoing treatment following his diagnosis 2 years ago. From confronting and embracing the fear to finding opportunity in exploring new potentials and experiences. As an avid cyclist and huge advocate of the Wym Hoff method of breathing - he has discovered a whole new perspective on life, what is important and what is simply not worth worrying about!

He is passionate about sharing the message - “If you want to change the world, change the way you look at it, and you’ll be amazed at what starts to happen. Start by loving yourself unconditionally, and then the rest will fall into place, and maybe, just maybe, amazing things will happen….”

Join Damon for the journey through his video diaries – where he inspires others to tap into their inner strength

Welcome to Episode 6 of the How Change Changes You Podcast. Here Lucy Emsley shares her personal change story, where she recently experienced an acute bout of anxiety which led her to being diagnosed with OCD. Lucy talks about an important reflection point where she began to notice a pattern between her changing hormone cycles and experiences with anxiety levels.

Lucy is the founder of Sow Clever, a conscious business with a passion for inspiring everyone to get growing! They provide a subscription box service that gives you all the materials and expertise to grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed.

We talk about the importance of being persistent with healthcare practitioners to get the support you need - to the relief felt when gaining clarity on the cause of anxiety. For Lucy she found that it was her OCD that was driving her anxiety, which she now has techniques and tools to help manage alongside deciding to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which has also significantly helped reduce her levels of anxiety.

We talk about the dark side of strong coping mechanisms, being too harsh on ourselves, keeping pushing forward no matter what! Discussing the polarizing perspectives of selfishness versus self care! Feelings of guilt around taking the time for yourself! The busy being busy trap! Today Lucy talks about being so much kinder to herself, taking breaks when she needs to and choosing to lower the bar at times to look after her overall wellbeing.

We both recognized that sometimes you need to give yourself permission to slow down to speed up! Because you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you’re constantly prioritizing other people’s needs above your own - know that this is not sustainable and you may be on track for burnout!

Lucy shares that she feels stronger than ever and that her experience confirms further that change can be a catalyst for better health! Even in my darkest moments can hold promise of brighter days!

Follow or connect with Lucy here:

Welcome to episode 3 of the How Change Changes You Podcast! 

Here Christopher shares his personal change story, being diagnosed with a serious life threatening bowel disease at the age of 27. He honestly & vulnerably shares his journey from diagnosis to facing a life saving operation, and the long process of physical, emotional and mental healing & recovery.

Here we talk about the critical importance of health - which we can all take for granted at times - to him facing scary unknowns, battling worst case scenarios, losing his sense of self following massive weight loss, wearing an ileostomy bag (to collect his waste) after his colon was removed & questioning everything about life! To the weeks, months & years it took for Chris to build himself back up personally & professionally. Chris cites the personal development research & work he did as being a huge part of his recovery journey!

He reflects back that his illness was a catalyst to explore himself at a deeper level - which has now inspired him to help other on a similar journey as a Transformational Life Coach.

Follow or connect with Christopher here:

Welcome to episode 3 of the How Change Changes You Podcast! Here Melissa Roberg shares her personal change story, a pivotal time in her life where in 2015 she found herself in an unfulfilling career and marriage. Mel openly shares her journey from realizing how she felt to then taking action towards making significant changes to move forward! Mel shares how she got to the point of making a courageous decision that would turn my world upside down, allowing her to begin to heal and start living a life aligned with who she was at her core. We talk about the dangers of losing yourself in a relationship and/or a career that no longer fuels you, to the power of leaning into the pain with compassionate curiosity and how to take small steps to nurture yourself to build up inner strength, to get to know herself at a deeper level and find the confidence within to take ownership and make necessary changes happen!

Today Mel is a transition coach that partners with women to help them gain clarity and overcome fear of the unknown so that they can make the bold changes that their soul's are yearning for.

Follow or connect with Mel here:

Welcome to another episode of the How Change Changes You Podcast! Here Chris Geisler shares his personal change story, a pivotal time in his life where at 19 years old he is forced to face the consequences of his actions. Chris openly shares his journey since that day of reckoning and how it served as a seminal moment in developing his own self awareness, the important lessons he continues to learn about himself, what this change strengthened in him and how it has shaped how he lives in his today. From teaching Yoga to hosting his own Body Mind Practice Podcast to leading a local Men's group and International Expeditions, he instills human connection, adventure and play within all his areas of being! His YouTube channel and podcast contains conversations with people who are focused on a WHOLE-LIFE approach to Human health and understanding what the ingredients are for living a life well lived.

Follow or connect with Chris here:

Welcome to episode 7 of the Authentic Action Podcast! In this episode I talk with Lucy Emsley of Sow Clever, a conscious business with a passion for inspiring everyone to get growing! They provide a subscription box service that gives you all the materials and expertise to grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed.

Lucy shares her story about moving from a fast-paced working environment in the FMCG branding world to starting her own business with her partner John, honouring her passion for gardening and longing for greater flexibility and autonomy in her life.

Lucy passionately supports mental health charity Mind, giving 10% of her profits to something close to her heart. She talks about her challenges with her own mental health and the realisation that something had to change, to allow for a more balanced way of living.

Welcome to episode 6 of the Authentic Action Podcast! In this episode I’ll be speaking with my friend and fellow Certified Coach Chiara Russo, ACC ELI-MP, dialing in from Rome, Italy.

We'll be talking about a powerful and insightful tool called the Energy Leadership Assessment (ELI), an attitudinal study that measures your energy levels and uncovers how you see yourself and the world around you. We discuss how these elements directly influence how you show up in every aspect of your life.

The ELI assessment gauges how a person approaches and reacts to different circumstances and experiences by producing a combined numerical value of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical energy. This single factor, the Average Resonating Level of Energy (A.R.L.), is a strong indicator of success in various aspects of work and life, representing the average of all your energy levels — under both normal and stressful conditions.

Studies prove that higher average resonating levels of energy are associated with higher levels of satisfaction in life. The assessment debrief allows you to uncover insights on how you might be experiencing each level of energy in:

• Finances
• Leadership Ability
• Working Relationships
• Family Relationships
• Work/Life Balance
• Health & Wellness
• Spiritual Connection
• Communication Skills
• Productivity