I am thrilled to announce that I am launching my coaching business.
I qualified as an Executive and Personal Coach in 2023 and have been practising it alongside my full time job in education. This summer, I took a leap of faith and am able to offer personal coaching two days a week.

Coaching will provide you with space, support and the tools to explore your goals, overcome challenges and take confident steps forward.
Together, we will create meaningful, manageable steps of change. I’m here to champion you, challenge you when needed, hold your hand and celebrate your wins.

How the sessions work:
Connection
Focus & goal setting
Exploration & discovery
Plan tangible actions
Reflection & close
Small steps build big change

What you need:
A quiet space
An open mind
Note taking materials
Willingness to make change 
Commitment to taking small steps to create big change

Package:
Initial consultation
3 x one hour sessions
1-2-1
Online, in person or on location
Special introductory offer £249

Get in touch via email [email protected] or DM me in Instagram!

 What struck me most was the reminder that it's never too late. Sometimes we may feel certain experiences belong in the past - but stepping back into the saddle showed me how powerful it can be to revisit old passions.  Trying something again, years later, can bring a new perspective: confidence, gratitude and the utter thrill of proving to yourself you still can. 
Riding after three decades (and riding Western for the first time) wasn't just exciting - it was liberating.  A reminder that adventure doesn't have an expiry date.
​So if there is something you've been longing to return to - whether it's a hobby, a sport or a dream: take this as your sign - it's waiting for you. 

Many thanks to the fantastic folk at Yellow Snake Horses Brazos River Ranch. I can heartily recommend Rhonda and her ranch family if you find yourself in Parker County, Texas and want to get in the saddle. Also, if Bruce if there with his mules and chuckwagon, you are in for a cowboy breakfast treat!
​PS. I felt like a sober Beth Dutton. 

At the end of July I decided I wanted to start my day with free writing.
Fifteen minutes, first thing, releasing a stream of consciousness.
Routines for me are essential, they keep me safe and I tend thrive when I am allowed to create a routine that works for me.   Having read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, I have dipped in and out of Morning Pages (as she calls them). 
For me, the benefits of free writing, as opposed to prompted journaling, is that it serves as a daily mind cleanse.  Three pages, first thing, no filter, no judgement. It's early days but I am certainly feeling clearer and more able to face the day (and dare I say, more productive!)
In case you need some convincing, I have included some benefits below:

 Clear your mind → Start your day with focus
 Unlock creativity → Fresh ideas often flow
 Emotional release → A safe space for worries + frustrations
 Self-awareness → Spot patterns + connect with your true voice
 Productivity → Prioritise what matters
 Problem-solving → Answers often appear on the page

This month I will be going Live on Instagram For me, pen and paper, open mind, open heart and non judgement. Keep an eye on my stories for details of dates and times. Or you could try it at home:

Find a quiet space
Make yourself comfortable
Unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders and take a deep breath, hold and release
Pick up your pen and start to write (some people choose/have to do it digitally also)
Either fill three pages or I like to write for around 10 minutes)
Gently close your journal, hold it in your hand
Visualise the words inside without judgement
Take a deep breathe, hold and release
​
Have a great day

Here's a few things I did which have resulted in growth of my hair in my fifties:
BLEACH BE GONE: This was the first thing that had to go: honestly, that alone was the biggest step, but it was a hard one. My wonderful hairdresser (not the one involved in historic, full head bleaching) used a tint to lift the colour, without the need for bleach. 
MINIMAL HAIR WASHING: I used to wash my hair every other day. I switched to washing once or twice a week. I ensured I used a nourishing shampoo and conditioner especially for coloured hair.
HAIR MASKS: A weekly leave in hair mask was a great excuse to also exfoliate my skin and paint my nails.
HYDRATION: Drinking 2 litres of filtered water each day.
LIMITED HEATED STYLING: The straighteners are gone and blow drying on a cool setting only.
PROTECTION FROM SUN: Staying in the shade, silk head scarves or hats are how I protect from the sun in summer. 
SUPPLEMENTS: Whilst I have no evidence this has had an impact on the health of my locks, I know that taking daily marine collagen, magnesium, zinc, iron and vitamins C, D and E has helped as part of my self-care habit stacking.

So here I sit, typing this with the healthiest locks I have had in a long time and it feels great. I am grateful that my hair grew back and I have been given a second chance: I will continue to look after my mane moving forward and maybe I will be the old lady with long hair I swore blindly I would never be! Watch this space!

The Old Town: beautiful lanes of vintage shops, independent stores and with weekend markets. 
Pubs and restaurants: Fish and chips on the beach is my go-to (I always travel with a bottle of Heinz Ketchup for this very reason!) The town is well served for pubs and bars. The Fez being one of my favourites. Afternoon tea at the iconic Walpole Bay Hotel cannot be missed. Edwardian in style and utterly seductive, we have always enjoyed wonderful service in the quaint surroundings. 
Art: Margate is awash with artists, studios and small galleries. A great place to start is on the seafront at the iconic Turner Contemporary Gallery.
Attractions: With offerings such as The Crab Museum and Shell Grotto, Margate is brimming with things to do. Play the slots on the seafront in one of the amusement arcades. Or the iconic Dreamland boasts a traditional English seaside with a Grade II listed wooden rollercoaster, a roller disco and hosts concerts throughout the year.
Beaches: The sandy beach in Margate with life guards during the high season is popular if you fancy a paddle. The tidal pool further along at the Lido is also worth a visit and we can never resist a dip. 
Accommodation: Too endless to list - Margate is well served for rental properties and hotels. We are yet to try The Walpole Bay Hotel, but it is certainly on the list. 
Transport links: Margate is accessible by rail and road. The train station is central and only minutes from the beach. National Rail coaches serve the town from London daily. By road, Margate is easily accessible and is located 1.5 hours from London.

The above is a mere sniff of what is on offer in Margate and us by no means an exhaustive list.  
So whether it is a few days away with the girls, a family break or a dirty weekend for two, there is something for everyone in Margate! 

On walks you pay attention to your surroundings. The pressure of conversation is somewhat alleviated by the natural narration of your environment. Walking side-by-side is great for having tricky conversations: taking an issue outdoors into neutral surroundings can be helpful. 
Lockdown and made us all aware of how self-sufficient we need to be, how important contact with people, animals and nature is.  Walking for me has really helped to meet those needs and I always feel better after a walk. 
So what's next for my walking?
✔ More Disco Walks.
✔ Introduction of my Walking Coaching sessions.
✔ Maybe we will go international and plan some NYC or Amsterdam walks. 
Certainly I will keep on walking and talking: plodding, noticing, being inspired, connecting, improving my physical and mental health and hopefully stroking lots of dogs en route! 

Before I knew what I was doing, I was ensconced inside the booth, tapping my phone on the contactless payment pad and "CUCKOO!" (that's the noise the machine makes to warn you it is about to snap you for posterity) I was away - although as you can see, I wasn't quite ready for that first one! I was just warming up and it was all over.  The £5 investment in a bit of fun was worth it (and cheaper than a matcha!) As I emerged, a group of excitable teenagers waiting to use the booth looked slightly confused at my solo antics. Thankfully, unlike in Northampton Bus Station circa 1987, the photos were expelled mightily fast, so any potential shame was alleviated as I beat a hasty retreat with my already bone dry photos in my sweaty mitt!
Apart from having Baader Meinhof-like passport photographs taken alone, I realised I would normally only enter a photo booth with another person. But wait, here I was having as a lot of fun on my own! 
Clutching my bone dry photos I then walked the streets of Shoreditch/Whitechapel: admiring architecture, art, graffiti (much of which was political I was grateful to note) and remembered how much I love my own company.
Just wanted to remind myself, any maybe you, that don't save all your fun for when others are willing to come with you: do it alone!

Playfulness and versatility are two things that really drive my style: whether its clothes, accessories or makeup. I have been known to use kohl pencils, liquid and even lipstick to create my eye-catching looks. Top tip, if you have a shaky hand, try resting your elbow steady on a surface as you draw. There are plenty of tutorials online. My advice, just go for it and see what happens! ​ Meeeeoooooow!

After a two year hiatus: I am back. Dipping my toe into blog writing: just for me.
Hopefully you will get something out of it too!
​Toodle pip!

I was delighted to be interviewed by Keira @scott-samuel.co.uk
Some accounts on Instagram always bring me joy and Dolly’s is one of these!  A riot of colour, sparkles… she exudes happiness and always puts a smile on my face from her disco walks around London to her maximalist style.  Today I chatted to @brokedirtyblonde Grab a cuppa or a glass of something nice and enjoy…

Need some help when shopping preloved, vintage or jumble? Catch my top 5 thrifting tips with Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet’s founder, Nikki Spencer’s latest blog.
​
https://www.haventstoppeddancingyet.co.uk/post/5-of-the-best-charity-shops-in-se-london-some-tops-charity-shopping-tips-too

444 days.That’s it. It has been 444 days since I last consumed any alcohol, took a drink, imbibed (as long as you don’t count that sauce that came with scallops which I devoured and later discovered had whisky in it!)
My sobriety has been the thing that I have received the most private messages about: why did you do it, how do you do it, how did people respond, can you still have fun?

A face tattoo?” There was no hiding the bewilderment in their eyes.
“You do know what that represents don’t you?”
I don’t feel the need to justify my choices about me body but I do love having discussions with people and changing the way they might think about things.

At this time every year I reach for my old friend: my trusty, vintage, leopard print, faux fur coat. It is so loved that the pockets have now perished, the lining resembles a moth eaten eiderdown and it feels more like a blanket than a coat.
But for me, nothing quite beats the impact of faux fur. It is now a wardrobe staple of many: from high street to high end and from catwalk to alleyway.

This is the description of the reaction to John Hetherington, a haberdasher who dared to appear on the streets of London wearing the first top hat in 1797. 
The poor, audacious soul was promptly arrested! Ridiculous huh?