Tag: Personal development

Coach, Growth

Gratitude and joy

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Gratitude and joy
Gratitude and joy

It’s been a roller coaster year of pitches and prep, ups and downs, swings and round abouts, highs and lows, wins and losses, but ultimately, I have a massive sense of gratitude for all the amazing people and companies I’ve had the pleasure to work with in the past 12 months.

From managing the rebrand, brand playbook, website relaunch and marketing strategy for award-winning, female-led, interior design company KAI Interiors; running messaging and discovery workshops and creating marcomms programmes for award-winning tech consultancies; and developing marketing and communications programmes, content strategy, events and more for disruptive-tech PR agency C8 Consulting; 2024 has been packed with interesting and insightful work, and wonderful people.

On the personal front, it’s been a challenging year as I’ve also been juggling the renovation of my home – it had not been touched for the best part of 40+ years (think avocado bathroom suite, complete rewire, partially new roof and you get the picture). So, 2024 really has been a year of transformation and change, from the inside out.

I’m extremely grateful for the relationships built, the projects and contracts won, plus the people and teams I’ve had the privilege to work and partner with.

Reflections and learnings

At the end each year I go through a completion process. Essentially this is asking myself four critical questions and responding to them with authenticity and truth. It’s a great way to reflect on what I’ve created, good and bad; what I’ve learnt, good and bad; to help identify what I’m ready to let go of; and imagine what I’m ready to create next.

Completion questions are as follows:

  1. What did I create good and bad?
  2. What did I learn good and bad?
  3. What am I over?
  4. What will I create next?

My invitation to you is to set yourself some time, 30-60 minutes, to reflect and when going through the questions, I would encourage you to trust your intuition and to go with what you get first, don’t over think it. Capture everything in a notebook. I suggest you write, not type, as we connect differently to ourselves, our hearts and our imagination when we let the words flow from our body and out through our hand.

It’s an adaptable and flexible framework and process you can do on your own for personal and professional development, or with your team, to gather feedback and reflect collectively.

The end of a year and the start of a new one is a great opportunity to do a completion – to pause, reflect, get quiet and listen to connect with what you want to create next.

Adopt a growth mindset – you’re speaking my language

At a recent QBR hosted with a client in Central London we booked author, mind coach, speaker and trainer, David Rahman – to talk about ‘Preparing for 2025 and mental wellbeing’. As David says ‘Nothing changes, if nothing changes’, which reminds me of the quote from Charles Darwin…

It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.

The talk David delivered sparked lots of enquiring, thoughtful and heartfelt discussion amongst the team, encouraging us to be open and share different experiences – a real opportunity to bond over something new.

To kick-start the year ahead with a joined-up approach, he posed many questions, two of which I’ve noted below to get you thinking…

  1. What’s one thing I’m going to change about myself going into 2025?
  2. 1% improvement over the year equates to 14.4 minutes a day – how am I going to choose to invest that time?

Christmas stocking filler

Borrowing the analogy, when one door closes (2024), another one opens (2025), there’s aways an opportunity to reframe a situation and see things differently. Therefore, if you are looking to make some changes in your personal and professional life, I would highly recommend reading Mindset, a book to drop into yours, and potentially a friend or family members stocking this Christmas. I’m about half-way through Mindset, it’s a great read, is easily digestible, I find the content relatable, plus it’s easy to spot where I have a fixed mindset in some areas of my life, where I have a growth mindset in others, and where I’d like to make changes to how I think, approach, and respond to situations.

Mindset – Change the way you think to fulfil your potential

This book focuses on discovering the mindset for achieving success, in business, parenting, school and relationships. Author Dr. Carol S. Dweck.

The second book I’ve gifted myself is Atomic Habits. I’ll crack on with reading this next and share some insights in the new year.

Atomic Habits – Tiny changes, remarkable results

An easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. A revolutionary way to get 1 per cent better every day. Author James Clear.

Both books are available at all good book stores.

Five simple suggestions to take into 2025

• Be a team player – Be responsible and play your part in making 2025 a success
• Create success – Ask yourself, what can I personally do to make me and our team more successful
• Time is precious – Keep meetings short (30 mins where possible) and always be prepared
• Be on time – Or as Steven Bartlett says from Diary of a CEO, “Being on time is arriving 10 minutes early”
• Growth – Awareness and curiosity are key, all growth starts here

Without curiosity there is no desire to know more, to expand our thinking, to see things from a different perspective. Without awareness we shut ourselves off to opportunities that might enable us to flourish and discover our superpower.

What’s your super power?

On the tail end of busy year, in the last quarter I’ve continued to meet and speak with my community and network, talking with them to understand more about their business, the challenges they face, the potential economic headwinds as we move into 2025, and what they’d like to start doing, stop doing and continue doing.

We’ve discussed new opportunities to collaborate, what that might look and feel like, and where they want to evolve, elevate and pivot. I’d love to understand more about you and your business challenges and the potential to work together in the new year.

As individuals we all have a super power, and collectively that superpower gets super charged when we come together and work collaboratively. Collectively in my network, we open doors, make introduction, brainstorm, share ideas, ask pointy questions that encourage creative, fresh, innovative thinking and I cherish that sense of community and support.

For me? My super power is combining my three loves – marketing, brand and communications, applied behavioural colour psychology, and coaching – it’s a unique combination and it’s my magic sauce. I’ll be sharing more about how my clients benefit from this unique blend of experience in the year.

Happy Christmas!

Have a wonderful Christmas spending time with loved ones, friends and family. Wishing you all a colourful and prosperous 2025!

Stay curious 🧡

With joy and colour,
Emma

Photos taken at client QBR, Dec 2024.

Marketing

Cyber Exchange 360 – Insights and takeaways

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Cyber Exchange 360 – Insights and takeaways
Cyber Exchange 360 – Insights and takeaways

Last week I had the opportunity to join an afternoon packed with interesting conversations at the Cyber CMO 360 Meet-Up and Cyber Exchange 360 – ‘Talk to the board’ session, hosted at the Science Museum, London. The event provided a new invaluable chance to connect with peers, share strategies for maximising event success, and engage in meaningful discussions.

CyberCMO 360

Gathering heads of marketing, the CMO roundtable, hosted over a delicious lunch, presented the perfect opportunity to talk with other seasoned marketers and engage in a lively debate about the challenges facing sales and marketing teams, and aligning KPIs – specifically around events. The hotly contested topic of attribution continues, as does the desire for marketing not to be consider as a cost centre, but for sales and marketing to potentially report into a CRO. This approach would ensure teams are aligned, and trusted communications and good relations are at play – after all, marketing is a revenue generating part of a business.

Talk to the board

Following the roundtable, I was able to attend and hear Board Directors from Enterprise and Technology companies at ‘Talk to the Board’ session, part two, in which many questions were asked by moderator, Steve Hill, former global CISO, Credit Suisse, to the panel of experts. Forming a formidable line-up, the panel included Lorraine Heggessey, former controller of BBC1, Roger Flynn, Chairman, Cooke Optics, former CEO and Leader in Transformation Change, Virgin, British Airways, Prudential, Haydn Brooks, CEO and co-founder, Risk Ledger and Rupert Lee-Browne, Chairman and group Chief Executive Officer, Caxton.

There were so many insights to capture but here’s some sound bites from the ‘Talk to the board’ session, where they touched on the subject of mental fitness and the rise in the importance to talk more openly.

Key takeaways

  • Learn how to deal with stress in your own way, and in a positive way – there’s no such thing as a stress-free job
  • Be there for your team, they also need to be there for you – foster a culture that’s transparent, compassionate, empathetic and supportive
  • If you enjoy what you’re doing, stress can be viewed in a different way, we can thrive on it
  • Make sure you enjoy your job – we all have a choice where and how we work, empower yourself – take license over your own destiny
  • Leaders have a responsibility to empower their people and teams – install a culture that’s supportive. As a leader, you have to be able to lean on your team for insights, guidance and advice
  • The importance of executive coaching – from being a leader in your field to executive level, it’s imperative to work on your weaknesses. Learn how to lead and be a great leader, understand the bigger picture. If your organisation offers it, say yes to executive coaching
  • Transparency – where do we draw the line, to keep staff motivated and on board. How far do you go with it?
  • Company culture – If I was forced to choose one key takeaway, it is this. When growing or running a successful business, focus on your company culture, everything flows from here – it’s a foundational and core piece to your brand strategy – a subject I’m passionate about

Build your network

Thank you to Pulse Events for organising, and to Amanda Coles and Sarah Moss, founders of the Sphere network – a platform designed to bring together a community of great people to build meaningful connections in cybersecurity and data security marketing, for the invite to join and for hosting an insightful CMO round table discussion. Also, it was great to spend the afternoon with one of my clients, MD and founder, Paula Elliott from disruptive-tech PR agency C8 Consulting.

For those who don’t know me, I help forward-thinking, innovative MDs and founders build brand value by unlocking potential and creating change. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and say “Hello”.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich, Pexels.

Conscious Creator, Imagination

Connection in community

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Connection in community
Connection in community

There’s much to be said for working in community, living in community, and connecting in community. It’s being and operating in this way that drives human connection, enables people to talk more openly, and in many cases sparks our imagination, unearthing ideas that would never have materialised and seen the light of day, if that creative practice that we’d been invited to participate in, never came about.

Tap into your imagination

You’d be forgiven for wondering what I’m going on about, so let me explain… ‘Connection in community’ was the theme for day 5 of the retreat I went on in Ireland in the first week of October, hosted along the Wild Atlantic Way, in the depths of county Donegal, Ireland. The overarching theme for the retreat was ‘From Word to World’, and each day had a specific focus, with many practices to experience and experiment with having started the day in silent meditation and set our intention.

Experiencing ceremonies influenced by traditional healing tribal practices, playing with movement inspired by QOYA known as a compass for navigating an embodied life that is wise, wild and free, sounding to experience how sound resonates in our bodies and sounds when expressed, to writing practices led by meditation and responding intuitively to a series of questions, designed to encourage us to step into our creativity and feel inspired to unleash our imagination.

Here’s some of the questions that were asked during our warm-up writes, where we have 60 seconds to write down and capture what we creatively, intuitively get, before our logical, analytical brain kicks in and says “that’s rubbish, what does that even mean?”.

  • Right now, what do I want to say to my body?
  • What does my body want to say to me?
  • What do I want to say to my voice?
  • What does my voice want to say to me?
  • What do I want to say to my heart?
  • What does my heart want to say to me?

Courageous conversations

Every day on the retreat, between 5-6pm, we had a ‘Courageous Conversations’ circle. The purpose being to share what is landing for us and to share this with the group, the intention to be of service to everyone. During these vulnerable, challenging and most often extremely insightful sessions, we were invited to observe and follow some rules that enabled everyone to speak freely, with no judgement or interruption. In the Courageous Conversations session on day 5, we were invited to speak and present to the group what we had written in response to our writing practice earlier that day.

It was surprising the intrigue I felt about putting my voice to my words and sharing them openly with the group. There was also a lot of resistance as I felt vulnerable and exposed, some questions and mind games coming into play… “Would it resonate? Would it make sense? Will they think I’m odd? Perhaps it’s best not to share?”. So, in the interests authenticity, sharing and bringing the premise of the retreat ‘From Word to World” to life, here’s what I wrote…

Burn, let your spirit soar

Your voice is beautiful, it’s rich and mellow,
Deep and strong, from pitch to shallow,
Your voice will say what needs to be spoke,
Let it burn like a fire, until it needs to be poked,

Poked with a pole, rod or piece of wood,
Encouraged to talk until it’s understood,
No need to hide, no need to stay quiet,
In this place my voice… my voice,

My voice can be booming, mild and weak,
But here I’m seeking a 10-pin bowling streak,
To leave nothing unsaid, leaving nothing misunderstood,
Releasing what’s worrying me from under my hood,

Like a car has an engine, our brains and bodies need juice,
Petrol, diesel and mindfulness, to feel fully present where we stood,
We stood at the beach, at the rocks, and the shore,
With a question bubbling “Will there always be more?”

More to learn,
More to seek,
More to enjoy,
More to peak?

To peak my interests when the day gets dark,
And I begin to feel like I’m losing my spark,

Sparks come in November for fireworks galore,
Guy Fawkes, now that was a man who wanted more!
He set fire to London city, in a blaze, in a flame,
Many people and things never to be seen again,

We’re all on a big journey, and over mountains I’ll soar,
Spotting pigs, geese and chickens, and probably wild boar,
I like it smoked, dried or sliced, to celebrate the flavour is stores,
Completely unlike a digestive and marsh mellow smores,

I don’t like them, they’re too sweet, no flavour to savour,
Where will this journey take me, what will be my next endeavour,
I’ll endeavour to be strong, wise, kind and smart,
Much like a baby born at the start,

All innocence and joy, a tight bundle of fun,
For them life on earth has just begun.

The Heroine’s Journey

Whilst in Ireland, at the location of our Heroine’s Journey retreat, I was amongst the most amazing group of women. All from different cultures, having a range of backgrounds, a spectrum of ages, and a huge depth of life experiences – our week together has been challenging, joyful, reflective and transformational, so to my sisters who were called to join this journey together, I have the upmost respect, warmth and heartfelt thanks. Together, in our community, we created something very special.

If you would like to listen to me speak my poem, ‘Burn, let your spirit soar’, check out Colourful Conversations on TikTok – here.

@emmapottercolourful

Connection in Community This was the theme for day 5 on the Heroine’s Journey retreat in county Donegal, Ireland last month. It’s the first retreat I’ve ever been on, so lots of new experiences to explore – writing intuitively being one of them. Here’s the poem that flowed following a few questions to get our creative joices flowing! In the spirit of sharing, here’s what I wrote… a poem I’ve called ‘Burn, let your spirit soar’ 🔥 #intuition #creative #writing #poem #flow

♬ original sound – Colourful Conversations

Photo by Eric Sanman, Pexels.

Conscious Creator, Imagination, Wellbeing

From word to world

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on From word to world
From word to world

FROM WORD TO WORLD – This is the overarching theme of a fabulous, inspiring and magical retreat I’ve just been on in Ireland, our location deep in the depth of County Donegal, a stone’s through from Horn Head along the Wild Atlantic Way. Our Heroine’s Journey was led by retreat facilitator, author, psychotherapist, Qoya and mindfulness teacher Victoria Smisek, and vocal alchemist Martha Rice.

To provide some context, each day on the retreat follows a similar structure allowing time for silence, mindfulness, movement, writing, vocal expression and free time, which is essential as some of the exercises are intense and took me to and beyond my boundaries, into discomfort and the unknown – the place of awareness, insight and growth.

After silent mindfulness practice, offerings to nature, and a delicious vegan breakfast prepared lovingly by our chef for the week Ellen-Meave, Victoria and Martha opened our morning session by having candles lit in the middle of the room. There were three circles of cards, each circle getting smaller, and the invitation was to pick a card from the outer circle, to read that card then dance QOYA into that card, then the invitation for the second, then to dance QOYA again, then the third and to dance QOYA again. The process being that we had 5 minutes to write after each card was chosen and the dance was danced – each stage and each card evoking different movement and words.

  • The first card I picked was the ‘The Spiral Dancer – circuitous route, perception
  • The second card I picked was 32. Iseutt – Goddess of Perseverance
  • The third card I picked was the ‘Owl’

After my dance and writing with all three cards was complete, followed the invitation to write freely with what flowed when I put pen to paper. In the spirit of sharing, here’s what I wrote…

Sunrise at Horn Head, County Donegal, Ireland

The Spiritual Dancer, Perseverance and The Owl

Once upon a time I felt your heart it’s beating fast,
Faster than it ever knew,
I raced, I crawled, I’m sure I drooled,
But was I ever really ruled?

The rules are, there are no rules,
Break free with delight, let your wings take flight,
The current of the wind will carry you high,
Higher than a star in a glittering sky.

Gour gong, gour gong, gour gong, gour gong,
This is the rhythm of my song,
My voice is ready, my heart is too,
To speak and express the words that are true.

No right, no wrong, the song is mine,
To sing silently, sing softly, to sing loud and proud.
Perseverance is key, my goddess knows the way,
Feel into my movement, feel into my sway.

There’s magic in the winds, feel the whispers, feel the song,
It’s time for me to ring my gong,
My spirit is high, the dance is strong,
Swirling, circling, perception is my song.

Perceiving a new future,
Perceiving a new me,
Perceiving a new way of being,
Creating a new me.

A me that’s magical, a me that’s fully expressed,
A me that’s most likely wearing a dress,
A dress that’s flowing and moving – no static, frozen or still here,
This babe has really shifted gear.

A sports car I’m not sure, but with wheels I’ll spin,
Spin directly into a new ‘everything’,
I don’t know what it is yet but I think it will include paint,
Painting with my fingers, brushing and saint.

Saint equals spirit, a spirit a new,
It’s time to put on my new golden shoe,
A golden shoe, I spot a shrew,
My wise eagle owl eyes, spot me like glue.

I’m now in my vision, I can no longer remain unseen,
It’s time to shine, don’t be afraid to be seen,
My wings are huge, there’s scope for so much more,
Soaring over mountains higher than ever before.

My head rotates left, my head rotates right,
Is it possible for this bird to take flight?
My wings are huge, my sight is too,
Will I have time to find the accompanying golden shoe?

The Heroine’s Journey

This piece, The Spiritual Dancer, Perseverance and the Owl, is the first of a series of writings that emerged on my Heroine’s Journey retreat. I’ll share a few more in the coming weeks.

You can find out more about The Heroine’s Journey retreats here.

Horn Head, County Donegal, Ireland

Photos taken at Horn Head, near Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, Ireland

Brand, Inspiration

AI versus creativity

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on AI versus creativity
AI versus creativity

This morning whilst doing an early turbo session I re-listened to a Happy Place podcast hosted by Fearne Cotton, where she interviewed Take That’s Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald – I was transported briefly back to my carefree university days.

In the interview they talked about imposter syndrome, creativity and family, but it wasn’t until the last 5 minutes where they touched on the subject of AI. It’s a topic that I’ve talked about with colleagues and clients, touching on how it could potentially impact their business to how they can utilise AI in their business. From a personal stand point, I’ve played around with it and I understand the benefits – it can reduce human error, automate repetitive tasks and processes, smoothy hand big data – but I don’t believe it will replace creativity as it can only gather content from what’s already out there. It was great hear Gary’s view on AI.

“AI can’t come up with what I come up with next. All it can do is base its prediction on what I’ve already done.”

Gary Barlow

Key takeaways  

Listening to the broader conversation Take That had with Fearne, here’s some other takeaways that might resonate with you.

  • Do the thing that got you recognised, that you love, that speaks to your soul, not the thing that runs alongside it.
  • Ideas come from our creative genius. Flying solo is good, but greatness also comes from collaboration – it’s a combination of song writer, musicians, production, stage design and creative.
  • Spaces like recording studios have magic in them – we can feel it, like energy, we step into a space where our creative juices and ideas start to bubble up and ooze out.
  • Focus on the fire in your belly – if it doesn’t make you excited, and each-other excited, you don’t have anything. Be led by Love, be inclusive, and above all, be who you want to be.
  • Family is everything; it’s having the right group of people around you, not just ‘yes’ people, we need people who are going to say ‘no’ so we can have an honest dynamic conversation.
  • Put your phone away – don’t leave it face down in the table, put it away, out of sight, out of reach. This will help you be fully present in the moment.

If you fancy having a listen, click HERE.

Imposter syndrome and doing what you love  

It was interesting to hear the band talk about coping with fame. The contrast of feeling not worthy, then blocking out adoration to be able to cope. It just goes to show you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors, we all wear masks at points in our lives to conceal our insecurities.

“Go back to the thing where people first noticed you… don’t focus on fame, focus on your soul skill. Focusing on the partner to that skill will get you lost. Keep going back to that well, that’s the real reason you’re here.”

Gary Barlow

I love being surrounded by people who are creative, where there’s a mutual exchange of energy, where we fuel and inspire each other – it currently doesn’t feature AI. Will it in the future? Possibly on the data front. Creativity however, will always originate from your intuitive creative genius.

What’s the soul skill you bring into the world? Where’s your Happy Place?

Let’s talk – colourful conversations

As a brand strategist, colour consultant and coach, I work with heart-led people and businesses who are looking to make a positive impact in the world. If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd and distinguish your brand for all the right reasons, do get in touch, I’d love to talk.

With joy and colour,
Emma 🧡

Images sourced from Pexels – Steve Johnson and Alexander Ant.

Growth

50 and fabulous

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on 50 and fabulous
50 and fabulous

I did love Joan Rivers, an iconic American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host – a legend and truly iconic lady, she was known the world over for her characteristically dry, sharp, verging on offensive sense of humour. Of turning 50 she said, “Looking fifty is great – if you’re sixty.” There’s a popular saying that “Life begins as 50”, but does it? I recently had the privilege of turning 50. Some call it 40+10, some can’t say the number at all. For me, it’s easy to say but this life milestone has made me reflect on a few things.

“Looking fifty is great – if you’re sixty.”

Joan Rivers

A mix of emotions  

Whatever you want to call it; for those who have already joined the third quarter of their lifetime or the second half of their century, these words, expressions and feelings may resonate with you.

🧡 LUCKY to get to be 50, that alone is something to celebrate

🧡 REFLECTIVE that I’ve not ‘yet’ created the life that I thought I’d have by now

🧡 OPEN as to what I’ll create next, in life, my career, for travel and in love

🧡 GRATEFUL that I’ve experienced so much in such a short pace of time

🧡 EXCITED about starting a new chapter and next half century

🧡 THANKFUL for all the wonderful people and humans I have in my life, in the UK and abroad, and friends from decades ago and more recently

🧡 OVERWHELMED by all the beautiful messages, cards, flowers, gifts and experiences I’ve received as gifts

For all of these emotions, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone, my heart is full.

Dance and sing like no one is watching  

On my actual 50th I got up early and I cycled with a couple of girlfriends into the Surrey Hills. I appreciate it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and for many it maybe a strange way to celebrate a milestone birthday, but for me it was perfect. A day immersed in nature with biblical rain – it was torrential, we actually needed a snorkel, mask and a wetsuit – and being totally soaked through to the skin, and shivering whilst trying (and failing) to fix a puncture (the second of the day), we still managed to smile, laugh, chat and sing. We even danced by the roadside to keep ourselves warm. The passers-by did give us some funny looks but I guess that’s one of the many brilliant things about turning 50, it’s the tremendous sense of liberation – I don’t seem to care what other people think about me these days. This sense liberation makes me think of the song FROZEN – Let it go! My nieces loved this track and it holds many happy memories seeing them dance and sing without a care in the world.

Time to shine in my next chapter  

So, what’s the point of me sharing all this with you? I guess it’s to say, I’m grateful and thankful for everything I’ve experienced so far – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s all a lesson. With my curiosity dialled up to 11 out of 10… I’m excited and looking forward to the next chapter in my life.

Some people have asked in recent months what I’m doing to celebrate and mark my 50th, “Are you having a big party?”, but that’s not my vibe. My thing is seeing family and friends in smaller groups, at different times, doing different things so we get to spend quality time together.

To that end, I’ve been celebrating with friends and family since the last weekend in Oct and will continue to celebrate every weekend into Nov and Dec. In fact, I’m now continuing into 2024 as many of the gifts I’ve received are experiences to be shared in the months ahead – you all know me so well. From high teas at The Shard, wild sea swimming weekends, forest yoga in Dorset, exhibition tickets to Hockney in London, and immersive colourful pot planting garden days in the countryside – turning 50 is the gift that keeps on giving.

Let’s talk – colourful conversations

Whatever stage you’re at in life, I hope you’re experiencing it all – the elation of the highs and the dips of the lows. Much like the journey of growth we experience when coaching or being coached, the line is never straight, it has lots of wonky bit, spiky bits, curved bits, light joyous bits, dark shadowy bits, and a host of lessons in between if we’re prepared to listen, treat ourselves with compassion and be curious.

As a brand strategist, colour consultant and coach, I work with heart-led people and businesses who are looking to make a positive impact in the world. If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd and distinguish your brand for all the right reasons, do get in touch, I’d love to talk.

With joy and colour,
Emma 🧡

Images are of my birthday cards (excluding the rude ones), all are utterly brilliant!

Colour, Conscious Creator, Wellbeing

Transformative, immersive, revolutionary – what’s your experience with colour?

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Transformative, immersive, revolutionary – what’s your experience with colour?
Transformative, immersive, revolutionary – what’s your experience with colour?

Continuing the theme of colour and its subconscious impact on our lives – physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and on our environmental wellbeing – last week I visited an amazing company in Soho called MyCoocoon. For those that are not familiar, MyCoocoon are experts in colour wellbeing products and they design bespoke colour experience solutions. Based on chromotherapy (wellbeing, light and colour therapy), and aimed at relaxing and re-energising, they combine ancestral beliefs with cutting-edge technology. I appreciate that for some people who are unconvinced of the impact colour has on our lives this may seem a little ‘woo-woo’, but for me I was like the cat that got the cream, all my Christmas’s had come at once. 

Speaking with Valerie and her team of colour experts was incredible – I knew I had found an inspirational group of people that were speaking my language. For years I’ve had a fascination with colour, its energy, it’s vibration, and its subconscious power to influence our mindset, our heart rate, our decision-making power and even our body temperature. My approach and interest is quite holistic covering all aspects such as nutrition and the food we choose to put into our bodies, clothing and how we choose to dress on a daily basis, interior design and how we choose to decorate our homes to nourish and nurture our souls, business and how we choose to create a brand and identity for a company, its products, and services. 

Whether we like it or not, the colours we choose to feature and be present in our lives say a lot about us. 

A fully immersive experience – Spectrum Yoga Meditation 

From my experience, the only way to understand the power and influence of the MyCoocoon approach to colour is to get inside a Pod for a 30-minute meditation. There are no words to describe it… immersive certainly doesn’t do it justice, it’s more like embodiment through every fibre of your body and beyond.  

Whilst laying in the Pod, with a blanket over my body to keep me comfortable, I place the headphones over my ears, the pod is lowered so I’m literally cocooned inside, the ‘play’ button is activated on the tablet, and then I hear the relaxing voice that will guide me during the meditation and talk to me through the experience so I receive the optimum benefit.  

Slowly and gracefully the transformation begins. My body and my mind are immersed in key colours in a pre-determined sequence. My eyes are closed but the intensity of colour makes me feel like I’m absorbing it through every part of my body.  Being a yoga meditation, the colour sequence follows that of the Chakras (red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, indigo and violet). What surprised me most is that as I’m lying there I’m transported to a completely different world – almost like an outer body experience. Some of the colours are so intense it’s like you become part of them, fully absorbed and almost living in them. They are not just present in front of my eyes, they occupy my body, extending past the ends of my finger tips and toes – the intensity, vibration and energy overflowing every aspect of my being – truly transformative experience. 

Feeing curious? I actively encourage you to find out where they are next exhibiting and experience it for yourself. There are various methods – the Pod, the Cloud, the Immersion Wall and Energy Hub. 

Let your senses come alive 

Designed to cater for each of our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch – the colour passport gives insight into how we can engage our senses. Did you know for example that our sense of smell increases when it gets dark? Why – because our sight is reduced another sense is naturally amplified. 

Feel rebalanced when taking time for yourself with purple 

  • See a lavender field, listen to the birds and the bees, smell the scent of lavender, taste a blueberry and touch amethyst to relieve stress  

Feel peaceful with blue 

  • See the sky, hear the sound of the wind, smell the scent of a geranium, taste elderflower and touch lolite to inspire creative self-expression 

Feel and project yourself to be successful with turquoise  

  • See the sea, hear the sound of the waves, smell the salty water, taste old fashioned lemonade and touch topaz to enhance your communications skills 

Feel balance with green 

  • See a forest, listen to the rustling of leaves, smell the scent of cedarwood, taste a kiwi and touch peridot to open your mind and gain clarity 

Feel optimistic with yellow 

  • See the sun, hear the sound of energy, smell the scent of bergamot, taste a grapefruit and touch citrine to cleanse your mind and regenerate 

Feel happy with orange 

  • See a sunset, hear the sound of joy, smell ylang-ylang, taste a carrot and touch cornaline to bring positive energy 

Feel connected to the earth with red   

  • See a fire, hear the crackle of wood burning, smell the scent of sandalwood, taste a tomato and touch red jasper which helps control our emotions 

Feel connected to love with magenta 

  • See a rose, hear sounds of love, smell the scent of the rose, taste a strawberry and touch rose quartz which symbolises love

From stimulating energy and encouraging self-confidence, to activating our memory and calming the nervous system, the benefits of colour to our wellness and wellbeing are endless.

What colour would you say reflects your personality the most?

Colour, Conscious Creator, Wellbeing

Change your frequency – Connect with colour and vibe with your voice

by Emma Potter1 Comment on Change your frequency – Connect with colour and vibe with your voice
Change your frequency – Connect with colour and vibe with your voice

For those that haven’t had the privilege of meeting or working with Judith, she’s the founder of ‘Your Whole Voice’, and is a public speaking coach, vocal confidence specialist and sound healer. With a background in acting, she is high energy, extremely inspirational and through her business, is on a mission to transform the lives of over 100,000 million people. From ripple to wave, slowly but surely her voice and vibe is going viral, globally. 

This year started with me participating in a competition hosted by Judith whereby I had to create, daily, a 60 second video following a specific challenge; each video was then shared in a closed group Facebook group with other great people from all over the world, vying for their chance to win the range of prizes Judith had on offer. To my surprise, I won a two-day workshop, to take place in London, that gave all participants the opportunity to explore their voice, and to improve their style of public speaking. I had not expected to be filmed during the training (before and after), but there was a marked difference. It’s incredible what 48 hours can do for your vocal confidence.  

Many of the exercises to explore and gain confidence with our voice stemmed from Judith’s professional training as an actress, she truly understands how to connect with your voice, and to find a natural pace and tone where your audience are able to receive and fully hear what you’re expressing. 

Immersive retreat – sound your voice 

From completing the workshop, I felt compelled to join a three-day sound your voice retreat being hosted by Judith in Sussex, to explore my voice, and sound, further. Just for the record, by now I’m feeling well and truly out of my comfort zone – as a child I had a lisp and a stutter, and to this day I still get stuck on certain words.  At a very early age I devised a strategy whereby if I got stuck on a letter or word, I was unable to speak, I’d deviate and find alternative words that meant the same thing, that more readily came out of my mouth. So, for the retreat, l decided to adopt the approach of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, with the caveat of ‘enjoy the journey, play, and have fun’. 

And what a journey it was – what I experienced over those three days was quite enlightening. From getting up early in the morning and doing silent walks and barefoot yoga on the grass, to sounding on a hill top in a bracing breeze and at the beach with waves crashing in, there’s no doubt in my mind that, for me, being in nature is an essential part of enhancing my wellbeing.

Prior to the retreat I was relatively familiar with chakras, energy and colour, but I had not fully made the connection with sound and yoga, which is strange because I’ve been doing yoga on and off for 20 years – perhaps it never featured as part of the classes.  Either way, as someone who’s passionate about colour, its energy, vibration, and in the business world how it’s highly influential in how we relate and feel about a brand, I was really intrigued to discover this extended knowledge. 

Colour energy – it’s relation to our body and our voice 

I’m going to dive right in… For those that aren’t familiar with what Chakras are, the part of our body they focus on, the colour they represent, and the sound they are associated with, I’ve provided a snapshot overview – in total there are seven.

Chakra – means ‘wheel’ in Sanskrit. A chakra is an area in the body connected with life energy. There are seven main chakras in the body – each is an interface for the flow of life energy. A chakra vitalises a physical body and is associated with interactions of a physical or mental nature… each carries a specific meaning and colour.

Red

  • The theme for the colour red is survival, security, grounding, family and community.  Red is representative of the ‘Root’ and ‘Muladhara’ chakra; located at our coccyx – the sound associated with the Root is ‘Haw / Hore’, and the yoga poses are warrior and tree.

Orange

  • The theme orange is sexuality, creativity and emotional stability. Orange is representative of the ‘Sacral’ and ‘Svadhisthana’ chakra; located by our belly button – the sound associated with the Sacral is ‘Hoo / Who’, and the yoga poses are wide-angled seated forward bend and goddess.

Yellow

  • The theme for yellow is power, purpose, and wisdom. Yellow is representative of the ‘Solar Plexus’ and ‘Manipura’ chakra, is located at our solar plexus just at the bottom of our ribcage – the sound associated with the solar plexus is ‘Hoe’, and the yoga poses are half lord of the fishes, boat and lion.

Green

  • The theme for green is love, healing and compassion. Green is representative of the ‘Heart’ and ‘Anahaha’ chakra; located at our heart – the sound associated is ‘Haah, and the yoga poses are cobra and camel. \

Light Blue

  • The theme for light blue is communication, self-expression and authenticity. Light blue is representative of the ‘Throat’ and ‘Vishuddha’; located at our throat – the sound associated with the throat is ‘Hi’, and the yoga poses are bridge, fish or shoulder stand.

Indigo

  • The theme for indigo is awareness, intuition and imagination. Indigo is representative of the ‘Third Eye’ and ‘Ajna’; located in the middle of our forehead – the sound associated with the third eye is ‘Hay’, and the yoga pose is child. 

Violet

  • The theme for the violet (or white) is spirituality, enlightenment and interconnection. Violet is representative of the ‘Crown’ and ‘Sahasrara’; located just above the top of our head – the sound associated with the crown is ‘Hee’, and the yoga poses are half lotus, corpse and head stand.

Raise your energy

I can’t remember the last time I did a head stand but over the last 25 years I’ve benefitted hugely from practicing yoga – more recently Vinyasa Flow (which focuses on the smooth way the poses run together), Yin (mostly floor based postures held for  3-5 minutes; it may sound easy but believe me it isn’t, however I do feel like a new person at the end of the class) and Bikram (90 mins, 40+ degrees, 26 postures, from head to toe, a full body and mind workout) – now when participating I have this additional knowledge to tap into. 

Speaking of vibe and tribe, synergies and synchronicities this year have been happening with a wonderfully warm frequency – with opportunities crossing my path, introductions being made through my network, new projects I’m being invited to participate in – perhaps the colours I’ve consciously decided to surround myself with and energy I’ve created around me is acting like a magnetic? What do you do to raise your energy?

Inspiration, Wellbeing

Imagineering – find which way is up and follow your bliss

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Imagineering – find which way is up and follow your bliss
Imagineering – find which way is up and follow your bliss

Sometimes we just have to stop, look around us, and take stock. As we start a new year many people have asked me ‘What new years resolutions have you made?’ and the honest answer is ‘None’. Don’t get me wrong – I do have goals and aspirations – both personal and professional – but I don’t store them all up with a view to kick-start activity on the 1st Jan to achieve them. 

On the profession front, in 2019 I’d like to continue to work with businesses in the technology and wellness space, create new relationships, and build on those established over the past 18 years or so.  On the personal front, I would like to enjoy many more wild intrepid cycling adventures, bath in the wisdom and nourishment of nature, and embrace the fun, love and laughter of my tribe.  

Discover your Bliss 

Actually, as I write, I’m becoming aware that the Holy Grail is for my personal and professional ambitions to cross paths – that would be bliss, as I would be connecting with friends and colleagues on all levels. 

To reveal my bliss my starting point is ‘What’s important to me – what floats my boat – what am I passionate about?’ – And the short answer to that is to work with people who I find inspiring, who do what they love, and who take care of those around them. Yes that’s right, those who care about their staff and colleagues, both in and out of the work place, and empower people to shine and fulfill their ambitions.  

Wellness and Workplace Mental Health 

With 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year[i]; £6.5 billion being the cost of work related stress to the UK economy[ii]; and 92% of the British population wanting complementary therapies free on the NHS[iii] – there’s never been a better time for wellness and workplace mental health to be taken more seriously. 

2018 has been a big year for employee wellness thanks to events such as This Can Happen that gather companies to discuss their employees mental health. Founded by Jonny Benjamin MBE and Neil Laybourn, the premise of the event is to ‘look positively at the spectrum of workplace mental health and all it entails’ and to acknowledge that ‘mental health affects everyone, regardless of their job title, status, sex, colour, or nationality – we all face the same issues’.

In the last year alone I’ve read many stories about ‘burnout’ and spoken with friends in senior management positions (Founders, Directors) who have ‘hit a wall’ because their focus has not been on taking care of themselves first. So I feel very privileged and blessed to be in a position where all my clients take wellness in the workplace seriously.

If I were to make a nationwide suggestion, I would ask everyone to show compassion to those around them. Not only does it make for a better environment, I firmly believe it’s fundamental to the success of any organisation. It has to come from the heart and works best when the origins are rooted in a companies core values and encouraged in every employee.

Let’s face it, when people feel looked after and cared for, they will give far more than you ever ask of them. Why? Because the feel heard and appreciated for the skills and experience they bring to the table. 

Fire your Imagination

So as we launch into a new year, excited by the plethora of unknown opportunities that we are creating all around us, I would like to share a couple of quotes that made my heart sing…

“It always seems impossible until it’s done” 

Nelson Mandela

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new”

The Good Quote

Sources

[i] https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/#one

[ii] https://recruitmentbuzz.co.uk/work-related-stress-costs-uk-economy-nearly-6-5bn-each-year/

[iii] https://www.therapy-directory.org.uk/blog/2013/02/14/92-of-people-want-more-cam-available-on-nhs-reveals-therapy-directory/

Conscious Creator, Wellbeing

There’s a storyteller in all of us

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on There’s a storyteller in all of us
There’s a storyteller in all of us

The more I read, adventures I undertake, and clients I have the opportunity to work with, the more I believe there’s a budding storyteller inside all of us just waiting to find our stage – no matter how big or small. 

Irrespective of our age, we all have previous life experiences to draw on that do, in most cases, teach us some wonderful insights, wisdom and gems to cherish, and on the flip side, show us things we’d rather not experience or want to know for that matter.

As someone who had a stutter as a child, and subsequently went to elocution lessons to iron out the creases, reading and ‘storytelling’ was not something I jumped at the opportunity to do – however I did love having stories read to me, especially when the reader embraced the words and delivered the narrative with energy, pace and passion. In addition, being forced to read pages of books I was studying and to speak out loud in class at secondary school and sixth form was not an activity I relished. 

Delicious delights of the written word 

At secondary school I had a wonderful English Teacher – ‘Thank you Mrs. Turner” – who took the time to show me the delicious delights she experienced with the written word from various authors – subsequently her enthusiasm rubbed off on me. 

To this day, when delivering workshops and presentations, I still get stuck on words that start with certain letters, so have to pause, take a deep breath, and gently rummage through my memory bank to fish out an alternative piece of vocabulary to slot into place – whilst hoping my audience hears a poignant purposeful pause. 

Stir your curiosity – My top 5 reads to inspire new thinking

So decades later, now an enthusiastic reader with a passion for personal development and transformation, keen to continue growing and giving back, which books have inspired me to keep turning the page? Both in paper and digitally on my Kindle…

The Code of the Extraordinary Mind 

Author – Vishen Lakhiani

The founder of Mindvalley, Vishen is widely recognised as one of the most influential people in personal growth. A unique blend of personal stories and cutting edge theories delivered with compassion and humour, The Code of the Extraordinary Mind shares wisdom from interviews with Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington, reveals a 10 point framework for understanding and enhancing our everyday lives, and shows you how to bend reality using consciousness engineering to help you grow at speeds like never before. If you’re looking to accelerate your growth, this is a great place to start.

Nonviolent Communication – A Language of Life

Author – Marchall B. Rosenberg 

When a friend and fellow marketer told me they were reading this book I questioned why as the title seemed quite confrontational. However on doing a little research I discovered that the book is based on the integration of four things – consciousness – to support living a life of compassion, collaboration, courage and authenticity; language – to understand how words contribute to connection; communication – to know when and how to ask for what we want and how to hear others to move toward solutions; and means of influence – which means sharing ‘power with others’ rather than using ‘power over others’. 

If you’re looking to increase your ability to live with choice, meaning and connection, and to connect empathetically with yourself and others to enjoy more satisfying relationships, then you’ll gain invaluable life long insight from delving into this book. 

The Magician’s Way – What it Really Takes to Find Your Treasure

Author – William Whitecloud 

I was introduced to this book when on a course with Natural Success, a business that is run by coach and author, William Whitecloud. I’ve worked with William at various workshops, in London and last summer in Africa on a voyage called the Soul Safari. The narrative of The Magican’s Way takes you on a journey on how to create the success you want to see in your life – by focusing on the end result, and not the process. I’m currently reading this for the second time and discovering new insights.   

Pivot – The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One 

Author – Jenny Blake 

A fascinating lady, Jenny Blake was the co-creator of Google’s Career Guru Programme that shows people how to build on their assets, identify their strengths, bring out their interests and to build on their networks to launch a new meaningful and adventurous career, doing something they love. 

Her book Pivot shows you how to channel your energy to identify new opportunities, to facilitate and transition from your current work environment, and to whole-heartedly take steps to build the next.  If you’re looking to expand and grow, this book will help you discover your next move.

In her own words… 

I LOVE HELPING AWESOME PEOPLE LIKE YOU ORGANIZE YOUR BRAIN, MOVE BEYOND BURNOUT AND BUILD A SUSTAINABLE CAREER YOU LOVE.

Jenny Blake

Daring Greatly – How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead 

Author – Brene Brown 

I was first introduced to Brene Brown when I listened to and watched her very funny and engaging TED Talk on The Power of Vulnerability. 

By means of a brief intro, research professor and author Dr. Brené Brown has written several books having studied courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. She challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability, and dispels the widely accepted myth that it’s a weakness. She argues that, in truth, vulnerability is strength and when we shut ourselves off from vulnerability – from revealing our true selves – we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives. It’s a fantastic read that encourages you to be courageous, to show up, and to dare greatly. 

On the subject of Brene Brown, I’m looking forward to reading her new book ‘Whole Hearts’ – which is due for release this October.  

When your ears prefer to do the reading 

Encourage your mind to open and be prepared to think differently. Stir your curiosity by checking out some TED Talks – there’s something there for everyone.