Tag: Wellbeing

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

Creative, Inspiration

The Leopard and it’s spots

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on The Leopard and it’s spots
The Leopard and it’s spots

Another month has passed and another writing circle is complete. A smaller group this time, yet it is super powerful and insightful to share a creative space with likeminded individuals who have a passion for the written word. The inspiration this week was ‘Five Things’; these five things then formed the framework for our warm up exercises, those being to list five things that annoy (*iss) us off, five things my old school friends would say about me, and five things that I want to achieve in this life time. Our pens got writing.

Go where your energy takes you

With our responses gathered, we were then asked to quickly pick up five items from around us and tell the group what they were. From here we were invited to pick one of the items we’d selected and to write five words we associated with it, a second item to write a memory, a third to write the best thing about it, the fourth to write five words that describe it, and finally the fifth to capture if this object could speak, what would it say. Our response to these questions is not something to heavily think about, the idea is to be intuitive and to go with the first thing you get. Some of my answers surprised me, others made me laugh, but mostly it was a fun exercise to participate in and then share our responses with the group.

After, a rather poignant question followed… “What is the story your soul wants to hear?” Where is the energy in the prompts you’ve written? In the interest of sharing, unfiltered, here’s what I wrote…

I am not the person I was before,
The me that held quiet and hid behind the door,
I once was bullied with words and emotion,
Children can be cruel with the words they spout,
The words that fly across the playground as they shout.

I was fragile and scared,
Afraid to be me,
Socially inept and quite; shy and boring,
Everyone probably reduced to snoring.

But I did have friends,
I remember now,
Not the ones from Ashcombe,
Born from a cow.

Anna and Heidi were always there,
We stuck together a bit like glue,
Laughing and being silly, we really weren’t cool,
But who really cares when you’re at school?

We had lots of fun on trips to Wales,
Swimming in the sea probably looking for whales,
Spouting water from jets that at night time sparkled,
Lighting the surface with shimmer and grace.

North Wales and Devon were totally fun places,
We adventured to the beach for my 18th birthday,
So many fun memories flooding back to be now,
These weren’t born from the cow.

Fast forward to the last 10 years,
And with my friendships I have no fears,
I’m comfortable being me in my own skin,
Sometimes with the help of gin.

My Leopard wreaks havoc when these friends come to stay,
Games endlessly played into the dark night of day,
We laugh, we dance, we sing, we chant,
We swim naked too when we have the chance,
They’ve seen all of me, Worts and all,
Yet still they come back for laughter galore.

The Leopard spells joy and celebration,
Laughter from every nation,
British, French, Italian, Sardinian and Australian,
Our intuitive minds are our line of communication,
We’ve travelled together, holidayed too,
To the French Riviera and the real Africa – not a Zoo.

Soul Safari is our energy and vibe,
These people truly are my tribe,
They accept me for who I am,
Happy, and sad, and resting in the sand.

Joy is the word I want to remember,
I feel it’s important to feel joy and surrender,
Surrender to the warmth that is within,
There’s nothing to hide, no immoral, immortal sin.

Laugher and friendship bring me back to me,
The me that’s short for EP,
EP has EB the funny skin thing,
That I don’t let stop me doing anything.

BE the difference,
BE the change,
BE the energy,
BE insane,
Insanely happy,
Insanely joyful,
Insanely loving,
With my heart full.

Thank you for giving me the space to write,
They’re beautiful these sessions as my pen takes flight,
High into the clouds, way up in the sky,
Enabling my creativity to explode like a custard pie!

I prefer custard tarts if I’m brutally honest,
Have I always been so modest,
I’m not even sure what that really means,
But what’s lovely here is I feel heard and seen.

Thank you for this space,
Thank you for this time,
I sense it’s time for us all to shine.

My bottom is numb so I’m going for a wee,
I’m also going to stretch like a tree,
A tree with its roots that are strong and vast,
A tree that’s looking forward not anchored to the past.

Image on Pexels, Leopard photo by Satria Bagaskara.

To understand more about EB, the condition I have known as Butterfly Skin, visit charity DEBRA UK.

Creative, Inspiration

Run with the Wolves

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Run with the Wolves
Run with the Wolves

Last night was pretty special. For the first time ever, I attended and participated in a writing circle hosted by a friend, who is an avid writer, she’s currently writing her second book, and also leads writing retreats and workshops worldwide.

The session was titled ‘Women who run with the Wolves’, a term I’m not familiar with. It’s also the title of a book authored by American Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola, who writes about myths and stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, the book was on the New York Times best seller list for 145 weeks. I’ve now ordered it so I can familiarise myself with those myths and stories.

Connecting with my spirit guide

During the writing circle we were invited to introduce ourselves and talk about our spirit guide, if we knew what ours is – it’s not a fixed thing and often changes, shifting and evolving. With introductions complete, we listened to a guided meditation that concluded with us being invited to put pen to paper and go with the flow, writing freeform with whatever words came forth. I’ve participated in and lead several guided meditations over the years and they are a fabulous tool for tapping into our intuition and creative side. This is the first time a poem has flowed.

From the origins of my spirit guide, the horse, in the 25 minutes that followed the meditation, unedited and unfiltered, here’s what I wrote…

There’s hay on the hills the horses say,
Come eat, come chat, come rub, come neigh,
It’s time to play, its May come play,
there’s always time to play in the day,
When folks come past, they’ll look and stare but we don’t care,
We’re a mare – A MARE!
When people pass by, they’ll look and learn,
To play and gurn, to play is to learn.

When work becomes play, there’s fun in everyday,
No looking for more because it’s at your door,
It’s in your soul, the one that was stole,
But it’s made a return, like Saturn,
It’s been round and around, it has rings round it,
But now it’s your time to run rings around it.

Come play my angel, this horse has wings,
A mythical creature so strong and elegant,
So graceful and strong, she has presence,
Presence of mind to be at peace,
Presence of mind to feel at ease,
Presence of mind to connect to her heart,
And feel it beating powerful – from the start.

Take your time and gather your wings,
It’s time to fly and discover new beginnings,
It’s time to be at peace with your soul,
They’ll always be time for rock and roll.

Come for a ride, jump up for a hack,
I promise to fly you safely back,
We’ll soar over mountains, high in the sky,
Feeling the breeze, the lightness of flight,
You’ve been weighed down, it’s time to gain height.

Take a step forward every day,
One hoof at a time and we’ll gather momentum.

Be brave, be strong, be grounded, feel the earth,
Mother Nature is telling you it’s time for rebirth.

Put your hand and arms around my neck,
Feel the warmth and strength of my spine,
It runs from your neck,
And into mine – devine,
Together we are stronger, a dynamic pair,
Let everyone stand and stare.

Being still is not inaction,
It’s actually strength and attraction,
Go deep inside and feel your soul,
It’s always welcoming, just like a baby foul,
Whose legs might be doddery, they wobble and swing,
Yet quickly they are strong, supporting everything.

Let your roots find their way, they know the ground,
And also, how to make ‘THAT’ sound,
The one that calls us back together should we part,
We’re always together – ‘HEART TO HEART.’

Be strong my angel, be strong and pure,
For no one can truly ever be sure,
Be calm, be curious, be passionate, be brave,
You’ve been too long in this dark cave,
The light is bright and it leads the way,
Back up to the hill where there is hay.

Take time to pause, eat, look at the view,
It’s beautiful in the mountains, you might even see some fountains,
Fountains of ideas, where laughter and creativity flows,
Straight from your head and down to your toes,
Your toes have tread carefully but they’re growing strong,
Now you are ready to ring your gong,
The gong of love, the gong of freedom,
Rippling energy out into your kingdom.

Be brave, be curious, be passionate, be strong,
Now it’s time to ring your gong,
No need to stand back and ponder anymore,
No need to wait for someone to come knocking at your door.

Be brave, be curious, be passionate, be strong,
Step barefoot outside and ring your gong,
The gong of magic, the gong of truth,
The gong of rhythm, the gong of youth,
Your heart is strong, your heart is pure,
It’s time to let freedom ooze from your core.

Photo by Pixabay – Horse image

Conscious Creator, Wellbeing

The Three Amigas – Laughter, Love, Life

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on The Three Amigas – Laughter, Love, Life
The Three Amigas – Laughter, Love, Life

There is nothing finer in life than finding your tribe and meeting people that just make your heart sing.

The term The Three Amigas was born on Friday 13th in 2020, when me, Claire and Zoe arrived in Barcelona for a long weekend. Initially the group was more but due to the uncertainty around ‘you know what’ and travel restrictions coming into play, understandably some decided not to travel and to stay at home. However, even with all the daily changes happening at the time, I’m still so happy I made the decision to go as we had the best, most crazy, laughter fuelled 48 hours ever!

I travelled to Barcelona the week after International Women’s Day. That year I was training for a long-distance cycling event, due to take place on Good Friday called the York Arrow (440km, from London to York, inside 29 hours). As part of my training plan my cycling coach Jasmijn Muller, had put the Amesbury Amble in our diaries to ride Sunday 8th March – International Women’s Day. For her it was a walk in the park as she’s super-sonic, for me it was a fun, incredible and super hard day in the saddle. At 315km, and just shy of 3,000 metres of climbing, it was a long day – made harder by the headwind! So, after that, I was really looking forward to chilling and relaxing with my girlfriends in a city I’d never travelled to or explored before.

And as for pedal adventuress this year, I won’t be cycling 315km, but I will be joining an International Women’s Day Zwift session at 6pm (GMT) hosted by Natalie Cresswick, where there will be many Bella Velo ladies joining.

Soul bowl

So why am I writing about Barcelona? Well, in truth, I’m not. But if that trip hadn’t happened, it’s very unlikely that Claire, Zoe and I would have got together two years later for a week in Lanzarote. And it’s fair to say, as expected, we laughed, cried, walked, talked, danced, drank, ate and hit repeat – for a full seven days!

Old school friends, we’ve known each-other for over 30 years having been to middle school together. It’s strange to realise a few decades on, that from the worst school years of my life, I gained two of the most amazing friends. There’s a saying about friendship – ‘Reason, Season, Lifetime’ – these wonderful ladies are most certainly ‘Lifetime’.

Having been together on Friday 13th March 2020 – yes, the day before Barcelona went into lockdown – two years on and with the travel restrictions easing, it was great to BE together once again.

Making memories in Lanzarote was brilliant… we threw ourselves into an Afro Dance class (I won’t be taking to the stage any time soon as my body doesn’t want to do what my mind is telling it), went to some really incredible beaches for walks with Zoe’s dog Jax, relaxed at the spa (I’ve not been to one of those for as long as I can remember), and generally had a really relaxing, fun time BEING together. We crowned Wednesday the new party night, dancing and singing like loons until 3am – I’ve not let rip like that in such a long time. Doing some weird and wonky dance moves and singing at the top of our voices… it felt fantastic!!

The three amigas

This year, for me, the three amigas has a second meaning as it captures three wonderful international women in my life. Meet Claire, Zoe and Adeline.

• Claire, native English, living in France
• Zoe, native English, living in Lanzarote
• Adeline, native French, living in England

Creativity, caring, compassionate – Claire

Claire I’ve known since I was 5 years old. We have some really cute photos of when we were little dressed up as sunflowers – wearing green tights and a long sleeve top with giant yellow petals surrounding our faces. From amateur dramatics as little ones, to middle school, art college, then university in Nottingham where we both studied Textile Design – our paths continued to cross. So much so, I’m godmother to her youngest son Erwan, who’s one of the most adorable, handsome young men you’ll ever meet. I feel truly blessed to have Claire in my life. Always there unconditionally. During good times and tough ones too, we scoop each-other up, give each other strength, and laugh A LOT along the way.

Zeal, zest, zealous – Zoe

Zoe and I met at middle school and we were in the same group of friends. Growing up, the main thing I remember about Zoe was how funny she was and that she was always laughing, always up to mischief and having a giggle. In our late teens there were crazy fancy dress parties with the most incredible outfits made from what we had at home. Her life took her to Lanzarote and our paths drifted – for anyone reading this, if you’re in the land of Lava, do take the time to visit her restaurants – La Cantina (serves the most amazing food and wine) and Esquina (100% Vegan, serves delicious Soul Bowls). You can see Zoe’s creative flair in the styling of both restaurants, in the interior and the menu as she created both. Thankfully our paths reconnected in Barcelona, and more recently we spent a week together in Lanzarote – me, Claire and Zoe.

Audacious, amazing, adventurous – Adeline

Otherwise known to her friends as Adelicious, Adeline and I met about six years ago through coaching at Natural Success and from that point on our paths have continued to merge. We share a love of being arty and creative, plus have a passion for adventure and personal growth. Last summer, with a group of friends, we celebrated her 40th birthday in France where we enjoyed incredible local food, swimming in the pool, sounding in 11th century abbeys, singing in carpool karaoke (minus the celeb), and many other special moments. Bringing our passions together, we are now hosting a group called ‘Creative Conversations’, a 14-week programme to support people who are looking to discover and recover their creative self, following the book The Artist Way, authored by Julia Cameron. Both Claire and Zoe, along with 12 others are participating in the programme.

Adeline & Emma, Ferring Beach, August 2021

Celebrating friendship and magic

Why am I’m celebrating these three beautiful women? Well, that is easy, it’s because they are incredible women and incredible friends. It amazes me how many years can pass in a friendship where sometimes there is little and in some cases no contact, yet the bond is still there. Perhaps it’s because we’ve shared some pivotal moments together, or maybe it’s because there’s an invisible thread that’s never going to break – whatever happens – or how far apart we are geographically in the world. I think it’s magic, in all senses of the word. Magical that we bring out the best in each other, magical that we challenge each other, magical that we listen to each other, magical that we are there for each other unconditionally, and that when together, we talk, laugh, dance and sing like no one is watching.

On this International Women’s Day, I’m wishing all the amazing women in my life much love and magic.

Header photo taken in Lanzarote, February 2022 – Emma, Claire and Zoe

In article image, Ferring Beach, August 2021 – Adeline & Emma

Conscious Creator, Wellbeing

Creative Conversations – Discovering and recovering your creative self

by Emma Potter2 Comments on Creative Conversations – Discovering and recovering your creative self
Creative Conversations – Discovering and recovering your creative self

It was 15 or possibly more years ago that I first became aware of the book ‘The Artist Way’ by Julia Cameron. Designed as a 12-week programme, The Artist Way is a course in discovering and recovering your creative self.

The first time I read this book and actively participated in the programme I was in my early 30’s and for some reason I recall feeling a little embarrassed about talking about it. Why? I have no idea… perhaps because of what I thought people may think of me. First time round I read the book solo, diligently reading the chapters week-on-week, and doing the suggested tasks and exercises. Flicking back through the pages, I recall enjoying the process but understand now that I wasn’t fully involved or truly committed to the process.

Fast forward to September 2021 and I get the ‘whisper’ to check my bookshelf, look for this book again, and flick through the pages – I guess hoping for inspiration to strike and it did.

On reflection, I’m sure reading this book and doing the programme solo did create some shifts in me and in how I did things back then. Yet I recall wondering about the power of sharing the experience with a friend or with a like-minded buddy, creating a group with whom I’d be able to bounce ideas around with, share synchronicities, highlight and discuss resistance to certain exercises, and what ‘doing the work’ was creating for me.

Moments of synchronicity

It’s funny that I now spot moments of synchronicity every day. It’s actually strange to think there were so many before but I was blissfully unaware of them. Having heard and acknowledged the ‘whisper’ and found the book in my lounge, I messaged my friend Adeline who I’d been on holiday with in August – the ‘All of you is welcome‘ retreat – and asked her if she’d heard of the book, and if she had, would she consider doing The Artist Way together.

I love the way the book is described on the back cover…

The Artist’s Way helps to demystify the creative process by making it part of your daily life. It tackles your self-doubts, self-criticism and worries about time, money and the support to pursue your creative dream. It has already helped thousands of people to uncover their hidden talents – it can help you, too.

This was back at the end of September, and in the first weeks of October she’d ordered the book, felt similarly inspired to dive into the programme, and so our joint adventure of ‘The Artist Way’ commenced.

Moments of inspiration

Throughout the book, in every chapter, Julia Cameron highlights several quotes. Some resonated more than others. Here’s a selection of those that really caught my attention.

“No amount of skilful invention can replace the essential element of imagination.” – Edward Hopper

“Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” – Edgar Degas

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin

“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” – Linus Pauling

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

“With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.” – Keshavan Nair

“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.” – Ovid

The power of sharing

If you’re reading this article, you may be wondering ‘Why is she sharing all of this?’. And the answer to that is having gained so much from doing The Artist’s Way a second time, and sharing the experience with Adeline, some of our friends have been asking about what we’re doing as they’ve recognised changes in us, a transformation if you will, in the past few months.

Many people in my friendship groups are interested in personal development, in challenging the norm, experimenting with new structures, and like to try on new behaviours that serve them better than previously held patterns, learnt from years of unconscious conditioning from those around us.

The Artist’s Way gives a fresh perspective. So, in response to friends asking if we’d do the programme again with then, we – myself and Adeline, will join them in supporting and exploring their journey as the new year unfolds.

In real terms, what this means is we’ll host a weekly check-in for those interested in doing The Artist’s Way and are looking to gain from the support and energy working in a group brings. We won’t be offering any advice, but we will hold the space for you to explore and discuss what you’re learning so that what you take away, truly lands and makes a difference in your daily life.

Join our weekly check-in

If you’re keen to find out more drop me and Adeline an email. We plan to start the weekly check-ins on Sunday 6th February, 60 minutes in duration online, 6-7pm GMT, and we’ll host them for 14 weeks. Why 14 weeks? We’ll use week 1 to frame up and make introductions so everyone feels comfortable in the group, weeks 2 – 13 will be for the 12-week programme – each week has a theme and topic as you’ll discover when you purchase and start reading The Artist Way, and in week 14 we’ll do a completion – a process we’ve learnt from our coaching endeavours at Natural Success. This process helps to concretise what’s been learnt and what you want to carry forwards.

A new adventure and refreshed creative ‘you’ await in the wings – take a leap of faith and join us on a journey of creative discovery and recovery.

To find out more email:
– Emma – emma@emmapotter.com
– Adeline – adelinesegaux@gmail.com

Getting started – Sunday 6th Feb 2022

If you’re looking to do things differently in 2022 and have a desire to be more creative in all areas of your life, we would love you to join us! There’s real joy in sharing experiences and learning together.

⭐️ The Artist Way, weekly check-in

⭐️ Sunday evenings, 6-7pm GMT (online / Zoom)

⭐️ 14 weeks, one check-in a week

⭐️ Starts Sunday 6th February 2022

⭐️ Finished Sunday 8th May 2022

⭐️ Find out more by messaging me or Adeline Segaux

⭐️ In return for participating we would ask you to make a donation to Mind – the mental health charity.

The book, The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron, is available to purchase in many book stores, online and on the high street.

With love and creativity,
Emma and Adeline

Photo taken at Goring, West Ferring, Summer 2021

Colour, Wellbeing

Colour of the year 2022

by Emma PotterLeave a Comment on Colour of the year 2022
Colour of the year 2022

Every year in December Pantone announce their ‘Colour of the Year’ for the forthcoming 12 months. This year, breaking with tradition, they have created a totally new colour called Very Peri, ‘a new Pantone colour whose courageous presence encourages personal inventiveness and creativity’.

From a global perspective, in the last two years we have all experienced huge changes in our work lives, our personal lives, how we operate in our homes and what we want our spaces to create for us. What seems to be becoming ever more present is the capacity and ability for colour to communicate, to connect, and elicit subtle yet extremely powerful changes in our behaviour.

What the experts say…

It was interesting to see the article shared by Pantone announcing the Colour of the Year and to read what Laurie Pressmen, Vice President of the Pantone Colour Institute said about Very Peri…

“The Pantone Colour of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that colour can hope to answer”.

Executive chairman of the Pantone Colour Institute says…

“As we move into a world of unprecedented change, the selection of PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri brings a novel perspective and vision of the trusted and beloved blue colour family, encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time with its violet red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages creativity and imaginative expressions.”

There are many influences that go into shaping the selection made for the Pantone Colour of the Year from art collections, travel destinations, artists and fashion, to believe it or not, sporting events and technology – who would have thought the latter would even be considered in the process. But it’s technology and digital in particular that have played a huge part in enabling new ways of working in these times, as well as enable the birth of several new entrepreneurial business, both large and small. And especially at a time when people are considering their life choices and how they want to transform and evolve in the year ahead.

The influencing qualities of Very Peri

Looking at the positive effects of this slightly lavender – lilac colour, we can make a connection with spirituality, self-awareness, composure and wisdom. For many our priorities have changed in the past 24 months and colour has the capacity to support our wellbeing and in helping people in making more changes in the 12 months ahead.

Picking up on the positive effects of light blue it’s fair to suggest that Very Peri will encourage and create feelings of calm and serenity. Moreover, blue is a psychological primary colour and affects us mentally, and will often help to give us clarity of thought.

Carrying both positive and negative traits, colour affects us all in ways many would not readily be aware of or even consider. In fact, it affects how we behave more than we realise, as well as influencing those around us in our immediate vicinity. Yet whilst colour subtly shifts and influences our behaviour, our choices, and what’s happening subconsciously around us, we all will relate to colour differently – through personal, cultural and psychological associations.

Colour, emotion and action

In addition to trend forecasts, and consultation with global brands, I believe it’s the psychology of colour that plays the most influential role in choosing the ‘Colour of the Year’ and changing our emotions. It’s what people feel, it’s how they connect with colour that drives change, that drives new behaviours, that causes people to make new, different choices that are more in alignment with their true authentic selves.

At a time when people need serenity and calm, coupled with inspiration and creativity, perhaps Very Peri will be the colour that creates emotions that people can’t ignore – turning these emotions into action. Perhaps this colour will inspire the change that people want to see in many areas of their lives – not only personally and in their work life – but in now they connect with themselves and others – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

For me, I find Very Peri calming and centring. It may not be the colour I’d choose to paint my kitchen and dining room as it may suppress my appetite (not necessarily a bad thing after Christmas), but it would possibly be a good choice for a bedroom or a space I wanted to just ‘be’ or to meditate to encourage awareness and allow whispers of wisdom to appear.

Header image – Photo by Sonny Sixteen from Pexels