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  • Book Reviews,  Personal Development

    Is perfectionism plaguing you? Discover the root causes of perfectionism and how to overcome it!

    19th April 2025 / 0 Comments

    Review of How to be Enough by Dr Ellen Hendriksen (2025, 320 pages) Looking back, perfectionism has been the driving force behind so many of my actions! During my time at college and university, I would stay up into the early hours, meticulously refining every sentence in my assignment, poring over the copious notes I had compiled from textbooks, and making numerous revisions in an attempt to get everything ‘just right’. At work, it would often take me longer than necessary to get tasks done, because I would double and triple-check every detail, terrified of making the smallest mistake. It even affected the way I presented myself to others. I…

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    Louisa

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    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024

    Uncovering your strengths

    17th October 2024

    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022
  • Book Reviews,  Personal Development,  Wellbeing

    Deepen your connection with yourself and others

    2nd February 2025 / Comments Off on Deepen your connection with yourself and others

    Review of Super Psyched by Dr Adam Dorsay (2024, 296 pages) Ever felt like you are living a life that no longer aligns with who you are or the person you want to be? Do you sometimes feel like you are drifting apart from your friends and loved ones? When was the last time you felt truly excited about life? I can clearly remember times in my life when I have felt deeply disconnected. These have been really difficult periods, marked by restlessness and a sense of feeling completely out of alignment. One such time was early in my career, when I felt unfulfilled in my role and began to…

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    Louisa

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    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024

    How to build a daily mindfulness practice

    16th November 2021

    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022
  • Book Reviews,  Wellbeing

    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024 / Comments Off on How to have a calm Christmas

    Review of Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (2019, 227 pages) As much as I love celebrating Christmas with my nearest and dearest, it can be a really stressful time of year! It is easy to get caught up in the preparations, trying to meet expectations, and frantically attempting to create the ‘picture perfect’ Christmas that you see on social media, all while juggling work commitments and the numerous events that begin to fill up the school calendar. You might find that after ‘the big day’ you are feeling worn out, fatigued and promising yourself that next year will be different. In Calm Christmas and a…

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    Louisa

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    Is perfectionism plaguing you? Discover the root causes of perfectionism and how to overcome it!

    19th April 2025

    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022

    Discover what you really want from your career

    12th May 2021
  • Book Reviews,  Career Development,  Personal Development

    Uncovering your strengths

    17th October 2024 / Comments Off on Uncovering your strengths

    Review of StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your CliftonStrengths by Gallup (2021, Gallup Press, 172 pages) Think of a positive outcome that you have achieved recently. How did you achieve it? What skills or qualities did you use? As we go about our busy lives, jumping from one task to the next, and wading through our never-ending ‘To Do’ lists, it can be all too easy to overlook the many qualities and skills that we possess and rely upon to help us to achieve our goals. It is good to bring our strengths to mind so that we can give ourselves some credit where it is due, recognise the strategies and approaches…

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    Louisa

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    Thinking about giving up on your goals? Read this first!

    15th June 2023

    Deepen your connection with yourself and others

    2nd February 2025

    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024
  • The Artist's Way book by Julia Cameron
    Book Reviews,  Personal Development

    Unearth your creativity (and discover yourself in the process!)

    30th September 2022 / Comments Off on Unearth your creativity (and discover yourself in the process!)

    Review of The Artist’s Way* by Julia Cameron The ability to be creative is not just reserved for the artists of this world, it is within us all and can be expressed in a multitude of ways in our lives. Personally, I have always craved some kind of creative outlet but found that I had dropped many of the creative activities that I enjoyed in my younger years while continuing my education, getting a ‘proper job’, and raising my family.  When my children came along, exploring my creative side mainly meant running around and engaging in imaginary play with them and doing the odd bit of Playdoh or finger painting!…

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    Louisa

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    My Top Takeaways from You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

    11th May 2020
    Mindfulness for Mums and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

    The two parenting books that helped me through lockdown (and beyond!)

    7th August 2020

    Is perfectionism plaguing you? Discover the root causes of perfectionism and how to overcome it!

    19th April 2025
  • Book Reviews,  Career Development,  Personal Development,  Wellbeing

    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022 / Comments Off on How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    Review of Think Like a Monk: Train your mind for peace and purpose every day by Jay Shetty (2020, Thorsons, 352 pages) As I have been aiming to create more ‘zen’ in my life through daily meditation and mindfulness, I have become increasingly curious about the underlying philosophy behind such practices. This is why I was initially drawn to Jay Shetty’s book, Think Like a Monk*, which promises to teach us how to move away from the preoccupied, fearful and ego-driven ‘monkey mind’ and to step into the monk mindset which, in contrast, is calm, focused, purposeful and service-driven. *Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may…

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    Louisa

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    Discover what you really want from your career

    12th May 2021
    Mindfulness for Mums and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read

    The two parenting books that helped me through lockdown (and beyond!)

    7th August 2020

    Is perfectionism plaguing you? Discover the root causes of perfectionism and how to overcome it!

    19th April 2025
  • Book Reviews,  Personal Development,  Wellbeing

    How to build a daily mindfulness practice

    16th November 2021 / Comments Off on How to build a daily mindfulness practice

    That special time of year is creeping upon us and while quality time with loved ones, showing our generosity, and having a good old knees-up is lovely it can also be a bit hectic as we prepare for the festivities, finish up work projects, and respond to all the requests from school which seem to multiply towards the end of the autumn term. Pass me the mulled wine and a few mince pies quick! Of course, it’s not only this time of year that can leave us feeling a bit frazzled.  We can get so caught up in the everyday busyness of life: the daily stressors, running here and there…

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    Louisa

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    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024

    What has Lego got to do with self-care?

    9th October 2020

    My Top Takeaways from You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

    11th May 2020
  • Book Reviews,  Career Development,  Coaching Skills

    Discover what you really want from your career

    12th May 2021 / Comments Off on Discover what you really want from your career

    Review of The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis and How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric and The School of Life Losing my job when the first lockdown hit not only made me feel like I had said goodbye to a part of my identity, as an employee of an organisation that I had worked at for just over a decade, it also left me with this lingering feeling of being seriously stuck.  Sure, I had home schooling to keep me well and truly occupied but I knew that wouldn’t last forever (thank goodness…) and so my thoughts kept on returning to what I was going…

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    Louisa

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    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022
    The Artist's Way book by Julia Cameron

    Unearth your creativity (and discover yourself in the process!)

    30th September 2022
    Mindset book by Carol Dweck

    Approaching life with a growth mindset

    4th April 2022
  • Book Reviews,  Wellbeing

    What has Lego got to do with self-care?

    9th October 2020 / Comments Off on What has Lego got to do with self-care?

    Review of Build Yourself Happy by Abbie Headon (DK, 160 pages) When you think of mindful, relaxing activities that take you away from all the hustle and bustle of daily life, Lego building may not immediately come to mind… But then, as Abbie Headon points out right from the beginning of her book, Build Yourself Happy*, there is something joyful and liberating about allowing yourself to get lost in play even when you are all grown up!  *Disclosure: If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. It certainly provides a much needed break from your everyday routine and…

    read more
    Louisa

    You May Also Like

    How can thinking like a monk improve your life and career?

    25th January 2022

    How to build a daily mindfulness practice

    16th November 2021

    How to have a calm Christmas

    2nd November 2024
  • Mindfulness for Mums and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
    Book Reviews,  Personal Development,  Wellbeing

    The two parenting books that helped me through lockdown (and beyond!)

    7th August 2020 / Comments Off on The two parenting books that helped me through lockdown (and beyond!)

    Review of Mindfulness for Mums by Izzy Judd and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry I have never been much of a fan of parenting books, and after nearly 12 years of being a mum I have managed to steer clear of them, probably owing to some fear that they would confirm I was getting it all wrong and really was as clueless as I felt! Having come to an acceptance over the years that I don’t have to have it all sussed, and that seeking support is absolutely not a sign of weakness or inadequacy, I was curious about what I could learn from…

    read more
    Louisa

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    Discover what you really want from your career

    12th May 2021

    Deepen your connection with yourself and others

    2nd February 2025

    My Top Takeaways from You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

    11th May 2020
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