In a world that glorifies hustle, pausing can feel wrong.How do you slow down when there’s a never-ending to-do list at work—and home?Yet, here’s the paradox: making space to pause is often the very thing that creates clarity, energy, and momentum for what truly matters.This is something I’ve seen transform the careers and lives of so many women I’ve worked with (myself included!) And something 40+ women experienced live with Elaine and I during last week’s webinar training on How To Figure O...

What does it take to transition out of corporate and into being a purposeful entrepreneur?It’s no small feat to take the leap out of a stable, corporate role with career progression and move into entrepreneurship to find location and financial freedom, as well as your professional calling.It takes determination, perseverance and a lot of commitment, so to answer this very important question, I sat down with Elaine Champion on this week’s podcast.Elaine is an ex corporate girl turned entrepren...

Do you feel like you're bumping into challenge after challenge at work?Perhaps you’re in a toxic workplace, working with people that you really don’t want to collaborate with?Do you feel stuck and like you want to throw in the towel, but that’s just not an option for you right now?Sometimes the answer to difficult situations is drastic change. A new job, a whole new career, a completely new environment. Other times it’s an opportunity to learn and grow in that difficult spot or it’s just not ...

What’s the biggest challenge going on for you in your career right now?A theme that I see come up time and time again for my clients is letting past setbacks determine what we are capable of now. Most of us have had negative, hard or difficult experiences in our careers. Now this in itself is completely normal, but what can happen is that we can make meaning from those past experiences that can either hinder us or support us.When you experience something “negative” it’s easy to tell...

What does your nervous system have to do with your performance? With your well-being?With your ability to be resilient?In short, everything.We live in a very cognitive, cerebral, strategic world, which is an important part of your career strategy, but if you’re not feeling motivated, confident or in alignment, then it’s simply not enough to get the outcome that you desire.This is where your nervous system comes in so that you can leverage the power of your thoughts and feelings to be abl...

The busy season is almost upon us and in this episode I want to help set you up to get the most out of the remainder of 2024 whilst feeling present and spacious.Regardless of whether you’re in the northern hemisphere, like I am in Hong Kong or in the southern hemisphere, the final few months of the year can bring about some extra time management challenges.There’s often increased social gatherings, tight deadlines and projects to finish up before holidays, and all the fun festive activities t...

Olympians are driven by an unyielding ambition.They pursue excellence and have high standards.You may not be looking to achieve gold at the next olympics, but my guess is that you too are in pursuit of excellence and have gold medal standards in the work you do.This requires that you embrace your drive to succeed, beginning with defining your goals with clarity.In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m talking about how you can achieve the gold medal standard that you strive ...

Change is the only constant in life.Recently, I’ve been having a number of conversations with people who are in a period of transition or change.The reasons for change vary greatly. From organisation restructuring, promotions or redundancy, or a change in a personal situation.This means that navigating change is a crucial skill that can make or break your success and happiness.In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing with you why change can be disorienting and stress...

Do you find yourself feeling stuck?Perhaps you find yourself procrastinating or you’re not clear on what you want to do. Maybe your self-critic is getting a little bit too loud these days and holding you back from taking action.Coaches are trained professionals who help you navigate your own path, overcome obstacles that are unique to you and achieve the goals that you desire.The important thing to know here is that coaches aren’t consultants in that they don’t just provide you with a solutio...

Have you ever found yourself struggling in a work environment, wondering if you’re meant to be there?Maybe you’re unsure if your kindness and empathy belongs in the workplace that you’re in? Or if kindness belongs in leadership and successful companies at all?Dr Bonnie Hayden Cheng is an Organisational Psychologist, Associate Professor of Management and MBA programme director at the Hong Kong University Business school.Bonnie is super passionate about corporate wellness and holds a unique pos...

The middle of 2024 is fast approaching and whether you feel like everything is going to plan or if you feel like you need to hit reset, this is for you.It’s not unusual to look back on 3, 6 or 12 months and realise that somewhere along the way life happened and you feel like you haven’t gotten a whole lot closer to achieving your goals, or that things seem to be taking much longer than anticipated.Whether this relates to your career goals or life goals, putting aside some time to reflect and ...

Have you ever had to deal with a “bad” boss, a challenging work culture or felt like you’re not sure if you’re in the right place to work anymore? This thinking is something that a lot of us struggle with (past me included).When you’re in a toxic work environment, we often feel like we can fix the situation on our own if only we could do more. In reality this usually doesn’t work and we end up leaving or being let go which we can take very personally because our identity is tied up in ou...

Health and fitness matters…we all know that. Multiple studies speak to not just the physical benefits but the mental and emotional ones too. And yet finding the time and motivation to get healthy can be hard. Especially when you’re busy doing all the things at work and at home. Personally, figuring out a routine to stay healthy and fit has been a journey. I’ve transitioned from team sports (netball) in my twenties and early thirties to needing to shift things up to do something else that...

Have you ever made yourself wrong for being too emotional or sensitive at work? Maybe you’ve had a difficult conversation, faced a micro-aggression or frozen on the spot…In your mind you want to let things go but physically you find yourself unable to release the residual emotions that are there?Emotional dexterity is the capacity to effectively recognise, understand and manage a wider range of emotions both within yourself and in others.If you’re feeling disconnected from your emotions ...

We’re not taught at school how to think about our careers, or even the importance of taking the time to get to know ourselves.To me, this is a foundational skill that is overlooked until we’re out in the workforce feeling overwhelmed trying to balance our passion and what makes us feel connected alongside the practical components of our career, like financial stability.This intersection is what I like to refer to as the career sweet spot.The intersection between passion and practicality that ...

Is the goal to always be productive? Always being “on” and maximising our productivity sounds good in theory. Like it’s the right strategy that will get you closer to your end goal faster.  The reality is very different though. We’re human. We need rest. Our brains have a finite attention span and ability to focus. With that in mind, it’s important for all of us to be aware of what season we’re in. Whether that’s growth, a bit more work/life integration or reinvention. In this way we...

If you’re like many of my clients, then I know you have the endurance to keep on pushing through, but I also know that pushing too hard for too long can come back to bite you in the form of burnout. I don’t want that for you, and I’m sure that’s not the outcome you want either. If you’ve been finding yourself juggling a million and one balls in the air, and you’re starting to drop one here or there or maybe you’re at the point that you’re struggling to keep any of them in the air - then...

In a world where hustle culture is glorified and even rewarded, burnout has become an all too familiar companion for many people. It’s easy to feel trapped in our beliefs that we're failing, if we're not enough. We run a real risk of burning ourselves out if we don’t take a step back to ask whether the standards or expectations we are putting on ourselves are realistic.  Burnout is a silent societal epidemic that we need to address because it robs us of our passion, energy and joy,...

International Women’s Day is upon us this week and this year’s theme is focused on inspiring inclusion.  According to the IWD website “When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.” Whilst it’s great that we celebrate International Women's Day and the progress made, I believe that it is just as important for us to reflect on the...

Most of us have a running to-do list of “things” to get done. Not only at work but in our personal lives too. The mental load is real!  For me, as someone who works mostly from home, I’m a huge fan of maximising my time and making the most of any trips “out”. If I have a meeting in town, I’ll try to run an errand beforehand or go to that special supermarket to pick up that one item I can only get there on the way back home.  Sometimes, I put things off my to-do list for longer than I want...

Join me in celebrating 100 episodes of the Aligned Achiever Podcast! I’m taking you behind the scenes of what inspired this podcast and my top reflections and learnings from this journey as an introvert and “quiet” person. In my 10 years of coaching women, I’ve found a common thread: many of us experience invisible forces that take hold of our thinking without us realising that the narrative we tell ourselves is often derived from societal expectations regarding what the rules are, what...

You can always start again. As this episode goes live it is officially the Lunar New Year and for me, mindset wise, the Lunar New Year feels more like the official start to my year than January 1st. Reflecting on the year so far, reminded me that there is no arbitrary date that we have to wait for in order to make a change in our lives or career, regardless of the size of the change.  But I do know that navigating reinvention and transition can be a challenge. So if the last month or...

It can be challenging to know how to find the time and energy to continue to show up to work in the face of difficult personal circumstances. This was something that came up for many of the participants in my recent Work / Life Design course. This could be changes in relationships, children being sick, an aging parent, or grief and loss. Regardless of what’s going on in your personal life, we’re often still required to perform at work, but we don’t always have the tools we need to be...

I’ve seen a theme recently with my clients as well as in my own life, and that is wanting to control and be able to influence our outcomes in life. Whilst we can’t actually control all aspects of our lives, there are some ways that you can gain a sense of calm and control especially in your career. The juggling act of having a career and a personal life can feel like complete chaos at times, and being able to find a sense of calm to navigate those hectic periods is key to feeling like...