I have always been a lover of life, full of curiosity and adventure. I went after what I wanted and learned to make things happen for myself.
My 20’s. I married young by todays standard (22) and immediately wanted to start our family. John was not as keen but after a year of pleading he agreed and during the next 10 years we had our crazy bunch of boisterous boys, five in all, including twins. I loved it. Even though it was hard work, and took up most of my time, I totally embraced my role as a stay at home Mum.
My 30’s. I decided to go back to education while the boys were at school. I studied Psychology with the Open University, specifically looking at child development. One of the subjects that really interested me was the study of TEMPERAMENT. As I learned about temperament and applied it to my family, it gave me a better understanding of the unique qualities in each one and helped me parent the boys in a more balanced way.
My 40’s. Then one day in my mid 40s I woke up and felt sad, lonely and confused. I tried to shake off the chronic feelings of discontent, but I couldn’t even identify the root cause of those feelings, let alone deal with them. I was grappling with mood swings and certain physical symptoms, so thinking menopause I visited my doctor and was prescribed HRT. Hormone replacement did relieve the mood swings and physical symptoms, but it did nothing to shift the sadness. With hindsight I know now that this sadness was in fact grief. I was mourning the loss of my role as a mother.
At that stage 3 of the boys had left home and another was getting ready to go. I had not expected empty nest to hit me so badly. I resisted the whole idea of getting older or even describing myself as ‘middle aged’. Then I came across some articles on the subject of MIDLIFE. I started researching and a whole new world of understanding was opened up to me. I read many books on the subject and this provided me with the roadmap I needed to navigate my way through this very dark time. As I applied what I had learned, my Life started to look brighter, I had options. I let go of the things that no longer were required in my life and this left room for the new to come in.
My 50’s. I returned to full time work and enjoyed the experience, however, self employment was always my preferred option. I went back to college and completed an HND in MEDIA STUDIES and started Live Outside the box, a media production company and also a YOUTUBE CHANNEL. I further enhanced my coaching studies with an Advanced Diploma in Mental Health Coaching and started my coaching and speaking business with the main focus on CHANGE and TRANSITION. I used my skills of coaching and facilitating to work with men, women, children and families.
My 60’s. I am one of the few people who enjoys moving house as it gives me a new project to work on. Over the past 40 years we have bought and renovated at lease 8 houses and moved more times than I care to remember! I love the challenge of creating a beautiful space out of a mess. This gave me the idea for my DECLUTTERING & ORGANISING Service ‘FreeFrom Clutter’. As an extension of my coaching business I wanted to combine practicality with emotional support, alongside a range of coaching techniques to help people take the action they need to make their space beautiful. I’m passionate about helping people simplify their home, so they can live a clutter-free life.
Well that’s me up to this point, who knows what is around the corner. All I know is I intend to live my life to the full and continue to encourage others to do the same.