Tag: Yvonne’s Story

I’m so busy!
I wrote this in the midst of a chaotic October and I thought it would be a great pre-Christmas read for helping us be intentional with our ‘busy-ness’!

‘I’m so busy!’ How many people do we know that constantly say it to you?! I never wanted to be the person that’s always saying ‘I’m busy’ because what impression is that giving to others?

It gives me the perception that although unintentional, that person is saying to others ‘you’re nowhere near as busy as I am’, ‘you have no idea how much I’ve got going on’ and even ‘my time is more important than yours’.

This is something I try to regularly check myself on… and if I’m slipping, my husband likes to kindly pull me up!

When deciding to take a recent temporary promotion, whilst also running the business I was told at home; ‘do it, because you’ll be amazing, but I don’t want to hear how busy you are for the next year’!

Right now, yes, I am really flippin’ busy!

I’m in a nearly full-time senior employed role, I’m running Yvonne’s Leadership Development as a Coach, Mentor and Trainer with personal and associate clients and I work with a coaching partner on a women’s development project. I’m also a charity volunteer and am studying for a qualification.

I have a never ending list of emails to read, planning, designing, marketing and learning to do – not to mention the dreaded reel creations for Instagram – not my favourite task!

I also have some personal challenges going on. I’m navigating difficult bereavements, some poorly family relatives and an aging beloved pet.

And guess what? I still need to find time for the gym, to make dinner, for grocery shopping, to clean the house and see friends when we can all coordinate busy diaries!

I therefore need space to support my own wellbeing. I will never be too busy for that.

But what I never want to do is to give the impression that I don’t have time for others. As I said earlier, isn’t that giving the impression that what I’m doing is more important than what they’re doing?

We’re all busy in our own ways.

One person’s version of busy isn’t any more valid than others. Some people have childcare, pet care, school governor roles, hobbies, two jobs, open university, charity work etc.

It’s important whatever it looks like for us or others, we should remember our own boundaries and what’s right for us. And respecting others without judgement. And yet, even with all these different versions of busy, we often underestimate how much ‘spare’ time exists in our schedules. The Office for National Statistics found UK adults spend over 26 hours a week on leisure — proof that even with full-time work, sleep, and exercise, we still hold discretionary hours.

So how are we spending them? Are we using them in the best way for what we need?

There will be times in our life when we can tolerate more or need less. The important element is having the self-awareness to notice that before it’s too late.

So back to where I’m at. As I began my new role at work and a few months in, I was feeling quite smug at the lack of ‘I’m busy’ in my vocabulary, proud of my ability to seemingly be managing my capacity.

Until last week, an amusing situation occurred. In an evening debrief, telling my husband all the things that are going on, he stopped me and said, every week you keep saying ‘I just need to get through this week and then it will calm down… and then the next week comes around and guess what you say?’… oh dear! This appears to be my new ‘I’m so busy’!

The very next day when a coaching client bought the exact same narrative to me for themselves following a conversation with a friend the night before – so coach, navigate that one! I guess us coaches are still figuring it out too!

So where’s the learning?

Some people don’t need a lot to be at capacity and that’s ok. Some people need to feel busy for a feeling of purpose or to keep them motivated, that’s ok too.

We need to look for the opportunities to rest, reflect and consider:
- ‘What do I need right now?’
- ‘What are my boundaries for my current situation?’
- ‘Am I really busy or am I using distractions to feel busy (and maybe avoiding something)?’
- ‘Is it my mindset or my actual physical being that’s busy?’
So as the festive season approaches, let’s resist the trap of ‘just getting through this week.’ Instead, take the time to check in, don’t over commit if it doesn’t feel achievable.

Let’s own our busy-ness, shape it with intention, and make space for what truly matters.
11/30/2025
Embracing Change: My Journey to Finding Purpose in 2024

This year, everything changed.

Some things were so exciting I couldn’t keep still.

Some hurt so bad it was hard to breathe.

But that’s what life is right? That’s how it shapes us.

Finding My Calling
This year, for the first time in my life I understood what it meant to say you’ve found your calling. I truly have found mine and the move towards it now feels completely natural and not at all daunting.
It’s so interesting to look back on the last 20 years to see how I’ve got here. Each twist and turn have led me to this big year of newness that feels so familiarly right. Why does it feel this way? Why do I feel so calm when everything is so uncertain?

The Nature of Change
This got me thinking about change; it’s the one thing that’s inevitable to all of us and yet the thing we’re often most afraid of.
When are we afraid of it? Usually when it’s unexpected and not planned. When it’s a difficult time, this is certainly the case.
If it’s a change that we want, then we put all of our energy into focussing on that result. If we don’t get it, then what? What does that do to us and what impact is that having on us. If we do get the result we want, is it that everything is now ok, we’ve ‘made it’ and can now relax. But for how long? When will we become dissatisfied again and want more; therefore, more change?

Learning and Growth
In the past, I’ve not been one for change, often dealing with it in a really poor way. Blaming others or a greater force (or mostly myself) if I didn’t get what I wanted or felt I ‘deserved’. I tended to be just short of most achievements. Great, but never quite great enough, a second or third best in most situations. Looking back now, I think that’s still pretty good. But just because I didn’t get the ‘win’, the ‘golden ticket’, whether it be the job, the boy, the house, whatever, then it was a fail; I was a failure.

Looking Back to Move Forward

Only now, looking back, I see that it was me that could change it. Not the result as such, but the reaction to it and the story I told myself and those around me about it. The energy around a situation good or bad can impact us and the way we see ourselves and our lives dramatically. This alone, daring to look inwards, is the most powerful learning, I’ve ever done for myself.
A few years down this personal development road, I’ve now began to use this to support my decisions and this is really helping my confidence. I trust my gut more and if I think that something isn’t good for me, even if I might really want it then I’m comfortable with steering myself away from it.

I don’t get tempted to do something just because I feel I should. By gaining that control, I feel better about saying no and understanding that if it doesn’t feel good for me then it’s probably not.

Since doing this, the doors around me seem to have opened up. I’ve put energy into myself and the paths I like the look of. Because they feel good, I’m enjoying them. Because I’m enjoying them, I’m seeing outcomes and positive results. It’s helping me attract the right things to me.

I have no doubt that the next year will bring yet more change. So much of this can be unwanted. This year has been one of my hardest and one of my best at the same time. I’m not sure what to do with that math! But a few years ago, I tore this piece of advice out of a magazine, and I’ve carried it around in my purse. Now I’d like to share it with you as I think it sums up this writing perfectly:

“Don’t stress. Life moves on, No matter what you’re doing, or stuck in, or are feeling, it will change. Just breathe and know that nothing is stuck, there’s always hope. Things always move. Don’t stay stagnant.”

Conclusion: A Challenge for the new year

My challenge to you is to look at what you really want but also what you really need. What feels good, what doesn’t and trust yourself to know what is right. If tough times come, embrace them, sit with it and heal from it. If greatness comes, be proud of it and know that you deserve it.

As we step into the new year, let’s embrace each change with courage and hope, knowing that every twist and turn brings us closer to who we are meant to be.

12/30/2024
Stepping out of My Comfort Zone

Today was my first in person networking event where I didn’t know anyone, safe to say this morning the nerves were huge!

But I wanted to go as me and meet like minded women who love & believe in empowering each other and their businesses. Safe to say I need not have been nervous, I was welcomed in and immediately felt at ease. We all had one shared vision, how to support other women with their confidence, education and barriers and how to engage with allies who can support this journey for them.

I am proud of my business and the work I do, not only with females but with all individuals, everyone brings a different story, challenge or situation that we work through together in partnership.

I often talk about self development first and leading yourself before you can lead others. I’ve worked on this for myself in the past, doing it again for this new journey and the results are amazing… I’m buzzing with ideas and new connections but mainly I’m very proud to have found my purpose and finally feel like the last 20 years has led me to this. I’m in the right place and on the right path… who knows where the destination will be!

10/08/2024