We've just had another holiday. I know. I seem to just be on one big long holiday these days. Thursday, July 29, 2010
finding refuge in bali
We've just had another holiday. I know. I seem to just be on one big long holiday these days. Thursday, July 15, 2010
interesting clients: rebecca smith

Rebecca is one of those women who has packed three lifetimes into one already. She's been a lawyer, barrister, buyer at Mecca Cosmetica and she's the mother of two boys. These days, with her business partner Lisa, she heads up de nimes, a stylish little boutique in Camberwell. Saturday, July 10, 2010
the girl effect
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
two minutes to soothe stress
Usually when you're uptight you'll feel it somewhere in your body. You might not notice the physical sensations at the time - your focus will generally be on whatever it is that's causing you to feel stressed.Wednesday, June 30, 2010
for fun
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
wake up to wellness workshop with sherry strong
My friend and colleague Sherry Strong is a Melbourne based Food Philosopher & Nutritional Strategist.• Slow the ageing process
• Dramatically increase your energy
• Look years younger in one month
• Bounce out of bed happy, every morning
• Beat addictions & eliminate temptation
• Avoid ageing foods & crave life giving foods
• Achieve super healthy weight loss without dieting
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
interesting clients: greg pritchard
I've lost track of how long Greg and I have known one another but it must be getting close to four years. We met when he was working in a senior role at Macquarie Bank and contemplating where to go next with his career. Courageously, he chose to walk away from the security and kudos of employment with a prestigious brand to set out on his own. What would you do differently if you had your time over? I would have zeroed in on Dedication Group's niche much sooner. In the beginning; we were all things to all people and ended up being nothing to no-one. By narrowing our focus to only technology projects for financial markets, which was where our strength lay all along, we could connect with prospective clients more quickly and intuitively
What are you most proud of professionally? I'm proud of all the hard work and learning drilled into me over the years at Macquarie Bank and ANZ. The extreme level of knowledge, skills, experience and battle scars I achieved during that time has given me the perfect grounding for this phase of my life.
Who inspires you? I'm inspired by people who set goals for themselves and then go out there and achieve them; with no more hand-up in life but their own determination and hard work. Two names which come to mind are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Bouris. Both set goals that were important to each respectively and delivered. Doing what you say you will is so important; especially when the promise is to yourself.
What are you looking forward to? I'm looking forward to growing Dedication Group. For staff, I'm looking forward to building a business that they are proud to work in. For myself, I am looking forward to pushing my boundaries to learn and succeed in areas I never thought I could achieve; such as business development to large corporates.
How did coaching help you? Coaching allows me to get in touch with the path I know is right for me; but sometimes is forgotten or not clear. Whether it's a business challenge or revisiting personal goals and life priorities; Kate's coaching style provides a safe, confidential and totally supportive environment where I can move forward with confidence.
What’s your personal philosophy on how to live life well? As the saying goes; integrity is how you act when no-one is watching. So too, the multitude of promises to yourself and your loved ones; such as eating right, exercising, and treating others with love and respect. If you keep those little promises; the big ones will take care of themselves.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
is gratitude enough?
Sometimes themes appear with my clients. Not obvious ones like everyone feeling a bit less energetic because of the cold weather - but more subtle things. This week's theme was that people feel they should be more grateful for what they have.
Gratitude is such an important part of Positive Psychology but sometimes it's not enough.
It is important to bring your attention to what's going well in your life but it's equally important to acknowledge what isn't.
Mindfulness is about learning to be present to your experience - to notice and acknowledge your feelings and thoughts (good and bad), without judgement.
In a way, this is contradictory to the experience of expressing gratitude - which many people find confusing.
There must be room for both gratitude and acceptance in our lives.
For the most part, our brains have a negative bias, so many of us have a tendency toward pessimistic thinking. Which is why practicing gratitude is important. But it's unrealistic to always be optimistic and positive. And for anyone who's spent too much time with a 'Pollyanna' type, you'll agree that it's downright annoying.
Life will always be a blend of suffering and joy.
Sometimes we need to just go with our experiences as they arise. And feel them for what they are.
By all means ask the question 'is there anything I want to change?'. But don't beat yourself up if you don't feel gratitude for every moment of the day.
Life sucks some days. And that's ok.

