In these changing times, there is a new landscape emerging which is calling on us all to show up in a new way in our careers and our lives. In this article, I share a profound and very personal healing journey which arose from me calling in the help of the Universe to navigate this new landscape. And how it has led to a shift which has restored my faith and breathed new life into me and my business. With the reflections I share, see what it shifts for you.
Navigating the new landscape
The world is changing at a rapid pace. And the impact of that change (especially the proliferation of AI) has been felt deep within my coaching business over this past 12 months. As more people are finding new ways of accessing information and tapping into free sources of ‘help’, it is requiring a rethink and a reconfiguration of the way I go about my work. It is no longer enough to rely on old ways of being found and serving clients. This moment is calling for something different.
As a natural doer and fixer, this has led me to explore a myriad of practical ways to navigate this new landscape. (Full disclosure – yes, this has also involved me asking AI.) Suffice it to say, that I have been going about things in a way which has tipped over into ‘grasping’. Grasping is an ego-based state in which we cling to outcomes, operate from a state of fear or urgency and believe that more information will bring us the clarity and success we are searching for. It’s exhausting. And it’s not particularly effective.
Realising the disconnection
Through this state of grasping, we disconnect from the guidance of the Universe. We let logic, overthinking and ChatGPT override our inner knowing and our ability to listen for answers at a deeper level. (I do wonder what will happen to our brains and our intuition as AI becomes even more embedded. But that’s an article for another time.)
Knowledge is power. Having the awareness of being disconnected from the Source of guidance and solutions was the crucial first step to transforming my situation. And this knowledge didn’t just stem from my thoughts but also how it felt in my body. Grasping does not feel good! It feels heavy, fuzzy, misaligned.
I knew there was another way. A way which does feel good. A way which would connect me to the flow state and bring me ideas and answers beyond what my human mind can conceive of. I just needed to turn down the volume of my thoughts and my desire to control things so I could tune in to a different frequency.
Asking for guidance and surrendering
In my Daily Spiritual Practice, I often ask my Mum for guidance. Particularly as she was such a champion of my work and was deeply committed to her own career path as a teacher and supported many others along their path. And so, I offered my request to her and to the Universe. And then I surrendered the outcome and opened up to receive. (In a recent client session, I was reminded of how challenging this step can be for some people.)
Surrender is a crucial part of being in a flow state and often the hardest. Our human brain (and Ego Self) want to fully control the details – the what, the when, the where, the who, the how. This is our work to do – to let go and to trust. To hand it over and put our faith into something bigger than ourselves.
Shortly after my request went out, I felt drawn to doing some EFT tapping with Brad Yates. In the video I watched, he used the phrase ‘the Universe has your back’. My ears instantly pricked up. The book of the same title by Gabby Bernstein is one which I had bought for my Mum many years ago and had helped her through a challenging time in her life. And it is one which I had previously drawn from, enabling me to make a big shift in my relationship at the time.
It felt like the start of a breadcrumb trail and I was compelled to pick up the book again. The first page I randomly opened up on blew me away. It was the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi. This is a prayer which is inscripted on my Mum’s headstone and also quoted in my book You’re Here for a Reason. I was moved to tears.
The message which came through was that I needed to be expanding my horizons and finding new ways to bring hope to places where was despair, to bring lightness where there was dark. Namely, to be going into group environments with my work instead of purely focusing on one-to-one. This is something that I have been wanting to do for many years, but through a combination of a busy one-to-one coaching practice and a deep-seated fear around public speaking, it has always been put on a back-burner.
But now, with the backdrop of the new landscape to navigate, the time felt right to be properly focusing in.
Accepting the Universal assignment
Reading ‘The Universe Has Your Back’, it soon became clear that this was more than just a point in the right direction for my business. There was something much more profound going on. Gabby Bernstein talks about a ‘Universal assignment’ – a recurring problem, person, or difficult situation in your life that acts as an opportunity for spiritual growth, healing and learning.
I knew exactly what this was for me and what needed to heal – the long-standing and deep-seated fear of public speaking. In that moment, everything made sense. And I could clearly see how the Universe was orchestrating things for me to evolve on my path and finally confront this fear.
Gabby explains in the book ‘the first step is to witness that what may seem to be a terribly uncomfortable situation is actually a Universal assignment’. And how ‘showing up for the Universal assignment requires your willingness to feel the pain it triggers so you can heal from the past. Many folks on a spiritual path skip this incredibly important step.’
It was time to roll my sleeves up and walk the hard yards.
Welcoming the miracle
What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.
Out of the blue, and totally unprompted, I received an email from a wellbeing company who were looking for a coach to host a workshop for a local organisation who were putting on a wellbeing day for their staff. It was one of those out of body experiences when it came through. Much as I have always believed in the powers of the Universe and manifestation, it still blows me away when I see it in action like this. It was exactly what Gabby had said in the book – ‘When you ask for guidance, the Universe may throw you a curveball.’
Although I was simultaneously overcome with intense fear alongside intense excitement, I knew instantly that this was my moment. The Universe had responded and gifted me this opportunity. I had to show up. I had to put my faith in it. Especially when I realised the serendipity of this being a company which I had used fifteen years ago for a friend’s hen party – in a totally different part of the country.
And so, I said yes.
Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable
The fear I had around public speaking stemmed from childhood. Whilst I had some great examples of being able to speak in public confidently, my brain and nervous system were not able to focus on those occasions. This has held me back for many, many years. Yes, I have been interviewed on podcasts, I have read and recorded my own audiobook, I have done the odd talk here and there. But the fear remained.
Whilst the fear of being seen is something I managed to largely move past many years ago, there was still a remnant which remained. But perhaps deeper than that – and at the root of it – is a fear of judgement. And my nervous system did not have enough examples for me to deem this particular activity as safe.
Unlike many other times when I have chosen to run from this fear, in the two week run up to the workshop, I chose to sit with it. I chose to allow the intense feelings of discomfort about the workshop to just be. It is easy to think we can heal our past hurts and wounds just by reading a self-help book, having a therapy session or listening to a podcast. Whilst these things can all give us pointers and ‘prime’ us to heal and transform, there is no substitute for that lived experience. That is where the true healing lies. For our body and mind to know and feel that it is safe.
Something which I believe has also helped prepare me to get comfortable with the uncomfortable in this way is cold water therapy. (It is perhaps no coincidence that my last experience of it was the day before this opportunity came through.) Sitting in a six degree celsius ice bath has taught me that I can endure discomfort and be truly present with the feeling. For me, this is what resilience is all about and its application within my work has already been profound.
Confronting the fear
In the end, delivering the workshop was actually quite easy and enjoyable. I had done all the hard work – the mental, physical and practical preparation. I had met the fear head on. All that was left for me to do was to share my words with the audience and trust in myself. I have always believed that ‘if the Universe brings you to it, it will bring you through it.’ And it did just that. I felt calm, steady and at ease.
I renamed that day ‘Expansion & Liberation Day’. There is nothing more empowering and freeing than confronting a fear like this. I wish I had done it years ago. But I also know there is Divine Timing at play too.
There is no question that this experience and the healing which has ensued has breathed new life into me and into my business. I am so deeply grateful to the Universe (and my Mum) for putting this healing opportunity in my path. It was exactly what I needed.
I am looking forward to my next workshops and being able to truly live out my own purpose on a larger scale.
Reflections from my healing journey
If you’re currently confronting a deep-seated fear or grasping for answers to a challenge or problem, here are some reflections from my healing journey that I hope can support you:
REFLECTION #1
Accept fear as part of your journey. Just notice the feelings in your body. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
REFLECTION #2
Sometimes the only way to truly heal is to experience.
REFLECTIOn #3
Recognise when you’ve slipped into ‘grasping’ mode. Read the signs in your mind and your body.
REFLECTION #4
Don’t forget to ask for guidance. It is there for you – turn down the volume on all the ‘outer noise’ and then listen.
REFLECTION #5
If the Universe has brought you to it, it will bring you through it.
REFLECTION #6
Use AI sparingly. Listen more to the information within.
Navigating the new landscape
As a coach, it has always been the most powerful point of resonance to have a lived experience of what my clients are going through. I believe this has made a huge difference to the results which have come about – be that making a purposeful career change, overcoming a business challenge or creating a spiritually-focused life of balance.
This past twelve months has taught me some invaluable lessons in what it means to keep running a purpose-led business in these changing times. I have deep empathy for those whom I support – knowing what it means to them to try to set up or maintain a purpose-led business or find a more purposeful career path in this new landscape. And to overcome the fear of public speaking. Empathy is everything in a coaching relationship. And, thankfully, something which AI will never be able to truly replicate.
It has also taught me the importance of resilience and adaptability when you run your own business. These are things which, again, can’t be truly embodied from taking a course or reading a book. In resetting my own course, challenging though it has been at times, I feel hugely more equipped to enable other business owners to re-set theirs.
