https://www.encompasscreativecoaching.com/blog-clog daily 0.75 2026-04-14 https://www.encompasscreativecoaching.com/blog-clog/im-a-strong-swimmer-x5ffw monthly 0.5 2026-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/17b11522-e6cd-48d6-a276-c2f63aff08b5/WhatsApp+Image+2026-04-14+at+07.41.21.jpeg Blog & Clog - Beyond the Blush - In primary school I was a confident child. I was the narrator in school plays, I was interviewed on the radio. I remember leading the cast of the nativity down the aisle with a curtain draped around my shoulders feeling so proud of myself. As puberty hit, that confidence slowly melted away until I became painfully self-conscious. It was replaced by a deep fear of public speaking, closely linked to a deep fear of blushing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/309a5a1d-a924-48d6-95f1-43044890caf5/WhatsApp+Image+2026-04-13+at+22.27.16.jpeg Blog & Clog - Beyond the Blush - Going to University made things both better and a lot worse. Better because I could bunk off and no one would say anything, and worse, because I could bunk off and no one would say anything. I had virtually zero attendance in seminars. So many times I got to the door but then couldn't bring myself to go in. I would keep walking and have a moment of heady exhilaration, followed by a sense of crushing uselessness. I never did a presentation. I would leave people in my group in the lurch, pretending I would be there but knowing I wouldn't. I even recorded a video and sent that in with a friend one time. In the days of VHS, that took some effort. In the unlikely event anyone from one of those groups is reading this, I really am sorry! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/8cedea6f-cf0b-4202-a7b5-7e09f9832d0f/me.png Blog & Clog - Beyond the Blush - So how did I overcome this hideous affliction?! I say that jokingly but it did feel like an affliction. Well the short answer is: I got sick of it. Sick of being scared, sick of planning so many things around it, sick of trying to be invisible, sick of all the agonising. I'm not going to lie, it has taken years of pushing myself to get to where I am today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/27d5d3a5-70a5-48ab-94c5-afed4752d9aa/WhatsApp+Image+2025-02-24+at+14.30.46.jpg Blog & Clog - Beyond the Blush - And then midlife catapulted me in a new chapter I like to call 'Beyond the Blush'. I literally couldn't give a toss about blushing and public speaking any more. I Just Don’t Care. Maybe it’s a natural part of ageing, maybe it’s decades of living shifting my perspective, maybe it’s the drop in oestrogen… Whatever it is, I love it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/cfed94fc-924b-4cfb-891d-2d1443706b1f/WhatsApp+Image+2026-04-14+at+08.47.20.jpeg Blog & Clog - Beyond the Blush - I want my midlife coachees to feel this way too: LIGHT. BRIGHT. BOLD. VISIBLE. Whatever you're sick of feeling, whatever it is that's weighing you down, the right time to tackle it is right now. https://www.encompasscreativecoaching.com/blog-clog/im-a-strong-swimmer monthly 0.5 2026-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/4decc201-727c-407b-a171-af78b59154e1/WhatsApp+Image+2025-12-02+at+21.15.57.jpeg Blog & Clog - I’m a strong swimmer - I recently had the good fortune to attend a creative coaching session run by Andréa Watts of Unglue You, for practitioners of the Collage Coaching Technique™. Andréa is THE expert in coaching with collage and the use of visual imagery to unlock the unconscious mind. It’s one of those things that, until you experience it for yourself, it’s hard to grasp just how powerful it is. The simple theme I held in my mind for the session was ‘How am I?’ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/1d06eff7-6fa9-4376-8eb7-9efc1bea6f8c/WhatsApp+Image+2025-12-02+at+20.30.47.jpeg Blog & Clog - I’m a strong swimmer - My image was an underwater scene, with many colourful, open umbrellas swirling around in all directions. (This is a recreation of the image from memory). My initial thought was how chaotic the scene felt, the umbrellas tumbling and swirling around. I had been feeling very overwhelmed that week and close to tears at several points. The umbrellas seemed to represent the dozens of things I was trying to juggle; chaotic, overwhelming, impossible to hold onto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/1764707670901-7ZDAQD74R6G2NT0A454U/unsplash-image-s6g6ZSxM3kQ.jpg Blog & Clog - I’m a strong swimmer - Then followed what we call in coaching, a ‘light bulb’ moment: I didn’t need to be pulled to the surface, I could kick my way up. I AM A STRONG SWIMMER. These words reverberated around my head. I am a strong swimmer, I can kick my way to the surface and feel the sunshine on my face. I can navigate any situation I find myself in. I can count on myself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/1764707916333-VMRA5PEWUREQMK9W0EQG/unsplash-image-lonORIx6Z3o.jpg Blog & Clog - I’m a strong swimmer - Working with images in this way opens a direct channel to your unconscious mind. Creative coaching creates a shortcut to parts of yourself that are usually hidden away under layers of psychological clutter. It is endlessly surprising to see what emerges. Now if only I still had my 1980s swim badges, especially the ‘getting a brick from the bottom of the pool in your pjs’ one, I would wear them with pride. I am a strong swimmer. If you hear me proclaiming this around Lewes, please don’t worry - all is well. Just pass me a towel. https://www.encompasscreativecoaching.com/blog-clog/thelemoneffect monthly 0.5 2026-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/1757841184206-I7R6HZJ97AGVT2U6C8M3/unsplash-image-xox_Zi2fZOk.jpg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - Trigger warning: overuse of lemon metaphors. On holiday in Cambridge, a lemon placed on a black dish, in a dark corner, in the shadow of a sombre painting, lit up the room. I couldn’t stop thinking about it! Read on for some lemon in a dark corner insights… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/3553ecff-37b5-469a-aa08-02c594239d3b/WhatsApp+Image+2025-09-14+at+10.31.58.jpeg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - All you need is a lemon… …was the conclusion I came to in the Kettle’s Yard house and gallery in Cambridge. Wandering around the artists’ home, I was struck by just how beautifully curated, tasteful and restrained it all was. I had to fight the urge to race home, throw away all our belongings and place a shrivelled lemon from the fruit bowl in the middle of the sitting room floor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/67a0fde3-21d2-407e-9897-9228eefe6a3d/WhatsApp+Image+2025-09-14+at+11.09.30.jpeg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - The delicate treasures dotted around the tables, shelves and window sills got me thinking. 1. Where did these artists keep all their stuff? 2. If the humble lemon can pack such a punch, lifting a dark corner and making a whole room feel purposeful and vibrant - what could a metaphorical lemon do? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/e0e05464-eb37-4d03-9fa9-07a3170d67b4/WhatsApp+Image+2025-09-14+at+11.24.18.jpeg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - How could small, colourful moments, thoughts, actions and decisions gently infuse our lives with colour, just like that hard-working lemon? We spend years focusing our energy on building a home, family, career. Putting ourselves last becomes our default setting and we arrive in midlife completely shattered. It’s not surprising ‘seeking out moments of joy’ rarely makes it onto our to-do lists. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/1757847167967-8QHVM6WZVDX30ZAYWS7G/unsplash-image-dOR9yAtCj80.jpg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - However as excellent multi-taskers, problem-solvers and sorter-outers, we CAN find a way to give ourselves the time we need. Pick just one thing that brightens your day and build from there. It could be literally anything that makes you smile, feel rested, calm or joyful. It’s a moment just for you, when you’re putting yourself first. Turns out my metaphorical lemon is an actual lemon. How convenient for this post! I bought some lemon postcards in the gallery shop - always the best part of any cultural outing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682f3c7e857855070a98a10e/ba69ffd5-8c1b-4dc5-83ee-0f9dbdde8dd8/WhatsApp+Image+2025-09-14+at+11.37.37.jpeg Blog & Clog - The Lemon Effect - I’ve been gathering yellow postcards and images since and am planning a noticeboard style collage. Every day I flick through a magazine or spot something colourful to photograph that I’d like to add. 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