Most leaders don’t lose control in the meeting, the conflict, or the deadline. They lose it in those first 3 seconds after stress hits. In that tiny window, your brain launches a reactive surge: fast, automatic, protective.If you don’t notice it, autopilot takes over. It fires your strongest old pattern:

There is a kind of exhaustion senior tech leaders know well.Not the physical tiredness. The kind that makes you feel a little unlike yourself. It shows up quietly: On the outside, you still look composed.Inside, it’s reactive, noisy, and chaotic. If this feels familiar, it makes complete sense.You’re not failing.

You used to feel clear-headed. Now it’s just noise — inside and out. Noise from the inbox. Noise from your own mind. Noise from a world that keeps shifting faster than you can steady yourself. Somewhere along the way, you stopped recognising who was doing the leading. Because you’re still showing

Autopilot is efficient — until it runs the whole flight. I remember those days.Outwardly calm.Inwardly strapped into a cockpit full of alarms. Handing out yeses like sweets.Ignoring my own capacity, time, and energy.Agreeing by reflex — even when it wasn’t wise. 2 a.m.Body in bed.Mind still mid-flight, switches stuck on.

Steadiness isn’t what you do in a Code Red.It’s who you’ve trained yourself to be. Ever been in a moment where everything around you feels like it’s spiralling — and you’re trying to stay steady? Back in my corporate days, that was my job:Critical Incident Management. When systems failed, emotions

The gold standard in driving people excellence over the last 40 years has focussed on time management – but given the demands of life and the way we are living, we can reap greater benefits from focussing on energy management. A couple of years ago Matthew Kelly’s shared some insights

Experiencing the loop? We all encounter challenges and unexpected hardships. Whether that be a health diagnosis, job issues, relationship break ups or anything else that seems to throw a spanner in our life plans. These scenarios can evoke all sorts of negative emotions, e.g. fear, anger, frustration, impatience, anxiety and

Growing up my bedroom didn’t look like your typical teenage girl’s room.  No posters of pop idols, instead the walls were covered with world wildlife posters. And on the back of my bedroom door a huge poster of Bruce Lee with his nunchuks. In the 80’s there was no Netflix,

Life is lived in rhythms. Our amazing human body has a sense of timing. And in alignment to a set of synchronized cyclic patterns goes about its daily business of keeping us alive and well. You may have heard about circadian rhythms? Over a 24 hour day, they regulate our

experienced these?  I have been reminded a few times this past week by my #linkedincommunityabout the delights of Japan, where I once lived. Given it’s the weekend, I found myself reminiscing about onsens  ♨️ Onsens are Japan’s geothermal springs, of which there are thousands to be enjoyed across Japan. Going to one

The last Friday in January… already. For me, it has felt an unusually fast month. This prompted me to do a little reflection. 4 things I noticed:1. improved energy levels2. not being properly fuelled distracts me3. getting enough protein, elevates my overall sense of well-being … and the 4th, is something

It may not come as a surprise that the clients I work with want some kind of change in their life. Feeling like change is possible – can be hard to buy in to. Especially when you are operating from survival mode. In survival mode, you react to life’s events

You can do today and every day, for yourself.  But first, let’s address what doing it means. Doing it, doesn’t mean you are:🔸wasting time🔸working less hard or providing less value🔸being indulgent, lazy and therefore need to feel guilty Instead consider that when you are doing it, you are:✅renewing your energy –

Just because we talk about it.. And it seems like a pretty normal thing for us to be able to do, doesn’t mean it comes easy. I’m talking about truly relaxing… Truly slowing down – what does that even look like for you? Disconnecting – or are you actually –

Feeling plagued by a constant sense of urgency –  without blinking, thinking or filtering… I’d given a yes to pretty much every request. With stress and tension off the charts… in a bid to cope, my autopilot took over. Without knowing it…  I was living in Survival Mode. Despite feeling

Whilst dreaming about things we’d like to add to the bucket list or do more of, my partner and I ended up in a bit of debate about this one. I started reminiscing about the most amazing sunrise I’ve ever experienced and shared that I’d like to see more. It was whilst

January is possibly the least popular month of the year, where good feels can be in short supply. If you are craving some emotional sunshine🌞 and it seems out of reach – fear not!  Within us we have 4 hormones that help regulate our mood. The good news? We have

Many of us returned to work this week after a festive or seasonal break. Depending on how you spent that time, you may be feeling energised and raring to go 🔋or perhaps you could have done with a longer time-out 🪫as you were finally starting to do some much needed

➡️Beating yourself up➡️Ranking yourself against others➡️Casting judgement of others ➡️Feeling a sense of lack in your life  These are examples of behaviours that are rooted in comparison. As we kick off this new year, it’s easy to feel a wave of *shoulds* wash over you and find yourself ruminating and self-pressuring

It’s something that is easy to take for granted. To assume, we just can. When I was younger, it came easy. However, working in corporate knocked it out of me. I might have told myself I was doing it. I might have told others I was doing it. But often

Getting in my own way… When embarking upon change or moving towards a goal, we can get in the way of our own success and in creating lasting change – by trying to make our first move an all or nothing leap. We might realise we have bitten off more

Feeling depleted? Sometimes it can be hard to pin down what exactly is making us so tired. Sometimes it’s the more obvious things like:🛌lack of physical rest🥗a need to consume nutritious foods regularly😖doing work that’s spirit crushing😫digital and social sensory overload Other times, it’s the unobvious 🤔unconscious habits🤔 that are causing energy

Want to experience more confidence, resilience and motivation?  We tend to be excellent self-critics stirring up emotions of judgement, shame and guilt. Draining our energy – fast. 😖 A common challenge I’ve seen in clients is self-acknowledgement. Many of us do not acknowledge ourselves enough and, as a result, we miss out on opportunities to

You make decisions on impulse. Overwhelm seems to follow you everywhere. You move through your day rushing from thing to thing, almost like you are being chased to hurry up. You feel anxious about what is coming next. You experience lack of motivation and passion. Time for you – what

New work week around the corner… Some ideas to 🔸set yourself up 🔸for success. Little actions in advance make the difference between feeling run ragged😫 or moving through the week with greater ease and flow😊 Now who doesn’t want that? What can you add to share with others, that works for you? 🌱From

You don’t have to go far to find someone talking about wellness. Raising awareness of our need to invest in our wellness, most people would agree, is a good thing. As with all things we consume, there’s a balance to be had⚖️ Chatting with a client, she said she felt

You might already see them. You might be in denial You may even be avoiding them. The idea of pausing, let alone resting, might force you to realise how tired you really are… And then what? In a world that celebrates forward motion and productivity as a sign of worthiness

Unproductive? Waste of time? or An opportunity for deliberation? A slowdown that allows for self-connection? A space for newfound wisdom? To pause or not to pause? What’s your stance? Live Your Truth 🌱Know Your Mind🌱 Love Your Life🌱Alison Sinclair – Self Leadership Coach ICF-ACC💚Happy Sunday Everyone💚

Perhaps you are just going through the motions? Our attempts to 🏄 surf the daily tidal wave 🏄‍♀️of information and demands can put us firmly into autopilot gear, not to mention survival mode. All too often, work was about 🔸getting through🔸 each quarter. When I got ill, the only choice

It’s likely you are familiar with the idea that the people we surround ourselves with, matters. Our identities and our lives are 🔸hugely socially influenced🔸and shaped.  💡Most of this is not conscious to us 🧠 We are wired for connection and for safety – so it’s easy and comfortable to

Like change, challenges in life are inevitable. Storms to weather. Rollercoasters to ride. Merry go-rounds that quite literally put us in a spin. Sometimes it’s an accumulation of small things. The feeling of a million papercuts… Wearing us down over time. These challenges are most often outwith our control. So,

Ever get those days where you wish instead of doubting yourself, you could just back yourself and get on with things? When self doubt becomes the default daily operating mode, it can make it very difficult to take healthy actions in our lives. For example, when feeling lost, lacking insight

I know I certainly wasn’t. Until I started attending life coaching sessions in 2004, I really had no idea. Our thoughts are incredibly powerful🧠 They have the ability to affect our mood, behaviour and overall outlook on life. They also have the power to overrule it. Most people are completely unaware of the power of

Do you know this about you? I know, I was born on a Tuesday. 🤓And for whatever reason I seem to be most productive and/or just generally enjoy Tuesdays more than other days of the week. So ahead of time, I have decided that Tuesdays are good. 🧐Do you do

If you are struggling with a sense of direction, perhaps start by reading this. 💛As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”. 🧡As I began to love

Pay attention to the things you tell yourself on a daily basis. 🔸Are they positive, negative or neutral? 🔹Do you dwell on your problems, or do you focus on solutions? 🔸Do you see the world as a friendly place or a hostile place? The quality of your thoughts have a

In my life this seemingly insignificant action has shown itself to be mighty powerful. Take for example, juggling worklife demands:➡ A constant flow of interruptions competing for our attention➡ When thrown ball after ball, we feel overwhelmed and exhausted.➡Combined with existing priorities, our attention feels scattered with stress and lack

Leading ourselves effectively is supported by having resilience. The good news is we can build up our resilience reserves.  👀Check out the slider for reminders on how to strengthen your resilience in these areas:🥷Physical🤓Mental💚Emotional🫂Social🌟Check out the bonus slide at the end 🔸What has helped you overcome obstacles and bumps in

Often when I have, the phrases that have come to mind are, “What if…? or “What about…?” It can feel like an undercurrent, always there, in the background, feeding our unhelpful inner chatter. An inner running commentary that feels like kryptonite.😖 Self doubt can pop up when we least expect

But things really aren’t always as they seem… As someone who has always been very private and an introvert, I’ve never liked it. Having my picture taken, that is. When I was little and told to, “smile, say cheese”, I used to pull a face in an attempt to put the

📘Reading this research stopped me in my tracks. Especially as it got me thinking about all the possible implications. 🪞How clearly do you see yourself? Organisational Psychologist and Executive Coach, Dr Tasha Eurich’s research on self-awareness, may surprise you too. Her work shows that most people don’t see themselves as

Are you constantly repeating mental loops that take you nowhere? Sometimes the negative chatter can get the better of us by:🔸Believing it to be, the absolute truth🔹Creating impossible standards for ourselves🔸Shrinking and hiding ourselves🔹Silencing our voices One of the simplest and most effective approaches I’ve found *to start* to tackle

But even more importantly, why does it matter to you? And what exactly, does that mean for you? Finding a level of harmony in our worklives can feel like some out of reach mythical fantasy. When something in our worklife is creating a sense of inner conflict and discontent, it’s

This is a muscle worth building. We live in a challenging world of fast change. Many of us find ourselves feeling on edge, stressed and overwhelmed, more than ever before. The muscle I’m talking about is resiliency. What helps you through the tough times? For me, it’s paying attention to

What most reliably makes you feel better? For me, it’s being in nature. Being indoors too much, tends to make me feel cooped up. One of my dreams is to live more of an alfresco life, living closer to nature, be that by the coast, the countryside or mountains.  Despite

Good vibes in short supply? ⚡ These days it feels like the news it full of what’s not going right in the world. That can all feel pretty weighty. I try to keep my consumption of the regular news to a minimum, otherwise you’d be forgiven for thinking that’s all

Feeling overwhelmed before the week has even begun? Have a sense of needing to psych yourself up to be ready and go, go go? Before you dive in, take time to reflect upon –🔸what is and isn’t within your control🔸 This will help you begin to:💠Direct your attention and focus 💠Decide

Well, sharing productivity hacks isn’t what this post is about. Instead, it’s a reminder. That in case you are in any doubt… Or you have unwittingly unseen our human-ness We are not machines. We may deny it and push against it. But we cannot fight it. It’s time to revisit

My friend and I were reflecting upon these past few years and how surreal they’ve been. With all the restrictions that were in place and not knowing the nature of covid or having a view of the path ahead, the uncertainty levels felt off the charts. We suddenly had a

If not, is the week feeling a little out of focus? Feeling pulled in too many directions? Energy a struggle? Before the week runs away from you, write a list of what you feel you need to do, what you feel is yours to own and drive forwards. Take a

Or something else? We tend to trust what goes on in our brains.  After all, if you can’t trust your own brain, what can you trust?  Generally, this is a good thing. The brain is designed to alert us to danger and find solutions to the problems we encounter every

Since the pandemic, I have made it a focus to be intentional about creating and noticing moments of joy in my day. One thing that brings me joy is this painting. I had the pleasure of meeting the artist, Steffi Goddard some years ago in Spain. Then in 2019 I

➡️You hide your authentic self fearing you aren’t good enough.➡️Upon receiving feedback, you experience feelings of guilt and shame ➡️You avoid difficult decisions and defer to others to make them for you.➡️The idea of making the wrong choice fills you with fear. ➡️The last thing you want to do is disappoint others.

My cloud storage photo library likes to remind me every so often of an “on this day” memory. You might have something similar? When it pops up sometimes it’s a cringe moment (as I’ve never liked having my photo taken) and sometimes it’s a, wow wasn’t that a great day?

In order to lead ourselves in life we must consciously build better thinking skills. I recently shared 3 ideas of how to improve your ability to think with a promise of more, weekly. So here’s this weeks tip… 🧠Feed your mind🧠 Einstein believed that 🧐imagination was more important than knowledge.

 🧐Consider asking yourself, “Do I know how to accept myself? and all that I am in this moment? and in each moment thereafter?” Many of us have trouble accepting ourselves exactly as we are. Self-acceptance is not an automatic or default state. It’s not so hard to accept the good

  Day in and day out we are all judging…– situations– others– ourselves  When we operate *only* from a place of judgement it shuts us down. It prevents us from understanding the full situation or a new truth that is not known yet. So, there’s a good chance we are closing ourselves off to new worlds and new possibilities. Without realising

Are really, the big things. All too often they are overlooked. Are you overlooking them? As we transition from summer to autumn, you may find yourself adjusting once again into a new routine.  Leading ourselves and our lives during this last 3rd of the year may require some extra fuel,

 If that isn’t working for you, 3 ideas to consider instead. 1.Instead of self judgement try self kindness –What would you say to someone you love?Now say that to yourself. 2.Instead of writing a “to-do” list, write a “got done” list –Review it end of day and you’ll cultivate feel good

Anyone who knows me, knows I really value learning and professional development. Over the last 2 years I have achieved 6 licenses/qualifications each a stepping stone to develop and expanding my coaching strengths. It’s not a *word I’ve allowed myself to say very often – though much has changed 🙂

Being able to step into your true self is for many a journey,taken many times over. Each time, seeing ourselves with fresh eyesand more deeply connecting to self. What might get in the way of being our true selves? 1. Self acceptance ?2. Self compassion ?3. Having the courage to

🤔How much of how you live your life is shaped by other peoples standards and definitions? 🧐To what extent might that be responsible for making you feel stuck? To lead ourselves forward in life, having an ongoing committment to cultivating our self awareness is key to charting our course. How

I am hoping you got a little space just to be, not do. For me, I got to enjoy the outdoors, noticing some lovely flowers along the path, which I stopped to capture. 🙏 😊Happy *rest* of the weekend all😊 Lead yourself >Take care of you.#energy#wellbeing#youmatter Connect/Follow Alison Sinclair – Self

and a hello to all of my new connections – thank you😊 What is the focus of the work I do as a Self Leadership and Worklife Empowerment Coach?  I work with people in 2 main areas: 🚀Transitions – Life and Career 🚀Worklife Empowerment Within these two areas Self Leadership,

If the answer is yes, the first thing that may come to mind is how you move, train and build your body. You might do this through activities that include building muscle, strength, stamina, tone and flexibility. When we feel fit, we stand and hold ourselves differently.  Walking into a

In order to live OUR lives and start leading ourselves we must stop waiting for: 1. Someone’s approval 2. Someone to tell us we have value  3. Someone to come save us 4. Someone to tell us how to live 5. Someone’s permission to speak our truth 📣What would you

For many of us, the barrage of daily information and demands can put us firmly into autopilot gear. Autopilot is helpful when it’s healthy habits that we wish to cultivate and do repeatedly or everyday tasks. But, when it comes to being active participants in our lives, we may look back and

Always prompts me to pause⏸️ and reflect 🪞 The previous winter is behind us. The upcoming winter is far enough away (hurrah☺️). Feeling like we have time to – enjoy the outdoors – meet people we haven’t seen in a long time  – entertain the idea of doing something new

Hope you enjoy this poem from Charlie Chaplin🦉 💛As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”. 🧡As I began to love myself I understood how much it

 The quality of our thinking determines the quality of our future. In order to lead ourselves in life we must consciously build better thinking skills. In yesterday’s carousel post, I shared some tips.The below included in tip #2➡️Don’t believe everything you read. ➡️Refrain from accepting all as truth. ➡️Read multiple sources on

Where there is thinking, there are possibilities. When it comes to the important stuff in life getting into thinking gear more often helps us to be active creators in our lives instead of passive passengers. Are you leading your life or is life leading you? Lead yourself – think better

As we move through our lives people come and go, some stay. It’s likely you are familiar with the idea that the people we surround ourselves with, matters. Our identities and our lives are *hugely socially influenced and shaped* We are wired for connection and for safety – so it’s

This can involve the long goodbye, the messy middle and new beginnings. And most often these transitions are not linear. I recently had the pleasure of working with Okyne who trusted me to support him whilst making some big life transitions. Read his story here 📝 “After living abroad for

🤝Vulnerability and courage go hand in hand. 💪Vulnerability is strength. 🌻What unexpected strengths have you discovered? #strength#truth#manypossibilities Follow Live Your Truth Coaching 🔦 Follow and ring the bell for more 🔔Alison Sinclair – Self Leadership and Worklife Empowerment

When deciding to embark upon change, here’s some things I’ve found that help.  1. Get clear on what you want and why it matters to you2. Stay curious3. Be a beginner, be a learner4. Embrace feeling vulnerable5. Commit to yourself6. Consistently take steps toward the change7. Identify your daily success

The gift of kindness, positively nourishes and lingers in the heart of the recipient. It starts with you. #selfcompassion#selflove#selfcaretime

Hope you enjoy this poem from Charlie Chaplin🦉 💛As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”. 🧡As I began to love myself I understood how much it

Step back from the Internet of Things (IOT) for a moment… and consider *your* 🦉Internet of Wisdom 🦉 ➡Looking outside of ourselves for:🧭guidance💡insight🧠someone to do our thinking, (so we don’t have to) 😵help making decisions ➡is too often the default approach for many of us. In my coaching practice, I am deeply passionate