Blog
Combat Burnout And Beat The Bias
Mar 04, 2022
Today, and every day we can break the bias.
Imagine a gender equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together, we can forge women's equality, collectively we can all break the bias, individually we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions all day every day. We can break the bias in our communities, in our workplaces, schools, colleges and universities.
The theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #breakthebias. I want to combine the theme of International Women's Day this year with how women who do it all can combat burnout and beat the bias at the same time. I want to talk about this from the perspective of women lifting and supporting other women.
Let's start with forms of bias that may come into play:
Invisibility
Stereotyping
Imbalance and selectivity
Unreality
Fragmentation and isolation
...
Stop Trying To Manage Time
Feb 25, 2022
How many of you have tried varying different time management techniques? Over the years I have tried diary blocking, time blocking and I've tried varying different colour coding ways of blocking out my diary. In 2020 I trained with Paul Holbrook (check out his book) to become a diary detox practitioner, which I found very helpful. Certainly in terms of looking at where I spend my time, making sure that I'm not wasting it and giving as much value as I possibly can to myself and to my clients. I have also tried Pomodoro techniques and varying different egg timer techniques. I've tried everything!
I think a lot of my family and friends are always amazed at how much I can actually get done in a day. One of my friends is amazed at just how many Netflix series I can get through and still manage to get so much done throughout my day. But I've recognised that for me, it's not so much about managing my time, it's actually about managing my energy.
We all have 24...
Permission Slips
Feb 17, 2022
Permission slips.
Self kindness, self love and self compassion are not selfish, they are necessary.
I hear so many women talking about how they know they need more self care and that they need to be kinder to themselves when it comes to their self-talk. And yet, they're still not creating the time to make it happen.
They're still not changing their thought patterns, their behaviours and they’re still not setting boundaries.
They’re not doing this because they think that by putting themselves first, or even just putting themselves on their own list of priorities, that this is in some way, selfish. Because what they feel they will be doing is taking that time away from others and giving it to themselves.
How could this be reframed in a way that more women get it! Reframed in a way that more women understand it! Reframed in a way so that more women make the changes that they need to make for themselves!
“Taking...
How Super Achievers Can Avoid Burnout and Celebrate Success
Feb 11, 2022
Do you see yourself as a superachiever?
I didn't for many, many years and I know that a number of my clients and probably the majority of women in my programmes, also don't see themselves as superachievers. And because we don't see ourselves as superachievers, we also find it quite difficult to celebrate success. This is because:
There's always something else to do.
There's always something else to achieve.
There's always something else that wants our attention.
Therefore we don't celebrate success, because we don't see ourselves as achieving.
Some examples from my earlier years; I was moved up a year at school and I was involved in helping other students to improve their reading and literacy. When it came to my exams, I was supporting other students in getting their exam prep done, but I didn't see that as anything extra. That was just me! That was part of what I did. That was part of who I am.
When I joined the world of work, even as a trainee, I was...
Blocked Drains and Breakthroughs
Feb 08, 2022
My weekly lives have started again over on LinkedIn and Youtube on Tuesday afternoon's at 4pm UK time. I'll be sharing with you the videos from the lives for you to watch at your leisure.
This week's LinkedIn Live is about Blocked Drains and Breakthroughs, enjoy!
Kelly
Women Are Doing More To Fight Burnout: And It's Burning Us Out
Feb 04, 2022
Why is it that so many women are doing more to fight burnout and yet, it's this that is contributing to us burning out?
From my experience, and from lots of work I've done with my clients, I think the key to this is the word, doing. We keep doing and we keep doing more, assuming that what we are doing is right for us. But by doing and doing and doing, we are adding more stress and more pressure to ourselves.
When I burnt out in 2013, as part of my recovery I wanted to understand what had gotten me to that point of burnout in the first place. And so I kept doing! I did so much stuff.
I learnt about burnout, I did my therapy qualification, I did my psychotherapy qualification and I was doing research. My daily tasks became overwhelming.
I had this massive list of things to do from journaling, to yoga, to meditation, to ensuring that I was getting outside everyday, to eating a healthy diet, to making sure I was getting enough sleep. I was...
Your Seat At The Table
Jan 28, 2022
Today I want to talk about getting your seat at the table. I was working with a client the middle of last week and then I got asked a question on Friday along the same theme topic, both were about the seat at the table.
Both women have a lot of responsibility in their roles and they both manage large teams. They've both got big budget responsibility. They seem to be very well respected by colleagues and peers. They both do a good job (I’d say they both do a brilliant job). And they both help people from outside of their organisations with other things. They both act as a mentor for women in similar roles in different organisations helping them to grow and develop. And they've both been recognised for all of this.
Both of them however feel that they are underpaid and undervalued. Some of the people that they're both helping in other organisations have bigger roles than them and bigger job titles than them and much bigger salaries than them and they both...
Can The Four-Day Work Week Prevent Burnout?
Jan 22, 2022
With BBC News reporting trials beginning in the UK for the Four-Day Working Week the main focus is on whether this will increase productivity and yet this isn’t the only benefit that the four-day week provides. True four day working works on the premise of the 100:80:100 ratio. 100% pay, 80% hours worked and maintaining 100% performance.
In 2014 when I founded The Chrysalis Crew, even before I had a business plan, I knew what the purpose and values would be. I’d burned out in 2013, the toxic environment, backstabbing by the Exec team and prolonged stress broke me. I’d ignored the signs of burnout for months and the physical symptoms became overwhelming. I knew there had to be a healthier way to work and a more ethical way of consulting.
In 2018 I wanted to reward the team at The Chrysalis Crew, provide them with a different sort of benefit, and yet with big investments into the business, I didn’t have pockets of cash. So, what could I...
Too...
Jan 21, 2022
Have you ever been told that you are too…?
I’m sure that many of us, I know I have, have been told that we are too something at one point in our life and career.
Too…
tall
short
fat
thin
old
young
experienced
inexperienced
confident
good
bold
colourful
brave
self-confident
emotional.
All of these times that we've been told that we are way too much.
Too…
fierce
strong
masculine
feminine
loud
quiet
talkative
bossy.
All of these things that we've been told over the years I was for more years and then I care to remember really. If I think back to childhood and the times that I was told by my mum that I was too bossy. And then I was too shy, then I was too fat. I was too ambitious. I was too driven. I was trying to do too much. I was too much. I was too nosey, too curious. I was told by colleagues that I was too successful. That I was working too hard. That...
Goals for Core-Led Women
Jan 14, 2022
This week I’m talking about goals. It’s the time of year isn't it where many of you may have intentions you may have resolutions you might be thinking about goals if you are in a leadership position or in an organisation where your financial year is finishing in April, you might be really looking at your goals for this quarter. You might be looking at goals for the year as a whole calendar year, financial year, whatever it is that you're looking at.
Years ago, I was surprised when I attended a leadership conference for women and we were introduced to the notion of goals and sadly, how very few of us as women set concrete goals. I've always got goals I'm always achieving goals but this research kept coming up. It came up with some work that I was doing. And I think a lot of the time when I speak to clients about goals and even sometimes when I'm still setting goals I can still be a little bit woolly with some.
Sometimes the goals are vague, like I...
