Barefoot Coaching have been shortlisted for the Small Business of the Year Award at the East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women Awards 2020. On the 29th January 2020, at Haarlem Mill in Matlock, the finalists for the East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women Awards were announced.

Last month, I did Jon McNestrie’s Visual Facilitation training with Barefoot Coaching – and feel compelled to share this secret with you – improving your visual communication is easier than you might think. I was enthusing about this to a friend – who asked what is Visual Facilitation?

Turned up day one, module one, green around the ears
There in the room fourteen other adventurers
Everyone with a story to tell
Why this course was right for the here and now.

Safe space to explore
Understanding self in service of others
Pause with purpose
Expanding our education
Restorative in all manner of ways
Vulnerable and willing to share

In the inimitable words of Leonard Cohen “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”. Thoughts about broken pottery and the Barefoot Coaching Winter Conference… Last week a gathering of coaches at various ages and stages of their journey invested in a day together at the Barefoot Coaching annual winter conference to share, learn and connect. As always, listening to thought leaders of the coaching world gave me plenty of food for thought.

Families – their joys and challenges are as unique as the people in them. The role of parent is undoubtedly my most challenging one. I’m an only child, brought up in a single-parent family and now I have a partner, step-daughter and three young children. Sometimes I feel strong, capable, joyful, occasionally like I’m getting it right.