Have you ever scrolled past someone’s success story and thought, “Good for them, but I could never…”? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Self-belief can feel out of reach when you’re stuck in self-doubt, but confidence isn’t a personality trait; it’s a practice.

“Why do I struggle to believe in myself?” This is a question I hear often, during coaching sessions with women who, on the surface, look as if they have life sorted.

They are ticking the right boxes and seem to be in control, and yet this question arises so many times…“Why can’t I just believe in myself?”

And if you’ve ever asked it too, know this: you’re not broken, and you’re certainly not alone.

The simple truth is, many of us were never taught how to believe in ourselves. We were taught to keep our heads down, not to get “too big for our boots”, and to put others first.

And while humility has its place, over time it can chip away at our sense of self if we’re not careful.

Another simple truth is, confidence isn’t something reserved for a chosen few, the winners in life; it’s something we build. It’s like a garden, with the right tools, you can start cultivating it, bit by bit.

Life these days is stressful. In truth, throughout time, people have had different levels of stress to cope with. Today, though, in the fast-paced, often chaotic world we live in, there can be many triggers causing stress in our lives.

Although we can all be affected by stress at some time or another, we have more ways of understanding the causes and coping with stress when it arises.

Understanding stress is essential for us all, as it significantly impacts both our mental and physical well-being.

When faced with stress, the body enters a state of heightened alertness, triggering the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

These changes prepare the body for a "fight or flight" response, which can be beneficial in short bursts but may lead to negative consequences when stress is prolonged.

Chronic stress can cause a range of health issues, including headaches, digestive problems, and cardiovascular diseases.

Additionally, it can weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to fend off illness. Recognising and managing stress is vital for maintaining overall health and ensuring a balanced life.

Have you just turned thirty or are you about to, and feel a certain amount of worry and trepidation?

This is not uncommon; in fact, many people worry about turning 30 due to societal pressures and personal expectations surrounding this milestone age.

Turning 30 often triggers self-reflection and comparison to societal timelines. Have you made the right career choice, and are you advancing?

Have you met the right partner, ideas of buying a home and starting a family? Are you putting enough money away for your retirement?

The endless questions and second-guessing can leave many stressed and anxious.

Milestone birthdays can heighten anxiety and prompt women to reassess their life choices.

The unrealistic standards created by other people on social media can create anxiety and impossible standards, meaning you can be thrown into a downward spiral of negativity.

Positive self-talk is the inner dialogue that uplifts, supports, and encourages you rather than criticises or doubts.

It's the voice that says, “I can handle this,” even when you're feeling unsure. Instead of focusing on limitations, it helps you see possibilities and build resilience.

Positive self-talk doesn’t ignore difficulties—it reframes them. Positive self-talk has been shown to improve psychological well-being, reduce stress, and even boost immunity.

A simple example would be shifting from “I’m terrible at this” to “I’m learning and improving every day.”

Are you the sort of person who says “Yes” to everything when every fibre of you wants to scream” No!”? Do you feel delegated to do everything, whether at work or at home, and you end up feeling taken for granted and used, yet you do it anyway?

If either of these scenarios resonates with you, you are suffering from a lack of assertiveness, fearing the reaction of other people instead of standing up for yourself.

This is a very common problem many people suffer from, but the good news is that once identified, you can rid yourself of it.

Struggling to be assertive often stems from a fear of conflict, rejection, or the desire to be liked.

Many people were never taught how to express their needs confidently, especially if they grew up in environments where being passive or overly accommodating was encouraged.

This can lead to internalized beliefs that speaking up is selfish or rude. However, assertiveness is about balance—honouring both your needs and the needs of others.

Start by noticing situations where you remain silent even when you have something important to express

Self-care journaling is the practice of writing to nurture your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

It provides a safe space to express thoughts, track emotions, and better understand yourself. Think of it almost as a mental audit: Everything that is going through your mind can be written down to be evaluated and fact-checked.

Those limiting self-beliefs, doubts, worries and concerns can all be jotted down to free your mind for more positive thoughts.

Studies show journaling can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance self-awareness.

Whether used for reflection, gratitude, or goal-setting, self-care journaling is a powerful tool to allow you to grow whilst also taking care of your mental well-being.

There are many coaching tools available to help you make better decisions, reach goals, feel more fulfilled and have a richer and more purposeful life. One of the main tools I use with my clients during coaching sessions is a SWOT tool. This tool analysis is a simple, yet highly effective way of reaching the answers you want from your life.

A SWOT analysis is a structured way to evaluate your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It can help you become self-aware and create a roadmap for personal growth.

By identifying your key strengths, you can maximize them to achieve success, while recognizing weaknesses helps you work on self-improvement.

Opportunities help you spot areas for growth, whether in your career, relationships, or mindset, while threats allow you to prepare for challenges.

One of the biggest benefits of a SWOT analysis is that it provides clarity and direction, ensuring you make informed decisions.

It is designed in a simple, easy-to-use way that gets you to fully examine the most critical areas related to a particular goal and brings valuable clarity and understanding.

Do you find yourself stuck in a place of negative thinking? Do your thoughts always turn to the negative side and you struggle to understand why this happens?

This is a common condition many people struggle from but it can have devastating and long-lasting effects on your life.

Negative thinking can stop you from achieving many things, it can ruin relationships and can hurt your self-esteem.

There are many reasons why you may be struggling to think positively such as;

• deep-rooted habits

• past experiences

• subconscious conditioning

You can find yourself struggling to think positively if you've been surrounded by negativity, stress, or criticism for a long time.

This can cause your mind to lean more naturally toward pessimistic thinking and your mind will believe it is protecting you.

Negative thought patterns can become automatic in your life which can mean it makes it difficult to break the cycle without conscious effort. However, just as negativity is learned, positivity can be cultivated through awareness and practice

By the time you get to your mid-life years, you will have already been through so much. You will have experienced many changes up to this point, good and bad - career changes, marriage, divorce, children leaving home, deaths and house moves.

All of the situations that you experience in your life will have an impact physically and mentally. In fact, by the time you get into your late forties and fifties, you will have experienced so much you may no longer recognise the person you once were.

The lessons of life can change you in many ways and this can lead to feeling lost, lacking direction and unsure of who you are any more.

It can be at this point a crisis of self can develop or a “mid-life crisis.”

A midlife crisis in women can manifest through a variety of symptoms that often reflect a mental struggle with ageing and life fulfilment.

Common signs include dissatisfaction or restlessness, re-evaluating life choices, and a desire for change in personal or professional areas.

Emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression may arise, accompanied by a sense of urgency to pursue dreams or goals left unaddressed. Additionally, changes in relationships, including conflicts with partners or friends, can occur as women seek deeper connections or reconsider their roles.

Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset and are you aware of the difference? The mindset you have will determine the results you get in your life. People with a fixed mindset will often stay rooted where they are whilst people with a growth mindset will stride through life.

There can be many times in your life you will feel trapped. You could be feeling trapped by life at this precise moment. If you can relate to this you will no doubt be looking for ways to lose this feeling and feel free again.

Feeling trapped can be different for everyone. Some people may feel trapped because of a bad relationship, while others may feel trapped because of overbearing family members, a bad job, ill health, or a lack of money.

Each reason for feeling trapped can differ from person to person but the feelings will be the same.

Feeling trapped often manifests as a profound sense of confinement. It can create an internal struggle, where hopes and dreams seem out of reach, leaving you feeling powerless and stuck in your current circumstances.

This sensation may be accompanied by anxiety, frustration, or sadness, as the desire for change clashes with the inability to take action.

The weight of expectations or responsibilities can further exacerbate the feeling, making it challenging to envision a path toward freedom or fulfilment.

Abundance is something most of us crave in some area or other of our lives. But what exactly does attracting abundance mean and how can you bring more of what you want into your life…..fast?

There are some things you need to do in order to attract abundance, you need to start making some shifts in your life.

Attracting abundance means cultivating a mindset that welcomes prosperity, fulfilment, and opportunities into your life.

To be abundant, you need to shift from a scarcity mentality to one that recognizes and wholeheartedly embraces the potential for growth and success.

By cultivating positive thoughts, setting precise goals, and aligning your actions with your intentions, you will create a magnetic force that draws in abundant resources—whether they be health, finance, relationships or experiences.

Abundance is more than being wealthy. Abundance is a holistic approach to living that appreciates the richness of life and the experiences you have in yours.

Abundance allows you to feel gratitude for what you already have, thereby opening doors to even greater possibilities.

We can all be emotional from time to time. Every day, in fact, our bodies can be flooded with different emotions and happiness. frustration, anger, and joy to name a few.

At times though, we can become emotionally stuck. This may be something you have or are experiencing and are looking for ways in which to get emotionally unstuck.

There are different things you can do to become emotionally unstuck, the first thing though is you have to acknowledge and accept your feelings without judging or being harsh on yourself.

One of the simplest ways to do this is to jot down what you are experiencing in a journal so you can reflect on your thoughts.

Then identify any limiting beliefs holding you back and reframe them into more positive and affirming statements. Have people around you who are supportive and encourage you to express yourself.

There can be many times when you feel lost in life. This is not a situation that is restricted to age or social circumstances.

Anyone can feel lost whether in a loving committed relationship or single, whether they have their dream job and lifestyle or are just starting in life.

There are many reasons for feeling lost in life.

Bereavement or divorce can be a factor, leaving home or University, starting a new job or moving to a new location or just lacking in self-confidence.

The one thing most people would agree on is when you are feeling lost in life, it can be overwhelming and disorienting.

The first step to finding yourself is to slow down and permit yourself to explore your thoughts and emotions.

Spend time working on your inner thoughts to understand the reasons for your feelings.

Everyone can suffer from negative thinking from time to time. Life is always going to throw up circumstances that can make you think in a negative and unhelpful way. These times hopefully are fleeting.

What though if you are someone who constantly suffers from negative thinking? If you are stuck in a cycle of one negative thought after another? How can you turn off the negative chatter in your head and replace it with more positive proactive thoughts? How can you think happy positive thoughts……today?

Do you know where you are going in your life? Have you made a plan, set goals or have a set direction all mapped out? Or are you like many women, adrift in your life wondering where you are going, what you are doing and what you want your life to look like?

Feeling overwhelmed is an emotion which can come upon anyone at any time. It isn’t necessarily connected to a person who suffers from any mental health conditions. There are many reasons why someone can feel this way.

The causes of feeling overwhelmed can be various reasons, from work situations, relationships, and everyday stress to health conditions and burnout. There is no one reason why overwhelming feelings can suddenly come upon a person.

Feeling overwhelmed can strike at any time. Let’s face it, the world we all live in today can be very overwhelming for most people at some time or another.

Fast-paced jobs, deadlines, pressures at work, family concerns, making enough money, saving enough money, getting on the property ladder and staying on it, keeping up with technology, keeping up with everyone in your circle, the list can go on and on leading to more and more feelings of overwhelm.

When you feel this level of overwhelm and stress, you may find it hard to focus on what you are doing and need to do.

Your thoughts can begin to drift off into areas you don’t want them to go to, and you can feel as if you are trapped.

Even if you are aware that your thoughts are irrational, unhelpful or maybe unfounded, it can be difficult to stop them from popping up in your head, causing more and more complications and distractions and overwhelm.