It’s usually around this time of year I start to reflect on the year that’s just been so I can start plotting what mischief I’m going to create in 2016. It’s been quite the year for me and I decided I wanted to share more of my personal journey with you in the hope that it may not only inspire some of you, and so that we may be able to connect on an even more personal level than we are already. What I don’t want you to know about me is that this makes me feel particularly vulnerable. I fear what you will think of this approach and in deed how you might judge me afterwards. That said, integrity is everything, and being authentic is a core value of mine, so if I’m not being authentic with you, how can I expect you to be authentic with me?

So here goes. It’s been a crazy year for me I cannot lie. It’s been a year where I’ve faced some of my biggest fears, dared more courageously than I ever imagined I would or could and felt more authentically me than I ever have before. I have met some amazing people (that’s you!), helped clients be brave with their hearts, delivered new programs and coaching that’s helped people to step up beyond their expectations, made some great new connections, collaborated on cool projects, and helped businesses to make the tough decisions.

On a personal front, it’s also the year I stood in a crown court to face the man who attacked me over twenty years ago, got a guilty verdict and wrote a book to help other people thrive after trauma. This journey in itself taught me a lot. It showed me just how resilient and brave I already am (don’t we always question that in ourselves?). It brought me back into my full feminine energy without fearing you’d perceive me as weak or a lesser sex in the work place. It showed me our biggest critic is us and that self kindness is a fundamental lever in personal growth. And it showed me first hand how every tragedy can be a gift as much as a curse as well as how important it is to be able to ask for and receive help or support from others.

More recently, I was very grateful to meet one of my hero’s, Brene Brown. Brene is a social researcher from Texas who specialises in Vulnerability and Shame. Her TED talk was the biggest viral video of its time, you can see it here if you’ve missed it. Her work underpins so much of my approach to coaching but was also paramount to me being able to dare courageously in my personal life this year. Spending a day and half listening to her recount the highlights of her work returned me to the insighting reason I set out on this crazy journey in the first place; to make the world a better and easier place to be you while thriving myself!

Thanks to Brene, I was reminded of the three principles that under pin my work whether I’m working with individuals or teams which are,

1. Be authentically you
2. Dare courageously by learning to be ok with your vulnerabilities
3. Speak your truth

Next year I’m looking to work with more clients who want to be more of themselves, to dare courageously and be able to speak their truth with integrity. I want to stand alongside them asking the right questions to help them get the awareness they need to be more of that. To be more of them. So if this is you, I’d love to hear from you and we can talk some more.

But for now, perhaps you’re also reflecting on 2015 and how it’s been for you. So here are three questions to help you with some reflection;

1. Where and with who in life have you really shown up as all of you? Nothing held back, no concerns, no shoulds, just you, authentically you?
2. What have you held back from doing this year that with the right courage you would have done yesterday?
3. Where and to who are you not speaking your truth out of fear of their emotional response to you?

And finally, a big thankyou to all my clients, working with you is as much an inspiration and a gift to me as I hope I am to you. I hope your year has been as adventurous as mine, that you’ve got exciting things planned for 2016 (for me it will include doing more of the work I love, publishing my book and being open to more joy and fun than I can imagine!)

I hope that you have a fun fuelled christmas with your loved ones.  And if you need a hint as to what to get in the office secret santa check out this blog

Warmest blessings, Jennifer x