People will never forget how you made them feel

Wellness has been front of mind for most of us, as we have navigated unfamiliar waters over the last year. Life changed beyond all recognition for many, whilst others found they were on the front line almost like “warriors of light” in the effort to save and maintain lives. I feel extremely grateful for all of these individuals and their service to humanity.

I also feel reflective and sad about the pending anniversary this week of the death of my client and dear friend Artist David Burrow (1945- 2020). Dave was one of the first to lose his life (15 April 20) during the pandemic. Dave was a pleasure, a brilliantly talent artist, who like many famous artists before him had, suffered with ups and downs of a long term mental health condition. A close friend of my late mum Cath, Dave became a close friend, an kind of uncle/ father figure, during our “Artist Endeavours” together planning exhibitions and trips out for coffee and cake. I miss his wisdom and laugher dearly, and the lost opportunity for his heartfelt presence he brought to our shared conversations about my mum and her life.

Over the last few months I have been designing e-books of wellness (to be released May 2021, celebrating 10 years running my own business).

The well books have been a labour of love. They are packed with inspirations from art to poetry, ideas, thoughts and tools intended to bring more wellness and harmony to our daily lives. I’ve created a series of six linked books (mind, body, emotions, spirit, resilience, kindness and compassion). These simple books are designed to focus our hearts and minds towards a journey of greater wellness, rather than illness. The intention is to help us all to explore the interconnectivity of our mind, body, emotions and spirit.

I have dedicated my “wellness of emotions” to Dave. It includes one of my favourite oil paintings by Dave, appropriately named ‘Hartz Mountains, Germany”.

“One of the reasons Dave said he loved painting is that every brush stroke is a part of him, his way of contributing something to the world.“ Clare

Here is a sneak preview of Dave’s contribution to emotional wellness:

Working from home, home schooling, isolation from our loved ones and restrictions have been tricky. This last year may have brought some gifts; time to pause or reflect and reassess, more time in nature, or a new family pet. However for many it has also brought much loss, and suffering and lack of the support of physical connections and interactions, that ‘someone’ to talk to or share our personal experiences with.

More and more people are starting to appreciate the value of keeping well and maintaining good health. The benefits of mindfulness are starting to become more widely recognised, which means my skills are increasingly in demand. After nearly a decade in business, I still strive to build my understanding, skills and experience in coaching and mindfulness, to ensure I can offer the best professional services and importantly something useful and relevant to clients.

This year is no different, my passion is for bringing wellness, coaching and mindfulness into our everyday lives continues. I am mid-way through a mindfulness MSc at Aberdeen university I and have been attending Mindfulness training on-line. Last August I become a licenced Heartmath coach.

Over the last six months I have successfully designed, delivered and facilitated a pilot Wellness and Resilience Peer Group with a diverse group of Lancashire business leaders. This project was on behalf of Boost Lancashire and gratefully funded by The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The project included personalised 1:1 coaching as well as mindfulness and group action learning. Client feedback was great, it was transformational experience. I feel proud of what the individuals and groups have achieved together, and how they supported each other personally and professionally, how they made each other feel…..

I hope to run this project again in May, 2020 please get in touch if you are interested in this fully funded programme.

To find out more about 1:1 wellness coaching and business mentoring or organisational wellness sessions, please get in touch WhatsApp 07715814833 or email Lou@elementas.co.uk