Monthly Archives

June 2021

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Time For A Retreat?… I Don’t Think So

We have just concluded the first 3 days of our flagship retreat programme for a cohort of senior executives.  We wanted to share an article written by one of the group to give you a flavour of the life-changing benefits to be experienced.

Someone said to me ‘you should go on a retreat’, ‘a retreat? have you seen my diary, I barely have time for lunch each day let alone 5 days out on a retreat’. ‘No way. I’m fine as I am thanks’.

(Getting up at 5am, working until 7pm and regularly working at the weekends too. Heart regularly beating beyond the pace it should, snapping at the children in the brief 30 minutes I saw them before bedtime and so exhausted missing dinner as I didn’t have time and going to bed at 9pm before a restless night’s sleep and groundhog day starting again).

No I’m fine thanks – I don’t have time for a retreat.

Meanwhile, friends raising their concern with me that I’m always working and ‘are you ok’ ‘you must remember to look after yourself’, the occasional gut-wrenching comments from the children that ‘you’re always working mummy’ ‘we never see you’ ‘please can you stop looking at your laptop and help me with my reading?’. Family members raising constant concern that ‘you can’t keep going at this rate’ you’ll burn yourself out’.

Time for a retreat…? No thanks, I’m fine. Honestly, I’m fine.

Clients sending me messages of concern, distant contacts from the past noting their concern on social posts, family pleading me to take some time out.  Anxiety in my chest, shallow sharp breathing, never taking a deep full breath, sleep getting harder and harder due to a constant busy mind. Restless legs. Drinking a glass or two of wine every night knowing it’s a quick way to get to sleep (despite never staying asleep for long). Changing my diet to try to shift a few pounds but having no luck. Exercising more but feeling more depleted. Running harder and faster on the treadmill but getting nowhere. More meetings, more actions, more calls, ok let’s try getting up at 4am instead then and gaining another hour for work – I’m not sleeping so why not.

I’m no wife, I’m no mother, I’m no business owner, I’m no daughter, I’m no friend. I’m doing none of those things successfully. But then I was told as a young girl, struggling with studies and dyslexia, ‘you’ll never achieve academically so just accept that. Just accept you won’t get high grades you’re not clever enough’.

Time for a retreat…? No thanks, I’m fine.

I’m not fine. I’m far from fine but I don’t have time to take out for myself.

Is that what I want written on my gravestone? Is that what I want my legacy to be. Is that the view I want my children to have of a successful role model and mother?

……..

I met Hilary and Peter through a business group called BoB (Business of Brand) and I helped them shape the strategy and marketing activation for their Retreat business, a new venture they had taken after years of experience coaching and mentoring senior executives and dealing with their fair few personal turning points in life. They were inspiring, they talked about the power and intensity of self-discovery their retreats created and we shared stories from previous retreaters for the website and social.

……

I’ve just returned from the first 3 days of their flagship 5 day Executive Retreat (split into 3 days with a 10 week period of reflection before the final 2 days) and here is what I’ve learned.

  • I am worth it.
  • I can break the ground hog day and I will.
  • I can be successful without jeopardising my family and friends.
  • I am good at what I do. And people appreciate me and see strengths and skills I me I never knew I had.
  • I’ve got a strong purpose and I’m value driven, I just never realised those values and how I play them out in day to day life in decisions and relationships.
  • I’m not the little girl standing in her head teachers office being told to accept second best.
  • I’m not a failed mother.
  • I’m someone who is powerful and strong and I now know exactly what I need to do to get the balance I need in life. I need to let the fun back in. I need regular time out, for me, to make me the best version of myself I can be.
  • I’m three days in but world’s apart from the women that arrived on that sunny Sunday afternoon.

Set in the beautiful countryside in the Cotswold, surrounded by two ultimate professionals who know exactly what they are doing and the journey they are taking people on – I discovered I have passion, kindness and determination racing through my veins. I’m better equipped now to channel this and I’m on a journey with like-minded professionals.

www.nextchapteretreats.guru

Blog

Being My Best Scorecard Launch

We’re excited to announce the launch of our newly developed scorecard.  Your FREE personal MOT, service and valet.  Find out how you’re REALLY doing in terms of Your Purpose in Life, the Impact you have, how Happy you are and how good your Mental Fitness is.  And there’s more!  We’re offering all participants the opportunity for a free 30-minute call to discuss their results and our “5 Steps” free download (5 Practical steps to reconnect your purpose and power).

Click here to complete the ‘Being My Best’ scorecard

Next Chapter Retreats help successful people play their best music, fulfill their potential, and perform at the top of their game.

Our retreats use the stories we tell about our lives to uncover what we love, what we’re good at, what holds us back and what really matters to us in order to create a clear pathway for our next chapter. Each retreat is specially designed for people who want to invest in themselves and to be their best, they nurture you to be the best version of yourself for your business, your family and yourself.

AND THERE’S MORE…

We are delighted to announce that we have developed our retreat offering with a new two-day retreat “Planning for Peak Performance” in addition to our flagship 5-day retreat!  

We have been busy!

Blog

Looking Ahead

We had some friends round for dinner last weekend, the first time since the end of lockdown and it made me realise what I’ve missed. Telling stories about our holiday disasters, belly laughs, actually having adventures. What have you missed?

Many of us are planning holidays at the moment which we hope will plug many of the missing gaps– sunshine, going out for a drink with friends, lasting memories for stories at that next dinner party. Holidays fix our tired bodies, but what about a tired mind?

Sometimes our journey needs to be outwards, to get the experiences that will reenergise and excite us, and sometimes the journey needs to be inwards, to give ourselves some time to check in on ourselves, nurture our minds and psyches. I intend to practice what I preach. At the end of June, I’m going on a pilgrimage/retreat to the island of Iona for a week. It’s been tough running a face-to-face business in lockdown, but the autumn looks busy, and I want to be at my best.

What do you need now? What’s your autumn looking like and how do you need to prepare? Feeling jaded, run out of steam, gone off the boil? Our retreats are designed to help you get back to your normal success and achievement and keep you at the top of your game. Something for you – or maybe to recommend to some people you know? Our next retreat is 12th – 14th July and 4th and 5th October.

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