I haven't stepped back from ambition. I've changed how I operate.

My story

I've spent over 16 years in Big Four, in high-pressure roles. For a long time I thought stress was just the price you pay for wanting a big life. I was delivering at work, and at home I was there, but not really there.

Then mindfulness completely changed my relationship with myself. I stopped listening to my inner critic. I stopped judging other people, and I stopped judging myself. I started doing things from calm, not from stress, and I lost the fear of being judged.

I went on to train as an accredited mindfulness teacher and studied the psychology behind why we get stressed. My method brings these together, tested on myself, on friends and on the women I coach.

“I do whatever I can, to the best of my ability, knowledge, experience and the energy I have that day. And that has to be enough.”

None of this is complicated, but it's not easy to do on your own. It's learning the basics, then practising them moment by moment. Along the way the stress, the overwhelm and the pressure you put on yourself start to fall away, and life gets lighter and more fun.