Radical Honesty – the hardcore prescription for losing stress
I was ten years old when I told my first lie. I can’t remember exactly what it involved but I can remember exactly how I felt – my stomach churned, …
Talking to strangers – the power of group therapy
Would you try group therapy? Recently I suggested to a friend that she try an intensive psychotherapy retreat. ‘But you have to talk about yourself in front of a bunch …
Meetings without masks – the new dating game
Dating is difficult. You can’t judge people by looks alone – yet that’s all that standard speed dating and apps like Tinder seem to offer. It feels superficial, totally lacking …
Who’s ruling your relationship? Your inner victim, prostitute or saboteur?
Are you stuck in a dead-end relationship but don’t have the courage to move on? Or, conversely, do you find yourself dumping an exciting new partner before the relationship even …
Taming our ancestors
When friends wax lyrical about their family trees, I have always kept quiet, very quiet. My ancestors, sadly, were not a nice bunch of people. So I felt slightly anxious …
Dropping assumptions with Byron Katie
I first discovered Byron Katie while on retreat in Greece with Serenity Retreat . Or rather I should say that Byron Katie found me. I noticed a book sitting beside me …
Opening to intimacy
I’m standing opposite a stranger and we’re gazing into one another’s eyes. We don’t say a word. We’ve been invited to ‘see’ each other, to meet the person beyond any …
Finding boundaries via Tantra
I’ve been the ultimate people-pleaser all my life, always trying to fit in, always being the good girl, the nice girl, the ‘Yes’ girl. Yet I recently discovered my ‘No’ …
Change is coming…
Change is coming. It’s big, it’s scary, it’s exciting, it’s petrifying. I’ve been stuck for so long that now the ribbons are unravelling I’m not quite sure how to feel. …
The Attraction Trap
You meet a man at a party and it’s instant attraction. You like the same things, you laugh at the same jokes, you share the same hopes and aspirations. Something …
The Sensuality Workout: Seven Steps to Heaven
Does your relationship feel flat? Have you lost the romance in your marriage? Is your bedroom about as passionate as the kitchen sink? The answer isn’t sexual acrobatics or a …
The 4 Core Values – clear honest communication
Just over a month ago, I returned from the week-long Penninghame Process in Scotland. It was one heck of an extraordinary ride and I find it very hard to explain …
Meningitis – what you need to know
Meningitis. I really urge you to read this (I’ll keep it short) and then to find out more. And not only if you have young children – this disease can …
Agony Answers: Should I settle for less than true love?
Q: I am forty and never been married or had children. I have been seeing a man for six months who is lovely but I don’t feel the spark I …
Unnatural motherhood? There’s more than one way to be a parent.
Let me confess. Before I had James I had never bathed a baby. I had never fed a baby. I had certainly never changed a baby. I had held one …
How fit is your relationship? Take the Love MOT Quiz
If your relationship were a body would it be fit and toned, in the peak of health; or would it be fat and flabby, barely able to run for the …
WHO says we should cut sugar – but is it enough?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is releasing its report Guideline on Sugars Intake for Adults and Children today. It recommends that no more than ten percent of our daily …
The 36 questions you need to ask to fall in love
According to a report in the New York Times, you can fall in love with absolutely anyone. All you have to do is ask the person 36 specific questions. Why these? Apparently it’s all …
Natural baby – keeping your newborn safe
When I was writing my little book Spirit of the Nursery, it struck me that parents always want the best, the freshest, the newest, for their babies and yet, sadly, newest …
Brene Brown on the Power of Vulnerability
Have you heard that TED talk by Brené Brown? The one entitled The power of vulnerability? I’d never heard of her and I don’t usually like watching clips of speakers …
Natural birth vs Caesarian
The operating theatre lights were glaring as my baby was born. The surgeon was laughing about football and the radio was blaring some loud rock song. I had been pumped …
Brain gym – simple exercises for a better mind and body
A simple series of exercises could help your brain function better, making you sharper, smarter – and far more confident. Brain Gym comprises very easy body movements which have been designed …
Cranial osteopathy – easing the trauma of birth
Cranial osteopathy is an absolute boon for new mothers. This most gentle form of manipulation can soothe the trauma of birth and give their babies a head-start for a healthy happy life. But what exactly is this wonder therapy and is it really such a miracle cure-all?
Favourite children’s fiction
Children and YA fiction is my true guilty pleasure. It’s a funny thing but, while I flinch at adult fantasy, I will lap it up when written for a younger …
Dignified Disney – the picky parents’ guide to Walt DisneyWorld
Cynical former Disney loather is won over by cleanliness, politeness and sheer professionalism of WaltDisney World in Florida. Yes, it IS possible to do Disney Dignified – you can even get some decent spa treatments!
Easing the summer misery of hayfever & allergies
Hayfever and allergies are on the increase. Find out why and how to treat them both conventionally and with natural therapies.
Post-natal depression – healing the baby blues
Post-natal illness can affect as many as one in four women and research shows that their babies may also suffer long-term effects from this much misunderstood illness. Yet still a vast number of cases go undiagnosed while women – and their families – suffer in silence.
Downshifting – the key to a stress-free life?
Everyone’s talking about downshifting and many yearn to move to the countryside. Is it the answer? An honest account of one writer’s search for the Good Life and how it backfired.
Perfectionism – the curse of the modern woman
Are you a perfectionist – and is it ruining your life? Attention to detail is fine but when it starts to take over your life, perfectionism becomes the enemy. How to judge if your perfectionism is going too far and what to do about it. Plus ‘how to spot a perfectionist’ and their typical excuses.
Should children play rugby?
Should children play rugby? Isn’t it just too dangerous? Why it might be time to rethink your attitudes towards this rough tough game.
Breastfeeding may be best, but bottle isn’t bad
Breastfeeding and distress of women who would love to breastfeed but find they can’t.