Imagine if you could follow your ambition without drowning in it – how much more fulfilling life would be? That’s what Pause Purpose Play is all about – finding balance over burnout by setting you free from needing to be perfect, so that you can take action and get started with what matters to you, instead of getting stuck in procrastination and holding yourself back with self-limiting beliefs your inner critic tells you. In this podcast, Michaela Thomas, Clinical Psychologist, Couples Therapist and founder of The Thomas Connection, shares bite-sized learning around psychology of performance, habits, self-confidence, stress, anxiety, perfectionism, parenthood and couples relationships. The podcast will mix solo episodes with guest interviews; diving deep into their professional zone of genius and learning about how they have found pause, purpose and play in their life and in their work. My new book, The Lasting Connection, is available now from all good bookshops.
Episodes
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
A tricky lesson from Eastern philosophy is about the impermanence of things, of how everything changes rather than stays the same. This is a hard pill to swallow in the Western world, where we focus so much of our time and efforts around chasing and clinging onto happiness.
Especially now, as we have spent almost half a year in the global pandemic of the Corona virus.
But these lessons are valid regardless of what pain or hardship we find ourselves in.
Join Michaela Thomas this week, as she talks about how hard it is to just let things be as they are, and reminds us that this too shall pass. Then join in with an exercise to Stop the Struggle.
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
In this episode, Natalie Costa, performance coach, author and founder of Power Thoughts, talks about how we support our children’s emotional wellbeing, to build greater confidence and resilience by noticing their inner critic and also sitting with their big feelings.
We end this episode thinking about how we can support children returning back to school in September, after the Coronavirus crisis.
Natalie Costa provides a teaching and coaching service designed to give children the ‘power’ over their own thoughts. With a background in psychology and having spent 12 years within the educational sector as well as becoming an accredited Performance Coach, Power Thoughts was born - which blends her past experience and deep understanding of children and their needs, now providing them with the tools to help them cope and thrive in the modern world.
Natalie has been featured in national press and TV, such as Stella Magazine, BBC Breakfast, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph and Good Morning Britain and had co-authored two books called "Find your Power" and "Stretch your Confidence”.
3:50 – Natalie’s busy mind, and what she does to take a break from productivity
7:02 – Switching off through pausing and being still, versus switching off with creativity
10:20 – Rewriting the belief that it has to be hard work to be successful
12:04 – Finding purpose, fulfilment and opportunity in an evolving start up business
15:30 – Helping children to be aware of their internal dialogue, their inner critic
18:10 – Becoming mindful of Big Feelings, locating them in the body
19:54 – The power of breath and Take Five Breathing exercise
21:45 – The internal weather report of feelings, to get the power back and self-soothe
24:39 – How we create purpose and meaning for children, what lights you up?
28:35 – Working on our own confidence and inner critic alongside our children
29:40 – Coping with negative thoughts with the compassionate voice we use with friends
33:20 – The power of modelling to our children all the feelings, not trying to be perfect
35:16 – Returning to school after COVID-19, having done the best you could in a crisis
37:40 – The life lessons from lockdown around resilience, adaptation and dealing with grief
41:10 – The importance of play for both adults and children, helping them soothe feelings
Website: https://www.powerthoughts.co.uk/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/powerthoughtsbync
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerthoughtsnataliecosta
Friday Aug 07, 2020
Friday Aug 07, 2020
It's hard to get started. When we fear something, we are more likely to procrastinate. The inner critical voice shows up and has an opinion. It’s fearful of failure, so naturally it would show up when we're trying to do something new. Something which means stepping out of the comfort zone.
If you only look at where you currently are, and seeing all that you haven’t yet mastered, you’re likely to feel daunted. Stuck. Overwhelmed. Looking up at the next mountain towering over you.
But life isn’t just one mountain, it’s a mountain range of peaks and valleys. Of challenges and of rest.
If you also look back down, you’ll see that you’ve already wandered really far, climbed a few peaks on this mountain range already.
So the secret to getting up the next mountain, is to start the climb.
Join Michaela Thomas on this first episode of The Pause Purpose Play podcast, covering how hard it is for ambitious professionals to get started, have support, appreciate their achievements and also knowing when to slow down and take in the view.
Friday Aug 07, 2020
Friday Aug 07, 2020
Welcome to this new podcast. I hope you’ve tuned in because in one way or another, you’re looking for some more pause, purpose and play in your life.
This trailer covers what Pause Purpose Play is all about - finding balance over burnout so you can follow your ambition without drowning in it.
The first season has 12 episodes, with a mixture of solo episodes and guest interviews, to help you find more joy and vitality.
The solo episodes cover psychology concepts such as procrastination, impostor syndrome, the inner critic, joy, connection and compassion.
The guest interviews dive deep into the guests' zone of genius and learning about how they have found pause, purpose and play in their life and in their work.