My journey starts in Brighton in the UK, born by the sea, a sign of things to come, a deep yearning to be by the sea has been with me for always.

I then started my life as a Third Culture Kid, living in Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Bahrain with my parents and my 3 siblings. I didn’t even know this was a ‘thing’ until recently. It was very rare being one in the 1970s, when I became one of this unique group of people who spent most of their formative years in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of the country named on their passport!

They were very happy years with a very active, outdoors life where I shone as a swimmer and a gymnast! These years blessed me from an early age of the appreciation of different cultures and the significance of being a part of a bigger world, something that wasn’t so common in the 1970s.

It gave me my constant need to travel and developed in me a sense of adventure with a definite case of wanderlust.

Returning to the UK close to my teens was a shock. The struggle to fit in, to find my place in the world, began. Being a Third Culture Kid meant I was different to those who’d grown up in the same place and hadn’t ventured further than where they’d been born. It was difficult to find a connection.

Leading to my rebellious self showing up when I hit my mid-teens!

I started skipping school, I took up smoking, I partied, I didn’t live up to my ‘apparent’ potential. I gave up much of what I had been doing to keep grounded as I tried to ‘fit in’ with those around me but I did sporadically keep up with my swimming and studying, just not consistently enough to do particularly great in either.

'Fitting-in' continued to play a big part in my life.

Losing myself, my identity, to please others whilst being desperate for approval.

Even if this meant behaving in a way that wasn’t true to myself, that was self-sabotaging, and only caused pain and suffering.

Without direction, and no clarity, I took a break from education at 18, landing a desk job which led to my first ‘grown-up’ decision to pursue my dreams. I knew at this early age that an office and working for others wasn’t for me so, way ahead of my time, I took time to try to figure out what fired me up, what excited me, what I enjoyed.

I enjoyed travelling, I enjoyed ‘active’ pursuits, I was good at helping others, so I enrolled on a degree programme, which was one of the first of its kind, in Leisure Management. It covered everything business related with a placement year to gain practical experience. It ticked the boxes for me and so started my business management and marketing career with a return to studying at the ripe old age of 22!

22 was also the age when I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), told I would be very lucky to have children and would more than likely need fertility treatment to help me conceive. Being told this at such a young age wasn’t easy but being at university I threw myself into my studies and social life thinking that I didn’t need to worry about it until later in life. Fortunately, it didn’t appear to be an issue though as at 25 I had my first daughter, Amy, married my first husband and then we had our second daughter, Abbie, nine months later! Yes, she was a honeymoon baby!

As a Businesswoman for many years, I’ve also been a Teacher, Educator, Coach, Health & Fitness Professional, Course Creator and Director. My work has primarily focused on the Leisure, Health & Fitness Industries with over 27 years coaching, managing, training and educating. Managing buildings, well a Sports Centre, Theatre and gym, creating and running an Out of Schools Club Programme plus responsibility for a Health Programme at 3 venues were part of my business life too!

As a working mum making ends meet wasn’t easy and many of my jobs overlapped as I had often had two or three at the same time! Plus, I studied again to acquire an MBA!

Around this time my first marriage started to unravel, and I spent this decade being a single mum to my daughters whilst working full-time, teaching classes and struggling to come to terms with being divorced and having to re-find my place in the world.

I call these years my Wilderness of Woe!

I was wrapped up in worrying about what other people thought about my actions and in trying to fit into other people’s perceptions of what I should be like.

Until I finally checked back in with myself.

The climb back up the slippery slope of woe began as I welcomed in my 40s!

I didn’t want to be someone who lived their life saying ‘I used to be …., I used to do …, I used to want …, I used to dream that I would …’

A subtle journey of re-discovery started to happen, my relationship with myself began to improve, I started coming back to me.

I stopped waiting for things to happen and I made them happen.

I started climbing mountains, both literally and metaphorically!

I started to make my dreams become a reality.

Including living abroad again, this time in Lanzarote with my daughters, where we spent two very special years.

Whilst there I taught English as a Foreign Language to children and adults, I call it my sabbatical from the worlds I'd been immersed in before!

It was also a time to reflect, to review, to refresh!

Happiness crept in, as did acceptance of myself, and I made room in my life for my now husband, Mike, to come in. We met on a climbing course, I was exploring new things to do!

My outlook, attitude, approach, thinking and behaviour were changing.

I found forgiveness for myself and for others

I at last started to become true to myself and live my life as it was meant to be lived.

I entered back into the world of health, fitness and nutrition becoming one of the first to run a revolutionary Nutrition & Fitness Club.

But I was still pulled in many directions and at the end of 2015 I’d reached a point of being close to burning out.

I had 'fallen' back into teaching far too many fitness classes, I suffered a very personal loss, and was close to losing my health, mind and sanity with the pressures, I was under, building up.

Allowing myself to become misaligned again was a significant wake-up call for me, especially as my 50s were approaching, along with all the changes that come with that! The focus shifted to creating a life of love, of joy, of fulfilment. One in which the lows are better navigated, and the highs always celebrated.

I knew I had to do something; I did not want to re-enter another Wilderness of Woe era!

I joined a group coaching programme followed by taking on a coach 1:1 to guide and support me on my journey of transformation because that’s what it’s been.

I stopped the teaching of so many classes. I returned to coaching, to writing, to building my second business.

One of the many different transformations to bring me to where I am now. Including acquiring two grandsons along the way!