Cathy Foster - Coaching Life and Relationships

24/01/2021

Just to say that I took a sabbatical just before the first shut-down. The up-shot is that I have decided to retire from Counselling and Life Coaching of both individuals and couples.

What’s next? Who knows - certainly not me as I explore and experiment going forward.

I’m going to keep this page open for a while, adding occasional posts, until I know more.

19/03/2020

“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed."

- Kitty O'Meara

Art by Jessica Boehman

06/01/2020

Absolutely love this ❤

06/01/2020

01/01/2020

The reflection on what wishes really stop us from doing is masterly, and so apt for today of all days. Go read it on the webpage link.

SOMETIMES

Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the forest,

breathing
like the ones
in the old stories,

who could cross
a shimmering bed
of leaves
without a sound,

you come
to a place
whose only task

is to trouble you
with tiny
but frightening
requests,

conceived out
of nowhere
but in this place
beginning
to lead everywhere.

Requests to stop what
you are doing right now,
and

to stop what you
are becoming
while you do it,

questions
that can make
or unmake
a life,

questions
that have patiently
waited for you,

questions
that have no right
to go away.

…

SOMETIMES
David Whyte : Essentials
Many Rivers Press. January 2020

https://www.davidwhyte.com/essentials
Signed copies of this new pocket companion available by ordering from David Whyte & Many Rivers Press. Please note your request in the comments field during checkout.
…

Mist in Buckholt Wood.
Photo © David Whyte
Cotswolds. September 13th 2013

17/10/2019

Well worth reading.

Listen to me read this post:   On an episode of the TV show The Good Place, we’re introduced to Doug Forcett, a former stoner who, during a magic mushroom trip, figured out the formula for the afterlife (ie. how to make enough points to get into the Good Place). Doug is living a “perfect” …

08/10/2019

A talk on acceptance of extraordinary diversity, and how culture changes.

https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_love_no_matter_what

What is it like to raise a child who's different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents -- asking them: What's the line between unconditi...

08/10/2019

A great post from Judy Apps of Voice of Influence.

Is it ever enough to obey a command? Most of us act as if it is. But let's really think about this.

27/09/2019

Regenerative culture starts with connection to self.

Photo by Micah Daigle

27/09/2019

20/09/2019

What do you generally do when you're working? Or making a decision?

Check out the spectrum here and mark where you tend to go on each of these continuums.

What kind of impact does this have on the dramas you get into?

In one situation where I was offering possible solutions to an intractable problem at work, a colleague asked for details that made it hard for me to think. It also made me feel like I wasn't being supported and I could feel myself getting irritated.

When I'm thinking big picture and thinking about what's possible, I don't like it when someone else asks me for details and talks about how difficult it could be to implement my idea.

Thankfully, because I'm familiar with tools, I was able to say, "I can't think like that right now. First, I need to know whether there is agreement or support for my idea. Then later, we can attend to the details. Is that OK?"

We are now working on implementing the solution together, while making adjustments along the way. 💪💪💪

11/09/2019

Première IRM au monde d'une mère et son enfant.😍
La maman, Rebecca Saxe, neuroscientifique embrassant son fils de 2 mois.
Le ba**er provoque une réaction chimique dans les 2 cerveaux, une explosion de l'hormone de l'amour, l'ocytocine💕💕💕

Les câlins, les bisous, les ba**ers activent notre cerveau,.... la dopamine, hormone du bien-être y est libérée ainsi que la vasopressine qui lie les partenaires entre eux (parent/enfant, couple,...) et la sérotonine, hormone qui régule l'humeur.

Câlinez, Câlinez, Câlinez,....

03/09/2019

For all long-established couples who recognise their relationship has gone stale - this book is worth getting: Actually, it's worth getting at any time - the questions therein are great ones worth asking each other.

How to ask such important questions in safety? Take Julie's advice:
“My thought is related to the speaker – there’s a lot of responsibility for the health of the relationship from how you bring up issues,” she says. “What I wish all couples knew is, when they have a concern or complaint, they need to describe themselves, not their partner.” It’s the difference between “I’m feeling hurt” and “you’ve hurt me”.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/sep/03/s*x-money-john-julie-gottman-eight-dates-discussions-relationship

John and Julie Gottman have devised dates for ailing couples – but how many are ready for this level of openness and sincerity?

07/08/2019

Excellent post from Heather Plett.

(Reflections) The Wounded Parent: Raising kids while we do our own healing work - https://mailchi.mp/heatherplett/restoring-goodness-2075609

06/08/2019

Realistic hope for liberation from anxiety

01/08/2019

01/08/2019

We have all sorts of ceremonies in our lives. This is one way to do a ceremony should you find yourselves getting divorced. If you want to do one of your own and want a host, contact me.

http://www.thecircleway.net/articles/2019/7/30/divorce-circle-ceremony

The deeply personal story of how circle helped Marjeta Novak mark and process her divorce with her husband and their community of friends.

03/07/2019

Anxiety attacks can take many different forms. Learning how presents itself can help others understand how to assist someone who might be struggling.

03/07/2019

To borrow a phrase: love works in mysterious ways. We are born to love and, as it turns out, love

19/06/2019

In his research, Dr. John Gottman found that couples who emotionally connect by "turning toward" each other stay together longer. Here's what that means.

30/05/2019

A psychologist explains how a strong relationship with a parent or teacher can help boys be their true selves, even when those selves don’t fit within narrow cultural norms.

29/05/2019

Luchita Hurtado has opened her first solo art exhibition at London's Serpentine Gallery.

19/05/2019

💞

11/05/2019

Thankfully, the medical establishment has largely given up demonizing or ignoring yogic and meditative mind-body practices, incorporating many of them into contemporary pain relief, mental health care, and preventative and rehabilitative treatments.