Presumably you are reading this article because YOU are a worrier?

You worry, you second guess yourself, procrastinate, bury your head, hope it will go away – whilst knowing it won’t… and then… you start all over again with a resolve not to worry.

Except you do.

I know those feelings, because this was me ‘before’.

I was leading a reasonably ‘normal’ life until January 2020, when my beautiful 22-year-old daughter Mary-Lou, died suddenly and unexpectedly of meningio-encephalitis. Whenever I write about Lou, I find myself pausing….in many ways it still feels inconceivable.

Almost as soon as Lou died, I realised that ‘worry’ served little purpose. My fear that Lou might die had not made any difference to the outcome – ‘the worst’ had still happened.

A quick caveat here, it is ‘OK’ to be fearful and experience anxiety – this is a protective human response. What is important is how we respond to those feelings. I do still feel anxious from time to time (thank you, subconscious mind for trying to protect me) but I don’t ‘worry’. This has been a profound mindset shift which led me to train as a Life-Coach so that I could help others live an empowered life.

Soon after Mary-Lou died, I felt called to set up a ‘healing space’. Lou was a Law graduate and was partway through an MA in Political Theory; she was strong, resilient, and feisty, but sometimes just needed to escape. The name for the ‘space’ was easy…. It would be ‘Mary’s Place’, but I was unclear about what it would look like…

Whilst I have been figuring out Mary’s Place, I have been helping people get to the heart of what is troubling them (and then make confident decisions to move forwards). Using Intuitive Life Coaching methods (including Tarot and Oracle cards), I work particularly well with women at life’s crossroads.

Following sessions with my coach a very specific purpose for Mary’s Place emerged

· Mary’s Place will be Community Interest Company and will provide support for newly qualified Nurses and Teachers as they adjust to their new professional roles

WHY?

· This group need support – nurses and teachers are leaving their professions in droves.

· I have over 30 years Nursing experience and almost 20 years as a Lecturer, therefore, Nurses and Teachers are communities for which I can provide expert support.

· Mary-Lou wrote a powerful Facebook post, just a couple of weeks before she died, in which she acknowledged her appreciation for nurses and teachers (you can access a screenshot of the post on my website).

The first project for Mary’s Place CIC, is to offer well-being days for nurses and teachers. Mary’s Place will evolve, follow me to find out more…

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