When I first became aware of Nick Williams a couple of years ago, I remember reading that he was running a six-month leadership programme. I was intrigued but thought to myself, "It's not for the likes of me - I'm not a leader." At the time I was happy to stay in the background, dipping my toe in the Inspired Entrepreneur waters by attending evening events, then scuttling away again. But … [Read more...] about What stories do you tell yourself about being a leader?
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Sometimes I plunge headlong into a painful old storyline
How can one comment plunge you back into an old storyline? How does that work? But that’s what happened to me a few weeks ago when a friend emailed me after reading the memoir I wrote almost 10 years ago but which has yet to be published. I was touched that she had taken the time and trouble to read all of it, as not many people have done so – even the select few to whom I have previously sent … [Read more...] about Sometimes I plunge headlong into a painful old storyline
Living a story versus living an authentic life
[vimeo 92066732] When Claire Taylor of The Story Mill asked if I'd be interested in doing a video interview about playing a role vs being authentic, I was intrigued. It has been a long time since anyone has asked me about Being Betty Page. To explain: way back in 1979, when I was secretary to the editor of the music paper Sounds, I started to write reviews of bands. Because I was already … [Read more...] about Living a story versus living an authentic life
Discovering a new story in the pages of an old book
I want to talk about books. Not just any old books - I mean the books that either sit on your shelves, unloved and unread, or the books that you keep for years after you’ve first read them, waiting to be called to them once more. One of the books that had languished unread on my shelves for some time was Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I bought it years ago when it was … [Read more...] about Discovering a new story in the pages of an old book
The thrill of appearing outside yourself
There’s no getting away from the fact that I was a shy child. All through my school years my reports praised my conscientiousness and good standard of work but repeatedly criticised me for not speaking up. A typical comment was: “Beverley is a quiet girl who would benefit from participating more in class discussions.” My teachers didn’t seem to consider my shyness might be a factor in this, or … [Read more...] about The thrill of appearing outside yourself
I hurt, therefore I’m telling a story…
In the early part of 2012 I was churning out a blog every day. But when an emotional tsunami hit me in June of that year, I barely wrote a word. However, there was one piece that did emerge around that time, about the nature of suffering. I was certainly suffering at the time, so I have a useful benchmark. I know that I am not suffering now. But the understanding that suffering is just a story … [Read more...] about I hurt, therefore I’m telling a story…