When you come across a therapy that is measurably life-changing, you want to shout it from the rooftops. And, trust me, I rarely describe anything as life-changing. So here’s the thing: breath work changed my life. So much so that I have now qualified as a Breath4Life™ Breath Work practitioner to help other people change their lives. It’s not easy to put into words how powerful this process … [Read more...] about How I changed my life with my own breath
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Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
You may have heard of Sheryl Sandberg. She's the COO of Facebook and in 2010 she was invited to give a talk at TED - the conference where thought-leaders share their one big idea. She decided to call it Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders. "I was planning to give a speech chock full of facts and figures, and nothing personal," Sandberg recently acknowledged. So far, so predictable. Had she … [Read more...] about Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
Why I co-founded The Story Party
I believe there's no such thing as an ordinary life. And, like Christina Baldwin, the eloquent author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story, I take delight in the "subtle magnificence of ordinary people". I also believe that it's vital for magnificently "ordinary" people to share their stories. As Baldwin says, "We require story in order to link our … [Read more...] about Why I co-founded The Story Party
A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
Let's play a numbers game. I was born in 1957. I am 57 years old today. Two of my grandparents were born in 1900, so they were 57 when I was born. I have zero children, therefore zero grandchildren. Yet I have reached grandmother age. What does this mean? I am indebted to my friend Mary Ann Mhina, who recently published a beautiful book of interviews with older women, Listening to our … [Read more...] about A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
In the fifth extract from my memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties, I recall my first meeting with Marc Almond and Dave Ball - otherwise known as Soft Cell - who would play a big part in my unfolding story... I first became aware of Soft Cell in 1981, when I heard their haunting track The Girl With The Patent Leather Face. My alter ego Betty Page and I were … [Read more...] about The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
The day I met four terrified teenagers called Depeche Mode
In the fourth extract from my Eighties memoir, another brand-new pop group gets interviewed by Sounds' Betty Page, who is fast establishing herself as the go-to writer for up-and-coming New Romantics and Futurists (early adopters of the latest in electronic music gadgetry). Depeche Mode had named themselves after a French fashion magazine. It was an unlikely handle for a bunch of … [Read more...] about The day I met four terrified teenagers called Depeche Mode