Rainbow Diaries: Start of Sadmin & Storm Bert!
Sunday 1 December 2024: Weeks 9 & 10!
Once again a fortnightly entry, I figured you’d all heard enough from me with all those Sadmin emails! Thank you for bearing with me… it’s amazing to start another cohort of people who are ready to get their life admin sorted, and meanwhile life is getting back to normal!
So, onto the diaries…
1. This Week's Internal Weather Report!
Here goes for the weather forecast for the fortnight (rather than the week!)…
Storm clouds: The big work-life juggle has continued with the launch of the newest Sadmin course keeping me super busy, and off the back of the Clean & Tidy show I have to confess that a bit of tiredness is setting in! In addition to that, despite a few people telling me that I was a certainty for the West Country Women Small Business Award, coming as runner up bizarrely hit me in a not-so-nice way. Maybe it was because it’s a difficult time of year for many… as December starts and those missing loved ones contemplate navigating Christmas and their grief. Layered on top of that the money worries and general festive stress… I’m sending huge Rainbow Hunting hugs to you all and the hope that you can find pockets of peace in this busy world.
Rainbow: Two fab rainbows this wee… the first was an unexpected call from BBC Radio Somerset asking me to be on the Simon Parkin show to talk about grief… I think that they have my name but it’s always a joy to speak to him live and to spread the word about the importance of talking about grief and dying. The second has been reviewing some feedback from the Will Challenge and various one-to-one sessions I’ve run to date and seeing the 100% positive comments. It makes my heart sing that I’ve managed to turn my own heartache into something that can help others navigate their own storms.
Sunshine: Brightest ray of sunshine was a few hours with my sister having lunch, drinking coffee and sat in the steam room at her gym… I think we both needed it as much as each other and it certainly felt good for my soul.
2. Business Reflections
Grief and Life Coaching updates: 1:1 client appointments got back to normal after the Will Challenge week and reminded me of why I do what I do… it is my privilege to be the safe, secure and most importantly non-jugmental and empathetic space for people to find their own rainbows in this crazy world… there are still spaces for the Black Friday 20% off all one-to-one packages but you’ll have to move quickly (use code Black20RH at checkout here) because the offer ends at midnight on Tuesday 3 December 2024!
Course creation update: I am SO excited to have got started with the Sadmin course… we kicked off last week with a slow start on purpose because I don’t want people to get overwhelmed. The week was all about familiarising with the fabulous membership area, Facebook group and zoom group coaching calls… then the first module, which is all about Foundations… which weaves in some psychology that I find absolutely fascinating as well as checking that people have the right environment and support.
Light-bulb moment: It’s a really tricky time of year for many people… not only is Christmas around the corner which is tough for people who are grieving, but there will be lots of posts soon from people sharing how much they achieved in 2024. So, in case you need to hear this… it is ok if the only thing you’ve done this year is just to get through. Sometimes survival is success.
3. Parenting Teens in Grief
Family highlights: School end of term fun has started to kick in but for kids doing GCSEs and A-levels the work level continues at a pace… but we’ve done something earlier than usual this year… we’ve already bought our Christmas tree. As tough as it is without my husband, the kids and I love Christamas, so we’re excited to decorate the house one evening after school!
Challenge of the week: The biggest challenge has been keeping the kids healthy with all the additional social activities, work, parents evening and stress that seems to come from general school life. Not helped by the early mornings with the horses and Storm Bert’s legacy of a very wet field!
Lesson learned: What people remember is how you made them FEEL… it’s not all the amazing and glamorous stuff… so for Team Gray it’s the boxing I do with my younger daughter, the meals the kids make, the snuggles in front of Emily in Paris, the hugs just when you need them and generally the chats in the truck on the way to and from the yard… quality time just being together, feeling heard, seen and loved.
4. Adventures with ADD
Classic ADD moment: Another Emma classic… when I went to Plymouth for the West Country Women Awards, I was in a lovely dress (and tights) and totally forgot to pack socks for the next day as well as my earrings for the evening… I think it shows how much I’ve had on my mind recently! The other classic ADD moment was the epic rejection sensitivity when I got runner-up at the awards… honestly, just being a finalist is amazing, but in the moment I felt crushed.
Coping strategy spotlight: This last couple of weeks has once again illustrated to me the importance of planning and organising… having a structure and a to-do list in place is the handrail which keeps me on track when life gets rocky and stops me from getting distracted by those Shiny Things!
ND silver lining: I absolutely love my creative brain… the bit of downtime I have managed to grab over the past two weeks has seen various exciting ideas popping into my head… all written down and I promise I’ll try to only do one thing at once!!
5. Widow's Corner
Memory Lane: I realised that what happened in Plymouth wasn’t just about not getting the Small Business of the Year award… it was another reminder that the one person I wanted to share the evening with isn’t here to be by my side. Going through all the tags from the Memory Tree at the Clean & Tidy show this weekend reminded me that the relationships we have with others are SO important to our wellbeing. I just keep thinking of the amazing life we had together… even eight years later I’m reminded that sometimes you don’t realise what you’ve got until it’s not there anymore.
Grief self care: As ever, the best self care has been to look after myself… the odd hot bath to clean up from the yard, lighting candles to create a lovely smell in the house, getting my nails done, changing my sheets… the little things can be the big things.
Bittersweet rainbows: Constantly I think about how my business would not exist if my gorgeous late husband was still alive, I wouldn’t have found this passion I have for helping others and the joy and safety I bring to other people’s worlds. I so wish he was here to tell me what he thought of what I’ve created from our heartache.
6. Horse Tales
Update from the stables: Leaving the horses out in some bad weather has led to the beginnings of some mud fever… so they are back to coming in most evenings which is much harder work… but better for them. Nevertheless, we are always happiest when pottering around our horses and they bring such joy into our worlds… regardless of the money and hard work, they are truly the best thing I’ve done for the kids and I in our eight years of grief.
Horse Rainbows: I went to get my horse lorry serviced… unfortunately it’s old and it cost a fortune… but it’s now in good working order and I’m looking forward to taking the kids and our biggest horse out and about again soon (weather and horse health permitting!).
7. Sadmin Check-in
Weekly paperwork win: I tidied up my desk and sorted through all the stuff from the Clean & Tidy show… ready for the next show in the Spring! It’s amazing the happiness when the cleaning and sorting is all done… although it can often look worse before it gets better!!!
Current Sadmin challenge: I have as much need to do my Sadmin course as my clients… so I’ll be doing it alongside them (I often use each launch as a review of my own papers)… so this next week is all about Foundations… making sure I’ve got all the basics in place ready for the legal stuff the following week!
Tip of the week: When we already have busy lives, it’s SO important to make sure that if we add anything extra into our worlds we make doubly sure we have all the basic human needs sorted… so the tip this week is to focus on how healthy the food is that you are eating, how much water you are drinking, and how much sleep you are getting.
8. Looking Ahead
Next week's goal: I’m re-writing the Sadmin course and releasing one module at a time… so the big goal this week is to release the Legal module, which is a biggie!
Self-care plan: Thankfully life is starting to calm down, but we have a big day tomorrow (Monday 2 December) as it should be my late husband’s birthday… it’s one that the kids struggle with, so we’re going to shut ourselves away and try to find time outside school hours to do something together to remember him.
As ever, thank you for taking time to read my ramblings… if anything has resonated please send me an email or message me on social media and let me know.
Finally, please remember… however you are feeling… you are not alone… there are amazing charities out there who can support and if you want to make an investment in yourself I’m here for coaching. Please listen to your gut and reach for the support you feel you need.
Until next week, keep hunting for those rainbows!
Take care of your gorgeous selves!
Emma x
PS Don’t forget that the Black Friday deal on the 1:1 coaching packages ends at midnight on Tuesday 3 December 2024, as well as being the most popular, the six session package is where great work is done… more details of the packages, payment plans etc are here (and don’t forget to enter Black20RH at checkout for your discount).