Next Chapter Retreats

22/03/2022

Feeling buffeted on all sides?

It feels as though we've had years of shocks and disruption, everything been thrown up in the air and we're not sure where it's coming down. Sometimes I'm tempted to the grumpy 'What's the world coming to?'

At times like this we need to focus on such fixed points as we have. What anchors us? How do we hold on to what really matters and not get blown away?

18/03/2022

We've just finished another of our retreats and here's what one person said:

I would like to extend a deep and heartfelt thanks to you both over the past few days. I have reached depths that I was probably scared to go to and have come through feeling more confident, secure with myself, and changed – and I know I am only halfway through!

This program is just extraordinary – you have captured something so very special and so needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

16/03/2022

What's your story?

On our retreats we hear ordinary people tell extraordinary stories about themselves which they have woven together to make the person they are now. Some of those stories need looking at through others' eyes and then retelling. We're always amazed at the liberating effect that has.

What's the story you need to revisit?

14/03/2022

What's happened to 2022? Wasn't this the year that was going to make up for 2020, 2021? It might, but not in any way we might imagine. We're going to have to invent a new narrative for this year. The year of ordinary people doing extraordinary things?

10/03/2022

What helps us find hope at at time like this?

There is no shortage of mayhem in our world. As a result of the pandemic, we have been forced into new perspectives, different behaviour patterns that we might have previously resisted but which have led to changes in lifestyle which we are now enjoying. The tectoniWhat helps us to find hope at a time like this?

Sometimes it helps to look back. Someone has been pointed out, 30 years of mayhem, pillage and murder in Italy gave rise to the Renaissance, 500 years of stability in Switzerland produced insurance and the cuckoo clock. c plates are shifting and when that happens there are opportunities for something new to emerge.

There also seems to be a real shift in a commitment to do something about climate change. More and more people are seeing an opportunity to do something and are taking action.

Perhaps what underpins all of this is a growing sense that we need find purpose in what we do, that we can choose how to respond, choose what action to take in an uncertain world.

What do we want to see in our world? How can we make it happen?

08/03/2022

What gives me hope for the future?

Sometimes I wake up with an enormous sense of hope despite all that we have been through, the disruption of Brexit, the doom and gloom of the virus, and now the war in Ukraine. What is fuelling that?
• The way in which people are responding to the war. At a global level, so many countries and organisations have come together not only to condemn what is happening but also to do whatever they can to support the Ukrainians. Have we ever had such a unified response to an outrage like this? At the same time, let’s not forget or condemn ordinary Russians who are also caught up in this and who are as shocked as we are.
• The inspiring example of ordinary people and their courage as well as leaders like Volodymyr Zelensky.

06/03/2022

Where do we find hope at a time like this?

This is one of the stories that inspire me, and there are so many. We can have compassion in the direst of circumstances.

In a field surrounded by the people he had been sent to fight, a young Russian prisoner of war hungrily gulped down the tea and bread they offered him.
A Ukrainian woman calmed him, telling the soldier not to worry. Using her phone, she made a video call to his mother. As soon as his mother appeared on the screen, he burst into tears.
“Everything is OK,” his female captor said, while others stroked his back. “Natasha, God be with you. We will call you later. He is alive and healthy.”
Video of the incident has circulated on Ukrainian and Russian social media channels, and has been hailed as an example of human compassion in wartime.

In a field surrounded by the people he had been sent to fight, a young Russian prisoner of war hungrily gulped down the tea and bread they offered him.A Ukraini

03/03/2022

What to feel? What to do?

We all respond differently to crises and it has been fascinating observing the admiration for Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President who unexpectedly has emerged as the hero of the hour. Inspiring indeed! It has also been ineresting to observe how this crisis has left some people very exposed in their lack of compassion.

Now that my own shock has subsided I have been asking myself what my response should be. It is very easy to get wrapped up in anxiety, but that doesn't serve anyone, least of all the people who depend on me, the team, clients, suppliers, the family. Without being oblivious to what is going on around me, I have to keep going, maintaining the routines which nurture me and building a business which supports others.

01/03/2022

What to think? What to feel?

We’re living in momentous times. I noticed that the invasion of Ukraine evoked feelings very similar to the announcement of the first lockdown or the results of the Brexit referendum. It feels like something fundamental has changed. My first reaction was that of shock, that something like war in Ukraine could actually happen and on our doorstep. I then felt very confused about what else I felt and whether there was something I should feel.

Scrolling through Twitter showed a variety of reactions from predictions of World War 3 breaking out and others pleading with them to dial down the temperature for the sake of their anxiety. I could identify with that. I was talking to a Ukrainian and felt so helpless when all I could offer is emotional support.

For me it has highlighted the difficulty of accessing and acknowledging our feelings. Personally, on the one hand it’s been a great week with a business opportunity which could make a huge difference to our business, but on the other hand I have almost felt guilty about how happy that has made me feel with everything else going on.

Acknowledging and articulating our feelings is an important way of looking after ourselves simply because it makes us listen to ourselves and if we wait long enough, to hear our deepest anxieties and longings. The psychologist Susan David has some excellent advice about dealing with our feelings and I highly recommend her TED talk https://buff.ly/2DTolnX
She makes the point that being emotionally agile as opposed to emotionally rigid, as well as aware and accurate with our feelings enables us to take the right action, action which is supported by our values. For many of us, core values act as the anchor in our lives, and we need to remind ourselves what really matters to us.

تُحدثنا سوزان ديفيد، عالمة النفس، عن تأثير الطريقة التي نتعامل بها مع مشاعرنا في تشكيل كل شيء مهم: من تصرفاتنا وحيواتنا المهنية وعلاقاتنا وصحتنا وسعادتنا. في هذه ال....

23/02/2022

Worried about your senior team and how many of them might be thinking of a move?

The likely knee jerk response is to give them more money, especially at the moment, but how long will that motivate them? Why not think of investing in them in some other way? I have run a number of retreats with senior teams which have really boosted their sense of commitment and motivation simply because money has been thoughtfully spent on their wellbeing. The company has reaped enormous benefits as a result.

21/02/2022

Full of the joys of spring?

It feels like the end of winter is in sight as the first daffodils appear. The more optimistic among us might also be hailing the end of COVID restrictions and the sense that things are opening up. I often get to this stage of the year feeling weary - life has been busy, winter has been tough, storms have battered us and I certainly don't feel full of the joys of spring.

If you feel you could do with a little pick-me-up, why don't you think about getting a few friends together and we'll do you a little retreat? Somewhere warm, cosy and snug where you can have some real conversations about things that are on your mind and that really matter.

18/02/2022

What does it mean to be properly selfish?

This is what I think it means. It mean feeding yourself:
• Physically - exercise, sleep, the right food
• Mentally - taking breaks, not being available 24 hours, taking a break from tech, mindfulness
• Emotionally - spending time with people who matter, having conversations about things that really matter, nurturing relationships
• Spiritually - having a sense of purpose, a sense that your life adds up to something and has meaning.

What do you think?
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