Pause Purpose Play

Do you feel overstretched by constantly reaching for your stretchy goals? Are you scared to retreat to your comfort zone for fear of playing it small? In this episode, I explain the zones of comfort, confidence, challenge and compassion, and how moving between them when you need to, can help you reach your goals without burnout. This is going to be a short episode, but if you're able to get a pen and paper out, try to jot down a few things as you're listening., because this could be potentially life changing. If you can find the way to address these different zones differently in your life, in your work, in your business, in your job, in your parenting, with your friends, whatever it might be, this could potentially change your life.    Find out more and join the waitlist for Burn Bright at https://thethomasconnection.co.uk/burn-bright/ Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

Are you hooked on the idea of the perfect diet? If only you could eat right, everything else would fall into place? This week’s guest, nutritional therapist Thalia Pellegrini, believes that you can give up striving for the perfect diet, and learn to nourish yourself instead. In this episode we talk about: The pressure from the nutrition industry to have a perfect diet - what even IS a perfect diet? Thalia’s experience of becoming a mother and how she navigates children and sugar What happens when we eat too much sugar, plus managing blood sugar and breakfast Making peace with whatever food you are eating, with self-compassion, and why what we eat has nothing to do with will power Adding nutritious foods in, rather than cutting things out and making them taboo We also talked about eating intuitively, vegetarianism and the perimenopause. Find Thalia’s free five minute breakfast recipes at www.thaliapellegrini.com Instagram @thaliapellegrini_nutrition or email thalia@thaliapellegrini.com   Find out more and join the waitlist for Burn Bright at https://thethomasconnection.co.uk/burn-bright/ Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection

In this episode of Pause Purpose Play, Michaela explores why overworking doesn't make you more productive. Why more doesn’t always mean more. Why overworking and powering through so often leads to burn out. If you have been doing really long hours, maybe working on the weekends pushing through into the evenings, this episode is for you.   Find out more and join the waitlist for Burn Bright at https://thethomasconnection.co.uk/burn-bright/ Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media.

If you’re overwhelmed by busy-ness and the need to do all the things, then this episode is for you.   In this episode of Pause Purpose Play, Michaela chats with Chris Lovett about the benefits of minimalism in life and work - and how breaking up with 'busy' helps you create more impact through renewed focus. We cover: Minimalism is about having only valuable items and experiences Value and use rather than joy Improved productivity and focus Passing things on/doing good gives you a dopamine kick Ripple effects of the act of letting go   Link between letting go physically and mentally  Reframing success to move away from more stuff Attachment to urgency and rushing 52% of people have felt burnout post pandemic Lying to yourself about the need to plate-spin Mental benefits of getting rid of the internal clutter Being a disruptor and rebel Having the skill of saying no The leader of the future won’t be busy Patience with change Pushback allows you to have the conversation Stop helping people at your own detriment Tips on how to get started Use your out of office Try an experiment Don’t go to every meeting you’re invited to Have a lunch break Ask more questions Leave your emails for longer Permission to stop Discovery of LESS: How I Found Everything I Wanted Underneath Everything I Owned, by Chris Lovett www.lessisprogress.com   Find out more about my group coaching for women who struggle with perfectionism and not feeling enough by messaging me - www.thethomasconnection.co.uk/contact-us/ Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay  Chris Lovett is an author, executive & simplicity coach, speaker, career mentor and minimalist. Discovery of LESS: How I Found Everything I Wanted Underneath Everything I Owned, by Chris Lovett www.lessisprogress.com   This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Do you say no? Can you set boundaries?  This re-released episode is one of my most listened to, because setting boundaries to protect your energy is so difficult.   I talked to Naketa Ren Thigpen, about how setting boundaries helps us create balance in our lives.  Naketa R. Thigpen, LCSW, is the go-to relationship advisor for fast-scaling married women entrepreneurs and power couples seeking to balance love and success without dimming or apologizing for their spirited ambition. We talk about 3:55 Being a recovering perfectionist 6:30 Naketa's life experience 8:39 Giving high striving people permission to slow down 10:30 The effects of the pandemic on high striving people 13:42 The connection between our relationships and our businesses 15:42 Community not competition 16:38 Creating balance 17:40 Shedding old expectations 21:41 The boundaries Naketa sets for herself 23:18 Friendship expectations 26:45 Sharing from personal experience 27:18 Writing the book 'Selfish' 29:08 Reclaiming the word selfish 34:45 Feminism 36:18 Talking from a scar, not an open wound 41:23 A message to Naketa's younger self 44:22 Being a woman of colour in business   Naketa's website - https://thigpro.com/ Find Selfish here    Book a call with me about my group coaching programme Burn Bright here:  Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection

Taking a break is hard. I have had a podcast break. I’ve been working on something behind the scenes: Burn Bright, my high touch group coaching programme for ambitious women who want to make an impact, with less impact on themselves. I am all about finding balance over burnout – no more late nights working to clear your to do list, no more ‘doing all the things, all at once’ and feeling so wired that you struggle to switch off even when you’re NOT working. As I needed to create this programme fully embodying what I teach others, I had to cut myself a bunch of slack and give myself a break with the podcast. Therefore I will be re-releasing some of my most loved episodes, to celebrate having reached the milestone of 100 episodes! To celebrate my successes without the second guesses. Let me know in the comments if you ever give yourself this permission to temporarily pause something, to protect your energy and focus! Find out more about Burn Bright here - https://thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright/   Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Stopping when you’re really busy is hard - there is just too much to do! Right? But if you’re getting overwhelmed, to the point where you’re not actually getting anything done (hello procrastination!), that’s the time for you to take a break. To protect your energy and ultimately also help you reach your goals better when you return from the break.    You’ll be more productive when you are rested, and have bigger impact.    In this short solo episode, I share some vulnerability around how I had to take a break in the middle of launching my new group coaching programme, Burn Bright, as I otherwise would have been replicating old patterns of perfectionism and burnout. I needed some rest and recovery, so I took it, knowing that pushing through is not the answer. It wasn’t easy, I had to set a gentle boundary with myself, like not taking my laptop with me on my holiday and staying off social media.    If you struggle with this, and want to know how to take a break before you break, register for my Masterclass “How to burn bright without burning out” here: https://thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright/   Email me for more details about my coaching programme Burn Bright - info@thethomasconnection.co.uk   Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Being a pioneer, doing things differently and breaking the mould of what is expected of you can be linked with both success AND big feelings of worry around failure. In this episode, I talk to pop princess and coach Harriet Starling, better known as Starling, about how how we can follow our purpose in a sustainable way without the burnout. We talked about how receiving criticism meant she has ‘made it’ - and feeling worthy even when the music industry fed her messages around not being enough. In this episode, you’ll also hear Starling’s amazing song Every Single Time performed, and understand why it is a mantra for enoughness.   We cover: Play is doing something without a desired outcome Inspiration to create True inspiration is to do things differently Passion and multi-hyphenated You can’t be two things in a world that wants you Owning it, all of you Feel liberated to break rules and moulds Stage fright and learning to sing Change the paradigm The power of delegation Follow your passion sustainably Where focus goes, energy flows Receiving criticism means you’ve ‘made it’ The patriarchal pressure of body image and ageism in music Find Starling on Instagram: @starlingsworld and her music on Spotify under Starling  Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

If you’re ambitious, like me, you may have a long to-do list and plenty of goals you want to reach. Being ambitious is fine, I am all for having drive and passion, or a big picture vision you want to fulfil. In this short solo episode, I talk about the dark side of your drive and ambition – the ways it has a negative impact on you. I cover: Perfectionism as an umbrella term and a set of behaviours The clinical problems linked to perfectionism how our creativity comes from a place of rest how striving for perfect has a negative impact on your wellbeing Adrenal fatigue and cortisol Being too busy to downregulate the nervous system The balancing act between burning bright and burning out What’s fuelling your drive for achievement Lack of satisfaction or joy from your achievements Dopamine and your rewards for striving Fear of failure and other fears fuelling your ambition The inner critical voice feeding overproductivity I would love it if you could join me for a free masterclass, “How to burn bright, without burning out”. If you listen to this episode after the 21st of July, still head to the link and you’ll be able to see the replay recording of this live, free training. Link to masterclass: Burn Bright webinar opt-in (thethomasconnection.lpages.co)     Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

Too busy for self-care… Too many things on the to-do list… Work is never ending… Dealing with the mental load… No wonder you’re overwhelmed and frazzled. There are lots of pressures on you, coming from every angle, but there are also pressures coming from within you. Internalised high standards around always achieving more, always doing your best, never cutting corners, never failing. You may feel like you have tried LOADS of things, and yet still feel stuck in perfectionism, procrastination and overwhelm. Constantly trying to be productive means you are never switching off, never resting. In this episode, I share three things which may help you shift out of the overproductivity trap. I also tell you about my upcoming free masterclass, How to Burn Bright, Without Burning Out. There’s a reason why you’ve signed up to a bunch of things which WOULD be helpful… if you actually did them consistently – you need clarity as to why you have that pattern, so you can gently choose another way and spend your energy more wisely.  So you can burn bright, without any of the burnout. Link to my free, live training on the 21st of July: https://thethomasconnection.lpages.co/burnbright/   Order my book, The Lasting Connection, here To spend 90 days to develop love and compassion for yourself, join the online course, The Compassionate Couple, here Find me at www.thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Facebook: www.facebook.com/thethomasconnection Pause Purpose Play Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/pausepurposeplay    This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media