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A place to find help, insights and clarity
The 2023 Book Club Round-Up
I’m sharing a little earlier than usual, my annual book club round-up. Every year, I pull together the very best personal development books I have read, this is the 2023 article! It gives you a chance to see which ones you want to add to your to-read list and compare...
Three ways to reflect on 2023 (and beyond!)
Hello, I’m Clara, a return and Career Coach for parents. I’m a Coach who shouts about the impact and benefits of setting goals, and that by working together, we can get there faster than you can do on your own. However, today I want us to meet more as colleagues, or...
Six impactful coaching questions to help with motivation
Working with a coach is a wonderful way of deepening self-reflection and developing goals. The accountability of having a regular meeting with a qualified, professional “encourager” helps you move towards your career to enjoy quicker than you would do on your own....
Book Review: Sway (Unravelling Unconscious Bias (by Dr. Pragya Agarwal)
This book has stayed in my mind since I initially read it. It’s easy to believe that we are free of bias. I feel I am well-read; I try to consider other perspectives and check in with any beliefs I hold about myself and the world. However, as Dr. Agarwal shows us...
Why rest is not a reward
“Once I get this all done, then I can relax.” Is this something you have heard yourself say recently? This belief may be more subtle than the statement; an expectation exists that rest is something that is done “after”. It comes to us from all angles. From the...
How to create kindness in your career
I had plans for World Kindness Day. For those newer to the concept, it is marked on the 13th of November, created in 1998 and slowly spread around the world. It exists to highlight the importance of empathy, understanding and cooperation. I was due to do a live and...
Six Lessons learned after eight years in business
It’s that time again, the annual revolution of the sun that marks another 12 months in business. Every year feels like a massive milestone, 2023 is eight years since I went out on my own, taking that leap into the unknown of self-employment, not knowing how it would...
Book Review: Unmasked by Ellie Middleton
There is a positive shift in conversations about the complexities of the human brain. I’m so glad to see this across all areas, including the importance of being neuro-inclusive in the workplace. There are regular awareness weeks, where people within the community who...
How to make the most of working from home
In this era of hybrid work models and the increasing prevalence of home offices, the concept of working from home has become a new normal for many of us. My journey into the world of remote work has been nothing short of transformative. After spending over a decade in...
Four more balance lessons to live by
There is nothing I love more than getting settled into a great personal development book. The genres that I draw these from are wider than you may expect and include some that you may. From parenting to philosophy to psychology, they all have one thing in common. They...
Returning to work as a bereaved parent
With Baby Loss Awareness Week 2023 in full flow, I decided to investigate a certain word. Hope. This appears 46 times within my book, What Now (An Honest Guide to Miscarriage, Baby Loss, Parenting, Mental Health & Rebuilding Your Identity), and I think sums up...
The importance of work-life balance
If you have been following the hashtag #WorkLifeBalance during October, you may have come across the fantastic National Work Life Week. It has been great seeing the conversations around the importance of work-life balance become prioritised, from the importance of...
About
Clara Wilcox is a straight talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective is a social enterprise focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
Isn't it time to have career to enjoy not endure?
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