'When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Giraffe; the career guide for (not so) grown ups' is available to order through the below link and from various stockists around the UK!
As someone who has worked as a nanny, a careers adviser, a teacher of English as a foreign language, an NLP coach to adult clients and is also a parent and a real person too, I understand and am fascinated by the power of communication. What we believe is possible and how we communicate that, as individuals and as a society, can create learnt beliefs and unconscious decisions so that by the time we are encouraged to make choices about our future, the path is already set. That's not to say we can't and don't make changes. The average person nowadays changes jobs about twelve times in their working life; many come to me citing that they chose the path they felt they 'should' have taken as opposed to the one they really wanted.
And that's why I have written the soon to be published 'When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Giraffe; the career guide for (not so) grown ups' - it's for the people who want to do 'work' differently, who want to be happy in their day to day working lives, who are ready for change now and want to live life free from limitations...as we all once did. The book is packed full of career guidance and coaching tools to overcome barriers to moving forward and it is my hope that through reading it people will change what they perceive is possible for themselves, and as such, change what the world perceives as possible.
To order your copy of the book, simply follow the below link (the book is also available at Amazon and selected independent book stores (detailed at the bottom of this page):
And that's why I have written the soon to be published 'When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Giraffe; the career guide for (not so) grown ups' - it's for the people who want to do 'work' differently, who want to be happy in their day to day working lives, who are ready for change now and want to live life free from limitations...as we all once did. The book is packed full of career guidance and coaching tools to overcome barriers to moving forward and it is my hope that through reading it people will change what they perceive is possible for themselves, and as such, change what the world perceives as possible.
To order your copy of the book, simply follow the below link (the book is also available at Amazon and selected independent book stores (detailed at the bottom of this page):
Women in #STEMcareers are becoming more accepted due to increased encouragement and attention on the subject, but we can do more. Whilst girls and boys largely believe both genders can do this job by the time we get to secondary/further education we become more aware of what our peers are doing plus our academic and practical skills are tested here, increasing the fear of failure and making many girls bow out of the ‘competition’. I met one little girl already put off being an astronaut because the costume was ‘for a boy’ and previously met a fifteen year old opting for bookkeeping over biology because ‘being a marine biologist would make having a family harder’. As parents, teachers and indeed, for ourselves, we need to do more to improve the message that, with the right training, opportunities and mindset, anything is possible. #giraffedreams #stem
‘What we instill in our children will be the foundation upon which they build their future’.
As thousands of our young people wait anxiously, or excitedly, to pick up their A level results today
it’s important to remember that we are more than a qualification...but often around school age is where
we start to build our walls and judge ourselves based on results from a test that may get a different result
in a different time. ‘You are confined only by the walls you build yourself’ - don’t let your results define
you.
Go forth and conquer! #giraffedreams
As thousands of our young people wait anxiously, or excitedly, to pick up their A level results today
it’s important to remember that we are more than a qualification...but often around school age is where
we start to build our walls and judge ourselves based on results from a test that may get a different result
in a different time. ‘You are confined only by the walls you build yourself’ - don’t let your results define
you.
Go forth and conquer! #giraffedreams
At this point many children have interests in many things, in this case a ballet dancing doctor or vet as she loves helping others and being creative. Luckily her mum is creative too and has a background in careers, but many parents are already saying ‘pick one!’
A portfolio career enables you to do more than one thing you love, essentially creating your own career. If you’re undecided, perhaps you can find a way to do it all, whether that’s studying one thing whilst being actively involved in something else or working/running two or three flexible jobs.
Who says you have to pick one now? #giraffedreams #dancingthroughlife
A portfolio career enables you to do more than one thing you love, essentially creating your own career. If you’re undecided, perhaps you can find a way to do it all, whether that’s studying one thing whilst being actively involved in something else or working/running two or three flexible jobs.
Who says you have to pick one now? #giraffedreams #dancingthroughlife
Given the amount of information we now have I was dismayed to notice people still littering whilst on a recent break by the coast...and then I realised we were constantly overhearing children talking to adults about plastic pollution and the planet! Today many of the next generation stand behind @gretathunberg in #schoolstrike4climate
Many studies demonstrate how the careers landscape changes with a change in what our children are being exposed to. That means that what we show them is possible is what they believe is possible. Not that long ago there was such a big rise in reality TV stars that in one study asking what children wanted to be when they were older, 22% said they just wanted to be rich and famous. It’s so refreshing, although sad, to see many are now aspiring to roles that are linked to taking care of our environment.
Children are our future, let’s give them one to be excited about.
Many studies demonstrate how the careers landscape changes with a change in what our children are being exposed to. That means that what we show them is possible is what they believe is possible. Not that long ago there was such a big rise in reality TV stars that in one study asking what children wanted to be when they were older, 22% said they just wanted to be rich and famous. It’s so refreshing, although sad, to see many are now aspiring to roles that are linked to taking care of our environment.
Children are our future, let’s give them one to be excited about.
A girl after my own heart!
I loved writing when I was younger and the passion for it hasn’t gone away; from stories to articles, blogs, presentations and marketing material! Plus the upcoming career guide for (not so) grown ups of course!
What did you used to do when you were little that links to your motivations, your big WHY, in the context of careers, and in life? What can you not help but do, and what inspires you? Matilda was inspired by all the books her creative Mummy reads to her.
I loved writing when I was younger and the passion for it hasn’t gone away; from stories to articles, blogs, presentations and marketing material! Plus the upcoming career guide for (not so) grown ups of course!
What did you used to do when you were little that links to your motivations, your big WHY, in the context of careers, and in life? What can you not help but do, and what inspires you? Matilda was inspired by all the books her creative Mummy reads to her.
Being a police officer has been top favourite for boy’s career aspirations for many years, and is certainly proving itself as a top job with my research, but why? I’m finding that most boys want to be superheroes first because they are ‘strong’, and they ‘catch baddies’. The girls tend to have more than one idea, and see the police more as people who help...many officers I know have gone into the uniformed services after an alternative career so it’s OK to have more than one goal, like this lovely little lady.
When picking our 'perfect for now' career it’s important that we identify our personal why, our motivation for choosing our career path, and if we have several ideas, it’s OK to change later in life too. A hairdresser is a trade we can always utilise, and a police officer is often a vocation. Both jobs work closely with people, need active listening skills, problem solving and flexible working. Notice the patterns!
So if you’re sitting in on your Sunday night feeling bored by the idea of your week ahead maybe it’s time to make your change. #giraffedreams #careercoaching #police #whenigrowup #liveyourdreams #worklife #career #dowhatyoulove
When picking our 'perfect for now' career it’s important that we identify our personal why, our motivation for choosing our career path, and if we have several ideas, it’s OK to change later in life too. A hairdresser is a trade we can always utilise, and a police officer is often a vocation. Both jobs work closely with people, need active listening skills, problem solving and flexible working. Notice the patterns!
So if you’re sitting in on your Sunday night feeling bored by the idea of your week ahead maybe it’s time to make your change. #giraffedreams #careercoaching #police #whenigrowup #liveyourdreams #worklife #career #dowhatyoulove
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Creativity feeds my soul, and is something I’m so passionate about should be encouraged and nurtured at any age. We as adults often forget that creativity isn’t just about making or drawing... it’s in our thinking and our emotions, it’s in nature, in our hopes and in our fears! The little humans I have met though this project are full of creativity, but by the time they’re sixteen many are using their imagination for anxieties instead of aspirations, and when I coach adults they’re regretting letting it go.
What I’d love to see more often is musicians and other creatives acknowledge that what they’re doing is a ‘real job’. Too many don’t follow that creative path because of the fear that it’s not real...so how can it be sustainable? Here's the facts - 1 in every 11 jobs is in the creative sector!
What can you do to use your creativity positively now?
What I’d love to see more often is musicians and other creatives acknowledge that what they’re doing is a ‘real job’. Too many don’t follow that creative path because of the fear that it’s not real...so how can it be sustainable? Here's the facts - 1 in every 11 jobs is in the creative sector!
What can you do to use your creativity positively now?
Out of the mouths of babes -
Me: what is mummy and daddy’s job?
Cleo: Mummy and daddy clean up, mummy is like Cinderella.
Who hasn’t felt like Cinderella on occasion?! Working from home yesterday turned into a Cinderella day for me!
Our children make simple connections; as parents we are a strong influencer, often a hero...just like the ones they see in their movies! Wanting to be a princess isn’t always about being pretty or falling in love with a handsome prince...Moana is this little ones favourite because ‘she can dance’ and maybe, just maybe, she wants to be just like her mummy when she grows up!
Me: what is mummy and daddy’s job?
Cleo: Mummy and daddy clean up, mummy is like Cinderella.
Who hasn’t felt like Cinderella on occasion?! Working from home yesterday turned into a Cinderella day for me!
Our children make simple connections; as parents we are a strong influencer, often a hero...just like the ones they see in their movies! Wanting to be a princess isn’t always about being pretty or falling in love with a handsome prince...Moana is this little ones favourite because ‘she can dance’ and maybe, just maybe, she wants to be just like her mummy when she grows up!
Stockists
- Arnolfini Bookshop, Bristol
- Mr Bs Emporium, Bath
- City Books, Hove
- St Ives Bookseller, Cornwall
- The Book Hive, Norwich
- Ebb and Flo Gift Shop, Portishead
- Arcturus Books, Totnes
- Lighthouse Books, Edinburgh
- The Pod Company, Bristol
It is also available through Amazon and other stockists are coming soon so do check with your local bookshop if it's not listed here.