Hi I’m Kelly
Like you, I’m a driven, high-achieving woman with big dreams and a deep desire to help people and our planet and make a difference.
I used to think the only way I could do that was by constantly pushing to achieve my epic to-do list. I didn’t question that voice in my head that would tell me at night that I really needed to do that one last thing. I didn’t push back when colleagues in my international humanitarian organisation would schedule meetings late at night or early morning. Then when I got that adrenaline, cortisol driven ‘second wind’ I’d keep working.
At the time I was managing a global campaign for an international non-profit organisation, running a side coaching consultancy and was a mum to a one-year old, all while finishing my book.
I thought it was normal to wake up tired, feeling like I had to drag myself out of bed. I pushed away the constant ache in my shoulders and back. I could only get through the afternoon with extra coffee. I was way more cranky than I’d like to admit. By the time I got home to be with my family I was exhausted.
But, that’s all I knew. That was normal, I thought.
Then I got hit with a double whammy: pneumonia and hand, foot and mouth disease (the latter from my son’s kindy - which by the way, is seriously gross!).
I remember laying in the dark spare bedroom by myself feeling like death. I tried to turn on my computer to distract myself with my Netflix addiction of that time, House of Cards. But my body and head ached too much to even do that. So, I lay there staring at the ceiling. The first thought that came up was, “I can’t keep on going on like this.” That was quickly followed by, “but what do I give up? I love being a mum more than anything in the world, but I also love my job and my passions and I really want to make a difference in the world.”
So lying there staring at the ceiling, I started to think, “Surely, there’s a way to still achieve the things that are important to me, while feeling amazing and being a great mum and having more joy.”
That one thought started years of deep exploration into how I could optimise my energy, focus, productivity, calm and connection so I could still achieve the important things and make a difference in the world but do so with ease and joy. It led me to a one-year Optimise coaching certification, to decades of meditation and mindfulness training and, more recently, studying female embodiment. I’ve worked with the best trainers in the world in mindset and subconscious reprogramming. I’ve studied productivity and focus extensively. Knowing that I wanted to make change that lasts, I’ve mastered breaking and creating habits for good. I’ve learnt to get out of my head and into my body, to embrace my sensitivity as my superpower and have the courage to live and lead with an open heart.
What I’ve learnt is that you absolutely can achieve the things you truly want and make a positive impact in the world with ease and joy and while feeling calmly energised and deeply connected.
I’ve also learnt that my power doesn’t lie in my head or my to-do lists or my ability to get shit done. It’s certainly not in the way I used to suppress my feelings and numb myself out. Like you, my true power, lies in my ability to embrace my innate superpower: my sensitivity and to live and lead with a wide open heart and a fierce conviction to myself and the world. To me that is true leadership.
I want to help women make their unique positive impact in the world and do so with ease, joy and vitality.
I believe the more roles you juggle and the more you want to achieve and contribute in your life, the greater the need to focus on the essential practices to optimise your energy, focus, and calm. I believe that it’s from that place that you can then truly live and lead with deep sensitivity, an open heart and fierce power.
I help women do just that through my proprietary Optimise Habits System.
A few random facts to finish up
I always love learning random, quirky facts about people. So, here’s a few about me:
I’ve worked in human rights for 18 years all over the world, from Colombia to PNG, Washington DC to the Ecuadorian Amazon. The last 11 years have all been in senior leadership roles.
Most days you’ll find me at the beach, running barefoot at sunrise, playing with my two little boys or drinking a cappuccino and writing in my diary.
I’m a little obsessed with learning, spirituality and personal development. At any moment you’ll find a stack of books on the subject by my bed and a handful more on the go in my audible account.
I also like a good thriller – I’m actually a published author. I wrote A Reluctant Warrior about the drug wars in Colombia and their impact on Afro-Colombians (especially women and children).
I love to dance – I’ve performed salsa and samba and these days am learning belly dance.
I have a crazy mind that doesn’t have a natural off switch. Meditation and mindfulness are a saviour for me. They are my off switch.
I grew up on a boat in the South Pacific and could snorkel before I could run.