Leaving the Safe Harbour
Sometimes leaving the safe harbour is the hardest part of the journey.
I don’t subscribe to hustle culture, impressing others, keeping up with the Joneses, or pushing through for the sake of winning at all costs.
But I also don’t subscribe to staying small, playing it too safe, or foregoing my dreams.
It’s not uncommon for people to buy a boat and then not take it out of the marina. The unknowns, the learning curves, the lack of backup services, the responsibility of caring for yourself if things go wrong - I get it, it’s intense.
But on the flip side, the beaches, the islands, the seclusion, the wide horizons, and the sense of satisfaction when you leave one port, sail across the waters and drop anchor in a new destination is immeasurable. Knowing you got there under your own steam (or wind!), with your own resourcefulness, and your own floating home beneath you is a level of freedom most people will never experience.
So it is with following our hearts in pursuit of our dreams.
Sometimes we have all the desires and hopes for our future in the world. We want to leave the safe harbour, but it’s terrifying. What if something goes wrong? What if we embarrass ourselves? Disappoint our loved ones? Waste money? Fall flat on our face and fail? What if we don’t find what we are looking for? What then?
There is a whole suite of tools I rely on to navigate my fears and pursue what lights me up. I’m not immune to fear (not by any means!) and at the same time, I am also committed to making the most of this one precious life. Finding ways to do more of what I value, and less of what I don’t, while taking care of my sensitive nature and nervous system along the way.
Odyssey is where I’m sharing my favourite evidence-based tools, grounding techniques, body-based practices, supportive mindsets and ways of relating to myself that have provided the courage amidst my fears to pursue a life of meaning, creativity, adventure, connection and purpose.
Combining short teaching videos, with insightful journaling prompts, live coaching calls and support between calls in our private member’s area, you can think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure of self-discovery and personal growth. Odyssey is a 10-month intimate coaching program designed to be a sacred space to hold you as you navigate this next chapter in your life and expand into what is next.
Building a solid connection with your inner self, healing old patterns and navigating to the heart of your purpose, Odyssey isn’t for the faint-hearted - it’s for those who want to live lives that are fully expressed and authentic to them.
I warmly invite you to find out more and apply to join Odyssey. We begin in early November, and I’d love to connect with you to see if it’s a good fit for you. My hope for you is that you find the courage to take your boat, whatever that metaphor may be in your life, out of the harbour and pursue the dreams and desires in your heart.
As always, be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity.
Here’s to following our hearts, the most reliable compass I know for leading us home.
With my warm wishes,
Nicola xx
About Nicola Newman
I'm a Creative Business Coach, Award-Winning Artist & Mentor for Creative Hearts who want to flourish, flow & prosper.
My passion is inspiring and supporting Creative Hearts to trust their inner wisdom and carve out a life that’s personally meaningful and fulfilling to them.
I share practical, evidence-based tools for Creative Hearts seeking to improve their lives or businesses. My work draws from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based techniques, body-based practices, and neuroscience -- and my own creative living adventures -- among other approaches.
My mission is to support Creative Hearts to:
Dissolve creative blocks, develop a loving relationship with themselves, nurture their creativity and reframe the beliefs and patterns that keep them from following their heart and making the creative contribution they would love to make in the world.
My approach is to embrace gentleness, playfulness and self-care to navigate self-doubt and instead cultivate deep self-trust so you can truly enjoy the creative process, bring together your body of work, make money doing what you love and leave a creative legacy you’re proud of.
Let’s pour a cuppa and get to know one another, shall we? :) Read more about my story here.
