Hello! Hope you’re all having a great week and enjoying the #SelfCareDiaries series so far. If you haven’t yet read the previous interviews in the series where a special guest shares and dives in deep to what self care looks like to them, then you can catch up here.
For this week’s installment meet Sophie French, a life coach and business mentor who inspires women to crush the can’ts in their head and make their dreams a reality. I first stumbled across Sophie on Instagram and instantly connected with the words in her captions – she talks so much sense! She puts her own wonderful spin on situations that regularly come up for creatives and business owners and opens up their eyes to look at them in a different way. Sophie is like a breath of fresh air and defintiely one to follow if you want to fill your feed with positive and insightful advice that fills you with confidence and self belief.
Over to you Sophie…
What does self care mean to you?
Self-care to me means taking time out of being busy and ‘doing’ to look after yourself, to give yourself some space and to nourish yourself with the things you love. In our crazy hyper-connected world, self-care to me means reconnecting with yourself and recharging your batteries.
Do you have any self care rituals/practices that really anchor your day?
I also meditate every morning, sometimes I’ll follow a guided meditation, and other times I’ll just take about 10 minutes to slow down my brain and enjoy some quiet time.
What does your morning routine look like?
I now leave my phone outside my room and have done for about 18 months, so it definitely doesn’t involve phone scrolling! In fact, I set myself a task of enjoying my morning routine before I look at my phone. My morning routine varies day to day, but generally involves a cup of tea in bed first thing, at least 10 minutes of meditation to get my mind set up for the day, some exercise like a run, workout, walk or simply stretching, depending on how I’m feeling – a healthy juice that I either make myself, or get from the local juice shop, and sometimes a chapter of a fiction book if I have a good one on the go!
How do you make time for self care?
It’s an absolute must for me each morning – and in all honesty I mostly notice how much of a difference it makes when I don’t do it – my head is a bit fuzzy, and my day a bit scatty and messy if I haven’t taken that time in the morning to look after myself and get into a good headspace! I give myself a break though, if I only have 10 minutes in a morning, I’ll ensure I at least do something. I also have a good switch off time in an evening, where I read fiction, have a bath, and wind down before bed! I LOVE sleeping well and it’s so important to me, so anything that takes away from this like phone scrolling or watching anything scary or dramatic before bed is a no-go area! (My Love Island fix had to be ditched halfway through the series because of this!)
During a challenging point in your life what key things got you through?
Stop, drop and breathe. This has been key to remember through any challenging points – we have a tendency to ‘catastrophise’ when things don’t go our way, which can often spiral out of control, so the best thing I’ve found to bring things back and get a little perspective in any challenging situation is definitely to stop, drop and breathe. My Mum has also always told me ‘Nothing Is Impossible’ which is something I carry with me in every situation – I always believe and know in my heart that there will be a way to get through something, fix it, figure it out, or climb right over it. The main things that come up with this question is around losing my grandparents, both the most challenging times of my life, and I would say that really sitting with the feelings, no matter how painful, and going through them and being patient was really key here – not trying to hide the emotions, or speed through the process or block anything off – and I think this is key with ANY business or life challenges too – not masking the emotions, but actually sitting with them, allowing yourself to feel them, being patient through the process and becoming stronger as a result. Yes it can be painful, and as humans we’re very drawn to ignoring or numbing pain, but I often think of the phrase ‘if you’re avoiding the pain, you’re avoiding the joy’ and I really believe that we’re here to feel all. of. it. – that it’s part of the process and human experience. #deep haha!
What’s in your self care toolkit? Which items bring you most comfort?
Definitely reading fiction! I find it’s a really great way to switch my brain off from work thinking, or thinking in general, and transports me to another world where I’m all consumed with characters and storylines and immersed in someone else’s life – I absolutely love reading a new story! Meditation also has to be key for me – it took me a long time to get used to it and to enjoy it, but the benefits for me are absolutely incredible that it’s a no brain for me these days.
What quote really resonates with you and why?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson
This is my favourite quote ever ever – and it really resonates because this is what I see in so many women – thinking that their fear is that they’re not good enough, but actually it’s the fear of owning how talented and fabulous they truly are. It’s fear of all those things coming true that we get told when we’re younger ‘getting too big for your boots’ or ‘who does she think she is’ – and it’s heartbreaking that those words get in the way of being the most incredible version of you. I love to remind people of this quote, because really: who are you not to be? And often it helps to think that by being yourself and celebrating your own talents and achievements you permit and inspire others to do the same – which is often a powerful reason for people to do so, when they know they’re helping others as a result.
What are you currently working on? Anything that you would like to share?
I’m currently working on some brand new ‘How To Crush The Can’t In Your Head‘ workshops being released in the Autumn – they are a full and immersive power-packed day fully focused on what’s going on in your mind, what’s holding you back and how to take back control so you can be, do and have the things you want in your life!
I also have a free email course Frazzled to Freedom which is for women in business who are feeling swamped by all.of.the.things their business demands of them and is full of my incredible simple strategies to get back in control and enjoy the freedom, fun, and finance you first started your business for!
You can connect with Sophie on Instagram and Facebook.
Thanks so much, Sophie! I hope you loved this weeks #SelfCareDiaries post, you can check out last week’s edition with Ruth Newton here.
