As you may have gathered if you have read previous posts, I have spent much of my life tangled in my own head, thoughts, worries, overthinking, second-guessing.
I have also spent much of my life struggling with anxiety and sometimes depression, mainly without knowing it in my 20s and early 30s.
I have now reached the wonderful age of 51 and can proudly say that I am finally feeling free of so much of what was holding me back.
Being actually present to my life.
Connected to who I am and what I really want.
Calmer, at peace.
Trusting myself and taking clear decisions and action from this place.
More resilient, bouncing back from challenges far quicker than I would have before.
Feeling fulfilled, aligned and making a difference in the world.
Being kinder and more compassionate to myself.
More confident and free to be who I am.
Having stronger, more connected relationships with those that matter most to me. Instead of often being triggered by my teens which ended in arguments and outbursts.
But I believe it has impacted all of my life and can support change with pretty much anything.
I am not pretending my life is perfect.
But it is the best it has ever been. I feel the best I have ever felt.
It has certainly been a journey and I have tried many things. I won´t list them all, but it does include everything from therapy and medication to reiki, hypnosis, workshops, mentoring, self-help books, meditation/mindfulnesss, what sometimes felt like, the works. And they have pretty much all helped, for a bit.
And, for anyone that is reading this and is finding it really tough right now or realise maybe they have done for a while, I absolutely 100% recommend going to see a trusted health professional to ask for support. Seeing a psychologist/therapist/counsellor and medication should always be explored as a first option, and for me they helped me open the gateway for further exploration (once I found the right people for me).
More recently, though I was recommended a programme that I had never heard of, although over a million people have taken part in the research towards it. Positive Intelligence.
This may sound like a sales pitch. And I suppose it is. But it is also because it has helped me completely transform me, having opened the door to new possibilities and how I relate to my life.
And of course, now I want to share it with the world!
I learnt about positive intelligence late in 2024 and read the book and was inspired. I took the programme, which consists of 7 weeks of modules combined with daily exercises (not the physical kind!) and a weeky support group (or pod).
From the get go I was hooked by the simple invitation to perceive my mind differently. That it can be my best friend, but also my worst enemy. It had certainly felt like my worst enemy a lot of my life.
It would not let me switch off and relax. It punished me for doing things not quite right. It held me back from doing what I wanted to. It made me fear rejection. Procrastinate. Stagnate. Stay inside my comfort zone (even when it felt uncomfortable). It stopped me from making a bigger difference in the world.
Some of the time I was able to ignore it. But it took its toll and certainly my mental health challenges were exacerbated as a result. I would use food, alcohol and work to fend off the sometimes relentless nagging of my mind. It felt like it would never leave me to be in peace.
Now I could try something totally different. Something that had been proven.
Something that also appealed to me.
Over the 7 weeks of the programme I opened the next door to something new. Some of it wasn´t actually new to me and reminded me of meditation and mindfulness practicess, but this was next level. I could actually feel how I was opening up and my life was too.
I could see my thought patterns more clearly.
I could start to make different choices and feel more grounded and empowered in who I was.
The pod support took away a lot of the shame and judgment away from me as I could see so many of the struggles I had experienced were shared by others.
The integration of new, simple, but powerful practices at the start felt a bit clunky, but with time, I could feel how they were grounding me down further into being the person I truly am.
The person who I always was.
The person who had got clouded with many years of believing my thoughts to be true, of not knowing how to live my life any differently.
Now I had tools, I had a choice.
As I learnt about my saboteurs (inner critic/limiting beliefs/imposter syndrome, whatever you would like to call it) I gained insights about myself. But, more importantly, I learnt that I could also develop my sage, wiser or true self (as I like to call it).
I could actually quieten my saboteurs and increase the volume on my sage.
Week by week I have seen this change for myself and also my pod members.
I think we have all noticed a difference in ourselves, our wellbeing, our work, our relationships.
Even though the initial 7 week programme is now over for me, my pod still meets on a weekly basis to support and cheer each other on in our journeys.
I now continue my Positive Intelligence exploration with the app which I have access to for a year. I also decided to add this programme to my coaching repetoire as I can see its power and simplicity. I am now a pq coach and already have seen the massive positive impact it has had on the people´s lives I have shared it with.
Its´ simplicity and yet its´ power.
I have tried many things. But this has been the key for me and I am so grateful I have found it.
I anticipate using the tools throughout the rest of my life, to deepen my sage awareness and keep turning down the volume on the saboteurs. They will always be there. But I am committed to listening to my true, core self and its´ wisdom. Now I know how to do it, it is always there for me.
I am now offering the 7 week Positive Intelligence programme alongside one on one coaching sessions with me. I have called it Empowered Positive Intelligence – a personalised programme to best support you and what you want to break free from to create more calm, freedom, clarity and connection in your life.
I no longer live in stress, overwhelm, fear or second guessing and I invite anyone else who is curious to get in touch to find out more.
Now I know there is another way. And that we all deserve it.
Join us on the Empowered Positive Intelligence programme with me, Emma, which starts on 2nd November with a small group of 5 women. There is an early bird price before 12th October. To book in a call to have a chat to find out more and/or email me at hello@emmathornelees.com
Thanks for reading and exploring ways to empower you and your life!