S2E6 : with Sophie Carefull : The Importance of Self Compassion in Growth and Healing.
Self-compassion isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you consider living or working in a way that questions the status quo, and yet throughout this conversation, Sophie and I kept coming back to that very idea. More and more, we’re being given examples that living by what’s already been written, might not actually be the best way for us. But how often do we consider that compassion towards ourselves is the missing piece in making our new, experimental and against the grain lifestyles work?
Sophie is a trained life coach who helps kindhearted, creative humans believe in themselves so they can live the life they truly want. She also runs a successful personal branding photography business, alongside mentoring fellow photographers to build a business that works for them. She splits her year between her two passions and it totally fascinates and inspires me, watching her make this unconventional business model a complete success.
Oh, and listen out for the little hello from her sweet rescue dog!
LISTEN HERE:
EPISODE NOTES:
5:00 - How Sophie schedules her working year in a way that works for her and connects with the seasons, but goes against the status-quo.
11:05 - Empathy and chronic illness, and how we can take inspiration from Sophie’s way of working and apply it to life in general.
14:45 - Listening to your body and taking action.
17:15 - Models of possibility.
18:07 - Identifying the voice of your inner critic and actively seeking examples that positively reinforce your true beliefs.
19:42 - “We don’t know the full story of what everyone else is doing…” - Questioning the beliefs that support you not going for what you want.
20:58 - Sharing your story creates space for others to feel more comfortable in living their reality, or the reality they’d like to be living, and showing what’s possible.
21:26 - Sense of self and self-belief - a long term project!
22:00 - The problem with the phrase ‘unshakeable confidence’.
23:20 - The evolution of identity and past identities pulling you back to somewhere you’ve outgrown.
25:30 - Giving yourself enough credit for what you’re already doing.
26:25 - The importance of compassion in growth and self-development.
29:47 - Risk taking in building confidence.
33:30 - Laying the foundation and preparing your brain to try something different.
35:30 - Knowledge and understanding paving the way for compassion. Knowing yourself well enough to know when you’re being empowered by that knowledge, and when you’re using it as a crutch.
42:49 - Unlearning conditioning.
43:00 - You can’t do self compassion ‘wrong’.
45:20 - How our needs, abilities and preferences change with the seasons.
47:40 - Creating the conditions that allow you to question the status-quo that isn’t working for you.