Sunflower Thinking, Bournemouth (2026)

17/06/2026

New free resource 🌻

I’m continuing The Supportive Conversation Series - a six-month journey exploring how we can better support the people around us.

Each month focuses on a different skill: noticing when someone might be struggling, starting supportive conversations, listening with care and following up.

Part 4: Paraphrasing & active listening

Most of us listen to respond, not to understand.

This month’s free guide breaks down active listening and paraphrasing - simple ways to show someone you’re truly with them in the conversation.

No scripts. No therapy talk. Just human skills.

Download: 10 ways to show you’re really listening - https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1083901/187167643269072324/share

If you have already signed up you will be receiving this download in today's newsletter update.

Feeling heard changes everything.

Part 5 coming in July, let us know what you think and how you are using this series!

12/06/2026

Want to make a difference to mental health and wellbeing in your workplace or community this year?

Bookings are open for both the full Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) course and MHFA Refresher courses this year.

Whether you're becoming an MHFAider® for the first time or renewing your skills and confidence, there's a course for you.

The full MHFA course is delivered online over two days, while the Refresher is a half-day session designed to update knowledge and extend support benefits for existing MHFAiders®.

Book your place online today via: https://sunflowerthinking.com/services

Join us at Sunflower Thinking 🌻

11/06/2026

As we head into Loneliness Awareness Week (next week) I’ve been reflecting on a topic that doesn’t get talked about enough in leadership, entrepreneurship and workplace wellbeing.

Loneliness.

Not the kind that comes from being physically alone.
The kind that can exist even when you’re surrounded by people.

As a founder, I’ve experienced periods where my diary was full, my inbox never stopped and I was speaking to people all day. Yet there were times when I still felt disconnected.

Because loneliness isn’t always about a lack of people.
More often, it’s about a lack of meaningful connection.

Research continues to show how significant loneliness has become:
• Around 22% of adults in England report feeling lonely at least some of the time, with around 4 million people saying they feel lonely often or always.
• The World Health Organization reports that around one in six people globally experience loneliness.
• Loneliness Awareness Week was created to reduce stigma and encourage more open conversations about this very human experience.

What concerns me most is the impact loneliness can have on mental health.
When people feel disconnected for prolonged periods, it can contribute to increased stress, anxiety, low mood, reduced confidence and a greater sense of isolation. It can affect performance, decision-making, relationships and overall wellbeing.

The good news?

Meaningful connection doesn’t always require dramatic change.
Sometimes it starts with:
✔ Reaching out to someone you’ve not spoken to in a while
✔ Swapping a Teams call for a coffee
✔ Joining a community, network or interest group
✔ Being honest when someone asks, “How are you?”
✔ Creating space for conversations that go beyond tasks and to-do lists

Connection isn’t about the number of people around us.
It’s about feeling seen, heard and understood.

As we approach Loneliness Awareness Week, perhaps the question isn’t “How many people do I know?”
It’s “Who do I genuinely connect with?”
And perhaps just as importantly:
“Who around me might need that connection too?”

05/06/2026

I still get excited (and if I’m honest, a little proud) when I see Sunflower Thinking up on the big screen!

This week I was lucky enough to see it twice during face-to-face training sessions, from some of the most historic and beautiful rooms in Oxford to stylish, modern boardrooms in Southampton.

I’ve delivered a mixture of online and in-person training this week and it’s reminded me how much I enjoy being ‘out out’ with people! Feeling the energy in the room, noticing the reactions and having those deeper conversations during breaks or after sessions finish is something I really miss when working online. Those moments often become some of the most meaningful parts of the learning experience.

Sunflower Thinking has sparked discussions about all sorts of important topics this week, from neurodivergent traits and strengths in Celebrating Neurodiversity to safeguarding and crisis disclosures in a bespoke programme, Responding with Care: Safely Handling Disclosures from Clients.

It is always a privilege to start and hold these sensitive but desperately needed conversations.

I’ve just finished a long run to debrief with myself and process the week and now I’m settling in for more design and development work, before the last training session of the week.

Every conversation we have about challenging topics creates a ripple effect. The awareness shared, the confidence built, the actions taken afterwards - they all matter.

What ripples have you started or been part of this week?

02/06/2026

As we approach National PTSD Awareness Day on 27th June, I’m proud to be launching a new workshop:
Trauma-Informed Practice: Supporting Others, Supporting Ourselves.

For more than 20 years, I have worked alongside individuals experiencing trauma, adversity, homelessness, mental ill-health, crisis, loss and complex life experiences. Alongside this professional work, my own lived experiences have continually reinforced one important truth:
Trauma changes people - emotionally, cognitively, physiologically and relationally. But with safety, understanding, compassion and the right support, healing and growth are possible.

This workshop has been designed specifically for professionals supporting others through difficult experiences, while also recognising the emotional impact that helping roles can have on us personally.
Together we will explore:
* How trauma affects the brain and body
* PTSD, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
* Trauma-informed approaches in practice
* Emotional regulation and nervous system awareness
* Sustainable support, boundaries and self-care

Most importantly, this is not a workshop that ends in heaviness.
Delegates will leave feeling informed, empowered, reflective, and equipped with practical tools to support both the people they work with and themselves.

Because trauma-informed practice must also include self-awareness, self-compassion and sustainable wellbeing.

If you would like to learn more about the workshop and how this training could support your team or organisation, please get in touch.

29/05/2026

May Round-Up with Sunflower Thinking 🌻

May has been a month of lots of sunshine, better connections, celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week/Month through ACTION, setting new running goals, BIG celebrations for Mr Sunflower Thinking and polar moments of concern and happiness - running your own business continues to inspire, stretch and keep me on my toes! Oh and a sprinkling of annual leave in beautiful France.

What May Looked Like -
Delivered a range of wellbeing and mental health sessions across different sectors, supporting individuals and teams to prioritise positive wellbeing. Everything from Grief, Menopause, Mental Health Champions, MHFA and launching new sessions like Supporting the Supporters, I have found such value in the mixture of conversations and reflections. All in all delivering training to over 430 people across this beautiful globe.

A Personal Highlight -
Finally being able to watch Spitfire Girls production - it was so special for so many reasons, truly remarkable and very needed story telling, I got to enjoy it with a close friend and I was featured in the programme!! Go see it if you can!

Looking Ahead to June
Completing the 10k Race for Life with one of my dearest friends, delivering some wonderful bespoke workshops across the country in person and online, launching a new session - keep your eyes peeled (it links to National PTSD Day in June) and balancing my busiest month of they year yet with pauses and intentional life time.

🙏 Thank you to everyone who has supported, collaborated and connected with Sunflower Thinking throughout May. Every conversation and shared experience continues to reinforce the importance of prioritising mental health and wellbeing. It keeps me certain on the uncertain days that this work really matters and that Sunflower Thinking is making a true difference.

Here’s to stepping into June with clarity, positivity and momentum.

Let’s normalise the mental health conversation together, contact me for more information - I hope to work with you soon.

Creating hope through safe and positive training at Sunflower Thinking

28/05/2026

Race for Life for Cancer Research UK 10k training in action… and proof that not all training runs go to plan!

Like most people, I’m really struggling to exercise in this heat, and with my body changing so much too, I’m finding it harder to find that comfortable pace and momentum again.

So what should have been a nice 5k ended up being, at best, a run/walk 4k 😅 But the important thing is… I’ll try again. And keep trying. Pushing through my comfort zone one step at a time.

Cancer Research is so, so important to me, and that reason is bigger than any tough training session so here we go!

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/marie-clares-race-for-life-8

15/05/2026

Day 5 of Mental Health Awareness Week and what a way to finish the week!

I ended on a real high with a full day delivering Wellbeing Champions training on behalf of Wellity 🎉 A fantastic group of people who are genuinely committed to taking ACTION to support wellbeing within their workplaces and communities.

That’s been the theme running through this entire week - action.

Not just talking about mental health, but creating conversations, building confidence, refreshing skills, learning how to support others and making wellbeing part of everyday culture.

This week I’ve had the privilege of working with so many brilliant people and fantastic organisations and every conversation has reinforced how much progress is being made when people are willing to show up, learn and support one another.

On a personal note, alongside a very busy week of training and facilitation, I’ve also been training for my next 10k next month. I completed Couch to 5k and managed my longest run of the year so far — 7k! A reminder to myself that wellbeing and resilience are built one step at a time too.

Now it’s time for some rest, more celebrations for my husband’s big birthday (seriously… the celebrations are ongoing!), and then a week away next week.

A huge thank you to everyone I’ve spoken with this week who has taken action in some way, whether through training, conversations, reflection or support. It’s been an absolute pleasure 💛

Let’s normalise the mental health conversation together, contact me for more information - I hope to work with you soon.

Creating hope through safe and positive training at Sunflower Thinking

14/05/2026

Today, on Day 4 of Mental Health Awareness Week, I had the privilege of delivering Module 10: Time Management & Adaptability for the Snowball Programme.

This session gave me so much opportunity for reflection - especially on all the times I’ve wanted to control the uncontrollable when it comes to facilitation! From technology failing, to conversations going unexpectedly deep, to carefully planned timings disappearing completely… I shared a few personal anecdotes today that reminded us all that facilitation is often about responding, not perfecting.

In wellbeing spaces especially, adaptability, boundaries and sustainable time management are not luxuries, they’re essential.

As facilitators, we hold space for others constantly, and that can sometimes come at the expense of holding space for ourselves.

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of Action felt particularly fitting. Because sometimes action isn’t about doing more, it’s about recognising when to pause, flex, reset expectations, or let go of needing everything to go exactly to plan (note to self!)

What felt really important today was the shared experiences, lessening the isolation that can be experienced by trainers - it was a great chance to debrief, chuckle a little and know we are not alone!

If you’re a wellbeing trainer, coach or facilitator looking for connection, growth and support, there are still opportunities to join future Snowball cohorts this year.

👉 Find out more & get involved: https://www.thisissnowball.com/

Let’s keep turning awareness into action, together.

13/05/2026

Day 3 of Mental Health Awareness Week and another brilliant day focused on action and surrounded by brilliant people!

Delivering MHFA Refresher this morning, real action right there! Keeping skills fresh, confidence high and continuing to create supportive environments where mental health conversations can happen openly and safely. It was fantastic to be back in the presence of staff from Better Care, always a pleasure working alongside people who genuinely care about making a difference.

Later in the day, I facilitated a session on psychological safety in high performing teams on behalf of the fantastic . Such an insightful topic, especially exploring how high performers can often feel pressure to always “have it together,” and how psychological safety creates space for honesty, challenge, growth and support.

Awareness matters BUT action matters more.

Sunflower Thinking

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