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Helena Clare Coaching, Sutton Coldfield (2026)

11/10/2026

You are rich by being who you are…

This weekends bathroom book - Be Gentle with your Heart - a gift my partner received during a business event from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum.

It features some beautiful messages, in many different languages, of self compassion from around the world, taken from the “Wall of Kindness” at the museum.

How beautiful!

I was flicking through the book this morning and this came up twice, so clearly it was the message I needed to share!

Happy Sunday all!

Helena x
Pattern Breaker.
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

03/10/2026

No bathroom book review today as we are on a road trip to Manchester!

My youngest is starting her journey to fly the nest, and this is the first of 6 trips to universities over the coming months!

We had an early start - left at 7am - to make sure she has enough time to see everything she wants to!

Unfortunately, what I suspect is a nasty dose of COVID has left me feeling just not quite my best..

So rather than embarrass her and hold her back, I have chosen to hole myself up in a nice coffee shop for the day with a book, while she gets to be independent!

But I’m not reading a bathroom book!

Am currently reading The Method by Tim Robinson - a fascinating read about an accidental experiment on LinkedIn! Hoping it may give me some inspiration!!

And it turns out now, we may need to pick up my son from Uni on our way home as well!

So basically, I have been Uber for my kids today! Which means this chai latte is very much deserved!

Have a fab weekend all!

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

30/09/2026

I was just doing my job.

Such simple words, heard frequently but loaded with so much more.

When did “just doing our job” become acceptable, when we know that for some people, they do so much more.

Which is why hitting submit on my The National Coaching Conference & National Coaching Awards award submission today feels so poignant (last minute I know but I have been ill with “freshers flu”)!

I hear it time and time again from professionals - engineers, directors, doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, teachers - all incredibly hardworking individuals who were “just doing their job”.

But they are so much more than that.

Their humanness makes them want to dig deeper and give more than just their job. Above and beyond the call of duty.

But to what expense?

What are they trying to prove?

It may be nothing, as they are simply following their life’s purpose.

Which is fine.

I believe when you are doing whatever it is you do for the right reasons and have a deep awareness of yourself, you know that it’s ok to acknowledge what you do is a good job and celebrate it, unapologetically.

But being humble and dumbing down your contribution to the world because you were “just doing your job” does nobody any favours.

It makes it acceptable to work yourself into the ground without acknowledgement.

Burnout becomes a badge of honour.

And for what reason?

Celebrating your contribution to the world is a deeply human response and we should stop feeling ashamed of it.

Somewhere along the way we forgot that there is a human behind the professional.

A human who has an important place in the world and needs to be celebrated for who they are, not just what they do.

You are not just the job you do.

And your contribution isn’t diminished because it happens to be part of your job description.

Because maybe the question isn’t whether you were “just doing your job”.

Maybe the question is:

What parts of you were doing it?

The human behind the professional.

The person who cared enough to go further.

Who questioned.
Who noticed.
Who challenged.
Who stayed late.
Who made a difference.
Who brought something to the role that could never have been written into a job description.

THAT deserves to be acknowledged too.

Not because you need another badge of achievement to prove you’re worthy.

But because celebrating your contribution is a deeply human response.

And maybe it’s time we stopped being quite so apologetic about being human.

So yes, I’m hitting submit today.

And I’m going to resist the urge to say, “It’s nothing. I was just doing my job.”

Because it isn’t nothing.

It matters to me.

It matters to the people I’ve worked with, especially those who nominated me.

And I’m allowed to acknowledge that.

Not because I need an award to tell me I’m good enough - I have 2 already (see below!)!

But because I’m finally learning that acknowledging my contribution doesn’t make me arrogant.

It makes me human.

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

29/09/2026

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…

But I never thought I’d feel that way about a car!

Just over 7 weeks ago, an Asda van reversed into my car causing significant damage.

Today, I got it back!

And I’ve really missed it!

Because whilst I am very grateful to my insurance company for taking it away to be fixed, and supplying me with a hire car, it’s been 7 weeks of:

Annoying bleeping in my hire car when I got slightly over the speed limit and over sensitive sensors on the front and back even if I am within a metre of anything! Including humans!

Having to stop on the side of the road, because the wing mirrors on the hire car have refused to open properly. So I have to get out, lock the car and unlock it again to get them open!

Irritating texts, emails and letters from my insurance company telling me that the “little white box” in my car wasn’t sending any data - I know, I’ve told you it’s in a garage waiting to be fixed!

Waiting for parts to arrive because they have to come from BYD China, on a boat!

Messages to say I can pick the car up in a couple of days, only to be told on the day that it will be another week!

But finally it’s home! All fixed, shiny and sorted! Yay!

So I am very very happy to get my little car back!

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

28/09/2026

Stop being so stupid and pull yourself together…

Words said to me by someone I considered a friend in my first year of uni.

I was really struggling with the transition from home and in reality, when I look back now, it was my first bout of depression.

Fortunately, I had other friends and amazing family who looked after me.

But that experience stayed with me for a very long time.

And the impact of it reared its ugly head a couple of years ago, when it was my son’s turn to go to uni.

The months running up to him going were emotional.. a real rollercoaster. Not for him though. For me!

Yes I was so excited for him and enjoyed the ritual preparations - trips to Ikea, teaching him how to cook!

But at the same time, a part of me was petrified. Petrified that he would have a similar experience to me, where his mental health was concerned.

That someone would be that unkind and unsupportive. And I wouldn’t be there to support him.

And every time I thought about it, I would panic and burst into tears. But I didn’t really know why.

He was amazing though. He was patient and kind and let me cry. Comforting me and assuring me that he would let me know if he was struggling.

But it made the whole experience of “launching my biggest bird” so much harder.

I was projecting my own experience and fears onto him irrationally. And it nearly broke me.

Until I had some coaching.. the very coaching I now offer to others..

That initial uni experience was haunting me. It was sitting on my amygdala like a landmine waiting to go off. So when my eldest went to uni, it exploded… big style.

Luckily my coach saw this in the aftermath and suggested something called Event Havening.

She gently took me into that horrible event, and through havening touch, some distraction games and eye movement, we neutralised that landmine. Like a bomb disposal expert!

So flash forward to this weekend, when I dropped my son off for his 3rd year at uni (how did that happen!) and it was a joy!

We moved him in, unpacked and picked up a few bits to get him settled!

No major explosive emotions or tears, except maybe how proud I am of him and how much I will miss him as we’ve had a fab summer together.

But I know he will be ok! More than ok!

It’s often the littlest things that can create such huge responses to normal life stuff and we may not really know why till we dig..

And that’s what I do.. dig to find the things that still keep you stuck or reactive or get in your way.

Stopping you from living your absolute best life ever!

Want to know more? Get in touch!!

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

26/09/2026

5 minutes jobs for the garden in September…

Last week I posted about my collection of bathroom books, and it didn’t get much traction on LinkedIn (no surprise there! 🙄) but the response on other platforms was amazing!

So I thought it may be fun to share some of the content of my books over the coming weeks..

Not sure why but today I picked The Five Minute Garden, as I’m not a huge gardener.

Maybe it’s because when I look out of my office window, the grass is becoming rather long.. and I know it needs mowing but it’s got the that length where I will probably have to mow it twice - once at a high level and then shorter the second time.

However…

That’s NOT a five minute job!

Even though it’s listed as a job for September in the book!

Along with…

Proper weeding
Collecting up leaves
Pruning
& Bulb planting..

Not sure any of these are five minute jobs but I guess the premise is that I could do some of this in five minutes this weekend!

So it allows me to chip away at some of those jobs that I know I need to crack on with, but the thought of them puts me off!

What could you do in five minutes this weekend that would allow you to chip away at some of those “I don’t really want to do this but know I need to” jobs?

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

19/09/2026

Does anyone else have bathroom books?

You know the ones.

The books you keep in the loo specifically for those little pockets of time when you’re… otherwise engaged.

Because apparently we can’t even have a number 2 without scrolling on our phones these days.

(We have magazines too, although most of them are actually Aldi weekly sales letters! From weeks ago too! Because it’s always good to see what “middle aisle offers” you’ve missed out on!)

But I’ve realised I actually quite like having a book in there.

Something you can pick up for two minutes (or more!)
Read a page (or two!)
Learn something (maybe)
Have a thought (definitely)
Get distracted by something totally random (always).

These are mine…

Some bought in an effort to get my family off their phones and into reading, since a few of them seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in the loo!

So two birds?
It hasn’t worked!

Some given as work gifts or just don’t belong on our other bookshelves, for whatever reason!

Some placed there in an effort to actually read them at some point, when I have a moment of completely free undisturbed time! With the door locked!

Like that ever happens..

An eclectic mix, nonetheless!

So now I’m curious. As I know I am definitely not the only one to have bathroom books!

I’ve seen them!!!

So….

What book(s) is currently in your bathroom?

And, more importantly…

…what does that say about you?

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

18/09/2026

I used to be square.

But over the years I learned that being square wasn’t acceptable.

So I adapted.
I rounded my edges.

Learned how to behave. To never make mistakes. To be professional.

Capable. Responsible. Sensible. Appropriate. Successful. Useful.

And I got so bloody good at it that I completely forgot I was a square underneath.

I forgot who I really was.

Underneath all the conditioning, expectation and adapting to fit in, just to belong.

They say a square peg can’t fit in a round hole, so find a different hole.

But what if the hole is your job, your business, your family, your relationship, your role, your identity - and you can’t or don’t want to simply walk away?

Because the cost feels too big.

So you keep rounding yourself off.

You show up, but feel increasingly disconnected from the version of you everyone sees and the person you actually are.

Lost. Frustrated. Disappointed. Stuck.

You know you don’t belong in this hole, but you don’t know how to get out.

And sharpening your edges again to become the square also carries a cost.

Until the cost of staying round becomes too big.

But what if there was another way?

What if you didn't have to make a dramatic decision or blow up the life you've created?

What if you had somewhere safe to press pause?

To get curious.
To notice and break the patterns you've been living inside.
To question the rules you've been following.
To explore what is actually yours - and what you've simply learned.

A space where you don't have to have the answer.

Where you can look honestly at both sides:

What is it costing me to keep fitting?
What might it cost me to stop?

And then, rather than automatically doing what you've always done, you get to choose.

Not from fear.
Not from habit.
Not from someone else's expectations.

But from a deeper understanding of yourself and what you actually want.

Because the answer isn't about becoming a different person.

It's about finding a way to be more fully yourself within the life you're already living.

Lighter. More joy. More freedom. More peace.

This, for me, is Permission to Play.

Not permission to blow up your life.
Not permission to become someone else.

Permission to explore. Question. Experiment.

To discover what becomes possible when you stop automatically shrinking yourself to fit.

Because you don't need to become more you.

You need somewhere safe enough to discover what happens when you stop asking permission to be the you that's already there.

Ready to play?

I have 3 spaces in my 6-month coaching programme, and I'd love to hold that safe space for you.
DM me and let's chat.

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers 🐯

$Oestrogen is an amazing thing….A couple of weeks ago I was on my knees.Exhausted, fractious, anxious and not feeling mys...$

15/09/2026

Oestrogen is an amazing thing….

A couple of weeks ago I was on my knees.

Exhausted, fractious, anxious and not feeling myself at all. Tears were a frequent visitor.

I thought I was just tired and approaching burnout.

I’d been working on my Master Practitioner assessments and coaching a lot. On top of that, I’d had a manic week away in London (which was amazing), running a house and managing my partner being away with work for several weeks over the summer.

I thought there was something wrong with me psychologically. An old pattern showing up that needed to be broken, perhaps.

Either way, I was done.

Until something was pointed out to me in a coaching session.

Maybe the reason I felt so crap was my hormones.

A few weeks prior, I’d switched from oestrogen patches to gel because my usual patches were out of stock (IYKYK) and I was allergic to the adhesive on the alternative brand.

Huge red wheals on my skin.

So the pharmacist in me decided to try the gel until my usual patches came back into stock.

Except apparently, I don’t absorb the gel very well either.

And it took me four weeks to work that out.

Four weeks where my oestrogen levels tanked… while I assumed my problem was life rather than biology.

But why was this a bigger issue than I thought?

Because I’ve spent the last 12 months trying desperately to ditch the pharmacist in me.

I felt like that part of me was no longer needed. No longer who I was.

And in the process, I’d retired a part of myself that is actually quite bloody useful.

The knowledge. The understanding of how the body works. How drugs work.

An insight that has been incredibly useful for both my clients and myself over the years.

And I’d shunned it.

So I went back on the patches.

I could tolerate a level of allergic reaction.

I could not tolerate not having enough oestrogen.

Within hours, I could feel the difference.

Clearly, at least some of this was biological.

And the moral of the story for me?

Rejecting the entirety of my “pharmacy” life is not helpful.

I don’t need to take all of it with me.

There are parts I absolutely do need to leave behind - the perfectionism, the belief that I can’t make mistakes, the “got to be sensible and serious” all the bloody time.

But there are also parts that are invaluable.

The knowledge. The experience. The understanding.

They add a phenomenal layer of expertise that I might never have had if I hadn’t been a pharmacist for 27 years.

So what I’m saying is…

When you release parts of your past as you grow and evolve, don’t assume you have to throw the whole lot away.

There are good parts you might want to take with you.

And that’s ok.

Just make sure you pick the right ones.

Helena
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

14/09/2026

I feel like I’ve been a student for 15 years…

15 years ago I was writing essays for my ILM 7 in Executive Coaching and Business Mentoring – well, I was trying to, but Greedo my cat was having none of it (see below!)

Last Friday I submitted my final assessments for my Master Practitioner in Transformational Coaching with Paseda360 Training Academy.

And only today, during a coaching session, did I feel like I was finally stepping into a state of mastery…

So basically, I have been studying my craft for 15 years.

In between that, I’ve also trained as an NLP Practitioner, Master NLP Practitioner, hypnotherapist, Level 2 Reiki Practitioner and meditation instructor.

I’ve learned so much about how to support people to become their best selves, alongside becoming my best self.

I’ve also spent thousands of pounds on that training and every single penny was well spent.

But all through that time, I haven’t fully felt like I was done studying. There was always something missing. Or something more to learn.

Until now.

I now feel like everything is starting to integrate and come together. Like all the pieces of the jigsaw are finally fitting.

Don’t get me wrong, my love for learning and developing will always be there – as well as it being a professional requirement.

But now, anything new I learn feels like it will build on what I already know and complement it, rather than me constantly searching for the thing I’m missing.

And I know I’m no Master Yoda…

But the padawan has now become the Jedi.

And it feels SO good.

Maybe mastery isn’t about finally knowing everything.

Maybe it’s about trusting that you already know enough.

And after 15 years of learning, experimenting, questioning, failing, growing and occasionally (frequently) wondering what the bloody hell I was doing…

I think I finally do.

Helena x
Pattern Breaker
Unleashing Inner Tiggers

Helena Clare Coaching

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