Interest is Everything.

This is how Oliver Burkeman kicked off his latest newsletter and it really resonated so I'm borrowing it. I always value his writing, he seems to have a knack for observing and capturing the nuance of life.

His suggestion In a nutshell: If you follow your own interests and not try to second guess other’s interests, then not only do you get the pleasure of doing what interests you, you may also pique the curiosity and interest of others.

There was a second message too. One that feels key for all of us seeking fulfilment in life. I’ve noticed it’s all too easy to beat yourself up if life doesn’t feel purpose-led. If this is you, then you’ll love the suggestion in his newsletter, that simply living a life following your interests is all that's needed. You can read it in full here.

So where am I at NOW?

From a dried up river...

In short, over the last few months, I could feel my interest in writing Flow with Felicity was ebbing. Think of it as a dried up river bed…

I retrospectively posted this picture for how I was feeling in November.

So the question I asked myself was:

What is interesting to me that would bring the feeling of aliveness & refill the river?

...to a bridge 

This question became a bridge - it helped me get beyond where I was. I’m still not entirely sure what lies ahead, but it does look like an adventure awaits!

How did it work? Well, instead of trying to work out what to do with my communication and writing, I turned the focus towards what I want. It was a classic mindset shift and involved moving from I ‘a necessity’ mindset to a ’possibility’ mindset.

Mindset Shift

 Want to know more about the 'necessity' to 'possibility' mindset shift?  I learnt it circa 2008/9 during my time at Sainsbury’s before I became a coach.

I've written it up to share it on, and you can download it below.

So what DO I WANT, that fits with what YOU WANT that brings that feeling of possibility and takes me into the place of ‘I choose this for 2026…’

I choose these 4 things, to:

1. Stay in conversation with the amazing people I’ve worked with and to continue to reach out to those who are curious about what I offer.

2. Use writing as a means to develop breadth and depth of my own learning as a coach and coach supervisor.

3. Build an easily searchable resource library which can support current and past clients (take the pdf on Mindset Shifts as an example)

4. Create more flexibility around when I do deep dive writing so I can increase my adventure travels without needing to write whilst on the move!

    

What does this mean for Flow with Felicity?

What’s going to stay the same?

• Regular Flow with Felicity emails to you, continuing around the themes of BeBetterTogether, Life Transitions and Coaching. Each email with links to my writing so you can deep dive if it feels relevant to you and piques your curiosity.

• In-depth writing on building a relationship with yourself and shining in your presence; bringing flow to your relationships and life transitions and living a life of aliveness.

Not Yet decided...How frequently would you like to receive an email from me?

Whilst I’m a fan of less is more, so err towards the rhythm of 1/month, I’ve heard you may prefer more often? If this is a resounding YES, I'd love to hear from you, just drop me an email at felicity@bendtheriver.org

The key changes:

• Writing will be adhoc; connecting with you will be the consistent rhythm.

   

• As well as links to my writing, Flow with Felicity emails will ALSO have links to other sources of reading/listening for you. I want to include soundbites of small things which have grabbed my attention and be personal about why I’m including it. Just like I’ve done with Oliver Burkeman’s newsletter.

• Going into 2026, I want my writing to help me get my head around how coaches can integrate the BeBetterTogether approach into their practice. I’d like to able to share the insights that I’ve gained over almost 20 years of coaching and pass it onto other coaches.

• I’ll be turning some of what I’ve historically written into more usable pdfs so that you can download, use and share on to support your relationship with yourself and with others. Just like with the Mindset Shift.

• And last but not least, the self-reflective habit of choosing a river to metaphorically help me deepen my sense of the month will come to an end. Instead, you’ll get updates and snippets from my life. Sometimes in words, sometimes in pictures.

Practically, there’s a bit of sorting out that I need to do on the website and my email system, to clearly identify Flow with Felicity as the newsletter, and separate it from deep-dive articles and resources. It's on the list for Jan/Feb although skiing may get in the way!

Thank you for joining me.

Wishing you a wonderful festive season and see you in 2026!

All the best, Felicity x

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