There are many times when change appears in our lives: leaving school or home, choosing a university or going into a career and all the changes that come. There are also the changes we have no control over, such as the loss of a loved one or having to make a change you don’t want to make, such as a divorce or house move.

There are also times when you know you need to make a change in your life, but you cannot quite work out what that change should be.

You may have built a career, raised a family, supported the people around you and achieved many things you once hoped for, and yet you still feel that something needs to change; something feels different, and you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Ten years ago, I started to get unstuck; I just didn't realise at the time that I was doing so. It was a gradual transition from the way I was living and thinking about my life. I knew I wanted something different, and I knew I couldn't carry on the way I was, but at the same time, I also felt as if I was in a dark, unfamiliar room trying to find the way out. I kept going round and round in my mind; I want something different, to feel different, but what?

How can I change when I need to keep moving forward? How can I possibly focus on just me when there are so many other people in my life vying for my attention? How can I possibly put myself first?

But the feelings didn't disappear with inaction, they got more uncomfortable and harder to ignore until I realised something had to change, and that's when I started to take control. I decided that I was worth investing in, and that meant I needed someone to show me the way out of that room.

That's the room most of the women I work with are standing in when they first come to me

We all live our lives by core values, whether we are aware of it or not. They are the internal compass that helps us make decisions and structure our lives.

Core values are the fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that shape our behaviour, decisions, and interactions with others.

These core values serve as a personal compass, helping to define what is most important in life and influencing how goals are pursued and challenges are handled. In short, they make us the people we are.

Most of the core values we follow will have been there all of the time, and some we will have adopted as we have gone through life and experiences.

Some you will be aware of and some not. Identifying and understanding your core values is essential for creating a meaningful and consistent life, as they provide clarity and motivation for living authentically and making choices that align with your true self.