Author Archives: Matt Smith Personal and Professional Coach

Sometimes (well most of the time) I write this blog to help me put what is going on in my head in some order. This is one of those blogs. I knew this time of year was always going to be difficult after Mum died, granted also it has only been 3 months since sheContinue reading “The Return of Foggy”

Stories of My Well Being Since becoming an adult I have struggled with my mental health and well-being. Over the years this has manifested itself in a number of ways, ranging from general anxiety, self-hatred and physical symptoms. I was going to say I manage to avoid a dependency on this journey, but that wouldContinue reading “Connecting to My Story”

I am doing a course on Coaching Supervision with work, and as with a lot of courses that are worthwhile it has got me thinking how some of the ideas discussed will inform my practice. Coaching Supervision is essentially an element of the wider discipline of supervision for helping professions, such as Clinical Psychologists, Therapists,Continue reading “It’s a balancing act”

A few days ago I tweeted about a way of working with a coach that is accessible for a busy lifestyle and and is affordable (I mean really affordable). It is a digital/remote form of coaching that allows you the flexibility to engage with coaching when it is convenient for you. The only commitment fromContinue reading “What is a Coach in Your Pocket?”

Working in a complex and uncertain industries such as health and social care (but not exclusively) requires you to attend to 3 things to remain effective. These 3 things can often be in tension with each other and if not attended to can work against each, causing significant risks to yourself, your patients/clients, stakeholders andContinue reading “3 Things to attend to when working in a complex uncertain environment.”

The pressure from every angle can feel like we a being squeezed at the moment. Speaking to friends it is evident that many of us are being squeezed not just for our finances, but for our time, our emotions and our attention. A friend of mine recently was talking about the pressure to support andContinue reading “Feeling Squeezed”

The past few months have been the most difficult in my life so far. I have never felt emotional pain like this. I have not tried to push it away I have sat with it and accepted it. It is worth it, it is worth it for the 51 years of unconditional love I hadContinue reading “Thank you for everything Mum”

I teach Clinical Supervision, and practice as a supervisor for Nurses and AHPs ,as well as coaching, I also provide coaching supervision for our internal coaches. Recently I have been thinking about the challenges faced by leaders not just the NHS but across all industries, and how much of a burden this places on theContinue reading “Meaningful support for leaders”

Whether you want to give up smoking, cut back on drinking or lose weight, focusing on giving something up or denying yourself something you are attached to is unlikely to end in success. If we set ourselves goals on moving away from something, such as smoking, or drinking too much, or reducing our weight, thenContinue reading “Trying to give up? Stop it, it won’t work!”

On 28th August 2022 my Mum died. Since that day I have felt traumatised, lost, alone, loved, grateful, angry, frustrated, sad, distraught, hopeful, most importantly uncertain. The time between her death and her funeral on 20th September feels unsettling and uncertain. I am mourning the loss of the life I had with my mum inContinue reading “Reflections on love, certainty and loss”