‘do all things with love’
– 1 Corinthians 16:14
Hi, I’m Charlie.
Officially, I write about my decade in business and experiences as a big dreamer, coach, creative, mother, writer, author, traveller, wife.
What that’s really about, is finding more love.
And this is why-
I realised recently we are suffering from a little epidemic.
In my time as a coach, mentor, creative, mother, wife, author, photographer I noticed this;
- That people fall out of love with their business, with their work; and struggle to identify and connect with their soul-goals, their purpose. This is often down to self-doubt, not knowing how to run a business, and feeling unconfident in our choices, particularly around getting seen and standing out.
- That alongside the busyness of running a business and also the pace of modern living, marriages and relationships – the relationships with our family members, our children, even our friendships and clients- too often, feel an indelible impact.
- And that there is a war going on for our minds, bodies, health- our self-love. Somewhere between our hustle and our grind, cosied up next to myths like ‘it’s not work if you love it’; our confidence, clarity, and our deep, soul-felt joy became the casualty.
And instead we found refuge in our anxiety states – our social media comparisons, our indecision, a frenzied 6am grip on our bodies and grinding that into submission also – or feeling guilty if we didn’t. Oh, don’t get me started on guilt.
As a business-owning Mummy of two who actually, doesn’t work like the typical grinder and living instead on the mediterranean island of Cyprus – that stuff still follows me around like a wolverine.
We want to be told we are doing it right. We want to be given permission to be ourselves. We want to be told our choices will give us what we need.
When what we need, perhaps, is more love. When you pour fierce love into your business, into your relationships, in to your life – you begin to crowd out the fear, the doubt.
This isn’t about ‘stripping away’ the social media, or your chosen location, or following the four day workweek. (Though, you can, if you want).
This isn’t about finding what you can live without.
Whether it’s in the income you want to create or the inner you that you know needs work; whether you find your ‘happy place’ in creativity or consciousness- this is about finding more love, and ultimately more joy, in who you are, and what you do.
Because that’s how you begin to ease the anxiety, guilt, fear, self-sabotage, old patterns, doubt and lack; and move into abundance; more time, money, joy, happiness, freedom and indeed, love.
More about me in starry form
- Creative, undoubtedly multi-passionate, I’ve written books on wildly different topics (photography, business, and a book on writing, and now a children’s story book. I’ve had a successful photography business (featured in allll of my favourite places) a global hair accessory brand, and am now a blogger / coach who writes about success in relation to love and joy.
HOUSE OF ISTRIA – MY GLOBAL HAIR ACCESSORY BRAND
MY PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK– (AS SEEN IN MAGNOLIA ROUGE MAGAZINE)
- I created a six figure business (this one)! in 12 months working only very part time hours, because I have two pre-schoolers keeping me very occupied.
- My priority will always be gentle parenting the girls and spending time with them. You can find out why in the section below.
- My biggest joy (after the girls) is writing encouraging words to you.
- It took me five times to pass my driving test. Which means, I am now an incredible driver after all that time, and it means I can genuinely and authentically tell you to never give up.
- I have a million past lives. In other years I have studied Fashion Journalism, Photography, English language to name a few things. I thought I would end up as a lawyer, then after being told by one of the best law firms in the world to apply, I visited their super swanky offices in London. I clocked their sleeping pods and left. I didn’t love law enough for it to become my life 24/7, forever.
- I am a notebook devotee. I am never without at least three in my bag.
- I think in pictures and have a photographic memory. I can also remember everything you’ve said. Which my husband finds hugely annoying.
- I have been blogging for a decade.
- I’m a Christian, but I also love the healing power of crystals, energy fields, yoga and astrology. I am highly intuitive and can tell what’s wrong before you tell me there is even a problem.
- I am a manifesting Queen. I manifested my husband leaving his job and he was made redundant a day or so later. (Be careful what you wish for)! I also manifested our dream house from a photo, right down to the cypress trees outside. At the time, I had no idea there were even houses that looked like this on the island.
Why it matters?
Once, in a time that now seems faded, like an old polaroid, I lost a child. I miscarried and at the same time – lost everything else. Baby, business, my relationship. Became almost homeless, before being rescued by two complete angel-strangers who gave me their spare room and loved and nurtured me back to myself.
In losing everything, and finding love in places I never expected to (Thank you, God. Thank you, Wendy + Richard. Thank you Jon and Jancie and Emilie and Michelle and everyone who held me together when I fell apart) I found out what really matters, and I found out about love.
My soul knew all along though. Even my name, means Beloved. But I had to find my way back to myself and if that meant losing it all – then that was the plan laid out for me.
And then we reconciled and got married and then two tiny ones followed and successful businesses x 3 and a near fearlessness in business and life to follow the calls for creativity and wanderlust and exploration. I totally embrace being multi-passionate!
Two years ago we decided to create a life we fully loved, so we threw out or stored all of our belongings, and packed two tiny suitcases, ourselves, and our two toddlers and moved 1000 miles away to the mediterranean island of Cyprus- birthplace of Aphrodite.
For two years, I was the breadwinner, and now we both run successful businesses, working for the most part four hours per day. Life is good, and life is love-filled, but I learned some MASSIVE lessons along the way, and this site, and all of my creations and programs, are my attempt to share them.
Are you boho?
I was asked this recently. If moving my family 1000 miles away to a sun drenched island in the Mediterranean is boho, if believing in old fashioned romance is boho, if dancing with my children in the waves, meditation, prayer, intuition, yoga, prophecy and writing books is boho (as well as our next family adventure, which is renovating a crumbling ruin of a mansion in France) is boho, if a love for words and poetry and daydreams and the creatives are boho; then long may I be so.
However, that is only one part. The other is fiercely academic, besotted with learning, who left the 9-5 grind to follow my joy. For expansion, and for freedom. I quickly founded a successful hair accessory company that went global, followed by a six figure photography business, and then I realised that my true joy did not lie in just these things, but in many. Some call this being multi-passionate. I call it being whole. Joy is found within; within all of ourselves.
- If you feel like you’re falling out of love with your business or life or your beloved
- Like your relationships are struggling
- Your income is not what you desire and you want to grow your empire
- You desire more peace and passion in your life (no they’re not mutually exclusive)
- Or you simply want the steps that show you how to build a creative life and business that feels good and works-
Because ultimately you know you deserve more love, joy, freedom and more of your own great adventures?
That’s what you’ll get. And perhaps a touch of magical boho too.
Love and Light
My posts are somewhere between wildly useful business + life info, insular wanderings and daydreams, and like having a juice together somewhere lovely with someone who believes in you completely.
