PierToPeerCoaching

Welcome!

Maybe a good place to start is to introduce myself...

I'm Kate Bacon: coach, mentor, VA...and budding entrepeneur! I moved to Brighton in October 2002 to escape the big smoke (London) via Seattle (a small detour that involved gaining part of a masters degree in acupuncture - the school went bankrupt - and a few other adventures besides!)

Our freedom to choose how we respond...

Brian Johnson of Philosopher's Notes shares the ideas of Viktor Frankl in "Man's search for meaning" in his latest video note...

The short story for the iPod generation

Recently launched, Spoken Ink is the only site on the Internet devoted to short stories on audio.  Founded by writer, Edmund Caldecott, and actor and voice coach, Constantine Gregory, this is what they have to say about their new service:

"We believe the Internet is a magical place. Suddenly, at your fingertips, is a library the size of Poland and countless librarians who will introduce you to many marvellous authors, ideas and stories that you have only ever dreamed of.

We are worshippers of the short story. The short story is sleek and fast like a puma, as charming as your Great Aunt Mildred and, at times, sexier than Eva Green. The short story is destined to be the great literary art form of the 21st Century. 30 minutes in the company of the right story may change your week, even your habits.

So, if you are writer, a listener, a publisher or anyone, then plug in your earphones, put down your briefcase, take out the ironing board, climb into bed and listen to the great short story with us".

The Independent has also just written about the site, explaining how Spoken Ink is both showcasing the talent of up and coming writers as well as introducing the iPod generation to the literary greats. 

You can sample stories for free and for only £20 get 4 x stories a month to download for the next six months...not only that, but the site has beautiful graphics, a monthly short story competition will be launched next year and, if you're quick, you can catch "Midwinter stories in the Royal Parks" - live readings of Lewis Carroll in a yurt in Hyde Park this weekend!

If like me, you're an avid reader, what's stopping you from signing up...you know you want to!

What is a moment?

Thank you to Lisa Evans for sharing this film in her wonderful newsletter Lighten Up! and reminding me that life is too precious not to stop and notice each moment...x

Shucks, this is what I missed in my acroyoga class while I've had a broken toe...

Lies to Stop Believing

The following article has been written by Aboodi Shabi, a coaching colleague of mine, and European Programme Director for the Newfield Network.  It resonated with me so much that I'm re-printing it here (with Aboodi's permission of course!)

Lies to Stop Believing

The personal development world, in particular, makes many claims about the kind of life that is possible for us, if we follow certain routes, or buy certain books/workshops/coaching, etc.. Some of these claims speak directly to beliefs that we hold about life, too. 

There's nothing wrong with aspirations, or wanting 'a better life', but I think we have come to hold these aspirations as expectations - the idea that we are somehow entitled to them, and that, if only we do the right thing, those expectations will come true.
 
I call these claims "lies to stop believing", because I have found, both in my own life, and those of the people with whom I work, that there is a lot of suffering caused by the disappointment when these expectations aren't met.
 

Enterprise Nation Home Enterprise Day...and the saga of my broken little toe!

This started off as a post about the Enterprise Nation Conference for Home Enterprise Day and includes the saga of my broken little toe...

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready in pre-dawn light to attend the Enterprise Nation Conference in London I managed to stub my toe on the corner of the bath and break it.  Being determined to go to the conference (and having already bought my peak hour train ticket) I pushed it back into place, stuck it up with a sticking plaster and got a cab to Brighton Station.

By lunchtime I wondered if I should get it looked at and, after a detour to a Medi Clinic that wanted 65 quid off me just to see the doctor, a lovely taxi driver took me to Barts (refusing to take any fare as it was less than 1/4 mile up the road).

What were you doing 20 years ago today?

I remember vividly being glued to my small tv set in the kitchen of my studio flat in Camberwell, watching with tears streaming down my face as the Berlin Wall toppled...

Images from my trip to 66th Venice Film Festival

   
 
 











   

Cirkus Cirkor from Sweden in London until 31 October!

Keeping in contact...or how's your marketing going?

How's your marketing going?  Do you have a list of potentials in your pipeline?  Or are you just winging it and hoping businesses will contact you?  Maybe it's time to systemise your client contact process...

Client Contact System

Are you yawning already?  Thinking you have to purchase some special, spendy, software to do the job for you? Yes, that was just my reaction until I created a simple system that works perfectly!  (Goodness it sounds like a sales pitch).

I'll readily admit, my own client contact system, until recently, was a series of very handy sub-folders in my Outlook Express account.  All filed very tidily, in date order by year.  It worked well, up to a point...that being I had to open the folders every once in a while...which I did of course.

Tracking where I was with potential clients however was a little more tricky.  There was no obvious way to see exactly where I was in terms of contact aside from following the email trail.