Friends for Sharks

Kathryn Hodgson is the co-founder of a marine conservation cause, Friends for Sharks (founded August 2014). She is undertaking a World Tour for Sharks with her partner Nicholas Curzon throughout 2015, during which they will visit a number of countries around the globe to give free educational and inspiring talks about their experiences and work with sharks, the threats sharks face and other current marine conservation issues. They are providing lectures and other conservation events for a wide variety of audiences in each country, including aquariums, schools, universities, conservation organisations, scuba diving centres, museums and community groups. They will be completing in excess of 100 events and are fundraising throughout their tour for two charities; The Shark Trust and Project AWARE.

Please see the Friends for Sharks website for their tour blog, events calendar, and to follow their progress throughout this innovative and adventurous undertaking.

Friends for Sharks is a marine conservation cause working to support charities and increase worldwide awareness of the plight of sharks.

 

The Scuba News Articles

Kathryn Hodgson is a guest contributor for The Scuba News. Please see The Scuba News for articles regarding her time as a scuba diving instructor in Egypt and Great White shark wildlife guide in South Africa.

The Scuba News

New Year Kindness

Life has been such a journey for me this year and I am thrilled to be approaching New Year’s Eve with this latest review of my book No Damage:

‘Must read for getting inspired in the New Year’

Isn’t it incredible to think we all have the power to inspire others with simply our words and gestures? It really is that simple to help brighten someone’s world and the best bit is we can ALL do it! We can choose to help others with supportive, kind words and a gentle touch every single day. Now there’s a positive resolution for the coming year.

I am humbled today that my words have found their way to a reader in California and inspired her. Just as I am deeply touched that a reader in Brazil messaged me to say how my words are helping him through his marriage crisis. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful end to my year than to know my story is helping someone.

Are you looking for an inspiring New Year’s read? Maybe No Damage is just what you need. If so, enjoy! ( with a glass of bubbles and a heartfelt ‘cheers’ for 2015).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R2ZF14Q

Happy New Year all and may you receive kind words and gestures when you need them the most.

300 gifts to make us smile

What a wonderful end to the festive season. My free book promotion has now ended and I am delighted to report that I gave away 300 copies of No Damage in just two days! This is such a great end to the year for me.

It is both terrifying and freeing to be sharing my words and to have received such a positive response makes it worthwhile. Check out the Amazon reviews at the end of this post!

If you are reading No Damage please do let me know how you found the book and leave an Amazon or GoodReads review. That would help me really spread the word and hopefully inspire and uplift more people. Now wouldn’t that be wonderful?!

Thank you all and may you have a wonderful time heading towards the fresh beginnings of a New Year.

No Damage is on Facebook

A Christmas Gift

To celebrate the festive season and give a little back to the world to those that need inspiring, No Damage by K A Hodgson is available on Amazon FREE this Boxing Day! Just go on to Amazon, download your copy and enjoy. All I ask is that if you enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon and share the book with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas all from me! Let’s spread some festive cheer!

No Damage on Amazon UK

No Damage on Amazon Worldwide

No Damage

No Damage by K A Hodgson. Available worldwide on Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk

I can’t stop smiling today because I have finally finished and released my book No Damage. I have been writing my story since early 2012 and simply cannot believe little old me has written a book! What makes it even more incredible and joyful is that REAL people are reading my words and leaving the most beautiful customer reviews. I feel like checking it is me they are talking about.

‘I’m only on page 15 of No Damage by KA Hodgson and I get the feeling that after reading the whole book it will change my perception on life. Incredible book, well worth a read (available on Amazon)’

‘I couldn’t put this book down. The writing is so honest, with such sense of humour. I laughed and cried all the way through. Highly recommend’.

I poured heart and soul into sharing my story, I cried many tears and often felt like giving up but I carried on because I had a dream and I still hold that dream close to my heart and tucked away in my hands. From the moment I began writing, I knew that all I wanted was for No Damage to reach people across the world and inspire them. All I wanted was for my words to bring comfort to those that needed it most, to bring laughter, encouragement and a reason to smile when the going gets tough. I wanted to shine a light on the dark corners of life, talk about the taboos and bring hope to the world. I also wanted to delve into the utter embarrassment of being left at the almost-altar twice, the hilarity of internet dating as a novice and somehow finding myself in a South African prison. Life really did throw some curve balls at me for a few years! In spite of everything that happened during those years, this book is a funny and uplifting look at life that promises to inspire the reader. Please enjoy and help me make my dream a reality by sharing this story with your family and friends.

The true story of a woman on the eve of turning thirty who seemingly had it all, with a successful career and home life, until her first fiancé left her at the almost-altar one Christmas and her life began to spiral out of control. This is the hilarious, brutally honest and uplifting story of one woman’s journey to survive having TWO runaway grooms whilst coping with cancer, internet dating as a thirty year old hairy legged novice and her ridiculous, enormous dogs. This is the story of turning a broken life into something brilliant.

No Damage on Amazon.com

No Damage on Amazon.co.uk

‘A beautifully written book. Fascinating in its honesty, gripping in its drama, entertaining in it’s humor and inspiring in its thought provoking analyses of the difficult situations faced by the author in some turbulent years of her life. I challenge anyone to read this book without laughing out loud and shedding some tears.’

 

For the following people and their blogs who inspired me, thank you and Merry Christmas. You are all incredible!

Apartment Wife

Be the love of life

Bucket List Publications

Dave Cenker

Piano with Rebecca Singerman-Knight

Leap life a frog

Miss Lou acquiring love

Letters to Humanity

Less equals more

Cupcake n sunshine

No Damage

The true story of a woman on the eve of turning thirty who seemingly had it all, with a successful career and home life, until her first fiancé left her at the almost-altar one Christmas and her life began to spiral out of control. This is the hilarious, brutally honest and uplifting story of one woman’s journey to survive having TWO runaway grooms whilst coping with cancer, internet dating as a thirty year old hairy legged novice and her ridiculous, enormous dogs. This is the story of turning a broken life into something brilliant.

**Available for purchase worldwide on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon sites**

Dream Catcher

Is there anything more powerful we can do with our life than follow our dreams, our heart’s deepest wishes?

Is there anything more wonderful than creating good in this world from the very act of being happy?

In my humble opinion, the greatest gifts we can give to this world are those of a beaming smile and being truly, soul happy. Where does that happiness come from? I believe it comes from being the unique person that each of us is, from following a path in life that is true to who we are and from walking away from the expectations and demands placed upon us by others if they are damaging and limiting in intent. We are told from early childhood to conform, to behave, to sit down and be quiet and to follow the same life path as everyone else.

We have our magic, unique beauty and dreams educated right out of our hearts as we grow up in a world that places much importance on wealth, success and following the norm as opposed to following our dreams. It is depressing to think that so many potential dreamers, poets, storytellers, healers and weavers of incredible magical lives have their potential crushed as they are encouraged to stop dreaming and ‘get a real job’ when they grow up. As adults we are laughed at if we so much as mention the idea of one day resuming our heartfelt dreams, no matter how small or big those dreams are.

It seems to me that if each of us were allowed to grow into who we truly are from a young age, without constraints, and given the encouragement to follow our heart’s true desires this world would be a healthier, more beautiful place to be. Can you imagine how we would all co-exist if each of us were given the encouragement to be happy? Imagine if happiness was actually a priority in our societies and we were given the support to create, cherish and grow into our true potential.

The beauty of this life is that we CAN, as adults, choose to make a change and actively decide to follow our dreams. It is never too late and in one way or another each of us can follow our heart’s deepest dreams whether it is a complete life upheaval or something as simple as finally pursuing that hobby we adore. We can be who we truly wish to be if we create enough self awareness to let go of fear, quieten our judgmental mind and just do it. That alone is life changing in the peace and mental freedom it brings.

When you mention following your dreams to most people, they laugh and push it aside saying it is pointless, there is no value or gain in pursuing dreams and it is impossible because of….insert a million and one reasons. It doesn’t pay the bills, it doesn’t contribute to a pension and dreaming is a childish habit that should be forgotten. I utterly disagree. I wholeheartedly believe that if each of us commits to what truly ignites our soul and keeps practising, it will eventually all come to good. There is no instant reward or success with giving up a routine life to follow dreams but there is the journey of a lifetime and, with persistence and effort, there is reward in the long-term.

When I was about to take my leap away from a routine lifestyle, I asked myself one simple question over and over again. It never failed to help me understand my true purpose in life and if I was on the right path for me.

If money were no object, if you knew you couldn’t fail and if you had no fear….What would you do?

That simple question has taken me both within myself and across the globe. I am still in the early days of following my dreams, I am working incredibly hard to make it work but I can tell you this. I have never been so happy and that alone is worth everything to me and to those I touch with my genuine, beaming smile.
Take a moment today to consider what truly lifts and inspires you forwards in life and follow that thought. Lift your head to the sky, close your weary eyes after a week of work and fall back to your dreams. If money were no object, if you knew you couldn’t fail and if you had no fear….What would you do? May you have the courage to begin to follow those dreams.

What revolution do you want to lead?

It is Day Seven of the Live Your Legend writing challenge. I think I must be the last person to finish this, as it has taken WEEKS to get this far. This is mostly because I have been busy setting up our marine conservation charitable cause Friends for Sharks and continuing with our World Tour plans for 2015. It is such a privilege to be working full time on this and it is leading me down paths of discovery I didn’t even know existed. It has huge highs and lows, I am learning every day and it is incredible. The best bit is that I am doing what I love and people are interested. Dive clubs, schools and aquariums are booking events with us and this morning I received emails from schools in The Cook Islands wanting to work with us. Did I really make this happen?? It is a leap of faith and one I wouldn’t change (even when I lie awake at night unable to sleep due to fear).

Enjoy the Friends for Sharks blog at www.friendsforsharks.com

I have also taken another leap of faith and entered a travel writing competition. I have never branched into travel writing and felt it was time to push myself and try. Admittedly it terrifies me and I don’t think my writing is necessarily of a ‘travel’ style but we shall see. I hope you enjoy the first of my four entries under the competition theme “Gratitude: A Place That Inspires You to Feel Strong and Hopeful.” 

The Watercolour Coast

Just over the prow of the hill lies the Watercolour Coast

For the final day of the writing challenge I am asked…

What revolution do you want to lead?

The more I pursue my path in life, the more I realise that I simply want to inspire and encourage people to reconnect with the oceans and sharks through my work. I want to provide a healthy dose of optimism and love for the natural world around us at a time when I believe we need it most. I want to be the voice that people listen to and walk away afterwards feeling uplifted and empowered to make changes to improve their life and the environment around them. I also want to be the written voice that takes people away from their troubles in life and comforts them with beautiful words of positivity, enthusiasm and storytelling.

On which note, I have almost finished the final edit of my first book. All 123,000 words of it. It is time to take one more leap of faith and begin the process of approaching publishers with my work.

Have a wonderful day, think about what revolution you want to lead….and then DO IT.

Sunrise at Seal Island, Fale Bay, South Africa.

What difference do you want to make?

Day Six of the LYL blog challenge and I am asked what difference I want to make. This one is definitely an easier question to answer for me than Day Five but it is the how that remains the tricky part and having the self belief that I can make a difference that sometimes evades me.

I know I want to inspire people to follow their dreams and live a life that is true to them. I want to use my life as an example of what you can do if you refuse to quit, keep pushing on inspite of your fears and setbacks. I want to reach and encourage people with my words and to be a part of the process that helps them grow through life. I want to be a person that others feel supported by and encouraged when they are on the brink of making life changes that are outside of the norm of what we are told to do with our lives. I want to help people blossom.

I want to spread happiness, encouragement, self belief and support. I want to educate and inspire others to love the world around them and to coexist in a more peaceful, free-minded way.

I want to speak up for those that can’t!

When I am gone I want to be remembered for being a gentle soul that had the courage to try and made a difference in some way to others’ lives. I want to be remembered for stepping outside of the realms of what is considered a normal career and for experimenting with doing great things, following my dreams and helping others.

What makes me angry is when others try and tell people, and when we tell ourselves, we shouldn’t and couldn’t and ought not to do things that are creative and fun. When we do not follow our real passions and talents and hide them away with shame and embarrassment – we hide our light. I get angry at people who mistreat other living beings, who bully and oppress those that are a little different and who have dreams of their own that are perhaps not as mainstream as many. I want to encourage those people, reach their fears and help them achieve their own potential in life. I hate how people tell us to live our lives and keep people in small boxes. I want people to be free.

Inspire Me

Otrazhenie – The secret of getting ahead

Endless Light and Love – Bring more happiness

Better Endings Now – Magical thinking

You Can’t Hide the Spark – Morphs Words of Wisdom

Following My Fear

The grip of fear. It is something we all feel at times and it literally chokes the zest of life out of us and keeps us standing still in a thick bog of self doubt at times. Can you remember the last time you felt that way? Are you there right now? I certainly am.

It is the madness of my mind that one day I can be full of life and belief that anything is possible and then, the very next day, nothing is possible. Suddenly I am standing in a smelly, wretched bog of fear and my creativity has flown away into the distant sunshine. How does the mind play such tricks when nothing, absolutely nothing has changed to cause that fear to rise in the first place? That alone is a reminder of just how powerful a tool the mind is if we harness it correctly. It certainly is a master of chaos when left alone.

So, I am standing in the middle of my fear at the moment and, as the mud is seeping into my boots, I have been struggling to set myself free. I have been fighting against my fears, wriggling this way and that to get away from it in a fit of huffing and flailing arms and then giving up until I get my breath back. I have been feeling lost and unsure of which way to turn to rid myself of this state of mind.

But then it occurred to me this morning what the real problem is. Instead of allowing my fear to exist and following her to see why she is here I am fighting her. Since when did fighting get any of us anywhere other than into trouble?

I need to stop that right now. Instead of fighting my fear I am going to allow her to sit there quietly next to me and see why she is occurring in the first place. Fears are based on irrational lessons we have learnt at some point and, to our subconscious mind, those fears make sense. Perhaps by getting to know my fear instead of batting her away, I will set myself free. Perhaps simply by knowing that it is okay to feel fear, by allowing her to sit quietly at my desk as I write and watch as I show her an alternative life of joy and laughter, fear will in time settle down.

When fear loses its significance and power over me and becomes an acceptable, perhaps welcome, visitor I can transform her. I can mould her gently into something new that need not hold me back as I pursue my dreams in life.

 

Fear can become my friend, my way of knowing when I need to look deeper to heal old wounds.

Isn’t it sad that we allow our fears to hold us back instead of them being a tool of discovery and investigation? Each of us has fears, whether we choose to admit it or not, and we hold ourselves back from our true power and beauty in life by sitting in the shadow of fear. We all have dreams we didn’t pursue, talents and passions we thought were second rate and not good enough to be shared. How different would the world be if each of us allowed ourselves to shine and let fear fade away?
That is my work at the moment, allowing myself to reconnect to my peace and begin to shine again in my own small ways. I am starting with a healthy dose of play this weekend amongst nature, my favourite breakfast and a reminder that I am doing my best to transform. I am trying every day to follow my dreams fearlessly, I am trying to make a difference and it is okay that right now I feel a little lost as I stomp about in the bog.
Today I am going to sit in my mud pit of fear, eat my marmalade on toast and raise a big steaming mug of English tea to the sunshine. I am going to make it a comfortable place to be, hope the mud doesn’t ruin my clothes and see what the day brings.

Inspire Me

Endless Light and Love – Life is so ironic

Prose over Bros – Relax

Miss Centsible – Speak quietly to yourself

Totally Inspired Mind – Do It badly, do it slowly

Bourbon Tea – Hooray for play

What’s your elevator pitch?

Isn’t it strange how we feel fear when someone asks us to define our hopes, desires and dreams? As if it is somehow selfish and unrealistic to have them? In this day and age the world desperately needs more dreamers, more creators and people who are willing to step up to the mark and create a better future for mankind. Nonetheless this question fills me with fear. So….what is my elevator pitch?

I am excited about inspiring others that feet lost and unsure about their path in life to step outside of the conventions of society, outside of their fears, dream big and lead a life that is true to the person they are. I am excited about reconnecting people with the natural world around us, specifically the oceans and those magnificent, awe inspiring creatures called sharks.

 

I am also excited, deeply excited, about writing. More than anything else in this world I want to use my words and create new worlds.

I am excited about this because I know how inspiring words can change a life. I have been incredibly lost at times, an outsider full of fear, and it is an incredible gift to now be able to pass on my knowledge, experiences and passion to inspire others to step up and make a change for their future. I am so crazy excited about the possibility of inspiring others to make a positive change within this world.

It ties into my story because I turned my life around against the odds and I know how it feels to be in need of support. I have such passion to inspire others, to speak up on behalf of those that can’t and I have plenty of experience of life’s pitfalls and getting up time and again to keep creating. I can relate to people, I care about them and I can  create bonds that I believe lift people and make their day that much brighter just by reading my words.

My elevator pitch isn’t very refined yet, it isn’t as short as it ought to be (1-2 sentences max) but I can hear the passion inside me trying to overcome my limiting beliefs, I can feel that I care and it is giving me an idea of how to define and act up on my passions. Take a moment yourself and have a go at creating your elevator pitchThe Live Your Legend guidance to do so is here. Go for it!

Inspire Me

The Other Side of Ugly – You are not a tree

Totally Inspired Mind – Yesterday I was clever

Mastering Today – Change your life

Princess of the light – Be the little engine and believe

Positive Outlooks – Regret is not an ideal way of life

Being thankful and a little bit proud

I am really enjoying the blog challenge I signed up for with Live Your Legend. I receive a daily writing prompt each day and here are the latest two and my thoughts on them. Perhaps you’d like to think about and use those prompts yourself? It is a fascinating exercise. Here are the latest two:

What do people thank you for?

Initially I found that difficult to answer but then I realised that people thank me for inspiring them to follow their dreams, for encouraging them to keep going when they feel like all hope is lost. I have been thanked for reminding others that we all have difficult times and for helping them fell less alone by sharing my own fears, vulnerability and life stories with them. I think it is the comfort that come from emotional connectivity and support that helps. People also thank me for helping them find their courage and resilience to keep going and keep fighting for what they believe their life could be.

Oh an finally…they also thank me for my optimism, enthusiasm and belief that anything is possible if we just give it a try!

What’s one thing you’re proud of?

One thing I am very proud of is simply surviving. I know that may sound bizarre, we all survive on a day to day basis and there is nothing exceptional in that word, but it means everything to me. It may turn you off to read that I am proud of surviving but really, truly I am.

I went through what was, for me, an incredibly tough time in 2008 and it lasted for four long and painful years. Every time I got back up and tried to rebuild my life, the world dealt me another blow and I fell to my knees again. But every single time it happened, I refused to give up. I cried many hot, angry tears and felt a good deal of grief, shame and hopelessness but I got up and survived it all. Plus I built a life afterwards that I adore. I was stubborn and refused to give up on optimism and smiling and that pulled me through every day in which I never wanted to see the sun rise again.

I am incredibly proud that, on the back of those four years, I had the courage to move overseas and carve a life for me that contained no guarantees but it did (and still does) contain a chance at fulfilling my dreams of working with sharks and of becoming a writer. It is not yet two years down the line and I have finished my first ever book, which tells my story of those difficult yet inspiring years beforehand. The first two unedited chapters are here if you would like to read them. It is not yet two years down the line and I have just begun to create a charitable cause for sharks and marine conservation with my awesome and incredible partner in crime Nicholas. Out of interest, that cause came about because a serious back injury meant I had to give up my job and career plans for the future this August and find a new way forward whilst I recover. It is not an easy time but again I am surviving, smiling and making something new out of it. As I sit here typing I have an ice pack strapped to my back! So yes, perhaps you can see why I am so proud of myself right now.

Please check out our fun and interesting charitable cause Friends for Sharks Facebook page and our website if you have a moment. I can’t believe we almost have 500 likes already (I am so excited about that) and the website has a fun 3 min promo about our World Tour 2015, which had me in stitches when we were filming and I kept forgetting my lines.

We are busy working full time and unpaid on this cause so that we can give educational talks about our work with sharks and marine conservation to people around the world throughout 2015. I have no idea how successful or not it will be for us, it has many unknowns, but I feel inspired and happy. My hope is that feeling that way and showing others what we are doing will inspire them to also reconnect with nature and follow their dreams in life. Plus we will also be raising money for our two nominated charities along the way. That alone has been worth surviving for!

Inspire Me

The Dingo was Here – Makings of a Hero

EA Squad – Tom’s Story

It’s Holly Bea – It’s all about your attitude

ToeMail – Each day is a gift

Endless Light and Love – There is wisdom in everyone

Right, let’s do this

I am struggling with my writing this week since finishing the first draft of my book…all 123,000 words of it! It has been my baby for the past year and a half, which has incidentally been the biggest 1.5 years of change in my life. It has been incredible and at the moment I am truly missing writing my book. I am feeling nervous as I stand on the edge of the abyss preparing to find a publisher. The usual human fears are popping up about whether anyone will want to read it, if it is worthless, if it is boring blah blah and yet I know that none of things those are true.

It is a flipping brilliant book, it really is, and I created it in the hope it would inspire people. I wanted my book to be a piece of work that someone would pick up during a difficult time in their life, sit down with a cup of tea and read from cover to cover. I wanted that person to read it and say to themselves by the end: if she did it then so can I. That book…she is funny, hilarious at times, heart warming, emotional, heart breaking, ridiculous, unique and just brilliant. Really, a great read. I say that not as the author (that would be terrifically arrogant of me) but as the person that experienced the story happening to themselves and so was the hands through which it was written. I am merely the storyteller and I can say the book needs to be out there and shared. It really, really does and I do not yet have the contacts to make that happen….yet…in the way I would like to do so.
At the moment I am thinking about how to reach the most people possible so that nifty little book can get to work inspiring others. I need to swallow my fear and find the courage to approach agents and publishing houses. Honestly, it scares the inspiration out of me. It does not feel like an easy task right now and I am faltering.

In the spirit of being courageous and making a new change in my life I decided to share the first two chapters. So here they are, warts and all at this link.

Welcome to the first edit of the first two chapters of my book. (Deep breath on my part).

Would you read it? Let’s see if I reach anyone that might just be willing to help or inspire me to give this book a life.

On a different note I also realised it is high time I brought this blog of mine back up to speed. It has taken a back seat lately, I have lost my blog mojo and I really want to let it blossom into the great site it has the potential to be. I have been rooting around to find my inspiration to get going and found a Blog Challenge to join. Here are the basics:

I’m super excited to have joined the free Start-A-Blog Challenge with Scott Dinsmore from Live Your Legend. It comes with a free 7-day course to help build a successful writing habit and a private community of over 1,500 writers, and I’d love any of you friends to join me! You can access the free course and join the challenge here: http://liveyourlegend.net/start-a-blog-challenge-2015/

Over the next seven days I have a number of blog tasks to complete relating to the course, so watch this space. The first question I am prompted to answer is

What really makes you angry about the world?

Quite simply it is when people stop trying. We all have setbacks, failures, shortcomings and fears. ALL OF US. But guess what, here is the great bit, we can all try to overcome them. Every single one of us has the tools, talents, gifts and ability to make a change in our lives for the better every single day – be it large or small. We can either give up or get up and create something good in the day and inspire ourselves (and others in the process) to bring positivity into the world. Few things make me angry and frustrated but one of them is when people give up trying. In fact I’d go so far as to underneath the anger is sadness. It makes me incredibly sad when people no longer feel able to try.

Life is a gift and it should be lived to its fullest by every single one of us, every single day. Onwards team, go try!

Inspire Me

Cristian Mihai – October

Life Paths for Better Endings – Your archetype allies

The Muscleheaded Blog – Dr Seuss Says

Princess of the Light – Wordplay

You Can’t Hide the Spark – The good news about crying

Putting on my Happy Shoes

Paddington, THE master daydreamer!

Filming on location at Millers Point

The flowers at Millers Point are incredible!

Millers Point

Daily Walking

Our Friends for Sharks mascot; a cheeky and friendly little Blue Shark

This week I am mostly learning the art of awareness and stepping back from overworking myself.

It has a busy time for me as we are launching our charitable cause and super exciting venture Friends for Sharks. We had an absolute hoot filming our promo video for this. I couldn’t stop laughing every time I forgot what to say, the sun shone down on us and we got to spend time at the beach talking about oceans, inspiration and following your dreams. What more could I ask for?!

It feels incredible to be following this journey after some difficult times recently. Yes I am a little apprehensive at times, having given up our paid work to do this (eek) but I’m also feeling pretty perky and bold as I put on my happy shoes and have a metaphorical dance around the room each morning. I love my life!

Please take a peek at our promo video.

Enjoy the scenery, the oceans and us having a little chat about our plans.

It is awesome for me to think we are committed full time to raising money for charity for an entire year. Life is too short to focus solely on personal financial gain and already we are enjoying devoting ourselves and our voices to a good cause. I am determined we will raise enough sponsorship and donations to make Friends for Sharks a success and, best of all, we will inspire people around the world to be the change they wish to see. What is not to love about a plan like that?! I am over the moon excited that we already have our first talk booked; at Melbourne aquarium next year.

Do you know anyone that would like to host us as guest speakers?

Please point them in the direction of our tour itinerary.

If you feel inspired to support us with a donation, please check out our happy little GoFundMe campaign and share it with your friends and family. Every penny counts to us and it is all for a fantastic cause.

One of the challenges for me throughout this venture is finding my balance, my happy, and not overworking myself. I am often like an overeager puppy, with bucket loads of enthusiasm and no ability to stop myself until I become exhausted. The challenge for me right now is to rein myself in and make sure I give my body and mind time to rest. I am slowly starting to recognise that actually it is inefficient working all day long anyway. Our minds are capable of being more productive and efficient if we give them a chance to rest, to daydream and be creative.

The biggest thing I can do to help improve my work output is actually to work fewer hours and spend some time watching the world go by in my daydreams. One of my favourite ways to do this is my Daily Walk and I am trying hard to make sure I take time off every day in addition to that. Admittedly it is not always happening but it is a journey that I am committed to.

My other learning curve this week is about being fearless. I am practising pulling on my superhero pants, reminding myself I can do this and being fearless about the future. I waste far too much time on pointless worries and ‘what ifs’ and I don’t want to be that way. I have no idea how the next year will pan out (will I end up homeless with fleas? Possibly, maybe not, I don’t know) but I can choose not to be fearful and to embrace whatever lies ahead with absolute acceptance and a pretty welcome mat.

On this beautiful afternoon I am practising creating that welcome mat in my mind and it looks a little like this.

Be fearless, enjoy today and accept whatever comes your way with a welcome mat

and your favourite pair of happy shoes.

Onwards we go!

Inspire Me

There are so many awesome blog posts inspiring me right now. Here are my favourites that are definitely worth reading.

In the Stillness of WillowHill: Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet

Totally Inspired Mind: Words of wisdom found this week

Leap Like a Frog: Living your life happily ever after

Apartment Wife: Hopeful beginnings

With Love from CA: A look inside the art portfolio

This Italian Family: The world’s largest tree house

Life Paths for Better Endings: The quest

Friends for Sharks World Tour Fundraiser Now Live

I am thrilled to announce the planning stages of our Friends for Sharks charitable World Tour 2015 are well underway.

Nicholas and I have been working our socks off every day (and night!) and all you need to know about our campaign is found within our fun short promo video on our website here.

Kathryn & Nicholas. Co owner and creators of the marine and shark conservation cause Friends for Sharks.

Please take a moment out of your day to watch our promo video, get to know us, enjoy the shark footage and share our message.We are raising money for two fantastic shark and marine conservation charities; The Shark Trust and Project AWARE

We have given up all paid work to commit to raising money for our charities during 2015 by organising and undertaking an educational and inspiring world tour. This is no easy task and we need your support!

Please help us by donating to our cause here and sharing this blog to raise awareness.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.

Just keep walking

Throughout daily life there is one simple habit that has kept me on an even keel; walking.

I have always referred to my daily walk as my Sanity Walk and refuse to miss a single dose of it. It doesn’t matter where I am walking, what has happened in the day and whether it is pouring with rain or bright sunshine. It can be morning, noon or night, I don’t care. It is my moment to stomp, march, skip, meander and wander along paths of every kind and in every country I visit. No matter how grumpy or miserable I may feel beforehand, my Sanity Walk uplifts and inspires me. Some of the greatest decisions I have made in my life have occurred during my walks. Stepping one foot in front of the other has  seen me through devastating times and serious injury when it was all I could do to keep walking whilst tears filled my eyes and threatened to trip me up.
In honour of my humble, yet irresistible, potters I am sharing some of my favourite walking moments from the years gone by, just as I step out of the door to go on my next adventure.
Keep treading those paths and life will continue to unfold.

Daily Walking

I am NOT my story (and neither are you)

It was whilst having lunch with new friends this week that I remembered I am not my story.

I really enjoy listening to other peoples’ stories; their history of triumphs and failures, joy and loss and the moments they choose to share and believe define who they are. It is a privilege to hear such tales and be trusted not to judge but to listen with an open mind and enjoy a moment immersed in someone else’s world. Though perhaps it is not that I am trusted to not judge but more that they don’t judge themselves for their history, their story, and so it doesn’t matter what I think. I always admire people that have the courage and honesty to just be themselves warts and all.

My journey with my past is an ongoing one and I struggle to admit the recent years of my life when people ask me how I came to be where I am today. I gloss over it as quickly as possible with a series of short sentences that define four painful and embarrassing years of my life because a part of me still feels ashamed. There is a piece of me that is still working on coming to terms with the fact that in the space of four years I was left at the almost-altar by my fiancé just weeks before our wedding, my mother, my best friend, died of cancer and ultimately I lost my career, my home and a whole lot more. Heck, my life was a nightmare at that time and I fought tooth and nail to create something positive from that wreckage whilst also being hideously embarrassed by my circumstances. I have worked on my self-esteem, built a new career overseas and made life choices that have led me to where I am today which is a place of happiness and a lot less drama. I have taken responsibility for my part in each of those moments in my life, I have forgiven others and yet I still feel ashamed to admit it all. I can’t bring myself to say it out loud without turning that series of events into a joke or a flippant tale as I mutter and stare at my glass of wine and shrink into my chair. I am all for listening to other peoples’ vulnerability and stories but less of a fan of sharing mine.

So today I am taking a step away from my shame and a step towards remembering I AM NOT MY STORY by writing that series of events out here. Yes it hurt like hell, it still does on some level, but it does not define me and it changed me in ways I am utterly thankful for. I have more compassion, empathy and understanding than I ever did beforehand and I am adamant that I will use my story to inspire others once I have finished writing it all out in my up and coming book. In the spirit of doing so here is my first admission, with bells on:

I was left at the altar not once but twice.

Yes, you heard me correctly.

I have TWO runaway grooms to my name.

 

I would like to say I feel less ashamed by saying that but I mostly feel like an idiot. On the other hand though, if one person reads this and feels less alone, less embarrassed by their history, then it was worth it. Ultimately all I want to do is help those in similar pain know they are not alone and speak up without shame. If I could survive all of that, which I did, then they can and will too. Keep walking forwards all and don’t let your story, whatever it is, define who you are.

Inspire Me
Luca’s Cloud What would you do if you were not afraid?
Princess of the Light Seize Every Opportunity
Brene Brown Listening to Shame
Brene Brown The Power of Vulnerability

Hope, Faith & Cake

Is it better to hope that everything will be okay or is better to have faith?

I was watching an incredible TED Talk by Andrew Solomon recently (a must watch) and he touched on the tragedies in his life and how he prefers to rely upon faith rather than hope. He made the point that hope is less concrete, it is wistful and a beggar of good fortune whereas faith, religious or otherwise, is a solid foundation of knowing that everything will be okay.

 

When I lie awake at night listening to the frogs settling down in the wetland I have the occasional freak out (read that as often not occasional) about life and it goes along the lines of the usual bumf that we all worry about; health, finances, love, relationships, security etc and it is not pretty. I can waste hours staring at the ceiling and worrying about what ifs and they achieve absolutely nothing. No matter how much I worry it won’t change anything and life will inevitably go down the path it is meant to regardless of how much I think about it, procrastinate and panic like a mad thing.

 

So lately I have taken to giving both hope and faith a try in my darker moments and seeing which fits best. Bear in mind that when anyone worries, logic and rational thought go out of the window on a holiday, so it is quite difficult to grasp at sane options such as hope and faith but it is possible. I gave hope a try and rather liked her. She was a cheerful, effervescent kind of soul and being hopeful definitely has a place in my heart and brought me back down to earth with a smile on my face.

 

 

 

But faith? Now we are talking the good stuff. I am not religious but I absolutely do have my own faith and leaning on that as I stared at the ceiling in worry felt fantastic. That old soul, the one you can rely on anytime of day and night that makes you feel comforted and safe, no matter how awful your problems are, that is faith. He is a pretty awesome character and I found that if I just breathed deeply and reminded myself that life will do as it plans and I will be okay, then I found my sleep.

 

  

 

Both hope and faith are powerful tools for getting through difficult times in life, for those moments when we are alone and need to rely on our inner strength to get us through. As part of my journey I am drawing on hope and faith more often than I used to and it feels really good. I have been through enough challenges in recent years to know how it feels to hit rock bottom more than once and I wish I had known as much about hope and faith then as I do now. Perhaps it would have been less of a roller-coaster, though who knows. All I can know is that this inner strength is a soft blanket that I can carry anywhere I go and yet it weighs nothing and demands no maintenance. It is the ideal comfort for grownups, especially when served with a healthy dose of cake, and I strongly suggest you cultivate one of your own.

 

 

‘A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort’

– Herm Albright

Inspire Me

Team Rowlands – The wonder in teaching

Cristian Mihai – Heart

The other side of ugle – Morning mantras

Princess of the light – Happiness is like a butterfly

Friends for Sharks is Live!

Friends for Sharks is a non-profit cause promoting marine conservation

and increasing worldwide awareness of the plight of sharks

 

Please take a moment to share this charitable cause I have created with my partner Nicholas and join as us we embark on an exciting and innovative world tour in 2015!

Learn more at: http://www.friendsforsharks.com

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FriendsforSharks

On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FfSharks

On Instagram: http://instagram.com/friends_for_sharks