Author name: Jeanette Brown

I have been in Education as a teacher, career coach and executive manager over many years. I'm also an experienced coach who is passionate about people achieving their goals, whether it be in the workplace or in their personal lives.

The ancient Stoics practised voluntary solitude not as retreat but as training: they believed a person who could not be alone with themselves was not yet free, because they were still dependent on the crowd to tell them who they were

Self-Improvement / By

There is a particular kind of silence that arrives when the noise of a busy life finally stops. At first, we may welcome it. No meetings. No deadlines. No one asking us to solve another problem before lunch. But once the relief wears off, the silence can become surprisingly uncomfortable. This is something I discovered […]

The ancient Stoics practised voluntary solitude not as retreat but as training: they believed a person who could not be alone with themselves was not yet free, because they were still dependent on the crowd to tell them who they were Read More »

We assumed happiness and unhappiness sat at opposite ends of the same scale, the way hot and cold do on a thermometer — brain imaging research suggests they are better understood as two instruments playing at the same time

Self-Improvement / By

The other morning, I was walking along the Cairns Esplanade feeling genuinely grateful for my life. The water was calm, the air was warm, and people were out walking dogs that appeared considerably more cheerful about exercising than some of their owners. At the same time, I was worried about someone I love. Both feelings

We assumed happiness and unhappiness sat at opposite ends of the same scale, the way hot and cold do on a thermometer — brain imaging research suggests they are better understood as two instruments playing at the same time Read More »

High cholesterol and hearing loss don’t feel like brain conditions, but researchers now rank them among the greatest modifiable contributors to dementia — both treatable, both widely ignored

Self-Improvement / By

Most of us have a fairly clear idea of what “looking after our brain” is supposed to involve. We might do a crossword. Read. Learn something new. Stay socially connected. Perhaps take up a language or finally work out how to play Wordle without cheating. But have your cholesterol checked? Get your hearing tested? They

High cholesterol and hearing loss don’t feel like brain conditions, but researchers now rank them among the greatest modifiable contributors to dementia — both treatable, both widely ignored Read More »

Senior woman with glasses writing in a notebook while sitting on a couch indoors.

Psychology says people who reach retirement without a clear sense of purpose aren’t lazy or lost, they were often the ones who defined themselves entirely by their usefulness to others and forgot to want things for themselves

Life Transitions / By

There is a particular kind of silence that can arrive in retirement. It is not simply the absence of meetings, deadlines or the alarm clock. It is the silence that follows when nobody is asking you for anything. At first, that can feel like relief. You can drink your morning coffee while it is still

Psychology says people who reach retirement without a clear sense of purpose aren’t lazy or lost, they were often the ones who defined themselves entirely by their usefulness to others and forgot to want things for themselves Read More »

Elderly woman in cozy sweater relaxes indoors with a book in a serene setting.

The hardest part of retirement often doesn’t arrive when you stop working — it arrives months later, when the novelty fades and you’re left wondering who you are now

Life Transitions / By

The first weeks can feel like a holiday. The deeper transition begins when the old structure disappears and retirement starts asking you to build a new sense of identity. I remember how strange Monday mornings felt when I first stopped working. For years, Monday had arrived carrying instructions. Get up. Get dressed. Check the time.

The hardest part of retirement often doesn’t arrive when you stop working — it arrives months later, when the novelty fades and you’re left wondering who you are now Read More »

We teach them to sleep alone, eat alone and navigate the world without us — then they do, and the silence in the house feels less like success or failure than it does like grief

Life Transitions / By

A woman I’ll call Helen told me that the hardest moment wasn’t the day her youngest child moved out. That day was far too busy for reflection. There were boxes, missing phone chargers and several tense discussions about whether a pot plant could reasonably be transported upright in the passenger seat. There was a final

We teach them to sleep alone, eat alone and navigate the world without us — then they do, and the silence in the house feels less like success or failure than it does like grief Read More »

People who thrive in retirement aren’t the ones who planned the most holidays — they’re the ones who found something that needed them

Life Transitions / By

For years, many of us imagined retirement as a kind of permanent holiday. No alarm clock. No meetings. No inbox. No one asking for one more thing before the end of the day. Just freedom. And there is something beautiful about that image. After decades of working, caring, organising, leading, raising families, paying bills and

People who thrive in retirement aren’t the ones who planned the most holidays — they’re the ones who found something that needed them Read More »

Psychology says the retirees who feel least lonely aren’t the most social, they’re the ones who kept three connections in working order, one to themselves, one to two or three real people, and one to a purpose small enough to actually live inside

Life Transitions, Self-Improvement / By

The retirees who feel most at home in their lives aren’t the ones with the fullest calendars — they’re the ones who kept three quiet connections intact when everything else changed.

Psychology says the retirees who feel least lonely aren’t the most social, they’re the ones who kept three connections in working order, one to themselves, one to two or three real people, and one to a purpose small enough to actually live inside Read More »

A diverse group of coworkers engaged in a creative brainstorming session in a modern office.

People who step back to focus on what matters often disappoint others first, the friends who relied on their availability, the family who relied on their fixing, the colleagues who relied on their yes, and that disappointment is usually the price of the freedom

Self-Improvement / By

The people who finally reclaim their time and attention almost always leave a trail of small disappointments behind them, and that trail is not a sign of failure but a sign that something has shifted.

People who step back to focus on what matters often disappoint others first, the friends who relied on their availability, the family who relied on their fixing, the colleagues who relied on their yes, and that disappointment is usually the price of the freedom Read More »