I was unexpectedly widowed in my 40s and suddenly found myself with two children, a demanding job and no husband. Not coping with life and with no-one to turn to, I needed help. In the early hours one night as, newly widowed, I had to confront my anguish through looking within – and found not chaos and more pain but a space of calmness and route to strength, love and guidance. Soul Maps were born from this experience and the subject of both of my books.
Finding Your Soul Family
We had 5 teenagers at one time! What a perfect training ground for learning to be a life coach. Getting it right with family is quite tricky as they do not hold back if they do not agree with your approach or they feel you have got something wrong. But at least I know they love me and will forgive me.
I have a beloved old cat called Bonkers. It never ceases to amuse me when my husband calls the cat in from the garden for his dinner – Bonkers, Bonkers, Bonkers! Sorry, it’s my sense of humour.
I have trained as a psychic medium for over 15 years. I work as a professional medium providing sittings for intuitive life guidance. Intuitive life guidance is given through reading a person’s energy and gaining a greater view of their life to obtain guidance from passed loved ones, their Spirit guides and their own sub-consciousness/higher self/soul/ depending on their beliefs. I like to call it your ‘Inner You’ as it is more familiar and secular in nature. It never ceases to surprise me how many people have been chatting with their Inner You for years but did not know who they were. This includes me!
I aspire to move from growing older to being an elder. In our current societies, the old are often marginalized, ignored and their contribution not valued. In ancient civilisations, old people were revered for their wisdom. I believe an elder is a person who is respected in their community and gained some wisdom from living. Many people no longer have access to Elders within their community. In the last 30 years a significant migration of people into our cities has happened. In the UK 14.5% of the population lives in London. It is the same in other countries – in France 20% of the population lives in Paris. In cities it is much harder to find a community. When I first moved into London, I was very lonely. I believe others, particularly young adults, find the same. In a community there is usually a diversity of age, backgrounds, interests and life experience. You will find people whose company you enjoy and you trust and respect them. They can offer you different life perspectives that challenge your own view and perhaps modifies both your views and perhaps your behaviour. This is healthy but is lacking in cities. This is the reason why I started my Life and Living blog to address life issues people send me.
Life is crazy but, in my experience, the right things always seem to turn up just when you need them, a person, book or a hug to help you to cope with your life.
I find technology amazing. I know in this always connected world, it is being questioned how healthy it is. So, saying I think it is amazing might seem controversial. However, I believe used appropriately, technology can do amazing things to help keep us in touch with those we love and those that need our care. The more we interact with people from different countries, the more we see that they are the same as us trying to cope with the challenges Life sends us. It never ceases to surprise me the global nature of the audience for my Life and Living blog broadcasts.
I love houses, for their beauty and the living space they create. I am currently project managing the renovation of 4 flats and the build of a new flat in the attic. Compared to my other work it is so grounding. I love putting on my builder boots, high viz jacket and hard hat to go on-site. The team are great and always make me laugh even if something is not going right.
I am a Non-Executive director of the Mount Green Housing Association – I believe having a comfortable and safe home is a pre-requisite for our well-being. At Mount Green we aim to provide good quality rental homes at a price people can afford. Community is important so we support residents in helping it to flourish. Our Resident Representatives are very active in our meetings. It is good to see how passionate they are about where they live.
Finding your Soul Family by Alison Wem is available now from Amazon and all good bookshops. RRP £17.95