The Power of Choosing

The Beauty of Slowing Down - it has more benefits than you think.

In this episode of The Power of Choosing, Trudi and Claire explore the beauty of slowing down especially in a fast-paced world that rewards constant productivity. They highlight how rest, stillness, and “nothingness” are necessary for both body and mind and discuss how pushing through without pauses can lead to burnout,. They use examples from exercise, sleep deprivation, and the way stress often surfaces as illness or irritability when emotions are ignored. They also reflect on how instant-gratification culture and phone use disrupt silence and spaciousness and how pauses can be grounding and spark clarity. The conversation emphasizes that big life changes and grief take time to process, that feeling messy or uncertain in transition is normal, and that allowing emotions—joy, sorrow, anger, and more—supports a fuller human experience.Why this matters?: Our body keeps score so if we don't find time to rest and restore we will be made to anyway. Challenge: Try carving out 5 minutes of your day with no distractions, just stillness. If you would like to get it touch, we would love to hear from you thepowerofchoosing@gmail.com

The Importance of Boundaries (even when they seem hard)

In this episode of The Power of Choosing Podcast, Trudi and Claire explore emotional boundaries and how important they are even when they feel uncomfortable. They share a real moment where one host, stressed about a move, said “no” when asked what she wanted to do next, then later realized she’d been uncomfortable setting that boundary and spun stories about being judged, while the other host had simply heard the no, accepted it, and moved on.They discuss how “no is a complete sentence,” how boundaries often feel uncomfortable because of learned social rules (don’t upset people, don’t cry, be good, help everyone), and how our identity, especially for helpers, mothers, and service-based professionals, can make saying no feel threatening. They highlight that people often overthink boundaries while others aren’t focused on it, and suggest checking what someone needs (to vent or get advice), respecting boundaries without making them personal, and allowing space for feelings without rushing to fix them.Why this matters: because you matter and your feelings and needs are important. Challenge: Look out for times in your week where you are saying yes to things that you don't really want to do. Then if you are up for it, choose differently. If you would like to get in touch with either Claire or Trudi, you can reach us both at thepowerofchoosing@gmail.com

Your Emotions Are Valid

In this episode of The Power of Choosing, Trudi and Claire explore how all emotions are valid, necessary, and part of the human experience. Our emotions act as indicators of needs, boundaries being crossed, and important information to guide what to do next.They discuss how society often shames or suppresses emotions—especially crying—through automatic “don’t cry, you’ll be fine” responses. They share personal stories of learning to allow emotional release, including grief, frustration, and crying in public, and how releasing emotions prevents them from building up and resurfacing later.They address the fear that letting feelings out will mean they will never stop, emphasizing that people are still okay underneath emotions, and suggest using an emotions wheel to expand vocabulary beyond broad labels like “sad” to better identify what’s really being felt.They conclude that no emotions are bad, and allowing the full range creates a richer life.Why this matters: Emotions are there to give us information and pointers to what we need - if we listen to them, life can be much more joyful.Challenge: practice being okay with all the emotions that surface this week and if you're up for an extra challenge - ask yourself what they mean.

Stop Trying to Fit In: Choosing Alignment Over Approval

In this episode of The Power of Choosing, Trudi and Claire explore the challenges of trying to fit in when you don’t truly know yourself, and how that can create unconscious patterns driven by a need for approval.Trudi shares how her former self used social drinking to keep up, while avoiding unprocessed grief, and how it led to feeling disconnected from her own value. Together they discuss how socially accepted “rules” (drinking, trends, activities, career paths) can pull people out of alignment, and how self-knowledge is an ongoing process of exploration, discernment, and noticing what brings genuine joy.They emphasize that growth takes time, that one size doesn’t fit all, and that coaching can help reveal blind spots and shift long-standing patterns.Why this matters:If you worry about trying to fit in you may never live a life that you truly love and one that fits who you are. Challenge:Write a list with your likes and dislikes, start the process of really getting to know yourself so you can start to live a more authentic life. If you would like to get in touch with either Claire or Trudi, you can reach us both at thepowerofchoosing@gmail.com

The Impact of Trust: Trust Yourself and Trust the Universe

In this episode of The Power of Choosing Podcast, the hosts explore the impact of trust and the science behind how it can help change your life. They describe trust as a felt sense of safety and relaxation. They discuss cultivating trust as a practice, especially when it feels difficult, and frame trust as both trusting yourself and trusting the universe (or God/source) as working for you, not against you.Through stories of grief after losing a parent, and a client doubting her ability to move to London despite past successes, they highlight the importance of using evidence from your life to remember you can do hard things.They also critique how marketing and parenting culture can erode self-trust, explain the nervous system benefits of trust versus threat-focused mistrust, and share a house-move example of trusting setbacks as “not meant to be”. They end with the idea that what you look for is what you see and encourage you to look for “the helpers.”Why this matters?: There is a noticeable, science proven shift when you look at things from a "trusting things will work out" mindset Challenge: use the phrase "what's the best that can happen" to help train your brain into seeing all the great things that are available to you.