My Weekly Newsletter

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For those that are long time followers, you will recall that I started my online presence with this very blog, Glasgow Mummy, that I began on the 16th June 2011. Gosh - that seems like a lifetime ago now. To the outside world, I was happily married with two young children, living in our beautiful home in Glasgow (hence the blog name!). However, on the inside, I was struggling. The blog became my therapy and I (over) shared my life for a number of years. I separated from my husband that same year, on the 29th December 2011. The divorce was difficult, and prolonged; and I think on some levels I'm still recovering from this. 

I moved from Glasgow Mummy to Ethel Explores... this was in response to my ex-husband who felt that my son would be bullied for being a 'mummy's boy' if I continued with my original branding. However, it was hard to establish myself under this new name (I gave it a couple of years!), and a lot of my followers didn't make that transition with me. Eventually I reverted back, although the blog faded with time. I felt that I wasn't being authentic and sharing my true self. In the back of my mind, I was always worried about what my ex would think, say or do. I was missing the creativity of having a blog; my own space to share and store memories.  

 

Fast forward a few years and I threw myself into a new creative outlet... painting. Following (another) break-up, this time with my boyfriend of 2 years (Rick), I joined a local acrylic painting night class. Every Tuesday night, the 2 hours flew in as I immersed myself in colour mixing and putting brush to canvas. I loved it. 

 

The children have now grown into my soon-to-be 13 year old son, and my 11 year old daughter. I am so proud of them, and despite everything we've been through they are (mostly) a delight to be around. (They have their moments, like any kids!)

 

Before Covid-19, I was very occupied with work (by day I work in the pharmaceutical industry in program management) and the children... rushing from the office to the school to their extra-curricular classes. I was always on the go, and painting took a back seat. I didn't prioritise myself as a person; I was 'just' a mum.

 

The pandemic has been a wake-up call. I am truly devastated for the loss of life, and the suffering that it has caused. However, for me, I've seen some positives. I was in the shielding category, as I take immunosuppressants for Crohn's Disease, and so I was forced to stay at home for a number of months. I got my paintbrushes back out, and set up a make-shift studio at my dining table. I've been revelling in the slower pace. I have been doing lots of inner work, and have taken time out for myself. I'm in a place now where I feel confident to share my work, and have been selling it too.

If you'd like to have a look at my artwork, you'll find it on my website here. I love sharing my story through this medium.

I just checked the dates, and it was two years ago (the time has flown in!!) I started writing email newsletters for my subscribers list. I feel more comfortable sharing more personally via email now than I do on these pages... so my weekly newsletter is definitely the place to be! 

I'm also continuing to write on both my blogs; here on Glasgow Mummy and also on my personal website Sarah Stewart where I blog about time management, productivity, home organisation and small business know-how.

Let me know in the comments if there's anything in particular you'd like me to write about.

Sarah x

Let Me Reintroduce Myself

There have been a lot of changes here in the last few years, and I thought it might be time to reintroduce myself.

Hi! I'm Sarah...

I can vividly remember creating my 35 at 35 list just prior to my 30th birthday... it was a list of 35 things that I wanted to achieve before I turned, you guessed it, 35! And now I find myself sitting at my laptop aged 40!! Where did the time go?

So who am I? 

If you had asked me this question 10 years ago, even 5 years ago... I think you'd have gotten a very different answer to the one I'm going to give you now. A combination of different things - getting older (& hopefully wiser!), the Covid-19 pandemic, navigating some difficult situations with the children and investing in my personal development - have really opened my eyes to what's important in life. Perhaps you can relate?

I'm a single mum of two pre-teens... gosh, what a tricky age they are both at! My son is nearly 13 years old and my daughter has recently turned 11. The hormones are really kicking in! When I was newly single (just before my 30th birthday!), they were 9 months old and just over 2 years old... and I thought it was difficult then. I had believed it would get easier as they got older... spoiler alert, it hasn't. It's a different type of difficult. When they were little it was physically demanding, whereas now it's emotionally demanding. Perhaps it's compounded by the fact that I'm a single mum.

A year ago I gave up my employment, and ventured into a new territory... I had been a Senior Director of Global Program Management at a large pharmaceutical company with teams of project managers across America and Europe, but it just wasn't feeling right anymore. 

You can read more about how I left my corporate career here.

I had been investing in my personal development, the kids were in a difficult spot and I had this realisation that I was prioritising the wrong things. It felt good to step back. I still work in pharma, as a part-time consultant... this means that I can choose the hours I work, and I'm no longer on work calls in the evenings (which came as a result of working with the US and the time difference). With this change in work circumstances, and some other strategies, I've managed to carve out time and space to build my creative businesses.

I'm a certified transformational life coach (although I acknowledge that this is a phrase that's banded about a lot now and perhaps it's not always so clear what it actually is! I've a post on life coaching on my website which might be of interest - you'll find it here). I've decided to call myself a 'productivity coach and small business mentor'. Essentially, I work with small business owners, and help empower them to make sustainable changes in their businesses using project management strategies (drawing on all my corporate experience), plus a mix of mindset work and practical activities so that they get more time. Organisation, systems and processes are my jam!

In addition to the coaching, I'm also an abstract artist and I sell my art via my website. Everyone is creative in their own way, and what I love most is sharing my story... whether that is through my art, my blogs or my weekly newsletters (you can sign up here if you'd like to receive these).

I wholeheartedly believe that it's possible to build a business whilst still being present with your family.

I also believe that it's possible to do this whilst not burning the candle at both ends, or worse yet - burning out.

I am an advocate of living mindfully or more minimally; if you can simplify & streamline your home life then this is one way of creating additional time... giving you freedom to choose what you do with the time you've created.

Freedom and adventure are important to me. One way that I use the additional time I've created is to travel in my campervan, Verity (@veritythevw). My future vision involves more travelling and exploring Scotland. I'm building a business that will allow me to do just that.

Generosity or giving is another value, and I now volunteer every week at the local hospice. I run mindfulness and meditation sessions each week for the out patients at our Living Well Hub. Find out more about my volunteering here on my website.

Lastly I'm passionate about nature and the environment. I get a lot of inspiration from nature for my art, and I love to take walks in nearby parks and forests with my dog, Evie.

Getting clear on my personal values has been an impactful personal development exercise. Being in alignment with my values, in both my personal life and my business, means that my life and work feels good.

Hopefully this gives you a flavour of who I am...

I'd love to hear more about you. Let me know in the comments what is important to you (and if you want some help figuring our your values - this article that I have written might be helpful).

Sarah x

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Here are some ways that I can help you - 

 

🤍 Free training

Slide into my DMs on Instagram with the words ‘Get More Time’ and I'll send you the links to a couple of video training sessions I've recorded on how I use my Google calendar to time block, plus my morning routine and evening routines to book end my days.

 

🤍 Take my 5-day course, ‘Project Manage Your Life’

My popular challenge is now available as a self paced course. Click the link above for more information. In just 5 days, and for £55, I'll have you feeling more organised. 

 

🤍 Work with me 1-to-1

I currently have space for 1-to-1 life coaching clients. Are you a small business owner feeling burnt out, overwhelmed and stressed? I can help you find more time in your day, get organised using project management strategies and personal development techniques, and have you feeling calm and back in control. Find a spot in my calendar here to book in for an introductory call (this isn't a pushy sales call, but rather a genuine desire from me to help you).

It's been a long minute...

Hey! 

It's been a long minute since I last posted here on Glasgow Mummy! How have you been?

I wanted to provide you with a wee update on the latest in my world...

Well, wasn't the Covid pandemic an experience to say the least!! It felt so surreal at times, and I also can't get over the devastation that it caused. It's been a wake up call, that's for sure.

Since I last wrote, I've left my employment in the pharmaceutical industry and am instead following other creative pursuits that truly light me up! I do still work in pharma, but on a part-time basis as a consultant whilst I build and grow my other businesses.

I qualified as a transformational life coach in 2021, and am working with mums starting out in business as a productivity coach and business mentor. I love that I can bring to the table my 13 years of corporate project management experience into this space. 

I'm also an artist, and sell my unique and colourful abstract art via my website shop.

You'll find me blogging on all things productivity, personal development, small business, creativity and art over on my new website, www.sarahstewart.co.uk

I also write a weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

Lastly, if you want to hit me up on Instagram (where I hang out most days!), you'll find me here:

@sarahstewart.co.uk

@sarahstewart_art

@sarahstewart_wellness

@veritythevw

Best,

Sarah x