When the Universe Has Other Ideas

Blessings.

Remember me?

I used to appear in your inbox on a regular basis with my musings and latest blog offerings and then, without any kind of heads up, I disappeared and went basically AWOL.

Well, I am back now, but I am not going to lie, things have changed considerably since mid-September. Before I explain, let me take you back to the scorching hot summer we had. I ended up moving in with my aunt for just under ten weeks to take care of her following eye surgery and seeing first-hand just how much additional support she was going to need moving forward. I moved back home in early September, but I am now back and forth a few times a week to help her with different things.

I am not going to lie, I was exhausted. I was also struggling with my own health, having developed some kind of inflammatory disorder affecting my legs that, even now, the doctors and specialists cannot diagnose.

When I moved back home, I decided I needed to take stock of everything, and I do mean everything. I had a good, hard look at myself, my health, all my different responsibilities and, of course, my business, which means so much to me because it is far more than just a business.

The truth was that my business was not working in the way I had hoped. I was putting in an enormous amount of time and energy without seeing the progress I wanted. This is why I made the incredibly difficult decision to close my membership, which I had loved and poured my heart into for over two and a half years. I cancelled the Sister Circles and postponed the Gatherings. It was time to hit pause and reflect without making any rash decisions.

I came to the conclusion that I needed a break, so had planned to take a sort of sabbatical. I wanted time to think about my business, where it was not working as I had hoped and what I could do about it. I also wanted time to rest, to get out into nature, to read and perhaps do a little studying.

Be careful what you wish for is all I am going to say.

Don't You Just Love It When the Universe Has Other Ideas?

Following a wonderfully supportive conversation with my Coaching Accreditation Board, the IAPC & M (International Authority for Professional Coaching and Mentoring, who I highly recommend if you are considering getting accredited as a coach or mentor), I was advised to join an online visibility challenge called ‘Too Many Leads’, which was being offered by Dr Stephanie Wilson. Dr Stephanie had established She's in Business University following lockdown and has considerable experience in business development and helping women create sustainable income.

The challenge was very good, and I enjoyed being part of it. I also had a wonderful conversation with Dr Stephanie on the Thursday afternoon, for which I will always be grateful. Within the challenge, a number of prizes were available, including the star prize, a full scholarship worth £27,000 to join her ‘Expert to CEO MBA’ programme.

Can you see where this is going yet? Yep, you would be right. It was totally unexpected, as in jaw-dropping feeling of surely-you-have-made-a-mistake kind of disbelief when it was announced that I had won the scholarship. I really could not believe it. But beyond the initial shock was something that meant an enormous amount to me. Here was somebody who believed in me, in my potential and in what I was trying to bring into the world. At a time when I had been questioning the direction of my business, that recognition felt like an extraordinary gift.

Thank you, Goddess and Universe, for such a phenomenal opportunity. Clearly, they had decided that a break was not quite what I needed, but rather clarity, focus and a real sense of direction. With Jupitera currently navigating my second house in Leo, I cannot help but wonder whether this was a gift from her too, bringing her positive energy, optimism, vision and expansion into my life.

So, here I am, a few weeks later, enrolled on the MBA. It really is an incredible opportunity, and I am loving it. It is challenging, but that is a good thing, although I do sometimes wonder what happened to that lovely, restful sabbatical I had planned.

Finding Clarity and Direction

One of the first things the MBA has challenged me to do is look closely at the very foundations of my business. It is not enough simply to want to do something, create an offering and hope that people will be interested. You need to lay the foundations, do the research, explore, ask questions and listen to what people are actually saying. You need to understand their experiences, the challenges they face and whether there is a genuine need for the work you want to offer. And, perhaps most importantly, you need to be brutally honest with yourself.

You also need clarity about who you want to serve and for what purpose. In other words, you need to have a 'niche'. A specific person, facing a specific challenge, who is looking for a particular kind of support. Now, this was interesting because I realised that I had been trying to speak to far too many people, across different age groups, circumstances and experiences. I wanted to help everybody, but in doing so I had lost some of the clarity about who I most wanted to work with.

So, what is my niche, I hear you ask? Well, the answer began to emerge when I looked in the mirror and saw the middle-aged woman who carries so many different roles, responsibilities, labels and expectations. I do not feel middle-aged by the way, and if I am honest, it is not necessarily a term I particularly like. But how else do you describe yourself demographically within an age group? Answers on a postcard please to...

My point is that, in theory, I could be my ideal client. The women I most want to work with are midlife women who have spent years carrying responsibilities, meeting expectations and being there for everybody else, often at the expense of themselves. Women who may have become so accustomed to putting other people's needs first that they have lost sight of their own needs, desires and aspirations. Women who recognise that something is missing, that something needs to change, and who want to begin making those changes rather than simply accepting that this is how their lives must always be.

And that is where things really began to become clearer for me. I am not trying to create something for every woman in midlife, because not every woman will recognise herself in what I am describing, nor will every woman be looking to make changes. I want to work with women who do recognise themselves, who want to rediscover their confidence, strengthen their boundaries and reconnect with their sense of self. Women who are also open to exploring their inner and spiritual lives, whether that is a familiar part of their world or something they are only beginning to discover. For me, personal and spiritual exploration belong together; both can help us question what we have come to believe about ourselves, listen to our own wisdom and consider how we actually want to live.

All of this feels extremely timely whilst we are currently navigating Mercuria Retrograde and Saturnia Retrograde. Let me explain.

Mercuria Retrograde can invite us to revisit things, to make changes and adjustments. It is a wonderful time to reflect. She is currently in the deep, dark waters of Scorpio and this is not a surface-level reflection. Scorpio asks you to delve deep. To not be afraid to face yourself in the depths of the ocean rather than the pretty reflecting pool. She wants you to be brave and truly consider where changes may need to be made.

On top of that, Saturnia is also retrograde in Aries and for me, she is conjunct my Midheaven in my tenth house. The Midheaven, or MC as it is known, is the highest point in our charts. It is traditionally associated with questions of professional responsibility, status, achievement, authority and the structures through which a person contributes to the world.

I believe Saturnia here is asking me to reconsider my foundations, recognise what has been missing and begin putting stronger structures in place.

My current chart actually highlights a number of key transits that I have been navigating for quite a time now with the outer planets, including Plutonia opposing my Ascendant for what feels like years, Saturnia square my Venus, Urania square my Mars, and Neptunia opposite my natal Plutonia. On the upside, I have Jupitera currently travelling through my Leo in my second house, which generally brings some much-needed hope and optimism.

I love astrology. For me, it offers another way of understanding the patterns and influences unfolding in our lives, and of reflecting on what we are experiencing and what may be emerging.

So, waffle over, now back to the actual topic of this blog.

The Evolution of Sacred Reclamation

Sacred Reclamation is still at the heart of my work. It is the philosophy that I stand behind one hundred per cent, my foundation stone, if you like. But it is also living, breathing, growing and evolving, and I think the MBA has helped me become much clearer about what I actually want that philosophy to achieve.

When I first began developing Sacred Reclamation, it was very much about recognising who you are beneath everything and helping to give you some tools to reclaim parts of yourself that perhaps you had lost along the way. That recognition is important, but I have come to realise that it is not enough. It is one thing to hold up a mirror and say, 'Look, this is what is happening', but what happens next? What happens when a woman recognises that she has spent years putting herself last, that she has very few boundaries or that she no longer knows what she wants from her own life? Simply recognising those things does not necessarily help her change them. In fact, it may leave her feeling even more frustrated because she can see what is happening but does not know what to do about it.

I want to go deeper than that. I want to really be of service, not simply point out potential pain points and slap a plaster over them. And I do not want to separate the practical from the spiritual, because that would mean leaving out something fundamental to who I am and the work I feel called to do. My own Priestess path, my relationship with the Goddess and the Divine Feminine, the rhythms of Luna and nature, ritual, reflection and intuition have all shaped how I understand reclamation. They invite us to look beneath the expectations and stories we have inherited, and to listen for what feels true and meaningful to us.

That does not mean expecting every woman to share my beliefs or follow the same practices. Spiritual exploration is deeply personal, and each woman must be free to discover what resonates with her. But insight, whether it comes through a coaching conversation, journalling, a ritual or a moment of quiet knowing, is only part of the journey.

What happens next matters just as much. I want to help women explore practical ways forward, develop the confidence and skills to make meaningful choices, and take action that honours their needs, values and aspirations. To reclaim their place at the centre of their own universe, not just in theory or in a beautiful moment of spiritual connection, but in the way they actually live.

And this is not about walking away from everything or abandoning roles and responsibilities. Life is rarely that straightforward. There may be roles or circumstances we have no choice but to carry, even when they are not of our choosing. They can bring fear, resentment, anger, frustration, disappointment or grief alongside love and commitment. All those feelings deserve space to be acknowledged and expressed without judgement. Sometimes reclamation means making changes, establishing boundaries or asking for support. Sometimes it means recognising what cannot be changed and finding where we still have agency: in the choices available to us, the way we approach what is ours to do, and the space we make for ourselves alongside it. That is sovereignty too. Been there, done that and do not recommend losing yourself beneath it all.

For me, this is where Sacred Reclamation becomes so much more than simply recognising that we matter. It is about reconnecting with ourselves on a personal and spiritual level and learning how to honour that connection through our choices, actions and everyday lives. It has to make room for the different circumstances, responsibilities and challenges each woman is navigating.

Reclamation, Not Transformation

I have become increasingly clear about one distinction: reclamation, not transformation. I do not believe a woman needs to become somebody new to make meaningful changes. We learn, grow and evolve, of course, but there is an essential continuity to who we are. My understanding of astrology reflects that beautifully: the natal chart remains our foundation while the progressed chart speaks to the ways we develop throughout life. Reclamation is not a return to an earlier version of ourselves, nor a promise of a “new you”. It is learning to recognise, accept and honour who we are while making room for who we are becoming.

That belief matters because so much personal development language suggests that we need to become a different, improved person. I see it differently. We can change our patterns, expand our possibilities and make more conscious choices without rejecting the person we already are.

Spiritual practices can support that process in very personal ways. Mindfulness, meditation, Goddess wisdom, crystals, breathwork, grounding, journalling, oracle cards and ritual each offer a different doorway into reflection, connection and emotional integration. None is compulsory; what matters is what resonates with the individual woman. They are not about escaping reality or bypassing difficult feelings. They can help us hear ourselves more clearly, and decide what we want to do with what we discover.

Living and Embodying the Philosophy

And here is the thing. I am not just creating or developing this philosophy. I am actually living it, embodying it, and that has become even more important since beginning the MBA.

I have been learning how to put myself at the centre of my own universe. Not with ego, not with arrogance, but with kindness, compassion, personal responsibility and boundaries. My spiritual practice remains an important part of that. It gives me space to reflect, to connect with Goddess, to listen to my intuition and to consider what I need and what matters. But it also asks something of me beyond the altar or the journal.

I have learnt how to step up and speak up, to ask for help when I need it, to say no when it feels right to do so and to make more conscious decisions about what deserves my time and energy. I am learning that my own needs, values, wants and aspirations deserve attention too, rather than continually being pushed aside.

I am not abandoning anyone or anything. I am still a daughter, a carer, a sister, a friend and a business owner. I still have fibromyalgia and chronic migraines; those things have not magically disappeared. My responsibilities are still there, and now, of course, I have an MBA to fit into the mix as well. But I am learning to make different choices, to recognise what matters most and to let go of the things that no longer feel right or that I simply cannot accommodate. My health and wellbeing are receiving the attention they deserve, and I am becoming more intentional about how I want to live my life.

I am certainly not suggesting that I have everything figured out, because I do not. One of the things Dr Stephanie has spoken about is that being an expert does not necessarily mean having reached some perfect final destination. Sometimes it simply means being a few steps further along the journey than the people you want to help. That really resonated with me because I have my professional experience, my training and my lived experience, but I am still learning and growing too. I am living the philosophy that I want to share, rather than presenting it as something I have neatly mastered and completed.

And you know what? It feels good. It feels empowering.

An Invitation to Be Part of the Journey

I am currently in deep research mode as part of my MBA. I have certain tasks to complete, including putting a survey out there and having some research conversations. This is not about selling. It is pure research, to find out whether there is a real need for the work I want to bring into the world and, just as importantly, to understand the challenges women are experiencing and the kind of support they might genuinely value. I believe there is a need, but now I need the evidence.

So here is my invitation to you. If what I have written resonates with you, if you recognise something of yourself in these words or if the philosophy of Sacred Reclamation speaks to you in some way, I would love for you to complete my short research survey. It should take approximately five minutes. You can choose to respond anonymously, unless you would like to hear more as this journey develops or are open to a follow-up research conversation.

Complete the Sacred Reclamation research survey here.

Your responses will be treated confidentially and used to inform my research and the development of my work. Any findings I share will be presented without identifying individual participants. You can find more information about how your data is handled in my website Privacy Policy.

Now that I am back in the world of reality, I am looking forward to bringing back my regular blogs, reviving my podcast, which sadly got left behind, and soon bringing my YouTube channel to life. I am also beginning to explore how my work might develop in different settings, including the corporate and education sectors, although there is still plenty of research and learning to be done before I know exactly what that will look like.

I cannot wait to see where this journey is going to take me. I am sure it will be fun, challenging and probably quite scary at times too. However, I have realised that I am more resilient than I sometimes give myself credit for, and I have been blessed with the most incredible opportunity, which I intend to make the most of.

I do hope you will continue to join me on this magical adventure and see where it leads.