Are You Feeling Stuck?

Are you stuck in a job you hate or a career that you feel is grinding to a halt?
The mask you wear for the world says ‘Everything is fine, nothing to see here’. However it is a different story on the inside?
Are there things that need to change?
Do you know what you need to do, and just can’t bring yourself to start?

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

Is it all suddenly feeling ‘too much’?
You start forgetting things, and are so annoyed at yourself for doing so.
When people ask how you are, you just say ‘busy’.
Hormone related symptoms can impact our lives way before menopause hits us.
Joint pain, sleepless nights, loss of libido, migraines and acne can all be in the back ground before we take them seriously.

Has your life derailed?

Do you feel like life has gone off track?
Maybe your spouse has left or your career has hit a brick wall.
Do you sometimes look around and think ‘how did I get here, this isn’t what my life was supposed to be like?’
Do you contemplate tossing it all in, and walking away from your life? Then immediately dismiss it, and get back to work?

About Me

I have spent my career working with people, helping them have a better life.

I am a coach, mother and wife, living in the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. I grew up in South London, in an immigrant family in the suburbs. But I had good fortune with my parents: Dad was born in Calcutta, India, and my Mum came from communist Poland. In the 1970s I got to leave Croydon, and travel with my family through India, and behind the Iron Curtain. I saw parts of the world that my classmates could not comprehend. It sparked my wanderlust and gave me a great respect for how big and diverse our world is. And I gained an ability to move between different cultures, assimilating into them.

I initially trained as a Physiotherapist in England. I was a clinician for about 9 years, working in England, Nepal and New Zealand. I loved my work, particularly when I got to work in rehabilitation. For me, physiotherapy was all about making life better for people. When a patient lost arm function following a stroke, witnessing them regain their ability to get themselves dressed, without needing assistance, was satisfying. It might sound like a small thing, but it was huge. Working with people as they transformed through their health challenges was very satisfying.

As my career progressed, I started managing teams of clinicians. I completed an MBA in New Zealand in 2008, which included an International Exchange Programme at UCLA. This opened a new world to me, I got to attend life-changing sessions on topics like:  goal setting, and conflict resolution, negotiation skills, how we learn. There were so many inspiring options, and I did them all. One of my UCLA MBA subjects ‘Thinking on your feet’ – was amazing.  All these extra courses and fascinating MBA subjects sparked my fascination in human behaviour. And I had some big Aha moments, as I realised that being an effective grownup involved skills that were teachable.

MBA BSc(Hons)

Testimonials

Pia Hopkins

I am so grateful to Jessica and her professional, calm, wise, direct and curious approach to Life Coaching. Before I embarked on this process I wasn’t sure what impact (if any) it might have on my life but the results have been truly meaningful.
Each session offered up new insights and Jessica followed up each meeting with a thorough review, additional resources and useful recommendations that I could take away, consider and implement at my own pace.
I now feel empowered to follow a new path and comforted by the fact that I can trust myself in the process. Thank you Jessica!

Trish Radge

Jessica Macdonald has the amazing ability to break down the most complex decisions into small, accomplishable steps. I was having a mid-career crisis but couldn’t work out how to progress forward. Jessica helped me identify my ultimate goal then over the course of 7 visits she helped me set smaller, achievable goals. Each meeting I would report back my progress and we’d plan the next step.

I highly recommend signing up for the 7-session program. It is incredible how much I achieved over that time and I’ve finished with a clear goal that has invigorated great excitement, something I was lacking for quite some time.

Brad Stricker

I have loved having Jessica as my life coach! She has a sixth sense ability to ask the right questions at the right times, diving below my usual kiwi she’ll be right attitude, to draw out of me MY underlying truth and beliefs. This paired with the variety of tools and techniques Jessica utilises has empowered me to further uncover MY true self and move forward with MY desires…..sooooo liberating for me!! After each catch up Jessica sends through notes containing key thought provoking and concise takeaways for me to reflect on, action items and any recommendations of resources she thinks would be useful for my own self learning. If you want to take the next step to living your best life then get in touch with Jessica!

Marita, Mother of 2

My experience with Jessica was a true eye-opening, life-defining moment. For so long I’d been treading water without even realising it. An opportunity arose to “reinvent” myself, but into what? With Jessica’s gift of true understanding and intuition, I found myself sitting with Jessica for an effortless period of time and enjoying a conversation of true self-discovery. She has an innate ability to focus on the important things that drive people to where they are and where they want to be. She also has the ability to bridge the gap and help a person start moving in the right direction to achieve those positive outcomes. Sincerest gratitude as you have literally changed my life for the better.”

Teresa McDowell

Through Jessica’s nurturing enquiry she creates a safe space from which to explore life’s challenges or confront any fears and blockages that may be holding you back.  I would highly recommend anyone seeking support with navigating their personal journey’s to engage with Jessica and discover what she has to offer.”

Coralie Hurley

Jessica has this incredible ability to see and hear the defining blocks in your life, turning them upside down and leaving you with fresh, empowering, energized views. Amazing!!

Alana Torrie

Working with Jessica has been great she is direct yet caring, holds space for me to talk and through clever practise leads me to my own realisations.
She has shown me that I always have the answers deep down but sometimes need that gentle but objective push to find them.
Whilst expressing can be confronting I always felt comfortable to do so with Jessica.

Rachael Gilligan – Life Coach

I am a Life Coach. I need Jessica in my life because she keeps me on track. I have years of practice at this: self-knowledge, tips and tricks, so many good strategies for enjoying a better life. But like anyone, I have bad days too. And when I do, Jessica always finds an angle I hadn’t considered. She is insightful, respectful, considered and wise. She is also dead easy to talk to and she makes you want to open up and share. I trust her completely.

Creating Midlife Mojo

Ditch the overwhelm and create the change you want to see in your own life.

The challenges of midlife can be overwhelming, and resemble a pressure cooker at full tilt.

Our mental load can be at capacity experiencing our huge variety of demands, including our career, running a business, the home fleet command, caring for extended family, and – let’s not forget – parenting. 

Then there are the internal changes such as fluctuating hormones and how that is being played out in our bodies. We often ignore our body’s messages and easy to delegate this to the bottom of the to-do list. It’s not unusual to feel ill-equipped to navigate this tricky mid-life hormonal terrain. It’s overwhelming and it never seems to end.

What do you want to achieve in 2024?

04th January

What do you want to achieve in 2024?. What is the change that you want to see? What is stopping you? Identifying what is holding you back is vital. Taking action, that achieves change is the keystone. Sometimes it is not what you think. Over a coffee recently, a client told me about how she […]

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Is your job the problem, what is really going on?

07th April

Is your job the problem, what is really going on?  Many of my clients will come to me because they want a new job, maybe a new career. Something is missing, they feel they are not being challenged enough, they can’t see a future at their current workplace, they know they can do better, that […]

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10 ways to reframe your flaws – perfect is not real

14th June

Let me tell you about Steph, Steph just had her first baby. Her baby is gorgeous, she even sleeps through the night. Steph has a lovely husband, who is capable of making a decent meal, giving her a foot rub, changing nappies and being a generally good guy. She has a comfortable home, with a […]

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Too scared to make a change

14th June

I have lots of things I want to do in my life, I have lots of goals. I want to speak Polish, fluently. I want to organise my finances. I want to swim faster. Some goals I am actively working towards. Some are on the back burner. These goals have been on my list for […]

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What do you really want?

14th June

Sometimes you don’t know what you really want. You think you do, you know that one thing that needs to change for life to be better. If you lose weight, you will be happy. If you change jobs, you will be fulfilled. You decide what that one thing is, and start telling people it needs […]

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What stories are you telling yourself?

07th June

Do you love a good story? Stories allow you to make sense of your world. Your brain loves to find meaning in things, it is a ‘meaning-making’ machine. To a child: my mum smiled at me, therefore she must love me. The child has learned to make meaning of mum’s soft gestures, and they start […]

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I feel like my dig deep button is broken

07th June

We all have a ‘dig deep’ button. And they are really handy. Your Dig Deep button means you can get stuff done, you can work late when needed, you can juggle multiple tasks, you can keep pushing through. Most parents wouldn’t survive without being able to dig deep occasionally. But sometimes you go to press […]

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Are you listening to your body?

07th June

How does your body feel right now? You might have constantly tight shoulders, maybe you keep getting sinus infections, your back keeps seizing, or you may be prone to spots. But you are probably dismissing these niggles as just part of your life. So, you don’t pay attention to what your body is saying. Or […]

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Are you who you want to be?

18th May

Life can implode. Sometimes it is obvious, your husband walks out on you, you lose your job or get some bad news. But It is not always obvious. You might realise you have woken up 20 days in a row feeling like crap. You might suddenly look around and wonder why your life hasn’t turned […]

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Mindful parenting and me.

26th January

The Mindful Parent by Shirley Pastiroff, is a book makes my life easier. This is my go-to time and time again when I need to be reminded of tools and thinking frameworks that work for me and my kids. The author is a New Zealand counsellor, mindfulness trainer and mother of five. She has created […]

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The shed saga – creating a home office.

02nd January

Let me bring you up to speed, incase you missed the earlier post. We are building a home office in the garden for me to work from. We have purchased a premade shed called Willow (I kid you not). Installation is a ‘family project’. The shed/home office is under construction, and here is our progress […]

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My top 10 board games – Christmas gift ideas

10th December

With Christmas around the corner. I thought I would tell you about my favourite board games. I sometimes think I had kids, so I had someone to play board games and go on adventures with. Having purchased my share of crap board games, I don’t want you to waste your money. I can be completely […]

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We are going to build a shed – together…as a family project.

02nd December

It feels like we are just out of the gates with November, and are kids are off to races and heading straight to Christmas. Watch out for the wish list. So, what are your plans for the festive season? Are you away on holiday? Or visiting family? There is a difference. One is an actual […]

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Give me a minute, calming strategies for you and your kids

01st November

Have you watched the music video for by George Ezra’s Give me a minute to hold my girl? He is in a small house that’s filling up with water and he rises to the top to get some air. I love the song and the video made me think that is sometimes how we are […]

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Keep calm

19th October

Maybe recently you have been negotiating with the warring factions for the 100th time that week. You wonder if the UN Peacekeeping force has a vacancy. Or are you regularly referring a WWF experience, and I don’t mean the pandas. At this moment you have a choice to stay in the game or tap out. […]

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The adult temper tantrum

26th August

The adult temper tantrum What does your meltdown look like? Do you retreat into a wall of silence? Or do you explode with anger? Or do you pretend that these feelings you are experiencing are not yours, a bit like collecting someone else’s luggage at the airport. We all have tantrums, just some are better […]

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Family life post Iso

15th July

During isolation there maybe things you were forced to drop, forgo or give up. It was the same for adults and children. I don’t miss arguing with my children, persuading, cajoling and enticing them into their next after-school sporting activity. Pre Iso my kids were over-scheduled. We have dropped one sport entirely. While we miss […]

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School drop off after self isolation

09th June

Today 25th of May 2020 the paths and playgrounds of Queensland’s schools will fill with feet, bags, lunch boxes, drink bottles, toe taps, elbow taps and shrieks of delight. Across the media, parents were posting how they could not wait for home schooling to end and for kids to return to school. However, home schooling […]

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The only person you are destined to
become is the person you decide to be.

Title
The way of Integrity, finding the path to your true self
Author
Martha Beck
6 Hours to read

Synopsis

I picked up The Way of Integrity with the thought ‘seriously what has this lady got left to say’. I was not planning on buying it. However, a client was waxing lyrical about how it was amazing was.
Title
Make Your Bed: Little things that can change your life
Author
William H McRaven
2 Hours

Synopsis

“Make your bed” is written by hugely successful, retired Navy Admiral who shares his wisdom for life. It is brilliant and it is also short and concise. Masterpieces don’t have to be volumes in length. I appreciate authors who get to the point.
Title
Atomic Habits
Author
James Clear
6 Hours to read

Synopsis

I loved this book! Easy, practical advice that is life changing. Everybody should read it. “The impact created by a change in your habits is similar to the effect of shifting the route of an airplane by just a few degrees.
Title
The Body keeps the Score
Author
Bessel Van der Kolk
16 Hours

Synopsis

For a deep dive into how our body processes trauma you could read The Body Keeps the Score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD.
Title
The Male Brain
Author
Louann Brizendine, MD
10 Hours

Synopsis

I would encourage anyone who has a male in their life to read this book. It has helped me better understand the men and boys in my life. In other words, everyone should read this.
Title
Dare To Be You
Author
Mathew Syed
3 Hours to read

Synopsis

I decided to read Dare to be You with my daughter over the long summer school holidays. I was worried that she was concentrating too much on trying to fit in at school and not spending enough time being herself.
Title
The Mindful Parent
Author
Shirley Pastiroff
5 Hours to read

Synopsis

The Mindful Parent by Shirley Pastiroff, is a book makes my life easier. This is my go-to time and time again when I need to be reminded of tools and thinking frameworks that work for me and my kids. The author is a New Zealand counsellor, mindfulness trainer and mother of five.
Title
Hold onto your kids
Author
Gordon Neufeld, PhD and Gabor Maté, MD
6 Hours to read

Synopsis

This book by Canadian developmental psychologist Gordon Neufeld and physician Gabor Maté explains why connection to our kids is critical.
Title
It’s a jungle A parents guide to emotions and behaviour
Author
Dr Brenda Heyworth
2 Hours to read

Synopsis

Written by Sunshine Coast mother and child psychiatrist Dr Brenda Heyworth, the advice is practical, and it works. In essence, the book teaches you the framework to help settle the big emotions in our kids and ourselves.

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