How I Came To Bea
Iâve been an intention seeker my whole life. Whether itâs reading way too many books at once or wandering off the path to somewhere new, Iâm constantly wondering how we can make sense of the messy experience of being human in the twenty-first century.
In Spring 2017 I hit rock bottom. I was working for an advertising agency in London and I was burnt out, anxious and unhappy. I knew I needed to change my life but I didnât know how. I left my job, and took a month off. I slept. A lot! During this month-long pause, I realised that I had been unfulfilled and unhappy for most of my professional life. The most frightening thing was how much I had normalised this unhappiness as âwork-related stressâ at best and at worst an inevitable outcome of my own inability to cope with the responsibilities of the roles I had been employed to do.
BeaGrist
âWe teach best what we most need to learnâ
Richard Bach
From That Point On
From that point on I realised I wanted to create a life that would be as full an expression of my true self as possible; and now I help others to do the same. I became a certified coach in 2019 and completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali in 2022.
The rest, as they say, is her-story.
Powerful Pause
My Training
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The Co-Active Coach Training Pathway is considered the most rigorous, ICF-accredited programme available for professional coaching development. I am also a 400-hour qualified yoga teacher (RYT), Trauma-Informed Coach and am trained in Mindfulness, Meditation, Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Mental Fitness (all the Mâs, ha!) My coaching and yoga training weave together beautifully, thus enabling me to bring the benefits of both roles to every part of my professional life. My coaching is unique in that it combines ancient yogic philosophy and knowledge from the East, with the latest evidence-based neuroscience from the West, all designed to support you to grow your mental and emotional resilience, as well as your ability to perform under pressure.
My Interests
I have a deep passion and interest in womenâs health and empowerment and love supporting women to cultivate healthy self-esteem, self-discovery and self-belief. I enjoy creating empowering and sacred spaces for women to show up fully by stepping into their wild and feminine power. I strongly believe that the body has (nearly!) all the answers and that as women, the cyclical wisdom we have been gifted can be intentionally harnessed to help us live more in alignment with nature and the world. Some other things - I am slightly addicted to visiting Bali and drinking coffee (drinking coffee in Bali whilst overlooking the rice fields is my kinda heaven!) and I love wild swimming, knitting and animals of all shapes and sizes. I am currently learning how to make clothes with an actual sewing machine which requires A LOT of patience! Before training as a coach, I spent twelve years working in the performing arts and entertainment industries at some of the UKâs top producing theatres, with high-level producers and directors, both in the West End and at leading performing arts venues across the country.
a worldwide pause
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, I decided to take action. I set up a global network of 85 life coaches to provide coaching to actors and performers. The network collectively coached over 600 actors and performers offering out in excess of 1,700 coaching hours. In 2020 I founded the âWellbeing Seriesâ, an award-nominated wellbeing programme for actors and performers which I launched at Spotlight (Europeâs leading casting platform) to support and empower actors and performers to navigate the mental health challenges of the acting profession and the uncertain times that we're living through. I also created âPowerful Pauseâ a meditation podcast for actors, which is still one of the most downloaded in the industry.
Hereâs what Iâm passionate about:
I am passionate about making time to pause and reflect, prioritising what matters most, and leading with compassion towards ourselves and others. Whether Iâm coaching, leading a yoga class, or running a retreat, this heart-centred approach is at the core of everything I do. When we lead from our hearts, we make others feel seen, heard and valued. I believe this is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other.
Here are my core values
Our values are who we are. Not who we would like to be or who we think we should be, but who we are in our lives, right now. Our values serve as a compass or roadmap pointing out what it means to be true to oneself. When we honour our values on a regular basis, life feels juicy, alive and fulfilling.
These are some of the things I love and consciously honour in my life:
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Freedom is being on the back of a scooter riding through Baliâs rice fields or taking long walks through cities, discovering new areas or squares I never knew were there (Rome is great for that). I also feel a deep sense of freedom when I am out running in nature. I love the feeling of getting from A to B under my own steam. Itâs also having the independence, flexibility and finances to be able to drop everything to go somewhere, or do something wild, new and thrilling.
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Adventure is about travelling across the world and having exciting new experiences. Itâs about venturing into the unknown and doing those scary things which make you feel alive.
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Authenticity is about being who you truly are, not who you think you should be. Itâs about sharing your beautiful vulnerability with the world. Itâs also about seeing, appreciating and accepting others for who they are too.
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Connection is about making people feel seen and heard and sharing deep and meaningful experiences. Itâs about connecting with yourself and learning to love all of you (even the wonky icky parts!)
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Peace is yoga. Itâs breathing. Itâs saying âthis is what it is right nowâ and being ok with that. Itâs nature and green spaces. Itâs the sound of waves gently lapping on the shoreline. Itâs the birdsong in Bali. Itâs my partnerâs laugh.
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Whenever life gets challenging I go into nature. Whether itâs the nature reserve near my home or the beach or rice fields in Bali, nature grounds me whilst at the same time makes me feel lighter. It asks no questions and gives many answers.
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I like to call it âbarefoot simplicityâ because simplicity always makes me think of standing barefoot on a deserted beach. Keeping things simple unclutters my mind and anchors me in the present moment.
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Fun is hurtling down a waterslide and yelling at the top of my lungs or laughing with friends about daft, trivial things. Itâs allowing myself to be really silly and not giving a sh*t.
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Integrity is about choosing courage over comfort and honouring who I am and what is important. Itâs living my life by my values and not someone else's. Itâs about taking a stand for what I believe in and not being afraid to fight for it.
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Iâm a bit of a rebel at heart ;) I like to push boundaries and explore those spaces outside the âordinaryâ or ânormalâ way of being or doing. Whether itâs consciously choosing to be childfree, or finding unconventional ways to move on the mat, I am here for it!
Find out your core values through 1:1 coaching with me
Empathy & expertise
Having worked in the performing arts and entertainment industries my whole career, I have an understanding, empathy and expertise for supporting those working within them. These industries promote a culture which rewards hustling, grinding, long-hours, competitiveness, being away from our loved-ones and basically being available whenever the phone rings or an email pops through. Powerful Pause is an antidote to this.
@bea.grist
