That’s a wrap! — What started as an idea in my journal when sat in Gordon Square by UCL— became a Lil reality this weekend and has already been and gone…For now!

I’d like to start with a big soppy thank you to the 8 special Lil guests who came down to Keyhaven by train, bus and car, for their enthusiasm, energy and bravery. Each one of you took a Lil Leap and gave me trust and patience and I am truly grateful for that!

I am sure most of you have seen and heard plenty about what the weekend consisted of- in the planning stages and in posts straight after… but for those of you who don’t: I hosted a weekend by the sea in a lovely little bungalow where I led Yoga classes, cooking classes and reflective journalling practices for 8 lovely guests.

Every guest left with a big smile and many kind words. I am incredibly proud of the fact I managed to create a nourishing and joyful experience- especially first time running!

THE LIL CHALLENGE : This one might seem a Lil shallow but I think it deserves a mention and you would be surprised by what it taught me— on the Wednesday before the Lil weekend, I trapped my finger in a heavy wooden drawer and balled my eyes out for a solid half an hour (for context, I am a great crier- but even that seemed a bit excessive, especially seeing as the pain killers had kicked in in 15 mins!).

HOW I OVERCAME : Lots of painkillers! And one handed chaturangas as I practiced the yoga sequences!

THE LIL LEARNING : A) watch your fingers in the big heavy drawer… but also —B) How useful a physical excuse is for allowing myself some sympathy….As my nerves grew and my mind spun with all sorts of to-dos in the week building up to the Lil Weekend, I started to get shorter with my family, more snappy and less smiley- they asked me how I was getting on and I without hesitation I’d say I had it all under control. But as soon as I had the pain and obvious suffering of my finger— something tangible to blame for my feelings, I had the perfect outlet for the fear that was building— the perfect excuse for some sympathy that I clearly needed.

My hyper-achiever couldn’t bear to show that the feelings of stress and uneasiness were linked to the huge endeavour I had made for myself, but given a justifiable reason for some comfort, I lapped it up! So I moaned and winged about my finger!

THE LIL CHALLENGE- THIS ONE HAS A BIT MORE TO IT: the immediate lack of confidence I felt as I led my first Lil Leaps session. This is something that I had anticipated being tricky but nowhere near as difficult as it turned out to be.

The reason I write this newsletter and I have my Lil Leaps branch of work is because I get such an incredible buzz from connecting to like-minded hard-working, deep-thinking individuals, I feel such a sense of pride and joy when I have a conversation with someone and leave feeling like I have helped them to move through a mental obstacle, or untangle something in their heads or given them a tool for feeling empowered. I have developed Lil Tips and Tricks and each week I write to you all from a place of true honesty- I feel connected to myself as I do and so I have a confidence in what I share.

But come to the in-person Lil Leaps session on Saturday morning… I felt I had lost my flow, and the worst part about it was that I was hoping to guide the guests into finding their flow!

The work I was leading was the 3 step Lil Leaps theory that you are familiar with… Self-awareness, self-compassion and self-empowerement. A Lil theory I could usually explain to an alien if asked to, I believe in it so strongly! Yet there I was sat under a huge big cloud of doubt and totally muddles by my thoughts- being sabotaged by my over-thinker and most definitely not in flow. I wasn’t speaking clearly, I wasn’t light-up, I felt disempowered and far from true to the Lil Leaps theory.

HOW I OVERCAME THIS: you know what… I had to do the work myself! I had to sit down with my journal and write out… “I know that I am scared that I can’t practice what I preach” “I know I am scared that I am not being understood” “I know that I am scared that I am not enough” — the AWARENESS.

Then I had to comfort myself “Lil, no wonder you are scared, you are doing something incredibly brave and difficult.” - I breathed and gave myself time to feel the fear (in the loo!)— the COMPASSION

And Finally, I chose to EMPOWER myself- I reminded myself of what an incredible thing I was doing, how impressed my guests, friends and family were with my ideas and execution, how proud I was of myself for what I has created. But most importantly, how much better I’d feel if I behaved as if I was confident and worthy of being heard, how much more sense I would make if I believed in the words I said, how much more empowered I would be if I let myself make the most of the opportunity I had to feel good.

THE LIL LEARNING : A) It works! It takes time but it works! I’d say, I didn’t truly feel in flow until about Saturday evening, having led a powerful yoga class and probably about three points of my own reflection and pep talks… I felt like myself, connected to myself and truly happy to be me and there. B) my goodness authenticity is important… as soon as I was honest with the guests about the way I was feeling, and practicing the work that I was describing to them… I felt connected and therefore powerful.

THE LIL CHALLENGE : the lack of control…. I couldn’t control the weather, I couldn’t control which guests could and couldn’t come, I couldn’t control who enjoyed the food who could manage the yoga, who liked the sea, who wanted to walk where and when and most importantly who thought what!

HOW I OVERCAME IT : I wrote a schedule for myself but didn’t give it to the guests because I knew that I wanted it to be a weekend FOR THEM, not for me and so I would need to adapt it as I got to know them, I could tailor it appropriately, and I truly did!

THE LIL LEARNING : This didn’t just require problem solving and flexibility, it required pre-planning… sounds counter-intuitive but it’s true. I planned for uncertainty, I prepared myself for change and the unknown. I knew that had I gone into it with a rigid plan and a schedule for everyone to follow, I would not only likely be disappointed but end up having to push people to do things and we would all end up having a far less relaxing time.

Right, now, onto the next project! Don’t panic- I know that triggers the Hyper-achiever! I am taking a break for now, reflecting, taking the time to soak up the achievement, collect feedback and feel a sense of empowerment and excitement for the future of my Lil Brand! But do watch this space as there is plenty more to come!

Check out @lil_leaps on instagram and @lilchef_cuisine for some more piccies too.

Lots of love from Lil xx