1) Please tell me what your work entails!

I am a healer, coach, mythic alchemist, energetic change catalyst.  Trained in healing, metaphysics, meditation, coaching, organisational change, shamanic practices and alchemy I often become a bridge for individuals and groups to step into their next evolutionary stage. I especially have trained and have an interest in feminine wisdom lineages that include intuitive, embodied, systemic, mythic holistic ways of engaging with ourselves and the world.   I work with individuals grappling with big changes in their life, (relationships, purpose, health, Spiritual awakening) , groups in sacred rituals and practices to connect to the cycles of sun, moon and earth and organisations looking at new ways of leading, how to increase the number of women at the top and how to create change. 

2) What lead you to your current profession?
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Since I was little spirituality had drawn me as a path of seeking truth, to really come to know what was at the heart of life.  I studied theology and philosophy, explored in depth the ideas of what is true, however this drew me ever more into knowing and experiencing for myself – the mystical path, which is what was and is, drawing me deeper into my profession.  My big leap from working in marketing was when I was living in China and I studied Reiki – it opened up a direct experience of my ability to heal, the energy of the universe flowing through my hands and I knew, we all have the capacity to be healers if we want to be, we can ‘know’ things in intuitive ways because we are connected to a universal tapestry of light that holds all this information…it was the aha moment that changed what I knew it was to be human. From then on in, I was deep in study of meditation, intuition, coaching, healing, metaphysics and when I returned to the UK a couple of years later, it became natural for me to start sharing intuitive approaches to living, how to get into synchronicity with life, how to heal ourselves and others. 

3) What did you expect to be doing as a profession?
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Great Question!  Actually I don’t think I ever had an expectation of a specific profession, but perhaps I did have a culturally derived understanding of what ‘proper work’ was, that involved sitting behind a desk, being highly efficient, logical and clever!  I think I had always managed to play the game at that, but then realised, hey – Life is so much more colourful, crazy, emotional, LOVE driven.  I want to dive into that, I want my work to dive into that and I want to work with people who want to know themselves deeply and tap into this magic of being who we truly can be…because then we reveal our true beauty and creativity and ‘profession’ becomes our art in the world, evolving all the time, creating through us. 

4) What made you keep going when things got tough or challenging? What motivated you to continue?

​My experience of challenge in my life has been to get me really focused, sensitive and aware – that both increases my sense of vulnerability, yet also increases my felt connection to a deeper source of love in my life.  When challenge arises, I get really quiet within because I hear the universe shouting through the din of everyday life.  I probably don’t understand what it is saying to me, or have a concept of what I am learning, other than: now is the time for me to get really coherent in myself,  to listen with great clarity to my intuition, to hold strong to my values and choose to be courageous.  I may not like the challenge, I may want to give up at every step, however I keep listening because I know that if I push on through with lack of sensitivity I will just replay old tapes of ‘have to try harder to be good enough’ or if I give up when something really matters I am enforcing a belief of being powerless which would prevent me creating my dreams. So I suppose I keep going because I keep listening, I keep an open dialogue with myself and the universe through my intuition 

5) What motivates you now?

To love and be loved.  To unfold layers of what love is, loving others, loving myself, loving this world, loving spirit and god/goddess. It’s hard to put into words as it’s a deeply spiritual motivation however  for me a big part of love is acting and creating in the world in a way that feels fully authentic – to express, to discover, to create and collaborate with others.  I LOVE to really ‘meet’ people, to support my clients in coming to experience their true essential self and love that self deeply.  I find great joy in seeing the beauty in others and watching as to their surprise they feel and see it too!  A big part of my work now is with women and supporting them is coming to know the Goddess within – the often hidden wisdom of the divine feminine. Which I believe is a big part of what will heal ourselves and our world and rise us up into the next level of our evolution.  (See Clare's Yin power is rising blog post for more on this)

6) What do you do for fun, which is not directly connected to your work?

Sing!  All the time, to everything, especially to my 3 month old daughter Thea, and to nature – be it the sky, flowers, trees.  It’s such a freedom and natural thing for me to do; it feels like the most beautiful conversation with life that is about celebration and understanding of life.  Thea loves it; at the moment she is encouraging me to get as high pitch as I can whilst staying in tune!

7) What ONE question would you like to know the answer to?

What is love?  A question with lifetimes of answers, I feel that perhaps all my questions come back to the route of this, kind of like a Rumi poem, the mystery opens more and more in the joy of asking the question.

8) Do you have a favourite place in the world?

I am a big traveller; it’s been a huge part of my learning and growth having visited over thirty countries and hundreds of sacred sites all over the world (as I also take people on sacred journeys around the world).  I love the world too much to have just one place, however a couple would be: Uragh stone circle in Ireland which is a divine space in nature surrounded by lakes, waterfalls and mountains, and on Sacred tour to Egypt, I had the blessing to be able to go into the Sphinx enclosure and be at her feet. Just walking up to her, I felt my heart melt – a sense of deep coming home to myself, to being loved by this amazing cosmic mother.

9) Without hesitation, describe yourself in five words:

Joyful, soft spoken, present, fulfilled.

10) What ONE piece of advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
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Love your awkwardness, sensuality and sexuality; you are radiant even when you think you’re spotty, foolish and naïve.  I love you the girl and the woman you are to become. 

Do you want to be part of the rising wave of feminine energy in 2017? Check out Clare’s In Sync with your purpose Women’s circle that happens live and online each new moon: http://www.guidetospiritualliving.com/sync-purpose-inner-circle/

For a free Meet the Spirit of the Seasons masterclass coming this month click here and Empower your Spiritual Life through Connecting to the Magical Year

1)Tell me about those titles!

I would say that predominantly, I am a channel, which is when you connect to spirit, to your higher self, to source, to the earth and bring energy and information from that which you connect to. You bring this to your client, your circle, yourself; wherever it is needed. It is similar to being a psychic, apart from the fact you are bringing energy through you...I would say that being a psychic comes under the umbrella of channeling, and is one of the ways in which you can channel. Channeling runs through all of my work so all that I do involves channeling at some level. There are three main branches from this, within my work. These are:
 
Healing, which is sometimes one-to-one, but mainly through group work; through workshop, journeys (retreat style events) and ceremonies. The healing depends on what the individual needs, and what the theme of the workshop is. For example, if we’re doing a womb healing day, then we’ll work very much with the divine feminine energy, and the womb or what needs to be healed, shifted or transformed. All sorts of techniques come under channeled healing.
 
Light Work is a term that is used a lot on the spiritual scene, but to me, it is work that is done for the collective; energetic work that works with the grids of the planet, healing the planet, clearing collective consciousness; it’s work for the whole, as opposed to work for the individual. Again, the guidance I receive is channeled, and many techniques are used. Mostly this work is in groups, but occasionally I am guided to work alone, or with just one other person.
 
Shamanic Space-holding is how I describe the ceremonial work I do; I love ceremony, I find it’s been huge for my life, my guides explain ceremony best to me, I’m told “ceremony speaks to the parts of yourself that don’t speak English!” (laughing) – so really it’s about working with the subconscious on the things you’re not so aware of. I call it Shamanic ceremony because we do lots of things that derive from shamanism, such as Cacao and fire ceremonies, but it’s not traditional shamanism, it’s channeled shamanism and as such it has many different layers to it that are not considered ‘traditional’.
 
Space-holding comes into everything, which it’s why it’s at the other end of the title I think! I don’t see myself as a teacher, though sometimes my guides teach through me, but I wouldn’t say that even they see themselves as ‘teaching’, or healing or even as light workers. I think that most of what I do within all of those things, is to hold space, for people to find out what works for them, if people try stuff out, which on my personal path has been absolutely key to my own spiritual growth; find what works, let go of what doesn’t, become empowered in everything that’s learned...all I’m doing is allowing people to have their own experience, I see it as like being a midwife, I’m there  to support, to hold, to give advice and guidance...but they are the ones giving birth, you’re just holding space for them to do so. Starlight is about empowering people in their own healing, spirituality and sense of self, in order to undertake this very important work and light work that heals us, the universe, and the earth.
 
2)What lead you to your current profession?

Well, I think that, as with most people that get involved with spirituality and self-help, it’s due to coming from a place of pain and unhappiness, which is certainly true for me; I was very unhappy as a teenager and I was trying to find a way to make myself happy! So I was reading lots of self-help books, which lead to books on manifesting, and then exploring subjects that are maybe considered a bit more ‘high-energy’, like channeling, healing and things like that. But it was kind of a stepping-stone journey, so it wasn’t something that happened over-night, it gradually evolved, and still is evolving to this day; I still explore many different things when I need help with something, and the things that work are the things I tend to share.
 
3)What did you expect to be doing as a profession?

I thought that I was going to be an actress, that’s what I trained in at drama school. Actually my drama school years were some of the worst years of my life! I really wasn’t happy, I found it to be very prescriptive, the schools I was at tried to box people, to make products out of people; if you were rebellious to the process then you were given a particularly hard time by the faculty. The more free-spirited, creative side of me struggled with being in an almost military-like environment that was meant to be about creativity. (Laughs) So I wasn’t very happy! For a few years I did fringe acting and performance after that. The spirit guides say that we’re never not on our path, as in our path is our path, and it’s always being followed even when it seems not to be. As vibrations shift you hit different levels and have different experiences of your path. I’ve been an actress, a comedienne, a tour guide, and actually all of those things are the same: they’re about communication and connection, and they all taught me things that serve my path massively; there was a huge amount of meditation, breath and body work at drama school, there was voice work too and it’s all essential to the work that I do now. What I’ve learned has been invaluable to me now; comic timing, speaking, working with instincts, bringing humour into my groups when people are nervous or unsure is the best thing to do, put them at ease;  make them laugh and they will relax immediately. Tour guiding taught me how to deal with large groups; Starlight take groups on retreats and journeys, I’ve become brilliant at maneuvering large groups of people due to the walking tours I did in London...we call it herding cats! I think the ultimate version of your path will combine everything that you’ve ever loved in the perfect ‘ingredient combination’ so that you feel completely happy and fulfilled by it. Of course, it changes because we’re always growing, and so whatever I’m doing will serve my path in the future, even if it looks very different from what I’m doing now.
 
4)What made you keep going when things got tough or challenging, what motivated you to continue?

For me, it was kind of accidental. So I learned how to heal and how to channel and I was doing these things as hobbies, then one of the workshops I belonged to had its leader, Solara, move to Ibiza. She gave me her class when she moved, so it was basically handed to me. Again, it was a part time thing; I was juggling it along with acting and tour-guiding and many other things. It slowly became apparent that I preferred this thing to any other, but it took me an awfully long time to completely let the others go. In fact one of the things I cover when I’m talking about manifesting is that you have to clear out the old manifestations that you thought you had, and look at why you thought you had them; acting was never right for me, because actually I’m far better at not being dependent. Looking back, I’d often make excuses for not doing acting, whereas with this, there was nothing that was going to stop me, you know? That’s the difference. Sometimes I’d need to be in Avebury or Glastonbury for 9am, and be up at 4 in the morning and make my way on a bus, across the country! It was that realisation: when something is your path you just do it. When something is no longer your path, you create stories and make excuses. Your path is never easy though; a friend of mine was talking about motherhood and she said that it was both the best thing, and the worst thing in the world, and that is exactly how I feel about my path.
 
5)What motivates you now?

How I keep going...I have learnt that whatever life is showing me, is to help me get to the next stage, no matter how much it feels like it’s working against me at times, it is actually showing me belief systems and things that I need to clear and heal, in order to move on. So I use the experiences I have to move me forward, and it works. I can usually move through ‘obstacles’ quite quickly and easily, I’m like “OK, what’s this belief system and how do I clear it? What do I need to change in order to sort this situation, which life is reflecting at me, out?”.
 
 
6)What do you do for fun, which is not directly connected to your work?

I come from a family of workaholics, and that is actually one of those belief systems that I had to work on very hard...not to be a workaholic. I was forced into that lesson in a very hard way, in that, last winter, the universe basically blocked all of the flow of my workshops; nobody was coming to anything which had never happened before. Eventually I had a channeling with another channel, because I was in such a mess, I couldn’t get my own guidance, and she was just, like “you are having an energy upgrade; it is not safe for you to be working, for at least a few months.” Which for me was absolutely terrifying! It meant that I had to face a lot of the beliefs I held around being addicted to work, and I eventually discovered that it was deeply connected to my sense of self worth and how I needed to let that go and to give myself worth in other ways. It was hugely liberating....so anyway, I’d say ‘not working’ is quite a new thing to me!! I love people; I have an amazing array of friends and family, when I spend time with them, doing anything, whether it be having a barbecue, going for a walk, or to the theatre...that is my “oh, I’m not at work now, I’m not gonna talk about those things right now”...and actually I think that when you do very high vibration energy work, that is far away from the third dimension, as it’s very conceptual, inter-dimensional, then it’s very important not to disconnect from the third, physical dimension reality, because otherwise you’d go mad! You really need to be able to enjoy all of the amazing things within the third dimension; from enjoying lovely food to noticing how beautiful a plant is, to how amazing people are at creating – everything from shows to music, things like that.
 
7)What ONE question would you like to know the answer to?

(SIGHS)....I think that question is ever changing, and it may sound strange but I don’t feel like I have any questions at this time. I feel like, as a channel, I have such an amazing toolbox to answer pretty much anything, that there’s no question that I couldn’t find an answer to. I know that the layers of that answer will change and evolve with me, because there is no one answers to any question, but I feel I can always access the right answers for me at any given time.
 
 
8)Do you have a favourite place in the world?

Ahhh, there are so many places that I love deeply; I’m in love with the planet and travelling is a huge part of my path and life. One place I have repeatedly returned to since I first visited, and it’s a place I have visited every year since first coming, is Ibiza. My connection to that island....every time I go, it gives me something more, and every time I take groups there, we do a journey there now, it is so magical it blows my mind; we always discover more of its secrets....and it’s an absolute love affair, that island and me! Avebury, in the UK, that’s another place I keep going back to, Avebury is where my work as a channeler, light worker and space holder began, I return there every winter solstice, some times more than once, like Ibiza, it’s a power place for me; they’re soul places, they’re something more than just a place I’ve visited; they’re deeply connected to who I am, and I’m deeply connected to what they are.
 
9)Without hesitation, describe yourself in five words:

Magical, excitable, communicator, happy, and empowered.

10)What ONE piece of advice would you give to your 18 year old self?  

As confused, wild, unhappy and lost as I was at 18, I wouldn’t give her any advice. Everything she did, has lead me to where I am now, as did all of the other ages that I have been, and this truth that I have about your path always belonging to you and always being right for you...I am so grateful for... I cannot express how often the most traumatic times of my life have been of greatest service to me, and I would never want to divert 18 year old me from that path; I would tell her that she is perfect, and brilliant, though I wouldn’t have told her that at the time. I was a real wild child at 18, but those things that I did lead me to level of great compassion, I would not have that depth of understanding without those experiences, and so I will leave her just as she is.

Katy runs many online courses, group journeys and ceremonies. Based in Brighton, Starlight run experiences all over the world, for further information and access to all that they can offer, please visit 
 them HERE

It seems obvious, right?

I’m at a function, a social event, I get to talk to people who I don’t know, who don’t know me. Conversations inevitably get round to what we all do for a living. I tell someone I’m a life coach and I usually see one of three reactions:

1) The wannabe: this would be the “I don’t really know what that is but it sounds kind of buzzy so I’m just going to nod sagely and possibly even google that later”, or maybe they’ll manoeuvre me toward the Ladies for an immersion session, then walk away clutching my card. Basically they’re uber cool or restrainedly inquisitive. I love these guys.

2) The enlightened: These folks get it; they’ve probably used or are using a life coach themselves, they’re very in tune with themselves and usually very comfortable in their skin. Their reaction is usually one of unbridled enthusiasm and encouragement.

3) The sceptic: thanks to the media, and the charlatan element of everything, this person rolls their eyes. In their mind I’m a cowboy of the non horse riding kind. They saw the Speakmans once, they KNOW. I can’t blame them, and if they let me extol the virtues of what I do, chances are they just come away thinking that not only are Life Coaches out to take their money in return for telling them to get a grip, but they’re also a bunch of hippies. Inner light my arse.....I might as well have said that I’m a psychic. Failing a grumble, it might be worse and I’m asked to cure them with my magic powers. It makes my heart sink and feels, I imagine, like telling someone you’re a comedian and getting the vomit-worthy response: Tell us a joke then? Go on.

It doesn’t really matter what gets you to engaging a life coach, but the results and the benefits are dependent on you understanding that this gig is all about you, and that there’s really nowhere to hide. Don’t go to a life coach if you’re not ready to transform your life in ways you didn’t imagine or believe were possible. We’re not a baby-steps kind of people.
To get the very best from your life coach you need:

1. To come with an open, honest and utterly courageous mindset. You might not know what you want right now, your life might even feel a bit of a mess in places. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are present, authentic and committed to making things better.
2. To be willing to dig deep. Whilst coaching is forward focused, we need to look back to see where key decisions, behaviours and outlooks where fostered. We need to examine your relationships, your mistakes, your successes, your drivers; the real ones that is, not your pre prepared Miss World speech about charity and adopting a donkey. 
3. Understand that failure is SO important and worthy of celebration. “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” ― Thomas A. Edison
   
4. To be totally and utterly accountable.
   
5. To be committed to growth, happiness and dreaming bigger. Some people feel much more secure in a small world with little reason to be cheerful. Don’t hire a coach if you don’t want to push beyond this.
6. Be ready for positive change and support. That uncomfortable kind of support that 3) hints at.
7. Be prepared to set the goals you REALLY want to achieve. Because once we’ve worked out the former, that latter is inevitable. 

As the weather finally warms here in rainy Northern England, thoughts turn to change and growth. It’s only natural to want to clear out the cobwebs at this time of year.  We make our resolutions; we desire shifts and improvements in our lives.

Some time ago, a friend told me to read Doreen Virtues book on time, I expected something around management, but actually it's smarter than that; a refreshing and interesting take on how we perceive time and the impact that has. Many fabulous leaders have their version of this, but Doreen explores our conditioned beliefs in detail and some of it really stuck with me. I've distilled the overarching message, as I perceive it:

There is always something that we want more of, be it time, love, money, sleep...the list goes on. In order to grow ourselves we must look inwards: we hold the key to our own successes, and by taking total responsibility for our lives, we can transform, we can achieve more than we ever dreamed we could. All that we desire is possible, but sometimes our challenges seem insurmountable.

How often do you find yourself saying:

• I’ll get started on that goal just as soon as the kids have left school/I’ve had my holiday/I retire/I’ve got this wedding out of the way
• Maybe I’ll take an evening class when I’m less busy
• I’ll start exercising regularly just as soon as work eases off a bit

 
Or in other words: I’d change my life if I had the time!
The thing is, you do have the time, and you have all the resources you need to make changes for the better. Sometimes it’s just a case of looking at things differently, of learning to stop striving and to start living the life you truly desire. We must remember to live in the present, that future planning is all well and good, but is not the means to contentment. Our ongoing happiness is a continuous journey with no end, so by dropping all sense of reaching the finish line, we can focus on what matters, and welcome the knowledge that time, wealth, peace and joy are abundant.

Some simple ideas about getting things done:

1. Action needs to follow thought, it’s not enough to merely think about achieving something; the universe helps those who help themselves
2. Our personal concept of time create our experiences – if we place limitations on ourselves, we become limited!
3. The desire triangle, made up of three equal tips: Love, Career, Health, are all similarly accomplished goals. Once you achieve success in one area, you can do so in others
4. The goals of the soul are never completed

These days, Doreen's main area of focus is Angel Therapy and she lives here if you want to visit!

 I lie every single day. Whilst there is certainly an exhilaration in truth, but there is also perpetual conflict. Your truths will offend, they will cause difficult conversations, sometimes it just doesn't seem worth being honest; the price is too high when all it takes is a lie. 

In his interview with Philippe Bartu, an ever-so-slightly incredulous Michael Serwa asks where's the gain? It's an interesting exchange of ideas, view it here

After interviewing Dr Brad Blanton (creator of the Radical Honesty website/community and author of many publications on the subject) for Esquire magazine, A.J Jacobs makes some fairly amusing if not rather uninspired observations: children offer unfiltered truths, life gets a bit more complicated when lying is absent, blurting out sexual desires to relative strangers doesn't necessarily create a positive outcome...you get the picture. It's an interesting interpretation (read it here) of the concept, as is Blantons. He may have coined the expression, but telling the whole truth has always been an option open to all of us.

Don Miguel Ruiz distills some Toltec Wisdom into The Four Agreements - probably one of the most practically applicable philosophies I've come across. In context, alongside the other three agreements, Number One agreement reads: Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

Gentler advice perhaps than Blanton, but infused throughout the book. Agreement Four is Don't make assumptions; by not assuming, we're forced to articulate what we want, again something that requires truth.

There is definite simplicity in truth telling, our relationships become closer (or breakdown more quickly, depending on where our truth journeys are taking us), our worlds become distilled into the essence of what matters, our boundaries made clear. We become adept at laser articulation, with no fear of forgetting our stories or being exposed. As a coach I get paid to tell the truth, with my truth comes challenge and introspection. Stuff gets done, or identified as needless, either way my clients are left with clarity and focus, a deeper understanding of their core values. They know what matters and how to have more of what matters, and less of what doesn't, in their lives. If I let my concern for a clients feelings get in the way of what I perceived as the truth, then I wouldn't be serving them to the best of my ability. Strange then, that I cannot apply this 100% across my life. Maybe some times, some people, don't need my dose of reality, maybe I could just keep quiet and let them go about their business.

However, I turn my radical honesty dial up to 11 when it comes to me. If I can't tell myself my truth, how can I expect others to? When it comes to the self, we must aspire to be radically honest, of this I'm sure.