Personal Development Author

I am delighted that people are finding my new book, The Smart Girl’s Guide To Getting What You Want, helpful and are appreciating its practical tips and advice.

Here are some readers’ comments:

‘A must-read guide for anyone interested in gaining the confidence to speak up without fear’
‘Fun, educational and inspirational’
‘In some ways, I think this book has changed my life’

It’s great to hear it confirmed that we can acquire the confidence and  knowhow to communicate more effectively in every area of our life. Little things can help enormously. Sometimes, having the knowledge of what to say gives us the power to say it.

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If it takes a village to raise a child, how many villages does it take to support a child through the exam period? You couldn’t put a number on it, could you?

There is no shortage of advice for anxious parents. Teachers, schools, tutors, advisers, countless media sources, friends, families, that nice woman up the road whose kids went to the same school as yours are all ready with suggestions about the best way to deal with exam stress and pressure.

You can find out what to do and what not to do, what to say and what not to say, how to help your young person to revise, the best foodstuffs to encourage concentration.

All this advice is helpful but sometimes you can feel as if you are the one taking exams, not just the academic tests which are looming, but also the far more difficult examination of how well you fulfil your role as a supportive parent.

You are not on trial.

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Viola in Twelfth Night had the confidence to dress as a man.

The women in Shakespeare’s plays are a mixed bunch. They display a range of attributes, some admirable and some less so.

They are playful, flirtatious, fearful, submissive, outspoken, brave, self-deluded, gossipy, intelligent, lovesick, self-righteous, charming, shy, clever, quick-witted, slow, slutty, sharp-tongued, loyal. Ooh, look, just like women in real life.

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William Shakespeare was born 450 years ago today (April 23, 1564) and his plays and poetry still grip us. He often got his plays going with a bang, setting the scene dramatically and establishing the main themes of the play.

Picture the beginning of King Lear. Lear has decided to split his kingdom between his three daughters. Aware of the multiple dramatic opportunites afforded by issues concerning wills and inheritances, we settle down for a juicy family row, a bit of inter-sibling mudslinging, perhaps, or the airing of a few daddy issues.

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Why do we find it tough to say no?

“I’m just a girl who can’t say no” sings a character in the musical Oklahoma! Well, she learns to do so – and her reward is that she gets to marry the man she loves. OK, we won’t go there.

But not being able to refuse requests and agreeing to everything because we feel we can’t say no creates stress and misery for ourselves and for the others in our personal and professional lives.

Why do we find it so difficult to say this little word? The difficulty stems from various kinds of fear and anxiety. Read more…

It’s publication day for the ebook version of The Smart Girl’s Guide To Getting What You Want! And next month, on April 27th, the lovely printed book will hit the shelves.

I was thrilled to see that the bible of the US publishing business Publishers Weekly reviewed my book and called it an ’empowering tome’.

My aim in writing the book was to give girls and women, sisters in the struggle to make our voices heard and to behave assertively with grace, wit and style, some practical suggestions and ideas about how to speak and act in challenging situations – and how to have fun along the way.
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