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Bethany Ward Life Coaching

I'm a Certified Life Coach and athlete, who loves to talk about personal development and work/life relationships. I help my clients embrace change with courage and determination. Subscribe to my newsletter to get helpful ways to improve mindset, and turn challenges into successes.

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Featured Post

Am I happy with this?

Last week, we talked about the power of one sentence in conversations with others, and how starting with just a single honest statement (or question) can open the door to change, and real connection. But what if we turned that inward? What if the most important conversation you need to have right now is with yourself? It's so easy for us to go through the motions without stopping to ask: Am I happy with this? Does this feel right for me? What do I need right now? These simple, but powerful...

people sitting on chair near table during daytime

Hey Reader, Have you ever caught yourself rehearsing an entire conversation in your head . . . and then never actually having it? Maybe you’ve been avoiding that chat with your partner, a friend, or your boss. You know you need to say something, but the words just won’t come. So you say nothing — and that awkward tension hangs in the air. Or worse, have you found yourself talking to everyone else about a situation except for the ONE person you actually should be having it with? Enter The One...

A black and white photo of a rock

Hey Reader, Do you ever have a week where Tuesday feels like it should already be Friday? This week started like that and didn't ease up. After 3 days of feeling like the week should surely be wrapping it, the real Friday is finally almost here! Life is unpredictable and full of curveballs. And while most people try to get through tough times, what if you could actually get stronger because of them? That’s the power of an anti-fragile mindset, instead of being fragile and breaking under...

grayscale photo of woman with silver nose ring

Hey Reader, How was your weekend . . relaxing, productive, or both? In 16 weeks, I’ll be lining up for Ironman Austria, so my weekends (for the next 14) are all about training. Recently, I had a swim coaching session booked, and I was dreading it. My self-talk went something like this: Swimming will never be my strongest sport, so what’s the point? Even if I struggle in the water, I’ll be fine once I’m on the bike and run. And honestly, do I really want to put on a swimsuit just to be...

Hey Reader, I hope you had a good weekend! We saw a performance of Hamilton on Thursday, and if you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend it. What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend . . keeping busy, or lots of down time? ********** We talk a lot about changes, and it’s the key area I work with clients on. But before we can make big changes, whether it’s in work, relationships, or life in general, we first have to recognize that change even needs to happen. And while that sounds simple,...

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Hello, readers! I hope your week's going well. If you've been putting into practice anything from last week around eliminating negative self-talk, I would love to hear about it. Shoot me an email here! And if it's something you're still trying to figure out how to tackle, I'd love to chat with you. Tying in with the idea of our self-talk, and as promised, this week I have such a special guest contributor, Stephanie Warren, who I'm so excited to introduce you to. Stephanie is a bridge-builder...

a sign that says today is a good day

Hello! I hope your weekend was a good one. The last week was absolutely freezing (and snowy, and icy) here. We live on a marina and there was actually a grown man ice skating on it! I've been extra appreciative of my gym membership, having a dry place to run with zero risk of breaking my leg. Instead of complaining about the weather though, I'm appreciating the beautiful blue sky and the pretty ice formations, and reminding myself that winter doesn't last forever. Because having negative...

Hello! How're you doing as we get closer to the end of the season and the new year? I've had a great few months of getting more sleep, being a bit more relaxed with working out, eating a little more chocolate, and drinking a bit more Prosecco. To be honest, I'm looking forward to getting back to normal life and my usual structure. How about you? Would you rather have it be this relaxed all year round, or do you do better with structure? The inevitable resolutions A few months back I wrote...

Happy Friday! Most of you are probably winding down and getting ready to start your time away from work. This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, right? Cue the cheerful jingles, twinkling lights, and that underlying pressure to smile through it all - whether you feel like it or not. But let’s be honest, forcing happiness is about as effective as stapling water to a tree. You don’t have to act happy just because it’s December. Life doesn’t magically become picture-perfect...

A living room filled with furniture and a painting on the wall

Readers, hello again! I missed last week's article because my (grown) children were visiting from California. We had such a good time, and 4 of the days were spent at an Airbnb in Edinburgh (absolutely gorgeous, especially in the winter with all the lights up!). Have you ever wondered why it feels so calming walking into a good Airbnb or a nice hotel room? One reason is there's zero clutter. What's there is pretty, functional, and in its proper place. There's no laundry waiting to be washed,...