ADVENTURE AWAITS

It was amazing…

A few weeks ago I went to sample some forest living for two nights. It was amazing, snug as a bug in an ecopod, outdoor showers, compost toilets, eating al fresco, the sound of the river flowing past our pod, flint and strike fire making and then there is Michelle Burrows who organised the whole thing.

So bloody positive ALL the time. Michelle is one amazing, inspiring, can-do woman who I’m convinced her first word must have been yes

She has another retreat weekend coming up in October. Go check it out playmates and get yourself a dose of forest living and de-stressing the ‘get inspired’ way

Thanks Michelle for being awesome!

Were it not for lockdown, I probably would never have got into kickboxing classes, but I’m so glad I did! Great coaching, great music, great bunch of supportive women… Feel mega empowered to be learning something new with my middle aged mum bod. Thanks Michelle for being awesome!

…excellent at explaining…

As a busy working mother of 2, whose husband was often out of the country, I sought information from Michelle about coaching as I was was aware that it was a tool that people were using but I was unsure of how it could benefit me. Michelle was excellent at explaining the role of coaching and what it could and could not do. Her ability to easily build rapport easily was evident and made our sessions productive.

Due to my moving work locations not long after I initiated the coaching sessions with Michelle, I could only take part in 2 sessions, but they were all I needed to reinvigorate my sense of purpose and understand the benefit of taking time for self reflection and setting goals. Although this takes time – which I initially thought I didn’t have – having time with Michelle to think clearly and set attainable goals, actually made me more productive and enabled me to actively pursue additional past times and voluntary activities that I had previously placed in the ‘too busy’ box! After only 2 sessions, I felt that my self awareness and motivation had been significantly lifted.

…lasting positive impact…

I have to say that the session had a lasting positive impact on me, and on my opinion of myself and what I’m capable of. Michelle listened attentively and I felt she expertly guided the session to achieve the right balance of letting me talk as long as I needed to, whilst keeping the conversation on track. She helped me to realise that the workload I had at the time was actually something to feel very proud of, rather than beat myself up that I wasn’t doing enough and needed to do more. She helped me consider my goals and break them down in to more manageable chunks, and helped show me some ideas of how to manage my time more effectively in order to achieve my goals. Unfortunately I then left the country for a year so I was unable to continue the sessions, however, I am now in a position where I am putting it all in to practice and I have never forgotten the coaching I had from Michelle and am implementing the above elements now. I am confident that I am firmly on my way to achieving the main goal that I set out for myself during our session, and if all goes to plan it will be achieved in the next six months.

Absolute woman power!

Absolute woman power! I started the class about 6 weeks ago with no experience whatsoever and now with Michelle’s support, I feel stronger, so much more confident and I can see the changes to my body and my mindset. It’s a safe environment and you are given time and help to learn a new skill as well as improving fitness and body strength. I was nervous at first to start something new and getting my foot in the door was a big step but the class now sets up my weekend making me feel motivated, empowered and ready to take on anything! Michelle is an amazing and supportive teacher and every week I cannot wait to come back!

…more importantly, enjoyable…

I have worked with a couple of coaches before I teamed up with Michelle. What sets her apart from others is her calm methodical approach, using a variety of techniques, and her ability to get to the nub of the problem. I have found every session really helpful but, more importantly, enjoyable. Nothing it seems is insurmountable for this thoughtful and insightful individual; even down to improving one’s image and self-confidence. The sessions in the gym were particularly imaginative – Michelle even got me enjoying strengthening and boxing. She complemented these sessions with a bespoke dietary program. I have genuinely benefited from my coaching experience with Michelle and can thoroughly recommend her.

Her can-do, positive attitude is infectious

Michelle is great to work with. Her can-do, positive attitude is infectious. Michelle is very thorough and challenges you to go above and beyond in every way.

…and loved it!

Just had my first ladies only class this morning and loved it! I had my son over a year ago and have been looking for something to get me back into exercise. It was challenging but not impossible and I learnt loads on just one class! A great warm up and cool down too, which reminded me how nice it is to stretch (and I really needed it too!) Can’t wait for next week!

Love, love, Love this class!

Love, love, Love this class! I’d curiously been following the Pink Belt page for a couple of months but was apprehensive about starting….id never done this sort of training and wasn’t sure if my lack of experience would hinder getting the most out of the class….I couldn’t of been more wrong! Finally took the plunge and started attending in the new year, and now I look forward to class all week! The sessions are tailored to include absolute beginners with little/zero experience. The instructor, Michelle, is friendly and welcoming, she takes her time to ensure everyone is picking up the techniques and performing the combinations safely and accurately. All work is carried out with pads and gloves so you won’t get hurt…its training and technique based, not fighting each other….which is perfect! All the training benefits of kickboxing without the bruises! I’m 39 and was beginning to feel my age but now I’m feeling stronger and the tension in my back and joints from office life is actually subsiding! I leave each class sweaty, feeling full of energy and alive! Highly recommend this class….2 enthusiastic thumbs up from me!✨👍😃👍✨

invaluable

Michelle was superb in asking probing yet empathetic questions that encouraged me to examine how I felt about my career promotion and why I lacked confidence in my own abilities even with this clear endorsement from my work hierarchy. More importantly, she enabled me to construct a series of clearly defined and timebound goals for me to positively reinforce my self-confidence. The coaching sessions were not easy, as deeply examining my self-image and self-worth was an emotional process; Michelle’s calm and reassuring presence throughout helped me to explore my negative language and begin to re-frame my thoughts about myself more positively. Following Michelle’s coaching sessions, I was much better prepared to attend the training course with a positive attitude and a clear focus on what I wished to achieve during the year, both for my career and my personal development. The coaching she provided was invaluable and continues to enable me to reset my thoughts when I become overly critical or negative of my achievements.

Absolutely brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant! I came here with absolutely zero knowledge and zero experience of kickboxing. My fitness levels were super low after having two babies close together so I was apprehensive to say the least. Now it’s the absolute highlight of my week, I look forward to it all week long. I never once felt judged or out of my depth, it’s such a friendly pace and Michelle is wonderful! Can’t recommend this class enough.’

…thoroughly 100% recommend this retreat!

I attended Michelle’s Wellness Retreat in July 2019. What were the best bits? Well, where to start… it was a digital detox and a chance to step away from everyday life for a couple of days. A time to focus on myself and my own needs in that moment. There was walking in beautiful woodland, skimming stones on the river, and conversation around the campfire… to name just a few of the joys of this retreat. I even had my first ever experience of a woodland shower – there is something both weird and wonderful about showering in the outdoors, surrounded by trees and the sounds of nature. And, of course, Michelle provided plenty of activities to get us thinking and contemplating career, health, relationships, and life generally… where we are right now, and where we want to be and what future we want to create for ourselves. And that’s not even mentioning the delicious food (read: feast) Michelle created for us… all on a camping stove! I returned home feeling rested, relaxed, recharged, and ready to take on the week ahead. I thoroughly 100% recommend this retreat! And that’s not overstating it even one little bit!

…gain my self control back…

Originally not a believer that coaching would help me, Michelle’s sessions have really helped to turn my life around. I have Trichotillamania (TTM) and pull my own hair. I go through many periods of self doubt and often feel out of control when it comes to my pulling. Michelle’s coaching sessions have helped me to gain my self control back and really focus on my willpower not to pull. This isn’t easy by any means, and I still have a long way to go, but her facilitation and ability to listen have helped me reach my own desitnation when it comes to my own personal goals. I am yet to be pull free, I have been doing this for over ¾ of my life, but at least I have now established some form of control. Michelle has enabled me to hold myself accountable for what I am doing and I feel a lot stronger and my drive to succeed has been increased.

Michelle really helps me to get to the point of my issues and makes me challenge my own beliefs and decisions. She enables me to feel like I really can deal with my own demons and I feel so much more positive about myself once I leave a session. The best thing of all, is that I know I have achieved this myself and it is Michelle’s talent for enabling me to lead myself to the right direction and giving me the relevant prompts that have assisted me to reach my current position.

Following my experiences with Michelle, I would now recommend coaching to anyone, particularly those with TTM as this has helped me exponentially.

…I felt so refreshed and invigorated

I recently took part in one of Michelle’s retreat weekends. The thought originally filled me with dread but I knew it was something I had to do. Michelle was accommodating for different levels of fitness and experience. She went with the flow of what we required and pushed us to try new things.

Normally you come back from a weekend away feeling tired and ready for a good night’s sleep – not this time! I felt so refreshed and invigorated. The clean eating food Michelle had prepared was delicious and I’ve tried to stick to it since I’ve been back – those 2 days really did make a difference. The activities were different from your normal well-being weekend and we even learned some basic bush craft survival skills!

I cannot recommend Michelle enough, she has made me look at things so differently in life and I am still thinking that way 3 weeks later!

..this set-up is unique.

‘Having tried a number of other kickboxing classes over the last year or two I can honestly say this set-up is unique. If you’ve ever wanted to try kickboxing but felt intimidated by the atmosphere in your average martial arts venue put all that aside. This class caters for women and girls of any or no fitness level or experience. Everyone is made to feel welcome and supported in a small, non-competitive group environment. You will quickly make progress amongst like-minded ladies. The instructor is extremely knowledgeable and empowering. Cannot recommend this class highly enough.