Be Conscious with Charlotte

Be Conscious with Charlotte A visionary coach, experienced psychotherapist and conscious catalyst for evolutionary change, Charl "We all have a history, we all have known suffering.

As a multidisciplinary psychotherapist and coach, Charlotte is passionate about the power of becoming conscious. With a thirst for personal growth, Charlotte is qualified in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Couples Counselling, and Psychosynthesis Life Coaching; her present ventures also include Individual and Organisational Leadership Coaching and writing her thesis for an MA in Psychosynthesis Coach

ing. She continually studies neuroscience, attachment theory, trauma recovery, existential crisis, mind-body connection and embodied leadership. Whilst we do our best to move on, unresolved wounds impact our sense of self and we inherently take this into our lives, our relationships and our workplaces. When we aren't conscious of our internal wounding we live from our 'survival self', projecting on other people and our external environments. This affects how we move in the world and hinders the quality of our personal and professional relationships. However, this wounded 'survival self' is not who you are. Becoming conscious is about healing from history, unlearning your conditioning and aligning with your authentic Self, so that you can embody the fullest expression of your true potential in life, in love and in leadership." A specialist in her field, Charlotte's expertise is qualified by years of in-depth training and extensive clinical experience. Through her successful private practice, she has supported hundreds of clients, including a number of influencers, sports and TV personalities. Her approach is an alchemy of empowering psycho-education, conscious awareness and radical compassion that when embodied, cultivates fertile ground for life-long personal and professional transformation.

​

“Speak with the intention to be heard”- the quote I’ll be holding onto from today’s fantastic Women in Business networki...
11/03/2025

“Speak with the intention to be heard”

- the quote I’ll be holding onto from today’s fantastic Women in Business networking event, hosted by in celebration of International Women’s Day.

An emotive authors’ panel featuring four inspiring women who have written books to empower other women - sharing their stories, their struggles, and their wisdom.

One of the most striking discussions was about why so many women still find it difficult to use their voice.

The echoes of generational conditioning run deep, with many women still feeling caught in a childhood ‘good girls’ identity - to be ‘demure’, not disruptive, to look the part rather than lead the conversation.

Even today, internalized biases can make women hesitant to speak up or, worse, judge each other when they do.

A special shoutout to the authors in the spotlight:

Patricia Seabright for her wisdom that we must first look inward to understand the barriers that hold us back, and that when we do speak, we must do so with the intention of being heard.

Katie Farrell for bravely sharing her story of healing and how she found her purpose—reminding us all that our voices are not just for us, but for those who need to hear them.

Susan Heaton-Wright for highlighting the importance of presence and letting go of personal ego in service of purpose and passion.

And Nadia Finer for illustrating the power of finding your ‘quiet riot’ and championing the stories of people overcoming shyness.

What resonated most was the idea that confidence is not the absence of fear but the presence of purpose.

When we disconnect from personal insecurity and connect with passion and mission, our voices become stronger.

And when we speak - not just to talk, but to be heard - we create ripples that inspire others to do the same.

So, let’s pass the baton. Let’s collaborate over compete. Let’s uplift, amplify, and create space for each other.

Because when one woman finds her voice, she doesn’t just change her own life - she empowers the next generation to do the same.

I often feel really lonely in business…Which is why a real, in person, catch up with Kirsten Samuel yesterday made it th...
28/09/2024

I often feel really lonely in business…

Which is why a real, in person, catch up with Kirsten Samuel yesterday made it the most wholesome morning.

As a psychotherapist and coach, I , by myself and often online. And though I’m privileged to have my own therapy space, it doesn’t necessarily feel less lonely seeing clients in person either.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my profession - it is the most rewarding, faith-in-humanity-restoring, inspiring work.

But as client work and therapist mentorship is largely one-sided (as it should be), it doesn’t meet many of my personal social needs - even with a great ‘work-wife’ and friend in !

And whilst Covid catapulted the online side of my business in terms of global impact and time-efficiency, I’ve found myself in the ‘convenience trap’ of back-to-back scheduling (which has increased my income and made it even more tempting to stay in the trap!)

Add in the mix, juggling my practice alongside raising my 14 month old daughter - a constant internal tug of war between my ‘ambitious career woman’ and ‘ideal mother’ within - I am the most time poor I’ve ever been.

But I’ve realised I am the only one who can change things.

So after 11 weeks of diary-aligning, yesterday I chose connection over convenience, in-person over income, and nurtured friendship within formal relationship.

Reconnecting with the joy of commuting to a location, sitting in a restaurant rather than an office, and sharing about life’s personal stresses as well as professional strategy felt so nourishing.

So though it rained all day and I’m still sulking that summer is over, I am feeling so warmed for investing the time and effort - and appreciative for the opportunity to work with such awesome women in the Kamwell team.

Thank you for topping up my tank Kirsten. And if any of my connections on here resonate and would like to meet up IRL, if you can bare with me whilst I try to juggle it all (and are happy to arrange months in advance), I’m here for it!

18/09/2024

It is always a pleasure to present to Elsevier but yesterday was particularly fun, talking about as a modern-day superpower!

As a result of technological advancements, the world we live in is accelerating at a rate of change that supersedes the historic rate of Human Adaptability - presenting both huge opportunity for growth, but also much uncertainty and challenge.

Now more than ever, humanity needs to adapt to an unfolding new reality - something that we are both brilliant at as a species, but often find very difficult.

Exploring how adaptability is going to be the super skill we all need to embrace and practice, I shared therapeutic insights and psycho-education on:

💡 What it actually means to be adaptable - noting that it is the QUALITY of our MINDSET and our CAPACITY to act with PURPOSE.

💡 How are brains are better wired for sabertooth tigers than today's tech-hijacked world

💡 That our brains actually use around 20% of our body's energy supply, favouring habitual behaviour because it costs less energy!

💡 How we can help our brain shift to an adaptive mindset fuelled by curiosity and focused on potential (rather than problems)

💡 And some practical tools - like emotional regulation - that can boost our adaptability as a superpower!

There were some great questions and fabulous feedback from all around the globe - thank you to everyone who tuned in and as always, thanks to Beck Stockdale, Emma James and Kamwell for bringing these topics to the forefront of conscious conversations!

Celebrating the completion of a chapter with my dear friend Ali 💛Working in private practice as a therapist can be real...
09/08/2024

Celebrating the completion of a chapter with my dear friend Ali 💛

Working in private practice as a therapist can be really lonely. I remember when I first qualified, it came as a shock to me how isolated I felt, despite having a full practice and enjoying the clients I worked with.

In 2020, whilst in the midst of the pandemic, a therapist reached out to me asking for my experience of Ageism in the therapeutic professional for an article she was writing.

Literally in a matter of minutes we were enthusiastically mattering away as if we had been friends for years.

Without much contemplation, we decided to do something about the void of community for younger therapists and set up the Network for Younger Counsellors and Psychotherapists (fondly known as the NYCP).

For nearly 4 years we dedicated our time and passion for championing younger mental health professionals through an online community that grew to 1,000 members; we held monthly gatherings discussing potent topics within the industry and held space for connection, resources and relationships to flourish.

Earlier this year, with life having changed a lot for us both, we made the decision to step back as the leaders of the NYCP, and passed on the baton within the community.

Today we celebrated our NYCP chapter, but beyond our collaboration, is a genuine friendship that continues into this new season of life.

Thank you to all the members of the NYCP community that also made it come to life - we held you in our hearts as we clinked coffees 💛

06/08/2024

🧠'The sheer volume of data that our brains are trying to process is exceeding our human capacity to process it.'

If there was one takeaway that I hoped to convey last week when presenting to LexisNexis Risk Solutions on , it was this!

Burnout has become a hot topic of conversation in and out of organisational environments. And whilst the WHO (2019) are clear that burnout is not an individual problem but an organisational concern, it is worth reminding ourselves of the wider systemic issues that can also hijack our nervous system and deplete our energy levels.

Across the 2 x 30 minute mini series 'From Burnout to Balance', we explored:

➡️ Burnout 101: How does it Impact us?
➡️ Stress vs Burnout - What’s the difference?
➡️ A Therapeutic Perspective - Neurotic & Existential levels of stress
➡️ Shifting mindsets - Selfish vs Self-responsibility
➡️ Tools for Preventing & Managing Burnout
➡️ Creating a Less-Stress Culture

By bringing more conscious awareness and education to the mental, emotional and pathological ‘red flags’ of burnout, employees are empowering to take responsibility of their individual needs.

And when the organisation allows space for honest conversations around workload, capacity and compassionate accountability, it is possible to both prioritise people and productivity together.

Thank you to all those who attended, asked questions and shared such encouraging feedback. With particular thanks to Heidi Finch and Stephanie Wix for championing this topic with their teams! 👏🏼

I had been looking forward to hosting this workshop for a long time, and my experience at Scottish Ballet did not disapp...
30/05/2024

I had been looking forward to hosting this workshop for a long time, and my experience at Scottish Ballet did not disappoint!

Working closely with the Advancement Team, the interactive workshop aimed to educate, equip and empower the team with therapeutic insights and collaborative tools, to help optimise their individual and collective skills within their professional roles. Together, we explored:

🧠Understanding human behaviour and how we can default to conditioned ways of being that may not serve our potential or professional responsibilities

💡The importance of self awareness and self regulation when confronting difficult challenges within event management

👏🏼How to navigate difference, champion diversity and create allyship as team working within a progressive organisation

🗣️ How to communicate and model healthy boundaries that honour each other with respect and integrity

I was also lucky enough to have a personal behind-the-scenes tour with Louise, who showed me around the studios, set designs, costume rooms, shoe collections and even had the opportunity to watch dancers rehearse for a few minutes.

It is always rewarding to be welcomed into an organisation willing to invest in supporting their staff - but the warmth of everyone at Scottish Ballet was especially wholesome.

Thank you to the Advancement Team for your energy and engagement, with particular thanks to Antonia Brownlee and Kirsten Cockburn for your leadership in the run up to the workshop. And as ever, to Char Sutton and Kamwell for helping to make this happen!

21/05/2024

Navigating change is nearly always a challenge! Whether it's personal, professional, you are the decision maker, or the person impacted by a another's choice - even when the change is positive or offers growth, our human brains don't like it.

It was great to be invited by Tesco Bank to present on Finding your Way through Change last week. Sharing insights through therapeutic and organisational psychology, we explored together:

🌍 Change as a catalyst for Organisational Evolution
🧠 Why we find Change so hard (we are actually wired to dislike it!)
5️⃣ The 5 Stages of Grief that occur through Change
💡 The 6 Behaviours that can show up in Organisational Change:
🔍 Fight, Flight, Fawn, Freeze, Flock and Flop
👤 How you can support yourself through Change
👥 How you can support others through Change

Attendees were also invited to self-reflect and vote in polls how they react to change, allowing greater self-awareness and opportunity to take ownership of their emotional needs - something that often gets neglects in corporate environments.

Below is a short 2 minute clip of the section 'Why we Find Change so Hard'. I would love to hear what resonates or lands with you?

Thank you to all those who joined the talk from Tesco Bank, especially Danielle McKay Mosley for championing . The feedback has been really rewarding to receive. And as always, to Kamwell and Zoe Ibrahim for the opportunity.

It is always encouraging when organisations welcome insights and education around to help empower their employees! In ...
15/05/2024

It is always encouraging when organisations welcome insights and education around to help empower their employees! In alignment with , I had the pleasure of presenting an intimate Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Cambridge Vacuum Engineering yesterday.

CBT offers a great foundation of practical tools in which we can learn to identify thought, feeling and behavioural patterns and how these can either positively or negatively contribute to our mental health.

Together we learnt about:

🧠 How the Brain is wired (and how it's actually out-of-date!)
👤 A real-life client example, Steve and how CBT helped him
✅ How CBT works and its effectiveness
💬 Limitations with CBT and other forms of therapy
📖 As well as helpful resources to try themselves!

Thank you to Kamwell as always, and the lovely team at CVE, who were super welcoming and sent some lovely feedback too.

Probably the coolest set up for a Zoom call! 🙌🏼Had a little moment to myself before meeting the Prosper in Practice ladi...
23/03/2024

Probably the coolest set up for a Zoom call! 🙌🏼

Had a little moment to myself before meeting the Prosper in Practice ladies for our bi-weekly mentorship calls yesterday.

Officially I’m on leave, but as cheesy as it sounds - work doesn’t feel like work when it’s not hard work!

Though my ‘work wife’ Elsie Owen and I offer support and wisdom-based guidance on how to grow a successful, sustainable and satisfying private practice, the energy, enthusiasm and eagerness that the PIP group brings to us, it’s very much a mutual exchange of vibrance and vitality each session!

Very grateful for how my business is built to offer a hybrid of in person and online ways of working, and the flexibility technology gives me to do so from pretty awesome places in the world 🌍

29/02/2024

Such a rewarding experience, delivering 3 talks to Elsevier employees as part of a Relationship Mini Series for their MindLife programme. With nearly 600 attendees, reaching international audiences across the 3 presentations, the feedback and engagement has been so encouraging!

The 3 presentations delved into the most common ways relationships disconnect - and how we can rekindle and reconnect:

❌ Complacency and Complaining - how we need to proactively practice gratitude, curiosity and vitality in our relationships, as well as bravely and explicitly ask for our needs to be met (rather than complaining where they weren't met!)

🔇 Lack of Communication - how communication is different to talking and a skill that needs to be learned, including the ritual of creating an emotionally safe environment for connection and vulnerable sharing.

🎬 And finally today, concluding with Covert Expectations - how we often create unrealistic and unexamined movies in our heads of how we want things to look, feel, and riskiest of all - of how we hope other people will behave (as illustrated from this little snippet of the talk!)

By understanding that the higher the expectation, the higher the risk of disappointment and resentment, we can begin to become conscious of our expectations (including those we put on ourselves).

Key to building connection is to take responsibility for examining and expressing our expectations explicitly, sharing why it is important to us to help give it meaning and context to others.

Thank you to all those at Elsevier who invested their time and energy to attend, especially Beck Stockdale for championing such great , and the team at Kamwell for the opportunity 🙏

28/02/2024

Clearly, I talk with my hands! 🙌🏼 What an awesome day presenting to NHS Lothian and Elsevier with Kamwell 💻

One of the things I love about my work is sharing therapeutic insights beyond the four walls of my practice, and providing an accessible psycho-education to corporate audiences (after all, corporate professionals are also humans!)

Today I covered 3 different hot-topics, starting with How to Cultivate Healthy Boundaries to NHS Lothian, which covered:

• Demystifying what a boundary is (and isn’t!)
• Why we find boundaries so hard, especially in todays world
• What happens to us when we don’t implement boundaries
• How to begin to identify your own boundaries
• Tools and practical tips on how to communicate them

The other two presentations were part of the Relationship Mini Series, focusing on the most common ways relationships disconnect and how to rekindle and reconnect!

In series 1 we tackled Complacency and Complaining, looking at:

• How Complacency is not comfort but actually passive neglect
• How Complaining is wish disguised as criticism
• That the antidote to complacency is gratitude, curiosity & vitality
• That to be in relationship we have to abandon ‘righteousness’
• And how explicit communication is better than complaining

The second part of the series continued on the theme of communication, and how a Lack of Communication contributes to disconnect in relationship. Including:

• Busting the biggest myths about communication and it’s not the same as talking
• That communication is as much about listening and skill to be learned
• Different types of ‘bad communication’, such as silent treatment, passive aggression and steamrolling
• The importance of ritual in creating emotional safety
• And how we can begin to express ourselves with clarity rather than confusion

It’s been a full day - with the final part of the relationship series concluding tomorrow with the theme of Covert Expectations!

Until then, I’m going to give my hands a rest 😅

Conflict can be really hard, whether it be personal or professional - and yet, it is a very normal part of healthy relat...
23/02/2024

Conflict can be really hard, whether it be personal or professional - and yet, it is a very normal part of healthy relationships (contrary to popular myth!)

It was great to present to LexisNexis Risk Solutions yesterday on the challenging topic of conflict!

Together, we busted some conflict myths, understood how conflict can trigger childhood conditioning, and how we can even transform conflict into an opportunity for greater connection.

Some key takeaways were:

💡How social media has contributed to idealised and unrealistic relationship expectations
💡That conflict holds space of difference, not necessarily a 'right' and a 'wrong'
💡Conflict is different to abuse, gaslighting and manipulation
💡The absence of conflict does not necessarily mean perfect alignment, but that true feelings may be being suppressed
💡Emotional safety is the key to healthy conflict
💡Conflict in caring 'armoured up'!
💡That asking for a time out can stop conflict from escalating
💡And that acknowledging the other persons feelings and point (even if you don't agree with it!) can help to build connection.

Thank you as always to Kamwell for the opportunity, I very much look forward to a full week of presenting next week!

Address

2 Heath Road
Great Brickhill
MK17 9AL

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 9pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 9pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 9pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Be Conscious with Charlotte posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Be Conscious with Charlotte:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our story

In COURAGE Counselling & Coaching offers a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space, in which people are free to process their experiences, gain awareness into difficulties, find healing and move forward with their life in courage. I encourage authentic self reflection on your innermost feelings, choices and behaviours, to help integrate the parts of yourself that may be in conflict, and engage your will to make positive life changes.

My role as a guide, through counselling or coaching, is to work alongside you, untangle the present from the past and uncover your potential by finding what is of purpose, meaning and value to you.

Our work together can provide the grounding for life-long transformation as you cultivate positive life changes in relationship with self and others. The ultimate goal is not 'achieving happiness', but manifesting a personal sense of wholeness and belonging to yourself.