Imaginal Coaching

Happy to report that LisaLa has launched her website. Perfect time to pop along and grab that super special gift you are looking for this holiday season. Don't forget to pop in the code for free postage in Australia.

Shop local this season and make a difference in your community.


I've been busy building my website and it's finally live! So as a launch special I'm offering free postage on my new range of Critters! Just type in LAUNCH24 at the checkout and they'll be on their way to you...

Handmade Jewellery LisaLa | Handmade Jewellery LisaLa Lisa La Jewellery: Where Nature Meets Vintage Discover the enchanting world of Lisa La Jewellery, a reflection of Lisa’s deep love for animals, the environment, and all things retro. Inspired by the stunning beauty of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, Lisa creates unique pieces that celebrat...

This is a conversation I have just started having with myself and some of my peers. We still have more questions than we do answers at the time of writing, and we are enjoying exploring how we show up in this space and sharing some of the strategies we have developed for ourselves and our professional lives.

The more time I spend considering the nuances of networking for autistic individuals, my curiosity grows, and I find myself eager to learn from the lived experiences of others. If you have navigated these waters yourself or supported someone who has, your insights are invaluable. Together, through sharing our stories and strategies, we can broaden our understanding and reshape our approaches to networking, making it a more inclusive and fruitful experience for everyone involved.

The Unseen Barrier: Neurodiversity and Networking In a world where professional success is often determined by 'who you know', the importance of social capital cannot be overstated. Yet, for

Start as you intend to continue.

Come and join in discussions, Q&A, and guided meditations every Sunday at 9am Adelaide time.

https://skillfulmind.com.au/?ns_url=139&mid=46271&fch=0efe3486

Finding your own patch of community can feel like an impossible task at times.

For so many reasons it is worth persisting with.

Maybe we can help. Meeting peers in a safely facilitated space is one way people find a path to their own little patch of community.

🙂

Modern “community”, why do we need one?

The term “community” sometimes feels aloof and not a part of our everyday lives. Our western society has moved away from living in a community and embraced an individualistic way of life. In many other cultures and times gone by, we lived communally, each person had a role and things like hunting/gathering (shopping), cooking, cleaning and child rearing were shared. Emotional burdens were also shared such as shared grieving rituals where your grief was acknowledged by your loved ones and the community grieved with you.

2024 presents a very different picture where many people are isolated and don’t have the support of family or friends around them. We know the negative mental health, physical health and emotional impacts of this social isolation and need to find ways to help people connect again.

When you are from a particular culture you are a part of a community, when you are from a small regional town you are a part of a community, when you have a shared interest with others you are part of a community. But for some people there is not an obvious community to reach out to. Finding and connecting to a community is not always easy, but with today’s technology we have the opportunity to find people with similar interests to us and connect to people all around the world.

There are so many benefits to being a part of a community including a deep sense of belonging. When people engage with others who share common interests or goals, they feel connected to others and something bigger than themselves. This sense of belonging is so important for mental and emotional well-being and can provide a support network and a feeling of being valued and accepted.

Communities are incubators for shared interests and values, creating opportunities for people to come together, collaborate, and collectively address local issues. There are countless examples of communities mobilising to make positive changes, including activism – think climate change or women’s rights, fundraising for a specific cause, or local people coming together to improve public spaces or fight to protect their green space.

Once you have found some like-minded people, whether its online or face to face it takes time to get to know each other and trust one another. These relationships will strengthen over time, and you may feel comfortable to share more about yourself and ask for support when you need it. Your community might not look like times gone by where communities lived communally and shared tasks, but it might be able to offer the emotional support you have been looking for. This goes a long way in making us feel like we are not alone and there are others around us who care.

I’m so excited about the Wellbeing Series I’m co-facilitating with Lisa White from Imaginal Coaching. It’s an 8-week course for late diagnosed autistic and/or ADHD adults (who identifies as a woman, non-binary or genderqueer). Being a part of creating a community around people is why I do this work. The Wellbeing Series: cultivating care from within co-designs safe spaces to have meaningful conversations, create connections to your community and develop self-care strategies to nurture your mind, body and spirit post diagnosis. Please get in touch if you are interested in being involved.

Sunday morning is meditation group morning for me. In my morning pages, I reflect on my week’s meditations and choose moments to share with the group.

In a world where it's easy to be hard on ourselves, this week I was reminded of the opportunity for increased choice that meditation offers. We often scold ourselves for distractions, for all the 'shoulds' that burden our thoughts. Yet, each time our minds wander and we notice, it's an invitation—not for criticism, but to offer ourselves grace and gratitude. 'Thank you, wandering mind, for giving me the chance to choose kindness. Thank you for the reminder to come back to now, to this breath.'

These repeated moments of grace during meditation are acts of healing. They’re chances to build trust with ourselves that ripple into our daily lives. Yes, meditation requires effort, but it’s a worthy investment.

We are, after all, our life’s work—where else should we place our effort?

I like to meditate outside when the weather allows. Yesterday these little chicks finally fledged and I am able to reclaim my meditation spot - after quite the thorough cleanup! I hope they found somewhere safe and warm last night, and it was a load of fun to watch this little family from nest building to flying the coop.

Returning to my outdoor meditation spot this morning was a joy.
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This goofy face went off to her forever home last week 💕

Fostering dogs through the was a strategy a client identified to ease their loneliness after their little dog died earlier this year.

Having this little ratbag around definitely brought a lot of life back into the house and she is sorely missed this week. Along with a sense of satisfaction for the part my client played in helping a lovely dog find safety and love again.

Registrations are open for our 2024 online series - and because time flies - for Term 1 2025 in Adelaide Metro, Adelaide Hills and online.

Sessions are run in alignment with the school term. School holidays are a great opportunity to reduce your workload where possible, for us and for participants. Rest is an important part of self-care, which is why Yasmin and I schedule it regularly into our diaries.

Reach out via the channel you are most comfortable with to learn more.

🥳‼️HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!! ‼️🥳

I am extremely excited and somewhat nervous to share that I am OPENING my art studio, DKarta Studios up in the lovely Mt. Compass, SA. 😱😱

At the young age of just 13 I began my journey as an artist which enabled me to create my business, DKarta Studios.

Over time I became a self published author, comic book artist, illustrator for many businesses both in Australia and overseas. ⚡️

My dream has always been to open a studio and to have a space where I and other creatives can build a community that is aspirational and supportive of each other. This has been my dream for over 10 years now! 🥺

DKarta Studios is a place where you will find art and stationary supplies, products by local vendors, artists and creatives as well as supporting local small businesses, feel free to drop off flyers or business cards.

DKartas Studios will also provide a printing service, custom graphic designs solutions for businesses and much more. Also many workshops that will be ANYTHING to do with creativity whether it may be with art, music or anything else that gets the creativity flowing, are planned for anyone, any age! 🥳🥳

So if you're creative feel free to reach out to apply to be a vendor, workshop host or would like to hire the large space for any groups or meetings.

I am so thrilled and excited to build a positive, inspiring and inclusive creative community space for all here in Compass.

If setting up goes well the store will open on Saturday the 5th of Oct. 🥳🥳

I cannot wait to see you all and to create something amazing together.

Dkarta Studios - Everything great starts from your imagination"

P.S Thank you so much to all my family, friends and my dogs that have supported me, as well as my clients that have got me to this amazing next step..a dream come true.

~DK 💖🥳💖🥳🥰🥰🥰🥰

Monday's are LycanCo day here at Imaginal Coaching and consequently on of my favorite days of the week.

I had a colleague mention recently that her dog was a bit itchy so today I picked her up some of LycanCo's Pet Positive Oatmeal Shampoo. That should help soothe that little furbaby - and bring some peace to the rest of the house too.

It's a good day to be me.





=winning.

While getting my diagnosis was a huge relief, it was often a very lonely time.

There was a lot to think about, there were (are) a lot of feelings and it felt like there wasn't much support out there during this time (apart from TikTok videos of course!).

That is why I jumped at the chance when Yasmin for Compassionate Social Work asked me to join her in this series. I hope we can help other women feel less alone after their diagnosis and continue to pay that forward for other women in our community.

Wellness Series | with Compassionte Social Work and Imaginal Coaching An eight week program for late diagnosed ASD and ADHD women in South Australia. Talking about self care, communication and connection to community. So, you're autistic, what comes next?