Mark Bixter - Life Coaching

I was interviewed recently for the MOE Foundation blog about my work, my approach and my thoughts on stuff. You can read it here

A MOE journey: the power of coaching and mental health awareness Me Others Everyone

I was thrilled to be invited onto the Association for Coaching podcast recently to talk about the coaching work I do. Click on the link below for a 30 minute insight into my coaching world...

Coaching in the Workplace Podcast Series Mark Bixter, Leadership and Mental Health Coach and Trainer, joins Rob Lawrence in a podcast to share how he switched his career from being an actor to a full-time coach. Mark lives by the idea that everyone, regardless of their profession, social status, religion, or race, should be provided with c...

I was sad to read this article of coaches taking advantage of people during the pandemic. As if this past year hasn't been tough enough...

Online job coaches ‘are exploiting the unemployed during pandemic’ Web support has boomed as Covid forces people to change career. But it can cost thousands, for little in return

Late last year I spent some time coaching Prison Officers for the charity Spark Inside. This was a shift from coaching serving prisoners. I wrote an article for the magazine Coaching Perspectives and you can have a read of it below...

Today I have been embarking on a new journey with the first MOE coach training course cohort of 2021. It is a joy to run these courses and spread the magic of coaching to a new group of positive change makers in the world.

If you'd like to join a course and develop some coaching skills for yourself then check out MOE it's a wonderful organisation and community...

home Me Others Everyone

Happy New Lockdown!

I usually start the year with a post about reflecting on the year we've had, or thinking about how we want the year ahead to be. Both of those things have value and are a worthwhile exercises that help us to understand where we are right now. Maybe they would be useful things for you to give some thought too, if so go for it. But this doesn't feel like a normal start to a year, it feels like the continuation of something difficult, like wading through a river of treacle but with the challenge of not being able to see the other side.

So at the start of this year I urge you to show self-compassion. Whatever challenges you faced last year and however difficult it was, you got through it. Well done! You might have exceeded your expectations or you might have fallen short of them either way - well done! There will always be difficulties we're facing and more work to do, but don't let the difficulties and the work become your only narrative. Allow yourself a pat on the back, some time to recognise how tough things were and how you got through it, you deserve that. Well done!

One of the things I have remained incredibly grateful for during lockdown has been the ability to continue doing meaningful work. In more normal times I work within the prison system coaching serving prisoners with the charity Spark Inside. During lockdown it has not been possible to enter prisons, but I did have the opportunity to work with prison officers. Below is a link to a blog of some work I did with James - a really inspirational officer. Enjoy!

Life coaching: a prison officer’s perspective | Spark Inside Lifecoaching:a prisonofficer’sperspective 2 November 2020 Following our recent initiative to offer life coaching to prison staff, James Kurszewski, a Prison Officer, has blogged about his experience with coaching. I’ve been a Prison Officer working with young offenders for eleven years. These...

Today - 10th October is World Mental Health Day. It feels more pertinent today than ever. As the world continues to adapt and deal with a pandemic, mental health has become a big feature of our social and cultural discourse.

I firmly believe that mental health is something we have all the time, every second of every day. Sometimes it is great and sometimes and it really isn't! There is a tendency to only acknowledge our mental health when it's a problem. We rarely hear people talking about having great mental health, but we often hear phrases like "mental health issues" or "mental health condition" or "mental health problems" as though our mental health only exists when there is a challenge to be addressed.

I came across the attached image recently on a webinar about trauma and it resonated with me and the difficulties I have faced with my own mental health. We have a tendency to cover up the more unpleasant aspects and pretend they were never there. How would it be if we allowed ourselves to embrace the full range of our mental health, including the difficult parts. What would it be like if accepted the beauty that comes from our suffering... just like a Japanese bowl!

I've had a fab morning today as it was the final day of a coaching skills course I have been running for the MOE Foundation. Today 12 new coaches have been unleashed into the world to create their magic.

Leading the coaching skills course is a joy in my work. If you'd like to learn more about coaching skills yourself then head over to the MOE Foundation website https://moefoundation.com/ you might not want to be a coach, but you might learn something about yourself and how you can change the way you communicate with everyone you interact with.

Happy Wednesday all!

The past few months have been weird to say the least. I feel like I have felt every emotion possible over this time, confusion, frustration, joy, helplessness, positivity. Right now feels like a particularly odd time as everything is different but everything is kind of back to how it was. In these circumstances it is hard to position ourselves and how we relate to the world.

At the beginning of lockdown I felt at peace, I enjoyed the calming slow down that happened across society. Then I started to feel frustrated and annoyed, I wanted to lock my toddler in a cupboard so I could get some work done. Then the nurseries reopened and the shops reopened and people were wearing masks like some post apocalyptic war film. The world was a weird version of how it used to be where I can buy jeans if I smother my face but can eat my lunch without needing to or I can fly to San Marino no problem but I can't go to the theatre.

For me the impact of all this is hard to process whilst experiencing it and it is when I look back that I can recognise how tough it has been and at times how rewarding. It is about being present in each moment, trying to check in with myself and to respond accordingly. Find the moments to slow down. Find the clarity in the confusion. Find the space in the chaos.

Have you taken the time to stop and reflect on how these past few months have impacted you and what you need? Give yourself the luxury I’m sure you won’t regret it.

I’m going to book a massage now.

A couple of weeks ago I was struck by an interview on Radio 4 with a guy whose name I can't remember, but I do remember him saying:

"We don't need social distancing, we need social closeness. We do need physical distancing."

This resonated with me in a similar way to my post the other day about children being valuable not vulnerable in that words matter.

Now more than ever we need closeness, we need connection, we need support and we need other people. The more we can keep those things present and avoid distancing ourselves emotionally from other people, the richer, the more rewarding and the more positive an experience lockdown will be.

(Image from lemark.co.uk)

It's day 2 of mental health awareness week, which feels a fitting time to share that I will be joining the team at Sanctus.

Sanctus believe that we all have mental health, at all times every single day. Sometimes our mental health is brilliant, sometimes its so so and at other times it's bad... much like our physical health. This is a theme I have written about on here a few times and so I'm chuffed to be joining the team.

How is your mental health today?