Elma Carew Coaching & Consulting

Today is Workplace Wellbeing Day.

There is a lot of focus on organisational initiatives, and rightly so.

But alongside that, there are also small things you can do today that might help the day feel a bit more manageable.

You might slow your breathing for a few minutes before your next meeting. Something simple like in for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four can help settle things.

You might take five minutes between tasks instead of jumping straight into the next thing. Even just standing up, stretching or getting a bit of fresh air.

You might pause before saying yes and check whether you actually have the capacity.

You might pick one thing to focus on and give it your full attention for a while.

None of these are groundbreaking, but they are useful.

And sometimes it is those small pauses and choices that change how a day feels.

Over the past few months I’ve been working with Atlantic Technological University on a series of wellbeing workshops, and we’re coming towards the final session next month.

This month’s sessions focused on Rebuilding Confidence After Setbacks and Boosting Motivation When You Feel Stuck, and every time I deliver these, I’m reminded why I care so much about this work.

It’s not just about the content. It’s what happens when people are given the time and space to actually pause.

For a couple of hours, they step out of the day to day and start to notice things about themselves that have been sitting in the background for a long time. They begin to realise they’re not the only one feeling the way they do, and that alone can be incredibly reassuring. There’s often a moment where someone says something out loud and you can almost feel the rest of the room thinking, “I thought that was just me.”

That shared understanding is powerful. It creates a kind of permission for people to reflect a bit more honestly, without pressure to have everything figured out.

We talk about motivation and confidence, but not in a push harder, do more kind of way. It’s more about understanding what might be getting in the way in the first place, and giving people a chance to reconnect with themselves a little.

I always leave these sessions feeling grateful. Not just for the feedback, which is consistently strong, but for the openness in the room and the willingness people have to engage with something a bit deeper.

If you’re part of an organisation that wants to support your people in a way that feels genuine and not rushed, I’m always happy to chat about what that could look like.

Workplace Wellbeing Day is coming up on 29 April.

The initiatives that actually make a difference are not the ones that look impressive, they are the ones that feel useful.

Employees already know the theory around wellbeing. What they often need is practical ways to apply it in the middle of real workloads, real deadlines and real expectations.

The most valuable sessions are the ones where people leave with something they can actually use the next day.

If you are planning something for Workplace Wellbeing Day, there is still limited availability for practical, engaging sessions that focus on tools people can genuinely apply in their work.

This week I received the most beautiful flowers from a very good friend, congratulating me on climbing Croagh Patrick and for being part of the International Women’s Day event in March.

It was such a thoughtful gesture, but more than anything, it reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to be surrounded by such supportive, genuine women.

Being self employed can sometimes feel like a lonely road. There can be pressure, uncertainty, moments of doubt and days where things feel harder than expected.

One of the greatest gifts that has come from this journey has been the connections I have made with other female business owners. Some of these women have become very close friends and I honestly cannot imagine this journey without them.

They are the ones who check in, who encourage, who listen, who remind you of your strengths when you might momentarily forget them yourself.

We celebrate each other’s wins. We support each other through the challenges. We share ideas, reassurance and perspective when it is most needed.

Having authentic friendships like this is something I am incredibly grateful for. My life is genuinely richer because of these women in it.

To the women who show up, who support, who champion and who quietly have each other’s backs, thank you. It means more than you probably realise.

A really rewarding week delivering a comprehensive HR programme for people managers working in retail across Ireland.

We explored real workplace scenarios and practical ways to support both the business and the individual, always taking a human centred approach.

When managers feel confident handling people situations, everything works better.

If supporting your managers is a priority, feel free to reach out.

The clocks go forward this weekend. Which means we lose an hour… but somehow gain a tiny burst of motivation to get our lives together.

There is something about brighter evenings that makes everything feel just a little more possible. Suddenly we imagine ourselves becoming the kind of person who drinks more water, goes for evening walks, cooks proper meals, stretches, journals, reads books and definitely goes to bed earlier.

We may or may not become that person. But the intention alone feels quite hopeful.

I often hear people talk about a “spring reset”. Not in a dramatic overhaul kind of way, but in small gentle shifts. Opening the windows more. Getting outside for ten minutes. Noticing the light in the evenings. Maybe asking yourself, what would feel good to introduce right now.

Sometimes we focus so much on trying to eliminate bad habits that we forget it can be easier to simply add something supportive alongside what is already there.

A short walk after dinner. A glass of water first thing. A slightly earlier wind down. A bit more daylight on our faces.

Nothing extreme. Nothing punishing. Just small signals to your mind and body that a new season is beginning.

And if all you do this weekend is notice the longer evenings and think “that feels nice”, that counts too.

Wishing you a gentle spring reset.

One pattern I am seeing more and more in interview preparation is highly capable people struggling to clearly articulate their own impact.

I work with both men and women on interview confidence. But I do often see women minimising their contribution more than they realise.

I regularly hear:
We did this
We supported that
I was involved in

But when we explore further it becomes clear that they led the project, shaped the direction, influenced the outcome or were central to the success.

Another pattern is hesitating to apply unless they meet almost every requirement in the job description. Meanwhile many candidates who meet only some of the criteria will apply and trust they can build capability in the role.

This is not about competence. It is about confidence in communicating competence.

After 20 years working in HR reviewing thousands of applications and interviewing thousands of candidates I can say this with certainty - interview panels are not mind readers. They can only assess what is clearly communicated.

Interviews are one of the few professional situations where you are expected to speak about your strengths. Doing so clearly is not arrogance. It is clarity.

When people prepare in a structured way something shifts. They become more comfortable, more confident and more concise. They stop underselling their experience and start communicating their value more effectively.

Preparation does not change who you are. It helps you present your experience with clarity and confidence.

If you have an interview coming up and would like support I offer structured preparation sessions designed to help you communicate your experience in a way that feels natural, clear and authentic.

This afternoon I delivered a workshop with the team in ATU on Boosting Motivation When You Feel Stuck.

It’s a topic that comes up so often in the work I do. Not because people don’t care or don’t want to take action, but because they’ve lost momentum and don’t know how to get it back.

In the session, we explored why motivation drops, how to reconnect with your own personal drivers, simple ways to get unstuck and create movement and how to build habits that support long term motivation.

What I always find with this workshop is how quickly things can shift when people are given the space to pause and reflect.

To date, the feedback I’ve received on this workshop has been really positive.

Things like:
“Really practical, I can actually use this straight away.”
“I have a much clearer understanding of what motivates me now.”
“I didn’t realise how stuck I felt until I stepped back and looked at it.”
“I’m leaving with a plan which I didn’t expect.”

That’s always the goal. Not just insight, but something people can actually take away and use.

If this is something your team could benefit from, you’re very welcome to get in touch.