What brings you a deep sense of aliveness?

The newsletter that begins with a question

What might happen if you were to explore beyond tasks and activities that are just a means to an end? I believe that this is the key to bringing a deep sense of aliveness into your life.

I’m writing this to you while sat by my bedroom window. Yellow leaves are gently falling against a monochrome backdrop. My view of Kinder Scout is hidden by thick fog that will likely stay all day. As we approach winter, I think this question is even more important:

What brings you a deep sense of aliveness?

Write down a list of a few things, then as a next step write the feelings you associate with each one. Then email me your list: sarah@sarahventurer.com

One that comes to mind for me is listening to the bellows of the stags on Big Moor during the rut. The experience makes me feel alive and connected with waves of awe.

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Can tarot help with making changes in your life?

In my latest podcast episode Jessica Sinclair says tarot is for anyone who is interested in their personal development, open to something a bit different and just wants to learn more about themselves.

This interview is about a meandering career that has led Jessica towards becoming a tarot reader. Her work includes 1:1 readings in person in Sheffield & online, as well as at markets,  festivals, and private events, and workshops teaching people how to read tarot.

As well as sharing her journey and how tarot can help people, Jessica talks about the challenges and fears she has worked through along the way. At the end she does a live tarot reading for me and offers you a question to explore.

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Christmas gift ideas

Mountain Walks Kinder Scout - 15 routes to enjoy on and around Kinder Scout in the Peak District National Park. Email me if you’d like copies to be signed. Save money buying other Mountain Walks products together: Snowdon and Three Yorkshire Peaks.

Digital Gift Voucher for Career Coaching - I can personalise this for you with a name and message. It’s valid for one year from the date of purchase. Choose how much you spend.

Digital Gift Voucher for a Guided Walk on Kinder Scout - Choose between a valley walk, hilltop trails, moorland bog-hopping or sunrise/sunset.

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Featured coaching session

I took this photo during a 4-hour gentle valley walk. We sat next to the River Noe for lunch and a brew. At first it was cloudy but then the sun came out. After we’d eaten, I invited my client to lie back in the sunshine with me. There we rested for some minutes. I believe these moments are equal in importance to movement.

While we walked back to Edale village, she told me she had asked her friends - "What are you not doing that you really want to do?" I thought wow what a powerful question! So I turned it around and asked her. This is what we explored towards the end of the session.

If you would like to book an outdoor or online coaching session with me this year or into next, please get in touch: sarah@sarahventurer.com

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Testimonial from Megan

"Sarah has acted as a life coach for me for just over a year now, and I have found my meetings with her hugely valuable. I had some personal and career goals which I wanted to achieve and I approached Sarah to help me with this. Sarah has a very gentle approach and catching up with her regularly allowed me a space to work through things I was struggling with, think about solutions for problems, and celebrate things I had achieved! Sarah has motivated and encouraged me as I work towards my goal and helped me to stay accountable. I am so pleased to have worked with her. "

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Coming up next…

Winter coaching scheme - I’ll be updating my coaching scheme from autumn to winter very soon, offering both in-person and online versions. 3 spaces available.

About The Adventure Podcast will have a new episode soon featuring an interview with author Kerri Andrews who talks about redundancy, researching and writing books, motherhood in the context of walking and working, and her future plans.

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Thanks for being here today. Since I started writing the fog has cleared a little, more than I thought it would. If you’d like to write back, please do. With warmth and love from the Peak District I’m signing off until next time.

What's your body telling you?

The newsletter that starts with a question

Let’s begin with tuning in - How are you truly feeling right now?
Before you read on, send me a confidential note - sarah@sarahventurer.com

Perhaps your body is….

aching for change
groaning with every movement of doing the same thing again
yet you stiffen at the briefest thought of something different
because you’re not sure it’ll be right for you, or for someone else?

This is ok - to be unsure of what you want or your next move This is where coaching can help you to find out, with gentle curiosity and unpressured space.

You don’t know, and that’s ok. 

This is where we can begin together. Along new pathways, across the moors, sat upon griststone boulders, looking from new perspectives, we wonder about who you are and follow threads to find out what you want, before you make your next move.

You may feel relieved to know that your answers will most likely flow more easily than assumed. Feeling safe and accepted allows you the relaxed space to express yourself. But there’s no rush, we can take our time. I mean it when I say, it takes as long as it takes.

My autumn coaching scheme is available from September. It is inspired by the seasons of nature which we’ll observe each month and use as a guide for change. As the swallows and house martins prepare to migrate next month, we'll consider what you want to leave behind or to put down for a while. Perhaps there are some things you'll want to bring back when the swallows return?

Find out more and book a chat with me.

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Tom Bryan and Sarah Lister - Great British Adventures Podcast

In this edition of my newsletter I’m featuring my own guest interview on the Great British Adventures Podcast hosted and produced by Tom Bryan.

Tom asked me about my journey of personal transformation, growth, and fulfilment. I shared the realities that went on behind the scenes in my city job, the challenges I faced in stepping away from it, and the things that helped me along the way.

The episode is packed with anecdotes from my personal story and reflections on how coaching has helped. Tom even puts me on the spot for some live coaching!

You can watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Tom has loads of great in-depth interviews on his show so follow, subscribe, etc!

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Group Walking Events

Saturday 31 August 2024
Guided walk to the highest point in the Peak District

We’ll spend the day up high visiting some of the best viewpoints on Kinder Scout including Grindslow Knoll, on to the highest point on the moorland plateau at 636 metres, and then to the trig point at Kinder Low.

Saturday 28th September 2024
Edale Skyline challenge walk from dawn

Guided challenge walk from the village of Edale with a local guide. We will set off at dawn to watch the sunrise and spend the day up high walking along the Mam Tor Ridge, up Win Hill and along the southern edge of Kinder Scout.

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One of the things that I’ve noticed during my outdoor coaching sessions is the powerful impact of sitting in nature together. It’s when people seem to relax and reveal more about themselves.

We choose our sit spot carefully, lay out our mat seats, perhaps take our boots off, pour hot coffee into mugs from our flasks, and comment on the view that we can see. Sheltered from the wind we feel the warmth of the sun on us. 

I always notice the shift in energy and the appreciation for a rest. We take a little break from coaching questions and get to know each other a little bit, then I begin to bring my questions back in. This is often when clarity begins to show itself.

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What I’m reading: Running Through The Dark by Jen Scotney

“But I ultimately knew that this messy, cluttered path was the one I had to take.”

Over the weekend I started reading this memoir written by my friend Jen Scotney. It’s incredibly moving to read her personal story about grief, her work in prisons, the challenges she has faced in her relationships, and about how she started running in the mountains.

Massive congratulations to Jen for releasing her first book! You can order a special hardback edition or paperback from Vertebrate Publishing.

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How Does YOUR Sense of Adventure Show Up?

Andy Mort invited me on his show The Gentle Rebel to explore my unique sense of adventure and how this has shaped my education and career choices. I really enjoyed our conversation and the opportunity to reflect on some wonderful encounters,

In our conversation, we talk about:

• How to find adventure in the landscapes and environments around us

• My relationship with adventure and times in my life when my adventurous spirit shrunk

• The threads between imagination, daydreaming, and adventure

• Times when I’ve felt lost and how I found myself again

• Why adventure doesn’t need an end goal, destination, or quest attached to it

• The role of safety in a successful adventure

• How to keep the adventure going even when a particular journey ends

Andy’s podcast is fantastic and I feel so grateful to have been invited as a guest. I highly recommend listening to his other episodes.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope you’ve had a wonderful summer (hopefully it’s not over just yet). I’m interviewing my friend Jessica Sinclair for About The Adventure podcast this week and she has agreed to do a live tarot card reading during our chat about how she helps people to find clarity and inspiration. I’ll look forward to sharing her interview with you in the next edition of my newsletter.

What would make it worth the risk?

The newsletter that begins with a question

It’s very tempting to stick with what you know because making big changes in your life can seem reckless, exposed and insecure. You might find temporary comfort in the familiarity of your environment and the people in it. The pull of short-term safety can be very powerful indeed.

But I’d like to ask you about your long-term wellbeing. What is going on behind the scenes for you?

I sometimes cling to the illusion of safety and comfort in the hope of avoiding conflict, hurting others, and facing the unknown territory of where I might work or live next. I know it can be a very challenging decision to take - to move on from something or someone that feels known. Perhaps this question will support you:

What would make it worth the risk for you?

If you would like to share your response with me, in confidence, then please send me an email: sarah@sarahventurer.com and if you feel that my coaching work would be beneficial to you right now then please ask me about it. Subscribe below to receive more questions like these.

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Ranaa Farooq on About The Adventure Podcast

Are you prepared to sacrifice your life for your job? Ranaa Farooq says that she’s not willing to, despite the guilt and fear of judgement that she has felt about leaving the NHS and medicine in general. 

Ranaa Farooq is an abstract painter and life coach living in Sheffield, who describes the process of painting itself as therapy. In this interview on my podcast she talks about her artistic journey and realisation that there’s more than one way of helping people.

I think that you'll find this interview particularly valuable if you are:

• fearful of changing career because of the sense of responsbility in your current job

• feeling negatively affected by your day-to-day work

• struggling to envisage a way out of where you are currently working

• holding back on what you really want to achieve in your life

• thinking you have to stay in your current line of work because you've worked hard to get there and/or because of the perceived expectations of others

• curious about art as a form of therapy

Click the button below to listen now. This episode is also available on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and you can download it here to listen offline.

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Events in Edale, Peak District

Are you feeling isolated, disconnected and lonely? This is your opportunity to meet new people while walking in nature with a local guide.

There are two options for tickets. The first is a donation (suggested £5 or £10) and the second is free. Please select free if you can't afford to pay. You'll just need to pay for parking on the day, or your train fare.

The next date is Thursday 4th July and if the weather is good I’m planning to guide a circular walk from Edale village up to the top of Mam Tor. More dates for summer will be available soon.

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Outdoor group event

Are you feeling disheartened by the process of job searching or looking into a new career path? Here’s an opportunity to explore a new approach through connecting with nature and each other.

I know that changing careers or searching for a new job can be frustrating and lonely. This is why I’m creating an event that brings people together. We will spend time in nature, explore your journey through a new perspective that encourages a sense of adventure, and connect with each other in a safe and confidential space.

Facilitated by Career Coach Sarah Lister, this session will include:

• A guided walk on Kinder Scout in the Peak District

• Coaching questions as writing and conversation prompts that inspire new ideas

• Time to sketch or to write while enjoying peaceful surroundings

• Encouragement to connect with the experience through your senses

We will be a small group of no more than six people. The day will be gentle, curious and playful.

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Summer Coaching Scheme - Inspired by nature

Maybe we'll sit and watch, 
maybe we'll dance, 
maybe we'll touch the softness
of the cotton grass.

In June, the boggy plateau of Kinder Scout comes to life with swaying soft clumps of cotton grass. It can be hypnotic to watch this beautiful sedge bobbing and dancing in the summer breeze. 

Cottongrass on the moor in June

The characteristics of plants, wildlife and mountain weather naturally intertwine with my outdoor career coaching sessions. Sometimes people notice things while we walk or sit in this beautiful landscape, other times I draw their attention to it.

Often with nature there is more than meets the eye. When you start to research, sketch or watch with more curiosity, it becomes fascinating and sometimes surprising. This reflects the experience of coaching and can hugely complement it, especially by adding a sense of tenderness and play.

I’ve been walking and running with the concept of bringing in a coaching scheme inspired by nature and its seasons for quite some time. Here I am, beginning. While it’s new, it feels familiar. I think this is because I feel I’m naturally guided by the seasons and nature around me by living in this environment.

My summer coaching scheme started here in June, with the white cottongrass representing a blank canvas. It begins with dreaming about what you want to move towards, imagining what that will be like, and talking through what's been getting in the way. Nature will guide my questions and your responses while we walk together across the moorland landscape, sit with a brew on a gritstone boulder, and when we pause to notice what is happening around us with curiosity. 

This three-month scheme offers additional support and creative prompts throughout the summer season. If you’d like to have a chat about it, or ask any questions, please send me a message. It doesn’t have to begin in June, just wherever you are.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope you have a wonderful summer and feel accompanied during times of change.

How can you lift your confidence through adventure?

The newsletter that starts with a question!

A recent trip to the Northwest Highlands in Scotland inspired me to regain and improve my confidence with scrambling up mountains. I put my decision into practice right away, beginning with some easy local routes and gradually building this up to try out some more challenging ones with friends.

I also recently agreed to attempt a challenging running route called the Kinder Killer with a new friend. The distance, elevation and terrain were all much harder than I’d tried completing in one day before. But we did it!

I’m noticing that these new experiences are lifting my confidence in other areas of my life too, such as public speaking. When I see that I can push myself adventurously, this helps me to trust that I can push myself to do other things that I often shy away from.

My question for you this time is:

How can you lift your confidence through adventure?

Answers on a postcard please! Email sarah@sarahventurer.com

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Can slowing down enable us to get to where we ultimately want to go more efficiently?

On About The Adventure Podcast:

‘Slow Coach’ Andy Mort shares his unique approach to coaching and creating community in this enlightening interview. He tells us that he became a coach accidentally after people had directly approached him about it, prompting him to take up training and blend this with his work as a sound artist. 

Before taking up coaching, Andy was an Undertaker. As you can imagine, this provides a unique career change story. He shares compelling insights into his experience and how this influenced his perspective on life. 

Listen on my website, click the player below, or tune in to About The Adventure on your favourite podcast app.

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Will you join me on this new adventure?

Speaking about my Mountain Walks Kinder Scout book at Outside shop in Hathersage, Peak District

Here’s an extract from my latest blog post about finding the courage to work through my fear of public speaking.

On occasions when I did decide to speak up about things that were important to me or felt unjust, it took all of my strength to do so. It felt like an enormous push. These instances were often met with dismissal. It seemed like no one really listened or cared, which made me want to hide away again and even more terrified of speaking. My confidence was being chipped away and sometimes I couldn’t face leaving my home.

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My coaching availability in May

If you’d like to book a walking session with me during May, I currently have these dates available in my calendar:

• Monday 13th May

• Friday 24th May

• Wednesday 29th May

• Thursday 30th May

Email sarah@sarahventurer.com to book a session or request to have a chat first. There are more dates available in June. I also offer remote sessions. Weekends are possible if requested.

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Postcard from the Peak District

While out one early morning I was reflecting on how running has guided many of my decisions. It has become a commitment for me - one that I choose and which brings me a strong sense of direction in my life.

I used to feel so lost in my career and I worried that I’d never be able to find my way. It mattered to me yet I didn’t know where to look for my answers.

It was running that guided me towards where I’m living here in the Peak District. This landscape motivates me to experience sunrises and sunsets. It inspires me to pursue a career that gives me freedom to be spontaneous. And running has led me towards making healthier choices with my diet because I love feeling good when I’m outside. It helped me to commit to stop drinking alcohol which has made a massive difference to my life.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter! You can email me here if you’d like to reply: sarah@sarahventurer.com I’d love to hear from you! I’ll be back soon with a new podcast episode featuring an Abstract Artist in Sheffield who used to be a Doctor, plus a spring time postcard.

Career change: If not this, then what?

The newsletter that begins with asking you a question

Perhaps your job hasn’t turned out as you expected, or you’ve become tired of it. Each day might feel the same - the journey, the conversations, the meeting rooms. Maybe the comfort of routine is starting to make you feel highly uncomfortable because you know deep down that you want more variety in your work life.

Have you caught yourself wondering…is this it?

For some people this might be a fleeting question that passes them by, but for some this has a more powerful message. There’s something unsettling you and drawing your attention to what’s missing from your life.

Some of the people I’ve been coaching recently have shared that they miss learning, creativity, or being around people. Day by day this is having a massive impact on their motivation and family life. Their energy is being drained by routine daily tasks.

In this newsletter we are exploring the question:

If not this, then what?

Let’s imagine together for five minutes. If you weren’t choosing this job right now, how would you choose to spend your time instead?

Respond as truthfully as you can. I know it can be scary or seem far-fetched if it feels far removed from your current situation. But just for a few minutes - imagine.

You’re welcome to share your response with me, email: sarah@sarahventurer.com

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Is it worth retraining for a different career? - Peter at RedOakBushcrafts

On About The Adventure Podcast:

Peter Morton thinks it takes a lot of courage to change your career path, and it was his own boss who gave him the nudge to do so! In 2006 he left his job in IT to pursue a career in outdoor education as a freelance instructor. This led on to the creation of RedOakBushcrafts, a family run business in the Peak District.

I think that you'll find this interview particularly valuable if you are:

• feeling unhappy and detached in your current job

• wondering if retraining in something else is worth it

• thinking about a career change after spending many years in the same role

• considering a new line of work that will free up more time to spend with family

• have an interest in outdoor careers

• interested in learning about bushcraft and wilderness skills

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Postcard from Edale, Peak District

Find out what you love to do, let that be your guide in life.

I recently woke up at 2am in the morning and I knew this ☝️ I wrote it down and went back to sleep. The next day I went for a sunrise walk on the Great Ridge and while walking back home I noticed this beautiful rainbow framing my view of Kinder Scout.

Find out what you love to do, let that be your guide in life.

If you're feeling shaken, powerless, lost, bored, commit to doing the things you love to do as much as you can. Get to know yourself and connect with others through this lens. It's astonishing what happens. Rainbows, new opportunities, laughter, deeper connections, dreams coming true, and more. So much more!

It won't protect you from feeling hurt, anxious, afraid, alone or lost sometimes. But it can give you a grounded place to return to in hours of need.

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My coaching availability in March

If you’d like to book a walking session with me during March, I currently have these dates available in my calendar:

• Tuesday 12th March

• Wednesday 13th March

• Monday 18th March

Email sarah@sarahventurer.com to book a session or request to have a chat first. I also offer remote sessions.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter. This month I’ll be travelling to Scotland to spend a few days walking in the mountains, then to the Lake District for a yoga and walking retreat with Jen Scotney - grab your spot if there are any left. Until next time!