This whole thing of not working but technically still being in a job is totally fab.

My routine has changed a little of course.

I get up early with the little one as usual but instead of a run I get loads of business building stuff done.

Then I take her to school.

Then I go for a run or a walk.

Then I pick her up from school.

Then we hang out and I do a bit more business building stuff.

I am going to networking meetings, lining up talks, exchanging ideas, creating new stuff and generally having a ball.

And clients are starting to come through. And people are signing me up to get involved.

I am like a pig in muck!

This could very well end up being the best time of my life so far.

So here are some photos to capture the moment

Up until recently physical contact made me distinctly uncomfortable and I certainly have never felt comfortable in intimate situations. I have always admired people who are comfortable in themselves and their sexuality.

But I don't believe being comfortable in your sexuality is the same as being promiscuous.

I met the hubby when I was 18. By the time I was 19 we knew we were soul mates. He has always been the only man for me.

So you see, when I meet a person, my first thought is not what they would be like to have sex with. "Hi my name is Dawn, how do you like your sex?"

In fact it's not even my second, third or actually ever thought. Some people I might look at and think "they are good looking". I do this to men and women. Others I might get to know and think they are lovely people. Again, men and women.

I don't think "I wonder what they are like to have sex with"

Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because of all my hang ups.

But I really don't get why someone's sexual preferences has anything to do with me? Unless we're talking my husband of course...but really, who cares if you prefer men or women, sex indoors or outdoors, role play or pure physicality? What on earth has that got to do with anything in day to day life? Because treating people differently because of their sexual preference to me is the same as treating people differently because they prefer Costa coffee to Starbucks...really? What does it matter to me?

As I said...maybe because of everything I went though I am just missing the point here...

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Yes it’s a bit more frustrating these days with the political voting and stuff but at the end of the day you usually find the songs in the top 2 or 3 slots are actually the best songs…it’s all the others that are subject to the politics.

I reckon a few things should happen.

1. The UK should stop being a major sponsor and should qualify like everyone else. That way if we have a pants song it gets kicked out

2. We should stop trying so hard – lets have fun and enter fun songs. Eurovision about fun

3. You should be able to vote on Twitter or Social media in some way. Because that’s where the party and opinions really were. The opinions of Twitter were not reflected in the British vote and that seemed very wrong.

I had two parties going on. I had a couple of friends over (Jen and Neil) – something I’ve never done before but was really good. At the same time I was on Twitter and sharing with my friends what Twitter was saying.

I also downloaded the Eurovision App so I could keep track of our opinions and see what the community was thinking about songs. Again – for some reason the UK couldn’t vote through this app even though other countries could. What’s that all about?!

I stuck a bunch of ribs in the slow cooker and the hubby had fun concocting in the kitchen to come up with a goulash and side dishes.

The little one was settled in bed at 7pm as usual so by 8pm we had eaten and settled down in front of the TV with a beer.

The evening was great. Eurovision works brilliantly with Twitter and it is fun to have more people in the room to make fun of all the acts with.

Just so you know our favourites were:

• Greece
• Norway
• Malta
• Hungary

These weren’t in any particular order.

Obviously none of them won. We didn’t have the man in a box from Azerbaijan even on the radar!

I felt sorry for Ireland. Their song wasn’t that bad. My theory is that the problem was it was a good dance track like the ones that ended up at the top and they were last so the others got the points instead. I really think it would have done better if it wasn’t last.

I have always had a drive to help people. I always wanted to do what I could to stop people feeling the pain that I felt.

But the reality was I was never very good at it. I was very closed off to protect myself and I didn’t have the techniques and skills to help myself let alone anyone else.

Then I came across Cognitive Hypnotherapy and my life was transformed. From that very first session with Trevor I could see not only how it was helping me but that I really wanted to learn it so I could help others.

And so I did.

And it has been amazing. This massive hidden approach that can transform lives so effectively and so rapidly.

I wanted everyone to know about it so I put what I’d been through in a book to try and reach as many as possible and I embarked on a mission to get out there and use my story to let people know what’s possible.

And the further down my journey I went, the easier it became to share details of my past. To share the story that I had held back on because the journey is what counts.

But I recognised some people need the details of what you have overcome – not just how you have overcome it.

So then I looked for ways to connect with volunteering organisations to offer hands on help.

I started planning how I could do talks and maybe even ultimately TED talks – all to get the message out there “Nothing needs to be the way it’s always been”. There is an option.

Yesterday I went to meet with the board of governor's of a local women’s rape and sexual abuse charity. This was an opportunity to combine my business skills with my therapy and my background.

I talked through why I felt I wanted to be involved.

It was not an easy conversation. The women were lovely and attentive. It wasn’t about them, it was about me. I gave them copies of my book so they could understand what was possible and they will put a copy in their library.

We’re not sure how we will progress now – I will wait to hear from them.

But meanwhile I had a bit of a problem.

Because talking about my story is not good for me. It put me in such a dark place of self loathing and despair.

A place I don’t go anywhere near these days in my new shiny happy life.

And is this the way of it? If I try and share my story is this what is going to happen every time? I thought I was over this. I thought the demons of my past were laid to rest.

Yes, I have a bunch of stuff stirred up with my father that I am seeing Trevor about in a couple of weeks but to use a cliché, life is a journey not a destination. Where I am now is totally different to where I was 2 years ago.

Does this mean that my vision of being able to use my story and my skills and experience to help as many people as possible is not going to happen because every time I talk about it I sink? In June I am talking to a bunch of schoolgirls. It’s a motivational talk to show that whatever your past you can still be successful in life. It won’t be as intense as the one yesterday so I guess I’ll see how this one affects me and take it from there.

So I asked Sandra @littlefairycult on Twitter to make me a replica pendant that I could wear all the time.

It arrived today.

Isn’t it fabulous?

Now I can wear it everywhere I go.

We tried a thing called Haymax that you put under your nose but that didn’t really work.

We tried local honey and that worked pretty well until we travelled any distance and then it came back again.

In the end I decided I needed to use my Cognitive Hypnotherapy skills to help.

I discovered Hayfever happens because you fire off an immune response that is inappropriate given the nature of the threat i.e. it interprets pollen as a threatening virus.

Knowing this, I have developed an MP3 download that retunes your mind to think of all the other things it lets pass through your system that are harmless and apply that same response to pollen.

All you need to do is listen a couple of times the first day you get it and then daily for as long as you have any symptoms. I would expect you to see an immediate change in your symptoms, even to a small degree. Within 2 days most symptoms should be either gone or significantly reduced. It is most likely that eventually you won't need to listen anymore, but if you're symptoms ever return, just have a listen until they go again

**Please note the Hayfever download asks your immune system to react less to the pollen coming into your system and to treat it like it treats all the other grains that you breath in and process harmlessly. If you have some sort of auto-immune disease/condition or you have a heightened dependency on your immune system due to a known illness such as cancer I would advise you not to use it.

This download is just an MP3 file that can be put on any device. If you put it on your phone it means that you can listen to it whenever you have symptoms. Listening to this download will allow you to get on with your day in whichever way you want to.

This download is a one off cost of £5.99. Once purchased the file is yours to use as many times as you want on as many of your own devices as you need to. Anyone else wanting to benefit from the download will need to purchase their own copy.

To get the download you can either go to my website at Think it, Change it or you can just click on the Buy Now button below and get it through PayPal straight away

You see, as of today it is confirmed that I am leaving the day job. It is a mutual agreement. A recognition that the company and I aren’t good for each other. A recognition that despite having many skills I don’t have the necessary ones to do my job well in this company.

And so I have taken the plunge. Whilst the 30th June is my last day officially, I will have nothing to do after today.

This is the first time since I was about 25 that I’ve left a job without another one to go to. In the past I’ve always been poached or promoted into new roles without having to do anything.

It’s quite a lot scary.

I have a family to support.

So no more of this

A lot more of this (I plan on hanging out in Starbucks lots)

And a lot more time in here

Because I plan on making a big effort to build my therapy and coaching business. I have talks scheduled and a new subscription model to launch.

That said I don’t expect it will be generating enough income for me to go full time by the end of this year so I will probably do some part time consultancy. It will probably mean global travel – but hopefully not all through the month!

And the best bit?

I get to spend the whole summer with the little one (probably also in Starbucks!)

When I was training for the London Marathon last year I became obsessed with distance and pace. Each run either had to be further or faster (preferably both!)

Running wasn’t fun. It was about competing with myself and achieving something. I could spoil a perfectly good run by being disappointed in my pace or that I had not quite made the distance I wanted.

When I got back into running after the marathon I took up barefoot style – running in Vibrams and focussed more on the way I ran than any achievements.

And I discovered a love of running. I discovered why I choose to run.

I am basically going on a walk but doing it a bit faster.

I am jogging.

Because I run to clear my head, to enjoy nature, to get the endorphins, to enjoy nature.

Do you see anything in that list that is affected by pace or distance? I don’t.

I jog. I love to go for a jog.

If I wanted company I would go for a walk with someone. I don’t.

If I wanted competition I would enter 5k, 10k and half marathons. I don’t.

I just want to get out in the fresh air and have a lovely jog on my own.

On Sunday I was in a terrible mood due to various stuff that’s going on in my personal life at the moment. It was early so I decided to have a bit of a run. It was my plan to have a long-ish run but I wasn’t sure on route.

In the end I just played it by ear and went where I wanted to go.

I ran 5 miles and it was probably the best run I have ever done. I ran up every hill. Usually I walk up with there being so many of them. It was slow but that doesn’t matter because it was at a pace I could enjoy. As a result by the time I got home at the end of my run I felt brilliant. I felt that I could have kept on going.

The next day there are no more aches and pains than I would normally have. My body and my mind love that kind of run.

And just because it’s nice to feel a sense of achievement – I made the rainbow achievement in Nike+ yesterday thanks to that run.

Dad.

Not “My father”

Dad.

Because that’s what I have in my life. My dad.

You have no idea how hard it is to type the word. To say the word in my head. It’s like every time I do I get a little stab in my heart.

Dad.

“With love, Dad”

That’s how he signs his emails to me.

They are written with fondness and with respect.

Our email exchange has been open and honest. On both sides.

“I love you. You are my daughter. Love and affection, Dad”

It hurts. It hurts way more than it should.

I have not had a dad since I was 9. I have had a stepfather. I have had a person who used to be my dad who wouldn’t talk to me any more.

A person who used to be my dad who didn’t want any contact with me.

A person who appeared to go to great lengths to hide my existence from my half-sister

A person who didn’t want me.

And now I have a dad.

A person who tells me he was in a very difficult situation. One I can understand completely.

A person who believes he made decisions that were in my best interest.

A person who has shared facts that include being given custody of 2 kids in the 70’s. A father being given custody. An unusual thing even in this day and age.

A person who has shown me a different perspective on my childhood that I can’t ignore. A perspective that no matter how I feel about him, fundamentally changes the way I see myself.

“With love, Dad.”

It might be true.

He might love me.

And that…that really hurts. So much so that the emotional pain becomes almost physical. Almost unbearable.

“I must say, I can not help but to be proud of you Dawn”

A new level of pain that has now reached almost unbearable.

What if it’s true?

What if I have a dad. Not a father. A dad.

Because that little girl inside of me that is so scared of the world wants her dad.

What I realise I want more than anything is to have a dad that will take me in his arms and tell me that everything is ok.

Tell me that he loves me and will look after me.

The past is behind us. It can’t be changed. There are no second chances and you can’t make amends for what has already gone.

What you can do is form a new relationship.

A relationship based on who you are now.

That’s what I’m trying to do. Build a new relationship with my dad recognising that neither of us are who we used to be.

I can barely stand to say dad. It hurts to hear he loves me. I can’t look at a photo of him without turning away in pain.

Will this change? He is trying. And so am I. I wish I knew why it hurts me so much.

Trevor is helping with perspective via email. Hopefully I will get a chance to go and see him and get rid of this pain so that I can accept my father as my dad.

Maybe, one day I too will sign my emails

“With love, Dawn”