Category Archives: About Dorothy

Welcome to Japan

About Dorothy

Wednesday, 5.00 a.m. My alarm goes off in time to shower and dress, before my taxi comes to take me to London City Airport. Today I begin my journey to Tokyo and thence to Yokohama and to Nakamachidai, where my brother and his wife are staying.

I fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle were I catch my connecting flight to Tokyo. My flight lands at Tokyo Airport at 7.55 a.m. this (Thursday) morning (11.55 p.m. GMT). I catch the Narita Express train to Yokohama where Judy, my sister-in-law, meets me. We travel on to Nakamachidai.

Even with some rest on board the flight my body tells me, all the way, that it’s time to sleep. I sleep for a couple of hours before taking a walk with Judy around the area surrounding their compact apartment.

No amount of sleep deprivation can keep me from noticing many details in this country I am visiting for the first time. The number of couples – Japanese women and European men – on board my flight. The delays to trains – not leaves on the line here but earthquakes. The staff who clean the train whilst passengers wait on the plaform at Tokyo. The way children are free to roam around us in Nakamachidai.

I know I shall have plenty to explore.

Sucking the marrow from the bones of life

About Dorothy, ,

Tomorrow I travel to Japan to spend two weeks with my brother Alan and my sister-in-law Judy. Alan is making an extended visit in order to work with his Japanese colleagues and his wife Judy, a teacher, is with him for the duration of the summer holidays.

The last few days I have increasingly been listing my “things to do” under the headings “before I go away” and “when I come back”. Today is crunch day – anything that doesn’t get done today won’t get done until I return.

As I write I am waiting for a call. My caller is late in phoning and I decide to clear a few e-mails. I read Michael Neill’s most recent newsletter and am struck by a quote, tucked away at the bottom, from the writings of Henry David Thoreau:

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to suck the marrow from the bones of life; to put to rout all that was not life, and not to come to the end of life, and discover that I had not lived.”

I take a few moments, waiting for my call, to celebrate the life I am living.

Ladies of the London Symphony Chorus

About Dorothy, ,

Having my own business allows a degree of flexibility and still there are choices to be made. Months ago, in the midst of a busy singing schedule, I opted not to sing this week in two concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, recognising the time commitment involved and the challenges of juggling these demands with my work schedule. Still, I opted to support the chorus by travelling today to Tewkesbury Abbey to sing in Vaughan William’s Sinfonia Antartica, knowing ahead of time how exhausted the choir would be today.

So, my coaching schedule has been condensed and I start the day early in order both to prepare for my day trip to Tewkesbury and to be fully present to my coaching clients before I leave. As I travel to meet my singing colleagues I savour the progress of my clients, enjoying the sense of privilege that comes from our work together.

As I board the coach there is much talk of the Mahler concerts and I experience the slight flutter – a sense of loss – that comes with knowing I have chosen to miss two important concerts. Four hours later, the ladies of the London Symphony Chorus arrive in Tewkesbury just in time to rehearse the ethereal siren-song which emanates from the rear of the Abbey at the beginning of the Sinfonia Antartica. We have time to rehearse and to catch a bite to eat at My Great Grandfather’s across the road before returning to hear the orchestra play Ravel’s Le Tomberau de Couperin and Bruch’s Violin Concerto Number 1 before we sing. Alina Ibragimova plays the solo violin with a commitment and assurance beyond her young years.

22 years into my membership of the Chorus I know that whilst we sing together, our memories of concerts are often strictly personal. I have my own special reasons to enjoy singing in the Abbey, and I enjoy these associations as well as the evening’s spirited performance.

We travel into the night to get home. I blog. It’s already time for bed.

Getting up early for school

About Dorothy, Developing as a leader, ,
“The Teaching Awards provides a unique opportunity
for us to celebrate those who, tirelessly and often selflessly, dedicate their lives to securing a future for the next generation”
Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE

5 a.m. is not my favourite time in the morning.

My alarm goes off at 5 a.m. this morning. Perhaps I should say alarms: I have set my mobile phone and, at the same time, Marvin Gaye springs into action. I text Alan (“wakey, wakey”) and then get up to shower and get ready.

Today I take off my hat as business woman and executive coach and put on my hat as judge on behalf of the Teaching Awards. The Teaching Awards provide an opportunity for anyone who chooses – parents, pupils, colleagues and so on – to say thank you to a favourite teacher.

Already, our judging colleagues have been busy visiting schools around the country to identify the finalists at regional level. As judges at national level we have the – almost impossible – task of identifying the “best of the best” in our category, the The Royal Air Force Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School. Today we make our first visit to one of our shortlisted schools. We meet a variety of children, parents, governors and staff who all share their special stories and celebrate their headteacher.

As a visitor to schools I am often struck by the simple vision, passionately held, that headteachers have: to do what’s right for the children in their care. The headteacher we meet today is no exception.

I am moved when she talks of her own reasons for feeling so passionate about the children in her school.

On drinking your (Super)greens

About Dorothy, Alternative approaches, Coaching, Your personal and professional well-being, ,

Whew! What a weekend! I am just home from two days with Janet Switzer, who has been sharing information with a group of entrepreneurs on how to create and market their business. Janet has been the “secret marketing weapon” behind a number of significant successes: she’s worked with Jack Canfield, for example, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and she also co-authored a book with him. I am grateful to my friend Rob who sent information to me about this seminar and to the School of Personal and Professional Development who organised it.

I keep my brain well-lubricated during the two days – two litres of Supergreens each day to help me absorb all this information. Because the green powder settles in the bottle, I shake it every time I drink any and this soon leads people to ask questions. Some ask me about the benefits of drinking it (these are prodigious). Some ask me how I manage to drink so much in one day (and other, more intimate, questions about the consequences). Some people ask me where I buy it.

So here’s a link. I buy my Supergreens via Jem Friar, who has a keen interest in health and runs retreats where people can detox. His website is at http://www.balancedpath.com/ and the link to buy Supergreens is at http://www.innerlightinc.com/EUROPEEN/Family_SuperGreens.aspx?ID=balancedpath

Celebrating the day

About Dorothy,

Friday.

I wake early with a busy day ahead. I am at my local supermarket just as it opens, knowing I won’t get time to shop over the weekend, and I’m back in time to prepare for my first coaching session with a new client. We have two luxurious hours together and I know I’m going to enjoy our work together.

Shortly after she leaves I also leave. My nephew, Edward, has his final concert as part of his MA and I travel to central London, to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to join him. His mother (my sister-in-law) Judy and my mother also join us and we enjoy the work of Edward and his fellow composers and the instrumentation which includes an accordion and alphorns. The steps of the Recital Theatre, supporting the alphorns, take the place of the Swiss Alps.

After lunch together I travel home, enjoying the views along the river as I cross London Bridge on foot. Something about these river views continues to delight and sustain me even after all these years. I am home for a brief period before going out again so I prioritise, down-loading information for my weekend workshop and checking my e-mails. Then a few minutes to blog before I head back towards London Bridge.

I am on my way to join former colleagues from the Hay Group, where I worked until I set up my own business in 2002. The ‘ex Hay’ network meets twice a year and many former colleagues continue to cherish friendships, to collaborate as colleagues, or as colleagues and clients. I look forward to our meeting on the South Bank.

As I write I celebrate the day.