Tag: soulful living

Posted on

The Self-Directed Life

How to Live Deeply in a Fragmented World

A woman with a long braid sits outdoors on a sunny day, calmly spinning wool on a wooden spinning wheel. She wears a simple blue pinafore over a long-sleeved top, with baskets of unspun wool beside her. Yellow flowers and greenery surround her, creating a peaceful, rustic atmosphere.

We live in a world that prizes speed, productivity, and constant visibility. Yet beneath the noise, many of us feel a quiet hunger – a longing for meaning that can’t be measured or optimised. We sense that something vital has been lost: depth, coherence, and the freedom to live from our own inner compass.

This series, The Self-Directed Life, is an exploration of how we might recover that freedom. It asks: What does it mean to live from within, to let the deeper Self guide us, even when the surrounding culture pulls us elsewhere?

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called this the autotelic life – living for the intrinsic value of experience rather than for external approval. Here I reframe it as the Self-Directed Life: a way of being that is anchored, creative, and quietly resistant.
To live this way is to resist fragmentation and to participate in the slow work of wholeness.

If you prefer to watch rather than read, check out the video below

Why This Series Matters

Living a Self-Directed Life is not about retreating from the world. It’s about engaging with it differently – with clarity, depth, and integrity.
It’s about creating meaning rather than consuming it, and finding satisfaction in the process rather than the product.
In an age of distraction and conformity, such living becomes an act of soulful resistance – one that nourishes not only our own lives but the wider culture we help to shape.

Each post in the series explores a different facet of what it means to live this way.

The Journey Through the Series

  1. The Self-Directed Life
    Introduces the idea of living from the deeper Self – the autotelic life that draws meaning from within rather than from cultural scripts. It’s about reclaiming inner direction and redefining success as wholeness, not performance.
  2. Flow as Resistance
    Explores how giving ourselves wholly to meaningful work or creativity can become a quiet act of rebellion in an age of distraction. Choosing depth over noise restores focus and inner vitality.
  3. Inner Authority in a Culture of Noise
    Looks at how we discern which voice to trust amid constant external pressure. Drawing on Thomas Berry and the reclaimed Spinster archetype, it examines self-trust as the anchor of a Self-Directed Life.
  4. Crafting a Soulful Life
    Reflects on how we bring soul into form – shaping our days as acts of artistry and care. Through small, steady practices, life becomes something crafted rather than consumed.
  5. The Self-Directed Personality as an Evolutionary Response
    Expands the lens to show how self-directed living supports cultural evolution. The Wayshower archetype embodies this stance – quietly modelling new ways of being that ripple outward.
  6. Becoming Whole in a Broken World
    Weaves the threads together, exploring how living from the deeper Self is both a personal and collective act of renewal. It points toward wholeness as a practice – one that reconnects us with each other and with the living world.

Soulful Path Support

The Soulful Path to Life Purpose programme was created to help people live precisely this way.
Through values, strengths, archetypes, soulful projects and more, it offers practical tools for cultivating inner authority, meaning, and wholeness – companions for anyone ready to live a Self-Directed Life.

Closing Invitation

To live self-directedly is to choose presence over performance, purpose over approval, soul over speed.
It’s a path that begins quietly — in attention, in care, in the courage to listen inwardly — yet it ripples outward in transformative ways.

So, I leave you with this question:

What might a Self-Directed Life look like for you, here and now?

Posted on

The Problem with the Success Formula

A solitary figure stands on a windswept hill, gazing over a vast, untamed landscape of rolling hills beneath a cloudy sky. Beside them, a weathered wooden signpost points in multiple directions, symbolizing uncertainty and the search for direction.

We’ve all seen it before – the book, the podcast, the YouTube video – that promises a life of success if you just follow these five steps, these seven habits, this one golden rule. And to prove it works, the author rolls out a parade of successful people who supposedly followed the formula and made it big.

But here’s the thing: what about all the people who followed the same formula and didn’t end up successful?

Survivorship Bias: What We’re Not Told

That question sits at the heart of my discomfort with many popular self-help and personal development books. Too often, they rely on something called survivorship bias – a cognitive shortcut where we focus only on the people who “made it” and ignore all the others who didn’t.

There’s a powerful illustration of this from illusionist Derren Brown. In one of his experiments, he gave a person a “winning formula” for betting on horses. Over a series of races, the person kept winning and was convinced they’d stumbled onto something amazing. But then Brown revealed the trick: he’d given the same formulas to lots of different people, and only showed the one who, by sheer chance, ended up winning. The rest – the far more numerous rest – disappeared from the narrative.

That’s how so many of these success stories work. They’re compelling, polished, and hopeful – but they don’t tell the whole story. And when we internalize them, we can start to feel that if we don’t succeed, it must be our fault. Maybe we didn’t believe hard enough. Maybe we didn’t follow the formula to the letter. Maybe we just weren’t “meant” for success.

If you’d rather listen than read, I’ve shared this reflection in a short video below—it follows the same thread, offering a gentle space to pause and consider these ideas.

The Hidden Cost of These Narratives

But life is more complex than that. People come from vastly different starting points, carry different traumas and responsibilities, and face very real structural and situational barriers. A single path, no matter how well-marketed, can never fit everyone.

This is one of the reasons I don’t read autobiographies. Too often, they’re written with the benefit of hindsight, edited into a tidy arc with a satisfying resolution. The messy middle – the detours, doubts, dead ends – is smoothed over or reframed as inevitable steps on the path to greatness.

Why Life Doesn’t Follow a Formula

I’ve come to believe that we each have a different path – not necessarily leading to fame or fortune, but to meaning, integrity, and alignment with who we truly are. That kind of success isn’t built on formulas. It’s cultivated through deep listening, slow unfolding, and a willingness to live your own questions rather than rush to someone else’s answers.

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing all the right things but still not getting where you wanted to go, know this: you’re not broken. You’re not failing. You’re just human – and you deserve an approach that honours that.

Coming Up in This Series

If you’ve ever felt uneasy with the self-help world’s shiny promises or found that life doesn’t always reward your best efforts, you’re not alone. In the coming posts, I’ll be exploring what happens when life doesn’t add up the way we were told it would – and how ancient wisdom, lived experience, and psychological research offer us a more grounded, compassionate path forward. From questioning the meritocracy of “manifestation” to reimagining what life purpose really means, this series invites you to step away from the formulas and reconnect with your own inner compass. It’s a journey toward a more soulful kind of success – one rooted not in outcomes, but in integrity, meaning, and becoming more fully yourself.

Read the next article in this series
Posted on

Archetypal Psychology and the Inner Landscape

Mixed-media collage of a woman walking a golden path through a sacred landscape of standing stones and ancient symbols. Her layered patchwork dress and the textured paper surface evoke rich materiality. Above her, a translucent female face watches gently, blending into a background of earthy golds and muted blues. Surrounding symbols - spirals, ankhs, alchemical glyphs - enhance the sense of a mythic inner journey guided by soul.


Gaining A Deeper Way of Understanding Who We Are

Have you ever felt like there are patterns within you – recurring themes, images, or roles – that keep showing up throughout your life, even if you can’t always name them?

Archetypal psychology invites us to see these inner patterns not as flaws or quirks to fix, but as deeply meaningful expressions of soul. At its heart, this approach asks a profound question: What if your inner life has a symbolic shape? And what if that shape isn’t random – but is trying to tell you something essential about who you are?

In this post, we’ll explore how archetypal psychology offers a soulful lens for understanding your inner landscape – and how it connects to the idea of walking a purposeful path.

Prefer to watch or listen? This short video brings the ideas in this post to life.

Seeing with Soul Eyes

Much of modern psychology focuses on problem-solving. Archetypal psychology, first named by James Hillman, turns that on its head. It doesn’t ask, “How do we fix the self?” but instead, “How do we listen to the soul’s imagery?”

This approach draws on the legacy of Carl Jung, who believed we are shaped not just by family and society, but by archetypes – universal symbolic patterns that live in the collective unconscious. The Lover, the Warrior, the Sage, the Trickster- these are not just characters in stories. They’re active within us, colouring how we see the world and how we live our lives.

But Hillman took it further. He said we should stay close to image. To metaphor. To the poetry of the psyche. Rather than reducing our experiences to neat categories, we’re invited to let them remain rich, ambiguous, and mysterious. Because that’s how the soul speaks.

Archetypes as Soul Invitations

In response to the world we find ourselves in today, I’ve developed a series of Alternative Archetypes – soulful companions for those walking the path to purpose. These aren’t fixed roles you must grow into. They’re invitations. Mirrors. Patterns that help illuminate your unique way of moving through the world.

You might resonate with The Seeker, always drawn toward what lies beyond the horizon. Or The Truthteller, compelled to speak what others are afraid to say. You might feel a pull toward The Gardener – tending life quietly, persistently, in your corner of the world.

Not all of these archetypes have been made public yet. But even if you’ve only seen a few, you might already sense the power in having names for the deep inner energies that shape you.

These archetypes aren’t prescriptions. They’re descriptive: they help give language to the forces that already live within you.

The Inner Landscape as Mythic Terrain

One of the most powerful ideas in archetypal psychology is that your inner life is a landscape. Not a blank slate to be organized – but a wild, symbolic place to be explored.

In this terrain, you might meet:

  • The Wilderness Dweller, who thrives on solitude and insight.
  • The Spinster, who chooses sovereignty and soul over societal norms.
  • The Visionary, who dreams a new world into being.

These are just some of the soul figures who may walk alongside you. And the terrain itself is shaped by your longings, wounds, patterns, and gifts.

When we begin to map this inner terrain, we stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” and begin asking “What story am I in?” or “Which archetype is stirring now?”

Why It Matters

Understanding your life through the lens of archetypes changes everything. It brings a deeper layer of meaning to your experiences. It helps you see the cyclical nature of growth – not as linear progress, but as a spiral path. And it allows you to meet yourself with more curiosity, compassion, and creativity.

You are not a machine to be optimized. You are a soul with a symbolic life.

An Invitation

If you’re curious, here are a few simple ways to begin exploring your own inner landscape:

  • Notice recurring themes in your life story. Is there a role you’ve always found yourself in?
  • Track your dreams or daydreams. What kinds of figures show up? What symbols?
  • Choose an archetype from the ones that have been shared so far and reflect: How does this energy live in me? How might it be guiding me right now?

The soul doesn’t usually speak in bullet points or deadlines. It speaks in images, patterns, and longings. Archetypal psychology helps us translate those whispers into meaning.

And in that meaning, we often find our next step.

🌿 Explore the Alternative Archetypes
If this idea resonates with you, I invite you to visit the – a growing collection of symbolic guides designed to help you connect with your inner landscape. Each archetype offers a unique lens on purpose, depth, and soulful living. New archetypes are being added regularly, so feel free to return and explore what’s unfolding.

Because your soul has many faces. And each one may hold a key to who you’re becoming.

Explore the Alternative Archetypes
Posted on

A Soulful Path

A person stands at the beginning of a winding path that stretches into soft green hills under a pale sky, with the sun glowing gently above—evoking a sense of contemplation, journey, and soulful purpose.

Reclaiming the Language of Depth in a Surface-Driven World

What if the path to purpose wasn’t something to chase, but something to remember?
Not a to-do list or a job title, but a deep homecoming to the self beneath the surface?

So many people arrive at the threshold of life purpose coaching hoping to find direction. And that’s understandable. But what I’ve found is that what we’re really searching for is not a new map – but a new relationship with the terrain of our inner world.

In this series, I want to take a step back and explore the deeper foundations that quietly underpin a more soulful path to self-discovery: soul, archetypes, mythopoetic imagination, and the idea of a soul guide. These concepts speak to those of us who sense that the dominant narratives about success and meaning don’t quite mirror to the full truth of our lives.

Prefer to watch rather than read? Check out the video below

Why Soul? Why Now?

The word soul has fallen out of favour in some circles. It can seem nebulous or overly poetic in a world that prizes productivity and clarity. But soul points us toward something essential. Something slow, rooted, and quietly knowing. It reminds us that we are more than roles, routines, or even personalities – we are stories unfolding, mysteries living themselves through time.

To speak of soul is to honour the part of us that longs for beauty, truth, and belonging. It’s the part that aches when life feels out of alignment, and sighs with relief when something finally clicks – this is who I am. This is what matters.

A Language for the Inner World

In the posts that follow, I’ll explore:

  • The soul guide as a symbolic companion – an inner archetype that helps us navigate our own mythic terrain.
  • Archetypal psychology, drawing on thinkers like Carl Jung and James Hillman, and how it offers a map for understanding the patterns that shape us.
  • Mythopoetic imagination – the art of seeing our lives as rich, evolving stories rather than problems to solve.
  • And how all of this connects to soulful living and meaningful life design.

This isn’t about abstract theory. It’s about reclaiming a deeper way of seeing ourselves—one that embraces mystery, listens inward, and dares to ask different questions. Who am I really, beneath the masks? What is life asking of me now? What hidden thread has been quietly weaving through my experiences all along?

Walking Together

If you’ve ever felt like modern life asks you to move too fast, skim the surface, or fit yourself into a mould that doesn’t quite fit- this series is for you. My hope is to offer not answers, but invitations. To help you reconnect with your own inner knowing. To walk a little more slowly. To listen a little more deeply.

Because the soul doesn’t shout.
But it is always whispering.

Posted on

The Spiral Path Approach to Life Purpose

A gently spiralling path curving through a natural landscape—wildflowers, trees, and a soft golden light suggesting a journey that is both inward and outward, symbolising growth, reflection, and evolving purpose.

When we think of “life purpose,” it’s easy to imagine it as a destination—a single, defining goal we’re meant to reach. But what if purpose isn’t something we find once and for all, but something we gradually grow into? What if it’s not a straight line, but a spiral?

The Spiral Path approach to life purpose coaching is built on exactly that idea.

Rather than seeking a fixed endpoint or fitting yourself into a predefined mould, this approach invites you to circle deeper into your true self. It honours the complexities of your life and your evolving identity, offering a more holistic and compassionate route to purpose.

Prefer to watch instead? Here’s a video version of this post:

Life Purpose Beyond a Job Title

In many coaching models, life purpose is framed in terms of career. But for most of us, purpose is broader and more nuanced than that. It includes your relationships, your personal growth, your contribution to others, your values, your health, and your spirituality. These parts of life aren’t separate—they’re deeply interconnected. The Spiral Path sees purpose not as one thing, but as the thread that weaves through everything that matters to you.

Honouring Your Uniqueness

At the heart of this approach is a deep respect for individuality. Whether you’re introverted or extraverted, action-oriented or reflective, your natural tendencies are not obstacles—they’re clues. The Spiral Path helps you understand and embrace your personality and life experiences, using them as guides for designing a life that genuinely fits.

Rather than encouraging you to become someone else, it helps you become more yourself.

A Deeply Reflective Process

Purpose isn’t something you’re handed—it’s something you uncover, often gradually. The Spiral Path emphasizes inner reflection and the cultivation of your own inner authority. Through journaling, guided questions, and thoughtful inquiry, you learn to listen to yourself more deeply. This strengthens your ability to make choices that are truly your own, increasing your sense of agency and clarity.

It’s about shifting from asking, “What should I do with my life?” to asking, “What kind of life do I want to create?”

Flexible, Evolving, and Growth-Oriented

One of the most freeing aspects of the Spiral Path is its flexibility. Your goals will likely change as you do—and that’s not a failure, that’s growth. Instead of rigid plans, this approach encourages broader aspirations that can adapt over time. You’re not expected to get everything right at once. You’re invited to keep evolving.

Grounded in Wisdom

The Spiral Path is inspired by a wide range of perspectives, including psychological insights, spiritual traditions, and modern approaches to life design. This creates a rich, reflective coaching experience that supports both soul-deep inquiry and real-world action.

It’s not about surface-level transformation. It’s about uncovering what truly matters—and then learning how to live it.

If this approach resonates with you, I invite you to explore the full Soulful Path to Life Purpose programme.
It’s a self-paced, in-depth journey designed to help you uncover who you are, what matters most to you, and how you want to live. Rooted in reflection, grounded in wisdom, and tailored to your unique path, it’s a powerful way to begin designing a life of purpose—on your terms.

👉 Find out more about the Soulful Path to Life Purpose programme here.