
Meet mental health and wellbeing expert Louise Ansell, a woman who is passionate about helping people thrive under pressure and perform at their best. Louise reveals how we can overcome the global pandemic of people who are alive yet not living. She shares both her personal and professional experience in enabling people to live and love life by sharing the golden keys that unlock human potential.
KEY THEMES
- Mental Health
- Wellbeing
- Performance
- Nature
- Self-awareness
- Self-discovery
- Meaning and Purpose
- Confidence
- Coaching
- Thriving
- Happiness
BOOKS
The Whole Story by Ffyona Campbell
Unlimited Power by Tony Robins
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
FILM
Unbroken written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by Angelina Jolie.
QUOTE
New Directions
By Doris Warshay
I want to travel as far as I can go,
I want to reach the joy that’s in my soul
And change the limitations that I know
And feel my mind and spirit grow.
I want to live, exist, to BE,
And hear the truths inside of me.
TRANSCRIPT
LifeWise Podcast Episode 7
‘Feel Alive’ with Louise Ansell
Welcome back to Part 2 of The LifeWise Show with mental health, wellbeing and performance expert, Louise Ansell. In the last episode, Louise Ansell revealed some golden keys to unlocking our potential to thrive under pressure and performance at our best. Today in this second part of her podcast – Louise invites you to ‘Feel Alive’ and to discover the things in YOUR life that enable you to feel truly alive.
Tania Cotton: Louise, continuing from where we left off in Episode 6 ….
What are the most life-threatening behaviours you come across? Not in terms of dying but in terms of people not being able to live their lives, and by that I’m talking about the pandemic of people, I believe, who are alive but not living.
Louise Ansell: Yes, I know exactly what you mean with this one. I view it almost in colours. Grey lives is one way that I think of it in my mind. It’s interesting because I think this kind of way of looking at things really became apparent to me at the point that I was injured. It was one of the first times that I’d gone out. I was in the passenger car – passenger seat of a car – and one of the first times I’d left the house, but just sat there in the car in Tesco’s supermarket.
I was watching people coming and going, and it hit me – really, really between the eyes –that everybody just seemed to be going about grey lives. I don’t know whether it was really, really evident to me at that point simply because I couldn’t move and I couldn’t do the things that I normally did, so then I was looking in on other people that were able to go about their lives, and thinking, “Gosh, none of them seem particularly happy.” But then I started looking at this in a bit more detail and thought, “There are so many people that, kind of, just go through life.” It’s, sort of, the ‘whatever’, the phrase ‘whatever’. “Well, whatever. Whatever; yes, I’ll do it one day.”
I’m not saying that we always have to be go-getting. That’s not what I’m saying. I think I did that for too long, as well. I tried to achieve everything. I wanted to just achieve, achieve, achieve. I think you miss a load doing that, as well, but I think sometimes people just, kind of, coast through life. They don’t necessarily think about their lives in terms of their levels of happiness – or other people’s, for that matter. They don’t necessarily think through how precious life is.
I think sometimes, when something happens to you, it’s a real reminder that every single day we have is an absolute precious gift. It really is. I think unless we’re truly aware of that, but also grateful for each day’s opportunity, I think we just waste it a lot of the time. Yes, and life can become a little bit grey and lacking in colour. It’s certainly not the sort of life that I would want to lead for myself. I think there are some people out there that, perhaps, do act in ways that stops them from fully living and fully engaging, for whatever reasons.
Tania Cotton: Yes. I think you mentioned a really important word there. That’s ‘gratitude’, because I think I’ve heard people have like a gratitude practice, but I think, when we consciously become grateful for what we have, but also the abilities and the skills that we could share and offer, I think gratitude is another big key that can open up a sense of well-being and a sense of engagement in life and with other people.
Louise Ansell: Yes, definitely. A lot of people… I think it was actually Tony Robbins who refers to the fact that when you’re in a state of gratitude and you’re actually feeling that state of gratitude, so it’s not just thinking, “Yes, I’m grateful for my house. Yes, I’m grateful for my spouse,” but you’re actually genuinely feeling that gratitude, that at that point in time it’s actually not possible to experience another negative emotion at exactly the same time.
So, when you’re in a state, what I would term as a ‘negative’ mind state, so whether that’s anger that’s not helping you, or feeling very low and it’s not helping you in some way, actually it’s at those points where, if you can find your point of gratitude for your life, and what you have, and what you’re able to experience, and to give and everything else, it really does make a difference to your general level of well-being at that point in time.
But on an ongoing basis, if it can become part of your routine way of thinking that you actually go to the point of gratitude as part of your psychological thought processes just naturally, that’s when your well-being levels can change significantly as well. Certainly, yes, I think gratitude practices, or just a gratitude or a grateful way of thinking, is really, really useful and very important – very important.
Tania Cotton: Yes, very important. Louise, what are the things in your life that make you feel truly alive? (Laughter)
Louise Ansell: So many – so, so many. Nature, very definitely; nature makes me feel alive, whether that’s being surrounded by trees and blossom or whether it’s falling to the ground, doing snow angels in the snow, whether it’s jumping into the cold surf. That makes me feel truly alive, being in nature, but then connecting with people – particularly, loved ones – and laughing, truly laughing, just experiencing the joy, the joy in life. Music is another one. Music can change the way you feel in just moments. It really can; so, music. Music, nature, and love and connection with others, I think, are three things that make me feel truly alive in that way.
Tania Cotton: That’s beautiful. Something I noticed before I really got to know you and I thought, “Ooh, Louise is a mountain leader,” so your connection with nature. Tell us more about your passion and your experiences as a mountain leader.
Louise Ansell: Yes, my journey in the outdoor world, so the outdoor instructing world, started at a very young age and working in a range of different environments, so mountains, through to rivers, through to caves, but it was the mountains in particular, and climbing in particular, that became my… I’m going to say, “Passion,” but I’ll be completely honest: it was a total obsession for many years. I was very obsessed with it, as many, many people are in the different sports that are not dissimilar to climbing. It became the dominating, I would say, part of my life in many ways. Everywhere that I went on holiday, it had to be to a climbing destination. If I had a weekend off or some time off, then I would get intensely frustrated if I wasn’t able to climb for that, so it became very much a key part of my life.
That led me to do a variety of qualifications and working my way through mountain leader. Then we had the climbing instructor qualifications that we’ve got in the UK, through to the mountain instructor award. I think it was at that point, once I’d achieved that, that in terms of my qualifications I felt that I’d gone as far as I wanted to go. It was a goal I’d set myself when I was quite young and so I was really pleased when I achieved it.
It was also about that time that I started to realise that I’d actually become a really one-dimensional person because literally all I would do was go climbing. (Laughter) So, yes, I then broadened out. Although I continue to work with rescue teams and helping to train instructors, and other leaders and so forth, I started to broaden out my activities, shall we say. So, yes, I still climb, but in amongst a whole heap of other things as well. Yes, very happy years, and hopefully there are many more climbs left in me yet, but it’s not the all-consuming thing it once was. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: I love the John Wooden saying: “A good coach can change a game, and a great coach can change a life.” I think you’re probably aware, as a mountain leader, that you’re not just teaching people to do an activity; you’re possibly introducing them to our whole way of life and way of connecting with nature.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: Have you had any kind of either breakthrough moments yourself from somebody coaching you or when you’ve been coaching someone else?
Louise Ansell: So many, ranging from having young people that have never actually seen the stars before, and seeing them from a mountaintop at night and seeing their complete character at that moment in time just completely changing to one of utter awe. So many examples like that where people, if they’re given the opportunity to truly become aware and appreciate being in nature, then it can be life-changing, through to I did a lot of work with a guy who was part of Prince’s Trust Group, who had been in prison and had a rough start to life, really. He was in his early 20s.
Working with him, and helping him to recognise all of his own talents, and abilities, and his passions, and his way of being able to connect with other people through the outdoors, so actually helping him in terms of his ability to lead and to be an instructor of others in the outdoors, and watching him really, really just absolutely just flourish. That was incredible.
That’s just about him recognising his own abilities, but also how he could use the environment in that way to help other people. Yes, so many, Tania, to be honest. They’re all springing to mind now. (Laughter) I could go on for ages with all these wonderful people that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. Yes, it’s been an absolute pleasure working with them. It really has.
Tania Cotton: I think we’re going to have to have a fireside chat about that one.
Louise Ansell: Yes, definitely.
Louise Ansell: As you know, we make MovementWise films – the next film I really want to make is really highlighting the fact that I believe our health and the health of our natural planet are inextricably linked.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: And to really explore how we can help people reconnect with nature in a way that impacts their well-being and performance, in all areas of their lives.
Louise Ansell: Yes, and certainly the… It’s experiencing it, I think, for many people. It’s difficult to have that true appreciation and connection with something that you’re not fully aware of. To become aware, you have to experience it, don’t you?
Tania Cotton: Yes. A very good friend of mine runs, in France ‘Protect Our Winters’, and she said something that really stuck with me. It’s, “So how, Tania, are people going to want to protect the planet if they’ve never had an opportunity to appreciate it?”
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: So, I’m like, “Right, that’s it. I’ve got to help people appreciate it.”
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: I think you and I need to really make sure that that is part of our mission.
Louise Ansell: Yes, definitely. I look forward to that film.
Tania Cotton: Hopefully, we can make you part of that film, as I think you have some important things to say.
Louise Ansell: Even better. If that means I can come out to France, spend time in the mountains out there, then brilliant. I’ll be there. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: I’m very, very fortunate to live in the mountains. Getting outside and moving in nature is how I recharge my batteries. It’s also how I problem-solve. During this coronavirus lockdown I’m aware that, for myself and others like me who are not used to being confined, this is a real, real challenge. For those who are becoming… Some are becoming very frustrated, and even depressed, because it’s their way of expressing themselves.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: I have this saying that “Lack of self-expression leads to depression.”
Louise Ansell: Yes, I like that. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: How can we help those people who are really feeling imprisoned?
LA: You’re right, it is very challenging for many people in that position. I think sometimes it’s useful to get to the bottom of what it is you get out of doing something. So, rather than, for example, thinking, “I’m always out on my bike. I cycle every day; this is what I do,” and then just being frustrated or missing that activity that you would normally do, it’s then saying, “Okay, what is it that going out on my bike offers me? How can I in some way replicate some of that, so how can I satisfy that need, if you like, but in slightly different ways?”
It’s being a bit more creative about it. It’s never going to be the same as going out on your bike, using that example, but, if it’s the physical side of it, then you can replicate that. If it’s being outside, then can you replicate that by going to a green space or spending time in some form of nature of some kind, even if it’s not your usual bike route? There are different ways that you can replicate, to a certain extent, how different activities satisfy certain needs and motivations.
Tania Cotton: I heard you talk last week about need, the link between self-awareness and what our needs are.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: It’s not so much about the activity; it’s just really understanding, ourselves, what our most fundamental needs are.
Louise Ansell: Yes. Most people aren’t necessarily that aware of why they do the things they do, or want the things they want. It’s quite an interesting process, the part that, you know… The point that you start analysing it and say, “Okay, why do I like doing that? What is it that it gives me, and how do I…? How can I achieve that, doing it in a different way?”
It’s a [continual and 1:08:46] evolving process, as well, so it’s not a case of you staying the same; once you learn what motivates you, that’s it for life. By far it changes over time, so it’s a case of continually just being aware of why you’re doing the things that you’re doing, or craving the things that you’re craving at any one point in time
Tania Cotton: Yes.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: That’s very interesting when we look at the difference between, say… (Laughter) You said earlier, “Is it a passion or is it an obsession?”
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: But for some people, sport is an obsession because it’s a coping strategy for, perhaps, something that they could be dealing with in many… In different ways that didn’t make them so locked into one activity.
Louise Ansell: Yes, very definitely. One thing that we find with coping strategies is it, sort of, relates to something that we chatted about early on. With coping strategies, you often find that people latch onto one or two in particular that they then use, and that’s their thing that they do when they’re struggling. Or they do it to stop themselves from struggling in some way, so sport being a classic one, but what that process doesn’t help them to do, necessarily, is to work out what’s causing them to struggle in the first place.
So, it can be a situation where somebody says, “I must meditate. If I don’t meditate, then I start to have real problems with my confidence, where I feel really low or my head is all over the place. I feel really stressed,” because they have to meditate. In their mind, that becomes something that they have to do.
If you can actually get to the bottom of saying, “Okay, what is it that’s causing you to lack confidence at any one point in time? Or what is it that’s making you feel low at any one point in time?” if you can get to the bottom of that – and it’s typically to do with beliefs and thought processes – what that then means is that the meditation is a great thing to do and certainly is going to enhance everything. Definitely recommend it, but it’s not something that’s used, in effect, a bit like a plaster, where, “When there’s a problem, we have to do this.” It applies to different strategies that people choose.
I think a lot of people will go through life, and they’ll be quite happy that they have certain things that they do and it works for them. Generally speaking, it will continue to work, and that’s brilliant. It’s really when you’re really up against it or you’ve got bigger challenges going on when your usual coping strategies, you’re having to use them a lot. If you’re not using them, you’ve got problems. It’s those times when you, sort of, think, “Actually, there’s a bit more to this than just meditating for half an hour every day and all will be well.”
Tania Cotton: Of course, we’re talking about healthy coping strategies, but there are many other unhealthy coping strategies.
Louise Ansell: Very definitely. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: Such as, maybe, chain-smoking cigarettes, and drink, and all of that kind of thing.
Louise Ansell: This is it, yes.
Tania Cotton: That’s fine in moderation, but, when they’re out of control and they’re not helping you anymore, they’re actually destroying you.
Louise Ansell: This is it, yes.
Tania Cotton: Then you need to find the driver.
Louise Ansell: It’s funny because on the mental health training courses that I do – and a lot of those are workplace ones – one of the questions that I ask people on that is about their coping strategies. I’ll ask them to say, “Okay, what do you think? What’s the most common kind of coping strategies out there?” One of the most common, without fail – and this has been now with thousands of people – without fail the very first answer that is given is, “Alcohol.” Sometimes it’s, “Alcohol.” Sometimes it’s, “Gin.” Some people say, “Wine,” but yes, it’s alcohol. Actually, we do you use various substances as strategies, if you like, and there is a delicate balance. There really is, particularly when it comes to well-being levels. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: Yes, it’s interesting how something that can start off as very social and acceptable can then just tip over the edge very innocuously.
Louise Ansell: Yes. I think certainly the effects the following days, as well, after alcohol – particularly if quite a lot has been consumed – are really quite interesting because it affects sporting performance, particularly when there are levels of… It can affect balance, for example, but also levels of confidence and self-belief: distinctive reduction for many people when they’ve had alcohol the day before. When people are going through challenging times, that’s actually when they want to do all they can to make sure that they’ve got the confidence and the inner belief, but it’s just one form. It’s a drug that actually goes against that and reduces that.
Tania Cotton: Yes, so, instead of being addicted to these things, we want to help people become addicted to life.
Louise Ansell: Yes, absolutely, and living life in all of its glory, I guess.
Tania Cotton: Now you have a fusion of many different qualifications. You’ve got a degree in psychology, with a specialisation in helping people work under pressure. You’re a master life coach and strategic intervention coach.
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: You’re also a ‘Mental Health First Aid’ trainer. What is this?
Louise Ansell: Yes. ‘Mental Health First Aid’ is a qualification. It originally started in Australia and has now been rolled out into over 25 countries. We have Mental Health First Aid England, which is an awarding body in the UK. They run two-day courses, and half-day courses and one-day courses, helping people to understand mental health issues better, but also understanding how to spot when people might be struggling, and how to help other people if they are struggling.
So, the ‘Mental Health First Aid’, in a sense, has been brought in to work alongside the physical ‘First Aid’ courses so people know what to do if somebody has a physical injury, and people also then have an idea of how to prevent and to help people when they’ve got problems that might be associated with their mental health. So, yes, run those courses on a regular basis, with different groups of people. They’re really good courses – really good courses, really well designed, yes.
Tania Cotton: Is there a, kind of, fundamental ABC, like we have for-?
Louise Ansell: In a sense there is, actually, yes. (Laughter) Yes, it’s not quite as straightforward as the ABC. It’s known as ‘ALGEE’, which won’t make a great deal of sense until you do the course, but it is a process. It’s a step-by-step process, but what’s really interesting with the ‘Mental Health First Aid’ that differs to the physical ‘First Aid’ is the fact that, when somebody has an injury and you’re on-scene as a physical first aider, everything is dealt with at that point in time, whereas when it comes to ‘Mental Health First Aid’ you might become aware that somebody is struggling, and it may be over a period of months that you’re working with that person and offering support or whatever else.
So, it’s slightly different, but yes, there’s still a process, but it’s also, I think it’s worth emphasising, that the ‘Mental Health First Aid’ qualification certainly isn’t about counselling, or giving therapy or anything like that. It’s about us being compassionate people that have the confidence to step in and say, “How are you doing? Do you want to chat? Is there anything I can do to help you right now?” Yes, it’s quite different in that way, so, yes, as long as people don’t think that they’re going to be doing some in-depth therapy on people. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: Interesting again the podcast that follows yours is Mark Milton, who was a director for six years, in three countries, for a suicide hotline, an emergency hotline, and that… One of the key things that he says is, “Yes, it is learning to listen to yourself first so that you can then have the ability to listen to others.” (Laughter)
Louise Ansell: Yes, this is it. This is it. This is exactly what people don’t realise, and particularly people who are, by nature, very caring and wanting to help others. They tend to give, give, give all of the time, but they don’t necessarily look after themselves to be able to give. Yes, it’s recognised in that you’ve got to look after yourself to be able to be in a good position to be able to offer the kind of support you’re capable of offering, but only if you look after yourself, yes.
Tania Cotton: It’s that wonderful saying: “Put the oxygen mask on yourself before you help others.”
Louise Ansell: Yes, absolutely. I love it, yes. (Laughter) It’s so, so true. It really is.
Tania Cotton: In this COVID-19 pandemic, this very difficult situation lots of people are finding themselves in, but for many people there’s an opportunity to turn a threat into an opportunity?
Louise Ansell: Yes.
Tania Cotton: Are there some really potentially good things that can really come of this in terms of people reevaluating their lifestyles?
Louise Ansell: Hugely; hugely, and I’m definitely seeing evidence of that now. The time and space for people to be able to reflect on their lives, and what they’re doing, and what their future holds, I think, is hugely beneficial. For many people, this time period will give them the opportunity to reflect and for them to have true gratitude for the things in their life that they realise are so, so important. They won’t necessarily make any big changes to their life, but they perhaps will, hopefully, make sure that they take that gratitude on and remember what’s important, going forward, as things return back to – I wouldn’t say, “Normality,” but it’s an interesting term in itself at the moment.
But I think for other people there’s definitely now space for them to reflect on how they’re leading their lives, and whether or not they’re actually leading the lives that they want to and that they feel are the lives that they want to continue with. I think there are lots of reasons why people might reflect in that way, but not least of all the fact that, when you’ve got an international pandemic, your sense of concern about health and mortality does raise its head for some people. But it’s also having that time to think and to look in on a situation from a different perspective.
I genuinely hope that there are many people out there that will now say, “No, I’m really going to embrace life now. This is what I’m going to do, and I’m going to quit the career that I’ve been doing for the last 25 years, because it bores the hell out of me. I’ve just been doing it because I’m scared of doing the next thing. I’m actually going to take the horse by the reins and I’m going to do this.” That’s what I really hope, if I’m honest, for many people
Tania Cotton: Yes, I do, too. Yes, I can see the thought processes happening around me at the moment. Louise, for you, what’s your vision for the future, and what does success look like to you?
Louise Ansell: Very interesting question. Success, for me, has definitely changed over the years –definitely. That goes back to those motivators and how they change over the years. For me now, for my life to be successful, it is genuinely about how can I in some way make a positive contribution to other people? How can I make a positive impact to other people, and how can I do that in a way where I retain an element of joy and inner peace as well, because I think that’s the delicate balance that sometimes needs to be maintained for me? (Laughter) Yes, it’s about actually, yes, how can I give at this point? But quite different to when I was younger.
Tania Cotton: Yes, very, very interesting. Now I would love you to share with us, if you will, do you have a favourite film or favourite book, a favourite quote that you can share with us?
Louise Ansell: I do. The book, because you mentioned this to me about a book and I thought, “How on earth, one book?” because I think so many… There are so many amazing books that have different messages, so I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve got three.
Louise Ansell: They’re really chosen because of, I guess, the impact that they had at the time of reading them. I think that goes the same for everybody. Some people say that a book finds you for a reason, and I think that certainly happened with the three that I’ve got here. The first one is ‘The Whole Story’ by Ffyona Campbell, and it was about her walk around the world.
I don’t know whether you’ve come across Ffyona Campbell at all, but the reason that this had a big impact on me was because I was in my early adulthood and the one thing that I realised when I read her story was what she had done was an incredible achievement because she set out one day – when she was 16, actually – and she walked the length of Britain.
From there she then raised sponsorship, and subsequently went on to walk the continents and did a journey around the world, but at the time of reading it I’d spent a lot of time reading about all of these other incredible feats of people, like from ‘The White Spider’, of people climbing in the Alps and North Faces, and Chris Bonington scaling 8,000m mountains.
For all that they were truly inspirational, it felt so far removed from where I was, whereas when I read Ffyona’s book it seemed almost attainable – more attainable. The other thing that really I could relate to was some of the things that she had experienced personally during that time period. It really had a big, big impact on me. So, that was ‘The Whole Story’ by Ffyona Campbell.
Another one that I read much later but also had a big impact was by Tony Robbins. That was ‘Unlimited Power’, and one of the reasons that I really liked that book was because it harnessed a wealth of information from different sources. For all that Tony has developed his own thoughts, and theories, and models and so forth, he’s the first one to say that he draws upon the expertise that has come before him. In that book, he really showed how you could develop a strategic approach to developing your mindset and managing your emotions. That was quite eye-opening, in all sorts of different ways, so that was ‘Unlimited Power’.
Then the third one was recently, actually – relatively recently. That was ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brené Brown. That had a huge impact on me because self-criticism is something that I will freely admit that I think I have a, kind of, proverbial whip that I tend to whip around myself. (Laughter) Actually, she made so many amazing points in that book about vulnerability, authenticity, stepping up and being you, dealing with other people’s judgments, and it just… It found me at a time when I really needed to hear it, so, yes, I think well done to her. She did an incredible job there. She really did. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: No, fantastic.
Louise Ansell: Yes, so they were the books, for sure.
Tania Cotton: Do you have a favourite film?
Louise Ansell: A favourite film? I’m hoping that I’m going to get the title right here. I think it’s ‘Unbreakable’ that was done recently. I don’t know whether you know of it, but somebody who was taken prisoner of war. It didn’t make for particularly comfortable watching, all of it, because this guy had to endure some incredible treatments – incredible in a very, very negative way.
But what that film showed – and it was a true story, so I really… I respond very well to true stories and less well to others, really, but he showed what the human spirit is capable of. He just kept going, and he persevered, and he kept hope. He kept face and he kept dignity. He kept connection with other people at times when it would have been easy for him to crumple. Then what I found absolutely blew my mind was that, after all of this atrocious treatment, at the end he forgave the people who tortured him. He actually went and saw them many years later and forgave them, and I just…
Tania Cotton: Incredible.
Louise Ansell: For me it just… Yes, a reminder of what we’re actually capable of in the face of it. We’re capable of so, so much more than we ever believe that we can. He was an amazing example of it. He really was. Yes, that had a big impact on me, that one.
Tania Cotton: I can really see why that would be your film. I mean, that really speaks of your journey, what you believe in and what you help others really tap into.
Tania Cotton: And a quote, do you have a quote that you think, “I love this quote”?
Louise Ansell: Yes, and it’s a quote that has been with me since being a child. It is one that I’ve literally had written on a scrap of paper, and I’ve had it next to my bed for I don’t know how many years now – many years. It was a quote that I first saw when I read ‘Erroneous Zones’ by Wayne Dyer. It was in the start of it. I don’t know whether you’ve read the book or know the quote.
Tania Cotton: No.
LA: But it’s just one that really, really reached me when I was a child, and I think, in a funny kind of way, has guided me in different ways since, but it’s by a lady called Doris Warshay. Funnily enough, her granddaughter got in contact with me not so long ago, based on something I’d written. That was an interesting conversation.
It was written in 1976, which was actually the year that I was born, as well. It’s called ‘New Directions’: ‘I want to travel as far as I can go. I want to reach the joy that’s in my soul, and change the limitations that I know, and feel my mind and spirit grow. I want to live, exist, to be, and hear the truths inside of me.’ That, for me, really, really has shaped a lot, I think, over the years, in different ways.
Tania Cotton: That’s very, very beautiful – very, very beautiful. Yes, and just the fact that you’ve carried it through your life is very, very touching. How can people contact you?
LA: Very, very welcome to contact via email, or alternatively on LinkedIn. I’m very active on there so always welcome connection requests, really, with people. Then, yes, certainly the email through the Sky Bounders website, so ‘skybounders.com’, and there are email addresses on there as well. Yes, always happy to chat through ideas and to meet like-minded people, as well, so, yes, welcome to do that.
Tania Cotton: Wonderful, thank you. Are there any last words of wisdom or a particular call to action you’d like to share with our listeners?
Louise Ansell: That’s an interesting one. I think it probably comes back to really recognising and, maybe, using this time period as a real inspiration for helping us to recognise just how precious life is, and what an opportunity it is, and making the absolute most of that – in whatever way, shape, or form – would be, probably, my parting words right now. (Laughter)
Tania Cotton: No, that’s really wonderful. Louise, I can’t thank you enough for speaking with us all today. I look forward to going on a ‘walkshop’ with you in the mountains as soon as we can rediscover our freedom of movement, and having some really great fireside chats with you. Thank you so much.
Louise Ansell: Yes, I’m so looking forward to it. Thank you very much for inviting me on; really very much appreciate being here.
Tania Cotton
Thank you for joining us on this special Mental Health edition of The LifeWise Show. In Episode 8 I will be speaking to Mark Milton about ‘Self-Awareness and The Art of Listening’. Mark Milton went from being a volunteer for, to becoming the Director of the International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services, IFOTES, which has 347 centres in 25 countries. He is also an expert on sport and resilience.
I look forward to meeting you there.