Do you ever stop and look at a woman and think, "Wow, how do you do it?" It might be a friend or film star, but somehow these women seem to be able to sail through life, achieving what they want, making a difference for others, all while managing to make it look remarkably easy, as if by magic?
Joanna Lumley
Are these women witches? Well maybe, yes, although not the scary kind with nasty potions bubbling in their cauldrons. These are modern "witches" who through self-confidence and determination have managed to find their own particular brand of magic - a kind of magic that is created when they combine a good intention, strong belief and the positivity to take action and see things through.
As confidence coaches, we work with women of all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life, but the one thing they have in common is that they have something in their life that they want to change. That might be in their personal or professional life, but there is usually some kind of self-limiting belief that is holding them back. In other words, they have somehow lost the "magic" that the "witches" that they admire seem to have in abundance when they're achieving their goals.
A 21st Century Witch knows herself and accepts herself for everything she is. She empowers herself to be able to empower others, says it as it is and truly walks her walk. And the key to it all is confidence.
So, who are these modern witches, and what do they have in common? Well, we have started a Witch List, and in no particular order, we would like to honour the following:
Emma Thompson: This incredibly smart woman goes from strength to strength. She not only has endless talent and integrity when it comes to her work, but she really stands up and speaks out for her beliefs too. The work she does for equality and progress for women in the entertainment industry has made a huge impact, plus a whole range of other human rights and environmental issues she somehow finds the time to fight for. Emma Thompson definitely deserves to make our Witch List.
Mhairi Black: At just 20 years of age, this woman used her full voice, her full passion and her full power in her maiden House of Commons speech on 14th July. This strong, witty and thought-provoking speech captured the imagination of thousands, restored some people's faith in politicians, and we are sure it is just the beginning for this amazing politician. She promises to stand up for her beliefs with absolute integrity as we head into the future - go Mhairi Black!
Naomi Wolf: Where do we start with Naomi? She is an intelligent and eye-opening author, a democratic political adviser and someone who really does say it as it is in order to create necessary change. We also cannot champion enough her recent stand against women undermining themselves by using less than half their natural vocal power plus highlighting their tendencies towards upward inflections and vocal fry. Yep, we wholeheartedly and whole-vocally give Naomi Wolf one standing ovation here.
Joanna Lumley: A woman who fully embodies herself. She is a great actress, speaker and someone who really puts herself out there for the empowerment of animals and humans alike. This woman holds elegance, wit and strength in equal measures and is certainly someone who consider epitome of a Good Witch - we simply could not leave her off our Witch List.
Carole Ann Rice - She may not have the high profile image of Emma Thompson or Joanna Lumley, but Carole Ann is a life coach who really went through her life stuff to earn her stripes. She used to be a full time journalist and then decided, when life threw some pretty unpleasant stuff her way in terms of the death and illness of close friends, that she wanted to help people. She began by working as a Samaritan, retraining as a life coach and now she empowers people all around the world with her work, still managing to somehow find the time to write excellent articles as well as a couple of books. Carole Ann is smart, sassy, classy and kind, and shows the kind of magic that makes her an honorary Good Witch in our book.
We are delighted to honour all of these women in our Witch List, but the list is growing all the time and we're sure you can think of plenty more to add. We'd love to hear your suggestions of wonderful women who are making a difference for themselves, and others, and they might just become our next honorary witches.
The Good Witches of the North are expert Confidence Coaches, Bec Howard and Dannie-Lu Carr. Places are currently available in for their "Grab Your Wand" sessions on 6th and 7th October. For more information visit www.thegoodwitchesofthenorth.co.uk
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