Life Coach

Spending short amounts of time outdoors over a lunch or afternoon tea break can provide downtime...

Make time to make time for yourself

New Zealand is pretty much one of the best countries to be living in right now, so why are people feeling strung out and exhausted?, Jan Aitken asks.

Being an adult not all it’s cracked up to be

Being an adult not all it’s cracked up to be

Adult life isn’t quite as fun or straightforward as I thought it might be, well, not on a continual basis, writes Jan Aitken.

Grasping time and chance

We’re already in March, and the start of autumn. The nights are getting longer, the mornings a little chillier and the leaves on the trees are already beginning to change, writes life coach Jan...

Focus on the present to help perfect your future

Perfecting the present is centred around being in the present, of not being so caught up in the past or so focused on striving towards the future that we forget to live now.

Too many decisions

Why do we make unhealthy and unproductive decisions/choices, and not just about food, even when we know we could do better?

Embrace what you have

Getting older is a great opportunity to take some time to reflect on what’s been, what I’ve I achieved and ask, "do I have everything I want in life?"

Making Christmas about more than socks

Think beyond socks this Christmas and make a list of all the things that you’re grateful for in...

Making Christmas about more than socks

Let’s use the end of 2020 to hit the reset button and have a think about what’s really important to our whanau and friends, our communities, our country and our planet, writes Jan Aitken.

Return of the wow factor

Maintaining the capacity for wonder and the desire to seek it out can become an uphill battle, writes Jan Aitken.

Trying a little kindness

If you’re on the receiving end of an act of kindness it’s not hard to understand why you feel good, writes life coach Jan Aitken.

Time in the trees good for the soul

Forest bathing allows you to soak in the experience of being in nature. PHOTO: TNS

Time in the trees good for the soul

There’s a Zen saying: "You should sit in nature for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re busy - then you should sit for an hour," writes life coach Jan Aitken.

Investing in you

I have a question for you: do you consider yourself to be your most important asset? asks life coach Jan Aitken.

Slowing the pace of life

A comment I hear a lot, and one I find myself making, is that life seems so fast paced now, writes life coach Jan Aitken.

Filling in the gaps

Jan Aitken has the feeling that if this year were a menu, it would read something like the following: Entree: cold, lumpy, day old porridge. Main: tripe and onions. Dessert: liver mousse.

Treat your energy level like battery

To ‘‘recharge your batteries’’, you must first figure out what activities nourish or deplete you...

Treat your energy level like battery

I was looking at my phone battery depleting and thought how useful it is that we can plug a phone in and recharge the battery whenever we need to. I also thought how easy it would be if we could do the same, writes Jan Aitken.

New priorities for a world in flux

What leaves you thinking ‘‘I wish I had’’ at the end of a day? PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

New priorities for a world in flux

If ever a year has had me question who I am, where I’m headed and what I’m doing then 2020 is it, writes life coach Jan Aitken.

Winter a great time to chill out

It’s that time of year when I want to indulge in a mix of eating half my bodyweight in comfort food every day and sleeping for at least 18 out of every 24 hours, writes life coach Jan Aitken.