Although I didn’t look or feel good, I wasn’t paying attention. I had deadlines to meet, goals to exceed and people relying on me not to drop any of the multiple balls I was juggling. So I kept going. Secretly I was also grateful for the distraction that my heavy workload provided, as it meant I didn’t have time to stop and risk reflecting on what was not going well in my life and could just keep forging ahead without having to face my reality or make any difficult or uncomfortable changes. That was until I just couldn’t do it any longer and I started dropping balls unwittingly.

So with a friend, I headed off to a detox centre in Koh Samui, Thailand to cleanse my body and give myself a chance to simply stop and sleep. At the time I could not have imagined the huge benefits that this decision would have not just on my mental and physical health, but on my career and business too. That was 11 years ago.

Over an 18 month period after the first retreat, I lost 17 kgs and have stayed a pretty consistent weight ever since. I also left my corporate career and started my own coaching practice – which while it still has many stressors – I am much more capable of balancing the time/resource/energy commitment with practices I’ve learned on retreat, and the work I do is much more aligned with my who I truly am – which in and of itself brings greater health in mind and body. I’m about to turn 50 and I’m feeling better and enjoying the look of my body so much more than in my thirties and know that I’ve not only reduced the chances