ABOUT
Hello. I’m Dr Alison Smith, an experienced Time to Think coach and facilitator based on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
I’m so happy to be working with brilliant doctors, just like you, enabling them to do their best thinking, as together we experience and appreciate the profound wellbeing benefits that the natural world around us provides.
I have had a rich, varied and at times incredibly challenging career as an NHS doctor, prior to training as a life coach. I have specialist skills and training and am committed to continuing education and regular supervision to help ensure that I practice to a high standard, in a safe and ethical way.
Being in nature has, for as long as I can remember, been my way of processing thoughts and emotion, of finding my quiet, solace and connection. As a young child I recall feeling so at ease in my Grandad’s garden, watching the blackbirds nesting, delighting at the glimpse of a speckled egg in a perfect nest. The joy of eating raspberries straight from the bush, warmed by the sun, the scent of their delicious perfume.
In recent years, I have rediscovered a love for growing and realised a longstanding dream to work with flowers, incorporating beautiful British botanicals in to my floral designs and as essential ingredients for my workshops and retreats.
I am constantly fascinated by the way nature helps us to create powerful metaphor and how being in touch with our natural surroundings provides ease and connection. There is a spaciousness that shifts perspective and enables a wider, more balanced view of ourselves and the world around us.
“I believe in you. Words that water flowers”
It is this unique combination of skills and experience, along with my intuitive connection with others and the natural world that has culminated in the creation of Earth and Bloom.
Integral to all I do is a desire to work with integrity and compassion. I am skilled in creating an environment that says ‘you matter’, easeful and welcoming, in a gentle way that respects nature’s quiet strength and beauty.
“Bloom beautifully,
dangerously,
loudly,
bloom softly,
however you need,
just bloom.”
“Alison is a truly remarkable person and coach. She has a natural ease in the way that she communicates, which makes you feel completely safe and held, whether you are speaking in person or virtually. So often, the approach to wellbeing for doctors is impersonal, clinical and resilience-focused. Alison’s approach is refreshingly personal, holistic and built on empathy and empowerment. She listens deeply and has an almost alchemical way of helping you to work through complex feelings to develop a far greater understanding of yourself. She is endlessly supportive and encouraging as you identify and work through specific issues and develop new strategies to deal with them. She always makes a point of acknowledging the progress you are making and the courage that it takes to do that. Her kindness, humanity and emotional intelligence are evident in everything she does.
I first started working with Alison when I was off work due to workplace stress and burnout. The work we did together enabled me to navigate the difficult questions I was asking about my future in my speciality and medicine as a whole. Our work empowered me to return to my job in a way that felt comfortable, sustainable and in-line with my values and needs. It has also had a ripple effect into my life outside of medicine, where I find the same approach and strategies just as invaluable. Since my coaching with Alison, I have had a far stronger sense of myself, my values, my judgement and my worth. It is impossible to over emphasise the effect she has had on me and my life.”
My Approach
I know that we are uniquely beautiful, as are our thoughts.
That you will think differently to me, may have different values, culture, ideas, opinions and beliefs all sparks my curiosity and interest.
Above all, I want you to know that you and your thinking matter. I will work with you to cultivate the courage for truly independent thinking.
I will listen without judgement, understanding that we are all unique human beings.
“Let us live like flowers
wild and beautiful
and drenched in sun”
I have a deep understanding and respect of the fundamental importance of confidentiality, through my varied career as a doctor, coach and facilitator for over twenty years.
Untrue limiting assumptions that affect our ability to think for ourselves clearly and creatively can be explored and replaced with something true and liberating.
Enabling you to shift your gaze upwards towards the light and bloom. Beautifully.