She’s regarded by London’s high-fliers as the must-see consultant for overcoming modern day stresses and fears. Here, Jody shares her personal journey from ad industry to meditation mentor and takes our quick-fire quiz
When I was working in my old advertising agency office, I looked around and saw that everyone around me was burned out, unhappy and uninspired. I knew I had to change something in my life or I’d end up like everyone else. Something inside me was triggered and I knew I had to figure out what I had to do in the world which felt authentic, genuine and me. There were so many unknowns which scared the hell out of me, but somehow I knew I had to move. It felt like the longer I stayed put, the more I would wither and lose my identity and my spark. A little voice inside me told me to ‘quit my job’ and I listened and did it.
Meditation has helped me to slow down. Living in a city gets you aligned with a frenetic energy and pace of life. Naturally we speed up to keep up. We believe we have to move quickly, and make fast decisions. Yet what we don’t realise is that we can create our own pace to live our life. Meditation enables us to slow everything down and have more clarity in our minds to make better decisions.
I now run a mentorship programme where most of my clients are wanting to get insight and clarity around what they want to do next with their lives. Generally I’m finding people are in limbo and are looking for guidance and support with making really big, life-changing decisions and new chapters. Other common topics include: love and relationships; finding more love or deeper connections with people, confidence and empowerment; feeling stronger and more confident in life to make bolder decisions and speak in public, finances and self-worth; being able to earn more and feel good about it.
When we’re more connected to ourselves, we can better understand what we really want from life.
Meditation has helped me in so many ways, firstly by connecting me to myself. When we’re more connected to ourselves, we can better understand what we really want from life. We spend so much of our time being disconnected and avoiding ourselves that we forget what lights us up. Meditation is a way of hearing that little inner voice of support that we all have (but rarely hear) so it can let us know the best way to move forward in life. It helps us create space in between our crazy thought patterns so we can get ‘in tune’ with ourselves and our intuition.
I believe in the mind/body/soul connection and observe everyone in this holistic way. We are multi-layered humans and we need to be viewed as such. My work is of an energetic nature - whether I’m speaking on stage, teaching tapping, meditating or intuitive mentoring, my main focus is to keep the energy of the person(s) high and vibrant. Transformation happens easiest at this level. I’ve trained in numerous methods of healing and transformational speaking techniques. My techniques are alternative, meaning non-traditional therapy. My work is experiential and intuitive, which means that I don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach or follow a set process.
I work in a fluid, flexible way, adapting and changing my language and techniques depending upon the person(s) sitting in front of me. This means I’m challenged daily and have to be really skilled at listening carefully and acting on insight and intuition as soon as I receive it. I’ve had hundreds of testimonials from clients (women and men) who have gotten pregnant (after trying for years), found love, had a £50k pay-rise, found their inner confidence and are vastly happier now than they’ve ever been. I’ve helped clients on the brink of suicide, overcome trauma such as the tsunami, find peace with chronic anxiety and generally overcome what feels like the impossible (in their eyes).
When I worked in my corporate job, I wished I’d had a resource full of modern tools and techniques that I’d been able to tap into and this was the inspiration behind my book. I wanted practical but powerful things I could use to help me feel more confident and strong in my life. LifeTonic originated from my own need and then as I worked with clients in my new career, I realised there was a big demand from others.
I’m seeing the popularity of wellbeing in healthy eating and exercise and I’m now seeing an emergence in a need to know ourselves on a deeper level. So, I created this toolbox of modern, relatable, accessible self-help tools that people could use anytime, anywhere and feel empowered using them. To help people realise that you don’t necessarily have to go see a therapist to get help, actually you have the power to do some great simple work on yourself to get you started. We’ve lost the faith and trust in ourselves and it’s a good first step to get this back.
Image: Kat Films
LifeTonic by Jody Shield is published by Yellow Kite (£14.99) and is available to buy online here .
And now for our quick-fire GTG quiz...
In three words, I’m….
Feisty, loving, kind.
My last health check was…
I regularly go for alternative treatments e.g. acupuncture, cranial-sacral therapy, vitamin infusions...I don’t go to a traditional doctor unless I really have to.
The workout that works is …
Xtend Barre or boxing. I love boxing - it’s amazing for toning shoulders.
The product I tell everyone about…
Baobab powder by Aduna , £7 - it cures everything!
I sleep…
Under the covers, cuddled up in a ball and snuggled next to my love.
My secret to staying sane is….
Meditation every morning (and sometimes at night too).
The toughest thing I’ve ever had to cope with…
My ex being murdered in 2004. Sam (not his real name) had been stabbed by an ex-best friend of his from school. It all happened in broad daylight on a street outside a primary school. I was so stunned, I couldn’t speak and I went into deep shock.
I got my big break by…
Staying true to my message and the WHY I’m doing what I do.
My best budget beauty buy is…
Coconut butter.
My biggest health or beauty spend is…
Usually from Space NK or a facial oil or serum to nourish my dry skin.
I’m surprisingly good at…
Speaking on stage, I never ever imagined I’d be any good at it.
If I gave myself a performance review…
I’d tell myself I’m doing great. We’re so good at punishing ourselves, I’d make sure I knew how great I was doing!
What I do before breakfast…
Meditate between 6 and 6.45am, have a hot water with ginger and lemon at 7am, have porridge with nut butter and pineapple at 7.30am and then organise my day.
The new find I’m excited about….
Superfood Bakery’s Spirit Lifters Cookies , £7.50 - I found these at Balance Festival at the weekend and can’t wait to try them!
Complete this sentence, money is…
A gift that nourishes you.
If I could be anywhere on earth right now…
I’d be back in the Maldives, my favourite place!
If you came by for lunch I’d make…
Poke bowls with seaweed and tofu (or I’d buy them!)
I always say yes to…
Matcha latte in any form with dairy-free milk or an Earl Grey tea.
I always say no to…
Sweets in any form. As much as my ego wants them, my poor tummy can’t handle the sugar!