How I Came To Bea
I’ve been an intention seeker my whole life. Whether it’s reading way too many books at once or wandering off the path to somewhere new, I’m constantly wondering how we can make sense of the messy experience of being human in the twenty-first century.
In Spring 2017 I hit rock bottom. I was working for an advertising agency in London and I was burnt out, anxious and unhappy. I knew I needed to change my life but I didn’t know how. I left my job and took a month off. I slept. A lot! During this month-long pause, I realised that I had been unfulfilled and unhappy for most of my professional life. The most frightening thing was how much I had normalised this unhappiness as ‘work-related stress’ at best and at worst an inevitable outcome of my own inability to cope with the responsibilities of the roles I had been employed to do.
BeaGrist
‘We teach best what we most need to learn’
Richard Bach
From That Point On
From that point on I realised I wanted to create a life that would be as full an expression of my true self as possible; and now I help others to do the same. I became a certified life coach in 2019 and completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali in 2022.
The rest, as they say, is her-story.
Powerful Pause
my background and Training
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The Co-Active Coach Training Pathway is considered the most rigorous, ICF-accredited programme available for professional coaching development. My coaching is unique in that it combines ancient yogic philosophy and knowledge from the East, with the latest evidence-based neuroscience from the West, all designed to support you to grow your mental and emotional resilience, as well as your ability to perform under pressure.
With additional expertise in Trauma-Informed Coaching, Mindfulness, Meditation, Menstrual Cycle Awareness, and Mental Fitness, my approach is whole person-centred and designed to align your mind, body and spirit. My work is rooted in the deep belief that our bodies hold profound wisdom. By learning to listen and cultivating a compassionate relationship with ourselves, we can experience significant growth and healing. I find that this embodied and integrative method is especially beneficial for actors and performers, as they typically have a strong awareness of their bodies. This familiarity allows them to more easily access the wisdom their bodies hold, making the coaching even more effective.
Before coaching, I had a successful career in theatre marketing, working at some of the UK’s top producing theatres, with highly regarded directors and producers, both in the West End and at leading performing arts venues across the country. I have immense respect and admiration for artists and creative people, as they help us make sense of the world. Creativity connects us to something greater than ourselves—it has the unique power to transform pain into something meaningful. My career in the performing arts began intentionally, led by a deep desire to share stories and convey meaning to others. Theatre became my chosen medium for this expression. While working within the industry, I discovered how much I enjoyed collaborating with creatives. So, when I retrained as a coach, it was clear to me that I wanted to bring my skills and experience to this field, specifically to support actors, performers and creatives.
My Interests
I have a deep passion and interest in women’s health and empowerment and love supporting women to cultivate healthy self-esteem, self-discovery and self-belief. I enjoy creating empowering and sacred spaces for women to show up fully by stepping into their wild and feminine power. I strongly believe that the body has (nearly!) all the answers and that as women, the cyclical wisdom we have been gifted can be intentionally harnessed to help us live more in alignment with nature and the world.
As I've grown older, I’ve been drawn to intentionally slowing down, leading me to embrace a simpler way of living. I believe there are four natural sanctuaries that, when consciously nurtured, can help cultivate a peaceful life: silence, solitude, stillness, and simplicity.
Some other things - I try to visit Bali, Indonesia at least once a year. It is my happy place where my soul feels nourished, free and alive. I enjoy wild swimming, getting cosy on my sofa with my latest knitting project, and walking in the Bedfordshire countryside where I live with my actor-partner. I’m currently learning to sew my own clothes, which is teaching me the fine art of patience (and perseverance).
a worldwide pause
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, I decided to take action. I set up a global network of 85 life coaches to provide coaching to actors and performers. The network collectively coached over 600 actors and performers offering out in excess of 1,700 coaching hours. In 2020 I founded the ‘Wellbeing Series’, an award-nominated wellbeing programme for actors and performers which I launched at Spotlight (Europe’s leading casting platform) to support and empower actors and performers to navigate the mental health challenges of the acting profession and the uncertain times that we're living through. I also created ‘Powerful Pause’ a meditation podcast for actors, which is still one of the most downloaded in the industry.
Here’s what I’m passionate about:
I am passionate about making time to pause and reflect, prioritising what matters most, and leading with compassion towards ourselves and others. Whether I’m coaching, leading a yoga class, or running a retreat, this heart-centred approach is at the core of everything I do. When we lead from our hearts, we make others feel seen, heard and valued. I believe this is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other.
Here are my core values
Our values are who we are. Not who we would like to be or who we think we should be, but who we are in our lives, right now. Our values serve as a compass or roadmap pointing out what it means to be true to oneself. When we honour our values on a regular basis, life feels juicy, alive and fulfilling.
These are some of the things I love and consciously honour in my life:
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Freedom is being on the back of a scooter riding through Bali’s rice fields or taking long walks through cities, discovering new areas or squares I never knew were there (Rome is great for that). I also feel a deep sense of freedom when I am out running in nature. I love the feeling of getting from A to B under my own steam. It’s also having the independence, flexibility and finances to be able to drop everything to go somewhere, or do something wild, new and thrilling.
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Adventure is about travelling across the world and having exciting new experiences. It’s about venturing into the unknown and doing those scary things which make you feel alive.
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Authenticity is about being who you truly are, not who you think you should be. It’s about sharing your beautiful vulnerability with the world. It’s also about seeing, appreciating and accepting others for who they are too.
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Connection is about making people feel seen and heard and sharing deep and meaningful experiences. It’s about connecting with yourself and learning to love all of you (even the wonky icky parts!)
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Peace is yoga. It’s breathing. It’s saying ‘this is what it is right now’ and being ok with that. It’s nature and green spaces. It’s the sound of waves gently lapping on the shoreline. It’s the birdsong in Bali. It’s my partner’s laugh.
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Whenever life gets challenging I go into nature. Whether it’s the nature reserve near my home or the beach or rice fields in Bali, nature grounds me whilst at the same time makes me feel lighter. It asks no questions and gives many answers.
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I like to call it ‘barefoot simplicity’ because simplicity always makes me think of standing barefoot on a deserted beach. Keeping things simple unclutters my mind and anchors me in the present moment.
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Fun is hurtling down a waterslide and yelling at the top of my lungs or laughing with friends about daft, trivial things. It’s allowing myself to be really silly and not giving a sh*t.
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Integrity is about choosing courage over comfort and honouring who I am and what is important. It’s living my life by my values and not someone else's. It’s about taking a stand for what I believe in and not being afraid to fight for it.
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I’m a bit of a rebel at heart ;) I like to push boundaries and explore those spaces outside the ‘ordinary’ or ‘normal’ way of being or doing. Whether it’s consciously choosing to be childfree, or finding unconventional ways to move on the mat, I am here for it!
Find out your core values through 1:1 coaching with me
Empathy & expertise
Having worked in the performing arts and entertainment industries my whole career, I have an understanding, empathy and expertise for supporting those working within them. These industries promote a culture which rewards hustling, grinding, long-hours, competitiveness, being away from our loved-ones and basically being available whenever the phone rings or an email pops through. Powerful Pause is an antidote to this.
@bea.grist
