Each month at Optimal You, we run an event called the Optimal You Lifestyle Power Hour. The Power Hour takes place at a different location each month, and brings together a collection of speakers to share their ideas and knowledge on topics from the three core areas of Optimal You - Positive Psychology, Personal Fitness, and Optimal Nutrition. The talks have covered such a wide range of concepts, and last night the September Power Hour took the theme "Embracing Your Personal Power".
The evening was held at Cook House, a new kitchen in Ouseburn, which is created in two shipping containers, and is home to The Grazer, Anna Hedworth.
Our guests began to arrive at 6pm and Anna had very kindly prepared some of her fantastic salads for everybody to try. Taster plates were made up of Anna's herb couscous with cumin onions, sweet potato salad with pecans and ginger...and more.
Thirty one of us managed to fit into the Cook House kitchen for this sell out event, and once everybody had settled in, we set up a talk show style Q&A with Anna, to find out a little bit more about the Cook House concept, what the history is, and where it looks set to go. Anna told us about her famous supper clubs, which take place at unusual locations such as Lindisfarne Castle, and The Farne Islands, and surprised us all by sharing that she had previously pursued a career as an Architect before deciding to embrace her personal power, follow her passion, and make the transition to Cook House.
Next in the line up was Chris Morris, owner of Clear Fitness with his talk on "How to build the perfect diet for YOU". Having collaborated with Chris in the past I knew his talk would be full of great nuggets of information to take away, and he didn't disappoint. Chris talked about the importance of eating whole foods - a view that I also share - and outlined his "Path to Health", for guests to take away, with a step-by-step process of empowering yourself through nutrition knowledge and creating a healthier you.
I spoke as the final speaker for the evening, and shared with guests some ideas from Positive Psychology, and how to Embrace Your Personal Power.
We began by discussing what power is. Is it a feeling? Is it an action? Does power come through making choices? Is power associated with strength? Is power physical? We talked about power in the gym. We talked about power of the mind. We often say that knowledge is power. We can have power at work, and we can feel power from within.
What does power mean to you?
When have you felt powerful?
When have you not felt so powerful?
Power can come from taking charge. We can feel powerful through learning about nutrition and making choices that support us being our best. We can experience a transfer of confidence from feeling physically strong, to feeling emotionally strong.
"We simply need to believe in the power within us, and learn to use it".
You can begin the journey to Embracing Your Personal Power by becoming more self aware and working out what your values are, by giving yourself permission to develop your own personal power, and giving yourself permission to use it. Learn to ask for what you want, and follow your gut when making decisions. Find out what it is that you love, and pursue it - something that is challenging and keeps you engaged, that you can be fully immersed in. We call this finding your Flow. Be truthful to yourself and Embrace Your Personal Power by choosing to take action and create what you want.
Keep an eye on the Optimal You Blog for an upcoming post about speaking your truth, and check out The Grazer, Cook House, and Clear Fitness sites too. Get in touch if you would like to host an Optimal You Power Hour at your venue, or if you have any topics you would like to see covered!
With Gratitude,
Niyc xx
