Burn Bright

Achieve success without sacrificing your sanity! 

6 month transformational group coaching programme for ambitious ADHD businesswomen

Get expert high-performance guidance to nurture yourself to unlock your business’s full potential

Join the October cohort

We begin on October 16th six spaces still available!

In 6 months, you'll begin to practice...

Prioritising

yourself

Nurture your bright, brilliant brain and business!

Unlocking your business'
full potential

With support, systems and self compassion

Embodying your
ambition

While bringing a little more balance into your life

Discover the power of letting go the pressure of perfection
and following your ambition without drowning in it.

You deserve to...

  • You’re probably spinning a lot of plates, in life and in your work, feeling overwhelmed, but just push through and feel exhausted afterwards.
  • You wonder how to balance your life better, without dropping stuff or lowering standards.
  • You want to feel happier and calmer, instead of just looking for the next thing to achieve.
  • You question yourself – if you will ever feel good enough and worry about what others think of you.
  • You take too long on tasks as you check everything is ‘just right’, or perfect, before you finish.
  • You compare yourself to others ahead of you, thinking you’ve failed, you’re not successful enough.
  • You put other people’s needs before your own, people pleasing and have leaky boundaries
  • You’ve got so much on, but you waste time procrastinating and get further behind.
 

                  If you resonate, then this programme was MADE for you. 

But it’s more than that.

You’re ready to put your best foot forward to achieve your ambitious goals, but also bring a little bit more balance into your life instead of veering into burnout territory.

Or I don’t know, maybe you wish you had the guts and the freedom to swim in the sea and jump off piers!

You’d go out for lunch with your bestie, or catch a film in the cinema, go to yoga in the middle of a work day, take your watercolours out, print photos of family memories and sort them into albums…

All of the fun and connection things which get put off because of the endless to-dos.

Even other people around you would know you’ve changed, because you don’t seem so preoccupied with your work anymore.

You can delegate tasks out to others, to make space for yourself. No more thinking “it’s better if I do it myself” or rejecting offers of help.

How would you know it’s ‘worked’? Because you would invite in the fun factor – more joy and freedom, having fun when letting go of ‘should’s! Actually taking up a hobby or randomly dancing around your kitchen!

You would feel that all areas of your life are good, not just the one that is work.

You know what energises you, and what drains you, and can set boundaries to protect your capacity.

Here’s the good news: you’re not asking for anything crazy.

You can create all this (and more) for yourself — even though you’re struggling to right now.

Here's your invitation to change your life for the better.

After the group programme Burn Bright, you’ll:

When you join Burn Bright, you’ll get:

This is different to other coaching programmes...

I know you can’t stand sleazy sales techniques from underqualified coaches, promising you instant results and x amount per month in revenue, if only you follow their unethical and empty promise marketing…

This is not that. This is not hacks and quick fixes. 

I’m a Clinical Psychologist, which means I am bound by a professional code of conduct and ethical standards. 

Burn Bright is a 6 month long deep dive into your thoughts, emotions and behavioural patterns through therapeutic coaching in a group, gaining insights about yourself and receiving skills that you can put into practice gradually instead of trying to do #allthethings all at once.

You will build a foundation and the tools to turn your life around – learning to make friends with perfectionism by developing a more compassionate stance towards yourself.

I’m not going to lie, breaking habits of a lifetime takes time. Which is why I’ve designed this program to give you the tools to take small immediate actions RIGHT NOW, leading to big impact over time. 

So that you can reap the benefits for the rest of your life, rather than get a quick fix from a sticking plaster. 

This is evidence-based psychological tools and practices, guided by a Clinical Psychologist and coach – so you’ll be in safe hands in this group of only SIX women. 

Michaela

Investment

1 x payment of £6,666

(Pay in full, one-time payment

x payments of £1,111

(One payment of £1,111 now, the rest as five monthly instalments.)

Your self-doubt and overthinking can't stop you... You got this!

You ARE ready to work on calming your overwhelm and reach your stretchy goals without overstretching yourself…

But if you’re anything like the women I support, you’re tying yourself into knots thinking about this decision… 

If you do, I want you to know your concerns are completely normal and what I hear every day from my clients.

Investing in yourself is scary, if you’ve learned to prioritise the needs of others and care for everyone but yourself. Thank you, patriarchy, for making women be small and ask for nothing.

In fact, most of the women who have been on the fence about starting therapy or coaching with me were worried about it adding to their burden, or investing in themselves. 

But today, their lives are so much more rewarding and meaningful, because they acknowledge these fears as understandable and choose to take action anyway. To begin before they felt ready. You can too. 

If you’re worried, I’ve answered all your questions in the FAQ section at the end. 

Overthinking it and going around in circles is keeping you stuck.

Burn Bright Success

These lovely women aren’t supermums or wonder women. They are women like you who were once trapped in the juggle of constant demands placed on them, with very little energy left for themselves. Women who swapped striving for perfection, for striving for excellence where it matters and good enough where it doesn’t.
These are some of the results I’ve seen for the women I support. (Results that you could also be celebrating in a few month’s time)…

Coaching Modules

No coaching cohort is exactly the same, as the coaching is responsive to your unique needs and challenges throughout the programme.

Here are the modules we will go through to create these results:

Month 1

PAUSE – Learning to slow down and notice

Journaling and breathwork, using mindfulness to notice how perfectionism and procrastination no longer serve you. Exploring blocks to slowing down, like the inner critic, and instead giving yourself the permission to take a break. Making peace with slowness, we set a sustainable pace to counter busyness.

Month 2

PURPOSE – Creating a meaningful life

Exploring values, looking at what actions to take for a more meaningful, balanced life that helps you work to live, not live to work. We also embrace imperfection, giving yourself permission to make mistakes and grow from failure. We listen intently to what might be missing in your life, to invite more of that in. 

Month 3

PLAY – Making space for fun and joy

Inviting in joy by breaking free from rigid rules, shoulds and musts. We look at how creativity comes from a place of rest, taking the pressure off to find focus and flow, giving yourself the permission to have fun and be free. We find what brings YOU joy, to energize you again and make life feel more vibrant. 

Month 4

PAUSE – Making self-compassion and self-care habits stick

Diving deeper into compassion and mindfulness practices, we explore with curiosity what is still stopping you from getting enough rest and breaks – and making sure that any new habits such as journaling, meditation or slowing down actually sticks. The yin yoga sessions helps you deepen this. 

Month 5

PURPOSE – Utilising your potential

Diving deeper into what is meaningful to you and finding out what changes you still need to make at work and outside of work, to have a better work/life balance and feel like life is richly rewarding you. We balance your wellbeing at work with boundaries and letting go of people pleasing, also helping you implement the support, system and self-compassion you need to thrive in your business.

Month 6

PLAY – Using your creativity to SHINE

Diving deeper into the fears you have around letting go and surrendering into fun and joy – not just having organised fun, but actually genuinely loosing yourself in the moment and dancing like nobody’s watching! We play around with creativity like doodling, watercolours and writing letters to ourselves. 

Resident Experts

Not only do you get access to coaching with Michaela Thomas, Clinical Psychologist,
you also get access to teachings from our resident experts:
* a live monthly call with operations expert Laura Parker
* loads of videos in the portal library with yoga sessions, nutrition, pelvic floor and more!

Laura make it happen image

Focus and Systems with Laura

 

No more procrastination leading into frantic #doingallthethings – Laura Parker will help you find your focus through systems. Harnessing the power of sustainable rhythms + habits alongside leveraging tech and team, it’s possible to skip burnout, make more money and create a wildly successful business that works in harmony with our lives. 

Tasha

Yin Yoga with Natasha

If you struggle to come to stillness, or have racing thoughts in your mind when you’ve tried yoga, or tell yourself that you ‘can’t do yoga’, Natasha Taylor-Komar is the teacher for you. Her style is engaging, fun, playful and calming, and she will give you adaptations to suit your level – finding peace in your body.

Thalia_headshot2

Nutrition with Thalia

Skipping breakfast or only making nutritious meals for the kids -Thalia Pellegrini is your resident expert on nutrition, and she has heard it all before from knackered mums who are low in energy. This session explores the link between hormonal health, energy and food, and gives tips on how to eat better without following a perfect diet or depriving yourself.  

This programme is NOT for you if…
Don’t give up: You may just not be ready yet.

Here’s The Thing...

You can’t make self-care and self-development work for you if you come at them from a place of ‘passionate unkindness’ towards yourself. Taking consistent, small action and allowing yourself to focus on progress, not perfection, helps you achieve your ambitious goals long-term – without the burnout!

The key to having a fun, free and fulfilling life is to understand where the pressure comes from to overwork and be perfect, and develop a kinder way of talking to yourself about that pressure, then take consistent action to do things leading you towards fun, freedom and fulfillment – not away from it.

Don’t Just Take My Word For It

FAQ’s

You’re ready to work on calming your overwhelm and reach your stretchy goals without overstretching yourself…

But if you’re anything like the women I support, you’re tying yourself into knots thinking about this…

So I have answered some common questions below. 

Burn Bright is a six-month container because you need to allow enough time for new habits to form, and repeat the practice enough times for the habits to become engrained, making them second nature.

The first round of three months is the foundations, the second three months is supporting you with diving deeper into the practice – making sure that the habits stick long term, addressing any self-sabotage or drifting away from doing what works.

You’ll need to dedicate 2-3 hours a week if you’re aiming to be self-sufficient by the end of month six. I don’t want to just give you fish for the day, I want to teach you how to fish.

Those hours will include any of the healthy habits we set you up with for self-care and self-compassion – and it will feel good to do them, rather than another overwhelming thing.

You’ll want to make time for our (optional) weekly coaching call of 90 minutes.

(All calls are recorded so you can watch the replay if you’re unable to make it live – but my experience is that it is harder to follow along with the progress if you are intending to watch every call on replay – it’s human nature to procrastinate it when overwhelmed by other things).

Burn Bright helps you create a way of working and living that gives you MORE time and works around your lifestyle – because you let go of the crap that no longer serves you.

But the irony is, you can only have that once you make time to build these healthy habits and stop the overworking.

You’ll never find time for this programme. If you want it, you have to make time for it by being ready to make some changes to your overproductivity.

If you need longer than six months, don’t worry – you’ll get ongoing access to the recorded materials. However, I recommend keeping up momentum by completing something from the modules each week if you can. This is the best way to get results.

I totally understand why you’re concerned. This is the most common pattern I see, of drifting away from the very thing which is good for us. It happens to all of us at times, and I have built this programme to try to prevent that, by making the practices small, tangible and manageable to implement. Other women have had similar worries before joining Burn Bright.

That’s why I’d like to invite you to book a free 1:1 call with me.

In just 30 minutes, we’ll figure out what overwhelms you, what’s getting in the way of you slowing down and whether this programme is right for you.

This isn’t a chance for me to pitch you. I want to help us both establish if Burn Bright can help you.

If it can, I’ll invite you to apply. But there’ll be absolutely no pressure from me. If it isn’t right for you, I will help you think through your other options. So either way, you will be helped forward at the end of our call.

I have said it before and I will say it again.

These patterns of putting yourself last are here for a reason – they have protected you and served you in different ways in your life (that’s how you got into uni, got that promotion, am I right?!)

Or at least you think so.

In fact, you got to those places IN SPITE of perfectionism, overworking and constantly trying to ‘do the right thing’, not because of it.

Burn Bright has an entire module dedicated to teaching you how to be able to follow your purpose and ambition, but without drowning in it.

You don’t need to have all your work ducks in a row to start this.

You just need to have a willingness to look at your patterns of working, with an open mind.

We can defend our overproductivity like that crappy ‘bad boy’ boy boyfriend you had in your 20s – not wanting to let it go because we don’t feel we deserve any better.

That’s right! Without treating yourself as if you are worth a life where you don’t constantly think about work, or wake up in the middle of the night and then can’t drift back to sleep until you’ve solved a work problem in your head… well, nothing good comes out of 3am.

You bring your honest account of what you’re doing day to day, week to week, and we can reflect together on whether this is serving you, whether it is functional… or if it is time to break up with that crappy boyfriend.

If you’re tired of the hustle and the emotional roller coaster of working all the hours and still not feeling good enough, so you work a bit more… but yet you think there has GOT to be more to life than this overwhelm, then you’re ready for Burn Bright.

If you want more ease and peace, more space for you, more balance, more accomplishment, more freedom, more flexibility, more fun in your life…you’re ready.

Please note, in order to be invited to join the programme, you should be able to recognise yourself in these boxes:

  • You’re aware that you work too hard (but struggle to slow down).
  • You have realised that you doubt yourself even when being praised by others, and want to stop being so mean to yourself.
  • You are kind to others, but now looking for a way to set boundaries to stop doing all the things for everybody else but you.
  • You’re open to being vulnerable in a group, letting yourself be coached to consider new perspectives and actions to take.
  • You’re ready and willing to use the tools provided – not just listen, but to take consistent action to make changes to your life.

No, I can’t.

And if you’re looking for guarantees, inner work probably isn’t for you. Because life can get in the way, and you may be surprised at what you find when you start reflecting on your behaviours, feelings and thoughts.

I can tell you that when women work with me, epiphanies happen. Often in the small, like little lightbulbs going off around how they have been living their lives and recognising that there is a mismatch between their behaviour and their values.

Something needs to give, and only you can change that.

One woman quit her corporate job in a toxic environment and got a new job, where she didn’t even bring her laptop home after work anymore.

Another woman realised she needed to put her rates up, to no longer trade her time for money and create more space in her working week.

One business owner decided to make it a priority to go to pilates every week, during work hours, and no longer suffers from a bad back.

You get out what you put in, and the group is ready to facilitate those changes for you – to celebrate your successes AND make space for your second guesses.

The investment for Burn Bright is £6666 incl VAT for six months coaching.

If you’d prefer to pay monthly, you can choose x 6 payments of £1111.

Want even more support than the group container offers?

You can ask for a longer payment plan if you need it. 

You can also ask your corporate employer to fund the programme, as executive coaching promotes your wellbeing and can keep you from being signed off sick from work with burnout, stress, anxiety or depression. 

Wondering if it’s worth it?

Calculate how much money you would lose in revenue and profit if you weren’t well enough to run your business, or go to your corporate job?

How much it would cost if you got signed off sick for burnout – if you hit that metaphorical wall and was unable to work for 6 months.

When I headed up a staff treatment clinic at a major London hospital, providing therapy to the most senior consultants, I can tell you that the most high-striving doctors I saw get signed off sick for burnout were off for two years…

TWO YEARS?!

Clawing your way back out from the burnout hole isn’t easy – if you are dancing along the edges right now, let’s prevent you from falling into the hole in the first place.

If that feels possible (we both know it is!), surely investing in this programme is worth it? For you to be well enough to play with your kids without losing your shit on a daily basis? Or too tired to chase them around the garden?

When you join Burn Bright, you’ll get:
  • A 1-hour 1:1 onboarding call so I can get a better understanding of your goals, your work and why you put so much pressure on yourself.
  • Access to the core video modules that teach you how to find more pause, purpose and play – and how to give yourself the permission to actually USE everything you’re learning.
  • x3 One-to-One Milestone Calls to help track your progress and keep you on track.
  • x1 Live Coaching Call with me every week – with one integration week a month to help you rest and digest, or catch up.
  • Responsive teaching due to the small, high-touch level of teaching that provide step-by-step guidance and support for topics showing up uniquely for YOU.
  • Access to The Private Facebook Community where you’ll have ongoing access to me and the community of women.
  • Guest Training with some of the expert psychologists and coaches from my network (like a gut health hypnotherapist coach and an organisational systems expert!)
Audios and worksheets to keep forever, so you can continue to practise and make progress long after the programme ends.

This container is intentionally intimate, so I can serve you in the best possible way.

At any given time, there’ll be a maximum of 4 clients inside Burn Bright coaching call, which means you’ll always be seen and heard. You will get to know the other women really well – and can join them on optional home retreats in Michaela’s home in Bedfordshire too!

I vet every single member before offering them a place in this programme. Only the most aligned women get in.

For you, that means you get a sisterhood of successful women to support you through your struggles and celebrate your wins.

I do everything possible to stop this from happening.

It’s why I have an application system and it’s why I get on a call with every single person who expresses an interest in joining.

I only invite you to join if I think you are right for this programme and that it will be of benefit to you.

In the unlikely event that you join and decide Burn Bright isn’t for you, you have 14 days to request a refund from the date of purchase.

No questions. With me, there is no judgment around a change of heart. This is why I also want you to be sure about signing up, and not act out of FOMO.

Burn Bright includes a whole host of resources recorded on a digital content library (meaning videos, audios and worksheets by Michaela and her guest coaches), as well as the community of being with like-minded women who will support you on your journey. The power of being vulnerable in a group and receiving kindness and support from others in the same boat cannot be underestimated – you won’t get that from 1:1!

The honest answer is, it depends on you and your current situation. We are not here to chase happiness, that is not what ease and peace means. Being more compassionate with yourself means tolerating and accepting times when life is hard, and knowing what to do to be kinder to yourself (and others) in those moments. The impact of developing a kinder stance towards yourself can be felt within weeks, and continue to be impactful for years if you continue using the tools.

How quickly you see results depends on how much you are willing to let go of – in terms of overproductivity, self-criticism, self-doubt and busyness.

Some are really blocked in being kind and compassionate to themselves, so it might take a few extra months to implement the tools. There is no rush and no right or wrong amount of time, because you have lifetime access to the program and all future updates (you just can’t attend the coaching calls once you have left the programme)! Remember, this isn’t a “quick fix” by any means.

Burn Bright helps you create a way of working and living that gives you MORE time and works around your lifestyle – because you let go of the crap that no longer serves you.

Imagine how much time you will save if you no longer procrastinate the biggest task on your to-do list, but have a way to break it down into manageable chunks and take action? If you were no longer waiting for everything to be ‘perfect’ before you took action? If you didn’t second guess and overthink your every decision, because you didn’t believe in yourself and your ability? You’d save loads of time from not checking your work and not arguing with your mind gremlins.

Calming the overwhelm will give you more clarity and focus, and allowing yourself the permission to rest will help you work at a sustainable pace which paradoxically means you get more done in less time.

There is also a guest teaching on precisely that – how to get more done in less time!
But the irony is, you can only have that once you make time to build these healthy habits and stop the overworking.
You’ll never find time for this programme. If you want it, you have to make time for it by being ready to make some changes to your overproductivity.

I know, such a common block! Bet you rarely buy new clothes for yourself, but make sure the kids are properly clothed…

When you have blocks to being kind and compassionate to yourself, spending money on yourself can be hard. Even something small like treating yourself to a new notepad for journaling can feel stretchy – but what that reluctance to spend does is to send a message to your brain ‘I’m not worth it’.

When you make a larger investment into yourself, it’s like you book a minimum spend bar. And like I say, “when you put money behind the bar, you show up to drink.” You are more likely to take it seriously and implement the learning if you have made a serious investment – you want to make it count, right?

I have heard this statement so many times: “I will take a break when I’ve finished this”

Making breaks conditional upon achievement is a slippery slope to burnout.

What about this one, from busy mothers: “Resting is a luxury I can’t afford”.

No. Resting is investing, in both your wellbeing AND your ambitious goals.

Because our creativity comes from a place of rest, like a client of mine once told me.

You’ll come up with your bright ideas when you’ve had some headspace.

Those breaks can be mini moments, like pockets of pause, if you are a parent stretched beyond your limits. Rest does *not* have to mean spa weekends.

Another one: “If I slow down, I’ll be lazy and won’t achieve as much.”

Again, no.

Doing less and focusing on one thing at a time means you will be more productive with any task you set yourself.

Instead of getting caught up in overthinking and procrastination (“just gonna make ooooone more cup of tea and check Insta before I start”).

So if you want to move forward with your current challenges, take a break and step away from it in order to be able to move back in with renewed ideas, creativity and a focus which comes from being in flow.

If you hold yourself back and don’t take action because you don’t think you’re good enough, you won’t improve. You’ll be stagnant.

If you don’t practice, you won’t grow your competence OR your confidence.

And the world doesn’t get to see you burn bright.

Confidence is a result, not a requirement, as Rich Litvin says.

“But I don’t want to get too big for my boots, or boastful”, you say.

You CAN have ambition, pride and confidence as well as sound values.

You CAN reach your goals as well as look after yourself.

Think of some well known, successful people who are respected for their kindness as well as their achievements – they are still doing the work to be kinder to themselves and address their issues:

  • Michelle Obama, with her impostor syndrome
  • Brene Brown, with her recovery from perfectionism
  • Joe Wicks, with his childhood demons putting pressure on him
  • Deliciously Ella, with her past history of overproductivity

Yes! We do an optional day retreat in Michaela’s home at the beginning and the end of the Burn Bright journey, so you get to meet each other in person. It is held in the home of Michaela Thomas in Bedfordshire, which is why Burn Bright is intentionally kept small – to seat four women around the table. The day retreats are described as ‘creative fuel’, ‘relaxing’, ‘energising’, ‘nourishing’, ‘safe’, ‘connected’ and lots more. You don’t want to miss them!  

My Way Of Running A Business Isn’t About ‘Hustle Hard Now, Rest Later’ – It Is About Creating A Sustainable Pace Which Keeps You Well And Able To Reach Your Ambitious Goals Without The Burnout.

I’m ambitious, I get it. I have published a book, given expert opinion to the press, been featured on major health and wellbeing podcasts, such as the Calmer You podcast with Chloe Brotheridge, the Deliciously Ella podcast, and I’m Not Your Shrink by Dr Tracy Dalgleish. I am multi-hyphenated and with a bright mind – like you.

To spread awareness around mental health and psychology, I have my own podcast, Pause Purpose Play with Michaela Thomas, aimed at high-striving and ambitious women wanting to let go of the pressure of perfection.

I had a challenging time in my postnatal period after my first child was born, which certainly strained my marriage and made me realise that I couldn’t ‘work hard, play hard’ – there was no respite on the weekend anymore! I had to do the inner work around embracing imperfection and finding a kinder way to treat myself when I inevitably messed up as a parent. Being a business owner, I also was faced with the constant juggle of sick children and supporting a business – through two maternity leaves! I know entrepreneurship isn’t easy, with the risk of feast and famine affecting your wellbeing. I am right there with you.

I’m Michaela Thomas and I’m a Clinical Psychologist, Couples Therapist, Speaker, Author and Podcaster. I’m happily married (but not in a perfect marriage), and the mother of a 6-year-old force of nature as well as a feisty and cheeky 1-year-old.

I help ambitious, busy people find balance over burnout, so they can live, love and work in a more meaningful way. With my specialism being perfectionism, I know how important it is to focus on connection, not perfection. I’m on a mission to show career women how to be kinder to themselves, even when feeling under pressure, using my online courses, group coaching and 1:1 therapy/coaching.

Still Deciding?

I hear you. It’s hard to make changes to your life, and very hard to take the plunge to invest in yourself.
Especially when you are so full up already (I am surprised you’ve found the time to read this far!)

My hope for you is that this will feel like a nourishing thing to do as well, as the audio exercises are aimed at calming your frazzled mind, so that you’ll feel more at ease and content than you would after a night just scrolling on your phone. If you spent one day of the week where you go to the coaching call and spend a bit of time afterwards to plan your actions for the week and one evening a week listening to audio recordings, journaling, doing exercises from the course, you could still relax on the sofa on the others.

I’m not judging, I know life is busy and you need your downtime.

The reward is there for you , and having helped so many ambitious women learn how to be kinder and more compassionate with themselves, and also being an expert on couples relationships, I know that there is a ripple effect from the work you do on yourself. When you are well, your relationship is more likely to be well. Your business is more likely to be well when its director is well. Your work colleagues benefit from you being well.

So take this opportunity to nourish not only you, but also your partner and your relationship, your connection with your kids, your capacity to be there for them. The efforts made will pay off as a positive ripple effect in not just your work, but also your life.

If in doubt, do reach out.

Need to ask a question about Burn Bright?

Happy to help! Email us at [email protected]