Belinda Batt is a positive psychologist and coach for mothers. Photography by Fran Minifie Photography
This week, I’m chatting with community member Belinda Batt who is a positive psychologist and coach for mothers. Belinda is a regular hot desker here as she comes to find calm and headspace from the trials and tribulations of being a working mum with two small children. Let’s find out more about her.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I spent my formative years in Oxford, studied Psychology at university and ended up in the bright lights of London, where for many years I worked in PR and Marketing. In my twenties, I was quite into my fitness and took part in several half marathons/sprint triathlons and one full triathlon. Sadly I never completed a full marathon as I slipped a disc whilst training for the Rome marathon and that spelled the end of my sporting career.
And what about your business?
When I became a mother in 2018, I realised something had to change, as my demanding career in PR was clearly not going to provide the work-life balance I craved. So I re-entered the world of study, signed up for a Master’s degree in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and re-trained as a coach for mothers. Now I work for myself, squeezing coaching and related activities around caring for my two children, aged 5 and 2.5.
I officially launched my coaching business, The Flourishing Mother, in 2019, but it’s only this year that things have begun to take off. I now have a good number of 121 clients, I run an online Facebook community for mothers as well as a 6-week online programme – and there’s lots more in the pipeline for the rest of 2023 and beyond!
I think what makes me different from other coaches in this space is that my style of coaching is informed by positive psychology, which means I bring in evidence-based tools and techniques to improve clients’ well-being. I have also undertaken further training in the sociology of motherhood studies, so I have an additional string to my bow in that I am able to teach mothers that the negative emotions they feel, such as guilt and shame, actually stem from our social conditioning and the experience of mothering in a system that is not set up for mothers.
Belinda Batt. Photography by Fran Minifie Photography
Who do you help?
I work with mums of all ages and life stages, and particularly – at the moment at least – with mums of younger children. My ideal client is a mum who feels she has become disconnected from who she really is after having children. She may be suffering from low confidence, or she may wish to return to paid employment but not know where to start. She may need to do some work on building her resilience in order to find her way back to flourishing – I can help with all of that and more.
What has been your biggest achievement so far in your business journey?
Launching The Flourishing Mother. It’s always been a dream of mine to run my own business and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity.
What is your ultimate aim for your business? Your big dream scenario?
I see a bright future for The Flourishing Mother. I have recently signed up with the motherhood platform Careering Into Motherhood as a partner coach, and plan to do more work in the maternity leave/return to work space with mothers who need support to flourish at work, as well as with companies who understand that they need to provide more support for mothers when they return to work.
My big dream scenario would be to have a team of coaches and be offering a range of online coaching solutions for clients, from 121 to bespoke group programmes.
Ultimately I just want to support as many mums to flourish as I possibly can. Mothers have SO much potential, but also face so many challenges. It can be hard to realise that potential – without the right support in place.
What is the biggest challenge you find in running your own business?
Fitting work around childcare – the days feel so short – and, related to that, being disciplined with the time I do have. Despite the work I do with clients on overwhelm I can be prone to it myself, so I have to be careful to instil the positive psychological principle of self-compassion into my working day and take a realistic approach to my workload and how much I can achieve.
Belinda Batt. Photography by Fran Minifie Photography
What is the best bit of advice you have received with regard to business?
Just keep going! It can be easy to give up when things start to get tough, but that’s exactly the moment when you have to grit your teeth and get your head down.
Also – try not to compare yourself to where other people are in their business journey – everyone is unique, and that is our superpower! Plus social media always makes things look more shiny and happy than they really are – it’s just smoke and mirrors.
Can you name an inspiring female entrepreneur/woman in business and tell us why/how she inspires you?
I’m hugely inspired by Anna Whitehouse who founded Flex Appeal and is an ardent campaigner for flexible working and parents’ rights in general. I also love her Mother Pukka podcast. She can basically do no wrong in my eyes.
What made you decide to try coworking?
Working alone can be lonely and demoralising at times. I missed the sense of community and camaraderie that office life gave me. I also recognised I needed to work out of the home sometimes to avoid spending time on house admin when I should be working.
What have you found most useful about being part of a coworking community?
The sense of camaraderie, the networking opportunities and the tea and biscuits!
Thank you so much to Belinda for letting us take a sneak peek inside your business.
Click here for the Flourishing Mother website to find out more about her services as a coach for mothers and how she can help you.
You can also follow @FlourishingMother on Instagram.
If you would like to become a member of our Tribe, come along to any of our small and intimate networking events and workshops or simply want to book a desk and try coworking for female entrepreneurs, self-employed women, remote and hybrid working women, sign up to our mailing list below and email Stacey@thetribecoworking.co.uk for details.
Stacey Sheppard is the founder of The Tribe, a small community-driven coworking space in Totnes that caters to creative, growth-oriented female entrepreneurs by providing an inspiring working environment designed to foster collaboration, connection and community.
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