Blog

Highly Commended

Business Person of the Year 2024 Ali Knowles has been Highly Commended in the Business Person of the Year category of the Cambridge Business Awards 2024. These awards recognise the achievements and contributions of businesses and individuals in Cambridgeshire with 14 awards being presented during the ceremony which was held at The Great Hall, Kings College, on 26th September.   Ali was one of 6 nominated for the category with the award going to Peter Burrows from Cambridge Building Society.  Ali was extremely honoured to be recognised for this award "The work we do is all about empowering others and the reward we...

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Meet the Ollie Coach

Introducing Ollie Coach, Nora Deme.  Read on to find out more about Nora and her journey to becoming an Ollie Coach.

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Ollie Notebooks

Who doesn't love a nice notebook?

We are very excited about our new range of A5 Spiral notebooks

 

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Becoming an Ollie Coach - Review after week 1

  OS18 Ollie Coach training Before you start anything new there is always some kind of 'what's it going to be like' feeling.  Some people get a little nervous, others feel excited.  What really matters is how you feel as you go through it.   We had our first weekend of OS18 Ollie Coach training and this is one of the review - we must be doing something right!  I just wanted to express my thanks and excitement at this weekend. I have been buzzing since Saturday morning knowing it was starting and even more so since it's began. Alison, I'm...

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Ali's SENDcast podcast

‘Looking and trusting inside rather than looking for solutions externally'

Ali's latest SENDcast podcast is now available to listen to

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Meet the Ollie Coach

Lynne Collins is based in Sutton, Ely, and works with teenagers and adults face to face and online via zoom. Lynne is particularly drawn to working with people who live with anxiety, self-doubt; low-confidence, poor self-esteem, feel stuck or who may just feel things ‘aren’t right’.

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Ollie Kids & Teens - Tiptree Community Hub

Ollie Kids & Teens I've seen a very positive improvement.   It would benefit so many children.   Every child should be offered this.   I learnt lots about my child.   It seems like a really unique way to work with the kids.   I was so surprised to see her confidently putting her hand up so often as I don't think she does this a lot in school.   My child has learnt how to deal with big emotions and hard situations they will be faced with. As a child with SEN this training was imperative to her...

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Meet the Ollie Coach

Jo Macdonald is one of our Scottish based Ollie Coaches. Read on to find out a bit more about Jo and how to get in contact with her.

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Shifting Reality Tunnels

Reality tunnels are made one brick at a time and those bricks will hold your beliefs, hopes, fears, about yourself and your world. The colour of your tunnel will depend on those early bricks, so things like being loved and praised will create a brighter tunnel than a child who is berated or abused.

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Ollie Coach Review

Ollie Coaches do what they do so that they can help others be all they can be. Often we don't hear from our clients but we always wonder how they are doing so when you get a feedback it means a lot.  A happy mother has shared how Belinda helped her daughter.

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Heightened emotions make you stupid!

OS17 trainee Ollie Coach, Laura Rossborough, writes a great metaphor about her Ollie journey, about how she feels the love and support of the group, how she now believes in the possibilities but also about how being so caught up in your emotions can make you 'stupid'.

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Meet our newest Ollie Coaches - Nicky & Clare

Clare Martin and Nicky Smith returned to Regent's College today to receive their Ollie Coach certificates and their Red Shirts. "It makes me very happy to be able to present these Ollie Coach Certificates to Clare and Nicky today" commented Ali Knowles, "Clare and Nicky are going to do amazing things helping children and young people be all they can be." Nicky, speaking for both of them, explained how excited they were to receive their certificates and red shirts.  "I am amazed at how much I have changed and grown through this training," said Nicky.  "I have learnt so much and...

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Ollie Coach review

  Ollie Coaches do what they do so that they can help others be all they can be.  Often we don't hear from our clients but we always wonder how they are doing so when you get a feedback it means a lot. Stani Try is based in Egham, working with children, teens, families and adults.  This is what one of her 10 year old clients wrote to her. “Hey Stani, I love your sessions and I always can’t wait for the next one. You are really kind and I can tell you anything”  To get in touch with Stani please...

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Vote for Ali

Vote for Ali in the National diversity awards - Positive role model

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Golden Ticket Time

𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘!   Yes! That’s right… Ali will be once again be giving away a golden ticket to one person to train for free to become an Ollie Coach in January 2024.

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Partnership with Willo

We are very excited to be partnering with Willo Education Recruitment Ltd The team at Willo are passionate about making a difference to the lives of children which is why we instantly connected with them at the Childcare and Education Expo in Coventry. We can't wait to see where this takes us.      

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Every client is totally unique

Every client, child, teen, or adult is totally unique in how they do their world.  What do I mean by that?  Lots of things.  Read on to find out about representational systems.

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Not one but two Awards

Best Therapeutically Trained Children's Coaches 2023 - Cambridgeshire

Empowerment Innovator of the Year 2023 - Cambridgeshire

SME Southern Enterprise Awards 2023

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Racing for a Train! Who knew how tiring Stress / Anxiety can be?

I don't often go into 'The City' anymore. Normally things would just go to plan but yesterday was not one of days.  My level of anxiety was severely heightened but the come down was alarming.  If this is how I react, how do our kids cope with the anxiety they experience with going to school every day?.

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Five reasons to work with an Emotional Therapist.

There are lots of reasons to work with an emotional therapist and in particular an Ollie Coach.  Here we explore just 5 reasons, there are many more.  Whatever your reason they will help you to manage your emotions rather than being controlled by them.

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The Evolving Landscape of Diversity: Understanding It's Transformation and Alison Knowles' Integration in Her Work

As a concept and practice, diversity has significantly evolved over recent years. Once primarily focused on visible differences like race and gender, diversity now encompasses a broader range of factors contributing to individual uniqueness, such as age, disability, sexual orientation, and cultural background. In this blog post, we will explore the changing landscape of diversity and discuss how Alison Knowles has successfully integrated this modern understanding of diversity into her work with the Ollie Model and Ollie and his Super Powers. The Evolution of Diversity: In the past, diversity was often equated with representation, focusing mainly on ensuring that different...

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Grassroots Communities Rising: How They Are Tackling Diversity in Society and Alison Knowles' Passion for Change

Diversity and inclusion are essential aspects of a thriving, harmonious society. While many organisations and governments work towards creating policies and initiatives that promote diversity, grassroots communities play a vital role in making tangible change. This blog post will discuss how grassroots communities actively tackle societal diversity issues and explore Alison Knowles' passion for addressing these challenges through her work with Ollie and his Super Powers. Community-led Initiatives: Grassroots communities often have a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by their members, making them well-equipped to create tailored solutions to promote diversity and inclusion. These community-led initiatives help break...

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Ollie spreads Superpowers to Ukrainian refugees

Ollie Team in Poland supporting Ukrainian Refugees Xanthe Steen, a single mother from North London and an Ollie trainee, fundraised over the first weeks of the Ukrainian war with her 11-year-old daughter specifically to raise enough money to fly Ollie and his Superpowers therapeutic team out to Poland to support refugees and volunteers. On the first day of the war Xanthe and her 11-year-old daughter Acacia shot into cupcake - baking overdrive and sold their produce in the London traffic and outside local school gates “I am an eighth Ukrainian“ said Acacia “it is hard to see the news and...

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Your best ever Pine Cone !

Deborah Stephenson, soon to be Ollie Coach, looks forward to getting outside everyday to breathe in the fresh air and for a change of scenery but also for all the other benefits it brings.

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Uncertain about uncertainty…

In this blog Deborah Stephenson, trainee Ollie Coach, reminds us that we have always faced uncertainty, never knowing what's ahead, but that because we are flexible we have always made it through and we will again.

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Don’t forget the fun…

Deborah Stephenson, soon to be Ollie Coach, wonders if we all need to give serious consideration to the priority we give to fun. Far from dismissing it as a “nice to have”… we should stick it right at the top of our Christmas list!

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Finding a happy place

Ollie Coach Claire Robertson shares with us her happy place and how we can all create our own happiness by choosing the thoughts and beliefs we pay attention to.

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The spirit of inspiration…

You can never quite tell when inspiration will hit. It is often described as a spark, a flicker or a flash, but although the feeling is almost instant, it triggers a considerable emotional shift and generates strong motivation. By Deborah Stephenson, soon to be Ollie Coach.

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The Power of Book Therapy

Recognising our own emotions and problems experienced by another, even if they happen to live only between the pages of a book, can be useful in exploring the root of our feelings and solutions to our challenges, writes Ollie Coach, Claire Robertson

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The stories we tell ourselves!

The ability to become the observer of your ‘stories’ and your behaviour is a vital step in changing your behaviour and emotional reactions. By Stacie Glass, Ollie Coach.

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What is Grief - Podcast with Ali

Children experience many forms of grief such as parent separation, losing a toy, a pet - it is so much more than losing a loved one. Anything lost that is important to a child at an emotional level will impact them. When dealing with grief, there are a lot of assumptions we make about how someone should act and we have a tendency of pre-empting what someone else is thinking. In this episode Alison gives us some examples of grief through a child’s eyes and gives advice on taking a step back to understand the situation and allowing the child...

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Who’d have thought it?

Thoughts can empower you or they can drain you. Ollie Coach Belinda wells explains that it's not the content of a thought that's relevant, it's what you do about the thought that is!

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YET!

"What are you to do, discover, become YET?" asks Ollie Coach, Claire Robertson.

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What's your Window of Tolerance?

In this blog, soon to be Ollie Coach, Pauline Baird, explains how each of us has a different window of tolerance where we are in control of what is happening around us but sometimes due to what life throws at us we move outside this window.

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Mindfulness is a Superpower!

In this blog Ollie Coach Belinda Wells explains why mindfulness really is a ‘Superpower’ to have - it's the ability to choose how to react and we can practice it in any situation.

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Tips for supporting your child at university

It will soon be that time of year when ‘freshers’ arrive at university, almost certainly after a summer of mixed feelings.  Claire Robertson, Ollie Coach and Univeristy Lecturer, suggests some ways that you can give empowering support to your child even from many miles away.

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The Library

In this poem, Ollie Coach, Claire Robertson, likens our mind to a library and that all our memories, good and bad, are contained with the books.  Claire encouages us to continue to add to our library with the stories of our choice.

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Uncertain about uncertainty…

In this blog Deborah Stephenson, soon to be Ollie Coach, reminds us that we have always faced uncertainty, never knowing what's ahead, but that because we are flexible we have always made it through and we will again.

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We're all the same, right?

In this blog, Ollie Coach Lynne Collins, reflects on how we all live our lives and experience life differently.  What we learn at early ages will serve as our strategy, response, mechanism as we grown older and become an adult.

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DIVERSITY AWARDS Nominee

We need your vote!

We are very excited that Ali has been nominated for 

Postive Role Model (Age) Award

at The National Diversity Awards 2021.

Therefore we need your vote.  Please go to this link and vote for Ali.

https://bit.ly/diversityawardvoting

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Learning to control our thoughts is good for us.

There is much in the world that we cannot control but learning to master our thoughts and emotions is a positive step we can take right now to strengthen our immunity and encourage strong and healthy minds and bodies. Written by Claire Robertson,Ollie Coach.

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Winner NLP Award for Education 2021

"I was very proud to present Alison Knowles with the NLP Awards 2021 honor for Education. Ali's contributions emphasize the fact that true education needs to be about more than just promoting intellectual knowledge." Robert Dilts

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A Happy Mum - review

We are very proud of our Ollie Coaches as we know how good they are - making a difference to individuals and families by empowering them to find their own solutions. When a parent sends us a review of the positive changes that they have seen in their child from working with an Ollie Coach it makes us even more proud.

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7 Tips to Coping with Grief

Grief is a way of demonstrating our love for someone but it's a process, and it happens in stages that may come at different times for different people. It's important that we allow all the feelings associated with each stage to be felt, acknowledged and respected. By Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells

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Stewing is worse than doing!

Caz Campbell, Ollie Coach, encourages us to have a declutter as it can be cleansing, making you feel freer, lighter and it also improves attention, focus and serenity.

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Parenting is a balancing act

Margie Kieran, Ollie Coach trainee, reflects on how as parents we can help our children understand that the 'out of control emotion' is not all of them but a small part of them that they can control if they want to.

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How to make walking with children less stressful!

Do your children hate going on walks? It can be a nightmare with some children, they would rather stay indoors than take some fresh air! Maybe they might prefer to go to the playpark, which is great for them, but sometimes as adults we just want to get out and go for a walk! Written by Ollie Coach Belinda Wells

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Superhero Battles

Claire Robertson, Ollie Coach and Superhero, asks "How would your ideal superhero behave? How could you develop the beliefs and skills to become more like that person?"

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Experiencing big emotions is like having your camera on zoom

Experiencing a big emotion is like having your internal camera focused only on that emotion.  Sometimes, to enable us to see the whole picture, we need to take a step back, allowing us to put things into perspective and taking back control.  Written by Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells.

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Your memory is what you make it

We are always reframing our thoughts but you cannot change the past, only how you feel about it. Jess Goddard, trainee Ollie Coach, asks "Which feelings do you want to change?"

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A Simple Way to Disperse Unwanted Thoughts

A thought is just a thought and you don't have to act on it!  Try this simple exercise with your children or use it for yourself to help 'blow away' those unwanted thoughts.  Written by Ollie Coach Belinda Wells.

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Social Media can be a toxic place or an emotional life line!

In an online world that can often feel full of angry voices and confusing information Ollie Coach, Claire Robertson, would highly recommend creating a little oasis of friendship that reminds us that, despite the challenges we face, there is still kindness in the world, and much to be grateful for.

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Banish the Imposter Syndrome

Stephanie Hall, Ollie Coach, takes you through 3 simple tips to help you banish the Imposter Syndrome so that you can always believe 'you are good enough!'

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The joy of books at Christmas

Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells takes us through some of the reason why books are such a great gift with such value and in particular the Ollie and his Super Powers books which she uses when working as an emotional therapist with children and families.  

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Why we are the way we are

In the second of four podcasts that Ali has done for SENDcast she talks about what makes us us and why we are different from anyone else.  

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It's time to ditch the labels

In a world where everyone is put into boxes, it’s time to ditch the labels and start treating people like people. As a SEND parent, I know all too well the emphasis on labels, assessments and diagnosis but do they help?   Written by Stephanie Hall, Ollie Coach trainee.

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Doing is not the same as Being

Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells, explains that the only way we can help traumatised young people to change their behaviours, is to work with an understanding of their sense of shame.

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Banish Workplace Bullies

With the start of Anti-Bullying week Stephanie Hall, Ollie Coach trainee, reflects on her own experiences of bullying throughout her childhood, although from the outside, she probably looked quite  popular.  Stephanie gives us some great advice on how you can prevent yourself becoming the victim of bullying in the workplace.

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Why I became an Ollie Coach - Moya Laird

Moya Laird explains why she became an Ollie Coach and how she loves watching her clients, young and not so young, blossom as they get to the root course of their issues, learning new strategies and coming up with their own solutions.

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A new breed of therapist

In the first of four podcasts that Ali has done for SENDcast she talks about what makes an Ollie Coach different from other therapists.

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5 factors that stop us changing

So, what are the most common fears we might have about change, whether it is changing a habit, changing career, a new relationship, moving to a new house or for children perhaps, moving school?  Written by Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells.

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Celebrating age

Debbie Casson, Ollie Coach trainee, reflects on how ageing is a difficult thing for most people, and how she thinks this is more acutely for women and that it actually inflicts quite a lot of emotional damage upon us. Writing here she is speaking about herself, but that it may resonate with a lot of other women too.

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Teaching empathy through role modelling

In this blog Ollie Coach, Belinda Wells, tells of one way that she is helping her daughter to develop her emotional intelligence while managing her own emotions in a positive and constructive manner.

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