Kalahari Advent Auction
I’ve just returned from my second trip to visit the Ju/’Hoansi San Bushmen of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy in the Kalahari Desert, where I am privileged to be involved with a longer term programme working in partnership with these incredible people. Having been deeply moved by the work they are doing and the challenges they are facing, I decided to run a fundraising auction to support some of the existing, long term, San-led projects on the ground there, in response to them specifically asking for some financial help to support these projects.
These projects are making an incredible difference. Permaculture gardens, TB clinic, soup kitchen, orphanage and the CyberTracker Master Tracker programme. All inspiring and beautiful in their simplicity and effectiveness, and all needing money to sustain (at least in the short term - what I love about these projects is there is a longer term plan to make them internally self-sustaining). You can read more about some of these projects below.
All prizes in this auction are donated by brilliant, incredibly generous experts in their field and you'll find a mix of both personal and business-related options, so there'll be something for everybody! Why not give yourself the gift of investment in YOU this Christmas, whilst also benefitting an incredible cause?! Every single penny raised from this auction will go straight to these people and projects on the ground. Not through a charity or NGO, nor through any other middle man taking a chunk of the funds. With the exception of currency exchange/transfer fees, it goes straight to these projects, and I’ve seen the difference even a small amount of money makes out there.
Thank you for your support!
Here's how we'll roll:
1. Every day a new prize (or two!) will be announced. You can find out more about each prize by expanding each section below.
2. Find a prize (or two, or three…!) that you'd like to get your hands on, decide what amount you'd like to bid, and email me your bid by clicking on the relevant button below.
3. Biding will be open for all prizes up until 11:59pm on TUESDAY 3rd January 2023. (Please note extended from original date of 1st January.)
4. Once bidding has closed, all bids will be collated, and the prizes will be allocated to the highest bidder.
4. You will be notified of which prize(s) you have won, and how to settle your bid, by 6th January. Once the bid has been settled, you'll be connected with the prize donor to arrange receipt of your prize!
Please note:
In the event of a tie, the earlier bid will win: If you REALLY want a prize: Bid early, bid high!
You can bid as many times, for as many prizes as you want! (Just please bear in mind what you'd do if you somehow ended up winning them all! Whilst there is some flexibility if this does happen, and a prize could revert to the next-highest bidder if necessary, please do your best to ensure you can honour your bids!)
Look out for bonus days when there is more than one prize up for grabs!
Bidding is great, AND every like, comment and share (over on my Facebook page) also helps hugely - this is all about raising some significant money for an incredibly worthwhile cause, and the more people that can get involved, the more we'll raise! So please like, comment and share away!
Prize 1
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with Dr Jane Lewis
I'm thrilled to announce that our very first prize up for grabs is a power hour with the incredible Dr Jane Lewis - an hour's laser coaching to help you power through the issues of your choice, so you emerge with clarity, a good idea of next steps, and a knowing that something has shifted for you in relation to your challenge.
Jane has over 40 years' international experience as a coach, consultant and trainer working in and for all manner of businesses and organisations from the very large (like Esso, Shell, UK Department of Transport) to the very small. I'm also an ordained Interfaiths Minister and teacher of Spirituality and Energetic Healing work. I have focussed on coaching for the last 25 years, helping people with their leadership, their careers, their businesses, their relationships, their sense of purpose and identity, their Spiritual connection, and the ways they limit themselves.
Having worked with Jane as a client at several points over the last few years, I can vouch for how powerful these sessions are!
To bid for this prize, email the amount you wish to bid by clicking the button below.
The small print:
This session will be online, between 9am and 5pm UK time, Tuesday-Thursday, at a time to be arranged between you and Jane.
Prize 2
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with Vicki Gray of Blumango Creative
Imagine if your brand could look more professional online and offline?
Small changes can make a big difference to how your company is perceived.
Do you want a website, logo and brand that you’re not embarrassed about. By hiding behind it or not promoting it or saying ‘don’t visit my website’ you won’t be selling to your full potential.
With an On-Brand Consultation your brand will become professional and you won’t have to hide behind it anymore!
You will get time back as it will take less time to sort and fix your marketing material.
With a few simple adjustments you can make your brand so much better without it costing too much!
How does it work?
1. Vicki will send you a short questionnaire to help understand your business before you meet.
2. You will then have a 1 hour-long online consultation on Zoom.
3. You will come away with small changes you can make yourself, it could be any of these or more …
• creating a logo on a transparent background
• creating a responsive logo so it looks great on small devices
• developing complementary colour changes
• knowledge on improving your image style and positioning
• tips to improve quality of images and logo’s
• creating shorter web pages broken up with nice imagery
• adding better call to actions on the website
• creating guidelines to stick to when you make changes in the future
Vicki will send you a recording of the session to download so you have actions to take away. She will also arrange a 15 minute follow-up to see how you are progressing with your action list.
As a part you working together Vicki will send you a FREE guide to create your own brand audit.
The small print:
This session will be online, at a time to be arranged between you and Vicki.
Prize 3
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with Karen Briggs Colour Coaching
Today's prize to bid for is a Personalised 1-1 Colour Analysis Consultation with the lovely Karen of Karen Briggs Colour Coaching.
Ever wondered what colours look good on you? Take the guesswork out of it and have your "colours done". Karen did my colours a couple of years ago and I feel so much more confident in the clothes I wear and buy these days! It also make shopping SO much easier and more fun!
Karen is passionate about inspiring women to know their best colours now, feel fabulous and enjoy their life with confidence. She specialises in working with women who are entrepreneurs, in executive workplace roles, and those experiencing menopause.
The small print:
This 1-1 session will last 1.5 hrs and take place either face to face at Karen's house in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, or online via Zoom to suit the winner.
Women only.
Prize 4
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in Tiny Home Fens, Cambridgeshire
Fancy a weekend away in the fens of Cambridgeshire?
Today's prize up for auction is a weekend AirBnB stay for two in this beautiful Tiny Home situated near Coates village in Cambridgeshire.
An oasis in the fens - Tiny Home is nestled deep into award winning garden designer and metal sculptor, Jeni Cairns' garden.
Recluse yourself in this creative space or use it as a jumping off point to explore the unique landscape and rich ecology of the surrounding Fens.
Explore this property here: Tiny Home Fens
The small print:
Dependent on availability - bookable three months in advance.
Prize 5
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with Thea Jolly
Day 5 and your chance today to bid to win one of TWO places in Thea Jolly's membership Heartspace - Balanced Living for Perfectionist Mothers.
Heartspace is a supportive membership group helping you let go of The Perfect Mum Myth and parent from your Heartspace - so you can be the mother your children need - without it feeling so hard, lonely and unfulfilling.
The membership is designed for Mums who want to give their children everything they need to be strong, healthy, happy and confident adults...but without the unrelenting expectations and pressure to do it ALL perfectly.
Heartspace can help you untangle the conflicting stories and voices in your head telling you what kind of mum you should be so you can consciously choose to act in alignment with your values.
You want to be that joyful, happy mum while also setting strong boundaries, and living with integrity. And you want to parent from a place of calm, confidence and compassion, because you know that provides the love and connection your children crave. And you wish you could also enjoy it, to feel fulfilled by your role as a mother, to feel proud of the the way you are nurturing you family - however you choose to do so.
Heartspace can teach you how to do that, and support you through all the ups and downs along the way.
Heartspace can keep you connected to other mothers who understand you, so that you feel safe, supported and inspired.
Heartspace can help you embed the foundational resilience habits that connect you to your inner wisdom, compassion and guidance.
This prize is for six months' membership of Heartspace.
The small print:
This prize is suitable for mothers only - preferably ones who know they are Perfectionists, Control Freaks and/or Superwoman.
Two spaces are up for grabs.
Highest two bids win.
Prize 6
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with Jen Le Marinel of Wildfire Walks
Today, it's your chance for a bid to GoWild in the woods with Yours Truly! One place on one of my 3 day, 2 night GoWild: Woods retreats in 2023 (either 28-30th April or 22nd-24th September).
More info about today's prize:
The wild is calling! Join me as we gather around the campfire for three days and two nights in a beautiful private woods in rural Gloucestershire. A small, intimate group, sleeping in tents and/or hammocks in our own mini-village among the trees, we'll be living simply and enjoying spaciousness - a rare treat in our busy lives.
This is not your average "retreat". Yes, it'll be deeply soul-nourishing, and it'll also be profoundly transformational. And, this is not a fluffy-towels-and-waited-on-hand-and-foot type of retreat. This is rustic, off-grid, everyone-getting-stuck-in, back-to-basics living. If that doesn't fill you with a little bit of excitement (and yes, there may be some apprehension too - that's perfectly normal), then this probably isn't the retreat for you.
The delights of having a small intimate group is that the retreat will be co-created in line with what you most need at the time, and the season of the year we find ourselves in. But you can certainly expect fun, campfire-cooked food, songs, stories, new skills, deep replenishment, soul-searching, nature-connection, shared wisdom and a deeper dive into joy, meaning and connection.
The small print:
This prize is open to women only.
Retreat must be taken in 2023.
Prize 7
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with Debs Wright, Founder of Ryhall Coaching
Has sport contributed to your success as a leader, but that success led you to less sport ? Here is an opportunity to appreciate the role of sport in your personal and leadership journey and start repositioning it back into your life.
Ryhall Coaching is passionate about developing leadership through physical activity. We partner with senior leaders to explore their unique values and strengths whilst identifying how sport cultivates key traits such as resilience, confidence and self awareness.
The prize:
- 2 x 2 hour leadership coaching sessions.
- Each session will combine a physical activity of your choice (for example walk, run, swim, bike, gym) alongside leadership coaching.
- You will bring an issue that has lingered, stuck and reverberated around your head.
- As you move and get active, you will be asked questions that enable you to gain new insight into the issue by exploring your values, strengths and emotions.
- This will leave you feeling clear, focused and energised.
To bid for this prize, email the amount you wish to bid to jen@wildfirewalks.com with the subject "Kalahari Fundraiser: bid for leadership coaching with Debs Wright".
The small print:
This prize is for two sessions with Debs, for one winner.
Each session is maximum 2hrs with the balance of physical activity and leadership coaching decided by you
The sessions will take place in person, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
The sessions are to be taken within 2 months of each other.
Prize 8
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with Karen Skidmore of Grow Strong Business
Today's prize is a place on Karen Skidmore: business, life & leadership’s Leap Business Accelerator in January - a 5 week live teaching programme that will give you the strategy and roadmap for a simpler, smarter, more profitable next 12 months.
If you’ve been in business for a few years, put the hustle in to get your current client base, but feeling like your business is over-complicated or has you working too hard, then this programme is for you.
Many business founders get caught in the day-to-day of their business, so finding the time and having the mental clarity to see what needs fixing can be challenging, especially if you are busy with your current client delivery schedule.
This programme will show you how to get off the busy-train, and create a clear, focused strategy and roadmap for the next 12 months.
You can find more information about this programme here: https://karenskidmore.com/leap-business-accelerator/
Business coach and mentor, Karen Skidmore empowers business owners to unlock their growth potential and create bolder, better run and more rewarding businesses. She has run her own coaching and training businesses for 18 years and knows what it takes to be able to thrive in business. She’s also a Business Book Awards Finalist, authored two books and is an Ambassador for The Hunger Project charity.
The small print:
This programme is ideal for business owners who are 2+ years in business and have ambitions for growth in the year ahead.
More about the projects supported by this auction
Permaculture gardens.
Poor nutrition is a serious problem amongst the San communities. Where once their diet was rich, varied and adequate as a result of their hunter gatherer lifestyle, being forced to settle in permanent villages means they do not have access to the vast array and abundance of wild foods that their nomadic lifestyle used to allow. Poor nutrition is about more than hunger and starvation – it is also one of the main contributing factors to contracting TB and rendering potentially life-saving TB treatment inefficient.
The permaculture gardens project is supporting villagers to create and manage their own gardens. In the short term the focus is on highly nutritious annual crops and, in the longer term, larger, “wilder” forest gardens replicating much of the veld food native to the Kalahari and traditional to the Ju/’Hoansi’s hunter gatherer culture. We visited some of these gardens while in the Nyae Nyae and whilst some gardens are thriving, many are struggling due to a lack of water transportation and insufficient fencing. Funds raised will help buy seeds, hosepipes, essential gardening equipment and crucial goat, cattle and antelope-proof fencing to protect crops.
Prize 9
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with Jen Goddard of Soulfire Coaching
Today's prize going live is an in-person VIP coaching experience in Bournemouth with Jen Goddard of Soulfire Coaching.
You will start the day with a morning of deep dive coaching into a key challenge you're currently dealing with, clearing blocks and creating a powerful plan for next steps. You and Jen will continue your conversation over lunch at the beachfront and finish up with a walk by the sea to end the day revitalised and replenished.
A note from Jen:
Do you feel like your life looks successful to people on the outside but on the inside you're not feeling successful or joyful or fulfilled? I get it. I've lived it! And that's why I coach women like you to rediscover your inner fire so that you can find that joy in life again.
The small print:
This experience will take place in Bournemouth and is available to women only.
Prize 10
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with Susie Heath
I don't think today's prize needs much introduction, but just in case... the gorgeous Susie Heath is going to be running a unique, small-group embodiment class especially for this auction, and 10 lucky bidders will win a place on it!
For those of you who have danced with Susie before, you'll know how powerful these sessions can be. For those of you who haven't...well, you need to!
For those of you who don't know Susie, she is the UK's leading facilitator in re-connecting women to the power of their strong feminine. She is the author of two powerful books, “The essence of womanhood: Re-awakening the authentic feminine” and “Dance your way to the top: Feminine Leadership without burning out”. Susie has lived through a period of the greatest revolutions of all time for women. She has been a buyer for Marks and Spencer, a shoe designer, a horticulturist featured at the Chelsea Flower Show and more.
After a highly lucrative corporate career, divorce, illness, launch of a successful business and everyday motherhood, working like a man and running on adrenaline had its toll. When ill health forced her to take a long hard look at her choices, Susie realised that rather than trying to compete with men, and be equal to them, she could embrace her uniqueness as a woman and all the gifts that brings.
Since then, Susie has worked personally with hundreds of men and women, helping them reawaken their authentic selves with her profound coaching and movement workshops.
This is going to be a VERY special class, and very popular: if you want in, bid early, bid high!!
The small print:
TEN spaces are up for grabs.
The embodiment class will take place on zoom, on a date to be set by Susie.
Highest 10 bids win.
Prize 11
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by Jeni Cairns
Today's prize is a gorgeous metal sculpture made from a recycled oil drum, donated by sculptress and RHS award-winning garden designer Jeni Cairns.
Inspired by nature, Jeni works fearlessly in metal - regularly donning a welding mask to transform disused farmyard objects into delicately filigreed nature pieces, and at a breath-taking scale!
This particular piece measures 58cm diameter by 12cm deep and is suitable for display inside or outside.
The small print:
Jeni will cover postage to anywhere in the UK. Bids from outside the UK will need to cove their own postage.
Prize 12
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with Mary Waring of Wealth for Women Limited
Day 12, and your opportunity to "Ask the Expert"!
Today's prize going live for bidding is a 1 hour Ask the Expert call with Mary Waring, founder of Wealth for Women Limited.
Your financial queries answered in just one call.
Do you wish you had the ability to raise your financial queries with an expert?
Rather than spending hours searching the web, only to get conflicting information or information that maybe you’re not sure applies to your situation, do you want a personal answer suitable to your needs rather some generic facts?
If so, then this Ask the Expert item is exactly what you need.
Come armed with a list of your questions to ensure you don’t forget anything on the day.
Better still, send me a list of your questions just before our call. I can then review and consider what would be the best order to answer them in.
The call will take place on Zoom and be recorded so you can listen back afterwards.
More about Mary and her business:
Wealth for Women specialises in financial advice to women, particularly women going through divorce who feel overwhelmed by financial jargon and unsure where to turn for advice and who to trust.
Women do not need different advice to men, but they do need a different approach. They want to be treated as the intelligent, bright woman they are. And not patronised just because they have a bit of a mental block around finances.
I set up Wealth for Women in 2012 to appeal to the female who didn’t feel she was being catered to, and understood, by the male dominated finance industry.
I’m an award-winning Independent Financial Adviser and Chartered Financial Planner. I’m also a One of Many certified women’s coach and certified Voice Dialogue coach.
My advice is down to earth, with no jargon, designed to give you confidence, clarity and peace of mind. Your call is totally confidential and with no obligation to do any further work.
The small print:
The call will take place on zoom, at a time to be agreed between you and Mary.
Prize 13
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with Kaye King, Marketing Mentor
Today, bid for one of three Marketing Strategy Review calls with Marketing Mentor Kaye King.
The Marketing Review is a 90 minute 1-2-1 call via zoom designed to help you discover what’s important and what’s not when it comes to marketing, so that you focus only on what will bring your dream clients into your world.
During the call, we’ll explore:
• Your Audience: Who is your dream client? What do they want to hear from you? When you understand your dream clients, and get to know them intimately, it’s much easier to create marketing conversations that inspire them.
• Your Messaging: Is it right for you, your business, and for your dream client? Will they recognise themselves in what you’re saying? Messages that reflect who you are, and that are relevant to your audience will encourage them to take notice of you and explore further if and when the time is right for them.
• Your Marketing Activity: What’s working for you right now, and what isn’t? Are you promoting your business in the best way for you? Maybe there is something easy and obvious that’s missing, but that will make a big difference to your results.
• The Customer Journey: Are you making it easy and obvious for potential clients to take the next step? Do your marketing messages speak to everyone, even those who might not be ready to buy yet? Knowing what to say when can help your messages connect with the right people at the right time so that you don’t lose out on potential sales.
Kaye King is on a mission is to debunk the myths that cause fear, confusion and overwhelm around marketing.
After working with brands like Kenco, Hilton and Nationwide during her 30-year marketing agency career, Kaye uses her experience to strip everything back to basics for her clients. Her aim is simply to stop business owners wasting time, money and energy on marketing that doesn’t work for them, (or stop them avoiding it altogether!)
Through her practical, calm, jargon-free approach, Kaye's clients learn to embrace marketing, and prioritise it to grow their business - without overwhelm.
The small print:
This prize is best suited to female business owners.
Call will last 90 minutes and will be at a date/time arranged between you and Kaye.
Three calls are up for grabs.
Highest three bids win.
Prize 14
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with Annie Stoker of The Life Training Institute
Day 14 brings you a chance to get a deeper understanding of some of your current challenges through the perspective of your different sub-personalities (you know, those annoying little voices in your head...!!). You may have heard people talking about Voice Dialogue, well now you get a chance to experience a session with the UK's leading trainer in Voice Dialogue Facilitation, Annie Stoker.
Voice Dialogue allows you to develop an awareness and experience of your inner selves or sub-personalities. Sub-personalities are those aspects of ourselves such as the pleaser, pusher, critic or couch potato that serve important functions at different times. However if we are strongly identified with them, we are running on an automatic program that can cause problems in our all areas of our lives.
Voice Dialogue offers a process where these aspects are identified, examined and then objectively looked at from the vantage point of the “aware ego” or the neutral observer. At this point these aspects can now be more consciously integrated so that we can use them when we need them and let go of them when they’re not relevant. After all at the end of a hard day at work using the “pusher” sometimes we need to be able to let go and be the “couch potato”!
Annie Stoker is perhaps the UK's most educated coach and trainer in what it takes to be happy. She has coached influential figures, and been featured widely on TV, radio and in print.
Her journey on this path started at the age of 21 when she became very ill after being acutely affected by travel inoculations and instead of travelling the globe with her friends, she spent two years in bed.
We all have “that moment in life”… that catalyst for change. This was Annie’s. Making the choice to leave the misery of her situation behind, she started on a path of holistic healing that allowed her to develop a deep level of acceptance and peace despite her debilitating illness. As her health returned she continued studying western psychological methods and eastern practices and began synthesizing everything she learned to help others.
Over the years she has gathered a post graduate diploma in Transpersonal Psychotherapy, Certification in Master NeuroLinguistic Programming, Master Results Coaching, Master Hypnosis, Performance Consulting, Advanced Neurological Repatterning, Emotional Freedom Technique, Energetic Healing, Nutritional Medicine, Herbal Medicine and Kinesiology. She trained in Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of the Aware Ego along with many other aspects of personal development, has explored spirituality extensively with various teachers (sitting at the feet of one guru daily for over 2.5 years!) and incorporates the tenets and practices of clear mind and open heart awareness in all her work.
Yes. She's pretty darn good at what she does! (And I can say that from a lot of personal experience of having worked with Annie over the years!)
The small print:
The session will take place via Skype or Zoom, at a time to be arranged by you and Annie.
Prize 15
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with Cath Daley
A 1-2-1 virtual half day "Speak Like a Woman™" workshop personalised to meet your specific needs.
If you ever feel
• a paralysing sense of self-doubt
• intimidated standing up to speak in front of a large audience
• you struggle to get your message across effectively
• you get asked to present at short notice, don’t have enough time to prepare and don’t deliver well
• you somehow lack “boardroom presence”
• really nervous or even fearful when you have to give a presentation
then this workshop is for you.
In this personalised half day workshop Cath will share with you some of the tools and techniques of her innovative and highly successful "Speak Like a Woman™" Programme which will help to overcome the nagging self-doubt, anxiety and nerves of presenting and enable you to become a more confident and persuasive speaker.
Here are some of the things that could be included:
• how to begin to develop "Your Persuasive and Powerful Presence™" that enables you to make an instant impact and immediately increases your influence before you even start to speak!
• Presentations are all about what you say, right? Wrong! Find out what you are really communicating to your audience (and how that is switching them off and losing you business).
• What you must do in the first 30 secs of your presentation for it to be successful (and what 97% of business presentations are missing).
• How to stop self-sabotaging by letting go of the traditional habits and patterns that limit your success
• The 5 biggest presenting mistakes and how you can avoid them
• The very powerful process that enables you to get rid of the nerves and fear forever
• Managing your state with the F.L.O.W. process
• The Martini Strategy that most presenters don’t know
• How to begin with the end in mind
For those of you who don't know Cath, here's who you'll be working with:
With over 38,760 hours experience of teaching and training, Cath has successfully presented both nationally and globally to audiences ranging from 500+, to small groups of 5, across a wide range of industries and sectors. Through her "Winning Business Presentations™", "Persuasive and Powerful Presenting™" and "Speak Like a Woman™" Programmes she has helped her clients win over £40.4 million worth of business through successful presentations as well as get standing ovations at global conferences. Cath approaches presenting, training and coaching from a totally different perspective from other providers and focuses on the non-essential essentials – the things that most people don’t think matter, that actually do. It’s this unique approach that gives her clients a huge advantage which accounts for their increased success. They become much more persuasive and significantly increase their impact.
Cath has a wide- ranging client base from a variety of sectors including construction, digital and IT, retail, manufacturing, law, accountancy, architects, project management, financial, education, pharmaceutical, PR, marketing, advertising, security, media and the third sector.
”I secured £1.5 million of new business after just 3 hours of working with Cath…” Sarah Niven
Cath is the author of “Presenting Secrets: 104½ Quick Tips Guaranteed to Transform Your Presenting”, “The Confidence Click™ : How to instantly be more confident whenever you need to”, and “Getting Better Connected - How to build new, better and deeper business relationships quickly and get clients fast”. She is also a featured author in “Public Speaking Tips from the Pros” and “The Coaching Gurus”.
Her knowledge, experience, humour and expertise are evident in all of her programmes which have been described as “awesome”, “inspiring”, “brilliant” and “life changing”.
The small print:
Half day to be arranged on consultation with the winner to take place by 24th Mar 2023.
Workshop is personalised 1-1 and will be delivered via Zoom.
Winner will get a short questionnaire to complete from which Cath will personalise the workshop to meet their specific needs.
Prize 16
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with Dr Ferhat Uddin or Liberty Health Clinics
Questions or concerns about menopause?
Today you can bid for a 45 minute online consultation with Menopause Specialist Dr Ferhat Uddin, Founder of Liberty Health Clinics. Your consultation includes a prescription (if relevant/appropriate) and a letter to your GP.
Liberty Health Clinics was founded by Dr Ferhat to provide online menopause care for women across England struggling with menopause symptoms.
The small print:
The consultation will take place online, at a date and time that's convenient for you.
Open to England residents only.
More about the projects supported by this auction
TB clinic, soup kitchen and orphanage.
TB is sweeping through the Ju/’Hoansi at an alarming rate and too many people are dying from this treatable disease. Whilst TB medication is provided to the “local” (often several days’ walk for many of the Ju/’Hoansi in outlying villages) TB clinic, patients are forced to make the decision between getting treated (which involves a 6-18 month stay – usually on the streets – in Tsumkwe, with no food, family or work), or getting sick, spreading the illness to the rest of the village, and likely dying.
TB treatment does not work on an empty stomach, so the soup kitchen provides 2 meals a day to all TB patients for the duration of their treatment (provided there is food available, and money often runs out). The orphanage is linked to the TB clinic, and children who are orphaned by losing parents to TB, AIDs or other causes are looked after here.
£30 will treat and feed one TB patient for a month.
This photo is of Xama and her three children. Sadly we recently learned that this beautiful, vibrant woman died a few days after we left.
Prize 17
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with Lauren Wood of One Wild Life
Another wild prize for you today, this one is a day in the wilds of North Wales learning navigation with Mountain Leader and fellow lover of the wild Lauren Wood!
Learn skills to help you to walk freely without getting lost with a group of like-minded women. No previous navigation skills are necessary.
For those of you who don't know the fabulous Lauren, she helps fellow wild hearted, passion-led women to develop navigation skills so that they have the freedom and choice to explore the wild in their own way
No judgement. No competition. Just wildness, warm company and the start of your next adventure.
Perhaps you'd like to club together with a group of friends and each place a bid? Or maybe you'd love to grab yourself a spot and make some new friends. Either way, there are a total of 6 places available.
The small print:
Six places available.
Open to women only.
Based in North Wales, Penmaenmawr, set date though prize can be transferred to another date if needed.
Participants don't need be fit as we will go at a speed that suits the group. Slow and gentle is really useful in learning navigation. However we will be walking off the path at times so the ability to move over rough ground is important.
Highest six bids wins.
Prize 17 BONUS
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with One of many™
Today's bonus prize going live for bidding is a year's subscription to One of many™'s Living the Change online membership, worth £370. If you're ready for impact without burnout, this one's for you!
If you don't already know One of many™, it is a supportive community and educational hub for intelligent and successful professional women. Women who feel called to do more, give more, be more... and leave a powerful legacy.
The small print:
Open to women only.
One year's online subscription.
Prize 18
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with Jenny Stewart | Capture Your Authentic Story
This morning's awesome prize is a fabulous portrait shoot with Jenny Stewart capturing the real and authentic you!
The session lasts around about an hour so there’s time for about 3 outfit changes - a “What to Wear” guide will be sent in advance! After your shoot you’ll have a gallery of wonderful images to look through with family, friends and colleagues to choose your favourites. Three images are included in the auction prize, which you’ll receive as digital files ready to use on your website, social media channels and for any PR.
Jenny Stewart | Capture Your Authentic Story! offers memorable personal brand photography for entrepreneurs who want to stand out
👋 Capturing your authentic story while having fun (even if you hate having your photo taken!)
📷 Creating images you’ll be delighted to share
The small print:
The shoot will take place in person at Great Rissington, Gloucestershire, on a date to be agreed between winner and Jenny, before end March 2023.
Prize 18 BONUS
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with WildWise
Another bonus prize today, and this is a £100 voucher towards a WildWise course or event of your choice!
WildWise is an incredible organisation based down in Devon offering wild inspiration for change. I completed my "Call of the Wild" Foundation in Outdoor Leadership training with them, as well as numerous other courses! I highly, highly recommend them!
With courses and events running from one day through to year long programmes, from night paddles to vision quests to wildlife tracking to song workshops, there'll definitely be something to take your fancy.
Check out the available events here: https://wildwise.co.uk/extraordinary-outdoor-events
The small print:
Voucher can be used to receive a £100 discount on any WildWise event or course.
Voucher must be used in 2023.
Prize 19
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with Sara Price of Actually Changing the World Limited
Day 19 and it's a prize that (in normal circumstances!) money can't actually buy!
The phenomenal Sara Price is offering herself up for auction today, and you could get to spend a whole half day with Sara working on, well, pretty much anything!
This half day 121 VIP session could be used to focus on your business, marketing or just chat about life.
For many of you Sara - and her business: Actually Changing the World Limited - won't need any introduction, but for those of you who haven't met Sara (yet!), here's a little more about her and her areas of expertise:
Actually exists to help purpose-led entrepreneurs to make a living AND make a difference in the world. It is based on Sara's vision: of a world in which EVERY business is led by purpose and every business owners knows that they do not have to choose between their purpose and making a profit; that they do not need to sacrifice their financial wellbeing on the altar of creating change. Through Actually, Sara brings 26 years of marketing, communications, PR, entrepreneurial and campaigning experience to support impact business owners, coaches and consultants to achieve their business dreams because together, she believes, we can change the world.
Sara doesn't actually offer these sessions any more so this is WELL worth a bid!
The small print:
If you would like to do this VIP session in person, it would need to be in Deal (Kent) or London. Can be done virtually.
Date to be arranged between you and Sara.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 19 BONUS
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with The Wolf and Dog Development Centre
Another bonus prize for you today, and this is the chance to meet real live wolves!
Many of you may have seen my posts from when I took some of my BeWild women down there this year, well, here's an opportunity for you to meet the wolves yourselves!
Kim and Shaun Ellis of the Wolf and Dog Development Centre in Cornwall are donating a 90 minute Wolf Encounter. Get up close and personal with the wolves as part of small group (max 4 participants) and learn more about the real world of the wolf family from a perspective of those that have lived with them.
The small print:
Encounters take place on site in Cornwall (near Lostwithiel) and are run Tuesday - Thursday (we run one Saturday per month).
One space up for bidding on a public group encounter (max four participants in total).
Encounter must be taken in 2023.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 20
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with Eunice Learmont of AsiaZen Willwriting Limited
Today you can bid for a 90 minute consultation around Lasting Powers of Attorney, Wills and estate planning/end of life planning with Eunice Learmont of AsiaZen Willwriting Limited - A.K.A The Willwriting Yogi.
I know – this is not a topic of conversation that people necessarily rush to have – but after the misery of COVID-19 and challenges many people have had – starting the conversation is a good beginning! The consultation will allow you to bring questions relating to estate planning as well as lasting powers of attorney to the table – and help you explore many of the ‘what-if’s’ that you may never have even considered – and getting a definitive answer around all the ‘but my mate at the pub said....’ myths – that can inadvertently bite people on the proverbial at a time when all they want and need is some careful handholding or support and a non-judgmental outlook and sounding board.
If there have been questions or assumptions that has prevented you from discussing this – a difficult/sensitive topic – or you need a safe space to ask those ‘silly questions’ (no such thing by the way!) – then maybe, this is the prize you should bid for. If beyond the consultation, you would like to work with Eunice further, there will be a 10% discount applied which will be donated to the the Ju/’Hoansi in the Kalahari.
A note from Eunice:
I am the WillwritingYogi and founder of Asia Zen Willwriting Limited. I am a heart-centred estate planning lawyer taking the mind-bend out of the dead-end of life - the serious side of my work includes Wills, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, estate administration & inheritance tax planning. I am also an authorised agent for HMRC’s Trust Registration Service. I am a yoga teacher; a My Kind of Yoga (tm) Ambassador as well as a Les Mills BodyBalance instructor and instructor coach – helping people breather and bend so they don’t break. I am passionate of looking after my clients and fitness members alike!
The small print:
Face to face appointments within an hour’s travel of GL7 postcode or by special request.
England & Wales only (Legal jurisdictions) otherwise happy to have Zoom meetings.
Valid from 9 January 2023.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 20 BONUS
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with Bridget Ferguson of Your Wild Nature
Another bonus prize to bid for, and today it's 3 one hour coaching sessions with love, sex and relationship coach Bridget Ferguson of Your Wild Nature.
Bridget has been helping (mostly) women achieve their desires in love, sex and relationship for over 10 years. She uses a desire based system and supports you to access your own wisdom through the body using a tantric approach to unearth and integrate any blocks that have been getting in the way of you achieving your desires.
These coaching sessions will take place online via Zoom. There is no nudity or sexual touch during sessions.
The small print:
This prize is for a package of three 1-hour coaching sessions.
Sessions will take place online, at dates and times to be arranged between you and Bridget.
Sessions must be taken before 1st March 2023.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 21
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with Employment Solicitor Trula Brunsdon
Today's prize going live could be a very valuable opportunity for those of you in business looking to grow your team this year or at some point in the future!
Bids are now open for the opportunity to have Employment Solicitor Trula Brunsdon draft a bespoke contract of employment for your business.
Trula will take instructions by phone and/or e-mail in order to draft a bespoke contract of employment which you will receive as a Word document as a template for your future use.
Trula Brunsdon is an employment solicitor at Sherbornes Solicitors Ltd, a specialist business law firm in Cheltenham. The firm focuses on giving practical, uncomplicated advice, tailored to the needs of their clients.
The small print:
The document prepared will be a contract of employment, not a directors’ service agreement.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 21 BONUS
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with Jen Le Marinel
A special Solstice bonus for you today...something to look forward to in the spring!
Not one but TWO places available to bid for, to join me at the gorgeous West Ruggers Green Woods in Gloucestershire for a morning of FORAGING 🌿and an afternoon of FIRE 🔥
Spend the morning finding out what you can munch on in the fields and woods around you...and maybe even make your lunch using your foraged finds!
Then, after a simple and tasty lunch cooked over the campfire, stay on for a half day fire workshop where you'll explore the art of making fire, what can fire teach you about yourself and how connecting with this powerful elemental force can help you feel more connected, calm and confident in your everyday life.
Saturday 15th April 2023
10am-5pm
Nailsworth, Gloucestershire
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The small print:
TWO spaces available.
Workshop takes place Saturday 15th April 2023. Date not currently transferable.
Gift vouchers available.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Monday 1st January 2023.
Highest two bids win.
In the event of any tie, the earliest bid(s) win.
Prize 22
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with Kate Wolf of Spirited Business
Today you can bid for a place on Kate Wolf's NEW Money for your Magic programme.
Discover what YOU want to sell and HOW to sell it.
This live 12-week intensive programme (starting in February) is designed to get you making money as fast and as simply as possible in a way that feels fulfilling and true to who you are.
Make 2023 the year you finally start making money for your magic.
Worth a whopping £4000+VAT, I am very intrigued to watch the bids come in on this one!
Meet Kate:
Kate Wolf went from professional Clown to Six Figure CEO. She’s the founder of Spirited Business and creatrix of the acclaimed StorySchool, Mesmerise, the Wild Voice™ Writing Process and the Wild Voice™ Facilitation programme.
Kate supports service-based business owners to build businesses that balance their unique magic with tried-and-tested mechanics, resulting in easeful and joyful growth. As a catalyst for creative self-expression, Kate helps entrepreneurs to stop bowing at the altar of What Other People Think and dare to share their own unique voice. It is from this place that they find the work they really came here to do, and the words that sell it. Her lovingly crafted body of work supports business owners to become wildly successful, in ways that allow them to burn bright, not out.
Through Spirited Business and her signature programmes, Kate weaves together her gifts of deep intuition, storytelling magic, and the practical ability to bring an idea through into a communicable form – all whilst ensuring the process feels joyful and fun.
Kate has spent 7 years ‘in the field’ working with hundreds of brilliant business-owners, helping them to trust their ability to communicate, and turning bland or confusing messaging into brands that beam with personality. Kate will help you speak from the heart, with clarity, purpose and concision, articulating the message and offering that will attract your just-right clients to your business door.
The small print:
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 23
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with Samantha Bradford of Simplicity Financial Planning
oday's prize is a personal money archetype reading and bespoke personal cashflow forecast, with Samantha Bradford of Simplicity Financial Planning.
• Discover your own unique money archetype in a 1-on-1 coaching session. You’ll learn all about your unique strengths and challenges with money, and discover an easy way to get started creating a fresh money story.
• Cash flow forecasting allows you to reflect on your current financial position relative to your preferred position. This enables you to make provision or take action now to ensure you achieve your personal aspirations in the future. The cash flow model will give a detailed picture of your assets, investments, debts, income, and expenditure, projected forwarded, year by year, using assumed rates of growth, income, inflation, and interest rates to show how your finances will look in right up through retirement until mortality. The charts the system produces help to highlight or expose any shortfalls in your existing financial plan which can then be subsequently addressed to make a positive change in the future.
Sam has been advising private individuals and businesses as a Financial Planner for over 20 years. She is a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Certified Money Coach. Sam set up her own practice in 2020 to follow her passion of bringing straight forward, honest and easy to understand financial advice to those who need it. She called it Simplicity Financial Planning because it helps you create a life where you take control of your money, rather than money taking control of you.
The small print:
The session will take place online, at a date and time to be arranged between you and Sam.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 23 BONUS
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with Annie Stoker
Another bonus prize for you today, and it's Annie Stoker's Mindfulness for Women video course.
There has been a huge wave of interest into mindfulness in recent years. This is simply because it works! Research into mindfulness shows it to be highly effective against many symptoms of stress.
However, we don’t get there just by doing an occasional Mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is a way of life. It is a way of observing your thoughts rather than getting caught up in them. It is a way of letting all your emotions flow rather than feeling some and avoiding others. It is a way of being connected with a deeper part of you, even while you are doing daily chores, wrangling toddlers or preparing for a challenging meeting at work.
That is why Be Happy Now focuses not just on techniques, but on putting Mindfulness into action in all areas of your everyday life. And we start with practising in easy steps of just one minute that everyone can find!
Be Happy Now is a video programme designed especially for women and dedicated to your happiness and peace of mind across the topics that impact us most! There will be 4 weekly videos which not only take you step by step through how mindfulness works, but also give you the opportunity to practise techniques together during the videos.
The video topics are:
Opening the Present
Mindful Relationships
Banish Work Stress
Happy No Matter What
You will also get bonus membership of Annie's closed Mindfulness for Women Facebook group for additional ongoing support, so that you can ask any clarifying questions in order to feel confident in implementing the tools over the coming weeks. Annie is in there most days to answer your questions personally and guide you through the journey.
This course will give you the roadmap to life’s most important skill – the ability to be open and content no matter whether life goes your way or not!
The small print:
Suitable for women
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 23 BONUS 2!
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with Alison Randle of Smart Prospects
Today you can bid for a year's subscription to the Contributing with Confidence membership to run from Feb 2023 until Jan 2024 inclusive.
The membership is for purpose focused people who do what they do because they care deeply about people, places or species, and they want to make a difference.
These people love learning, are kind and interested in lots pf things. They have probably been known to indulge in a few shiny things, but because they prioritise other people's work, they aren't so good at making time to work on their own projects and deep work, or to put what they've been learning from coaching and courses into practice.
This membership creates prioritised time to get stuff done, well - sustainably and with vitality. Plus a community of interesting, kind and helpful, purpose-driven individuals
The year's membership includes:
- weekly virtual coworking (Tues 9-12)
- weekly meetup/Q&A/networking session
- Monthly member showcase
- monthly training based on The Vitality Triangle
- priority booking and preferential rates on the annual gathering and retreat at a spa hotel, in a stunning location, designed to give you a balance of getting stuff done, and nurturing and replenishment, in great company (with fab food)
Alison Randle MSc has been running Smart Prospects since 2001, specialising in development management, organisational development and project management in the not-for-profit sector. In that time, Alison has also been coaching and developing people, supporting them to do what they do with greater clarity and confidence.
The small print:
Year's membership will run from Feb 2023 until Jan 2024 inclusive
Bidding closes 11:59pm on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
Highest bid wins.
In the event of a tie, the earliest bid wins.
Prize 24
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by professional photographer Sam Pelly
For our final prize of the auction, something special from professional photographer Sam Pelly, who came to the Kalahari with me on my first visit in 2020.
Sam is donating three high quality 12 x 16 inch prints of scenes from the Kalahari, which you can choose from the images on today’s post here. Professional framing can be arranged at cost-price should you wish (at an additional cost).
PLEASE NOTE: I feel it is important to say that I debated very carefully and for a long time over which images to include here. In many ways it didn't feel appropriate to include some of the more personal photos of the incredible people we met (who, to be clear, were happy to have their photo taken), especially in an auction open to anyone. And yet, I know that many of the people who are interested in bidding for this prize will be those that came to the Kalahari with me and have met and built relationships with the people pictured here. Some of these images will have huge personal meaning to them, so I have decided to include these photos for them.
Please can I ask, out of respect for these beautiful, wonderful people who we lived and worked with, that you don't bid for any of the portraits/family images unless you were in the Kalahari and met them yourself. These are not simply beautiful photo subjects to be bought, gawped at or admired from afar, they are real people, with real lives, real stories. Of course, please do free to bid for any of the other images if they call to you! Thank you for your understanding.
When bidding for this prize, please state the amount you wish to bid as well as YOUR CHOICE OF IMAGE.
Choose your image from those on this post here.
The small print:
Three prints available (one bid per print).
If you wish to have more than one print, you'll need to submit separate bids for each or make it very clear that your bid is for all three (and your bid will be divided by three for the purposes of determining winners).
Please let me know which image(s) you choose.
Postage will be covered by Sam Pelly.
Professional framing can be arranged at cost price, in addition to the bid amount. This can be discussed if you are the lucky winner.
Bidding closes 11:59pm on TUESDAY 3rd January 2023.
Highest three bids win.
In the event of any tie, the earliest bid(s) wins.
More about the projects supported by this auction
The CyberTracker Master Tracker programme.
The San Bushmen (of which the Ju/’Hoansi are a local tribe) are historically and presently much persecuted within their own country. Low skilled by “modern” standards, there is virtually no employment for them other than the low paid, risky and arduous collection of the Devil’s Claw plant in the desert (bought by large pharmaceutical companies), or dressing up in loincloths and dancing for tourists in the “Living Museum”.
The CyberTracker Master Tracker programme is a joint initiative between the San and Louis Liebenberg, an anthropologist and tracker working on the ground with the San since the 1980s, aiming to certify indigenous trackers with a globally recognised qualification. These qualifications make these phenomenal trackers (who possess seemingly-magical skills passed down through tens of thousands of years) employable as wildlife guides, conservationists and anti-poaching guards, bringing vital money into their villages whilst preserving these ancient and precious skills and also contributing to the preservation of the incredible natural landscape and its creatures. The long term vision for this project is to make it a self-sustaining education and training programme within the Ju/’Hoansi community, with the Master Trackers being able to train, evaluate and certify trackers themselves without input from the outside.
