Grief is hard-hitting no matter when it comes.  When my mother passed nearly five years ago after a long illness, I remember feeling the weight of grief and wondering if life would ever be good again. Still I pressed on in a world that had its problems, but never quite felt the real threat of…
» Continue Reading

As a writer, I’ve always struggled with who has a right to tell a specific story.  Make no mistake about, I know that a darn good writer can serve up a good story whether it is her own or not.  Still, it is not always easy to write with compassion and empathy about something as…
» Continue Reading

Since the global pandemic hit the world at large back in March, of course some countries were suffering before others, we hardly recognise our everyday lifestyles any longer. On my melodramatic days, it feels a bit like Gone With The Wind, only because life as we knew it disappeared in a breeze, resulting in loss,…
» Continue Reading

A September child, I have always felt grounded in the Autumn. Always  waiting for a breath a fresh air, a new beginning.  This one has been no different in that sense, me reflecting on the past and preparing for the future–my New Year of sorts.  But this year, I, along with everybody else,  am facing…
» Continue Reading

It’s week four of our campaign to share top tips from our most popular podcasts.  This week, we return to the first ever UIO podcast, Your Confidence Inside Out with Cheryl Grace.  As timely as ever,  the advice in this popular podcast reminds us of how important confidence is to daily living. Choosing five top…
» Continue Reading

It’s the third week  of our campaign to share top tips from our most popular podcasts.  This week, we feature On Girls’ Rights with Lindsey Turnbull, a podcast that is all about exercising your rights to stay happy and healthy in the space you are in.  Though the teenage years can throw challenges at you,…
» Continue Reading

This week we continue sharing hot tips from our most popular podcasts of all times.  Second up is On Social Anxiety with Claire Eastham! Like the first, On Personal Development with Robyn Spens, this podcast is packed with hot tips but we’ve pulled out the top five, which wasn’t an easy job at all. They’re…
» Continue Reading

So pleased that UIO podcast will be back, after a short absence, with a mini back to school podcast series in September.  Lots of experts on matters such as staying safe at school during the COVID era and dealing with grief.  Meanwhile, we are releasing hot tips from our most popular podcasts.  First up is…
» Continue Reading

Nowadays almost everyone on the planet has had a brush with loss. Though the biggest loss of all is human life and we have been overwhelmed with grief on that one. Still the loss of a job, the freedom to go to school, to socialise face to face with friends, and certainly the loss of…
» Continue Reading

It has been nearly six months since the Coronavirus started making its way around the globe. Wherever we are in the world, we have either been forced to watch from a far as if watching a surreal movie or we’ve been caught up in that movie, disconnected from our friends and relatives unless we live…
» Continue Reading