There’s something exciting about a new beginning, something which encapsulates the tenderness of youth, something which holds promise and therefore, refreshes and invigorates the spirit. No wonder the New Year marks a time when so many of us make resolutions, particularly ones around weight loss and wealth acquisition and so on. The trouble with this,…
» Continue Reading

Anxiety has a way of getting up close and personal during the busiest of times. And let’s face it, the holiday season is ripe for the picking. Yesterday, just when I thought I had nothing to be anxious about, the anxiety hit. Most of my shopping had been done, plans had been made for the…
» Continue Reading

The timing never seems quite right to be out of action for one reason or another. At least not for me. Famous last words before the storm, right. “Not now! I cannot afford to be sick… I’ll take a break after the this or that is over.” Barring a sudden accident such as a broken…
» Continue Reading

Our latest podcast, On Personal Development, the last in our second series, got me reflecting upon my own personal journey thus far—the importance of gaining self-confidence and self-awareness early on in life, as well as finding role models. And though I can’t pinpoint a place in time when suddenly I knew the importance of developing…
» Continue Reading

It’s Elizabeth and I’m delighted to once again be invited to guest blog on the UIO podcast page. This week I will be talking about personal development, a topic that will be covered also in our upcoming podcast in December. Personal development is an often used but rarely explained term. For me, the term refers…
» Continue Reading

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth and I am both thrilled and somewhat nervous to have been invited to write a guest blog on the UIO podcast page. Writing a blog is a first for me so here goes….! This week we are focusing on both identity and online wellbeing, topics that…
» Continue Reading

Our latest podcast, On Being A Teen Girl Now, is full of gems about life as a teen today. One particular topic that runs throughout the podcast is the importance of effective communications whether used to resolve conflict or to have a meaningful conversation. Certainly, in my life, I try to rely on good communications….
» Continue Reading

Nothing like getting inside information. And that is just what I did to produce UIO’s fifth podcast in this second series, which will be released next week. On Being A Teen Girl Now features 16-year-old Leah from Hertfordshire and 15-year-old Divaina from Kent. Not only do we have a timely conversation about their greatest challenges…
» Continue Reading

When we talk about dating, we often hear about either the romanticised version of it—finding a happily ever after—or the complexities—not finding a happily ever with all the pitfalls in trying too. There must be a somewhere in between, right! And as I think back to my teen years and consider the insightful information from…
» Continue Reading

Having been married for nearly 20 years, I’m clueless about modern day dating—the various apps and internet sites and so on but by and large, dating is dating. And when you are a teen it can be a tad bit awkward wading into a new world that quite frankly can be fast and furious. If…
» Continue Reading