Suffolk &amp; Cambs

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/narrow-boat-on-river-in-ely.jpg" alt="view of the river from a houseboat " class="wp-image-40922" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/narrow-boat-on-river-in-ely.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/narrow-boat-on-river-in-ely-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/narrow-boat-on-river-in-ely-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/narrow-boat-on-river-in-ely-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



With two young children, a dog, full time work and an incurable case of FOMO (meaning I never say no to any social invitation!) there have been times recently when I&#8217;ve been so stressed and rushed off my feet that I can barely breathe. So when the chance came up to attend one of <a href="https://featherlightliving.com/floating-coaching/">Featherlight Living&#8217;s</a> Flourish in the Fens sessions, three hours aboard a wide beam canal boat on the River Lark at idyllic Isleham, with life coach Stephanie Satriawan where I could press pause and actually think about sorting out my manic life, I was there like a shot. 



Full disclosure here though – I&#8217;m rather cynical about &#8220;talking therapy&#8221; after a disastrous counselling experience as a teenager, so I approached the session with a heavy side helping of scepticism and the thought that even if nothing came out of it, at least I&#8217;d have a few hours away from my never-ending to-do list. However, at the risk of the ruining the end of this review&#8230; Steph at Featherlight Living proved me wrong when it comes to life coaching and then some, taking me from overwhelmed and out of control to feeling positive and balanced in just one morning. Want to know how? Jump aboard the magnificent Moon River with me and set sail to discover a serene new way of thinking&#8230;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



Life coaching is essentially the process of helping someone find the path between where they are and where they want to be. Unlike counselling it&#8217;s a process that focusses on the future rather than looking to the past for answers. This, in a nutshell, is what Stephanie, a coach, intuitive entrepreneur and founder of Featherlight Living does on a daily basis for the stressed, restless and dissatisfied people of Cambridgeshire and beyond. But to boil it down to one or two sentences does her work a real disservice.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1019" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/steph-featherlight-living.jpg" alt="Steph wellness coach from featherlight living" class="wp-image-40920" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/steph-featherlight-living.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/steph-featherlight-living-800x543.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/steph-featherlight-living-1000x679.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/steph-featherlight-living-400x272.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Steph has over 15 years of experience in therapies and practices and 2000+ hours of formal training in western and non-western healing modalities that she draws on to help women live in a cyclical rhythm, achieving a life of purpose, full of freedom and authenticity. She has qualifications in Well Woman Yoga Therapy, Business and Personal Coaching, Yoga Nidra, Trauma-Informed Yoga and Movement and Restorative Yoga as well as being a Menstruality Mentor. Her work is an intuitive and bespoke process that moves and changes with the individual&#8217;s or groups&#8217; needs and she&#8217;s a master at helping people make positive changes.



Steph holds bespoke one-to-one workshops, group retreats and Yoga Nidra sessions on her canal boat on the relaxing River Lark and uses unique tools and exercises in the stunning natural surroundings to help people tap into their creative nature and bring balance and freedom to their lives. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-experience">THE EXPERIENCE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1476" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-life-coaching-boat.jpg" alt="canal boat for life coaching at isle ham marina cambridgeshire" class="wp-image-41225" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-life-coaching-boat.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-life-coaching-boat-800x787.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-life-coaching-boat-1000x984.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-life-coaching-boat-400x394.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



I drove down to the peaceful Isleham Marina on a gloriously sunny day, so I was in a positive frame of mind to embrace the experience when I met Steph and climbed aboard her beautiful boat. The setting is really exquisite – all swaying reeds and rippling water – and I was rather envious of her wonderful way of living (I was seriously close at one point to deciding my future should be selling up and buying a house boat!). 



Steph immediately made me feel at ease, which was a real relief as I was wondering how I&#8217;d cope with three hours one-to-one with someone I&#8217;d never met. In fact, she was so welcoming and such a calming presence that one elderflower pressé later I was already opening up to her about all the things that weren&#8217;t working for me. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="909" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/inside-moon-river-featherlight-living-1000x909.jpg" alt="inside the canal boat for life coaching in cambridgeshire" class="wp-image-41226" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/inside-moon-river-featherlight-living-1000x909.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/inside-moon-river-featherlight-living-800x727.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/inside-moon-river-featherlight-living-400x363.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/inside-moon-river-featherlight-living.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



We spent the first half an hour just discussing what I wanted out of the session and why and then moved onto an exercise to help me see how unbalanced my life was. About a week before I met Steph she had sent me a questionnaire to fill in about my life where I had to give certain aspects and activities a number from 0 &#8211; 3 based on how much I prioritised them. Using this as a basis for discussion we worked on a Wheel of Life designed to highlight in black and white where my shortfalls were and why. Areas of the wheel included things like Relationships, Professional, Emotional and Psychological. 



It was really illuminating to see how unbalanced I was and how disruptive this was for my overall wellbeing. By this point, I was feeling a bit sorry for my current self, but also struggling with feelings of self indulgence (talking about yourself takes a bit of getting used to if you haven&#8217;t before). However, with the cold hard evidence in front of me that I needed to make a change I was desperate to get some answers so ploughed on with determination&#8230;



We then moved on to some journalling, with Steph asking me to take some time to answer a series of leading questions to take me on a journey from the &#8220;what&#8221; to the &#8220;why&#8221;. This was the beginning of the magical part for me. In such a tranquil environment and with only my thoughts for company I started to make connections and understand why everything in my life was disjointed. 



With a tea and delicious homemade energy snack for fuel, Steph then asked me to talk though what I&#8217;d discovered through the journalling and encouraged me to delve deeper still into the reasons I was creating such imbalance for myself. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="793" height="747" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-41229" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river.jpg 793w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/08/moon-river-400x377.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 793px) 100vw, 793px" /></figure>



The final exercise was a wonderfully relaxing and enlightening guided meditation. Steph had me in that dreamy Theta state where all the best and most illuminating thoughts surface remarkably quickly. Once I was completely zen she used the words and findings from our earlier discussions to help me quite literally &#8220;see the light&#8221;. And I did exactly that. Suddenly a single phrase popped into my head that answered everything for me and allowed me to realise the way forward. I&#8217;m not going to tell you what it was&#8230; after all it took three hours of life coaching for me to have that eureka moment and everyone&#8217;s light bulb moment will of course be different. 



Suffice to say though that I ended the session close to tears, both happy and sad ones, overwhelmed by the intensity of focussing on myself but so relieved that I did and could see the way forward towards a happier more balanced existence. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-verdict">THE VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/view-of-the-river-in-cambridgeshire-featherlight-living-.jpg" alt="view of River Great Ouse from Moon River with Featherlight Living" class="wp-image-40919" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/view-of-the-river-in-cambridgeshire-featherlight-living-.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/view-of-the-river-in-cambridgeshire-featherlight-living--800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/view-of-the-river-in-cambridgeshire-featherlight-living--1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/view-of-the-river-in-cambridgeshire-featherlight-living--400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Well, as I&#8217;ve already let slip that I&#8217;m a fully converted fan of life coaching it won&#8217;t be a surprise that I 100% recommend FeatherLight Living. I was absolutely amazed at what I achieved with the help of Steph in a few short hours. Even the most hardened of cynics couldn&#8217;t fail to make progress and feel empowered at the end of one of Steph&#8217;s River Retreats or one-to-one sessions. 



After my experience I went straight off on a two-week holiday with my husband and children and they couldn&#8217;t believe the difference in me as I started to implement the changes I&#8217;d discussed with Steph. What had been a fraught and stressed two weeks the year before, was instead a relaxed carefree and fun holiday and I credit Steph&#8217;s life coaching skills with making it so. 



I&#8217;ve been raving about my experience to anyone who will listen and am excited about the person I can be now that I have the tools to understand why I&#8217;m programmed to make my life so full on. And, as soon as I start feeling myself slipping back to my old ways, I&#8217;ll be boarding Moon River for a refresher, as like all things that are good for you, finding balance and achieving a sense of freedom and cyclical living in nature requires a bit of effort. Steph did follow up straightaway with extra exercises and support to keep me on track for the future however, so once you step off Moon River you&#8217;re certainly not alone on your journey. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-book">HOW TO BOOK</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="769" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/Maria-B-Stern-scaled-e1696495095587-1024x769-1.jpg" alt="life coaching at Isleham near Ely " class="wp-image-40921" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/Maria-B-Stern-scaled-e1696495095587-1024x769-1.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/Maria-B-Stern-scaled-e1696495095587-1024x769-1-800x601.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/Maria-B-Stern-scaled-e1696495095587-1024x769-1-1000x751.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/07/Maria-B-Stern-scaled-e1696495095587-1024x769-1-400x300.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



A one-to-one <a href="https://featherlightliving.com/flourish-in-the-fens/">Flourish in the Fens mini retreat</a> lasts 3.5 hours, includes a life audit, personalised wellbeing plan and plant based lunch and costs £295. Muddy Stilettos readers can make the most of a special a £50 discount valid until 20 October using the code MUDDYFLOURISH when booking. These sessions are available Tuesday to Saturday 10 am &#8211; 1:30 pm.



A 6-month <a href="https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog.php?owner=29958234&amp;action=addCart&amp;id=1765296&amp;clear=1">Floating Coaching package</a>, including 6 x 60 minute sessions using customised tools and exercises and ongoing support between sessions costs £600.



A full-day (6 hours) <a href="https://featherlightliving.com/floating-coaching/">pootling session with cruise</a> on the river, coaching, meditation and plant-based lunch costs £595. 



<a href="https://featherlightliving.com/river-retreat-day/">Group River Retreat Days</a> usually take place on the 3rd Saturday of the month from April &#8211; September and include mediation, life balance coaching, journaling and mindfulness in nature for 6 women as well as a delicious and nutritious lunch aboard the canal boat. This day costs £145pp. The next River Retreat Day will take place on 22nd September and Muddy Readers can book with £20 off using code RIVERRETREAT.

Time for a change: Muddy reviews life coaching with Featherlight Living

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