Senior Partner Manager at Hootsuite | Enterprise Alliances with MarTech SaaS | Head of Sales & Marketing at MyRisk | Board Director | Author of "Connect & Act - Systematic Social Selling"

I spend my days working with boutique marketing agencies across Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific helping them build businesses that feel lighter, clearer and more scalable.

Agencies don’t struggle because of a lack of talent; they struggle because they’re carrying too much alone. That’s where I fit.

ActiveCampaign gives them the tooling. I help them build the engine, the rhythm and the confidence to grow.

After moving to Australia nearly a decade ago, I found myself drawn to the agency world — the conversations, the creativity, the honesty, the challenge of wearing ten hats at once.

One thread that runs through everything I do is the belief that business moves at the speed of human connection. It’s why I’ve created my #42coffees series: slowing down enough to hear people’s stories, understand their direction and find the right doors to open for them.

The same energy shows up in the in-person events I run across Asia Pacific. When people meet in real rooms, things shift: ideas get clearer, partnerships form faster and growth feels more human.

Since then I’ve supported partners at ActiveCampaign and beforehand at Hootsuite, GoTo, Noggin, KeepItSafe and across the broader MSP and MarTech landscape. The work is always a mix of:
→ partnerships (finding the right doors)
→ automation & lifecycle systems (removing friction)
→ Social Selling (building visibility without becoming someone you’re not)
→ productised services (so the business stops feeling heavy)

What I enjoy most is watching agency founders realise they don’t need to grow through burnout — they can grow through structure.

Moving to Australia was not a straight line. A layoff opened a moment of pause which became an inflection point. I studied leadership using the time to understand the emerging SaaS ecosystem. That allowed me to transfer my experience into a new market, build a partnership-focused identity from the ground up, and develop the human-connection mindset that defines how I work today.

I’m also a long-time writer with 28 books from travel guides to Social Selling and personal development. Writing helps me make sense of things and help others do the same.

Outside work, I serve as a Board Director of Sydney’s historic Castlereagh Boutique Hotel. It’s a role rooted in community, heritage and looking after something that matters — values I try to bring into my work with agencies as well.

If you’re a boutique marketing agency founder trying to shape the next stage of your business, I’d love to hear your story. Every agency journey starts differently and no one builds it alone.

Gunnar Habitz

Collaboration rarely starts with a contract but with showing up, sharing the space, and building something together, one small step at a time.

Collaborating is one of the best #habits to develop - and the core of true #partnership.

Successful collaboration rarely starts with a big announcement or a formal partnership.
Most of the meaningful collaborations in my corporate work and my writing business didn’t begin with strategy decks or contracts.

Instead they started with curiosity, generosity, and a simple willingness to build something together before knowing exactly where it would lead.

Over time, I noticed something important: People who collaborate well don’t wait for the perfect opportunity, they practice collaboration as a habit in small and repeatable ways.

Here are some of my recent examples:

1. LinkedIn Power Lab: Since I added a co-facilitator into my webinar series with Natalie Tran (she is on the photo above) it opened broader opportunities for my network.

2. Company Events: Why should I talk during the whole event when I can introduce a fireside chat with a fellow expert as in my next event with Deanna Notice in Brisbane.

3. #42coffees: My networking series is running in its third season to showcase interesting people and their passions with my network on LinkedIn nearly every Friday.

Find more stories alongside mini-insights and actions in my latest 4-2-1 Habit blog here: https://lnkd.in/gU3hxJsh

What's your secret in winning collaborators for doing something together?

Helping boutique marketing agencies scale through human connection, automation & AI-powered workflows | Agency Ecosystem Lead @ ActiveCampaign (APAC) | Ghostwriting educational email courses for authority & conversion

🇦🇺 Agency Leaders: Join us in Brisbane for our Partner Event on Tuesday 10 February.

The marketing agency landscape is evolving fast. Are you keeping pace?

From Denver to London to Brisbane: the #EvolvingAgency Series consists of collaborative workshops designed for agency leaders who want practical strategies for scaling, retaining clients, and leveraging #AI without burning out.

What you'll gain by attending:
→ Learn how to productise your services for scalable, recurring revenue
→ Discover AI workflows to implement immediately (not just as theory)
→ Explore the agency partnership opportunities with ActiveCampaign
→ Connect with peers tackling quitesimilar growth challenges you face
→ Listen to the practitioner view in my fireside chat with Deanna Notice

Honoured to run this event in the HQ of the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand which was my first professional organisation in Australia to be part of (nearly 10 years!).

The Details:
📍 Level 29/10 Eagle Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
🕙 10:00am – 3:00pm incl. lunch
💰 Free (limited to 2 attendees per agency)

🚀 Secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/gBWBMqRh

See you in Brisbane ☀️

#MarketingAutomation #AIAgents #MarTech #Marketing

Can you post the same content across multiple platforms? And can you simply repurpose the same by using email marketing?

You might think the simple answer is "no". But there is a better way.

Yes, you can be active on more than one platform if you position them well.

Like Facebook and Instagram have similarities so you know what to post one the one and how to tweak on the other side.

You can also position yourself on Substack from a personal side while keeping LinkedIn your professional self as the only serious reference checkpoint.

Preparing my webinar with public speaking expert Veronica Llorca-Smith🎤 next Monday about the LinkedIn Substack flywheel, here are my tips in this 373rd episode of #socialsellingmonday.

1. Position yourself with clarity on LinkedIn and on Substack, ideally in a different while congruent way attracting different audiences.

2. Define which types of content works best on which platform, sometimes it can be a different take of the same topic.

3. Engage with your audience in direct messaging on both platforms instead of just subscribing them to the other side.

4. Learn #emailmarketing on the Substack side by building your email list - your business or corporate role will thank you.

Want to learn more? Veronica and I are running a webinar "From LinkedIn Content to Substack Flywheel".
📅 Monday, 19 January 2026
🕖 7:00 PM Sydney/Melbourne time
🕖 4:00 PM Hong Kong/Singapore time

Please register here: https://lnkd.in/g8yej9QS

See you there!

Main advantage of the more silent days during the festive season? We have time to reflect and reassess.

I took that time to create the Habit Reflection Assistant. It was the missing piece where technology can help us to... slow down.

As you might have experienced as well, you don’t perform reflection on command because someone or even yourself told you so.

Reflection rather shows up when there’s enough space and time, otherwise it disappears when things are forced.

While writing my book Happy Habits last year, I realised something: Most available habit tools are designed to push people forward. Think about productivity or efficiency gains.

Very few are instead designed to help people pause without pressure, reflect without results and just stop without push to continue.

The Habit Reflection Assistant is a guided reflection space, inspired by the ideas in Happy Habits being designed for short, honest check-ins.

Maybe the only custom GPT you can imagine that suggests you to be less productive...

Read more about it in my latest Sunday Habit article: https://lnkd.in/gF_GTTqW

What's your tip about reflecting?

Next week I’m restarting my #42coffees ☕️ - the series that connected people.

Before I do that, I looked back at what the previous 88 conversations have actually taught me (and my network).

Here are my top 8 learnings with patterns that keep repeating, no matter the industry:

1️⃣ Relationships compound: One coffee today becomes an open door two years from now.

2️⃣ Offline–Online–Offline works: Meet once, stay in touch online, meet again with trust already built.

3️⃣ Great connectors listen first: The superpower isn’t talking, rather remembering, noticing, and connecting dots.

4️⃣ Content should sound human: AI can help, but heart and story are still the differentiator.

5️⃣ Data without intent is noise: If you don’t know why you collect it, you can’t improve anything with it.

6️⃣ Change is the real job now: Whether it’s cybersecurity, hybrid work, or growth—strategy means choices + change.

7️⃣ Clarity beats hustle: The best operators turn chaos into simple systems people can actually run.

8️⃣ Trust is the real growth engine: Partnerships, referrals, community are all about that with different words but the same truth.

I’m bringing the series back because these learnings matter more than ever in a noisy world.

If you’ve ever met someone over coffee and thought “this conversation might change something”… you know exactly what I mean.

What’s the best thing a coffee conversation has taught you?

Do you also observe that many professionals post consistently on LinkedIn, yet everything disappears in the feed within hours?

At the same time, many of them heard that Substack could be the right place to build a real audience… but they struggle to connect the two together.

Are you on both platforms as well but never connected the dots?

This is where my new webinar episode comes in - delivered together with Veronica Llorca-Smith🎤, one of my favourite authors and public speaking experts.

📅 Monday, 19 January 2026
🕖 7:00 PM Sydney/Melbourne time
🕖 4:00 PM Hong Kong/Singapore time

This is what we will cover in this episode:
1️⃣ LinkedIn: How to write content to spark curiosity
2️⃣ Substack: How to turn curiosity into a community
3️⃣ The Flywheel: How to leverage both to your advantage

Please register here to receive the Zoom link and the recording afterwards.

See you on Monday 19th!

Veronica & Gunnar

View event: From LinkedIn Content to Substack Flywheel

From LinkedIn Content to Substack Flywheel

What can #marketing agency leaders expect from our #EvolvingAgency Series event in Brisbane on 10 February?

Yesterday I announced my upcoming ActiveCampaign event calling for marketers from Byron Bay and Gold Coast up to the Sunshine Coast.

Already hosted in multiple cities on the globe, I will cover what matters to our existing and protective partners for wining clients in the age of AI such as:
- Scaling and sustaining agencies
- Productising tools & services
- AI for agencies

One of the highlights will be my fireside chat with our regional specialist Deanna Notice.

We will take our initial discussion from Sydney to the next level for 2026. Deanna works closely with clients and fellow partners to ensure everyone can make the best out of the technology we all use.

Now to forget: the best software won't help achieve anything when it is not implemented properly. She and her team optimise #marketingautomation success at every step to ensure clients improve their business.

The Details:
📍 Level 29/10 Eagle Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
🕙 10:00am – 3:00pm incl. lunch
💰 Free (limited to 2 attendees per agency)

🚀 Secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/gBWBMqRh

See you in Brisbane ☀️

Who do we want to have in our networks? Only selecting clients means missing out.

A LinkedIn guru told me last year he only connects with existing or prospective customers from his target geography - not with anyone else.

He is totally missing the mark and ignores that my network is full of his targets, just I moved down under and don't qualify for his criteria anymore.

In my view (and proven over years) it's much better to define who we attract AND also add those surrounded by that. Think about suppliers, partners, customers of our customers and fellow experts in the industry.

That mentioned guru totally overlooked that people are moving within their industry.

Here are my tips in this 372nd episode of #socialsellingmonday - the series that taught me all about consistency.

1. Rewrite your profile's About section being clear about your value for your target audience. Rewrite it based on your anchored identity, not just role or activity based.

2. Define your ICP = Ideal Customer Persona, the ideal person you serve (some also call it ICA for Avatar). Then describe who belongs to their network.

3. Build a list of important players in that market and bookmark their profiles activity by adding "/recent-activity/all" to their profile URL and saving those to your browser for easy access.

4. Engage with the content of your direct ICPs and some of their frequent networkers to enhance your visibility in the target market.

Your business will be thankful if you do that consistently for the next four weeks when business is not yet fully back to speed.

What's your tip to define the target network for outreach and engagement?

Starting the year with a bit of fun...

Most people connect AI with unlocking creativity or efficiency.

But there is more to it - at least when it comes to Active Intelligence.

What ActiveCampaign built over last year is a stunning example that AI can be a true, proactive companion - a really good mate!

I use it regularly for activities as described in the bingo card below, such as:
- setup a 5-day welcome sequence
- figure out how I can connect a certain app
- find out if my 56% open rate is actually good or not

Gone are the days where I would go to Unsplash for selecting a base image, then to ChatGPT for crafting some copy and finally to Canva for merging that together.

It's all there - within one platform.

That's why I love working with marketing agencies - doing by myself helps to understand their challenges.

How do you use #AI in #marketing?

A Happiness Coach for Corporate Professional Women | Happiness is Your Birthright | Transform Inner Critic | Being Seen, Heard And Respected | Choose Love Over Fear

As an NLP Happiness Coach, I empower women to release fear, reconnect with their inner wisdom, rebuild self-trust, and create a life of emotional freedom, truth, and joy.

I believe happiness isn’t something to chase; it’s a home within. 

Through gentle guidance and deep inner work, I help women let go of a thousand stories of unworthiness and meet themselves as a fuller expression of who they wish to be.

Every journey home begins with one brave step, and it always leads back to love.

For years, I believed happiness was something I had to chase. I tried to change others, hoping that would bring me the love and fulfillment I longed for. But the more I tried, the more I buried my own needs beneath guilt, self-betrayal, and quiet exhaustion.

The turning point came when I realized: no one else could walk this path for me. I had to choose it - to become the brave heart who would journey home to herself. That awakening was a blessing in disguise.

🌿 Today, I guide women who are ready to see uncertainty as opportunity, embrace imperfection as wholeness, and meet life as it is - with gratitude as their anchor.

Through NLP coaching and deeper self-reflection, I guide them in releasing fear, reclaiming their self-trust, and reconnecting with their inner wisdom - living a life of emotional freedom, truth, and joy is within reach.

I believe happiness is not a luxury - it’s our birthright. 

When we choose love, we choose peace. And when we walk this path together, we create ripples of gentleness, strength, and compassion - the very energy the world needs more of.

✨ My clients come to me when:

💧 They feel unworthy, unseen, or unloved.
💧 They’re tired of chasing approval or trapped in draining relationships.
💧 They’ve buried their dreams under fear, duty, or exhaustion.
💧 They’re ready - truly ready - to live fuller, and have no regrets.

Every journey home begins with one courageous step. Sometimes that step is as simple as a conversation.

📩 If this resonates with you, send me a message with “Brave Heart” or book a call. Let’s explore whether I am the right support on your journey toward freedom, joy, and self-trust.

Because brave hearts know - the journey home to love is the freedom they once hid from. And now, they walk toward it with gratitude, reverence, and awe.

Welcome home - sooner.

With love and light,
Eleen

Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

When you choose a path different from the majority, you’re not trying to be special, you’re simply listening inward.

This is how the 1% are formed.

Not louder. 

Not better. 

Just more aware.

You may walk with fewer people, and discover the gift of solitude.

You begin to honour every rise and fall, knowing nothing happens against you. 

You speak less, listen deeper.

You detach from expectations.

You know every one is doing their best, you meet them where they’re- there is nothing to fix, or convince.

And quietly, you remember why you came here in the first place - to walk one another home to themselves. 

The 1% Creative Thinkers ClubHouse is a space to go deeper - to reflect, create, and connect with others who move through life intentionally.

If you’re curious, which is always a great quality - here’s the link:

https://lnkd.in/gycbxUtZ


✨ Walking in the opposite direction is not rebellious, but to gain clarity we’ve longed for.

#awareness
#choices

Eleen (Yik Lie)  Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

Life Coach | NLP Happiness Coach | Empowering Women to Let Go, and Awaken to the Freedom of Love

No alternative text description for this image

🤔 I asked ChatGPT: "If you were the devil, how would you stop someone from being happy?"

The answer gave me chills, because it's exactly what most of us are already doing to ourselves.

If I were "the devil," whose goal is to keep someone unhappy, I wouldn't need dramatic disasters. I'd use quiet, subtle strategies that feel completely normal.

Here's how:

1. Make them believe their thoughts are facts

Convince them that every fearful story in their head is true:

"I'm not good enough."

"Nothing ever works out for me."

"Other people have something I don't."

Once they believe those thoughts, they'll live inside that mind’s prison.

2. Keep them comparing

Comparison steals joy silently. 

Keep them scrolling, always seeing how others are happier, richer, more loved, more successful. 

They'd never celebrate their own path because they'd always feel behind.

3. Whisper urgency and pressure

"Do more. Be more. You're late. You're failing."

When the nervous system never rests, happiness can't land, even when life is actually okay.

4. Make them afraid of stillness

Silence is where healing and insight appear. 

So distract them constantly, noise, worries, busyness, anything to stop self-reflection.

5. Turn mistakes into identity

Instead of: "I made a mistake."

Push: "I AM a failure."

Shame is incredibly powerful; it keeps people stuck, small, and silent.

6. Convince them love must be earned

They'd hustle endlessly for acceptance rather than knowing they already deserve it. 

That exhausting chase keeps the heart tired.

7. Make them doubt their intuition

Drown their inner knowing with others' opinions, rules, and expectations. 

When someone stops trusting themselves, they live someone else's life.

8. Tell them happiness is "out there"

"In the next job. The next relationship. The next achievement."

That way, happiness is always later, never now.

9. Keep them isolated

Convince them no one would understand, so they never open up.

Isolation magnifies pain and hides hope.

10. Make them believe change is impossible

If a person believes they can't change, they stop trying - and hopelessness does the rest.


The antidote (the part the "devil" would hate):

✨ Notice thoughts instead of believing all of them

✨ Practice gratitude and presence - small, daily

✨ Rest and embrace quiet moments

✨ Compassion instead of shame

✨ Trust your inner voice again

✨ Ask for support when needed

✨ Allow joy now, not later

Happiness isn't loud. It grows from repeated gentle choices.

💡Which of these 10 strategies has been quietly stealing your joy? 

💡And which antidote are you ready to practice today?


Sometimes the enemy isn't outside us; it's the voice inside that sounds like protection but feels like prison. 

#happiness

✨ An 80-year-old woman’s advice made me pause: “Don’t hesitate - try everything."

By trying new approaches, we learn and unlearn, and either way, we're still winning in life. The outcome is secondary.

Daring to challenge new ideas, concepts, and thoughts - and improving from them - is what successful people do every single day.

Yet when we label the feedback from trying something new as "failure," "loser," or "unworthy of goodness," is that fair?

We're doing our best to outgrow old limiting habits. So surely, harsh words, from us or from others, are never acceptable.

If we don't have the support we need, seek it from those who can genuinely provide it. 

Otherwise, it's okay to hear nothing, speak nothing, and simply conserve our emotional energy.

Self-sabotage, shame, or self-disgrace may feel "normal," but they're never needed.

Breaking yourself doesn't save you - it only denies what you're truly capable of becoming.

If you want to help yourself, stop trying to prove you're not worthy enough.

If you truly love yourself, take time to reflect and grow from your mistakes with compassion.

And if you're open to advice, here's something I deeply want you to hear:

Life is not meant to be perfect.

The imperfections we notice, "I don't have a loving family. I feel lonely. I'm not as smart as they are. My life is miserable. I failed again..." - are here to sharpen us and show us what we truly wish to refine in this remaining time.

Everyone and every event exists to shift us from "I don't have..." to "What do I have?"

I came across a video of an 80-year-old woman being interviewed by a street photographer.

She stood out not for her age, but for her calm confidence and elegant presence.

He asked her: "If you could speak to your younger self, what advice would you give?"

With a gentle smile in her eyes, she said, "Don't hesitate, try everything."

Right now, you have time, choices, and health - sacred resources available to all of us.

So... any good reason not to use them to your advantage, instead of drowning in old, limiting stories over and over?

The difference between people who thrive and those who stay stuck isn’t talent or luck - it’s the willingness to try, learn, and unlearn. 

The Universe always rewards us abundantly. 

It may not be what we asked for, but if we pause and observe, it’s often exactly what we needed at that moment - because the Universe knows better.

So, would you give yourself a second chance?🌟

#choices
#awareness

💃 I was on hold for 15 Minutes yesterday and I danced. 

When things don't meet our expectations, we feel lousy, don't we?

I noticed it in myself recently.

I didn't enjoy being put on hold for over 15 minutes just to temporarily suspend my mobile data.

I complained that renewing a driver's license required an appointment and that the fee felt unnecessarily high.

I grew impatient when Norton took hours to scan my laptop and optimize my internet speed.

I'm sure many would agree that time and effort could be used more "productively," especially with today's advanced systems.

But here's the twist.

What do calmness and creativity have to do with productivity?

If you think like a 1% Creative Thinker, you know this:

Complaining and grumbling never speed things up - they only drain your energy.

While waiting with Optus customer service, I realized it was her first day.

So I reassured her, told her the hold music was actually good, and yes, I danced a little.

Service NSW? They're securing jobs and doing their part. I chose to take it easy.

Norton? They were running a thorough health check on my system. Credit where it's due.

We can rush, complain, and resist all we want.

But nothing truly changes when we're not in the driver's seat.

What does change is how much drama we invite into our lives by repeating old reactive patterns.

Real productivity lives in calm awareness.

In choosing not to react the way we were conditioned to.

Instead of sitting through boredom, I stood up and danced.

Instead of pulling a long face, I paused and breathed deeply.

When we show up with presence and curiosity, the question becomes:

How can this moment be different? How can I actually enjoy it?

Once we've done our part with grace, we surrender.

We let the universe take over - and rest peacefully until the next assignment.

If this sounds too good to be true, you're welcome to experience it yourself.

✨ I offer 20 minutes of 1:1 support every Friday at 11 AM AEDT (US$33). A space to pause, reset, and see frustrating moments completely differently.

What daily frustration could you transform simply by shifting how you show up to it?

#awareness
#choices

👊🏻 Wishing you a fabulous start to the year at work.

Less comparison, more gratitude - because we never truly know someone else’s story.

Less self-doubt, more self-belief - and permission to try new things.

Less insecurity, more creative power - seeing life from “I have enough,” where abundance becomes your new anchor.

Less rushing, more pausing - breathe calmly and trust that everything happens for you. Quiet the noise so you see what truly matters. 

Less pushing and judging, more understanding and support - especially for those still figuring it out.

Less self-criticism, more self-love - imperfections are not brokenness; they are material you can reshape into your best self.

Less confinement, more curiosity - What if I really can overcome my fear?

Every moment you choose to think a little differently - to create instead of settle - you begin to see that you hold the power to make life gentler and more rewarding.

The 1% Creative Thinkers ClubHouse welcomes you onboard         https://lnkd.in/gycbxUtZ

You can walk alone, but you are never truly alone in spirit - the universe always walks beside you ✨

#gratitude
#blessings

👣 Walking alone is how we remember the way home

Clench your fist right now. Feel that heat building?

That’s exactly how most people live their entire lives - uptight and gripping for control.

When you hold your fist tightly, you feel heat building up in your hand.

When your palm is open and facing upward, you feel cold air landing on it.

This is more than a physical sensation. It mirrors how we move through life.

Most tension isn't created by what we face, but by how tightly we hold on.

We want too much, try too hard, speak too fast, and never pause to calm our nerves.

We follow the masses and hope to have what they have.

Unknowingly, we bear the same tensions, worries, and the belief that effort must always feel heavy. 

So we compete. We protect. We clench.

Believing there's never enough to go around.

But walking a different path begins with a quieter choice:

To loosen the grip.

To step back from the noise.

To trust that life doesn't require constant force.

An open palm doesn't chase. It allows.

When you soften your hand, your body follows.

Your breath deepens.

Your shoulders release.

Your awareness returns.

There's no magic here - only clarity.

Lightness comes from choosing openness over control.

When you breathe from a grounded, peaceful place, life softens around you.

This is what it means to walk a different path.

Not louder. Not better. Just more aware.

If you feel called to explore this way of living, gently, consciously, without fixing yourself -  I offer 20 minutes of 1:1 space every Friday at 11 AM AEDT.

A pause. A reflection. A reset.

Sometimes, walking alone is how we remember the way home.

What are you still clenching onto that's ready to be released?

Try this practice throughout your day: 

Notice when your fists clench, your jaw tightens, and your shoulders rise. Then, simply soften.

No magic - just how the body responds when the nervous system feels safe. 🌿

#coaching

Image Credit: Pexels by Anastasiya Badun

🤔 I once thought someone was strange for always leaving early. 

Walking alone may make you look odd - but undeniably cool.

She always chose to skip post-yoga catch-ups.

When I finally asked why, she simply said: "I don't enjoy gossip."

Wise people don't rush to belong.

They choose alignment over approval.

They join when it feels right and leave when it doesn't, without explaining, defending, or apologizing.

When belonging feels hard, it's often because we're trying too hard or forgetting we already belong to ourselves first.

Choosing solitude isn't avoidance. It's discernment.

Our energy is valuable, and not everyone will understand its worth.

Sometimes, walking in the opposite direction - despite disapproval - is exactly how we find our way home to ourselves.

That's a 1% Creative Thinker's attitude.

The courage to stand alone when everyone else is following.

The wisdom to protect your peace when others are comfortable with chaos.

The strength to trust your inner compass when the crowd is pointing elsewhere.

No explanations.

Your energy knows where it belongs - it's guided.

What would change if you stopped trying to belong everywhere and started honouring where you actually do?

Sometimes the most powerful statement you can make is quietly walking away from what no longer serves you - with grace, clarity, and no need for permission. 🌟

#clarity
#solitude

💔 I upset someone by asking: "Did you have a Good Christmas?"

She's charming and talented; she acts, dances, and sings beautifully.

Yet every Christmas feels unbearably heavy for her. 

We're uncovering a deeper truth - one we cannot rush or force.

Many people stepped into the new year still not feeling ready.

Some anxious. Some numb. Some quietly hide behind smiles.

Yesterday, I asked ChatGPT how people unintentionally block their own happiness. 

It revealed ten subtle yet common patterns we unconsciously use to distance ourselves from joy.

As I read them, a cold shiver travelled down my spine.

Here's one gentle truth I believe we all need to lean on, especially when the inner critic grows loud:

Our emotions shape the experiences we attract next.

When we stay in self-pity, our minds create more of it. We can't deny this painful pattern.

But when we begin noticing blessings, even the tiniest ones, we start seeing more of them.

So this week, instead of entertaining those old familiar patterns, notice the blessings that have already arrived:

💙 Love the sky - its tone, its movement, its changing colors

💙 Thank your breath - whether deep or shallow, just let it be

💙 Appreciate your health and the incredible ways your body supports you

You are alive - and that alone is a profound gift.

(Fear will never remind you of that.)

When we choose better thoughts, even one hopeful thought at a time, we lighten our path forward.

My happy thought moving forward is this:

I am unstoppable in remembering the gifts I bring to the world.

Do you remember yours?

If you'd like a safe, supportive space to explore your story, connect with kind souls, and nurture your creativity, I'd love to welcome you to the 1% Creative Thinkers ClubHouse. https://lnkd.in/gycbxUtZ

You don't have to wait for happiness. 

You can actively build it.

✨ Here's to creating a brighter, more intentional 2026, by conscious choice.

The shift from suffering to joy is simply a matter of redirecting our attention to what's already here. 

#gratitude

🧸Solitude is saying "I Matter", no announcement, no witnesses, just facts

Solitude is a tender decision.

A sacred gift wrapped in a "Do not disturb" setting.

Not loneliness. Not withdrawal.

More like... slipping out of the room to hang out with your favourite person, yourself.

It has nothing to do with the outside world (it still turns).

What matters is coming back to yourself before you forget again - life is loud, and it sure knows how to influence you.

Solitude is where:

The nervous system finally unclenches.

The inner commentator drops the mic.

Wanting more clocks off, and listening finally shows up on time.

It's a conscious choice to treat yourself with tenderness.

To move at your own chosen rhythm - without urgency, productivity, or deadlines.

A friendly reminder:

You don't need permission to rest, reflect, or realign.

No approval stamp required.

No guilt surcharge attached.

Solitude isn't absence.

It's presence, with better boundaries and fewer unwanted opinions.

A sacred gift you give yourself, again and again.

Because it works.

Weekend forecast:

Quiet. 
Clarity. 
Inner sunshine. 

High chance of doing absolutely nothing and calling it wisdom.

When was the last time you chose solitude without feeling guilty about it?

The world won't fall apart if you take time to be with yourself. But you might fall apart if you never do. 

Choose your sacred space wisely this weekend. 🧸

#solitude

🍃 No two leaves are ever the same , so why do we demand everyone think exactly like us?

No two leaves share identical shape, color, or intricate detail.

If nature embraces uniqueness so effortlessly, why do we demand that others accept our opinions without disagreement?

We are beautifully different , each of us moves through life with our own history, perspective, and understanding.

Even twins may look identical, but they will never relate to the world in exactly the same way.

Every soul is crafted to bloom in its own perfect timing - never meant to be confined or forced.

Someone once asked me: Why do people argue, even when they love one another?

Parents and children, lovers, close friends, it happens everywhere.

Often, it's because we believe we know better. We assume our words and actions are "for their own good."

We expect the less experienced person to accept our intentions without questioning, because we meant well.

Parents expect obedience.

Lovers think, if you love me, you should understand me.

Friends insist, I see what you can't - trust me.

I've lived through these exhausting cycles many times. Eventually, I learned a gentler way.

I simply say: “Thank you - I hear you."

Then I step away and give myself time to reflect.

No one has to be right or wrong. Their care is genuine - but that doesn't mean we must obey, abandon our intuition, or stop learning through our own choices.

If things work out, wonderful.

If they don't, it becomes a lesson - and life goes on. The sun rises again, and we still have another day to try our best.

It's not worth arguing endlessly with people who believe they're always right.

We can still appreciate their intentions, because caring - even imperfectly - is the best they knew how to give.

So we respond with humility and kindness: “Thank you. Stand beside me, and let me learn and grow in my own time."


Sometimes the most loving thing we can say is simply, "I hear you - and I trust myself too." 🌿

Maybe you already know what truly matters to you - you just need a little support as you step forward and own it.

I’m here if you’d like someone to walk beside you. Every Friday at 11 AM AEDT, I offer a 20-minute support session (USD $33) - a calm space to clear your mind, reconnect, and trust yourself again.

#coaching

Image credit: Olga Deeva, Unsplash

You Choose How Far You’re Ready to Travel 👣

Sometimes growth doesn’t arrive slowly - it happens in a quiet instant. It begins the moment you choose to stop clinging to the past, no longer wishin

Open article: You Choose How Far You’re Ready to Travel by Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach • 2 min read

You Choose How Far You’re Ready to Travel

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The Battle

Gunnar Habitz

Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

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The Battle

Gunnar Habitz

Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Gunnar Habitz's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreEleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreGunnar Habitz's LinkedIn Performance