Simple ideas, shared with heart, to help you create a shinier,
sparklier, more streamlined life-style and work-life.
Welcome. I’m Ellen Bard.
I’m a work psychologist, writer and digital nomad and this website will help you shine a little brighter in your work and life.
Why are you here?
You either love personal development already, or you have a sneaking suspicion you should, but don’t know where to start. You want to grow, expand, shine. You want your work, your relationships, your life to be incandescent, lighting up you and everyone around you. But you have too much respect for yourself to read colourless, passionless, lifeless prose from someone you’re pretty sure would bore you at a party. Or bore you in the library (we cater to extroverts and introverts here :-) ).
Development with soul? Sure.
Growth with luminosity? Definitely.
Evolution with radiance? Well hello.
Ellen is one of the most inspirational people I know and has a big place in my heart. As my manager, Ellen took the time to totally understand me as a whole person, not just how to manage me day to day. She knew what made me smile, squirm and run a mile. Then she used her encouraging and enabling style to show me how to believe in myself and strive to become the best that I can be. I’m so excited that Ellen is now living her dream, which will make a huge difference to so many people’s lives, just as she has done for me.
SARAH GIORDANO | PSYCHOLOGIST & MUM, UK
What will you find here?
I offer digital courses, insightful articles, and free resources based on my experience as a psychologist and business consultant and experiences as a global traveller, personal development crusader, and heroine of my own adventure story.
Why am I here?
I believe we all have the power to grow, develop and shine, but that a great deal of personal and professional development is either dry or distant from real life, or not based on anything tangible. Worse, some of the amazing ideas that are out there never reach most people, who don’t have hours to pour through all the books, articles and other media that’s produced every day on personal development (‘personal development’ as a search term in Google = 783,000,000 hits…).
So I’m on a mission to bring practical, useful and fun development suggestions and personal improvement ideas to those who are long on interest and short on time. 13 years of working in a People Consultancy in London, supporting organisations with issues including development, training, assessment, recruitment and coaching have given me the experience and the passion to bring you stuff that really works.
I also *love* the topic of productivity, and my own practical explorations of the life of a ‘Digital Nomad’ (I’ve been living and working flexibly in Thailand for the last 18 months) have opened my eyes and mind to many different ways, modern ways, new ways, of working.
Being a digital nomad has enabled me to enter a community for whom the 9-5 is a thing of the past. But this website isn’t a place for those looking for a ‘how to leave your job’. Rather, I’ll share with you aspects, tips or ideas from the digital nomad life-style – or other work-life styles – that you could adapt and bring into your own life. Why should they have all the fun?!
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If anyone can help you transform your life it’s Ellen Bard!!! Ellen has an insightful, practical, calm and positive approach to changing behaviour to achieve a sustainable and fulfilling personal and professional life. This has been of enormous benefit to those of us who have had the luxury of her guidance as an inspiring manager, colleague, friend, psychologist, yoga guru and mentor. Now we get to have even more of it on her wonderful and inspiring website!
RACHEL DOOGUE | BEHAVIOURAL ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST, IRELAND
My work = my passion
My favourite guest post opportunities have been at Tiny Buddha, where I’ve written about kindness, and living a life without regret. My favourite, as well as the most nerve-wracking, PR was live national radio on Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4. I’ve also been featured in articles in the Financial Times. I’ve published papers and spoken on topics including values in the workplace, employee engagement, many aspects of recruitment and psychometric testing, generation Y and employer branding. Most of which was a lot more interesting than it sounds. Some of it wasn’t though.
I’ve worked with individuals at all levels supporting them on their development journey, as well as managing my own team and heading up the development activities of my function and the 35 consultants within it. I got to try out a lot of cool activities internally as well as with clients, gaining feedback like this:
“Ellen’s passion for her work has been infectious and has helped her to energise
teams and drive some of the company’s best work and innovations.”
“Ellen has a great capacity to develop skills and foster learning. I would highly recommend her.”
“Her professionalism and determination sets an example to those around her. As a manager she been a great advocate, strong challenger and support to me.”
“As a manager she is excellent at practising what she preaches in terms of employee motivation, engagement and development.”
“Ellen is a fantastic manager. She is able to balance providing support to her team members, and challenging us to improve and develop by encouraging us to work on different projects, and take on more responsibility. She is also very good at developing us.”
In the twenty years that I’ve known Ellen, she has been and continues to be a constant source of wisdom, inspiration and support. Ellen has a unique ability to get to the heart of any problem, and this, combined with her empathy and warmth, always helps to find the best solution. She is one of the first people I turn to if I have a difficult decision to make because I know that she’ll meet my dilemma with an effortless blend of practicality, understanding and love.
CAROLINE LEON | LIFE IS LIMITLESS & LOVECOURAGE, UK/THAILAND
What I bring to the party (or library!)
13 years in management consulting (clients including Marks and Spencer, Vodafone, the John Lewis Partnership, Barclays Bank and Diageo)
I’m a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
Ninja superpowers; Speed(y) reading (164 books last year, look me up on Goodreads); paranormal romance author (really); bendy yoga (in Thailand I spend half my time in a yoga school on one of the islands); travel writer; productivity and organisation fan (Getting Things Done anyone?).
Cultural and life experience – I’ve worked as a consultant in SE Asia (including China, Singapore and Thailand), Europe and the Middle East, I’ve lived in 6 countries and travelled to many more. And I’m writing this from a hammock.
Ellen is a remarkably generous spirit, with such a beautiful perspective on work and life. Her ideas are magic little ingredients that not only help to hold all her wonderful creations together, but also serve as the icing on the top. Whether it has been as a colleague, a manager, or a friend, Ellen has shared with me her warmth and passion without reservation. Her ideas have had such an important impact on my personal and professional life, I don’t know where I’d be without them.
HELEN BLACKIE | BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGIST, UK
A quick recap
Kismet interfered with the work-life-style I had planned, and I have been brought to a completely unexpected place.
To a life that has me at the centre. Where I can explore who I am, what I am, and what brings me joy.
A life that has involved fun, friends, travel, writing, a yoga school, learning to drive a scooter and work in China, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, Paris and the UK.
A life that has enabled me to start two blogs, writing over 100 posts, which have led to the creation of this blog, where I can share with you both my experience professionally and personally. Where I can share stories and connect my heart and brain in a way I haven’t been able to do in business before.
In the last couple of years, people have called me inspiring, stepping out into the abyss without a safety net.
I know I’m as scared as the next person (sometimes more).
But my philosophy is to understand what’s important to yourself, create a life around those values, and then start putting one foot in front of the other to get there.
If you would like to make the journey with me, I’d love you to join me.
Sign up below, and as well as a gorgeous free guide ‘101 Ideas to Resource your Brain’, you’ll receive weekly-ish emails with insightful advice, and be the first to hear about my digital courses as they’re launched. And don’t worry – I hate spam as much as you do, and will keep your data firmly to myself!
See you there!
Take care,
Ellen x
PS – Want to know more about me? Read the post about how it all started: How a Tangle with a Bulgarian Juggernaut on a Snowy Motorway Changed my Life
Ellen radiates true beauty and brilliant kindness. I have been genuinely inspired by her loving and practical words of wisdom. She motivates me to follow the sparkles of my heart! I’m so grateful for Ellen’s presence and support in my life.
TIRZAH SHIYA | YOGA INSTRUCTOR & MASSAGE THERAPIST, USA
Photographs of Ellen Bard by Mosuno Media
