Competition Winner Becomes a UK First!

 

When Holistic Therapist Magazine randomly picked a winner from their autumn 2014 competition, little did they know they were about to create a piece of history.

For the winner, professional massage therapist Trevor Frost of Corpus et Animus in Hertfordshire, was about to become the first male practitioner of the unique Face The World choreographed facial massage.

Trevor successfully attended the next training day in his region, held in the Holistic Training Courses centre in Hatfield on 12th Carolynn Binnie, Claire Wild and Kirsti Johns to literally get to grips with the patented facial “routine.” The Face The World holistic facial incorporates music therapy, aromatherapy, massage techniques and natural, ethical products – taking clients on a memorable virtual journey around the world.

The advanced one day course, aimed at professional therapists, covered all aspects of a facial from cleansing the skin to acu-pressure of the facial meridian points. Some mini Thai Foot, Tibetan Hand/Arm and Indian Head massage techniques were also taught for during the Ocean Rain Mask stage. To round off the experience, a sachet of overnight serum is given to the client to take home.

January. He joined fellow students, Trevor says of his win “Thank you for a super course yesterday. I really enjoyed learning some new skills, and also being able to use some of my current skills in a different way. The whole package is excellent and the music enhances the treatment so much more.”

To find out more about the facial, visit http://www.face-the-world.co.uk – or call Liz on 0845 544155 (liz@face-the-world.co.uk) for the latest offers and training dates.

In the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border region? You can book your multi-sensory Face The World Facial with Trevor by contacting him at info@corpustherapies.co.uk or on 07428 590511.

Froothie Optimum 9400 Blender Review

There was much excitement in the house when the news that a new, powerful blender would be arriving imminently. My 14 year old daughter couldn’t wait to try her hand at soup, smoothie and sorbet making! So, when it arrived we were all keen to have a play… and it didn’t disappoint.

 

I’ve had an interest in ‘clean’ eating for a few years now and 2014 saw that interest become more of an obsession! I’ve done a 21 day raw vegan cleanse, various 3 day juice detoxes and have a juice or smoothie most days. The Optimum 9400 out-strips any blender I have tried before as it is both hugely powerful and also seriously easy to clean – and I love the lightweight jug. Plus, an extra bonus is that it is quieter than some of the cheaper options.

My first blender was a cheapy £20 one that I soon realised was not up to the job as it did not crush ice and really didn’t have the grunt to make smoothies actually smooth… there was no point even trying making anything thicker in it. My next blender was the Duronic BL1200 and it has done a reasonable job over the past 12 months; it crushes ice, is OK with frozen fruit and I have made a few raw cheesecakes with it too, though without a plunger it was a bit fiddly. I did have a couple of issues with it which required new parts. I can’t fault the Duronic customer services though, they have been speedy and helpful. So I would say it’s a good one to get if you’re just dipping your toe in the water.

The Optimum 9400 though is for you if you’re serious about incorporating more healthy food into your diet – it is awesome at everything: smoothies, soups, desserts, salad dressings, dips… anything you want to make that is unprocessed, good for you and of course delicious! 

Other, cheaper blenders will tide you over but you need something more capable to last the distance and take you to the next level when it comes to being able to experiment with more recipes and really up your raw/veg/fruit experience.

My daughter and I have had lots of fun experimenting with recipes and this is just the beginning. I have a list of smoothies, soups and more that I want to try out that will take me months to get through. There is such an abundance of fabulous recipes available both in the supplied recipe book and online that you really are spoilt for choice as to what to try next!

Speaking of the recipe book, you do get one supplied in the box and it gives a lovely range of recipes that will get you started with your blender. So, if you’re completely new to blending then you will have something to get you started. We’re working our way through them all! 

Rather brilliantly, you also get a nut milk bag in the box – which means you can immediately make your own nut milks, which are super easy to do and of course much healthier than any you could buy in the shops. 

I am delighted with the Optimum 9400 – it’s a wonderful blender that opens up new possibilities for healthy eating. I would recommend it to you highly. In fact I now have a growing number of friends who own them and they are all ridiculously in love with their blenders! haha – if you want a blender that will last and enable you to do anything you could possibly want to do with a blender then try the Optimum 9400. You won’t be disappointed! 

Things we’ve made so far:

This amazing ‘Cherry Berry Pie Recipe‘ from Jo Balfe at the Nectar Cafe: http://thenectarcafe.co.uk/cherryberry-pie/

Which came out like this (not as beautiful as Jo’s but delicious non-the-less!):

Mango Sorbet – we made it simply with ice and mango pulp but will be trying these 3 Sorbet Recipes: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/1003505/3-easy-sorbets-made-in-the-blender

We also have been having a go at hot soup (yes you literally just add veg and then let the blender heat it up – magic!!)

I’ve also used the Optimum 9400 to make passata and other sauces that I’ve mixed in with say mince or lentils to create a thick, tasty sauces without the need for flour or other thickeners.

[Sneaky parent tip] if you have children you can blend up all sorts of great veggies and add them to say a bolognaise or cottage pie and they are non-the-wiser! A brilliant way to get more veg into their diets. Also, most children love smoothies and even more so if they can make them – I have seen my daughter easting far more healthily since we started blending and she loves any excuse to have a go with it and make something. It’s also encouraged her to try LOTS of things she wouldn’t ordinarily try, which is fantastic.

What do you get?

• The base unit
• A BPA free lightweight plastic jug with ‘plunger’ lid
• Nut milk bag
• Recipe book
• Spatula

The Specs:

– Powerful Industrial High Speed 3 Horse Power motor – The Most Powerful motor for any blender
– Incredible speed of 44,000 rpm, able to freeze ice cream and heat soups
– Variable Dial- 9 Speed Control Settings
– Heat-Resistant BPA FREE 2L Jug – Wet & Dry Applications
– Approved by FDA, UL and the European Commission for Food Safety
– High quality tamper tool
– State of the art Two in One Stainless Steel blade cutting assembly – Crushes ice, nuts and fruits in seconds
– Built-in sensor to detect over-usage; prolonging life of blender
– Green Energy Consumption: Proprietary carbon brush motor only draws the power demanded

Some recipe ideas from Froothie:

See lots more Froothie Optimum 9400 blender recipes on their YouTube Channel

Where Can I Buy?

Click here to check out or order your own OPTIMUM 9400 – Not Just a Blender!

Further reading…

If you’d like to connect with other food folk that are interested in healthy eating, juicing, smoothies and more then head over to my Raw, Juicy, Foody, Smoothie Folk Facebook group. You’ll find recipes, ideas and a whole load of helpful, motivating and positive people in there.

A few of my favourite healthy food websites where you can find more tips, recipes and info:

• Jason Vale JuiceMaster
• Young and Raw
• Mother Natures Diet

Interested in Juicing?

Froothie also do an awesome juicer: The Optimum 600

What’s the difference between a juice and smoothies?

More recipes:

• One of my favourite raw berry cheesecake recipes
• 3 Sorbet Recipes

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE OPTIMUM 9400

Making The Most Of The Knowledgebase

I was talking to one of our members the other day and I mentioned the Knowledgebase and they’d never taken the time to actually go and take a look, so I thought it worthy of an email to you this morning.

I know that most ‘directories’ are exactly that, a place for you to be listed as a promotional tool… but here at The Holistic Directory we like to do things a little differently!

You see, we appreciate that many of our members don’t have a strong understanding (and often inclination) when it comes to marketing their business, and we want to help.

That’s why we set up the Knowledgebase.

The Knowledgebase is just that – an area where you can expand your knowledge on a growing number of subjects:

• Branding
• Business Advice
• Human Resources (HR)
• Legal
• Marketing
• Membership
• Money Matters & Accounting
• Networks & Networking
• Q&As With The Experts
• Resources & Downloads
• Social Media
• Therapist News
• Work Life Balance

For example, in our ‘Q&As With The Experts’ area you’ll find these videos:

• Google+ with Jenny Braithwaite
• Marketing for holistic start ups with Nial Adams
• Marketing with no budget for holistic businesses with Nial Adams
• Preparing For and Promoting Event Opportunities with Nial Adams
• SEO with Kris Harris
• Direct Mailing with Graham Arrowsmith

Each is up to 90 mins long and you’ll hear our experts answering questions that are from and relevant to our holistic business members (and there’s more coming soon!).

I urge you to take some time to explore what there is on offer here for you. I can guarantee that you will learn useful things that will really help you with your business and your marketing.

So how can you find this treasure trove of information?

Log in here: https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk/account

and then visit: https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk/support

(Not a member yet? Find out more here: https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk/advertise or get in touch and we’d love to help you) 🙂

If you have any questions please email them to support@theholisticdirectory.co.uk 

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy this amazing (and at times bizarre!) weather we’re having and I’ll send you another update soon.

Blessings
Sophie
x

P.S. Did you know that we have a YouTube Channel where we promote our members through our interviews and that you can be interviewed by me all as part of your membership? Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCLVtr0Fq0RLTOYbIcfmGBA

Why Articles Help Boost Your Business

You’ve heard us say it loads of times; “You can add articles as part of your membership and it will help make your business more visible”, but does it really make a difference!?

I’ve got an example for you from one of our members who has recently renewed. We were looking at their stats you see and we found that in their first year with us they received around 300 views of their business listing (and we’ll go into how you can make sure those views turn into clients in another article!) – not world shattering perhaps, but good visibility non-the-less.

But here is where it gets interesting…

You see, they didn’t just have a business listing, they also have been proactive in adding articles to the website too and this is the difference it’s made:

 During the 12 months of being with us, they posted 15 articles, just over one a month, and those articles have been seen just under 6,000 times!! Now, i’m sure you’ll agree, that is quite a big jump in the level of visibility for the business and well worth the effort getting them written and shared.

As you’ll know, at the base of every article is a link to the authors business listing and also their website so not only do you help people with your informative writing, you also enable them to build trust with you and your business and then they are easily able to contact you to find out more (again another article about writing an effective bio to follow!).

So, if you’re not already posting articles on The Holistic Directory then I urge you to consider doing so.

As you can see, even sharing one a month can have a dramatic effect on how much exposure your business gets, not only on the Directory website but also online in general. And we’ve not even mentioned the extra exposure you can get by adding offers and events!

If you’d like help with ideas on what to write or you’ve got the articles but either struggle to or don’t have time to get them added to the website then please send them to us and we will be happy to help!

You can contact us at support@theholisticdirectory.co.uk Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing lots of lovely articles from you soon 🙂

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 Written by Sophie Jewry of The Holistic Directory

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 P.S. If you’re not a member yet and you’d like to get in on the action then check out our great value memberships online here: https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk/advertise/elite-membership

Mind Body Spirit London, May 2014 Review

Back by popular demand and in all it’s glory, this years MBS festival did not disappoint.

There really is something for everyone at these events so whether you are fresh on your spiritual path or completely embedded and own every Hay House and Watkins book ever published you will feel right at home.

After doing my usual lap of the hall to become familiar with my surroundings and begin to take it all in I was able to experience some Free Hugs being warmly distributed by the MBS team. Pretty good way to start the day it seemed and I began to settle in nicely.

I Decided to start off nurturing my body with some scrummy raw goodness from the guys at InSpiral, re-fueling with a Pina Colada Juice, Raw Pizza, Salad and topped off with a raw mint choc chip ice cream, Divine!! {Editors note: too jealous! Sophie}

Whilst enjoying my food I was entertained by the very wonderful Ruby Wax as she talked passionately with host Tim Wheaton about  mindfulness and how we can all be responsible for where we are at with our own thoughts and learn to self regulate these  “become the master and not the slave of your mind”. Ruby was fascinating, razor sharp and totally inspiring.

Although I did not manage to see Ruby at her full two hour workshop I did purchase her book Sane New World, I am looking forward to more of her deadpan humour which seems to work wonders for me.

As it seems so easy to loose track of time at the event my top tip for future MBS goers is to follow the line up of speakers on the website and book onto the ones you absolutely do not want to miss, there will always be others you are guided to over the course of the event. Best to not be disappointed though as we have another year to wait for the next London one.

I was thrilled to meet up with so many fabulous exhibitors in particular MBS regular Clare G Harvey from Flowersense and author of her new and updated – The New Encyclopedia of Flower Remedies, this lady is so connected to plants and how they can help us it is incredible. The aromas were so uplifting I could have been on their stall all day.

I was able to hear the story behind the girls new start up “Angel Feet” who are certainly worth checking out.

I finished up my time at the show by enjoying the Kindred Spirit Holistic Business Awards, presented by the lovely Robert Holden and team, it was a great way to end my day at the event and witness just how many fantastic business’s there are in this arena now and how many people are thriving and flourishing because of it.

Thank you MBS for another spectacular event we look forward to seeing you next year for your come back to your home ground at Olympia.

Find out more about Mind Body Spirit here:
https://www.mindbodyspirit.co.uk/london

And maybe we’ll see you next year?

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Article by Ruby Brown of The Holistic Directory and Tribal Wave SUP

Images by Tangle Photography – see the full MBS gallery here: http://www.tanglephotography.co.uk/mind_spirit

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Making The Most of The Holistic Directory (And Other Promotions!)

I was just checking out one of our members stats and it got me thinking about how people use directories and what their expectations are. So I thought I’d write this article…

In 7 months:
Their business listing received 243 visits
The 1 article that they have online received 120 views
They had also posted a couple of offers and events that would have each had roughly the same views as the article so we’ll round those up to 200

So in the 7 months they received an average of 80 ‘touches’ a month for their £10 a month membership (or less if they had taken an annual or lifetime option). Consider that to Google Adwords, Facebook Advertising etc that sometimes generates no actual clicks to your page and will cost upwards of £1 per day (ie 3 times the price of HD membership)! And the fact that the directory part is only a small piece of the Holistic Directory’s offering (download our Membership Prospectus here).

Now, this is just the tip of the iceberg as these 80 touches are not guaranteed clients but they are people who have an interest in the business and the article subject and have been interested enough to click to view it.

From here it is in the hands of the business listing to entice the visitor to take action and get in touch and I’d like to share with you some examples of how you can

1) Increase the likelihood of people taking action
2) Increase the number of potential touches for your business

So, let’s get straight into it…

1 – How can you get people who land on your business listing to take action?

No different to a promotional postcard, leaflet, brochure or even website, your listing is your platform to entice the visitors to take action – i.e. contact you!

Just because people are landing on your page, doesn’t mean that they are going to do anything about it… unless you give them a reason to.

Think about the reasons why someone might be on your page:

• They may have an interest in the subject
• They may be wanting to find out more about you
• They may be looking for a solution to a problem they have
• They may have got there by mistake

So you can guarantee that not everyone that lands on your page is ready to buy now. But you can also guarantee that there will be a proportion of visitors that ARE ready to buy and they’re looking for a good reason to do it now AND WITH YOU, not your competitor.

1) Does the copy on your listing give them a good reason to buy from you and not your competitor?

2) Does the copy on your listing give them a good reason to buy NOW rather than do nothing and put it off until later?

3) Do you have a special offer that entices them to take action NOW?

4) Do you have a clear Call To Action telling your visitors what you want them to do next?

If you are not answering a resounding yes to all of the above then, bluntly, you are doing yourself a disservice and pretty much giving away your potential clients to your competitors.

If, as a visitor to your page, I can see no reason to act now and I have to think about how I might get in touch with you, then I am having to think too much. In order for me to take the first step of getting in touch with you, downloading a free gift – whatever – I want it to be effortless.

This is of course just a small part of what you can do to boost your response rate from your promotions but if you do nothing else but address the above 4 key points then you will see an increase in the number of referrals you get from anywhere you promote your business.

2 – How can you increase the number of touches for your business?

We’ve designed the directory and the membership to give you the maximum opportunity to get in front of potential customers by enabling you to add:

Business listing
Articles
Event listings
Special Offers

Each of these interlink between each other so that it is as easy as possible for an interested party to get from one of your items to your business listing (and back again) as possible.

How can you increase your chances of being seen?

Simply by being more active!

If you take the article as an example, there were 120 views over a 7 month period. If there had been at least one article added per month then you are boosting that to 840. Add into that offers and events and soon your numbers begin to grow.

If you’re even more savvy and you write articles that you know will get more people clicking then you increase your view rate even further.

So, as with many things in life, the more you put in, the more you get back. The more articles, offers and events you add, the more you get seen.

Plus, even better than that! The more you post, the more you are seen as a credible expert in your area of expertise. People are looking more and more for businesses that can help them specifically and the more you can demonstrate this, the faster you will build trust and rapport with your readers.

In Summary…

Think about the customer experience. What do you like to see from people you are thinking about buying from? Think about what your Ideal Customers would like to see you doing and DO IT!

Active blogging and promotion increases both your visibility and your credibility and builds trust with potential clients while you’re sleeping. It also gives your SEO a boost too.

Carefully crafted business listings will increase the amount of referrals you get.

After all, what is the point of just splattering an un-dynamic, unimaginative, not particularly thought-out message everywhere? I’m sure you’ll agree that a well worded, targeted, easy to read and understand message is far more attractive and likely to get you to take action.

I haven’t even touched on using specific web links and tracking numbers to be able to track where your leads are coming from and I’m guessing you don’t know 100% where all your contacts come from either. That’s content for another article later! 😉

If this has got you thinking that you’d like to make some changes but you have no idea where to start, get in touch with us at support@theholisticdirectory.co.uk and we’ll be delighted to help you.

———————-

Article by Sophie Jewry
of The Holistic Directory and Brand Kitchen

N.B. We haven’t included the stats for any events or offers in this example but they will also have received views similar to that of the article.

Theresa Maddison And Sophie Jewry Discuss Workshops For Personal Healing And Development

Just because you have an interest in holistic treatments and therapies doesn’t mean you have to train to be a practitioner. Many people enjoy deepening their own connection with self, expanding their awareness, increasing their understanding of what is available and how it can be used in self healing and also in healing of loved ones.

There are a number of workshops available that give you that step into deeper understanding – where you can find out more about the subject you want and then use it on yourself and your friends and family.

Theresa offers introductory workshops for:

Massage | Reflexology | Reiki | Angel Healing | Crystal Healing | Working With Crystals | Angel Card Reading

So you can learn new skills and also discover, if you’re considering training but aren’t quite sure what to do, what is a good fit for you.

Want to find out more?

Connect With Theresa Maddison:

Light Up Your Soul Therapies and Training who offer accredited Training courses in Holistic therapies and Beauty and bespoke well being, stress management & Healing therapies. Theresa also specialises in Crystal & Colour and Angel/Reiki healing.

http://www.lightupyoursoultherapiesandtraining.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/lightupyoursoultraining
http://www.holistictrainingcourses.co.uk

Connect with The Holistic Directory:

The Holistic Directory is an online resource for health and wellness and also a hub for business and marketing support for holistic professionals. We’re building a supportive community – come and join us!

https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/theholisticdirectory

An Interview With Theresa Maddison of Light Up Your Soul and Sophie Jewry of The Holistic Directory

Join us as we learn more about Theresa’s experience in the holistic world and find out about her vast knowledge in so many different subjects.

We talk about Reiki, crystal and angel healing; the many benefits, how the therapies work, why they are so closely linked and lots more.

We also discussed Face The World’s amazing ‘holistic’ facials and other treatments.

Theresa really is a mine of information when it comes to holistic health and wellness.

Want to find out more?

Connect With Theresa Maddison:

Light Up Your Soul Therapies and Training who offer accredited Training courses in Holistic therapies and Beauty and bespoke well being, stress management & Healing therapies. Theresa also specialises in Crystal & Colour and Angel/Reiki healing.

http://www.lightupyoursoultherapiesandtraining.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/lightupyoursoultraining
http://www.holistictrainingcourses.co.uk

Connect with The Holistic Directory:

The Holistic Directory is an online resource for health and wellness and also a hub for business and marketing support for holistic professionals. We’re building a supportive community – come and join us!

https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/theholisticdirectory

Laura Topper and Sophie Jewry Talk Curbing Confidence Crisis and Empowering Practitioners

Well, after our interview (which you can watch here), we got chatting about how some holistic professionals can feel a bit lonely, working by themselves and how it’s a common issue for therapists and practitioners to feel undervalued, under confident and unsure out what to charge for their services.

And we want to help change this!

So we thought we’d video our thoughts on the matter.

This is a 20 minute video of Laura and Sophie talking through ideas and issues around being a holistic professional and also discussion solutions and tips for dealing with overwhelm and empowering you to feel more positive and attract more of the things you want in your life and your work.

We’d love to hear your thoughts so do comment below or get in touch.

Connect With Laura:

New Thought Singer Songwriter : Metaphysical Mentor
Devoted Labyrinth Walker: Inspirational Speaker Campaigner

http://www.lauratopper.com
https://www.facebook.com/lauratoppernow

Connect with The Holistic Directory:

The Holistic Directory is an online resource for health and wellness and also a hub for business and marketing support for holistic professionals. We’re building a supportive community – come and join us!

https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/theholisticdirectory

Interview with Laura Topper by Sophie Jewry of The Holistic Directory

Join us as we discover more about the world of Laura Topper; New Thought Singer Songwriter, Metaphysical Mentor, Devoted Labyrinth Walker and Inspirational Speaker Campaigner!

We discuss how Laura discovered her passion for the holistic world, about her workshops, designed to empower you to really connect with your true self on a deep level and enrich your life.

We speak about prayer, meditations, connection and living in a positive energy to attract positivity and prosperity.

We find out about Laura’s passion for music and how she has used her voice to create a series of songs that can be listened to as part of mediation.

Also about the magic and symbolism of labyrinths and how wonderful they are as a meditative tool to discover your inner voice.

We end with a wonderful Top Tip from Laura about connecting with the power within us.

We’d love to hear your thoughts so do comment below or get in touch.

Connect With Laura Topper:

New Thought Singer Songwriter : Metaphysical Mentor
Devoted Labyrinth Walker: Inspirational Speaker Campaigner

http://www.lauratopper.com
https://www.facebook.com/lauratoppernow

Connect with The Holistic Directory:

The Holistic Directory is an online resource for health and wellness and also a hub for business and marketing support for holistic professionals. We’re building a supportive community – come and join us!

https://www.theholisticdirectory.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/theholisticdirectory