Wonder Woman Wednesday - Charlotte Watts
Meet our Wednesday Wonder Woman, Charlotte Watts. Charlotte is a Yoga teacher, nutritional therapist and author. Charlotte's new book, The De-Stress Effect is availble for pre-order now.
When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I had absolutely no idea! I was not at all happy being a child, so simply being happy was all I could dream about…. I’m afraid I had no energy to think ahead, just getting through a day was hard enough.
What do you do now? For work? For fun?
Years later I’m a yoga teacher, nutritional therapist and author and it’s all taking up a bit too much time. Having a new book out has a certain responsibility to feeling you’re doing the most possible to get behind it and get out your message. I’m also a single parent (although my daughter Maisie’s Dad has her half of the time and is brilliant) so my non-working focus is time for fun and love with Maisie. I am suffering from not socializing enough at the moment, but then I am a natural introvert, so I can cope but can’t wait for the summer for hanging about in Brighton, where I live….lucky me! I do hang about in coffee shops with friends a lot…
How did you get into your area of expertise?
From the state I came into from childhood. I was ill and had a nervous breakdown in the last year, which was completely necessary and the foundation of where I am now and what I do. To get myself out of this, rebuild and feel better (I had chronic fatigue, depression, IBS, migraines etc after) and it was a combination of nutrition and yoga that moved me out of it.
What obstacles have you faced in following your dreams and how have you overcome them?
My obstacles were exactly the things that helped me find it! I had a lot of drive to both feel healthy and also find a passion, as I just did jobs to get by before, with very little satisfaction. I have a highly active brain – common in those highly sensitive to stress – so to have a direction for it to be engaged was fantastic for my sanity. I realized that as I understood more about my journey, that I could help others because I really know how it feels and how to overcome the very obstacles that keep us from feeling as well, happy and fulfilled as we can.
What’s the best part of what you do?
The freedom to work out my path. It has been my goal to find the best way to draw nutrition and yoga together and for natural health to not sit in little, separate boxes, but interweave in our lives in a really practical and enjoyable way. I think I’ve really started to get there with mindfulness and I’m lucky enough to get to explore and play around with students, clients and myself. It’s a constantly fascinating, enlightening and curious process; not just a job but really who I am…
What advice do you have for other women who might want to follow suit?
Find and do something you really love and that simply sparks your curiosity, interest and holds your attention naturally. The work doesn’t seem like work at all, although it also runs the risk of taking over your life – good boundaries are key!
What’s your morning routine? Keep it clean ;-)
I wish I had something risqué to not mention! On days I have my daughter, it’s being tickled awake and getting up earlier than I’d like. We get up early enough on a school day to eat in a leisurely fashion and take time to get out with least stress. Invariably there’s still the tough getting out the door part though.
On days I don’t have Maisie, I try to avoid having any work stuff scheduled in first thing, so I can really take my time to wake up, sit in bed with breakfast and Radio 4 and ease into it. I’m not a natural morning person, having had chronic fatigue and getting woken up abruptly half the time, I’m really careful to listen to what I need and have room to be slow. I don’t do my yoga practice in the morning as that doesn’t suit me; I used to feel conflicted about that, but have reconciled that now. Listening to what I need is where the real practice is.
3 things that are on your ‘to do’ list today?
Write several blogs, I let the ideas hang around a bit and then when I’m ready can just let them flow out. Having deadlines from the sites I write for helps, I need some fear, some ‘good stress’ to get it done.
Organise details for students who are coming on retreat with me in three weeks.
Have a nap as I’m teaching this evening and need to schedule in rest or I can tend to push through to achieve and wear myself out.
What are you working on at the moment? Next project?
It’s a bit all about the book coming out at the moment (March 2nd). Then I want to get the online programme I’ve been thinking about for a while, but I also need to actually give myself some rest time and not get too future-driven, which I tend to do. I have another book idea to pitch by the end of the year, but I do need to give attention to the Teaching Yoga for Stress, Burnout and Chronic Fatigue module at Yoga Campus I’m teaching with Leah Barnett and Fiona Agombar Oct 2015. We’ve written the content, but it’s a great opportunity to explore more of what I’m interested in, especially with those women who have different perspectives and knowledge from myself. I’m teaching more retreats in 2016 so just organizing those dates, so I can move my life more and more away from a computer…
One woman you admire and why?
Judith Lasater, the yoga teacher who wrote Living Your Yoga and What We Say Matters. I train with her every year when she’s over from the States and find being in her presence extremely calming, reassuring and life-affirming. She is funny and kind, with tremendous knowledge, humility and depth of practice and enquiry. She also has clear boundaries, not needing you to agree with her but definitely asking you to dig deeper.
Three wishes?
I’d like a benefactor to fund great dreams of making loads of yoga videos and a really whizzy online programme, where I can pay the people who really know what they’re doing to do what they do, rather than me tiring myself out and doing a lesser job!
More holidays…
That I was a morning person and leapt out of bed keen to do a yoga practice – even before Maisie woke up!
Who do you turn to for advice?
I’m pretty self-contained so no one day to day really, but I have realized the importance of paying people who are expert in their field, so I know have a ‘team’ of freelancers I turn to for web, online marketing, social media, design and business issues.
Who do you turn to for a shoulder to cry on?
A couple of close female friends, my Dad and my daughter’s Dad. I’m pretty self-contained so really need to keep communicating to others when I need help.
Favourite book?
Recently the IQ84 Trilogy by Murakami
Favourite movie?
Blade Runner
Favourite childhood game?
My Donkey Kong Nintendo – bit of a loner!
Fantasy career? Why?
Something hanging around on a beach-oriented; carefree, fulfilling and in nature.
Words for Monday motivation?
What’s the worst that can happen…
#FeelGoodFriday song?
As by Stevie Wonder
Favourite quote?
‘In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.’ - The Buddha
Thanks Charlotte!
x Louise
