ARE you fed up? Stressed? Anxious? Unhappy? Do you want to change your life but do not know how to do so?

In celebration of International Women’s Day, as part of York International Women’s Festival, transformational life coach Andrea Morrison will run an intimate seminar for women seeking to make that change now at the Grand Opera House, York, on March 3.

Andrea, the author of the slim volume Feel Good Factor In 30 Days, will "share with you her essential understandings to enable you to change your life, leaving you knowing how you can experience easily, and more often, happiness, calmness, confidence, motivation, positivity, resilience, energy and so much more".

"Maybe there are things you want to do, but don't have the confidence to do, or are worried it won't work out right, or maybe you're just fed up and need a new way to do things; spring is always a good time to do that," says the former barrister, who is also a clinical hypnotherapist and Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioner.

Andrea works from home in Upper Poppleton, York, with a consultancy room there, coupled with the wonders of video platforming that allow her to work with anyone. "The way I work is very informal; I'd like to think I'm very approachable; my clients are put at ease and feel comfortable, and I feel privileged to be able to work at home, where the atmosphere is relaxed."

Those clients come from all walks of life. "I work predominantly with women, though not exclusively so, because women are more aware of life-coaching, and I've worked with people in high-powered jobs, executives, lawyers, accountants..."

Andrea was a barrister for nearly ten years at the former York Chambers (now Dere Street Barristers), specialising in employment law. Married to Paul Morrison, who works for City of York Council, she had three children in three years, having initially been told she could not have any, but the work/life balance was proving problematic.

"I was working ridiculous hours, working around the country, and like many women that I work with now, you feel you have to be the perfect mother but you also worry that you should be concentrating on your work," she says. "I was thinking how I might not be good enough, with the voices of my teachers in my head, despite working at 150 per cent."

York Press:

The stresses of the working life

Andrea became run down, stressed out, and in November 2008 she suffered pneumonia and had a chest infection through the winter but still went back to work.

"My first panic attack came in the summer," she says matter-of-factly. "At that point, I knew I had to make a decision and took a sabbatical." She took up teaching undergrad students in the law department at the University of York, "but in the summer of 2010 I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue, which shows that changing your outside doesn't change your inside, and that's what needs to change. Physically I had to get better but also I had to change my mindset."

Andrea duly studied clinical hypnotherapy, NLP and complementary medicine in Sheffield and read "tons of self-help books". By 2014, by now recovered from chronic fatigue, she self-published her book Feel Good Factor In 30 Days, seeing it rise to number one in the stress and self-help book charts. "That opened so many doors for me," she says. "I was passionate about wanting to help people who'd experienced the same things as me, so I started writing a Thursday column in the Yorkshire Post, and that then opened my eyes to the idea of becoming a life coach."

Andrea trained in Glasgow with Ali Campbell, one of the world's leading NLP and hypnotherapy coaches. "That changed everything. I became his apprentice for six months, with very intensive training," she recalls.

In 2015, she set up her life coach practice. "What I'll say to everyone who comes to Change Your Life is that everyone is on a journey of personal development, just like I've been on," says Andrea. "The seminar will be jam-packed full of content to change their view of the world to be more positive, put them at ease, enable them to have more energy and have a joy for life.

"I firmly believe that we can each be our best coach. I'd rather teach people what I know so they can do it for themselves, which is what this seminar is all about. We only have three hours, but the key points will make you go, 'oh my goodness, I get this'. We can train our brain to look for opportunities to improve things, and that's what I'll be sharing in the session."

Meanwhile, Andrea is working on a new book, so watch this space for more positive news.

Andrea Morrison presents the Change Your Life seminar, Grand Opera House Seminar Room, York, March 3, 10am to 1pm. Coffee, tea and biscuits served from 30 minutes before the start. Please note: women delegates only, aged 18 plus. Tickets: £35 on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york

York Press:

Andrea Morrison: tips on how to change your life

Andrea Morrison's Life FYT programme

1. F for Foundation

"Our mindset; how we create stories, how we create the world we see and how we can change the world from understanding stories more and telling ourselves a different story," says Andrea

2. Y for relationship with Yourself

"This is how you view yourself, talk to yourself, what you think of yourself and what you really are - and how that has an impact on your relationship with other people," says Andrea.

3. T for Transformation

"Pulling all that together, how do we put that into real life? How do we transform our relationships with ourselves and others? How do we cope when life goes wrong? How do we build up resilience?" says Andrea. 

Transformation awaits.