MY INTERVIEW WITH ROXANNE BARKER (Update)

 

Weekly coaching group with Roxanne Barker Emotional Health Expert.

Want support? Feeling ‘stuck’ ?

Contact: roxanne@roxannebarker.com

 

 

 

My guest tonight  is a friend of many years who has accomplished more than most people could dream about in a lifetime and I’m still learning about her many accomplishments. She has run charity fashion shows for Monsoon and Top Shop, worked with Catherine Walker and “Kanga”, been trained to performance level as a ballet dancer, run her own Life Coaching and relationship building company with celebrities among her clients, and become a fully qualified Fearless Living Coach and EFT Practitioner. That’s a very long sentence... but then she has a very long CV.

Oh… and she has written a book!

Roxanne, many thanks for agreeing to tell us something about yourself and what has driven you to accomplish so much. I have to admit from the background research I’ve done, I really knew so little about you. I know you were born in South Africa , so when did you come to the UK ?

I came to England with my family at age 12. My father wanted to return home; he was born in north London . My grandparents left London just after  WW2 to find work. Many people around that time left for Canada , Australia or South Africa .  They sailed by ship from Southampton to Cape Town .  

So you've lived most of your life in the UK. You started learning ballet when you were very young and to a very high standard. Did you ever think of taking it up professionally?

Yes, I did think of taking it up professionally by auditioning for the Royal Ballet and was also offered a place at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. Alas, neither came to fruition. The Royal Ballet’s final comment was that my knees didn’t close firmly enough, there was a gap! My hopes were crushed when my parents decided they would rather send me to a standard school in Richmond , Surrey instead.  EFT and Fearless Living Coaching helped me release the disappointment I had held onto for many years. It is incredible how these emotions hang on in there.  

After school you went into recruitment. Was this your first job?

No, recruitment was my second career which came about because I wanted to leave the world of fashion and work in PR. So in order to find work in PR I had to traipse around London to all the recruitment agencies. I soon discovered that having a fast typing was a pre-requisite to get into PR. When I left school we had two choices, become a secretary or a wife. I refused to learn to speed-type, so I went on to do Art. There you have it - my recruitment job came about because I could not get a PR role without a secretarial background.    

Was that basis in PR how you get involved in charity Fashion Shows?

My Top Shop Manager encouraged us to dance/model in our own in-house shows. We would rehearse in all sorts of places dotted about in Kingston-upon-Thames until midnight most weeks. It was a stepping stone for me to go on to run my own Fashion Shows for the next few years raising money for a number of charities. Lady Dale Tryon ‘Kanga’ was my guest of honour at one of them.

I know you became involved with both the BBC and radio and even did voice-overs for adverts. How did that come about?

I was listening to the radio in Marbella; I was there for a year so needed to find work. I tuned-in and found an English speaking station so I called them up and asked for any part-time sales work. The Sales Manager and I immediately hit it off; she said I reminded her of a friend of hers in Australia . She taught me how to do voice-over work. The BBC has been a WWF Charity Fashion show, a show where the children chose a partner for their divorced parent and a number of small participating audience shows. Guest speaker on a number of shows including:- 

THE HANNAH MURRAY SHOW

ENJOY A LIFE WITH NO FEAR article Richmond and Twickenham Times

Guest speaker Spiritual Awakening Radio 4 WEEKS every Friday at

6:00pm UK time, discussing Fearless Living Coaching

WWW.HEALTHYLIFE.NET

'In The Know' magazine

REM.FM Radio in Marbella Guest Speaker

BBC 1 'Love Me Love My Kids' TV Show

Life Coach Seminar for Channel 5 'Help me Rhonda.’

Radio voice-over work REM.FM 

Fashion Show BBC1 'Save the Rain Forest' in aid of World Wide Fund for

Nature.

Much of what you’ve done culminated in your company Zone 8. Was this intentional?

Yes all my skills under one umbrella, yet what I discovered was offering too many services had a downside. I have found the balance now. When first setting up in business I had no idea all the avenues one has to know beforehand. We have to wear many, many hats, having no work colleagues was an eye opener. My purpose is to help people find relief and balance with their emotional health.  

I know you’re an EFT coach. What exactly does that mean and how does that help your clients?

As an Emotional Health Expert I am well-informed now of how our emotional fear language talks to us. I help my clients recognise how mind/fear holds them to ransom without letting the Divine have a chance to show itself. We tap into the creative and spiritual places, letting go physical and emotional pain. Better decisions are made, clearer insight, observation skills are developed and for themselves an improved way of being. I try to make a valuable difference for people whose lives have been touched by a long-term health condition such as IBS, ME/CFS, anxiety, depression, trauma or feeling ‘stuck’ in their lives.

That sounds wonderful. Tell me about the retreat you want to establish? 

I want to establish a complimentary/alternative emotional health business. A place where we continue to learn about our inner world/neuroscience and emotions. A large seminar hall along with therapy and meeting rooms and a fabulous natural food restaurant plus resources to grow food. To teach people how to understand their emotional fears and how to live in society, teach people about their own finances, basic law, business, parenting, marriage and health. Subjects that are missing from our general education. The aim to break the emotional turmoil patterns we carry around with us in day-to-day living causing stress related illnesses.   

You’ve represented some very celebrated people. Without naming names can you tell us how you helped them?

It really is about them being open and willing to ‘see’ themselves no matter who their ego thinks they are!  In reality I help them to help themselves.

I know you’re writing a book at the moment. What’s it about?

My first book is completed. I am now working on the illustrations. It is dedicated to both my aunt and uncle who died from cancer. Before my uncle died he read part of my book I was half-heartedly writing. He inspired me and said “I am impressed. This is a wonderful story.  the first half is perfect, just a matter of finishing it off.” He and my aunt are now magical characters in this book which is all about a young girl with a shyness problem using EFT. Many children including myself as a child, find being shy is very uncomfortable so the story is based on me as a 12 year old girl going through this fantasy adventure. It all started when I visited my cousin in German a few years ago. It was such an unusual place in the middle of the forest, her cats were bigger than normal cats, there was a lovely petite caravan tucked under this huge wooden shelter with a witches broom outside, large bird stands it was so enchanting I thought I would love to write something magical about this place. So with the help of my cousin the book evolved. I am enjoying illustrating the book too.
My priority at the moment though is my Work In Progress, an Emotional Health book.The book is something we can all relate to about our emotions. For instance, what our emotions are, why we behave in certin ways, say things we didn't mean and feel things in the way we do. It explains about emotional fear adding a light sense of humour. Once that is complete and published, I'll concentrate in the Magic Cats story!      

Sounds interesting and I wish you every success in getting it published. Tell me, of all the people you have met and worked with, who has inspired you the most?

Ordinary people who sense there is something more to this in life – so every person I work with inspires me. To walk alongside someone else’s emotional pain teaches me more than I could ever imagine. 

What one single goal would you like to achieve within the next 5 years?

To have a ripple effect working with other holistic practitioners Have a message to help those who feel there is no hope either through books, or a short film, workshops etc…It certainly takes patience, love and understanding at a deep and profound level.

Roxanne, it’s been a pleasure talking to you and learning so much more about you.

Roxanne's website can be found at http://www.roxannebarker.com/