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IONA BARKER HOLISTIC COACHING SERVICES

Upgrade your Self-Confidence!

"Unlock Your True Potential with Personalized Coaching.
Guiding You Every Step Towards Achieving Your Goals and Success."

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KNOW WHO I AM?

I'm Iona Barker, a highly experienced life coach who specialises in self-confidence, chronic stress, CPTSD, and neurodivergence. I'm dedicated to guiding individuals towards mental and emotional well-being. With over a decade of experience in supporting humans and their mental/emotional health, my mission is to empower you to lead a fulfilled life through a range of services tailored to your unique needs. Learn more about my journey on my About Me page.

EXPLORE MY SERVICES

Book a Consultation with me today to begin your transformative journey towards mental and emotional well-being.

Confidence Coaching

Boost your self-esteem and unlock your potential. Gain confidence in your abilities and live a life of authentic self-assuredness and empowerment.

Stress Management

Learn effective strategies to manage stress, cope with life's challenges, and find balance and serenity in your daily life.

ADHD, ADD, Autism Support

I specialise in providing support for individuals dealing with ADHD, ADD, & ASD (Autism), helping you navigate the unique challenges that come with these conditions.

Relational & Childhood Trauma (CPTSD)

Address and integrate the scars of relational and childhood trauma. Let's work together to find resilience and a path towards a brighter, lighter future.

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Have questions or ready to get started? Don't hesitate to contact me. I'm here to support you, whether you're in Glasgow, Scotland, or anywhere around the world.

Here's my confidence content on YouTube:

Hi 👋🏻 I’m Iona, I’m a coach & counsellor that specialises in self-confidence.
Here’s a little bit about me and why I do what I do (and why I love it so much 🥰)

Iona xx

CONFIDENCE TIPS 🩵

Today I’d like you to play with these three perspectives…
🩵it’s safe to be myself
🩵it’s safe to make mistakes
🩵it’s safe to change my mind

Are these phrases true for you? If not, what’s the worst thing that would happen if they were? If hypothetically you were these things right now, how would that feel and what would your life look like?

Hit me up in the DMs for one on one coaching or counselling, and click the follow button for regular confidence content 💃🏻

Iona xx

#scotland #glasgow #mentalhealth #author #selfconfidence #cptsd #coaching #health #mentalhealthawareness #wellbeing #mistakeshappen #beyourself #changeyourthinking

My weekly confidence masterclasses are BACK!! This time on YouTube LIVE! No pesky zoom links or passcodes needed.

These classes are your go-to guide for transforming shame, reclaiming power, and strutting into your authentic self-confidence like you own the universe 💪🏼

Join me in decoding the secrets of self-confidence, where we dance through topics like:
✨ My 3 Self-Confidence Pillars: Self-confidence, Self-esteem, and Self-concept
✨ Navigating Your Emotional GPS: Spotting “red flags” like a pro
✨ Unleashing Your Authentic Self-Confidence Magic
✨ Boundary-setting 101: How to Do It Confidently
✨ Rewriting the Story: Tackling Patterns, Habits, and Beliefs

Ready to elevate, liberate, and celebrate your confidence?
These classes are not your average self-help, new-age nonsense; we’re diving deep into the good stuff.

Join me LIVE on YouTube on Monday the 5th of May at 7pm(ish) UK time. Link on my stories & in my bio xx

Blair Castle & gardens, Blair Atholl with @two_metre_man on his day off from @pitlochryft 🥰

#highlands #scotland #visitscotland #blaircastle @blair_castle_atholl_estates #sundaymornings #adventure #2025 #castle

My private coaching & counselling sessions are open once again 🩷
I offer 4 week blocks which consists of 4 60 minute calls a week plus WhatsApp support between sessions.

If you’re stuck or struggling in any way be it with health, family, relationships, work, or just not feeling your best self for some time, I CAN HELP!

I’m certified and experienced in emotional freedom coaching, life coaching, holistic health & detox coaching, counselling on chronic stress & anxiety, counselling on anxiety & stress in neurodivergence, counselling on complex post traumatic stress, and self-confidence coaching.

I also have a decade experience working as a creative therapist in the third sector (for mostly mental health organisations).

You don’t need to be neurodivergent to work with me.

I am open to chatting about making it easier for my clients finances, so don’t hesitate to get in touch even if you think you can’t afford it. I will always work to make things affordable because your mental & emotional health must be a priority!

DM me here, send me a WhatsApp if you have my number, or email assistant@ionabarker.co.uk and we can have a chat about what you’ve got going on (I personally answer my assistant emails as I don’t have an assistant quite yet).

Let’s spend the spring of 2025 working towards feeling lighter, more focused, satisfied, and relaxed 🩷

Iona x

#health #wellbeing #coaching #counseling #cptsd #cptsdrecovery #trauma #emotional #depressionhelp #anxietyrelief #neurodivergent

Happy first video of 2025! 🎉🥳

It’s already the end of January, and if like me you’re a BIG procrastinator then you’ll need to have a wee chat with yourself 😅🫣 and ask yourself the questions that I lay out in this video for you.

You can find Upgrade Your Self-Confidence in paperback on Amazon- link is in my bio to take you straight there 💙🦋

#procrastination #productivity #selfconfidence #january #letsgetit #letsgetthisbread #do #mentalhealth #scotland #author #glasgow

Reposted with captions ❤️

❤️I am safe
❤️I am loved
❤️All is well

My diary is open for mental health coaching and counselling clients for January 2025. I help people with stress, anxiety, neurodivergence (adhd & autism), self-confidence, complex post traumatic stress (c-ptsd), and general wellbeing.

Hit me up with a DM or click the link in my bio to book a 30 min consultation via zoom.

Iona x

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #selfconfidence #audhd #scotland #author #cptsd #stressrelief #stressmanagement #health

Thank you everyone who has reviewed my book so far 🥰❤️
January is the perfect time to pick up a copy of Upgrade Your Self Confidence. It’s only 164 pages and jam-packed with practical tools to shift your self confidence PERMANENTLY.

Comment your country of origin and I’ll send you the appropriate link for my book 📕

Iona xx

#selfconfidence #selflove #cptsd #mentalhealth #selfhelp #health #manifestation #scotland #glasgow

Happy 7 years with my best friend and the love of my life ❤️🥰 @two_metre_man my American 🇺🇸

Christmas Day 2017 is the day we made it official 👏🏻

We met in 2014 in the Pavilion theatre in Glasgow, while working on The Real Hoosewives Fae Glesga 😂 I was doing wardrobe and he was “acting” in it 😂
We became fast friends and hung out together loads. Then in early 2017 he had to go back to the states due to visa issues and I realised I potentially missed my chance 😭 I was heartbroken. We then had a few heartfelt Facebook messenger messages while he was in the US and luckily he got his visa reinstated. As soon as he got back to the UK in June 2017 we began dating. We spent Christmas 2017 together and on Christmas Day night, in a broad Glaswegian accent Tyler asked “gonnae be ma burd?” 😂😅 and I have indeed “been his burd” ever since. We dated for 2 years and then decided to move in together. One of the best things about our relationship is we go at our own pace, and everything works out just as it should.

This man is authentic, a true gentleman always, polite and kind, handsome, and hardworking. He’s also a really great cook 😂👏🏻

2024 was a big year as he completed his Life in the UK visa test. We’re waiting on his UK “leave to remain” status then we can plan for the future ❤️ 🏠 💒 👰🏻‍♀️🤵🏼

Merry Christmas and happy anniversary my love!

#anniversary #love #christmas

Audiobook incoming 🎧🎤📖

My book will be available on Audible in 2025 👏🏻 I’m currently making the corrections so that it sounds like I wrote it for you to listen.

The paperback is available on Amazon, link in bio ❤️

#audiobook #author #selfcare #selfmade #selfpublishing #confidence #selfconfidence

Today I was a guest speaker at @ukfruitfest local meet up here in Glasgow. I talked about the courage to be different, and mentioned how much pushback I received (and still receive) when people find out that most of the time I live on a raw vegan fruitarian diet 💪🏼💚 This lifestyle has helped me regain my health, energy, and enthusiasm for life again.

I also got to try tamarind for the first time (last pic), it was yummy!

Thanks @fruityronster for having me!

#fruit #fruitarian #frugivore #rawvegan #glasgow #scotland #fruitfest #ukfruitfest #winterfruit

🩷I am safe
💚I am loved
💛All is well

Apologies, I forgot to put captions on this video 🤦🏻‍♀️

Click the link in my bio to check out my book 📕 Upgrade Your Self-Confidence 💃🏻

#mentalhealth #selfconfidence #glasgow #scotland #confidence #cptsd #trauma #traumahealing #anxious #anxietyrelief #stress #stressrelief

Reading my own book again…
Taking my own advice again… 😂

I wrote this book for myself tbh, but if you want to check it out you can find it on Amazon, click the link in my bio.

It’s got 5⭐️ reviews on Amazon 👌🏻

Iona x

#glasgow #mentalhealth #coaching #scotland #author #mentalhealthawareness #cptsd #selfconfidence #confidence

Hi 👋🏻

I’ve been doing stuff 🤷🏻‍♀️ also I didn’t really proof read this. Unlike my book which I did proof read. A LOT 😅 link is in bio btw…

Iona x

#author #cptsd #fashion #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #coaching #selfconfidence #glasgow #scotland #autism #adhd

Amy’s hen 2024 🖤🤍🩷💀🥂

So happy and excited for my pal @amywamo and her upcoming wedding. I’m grateful I got the chance to share this fun weekend away with her closest female friends & family members, getting to know the ones I’ve never met, and better acquainted with the ones I already know ❤️

We drank a lot 😅

I also channeled a previous life when I ran @sayitaint_sew and we did a spot of crafting, customising hilarious balaclavas. Im still laughing from them all 😆

@amywamo @hannah.donaghyy @julieselina87 @ashleigh.jane.e @thalia_today @tacostef @lindsayrobbo @emilyelainespeirs @_amymorven if there’s anyone I missed out can you tag them in the comments? ❤️

#henparty #scotland #aberdeen #glendye #banchory #hen #girlsweekend #party

Spain 2024 day 1 ❤️👏🏻
With @elliemcdbess and @alcestes90

And animals: Coffi & Pipa the pups, Coco & Sushi the cats.

Friends reunited & new friends made 🥰

Plus… MF SUNSHINE ☀️ 💪🏼👏🏻

In Alcalà de los Gazules 💃🏻

❤️My 10th book review!
People are saying really lovely things about the book I wrote last year & published in January called Upgrade Your Self-confidence 🥰

It fills my heart to know that it’s helping people, it’s all I ever really wanted to do. Part of me is waiting on the “other shoe to drop”, for the 1 star reviews, the negativity, and the rejection but that’s just my go-to default assumptions based on how I was raised and my life experiences which have often been challenging.

The second photo is from the book and is me in my teens. The time of this photo (around 2002) was particularly challenging as I discovered that drinking alcohol regularly soothed and distracted from the emotional pain of living with an abusive parent and having undiagnosed autism & adhd. Not long after this photo was taken in my friends house, I moved away from home yet the symptoms of abuse and everything else came with me 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’ve worked hard to create a life that’s fulfilling and satisfying, though often I’m met with overwhelming self-doubt. I like to remind 16 year old me that our journey is what it is, and we’re slowly creating our own ways of doing and living even if it’s taking longer to get to where we want to be and how we want to feel, than anyone else around us.

I’ve yet to sell 100 copies of my book, and I know I “should” be doing more to put it out there, but honestly publishing it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I broke the unwritten rules of my childhood: to never speak up about my abuse and experiences. It’s easy to believe I’ll be judged and rejected for what I have to say, so I’ve been hiding and recovering from the energy used, vulnerability, and fear of rejection that it took to put it out there in the first place.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy of Upgrade Your Self Confidence. You can find it on Amazon if you’d like one ❤️

#book #selfpublishing #author #readmorebooks #selfconfidence #innerchild #glasgow #scotland #selfhelp #confidence #writersofinstagram

Thank you ❤️ to everyone who has a copy of my book, and extra special thanks to everyone who’s left me a review so far!
If you have a copy could you please:
A) write an Amazon review if you purchased it online or B) send me a short review in a DM if you received the book from me personally… so I can add to it my website.

If you’d like a copy there’s a link in my bio & my stories! It’s almost my birthday (yay virgo season 😅) and I’d LOVE to hit 100 copies sold by my birthday at the start of September.

I’ve been thinking about recording the audiobook but honestly I don’t have the hyperfocus for it right now 🤷🏻‍♀️ and I’m very much still recovering from my 1st self-publishing experience and the book launch too which took a lot out of me.

Thanks as always for your love and support ❤️

Iona xx

#selfconfidence #author #selfpublishing #glasgow #scotland #mentalhealth #confidence #burnout #adhd #autism #selfcaretips

I’m going to be spending most of my time in the next few weeks working on my Etsy business @liliasfarlo_minis which is my combined hobbies of houseplants and miniatures all in one: tiny houseplants. I’ve made a small selection of quarter scale/1:48 scale plants and I’ll be creating lots more.

I saw a gap in the market for smaller-scale plants. There are many people making and selling in larger scale (1:12), but as smaller scales like quarter scale (1:48) is growing in popularity I thought I’d jump on that tiny wagon.

I’ve been diligently working on my coaching/counselling practice for 4 years, writing my new book, and promoting my existing book. I seem to be hitting a brick wall 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve yet to see 100 books sold for “Upgrade Your Self-Confidence”, in 7 months of it being published, so I’m feeling deflated and sceptical to put out another.
I’m still doing private sessions so hit up that calendly link in my bio for a 30 min consultation.

As I don’t currently have any clients I’m going to try make my miniature hobby pay 🤷🏻‍♀️ not sure what else to do at this point. I’ve not been as busy as I’d hoped/wished in 4 years, relying on Universal Credit a lot of that time so I can pay rent at least. Is it really a business if I only see 1-2 clients a year? I’d love to be able to save for a home, or a holiday, and have some financial stability. Thanks to my ADHD & autism I can’t just go get a job in an office or a supermarket 🤷🏻‍♀️ so being self-employed is my only option.

It’s time to channel my energy into something fun that isn’t “me”, meaning I can hide behind another business name. I might post sporadically on this page, but I’ll be working hard over on my minis page to get my Etsy shop out there.

Iona x

28 days of detox 💪🏼👏🏻 this detox is number 9 since I began this journey in 2020. I also fasted a total of 9 days in the 28 day span.
When I say “detox” I’m referring to Regenerative Detoxification, a process of eating our species-specific foods only for an extended period of time (raw fruits, veggies, & herbs only).

I wasn’t perfect this detox, I had a few slip-ups of having a salty snack or a few bites of cooked food here and there. I’m still very much healing from emotional eating habits and when I was feeling particularly stressed out or anxious I let my body (and inner child) have a bit of what it wanted. Not enough to throw my body into chaos or out of the detox however.

In 2017 I started having symptoms of arthritis and by 2020 they were full-blown. I could barely walk up the stairs to my top floor flat, the pain and swelling in my knee and hip joins was so bad (I had a little in my elbows and shoulders too). I spent a fortune on trips to physiotherapists, and various practitioners to get answers and relief. I was told the only way I could get my movement back would be with regular steroid injections to my knees, and drugs to manage the pain. That didn’t sound like much fun to me. I was only 35!

Towards the end of 2020 a friend told me about detox and how using foods to clean out my body would heal my joints. I was depressed from being unable to exercise (I’ve been active my whole life), so I was ready to give anything a go. I got a stack of books and began to study. I did my first detox in November of 2020, and in 2021 I hired a detox coach. By 2023 I was pain free and back in the gym. My knees and hips still click and crunch when going up stairs but I’m certain that with continued detox and diet I’ll fix that too.

Some other things I transformed in the last 4 years of regular detoxing (eating raw fruits, veggies, & herbs only combined with regular water fasting):
Headaches, eczema, digestion problems, stomach ulcers, tooth decay, heavy periods and PMS, and much more!

I’ll be doing my 10th detox in September for my 39th birthday… I wish to saunter into my 40s with my best health ever!

#health #wellness #detox #fruit

More people grow up in environments with alcoholism and substance abuse than we know, especially as many people are “functioning” much like my parent was. I didn’t really notice as they hid it well, until later in life when the sheer volume of alcohol that was being consumed led me to ask questions to other family members. That’s when I learned the truth. Part of me had known the truth for a long time but I’d been in denial. Everything now made a lot of sense.

Using inner child work has been profound in helping me come to terms with what it means to grow up in an environment with a dysfunctional parent, especially when alcohol is involved.

I mention a little in my book Upgrade Your Self-Confidence, but to take it to a level of deep healing I always recommend working with an appropriate, experienced practitioner.

If you’re ready to begin your healing and integrating, send me a message, WhatsApp me, or email me assistant@ionabarker.co.uk and let’s have a 30 minute chat.

🩷

#innerchild #innerchildhealing #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #peoplepleaser #wellness #wellbeing #coaching #counselling

Time to decorate!
It’s day 5 of my 9th detox in 4 years, and I’ve reached this stage faster than I ever have before: the infinite energy stage ⚡️🔋

Usually it takes way longer to get here, but here I am 5 days in (after a 2 day water fast also), and I’m have so much energy 🏃🏻‍♀️it’s taken me years of consistent detox to get here! I decided to do a job I’ve been planning to do for months: re-paint the hall in the home of @two_metre_man and I.

We’ve lived in this flat for 5 years and the walls are scuffed, dirty, and the woodwork is all chipped. Theres at least of 100 years of paint on the woodwork that was originally a gorgeous hardwood from when the flat was built in the 1890s, but most likely it was painted over in the 20s due to changing styles. You can see me peeling off the chipped parts and sanding the woodwork down before I repaint it with a white satinwood. I did love the previous colour of the walls, except I wanted to go warmer with this blush pink from @dunelmuk Dorma range which Tyler and I both love 😍

The previous tenant/owner did a very bad paint job, and the cutting in around the coving has been driving me crazy for the last 5 years. The first thing I did was paint over it with white to re-cut in the new pink. If this was my own flat and not rented, I’d strip the woodwork and doors, bringing it back to its original Edwardian splendour 👌🏻 and id probably paper the walls with an historic wallpaper of the time. I can’t wait to one day own my own home so I can do all this stuff without wasting my time, money, and potentially pissing off my landlord 👍🏻🤷🏻‍♀️

The pictures on the wall are free wallpaper samples from @divinesavages and @osborneandlittle 😍

I love it! What do you think?
#diy #redecorating #decor #interiordesign #interiors #tenement #glasgow #edwardian #home #paint #painting #dunelm #dorma

My 48-hour water fast leading into my 30 day detox 💪🏼💃🏻🌊

I’m celebrating the start of my 9th detox in 4 years 👏🏻 and every time I do it I feel younger (I’m 38 years), healthier, happier, more focused, more abundant, and more at peace.

If you’ve been with me for a while you might have seen my detox content before or observed me as I do it. Many people thought I was absolutely bananas when I told them what I was doing, some even told me to be careful! My own mother even sent my loving partner a message commenting on my “bizarre eating habits”. Well… thanks to these bizarre eating habits I no longer have any of the major health problems I was facing 4 years ago. I still experience symptoms of adhd & autism, but they are pretty non-existent while I’m detoxing. It’s almost like my mind, body, nervous system, and emotions respond to what I eat, drink, and consume! 😂 a novel idea. Never mind the fact I’ve been studying naturopathic health, herbal medicine, and regenerative detoxification methods for 4 years 🤷🏻‍♀️

As I get more and more energy during my detox (it seriously wakes me up towards the end), I’ll be creating lots of content and I’m so glad you’re here with me, along for the ride while I transform my body eating the food of life 🍉🍓🍊🍑🍋 🥗

#detox #herbs #regenerativedetoxification #detoxification #fruit #fruitarian #rawvegan #coach #fun #wellbeing #fasting #waterfasting

Hour 25 versus hour 1 of my water fast 🌊🐳 #nomakeup #nofilter

I’m almost at 26 hours now, as I decided to keep going for a while longer. You might be able to notice that a bit of the redness of my complexion has faded, my eyes are brighter, and I have less dark circles under my eyes. I’m feeling light and happy, as my serotonin can now be produced without obstructions (serotonin is made in the gut). I have nice clarity of thought but there were times last night where I was really struggling to think due to brain fog.

My goal for this fast is to reduce inflammation in my body and get my body detox-ready.

I’ve been doing extended water fasting for a few years now, and I might even try a dry fast too (though I definitely need to wait a while before I do that). I’ve had very little discomfort during this fast, but the most challenging thing is trying to manage my energy levels. I go from having so much energy to all of a sudden wiped out. I don’t even notice the hunger pangs much this time, and when I have, I’ve just sat with a cup of herbal tea.

Fasting and detoxing are how I regenerate my body, part of how I keep myself fit, manage my mental and emotional health, and how I overcome physical health challenges. I’ve been studying fasting & detox for 4 years and this week I’ll be going into my 9th detox 💃🏻🍉 where I’ll be eating an abundance of species-specific food: fruits, berries, melons and herbs. I might have a few salads or green juices too, but I just ordered a few boxes of organic fruit from @crowd_farming and I can’t wait to get stuck in 👏🏻

#fasting #detox #detoxify #antiaging #antiinflammatory #health #fruit #fruitarian #frugivore #detoxification #wellness #waterfasting

My fasting & detox journey #nofilter #nomakeup

Today (Sunday 23rd) I embark on my second 24 hour water fast of the year. I plan on doing another 37 this year of 2024, as I try to fast my age every year (I’m 39 this year). When my fast ends tomorrow (monday) I’ll go into a 30 day detox. The detox methods I use and teach are tried and tested for hundreds of years. They’re based on naturopathic medicine, natural hygiene, teaching of natural laws, spiritual teachings, a mix of eastern and western herbal medicine philosophy, and the work of many mentors.

In 2019 I began experiencing symptoms of arthritis, and then in 2020 I had a horrific time with a stomach ulcer, fatigue, bad PMS and painful periods, as well as decades of depression, anxiety, chronic pain from a spinal injury, and ADHD/autism symptoms. It was intense. Every time I went to see an allopathic dr they’d send me away with another pill to take, or offer a series of steroid shots; both which came with a long list of side effects. I was ready to seek alternative paths to relief.
In 2020 I began my naturopathic health journey of studying and experimenting on myself with different methods. I tried everything, but the ones that worked the best were fasting & regenerative detoxification. After my 24 hour water fast ends, I’ll be going into my 9th detox in 4 years 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 and I can’t believe the changes I’ve seen in my body. No more pain, no more symptoms. I still experience some clicking in my knees, a little shoulder discomfort related to my injury, and some flare-up of ADHD and autism especially when im eating a lot of processed foods. It may take many more detoxes to fix these issues, but I feel so amazing when I’m fasting and detoxing now, the physical results are a bonus.
This work isn’t for everyone. It challenges all we’ve been taught about health, diet, and the human body. It brings out intense mental, emotional, and sometimes physical blocks and pain which we need to go through (grateful for my experience as a coach & counsellor for that stuff).
Note: I do not recommend extended (24 hours +) water fasting to anyone who hasn’t fasted or detoxed). #detox #fruits #fruitarian #drmorse

A recharging trip back to the shire (Kirkcudbrightshire, Wigtownshire, & Dumfriesshire that make up Dumfries & Galloway) of where I grew up ❤️ 🔋

Living in the city drains me, so I try to get back to open spaces, greenery, nature, and of course castles of the shire 🙏😂 as much as I can.

The weather was pretty rubbish the first few days, but cleared up really nice on the last day, and I was able to walk up to the Neolithic cairn (burial site & natural spring) in my dad’s village of Auchencairn, which is one of my most favourite places in the world. From the cairn you can see out on to the Solway coast, Heston Island and all the way to the Lake District on a clear day 🙏😻

The historic shires of the south west of Scotland are the most beautiful in the country and definitely worth a visit if you’ve never been. There are so many places to go. The castle is Caerlaverock Castle near Dumfries (dates from the 1300s), and the country lanes are in Auchencairn (lots of holiday cottages & hotels in the village).

Scotland’s pretty awesome ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 even when it’s inevitably sh*te weather 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

#scotland #scotlandexplore #visitscotland #galloway #dumfriesandgalloway #theshire #village #castle #castles #country #countrygirl

Guerrilla marketing my book cos I can’t afford to run ads or any other sort of paid marketing… soooo 👍🏻 IT’S MUCH BETTER THAN DAN BROWN.

#author #selfpublishing #london #guerrillamarketing #marketing #streetlibrary

Hello! I’m Iona, I help humans with self-confidence, complex trauma symptoms (anxiety, stuckness, feeling not good enough), and neurodivergence.

I’ve been running my coaching & counselling business for 4 years now, and before that I had a creative therapy business called Say It Ain’t Sew, a costume business, and worked occasionally in the media & entertainment industry as a creative (making costumes & props for film, stage, tv, & events). I’ve had a pretty epic career so far, and last year I wrote & published my first ever book called Upgrade Your Self-Confidence (available on Amazon).

I’ve been quiet on here lately, I haven’t had the energy to make any reels or content at all. After the book came out I burned out pretty hard, and had some emotional stuff come up that I’d perhaps avoided while writing the book. I used writing the book partly as a distraction from some challenging things, but now I have no choice but to face it. It be like that sometimes 🤷🏻‍♀️🥴.

I’ve got lots of ideas for new content & im thinking about starting my blog again that I had in 2020, I really love writing.

Thanks for joining me and keep your eyes on my stories & posts for uplifting content 😌 💛

#cptsd #cptsdrecovery #traumahealing #counselor #coach #selfconfidence #author #creative #scotland #wellbeing

This is my first post in a month!
My mental health has been a real struggle this last year, and my poor houseplants got neglected. This is me finally getting round to pruning, repotting, watering, & general maintenance. I’ve had some of these plants for over 2 decades- some I brought with me to Glasgow when I moved up to my uni halls in 2003, and they’ve moved around with me to every flat I’ve stayed in (even all the way to London 😅).
I’ve been obsessed with gardening and nature since childhood, and spent a lot of time outside in my own garden or reading books about plants and gardening in the library / on the internet when we got it.

It’s been my life dream to have a real garden of my own one day, and when I’m feeling depressed it feels like that dream is getting further and further away from me.

I lost around 5 plants in the last year due to cold, neglect, and not having the energy or motivation to do the weekly check in of them all. I also gave away around 15 plants to friends this year too, as being a plant owner is a never ending cycle of pruning, cutting, and splitting- I just don’t have the space or reliable brain to have an indoor garden right now. I’ve still got over 50 left though. I gave away a few of the more fussier plants, as I knew this year was going to be a tough one.

Still hoping I get my garden one day 🤞🏻 it’s a chicken & egg situation: plants & being outside is great for my mental health but I need a pinch of good mental health to be motivated to do it 🤷🏻‍♀️ I need to work & make money to save for the things to keep my plants alive, and to one day hopefully start saving for a house & garden… but I need good mental health to do that too 🤔

#houseplants #houseplantsofinstagram #plants #plantbased #plantlover #plantmum #glasgow #scotland #adhd #autism #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness

Behold! My tiny Tudor kitchen 😍

Fit for a reincarnated wife of Henry The Eighth 😂

This tiny quarter scale (1:48) Tudor house is based on a real house in Exeter built in the 1400s called The House That Moved. I actually also have the same one in 1:12 scale that my dad built back in the 90s (I’ll be working on that soon too).

I got this model from @scalebuildings Etsy shop for Christmas and spent last Christmas Day building it. I recently purchased a 1:48 furniture book from @petiteproperties and built a sink unit for in front of the window which would inspire the whole kitchen. I knew I wanted a peach @aga_cookers and a matching retro fridge too. The Aga, fridge, table, plant pots, teapot & cup/saucer, tiny Freddie cat, baskets, & vases are 3d printed on my @flashforge3dprinter using scaled down & altered versions of free items found on @thingiverse and the lights, plants, rug, painting, tapestry, fruit bowl & apples, & utensils were all made by me from scratch. I printed everything in white filament and painted it all. The teapot and cup/saucer are based on 30s Clarice Cliff designs. The brick work on the back wall was made using a 1:48 brick stencil by @bromleycraft and I made the monstera plant leaves using my new Gyrocut from @craftyproducts. The pothos around the window was made using various sizes of heart paper punches, the apples and hyacinths are made using painted silica gel. The kitchen is based on something you’d find by @devolkitchens 😍

My favourite thing in the room is the tiny sleeping Freddie cat in front of the Aga 🥰 no model is complete without my companion in there.

It’s my dream to own a historic home one day and to decorate it in a way that’s timeless and suits the original building. My goal is always to create warm and inviting spaces so the viewer can imagine themselves cozying/coorying up with a nice cup of tea in front of the fire 🥰

What do you think, and what’s your favourite part of the room?

It’s on to the livingroom next 👏🏻🧡

#scalemodel #miniature #miniatures #dollshousesofinstagram #dollhouse #kitchen #kitchendesign #tudor #history #british #interiordesign

🧡Book Reviews🧡

If you have a copy of my book, please could you leave me a review on Amazon? Reviews really help potential people find it, and help people make the decision to purchase it. The more people see reviews, the more people the book with help.

Thanks so much 🩷💃🏻

My book on how to upgrade your self-confidence is available globally on Amazon. Link in my bio!

#book #selfpublishing #author #selfconfidence #bookreview

The more we feel safe to talk about our depression, the stigmas and fears dissolve.

Depression is a NORMAL reaction to a world that’s invalidating, kinda effed-up, and often cruel.

🩷

#depression #mentalhealth #coaching #cptsd #neurodivergent #mentalhealthawareness

In 2023 I wrote a book 📖 I started writing it in March as I was running my coaching course on self-confidence called Feeling Safe To Be Seen (which im running again in April). With the help of the phenomenal US-based writing coach @tinademarco I had a viable manuscript by the end of the year. In January 2024 I self-published, and last week I had a launch party to celebrate this milestone in my life & career 🥳

Even though it took some work, a bit of belief it was possible, and a lot of chats with my inner critic/inner child, I did it. I didn’t do it alone either. I had the support of my wonderful friends and chosen family. My partner Tyler, my amazing friends, and all the people I’ve met along the way who encouraged me.
It’s not a very big book, I worked hard to keep it simple and the information accessible for everyone. It’s small but powerful.

I love writing so much, and kept a blog for a number of years until family members (that I no longer keep in touch with) told me to stop sharing my experiences of mental health and talking about my difficult past because it was making them look and feel bad. What good does that do? We need to talk about our challenges to shift the stigma & paradigms.

If you want to do something but you don’t know how, or you fear rejection, criticism, failure, success (because what if it works out and you have to put yourself out there or be seen) then I get you.

If you’re living life but you have a feeling deep down that you’re not fulfilling your life’s purpose then I get you.

If you want to step into your power as a creator, a voice for others, a protector, or a way-show-er but you don’t feel safe to do it right now then I get you.

I wrote this book for us.

It’s available globally on Amazon and it’s called Upgrade Your Self-Confidence by me, Iona Barker. If you already have a copy then I’d really appreciate if you could leave an Amazon review to help the algorithm 🙏 so that other people can find it who need it.

We CAN do difficult things, we CAN put ourselves out there, and we CAN feel safe to do it. It’s time 💪🏼

Iona 🧡

#author #authorsofinstagram #selfpublishing #booklover #selfconfidence #coach

The most important day of my life & career so far 🥳🙏👏🏻 the launch party of my first ever book!

Thanks so much to everyone who came along to celebrate and thank you to those who bought a copy too, I sold 25 copies 💃🏻❤️ making it a total of 60 copies sold in the first 2 months of being a self-published author🥰

I’m so grateful, THANK YOU for supporting me on my journey ❤️

@stlukesglasgow balloon wreath by @holbax photos by @askaladin event ran by @amywamo 🩷 #selfpublishing #selfconfidence #author #book #glasgow #scotland_insta

I have lots to share from my book launch on Sunday, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to come celebrate with me. I had such a lovely day, and I’m full of gratitude and happiness. I’ll remember that day with a smile for the rest of my life. I had a lot of fun, and even though I’ve lost my voice, it was totally worth it!

My first ever book launch party 🎉
More pics & videos to come 💃🏻🩷
Thanks Danielle @neduol.elleinad for this pic, I didn’t even notice this sign on Sunday.

@stlukesglasgow

#booklaunch #author #authorsofinstagram #coach #selfconfidence

Tomorrow!!
Sunday 3rd of March in Saint Luke’s @stlukesglasgow on Bain Street from 2-5pm. Kids & dogs welcome.
I hope you can join me 🥰🥳

#author #selfpublished #confidence #selfconfidence #glasgow #glasgowlife

Upgrade your self-confidence Live! 🩷
Today we did an emotional audit to identify where we have the most resistance in life, because where we have the most resistance is where we have the least confidence.

My new book is available on Amazon 🙌 it’s called Upgrade Your Self Confidence 💃🏻 by me, Iona Barker

Chapter 8 of my book Upgrade Your Self-Confidence is called “The Inner Child Toolkit”, and one of the powerful transformative tools I use is the “Inner Child Photo” where I take you through a process to integrate wounds from childhood that may be the cause of self-confidence challenges.

In the book I share 4 photos from my childhood and adolescence along with my experiences as someone with major self-confidence issues.

I then take you through how I healed and integrated the challenges as I re-parented my inner child.

This is one of my all-time favourite processes to upgrade self-confidence. I use it with my clients, and I highly recommend it to people who are ready to feel better about themselves, their lives, and their self-confidence.

This is 13 year-old me. When I look at this photo I feel frustration, anger, and sadness. At this time I didn’t feel safe wearing colourful clothes or outfits (nothing to draw attention to myself) except occasional hints of colour like the yellow flower patch I sewed on my top. I was being bullied at home by a narcissistic parent, and in school by teachers & students. It’s so clear to me how much I was on the asd/adhd spectrum. My autistic meltdowns were labelled as tantrums, and my anxiety symptoms were met with “pull yourself together”. I wasn’t getting any emotional support at all, and I felt responsible for the unhappiness of the humans around me who made me feel like a bad apple 🍎🪱

It’s now my job to give unconditional emotional support, compassion, & kindness to these painful internal pieces of me now as a safe adult, and to support this hurt part of me for the rest of my life.

The re-parenting process not only builds self-confidence, but self-compassion, compassion for others, and an understanding that what we experienced in childhood may not have been our fault, but it’s our responsibility to transform it all in a healthy way now.

My book is available globally on Amazon, links are in my story highlights called “book links”.
You don’t need to be neurodivergent to find my book helpful, it’s written for everyone ❤️

#innerchild #selfconfidence #author #mentalhealthawareness #cptsd #complextrauma #asd #adhd

Elopenhagen 🖤💜🩷❤️ Emma & Mark, Copenhagen 2024 🥹

Featuring @emmareutermo @neduol.elleinad @two_metre_man, Mark, and Joe

Copenhagen is stunning 😍 even in the fog & rain

#copenhagen #wedding #justmarried #2024 #elopmentwedding #elopement

Reduce stress, anxiety, and pain using box breathing ❤️🧡 #selfconfidence #anxiety #mentalhealthawareness #breathwork #confidencecoaching

The difference between emotionally safe & emotionally unsafe people 🧡💛

#mentalhealthawareness #cptsd #confidence #selfconfidence #emotionalintelligence #emotions #emotionalhealth

Emotional Safety

Hey everyone, it’s Iona. I’ve been immersed in the field of mental health for over a decade, and today I want to talk about something vital: the difference between emotionally safe and unsafe people.

Emotionally safe individuals create an environment where you feel accepted, understood, and valued. They offer support without judgment and encourage open communication. Being around them feels comforting and uplifting.

On the other hand, emotionally unsafe people may make you feel anxious, invalidated, or criticized. They may lack empathy and boundary awareness, causing emotional turmoil and distress. Being around them can drain your energy and self-confidence.

Recognizing the distinction between these two types of people is crucial for your well-being. Surrounding yourself with emotionally safe individuals fosters growth, resilience, and positive relationships.

It’s about prioritizing your emotional health and setting boundaries to protect yourself from harm.

If you resonate with this topic, know that you have the power to choose who you surround yourself with. Seek out those who uplift and support you, and distance yourself from those who bring negativity and toxicity into your life.

Stay tuned for more insights on navigating emotional well-being and building healthier connections.

Description: a girl with long dark hair in a yellow orange and red knitted sweater describing the difference between emotionally safe & emotionally unsafe people.

🧡💜understanding complex trauma (cptsd)

#cptsd #confidence #selfconfidence #anxiety #mentalhealthawareness

I’m stocking up for my book launch party on the 3rd of March 🥳
I currently only have 20 copies that I’ll be signing and bringing along on the day. Im thinking of just printing off a QR code that goes straight to the Amazon page too, in case I can’t bring any more on the day 👍🏻

Party starts at 2pm in Saint Luke’s on Bain street, enter via the bar and the party will be in the event space 🥂

#author #selfconfidence #selfpublishing #authorsofinstagram #glasgow #scotland

Chapter 8 of my book Upgrade Your Self-Confidence is called “The Inner Child Toolkit”, and one of the amazingly transformative tools I use is the “Inner Child Photo” where I take you through a process to integrate wounds from childhood that may be the cause of self-confidence challenges.

In the book I share 4 photos from my childhood and adolescence along with my experiences as someone who lived with major self-confidence issues.

I then take you through how I healed and integrated the challenges as I re-parented my inner child and how you can do it too.

This is absolutely one of my favourite processes to upgrade self-confidence. I use it with my clients, and I highly recommend it to people who are ready to feel better about themselves, their lives, and their self-confidence.

This is 8 year-old me. When I look at this photo I see a mixture of joy and hope with sadness and confusion. She wasn’t getting the emotional support (or adhd/autism support) she needed. It’s my job to give it to her now as a safe adult, and to support her for the rest of my life.

This process builds not only self-confidence, but self-compassion, compassion for others, and an understanding that what we experienced in childhood may not have been our fault, but it’s our responsibility to transform it all in a healthy way now.

My book is available globally on Amazon, links are in my story highlights called “book links”.
You don’t need to be neurodivergent to find my book helpful, it’s written for everyone.

❤️

#innerchild #selfconfidence #author #mentalhealthawareness #cptsd #complextrauma #asd #adhd

The “fawning” trauma response #trauma #traumahealing #selfconfidence #selfcompassion

Yay! It’s book launch party time 🥳 I’m having my live in person launch party at St Luke’s on Sunday the 3rd of March! It’s gonna be amazing! If you live far away and can’t make the party I’ll be having a zoom party on the 2nd at 7pm for everyone who’s purchased a copy. Link in my bio to grab your copy to join! Please post a pic of the book in your story/on your grid & tag me so I can see it and send you the link. You don’t need to have purchased my book to come along to the in person event. Though I’ll have a table of books, and bring your copy for me to sign if you have it! Thanks so much and let’s party! 🎉 #bookstagram #BookLaunch #selfpublishing #authorsofinstagram #selfconfidence

🗣️Navigating small talk: tips for neurodivergent individuals 🩷 #autism #adhd #confidence #selfconfidence #neurodivergence

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