Purpose, Resilience, and Reinvention

Every successful business I have created has been purpose driven, I’ve won many awards along the way. But there has always been a bigger purpose and story behind what I do.

My first business was an online department store for natural and organic products, back in 2005, I was a pioneer in e-commerce for all things green. I wanted to be an impartial advisor to the consumer, a trusted friend enabling people to easily choose products to help them go organic from top to toe.

After that, I turned my attention to Make An Entrance, the custom doormat brand I created with my business partner Stuart. This business stemmed from charitable roots and today it is still a business with purpose, currently working with prisons to teach skills and provide employment opportunities to offenders.

And now as I turn 50, navigating the challenges of being a midlife woman, I’m starting something new once again.

Peace Place People is my Yoga and Meditation Centre in the heart of Lincoln, it is a social enterprise, with the aim of bringing yoga and meditation to everyone in society, not just those who have the means to pay.

Throughout my business career I have experienced a lot of highs and some of the deepest lows. I have lost everything and narrowly escaped bankruptcy when a business failed taking all my assets with it. And I’ve won awards and been invited into rooms with prime ministers, royalty and celebrities when things have been on the up.

Throughout it all there has been constant support to help keep me on an even keel. And that has been my yoga and meditation practice.

It lifts me when things are tough, helps slow me down when I’m getting carried away and has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you can touch your toes.

Yoga is a toolbox for life and the various practices: physical postures, breathwork, relaxation, meditation, yoga nidra are the tools.

If yoga or meditation is something you are curious about but are not sure where to start, talk to me. There really is something for everything, whether you are injured, unfit, or simply can’t sit still. I have been there, and I will find a way to help whether through a group class, one-to-one tuition, or a wellbeing group in your business.

I also have a very limited number of spaces to offer business mentoring & coaching.

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Author: Sam Burlton

Business: Peace Place People Yoga & Meditation Centre

Email: sam@peaceplacepeople.co.uk

Photography: Headshot Toby