I'm Hannah Carmichael, a UK-based life friendship & connection coach. I specialise in helping thoughtful, caring, independent folk feel more supported, appreciated and understood by the people around them, as well as building greater joy, adventure, meaning and fulfilment into their lives in the round!
I firmly believe that building more authentic, meaningful connections with others starts with getting to know ourselves better. Whether you're just starting out on this journey, or already someway down the road, I'll help you feel more present and clearer on what it is that gives your life meaning and value, more rooted in the qualities and values that make you truly 'you,' and more in control of the relationships you're building - whether that's with friends, colleagues or potential romantic partners.
Everything I teach is drawn from my professional and personal experience.
In seven years as a youth worker, I helped hundreds of teens and young adults find the confidence to let down their defences and let in people who had their best interests at heart, often people from very different backgrounds to themselves.
And in the sixteen years I spent working for governments, local authorities and charities all over the world, I built close-knit, high performing teams again and again, mentoring incredible people to career success, and creating the deep sense of safety, support and trust needed to deliver multi-billion pound programmes that changed thousands of lives.
I've been on my own personal journey towards greater connection too. I know first hand what it's like to be someone whose life seems fine on the outside, while feeling directionless, alone and 'stuck in a rut' behind closed doors. Overcoming that has been a lifetime's work - these days I'm thankful to feel comfortable in my own skin, with great relationships, work that lights me up, and as much joy, adventure and kitchen dancing as I can muster!
1-1 Coaching
3, 6 or 12 month coaching packages, for people who want tailored support in getting 'unstuck' - whether that's in breaking out of the everyday to live a life that is more joyful, purposeful and full of adventure, or in building more authentic, meaningful relationships with others. If you already have a good life with people in it that you respect and care about, but want it to be enviably brilliant, then get in touch!
Transformational Small Group Coaching
My small group coaching programme is a 12 week experience from which you'll walk away with a powerful sense of who you are and what you stand for, as well as a ready-made group of person champions who could well become friends for life! If your life seems fine on the surface, but you secretly crave more meaningful connections with others, and a clearer sense of 'what it's all about,' then this experience was designed specifically for you.
Online Memberships
My hugely popular Friendship Accelerator & Beyond The Surface courses are for thoughtful, caring, independent types who want to learn the 'nuts-and-bolts' of how amazing connections and lasting friendships get made. You'll get two years' access to masses of pre-recorded content to work through at your own pace, plus live sessions which focus on the 'core skills for connection' you'll need to build better relationships in all aspects of your life.
What you believe ‘good’ looks like is what will show up in your life. We all have a subconscious ‘blueprint’ or set of beliefs about what healthy, normal, appropriate connection looks like. This is often – though not always – shaped by what we grow up with. Whether you’re thinking about your love life, your social life or your professional life, or about your sense of 'connectedness' to the world at large, change starts when you upgrade your vision of what ‘good’ looks like for you.
But it’s NOT just about what you believe – it’s about your skills and abilities too. So many coaches, therapists and gurus will try to tell you that building a more deeply connected, satisfying life (complete with better relationships) starts and ends with self-worth. It doesn’t! Believing that you matter, that you can make a difference, and that you deserve more is important. But without the ‘core skills for connection’ needed to go out and get what you’re looking for, you will always struggle. That’s why I teach both of these things in everything I do (yes, connection skills can be taught!)
Self-knowledge is key. Deeper connections with others, and with the world around you starts with deep, almost obsessive self-knowledge. About your interests, your preferences, your values. But also your triggers, your tolerances, and a deeper understanding of why you respond to things the way you do. Once you have this knowledge, you'll be ready to take the driving seat in making choices and decisions that are 'right' for you on a much deeper level.
Healthy friendship is a powerful model for improving all of our relationships. Want to have a better relationship with yourself? Act towards yourself the way a good friend would. Want to improve your relationship with your partner? Be honest about whether you're being the best friend to them that you can be. Colleagues? Same. If being a good friend means offering respect, support, tactful honesty, acceptance, and the benefit of the doubt, it's hard to think of a better way to think about our other friendships as well.
There are three things you need to do to build a deeply connected life. (1) Get absolutely clear on who you are, what you’re about, and what you are / are not prepared to tolerate; 2) spend more of your time and energy with people and experiences that leave you feeling calm, appreciated, purposeful; 3) handle resistance with certainty and compassion.
It's a process. Staying ‘in connection’ with yourself and others is a lifetime’s work. And one that’s so, so worth it.
Jo, former course participant, 'Beyond The Surface'"Like no other course I've seen!"
Alex, former course participant, 'Beyond The Surface'"I enjoyed the breadth of people from all over the world, sharing a similar experience of life and a desire to learn."
Nisha, attendee, fortnightly 'Lunch & Learn' session"Very inspirational 👏 Thank you Hannah and all for this lovely time."
Friendshift was the former name of my business, and is still the name I use for the work I do that is specifically about building better friendships. There are four ideas at the heart of 'Friendshift:'
I've moved away from calling my business 'Friendshift' for two reasons.
Firstly, because I've realised that when I go out under the Friendshift brand, people think there's a whole team of us all teaching the same ideas! It felt important to establish myself as the only person with my knowledge, my experience, my perspective, and my unique skillset.
Secondly, because the work I do goes far beyond just friendship. These days, I talk a lot about connection - a feeling of being seen, accepted, valued, empowered and at peace - in its broadest possible sense. So it made sense to go with something slightly different.
If you want to know more about building better friendships, my Friendship Accelerator course is where I've captured absolutely everything that came out of my work under the 'Friendshift' brand (and I'm still adding new content all the time!)
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