How online community and body doubling powers my focus: Claire's story

We’re sharing chats with real-life FLOWN members who use our virtual body doubling sessions, we call ‘Flocks’, to get things done. Tapping into focus, ritual and online community has become a way of work and life they couldn’t imagine being without. Be inspired as Claire shares her story.

Claire Bradford designs and conducts celebratory experiences for weddings and funerals, runs a business training professional celebrants worldwide, alongside being a mum of two.

Seeking new ways to juggle work with finding space for quality time with her family, Claire stumbled across FLOWN, and has never looked back.

Claire takes us through her FLOWN journey…

Tell us about yourself and what you do.

I’m a wedding and funeral celebrant based in Worthing on the south coast of England. I’m also co-director of a worldwide celebrant training business, a wife, mum of two gorgeous daughters who make my heart burst with pride, and a walkoholic (lucky I live near the beach and the beautiful South Downs!).

How do you use FLOWN in your life?

As someone with ADHD, as well as running two businesses and a home, my brain is always abuzz with eight million ideas, thoughts and things to do. I love it when I book myself on a few Flocks a week, dedicate each one to a specific task and hunker down to get it done. Being busy with ceremonies and meetings, and dealing with my routine-averse brain, there are weeks (sometimes several in a row) when I don’t do any Flocks, but I love how there’s no pressure in that, I always know they’re available, and when I do come to one it’s like coming home!

What do you love about FLOWN? What does it help you achieve?

I love the Take-Off sessions — such a great way to start the day. I love how just deciding what I’ll spend that period of time on — and telling my little group about it — gets my brain into hyperfocus mode and shuts off the million ‘should dos’ that normally populate my head. And I love how that hyperfocus mode doesn’t get too out of control during Deep Dives, because the Flock facilitator comes on to remind us to stretch, take a break, or take part in a game.

I love how dedicating a Flock to something I’ve been procrastinating about means it gets done. I love how bigger ‘project based’ things that used to get forgotten because I was firefighting all the urgent stuff now have a place to be worked on. I love the quotations/poems/nuggets of wisdom that often get shared by the facilitators, and how they manage to be spookily on the money. I love how I feel part of a family/community, and get to meet people on the Flocks — both familiar faces and new ones. I love it all!

What’s your biggest FLOWN success story?

I can’t think of anything particularly newsworthy to other people, but the feeling that I’ve had many times on a Flock of finally doing a thing I’ve been putting off doing for ages, and it often taking loads less time than I’d imagined. That! It’s like a regular miracle and really spurs me on to get lots of other stuff done — like unblocking a mental drain and getting the ‘whoosh factor’!

What’s been your experience of connecting with the FLOWN community?

I like seeing regulars and newbies on the sessions and I sometimes engage with the Facebook group — in fact, I won a prize for a photo I’d taken on the beach last year, which was a lovely surprise! That photo sharing event (Smell a Rose) was really good.

What’s next on the horizon for you? Any exciting projects or pivots on the go?

All the things! I’m working on some more digital training options for our celebrant membership, as well as getting a face to face ‘real life’ course ready. I’m also (talking about!) writing a book — which reminds me, I should book in a Flock or two and get on with that!

FLOWN helps Claire to focus and create because it offers connection with a supportive community, structure to her days, and accountability to get things done.

How can we help you achieve focus? Join a Flock – Take Off, Deep Dive or Power Hour – and see what it does for you!

Check out Claire’s work:

Please feel free to share any links to how others can follow you and/or your work.

Celebrant’s business: www.creatingceremony.com

IG and FB @creatingceremony

The Celebrants Collective: www.celebrantscollective.eu,

Their training site: www.celebrantcourses.com