Angela Morris is a Specialist Business Coach with over 25 years of experience in the Health and Social Care sector.
Specialising in supporting providers catering to children and adults in need of care and support she has a master’s degree in Applied Psychology and diplomas in Child Development, Life Coaching, and Financial Advice. A proud mother of three sons and a devoted grandmother, Morris draws from her personal and professional experiences to address the challenges mothers encounter regardless of cultural backgrounds in her latest book Don’t Let Them Stop You … It’s Personal!
Please introduce yourself …
My name is Angela Morris, I am a mother of 3. I am a business coach and author. I am of Afro-Caribbean heritage, born to Jamaican parents and raised in London.
Describe your life right now in a word or one sentence …
I am on a journey of understanding the power of letting go of that which no longer serves me.
What made you want to add ‘author’ to your list of achievements?
I have always wanted to write a book. I have loved reading from an early age and finally decided that I would write a book for my 60th birthday for myself and future generations. Call it a legacy piece if you will.
Tell us about your debut book Don’t Let Them Stop You … It’s Personal!
This book is about how as individuals we find our personal freedom whilst navigating the complex relationships with the people in our lives and how we can manage them in order to become our authentic selves. It is written to those who come from a diverse background who may have faced challenges with culture-bound approaches to every day life or who may be stuck in unhealthy relationships with friends, family or significant others.
How much do you feel your experiences as a Child Development specialist have shaped your views compared to the influence of your upbringing as a black child?
I have worked in Health and Social Care for over 25 years. I have learned that the system in the UK still has some way to go in understanding the journey of acculturation and how children are impacted by this in their life experiences. My book helps to address some of those experiences we had as children by exploring where we are now and how we are functioning as adults. I believe in order to understand adults we also need to understand children. As a child growing up our culture dictated that “children should be seen and not heard”, we now live in a time that identifies that children should be both seen and heard. The outcomes for our future generations will probably look quite different to ours.
Highs, lows, solutions …
I thoroughly enjoyed the process of writing and the main challenge was creating a structure where I could ensure that I completed the book based on my deadline (which was my 61st birthday). I decided to allocate two evenings per week for two hours of dedicated writing. I was elated when the final draft was completed three months before my deadline. As I follow the concept of being a “strengths-based” individual, I did not put myself through the challenges that I could get assistance with e.g. editing or proofreading. In other words, I try to avoid spending time on things I am not good at.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU …
What are you working on right now? I am writing my second book which is quite different to the last one but hopefully as interesting to the right audience.
What are you watching? The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den. As a small business owner, I am fascinated by these types of programmes and find them fun entertainment. I can also get some useful tips from them.
What are you reading? I am currently reading two books. One is Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform … by Jamie Kern Lima who is a female billionaire and the other is The Price of Money: How to Prosper in a Financial World … by Rob Dix. I am a believer in lifelong learning. I don’t think we can ever say “I know it all“.
What are you listening to? I use the app Headway regularly to hear summaries of books. I love music and will go to places where they play the genre I like.
Last thing you saw on stage? Hamilton the musical last year. I was very familiar with the soundtrack and it was great to go to the live performance. I go to the theatre three or four times a year.
Whose footsteps are you following in? No one in particular. I prefer to follow principles rather than people. Everyone has their own challenges no matter how great they appear to us, however a principle either works or it doesn’t.
What’s next? To create a podcast. I think it is a great positive way of sharing information and helping people. I already have some interesting people lined up.
Where can we find you? I can be reached on LinkedIn Angela R Morris MSc.
Where can we read Don’t Let Them Fool You … It’s Personal!? My book is out on Amazon in paperback and Kindle (Amazon Prime customers get a discount too!) it is also available in paperback on many other online book platforms.