A brilliant day today with an incredible group of people. We walked, talked, coached, and connected in the Lake District — one of my favourite places to reset my mind and open up new perspectives. A few people asked me to share the simple framework I use every time I head out for a walk. It turns an ordinary walk into a powerful NLP‑infused reset. Feel free to use it on your next solo walk or group adventure. I’ll be organising another one in a few months, so keep an eye on the calendar and the posts here. Before I Start — Leaving the Baggage Behind What am I choosing to leave in the car park today? Stress? To‑do lists? Family pressures? Old stories? I like to pick up a small stone, imagine the “baggage” being absorbed into it, and then throw it into the lake or leave it behind. A symbolic pattern interrupt. As I Get Moving — Acknowledging a WIN What’s a recent win I haven’t properly acknowledged? Something I brushed past? Something I achieved but didn’t celebrate? If I’m with others, I talk it through. If I’m alone, I let it roll around in my mind. A moment of mindfulness. Intention for the Walk What clarity would I like to gain today? What question is quietly waiting for attention? If nothing comes to mind, I use one of the prompts below. Pick one or two to “chew on” as you walk if you need inspiration: • Advice you give clients — What do you regularly coach others on that you’re avoiding in your own life? • Playing it safe — Where are you currently choosing comfort over growth? • Radical simplification — If you had to simplify your life over the next 3 months, what would you cut? • Unlearning old beliefs — What outdated belief about yourself are you in the process of releasing? Towards the End — The Silent Stretch Around 20 minutes of silent walking. No talking. Just allowing the unconscious mind to wander, reorganise, and offer up insights. 💖 Lunch — Reflections Sharing insights with others or simply contemplating them myself. Is there anything else I’d like to gain accountability on?

Most people think NLP is about changing the way you talk to yourself, language patterns, changing your physiology, or changing one state. None of those are wrong, they're just incomplete. NLP goes deeper than that, into the internal programming, the patterns running underneath behavior, and physiology is one piece feeding into that programming, not the whole picture. Neuroscience is now backing this up directly, and the first lesson in Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain reframes a lot of what people assume change work is actually doing. The lesson is called "Your Brain Is Not for Thinking." The title is intentionally surprising. The core finding is that the brain's primary function isn't to think, reason, or solve problems. Its most important job is to manage your body's resources so you stay alive and healthy. The technical term for this is allostasis, the body budgeting nickname is just the accessible version of it, and once you see it, you realize NLP has been working with this mechanism since the beginning, just without the biology to explain why it works. State is simply the sum of your physiology and where your attention is focused in any given moment. It's easy to assume state is the target, get into a resourceful state and the work is done. But state isn't the target. State is the output. The allostasis or body budget concept names the engine that's actually generating it, which means the real work goes deeper than the state itself. It means changing the programming that decides what state a person defaults to before they've even thought a thought. Picture your body as a bank account. Sleep deposits into it. Good food deposits into it. Exercise builds the account over time. Stress, worry, illness, and lack of sleep withdraw from it. The brain is constantly tracking these deposits and withdrawals across energy, water, salt, glucose, hormones, and oxygen, predicting what the body will need next and trying to prepare for it before there's any conscious awareness of the need. This is the program running underneath every state someone walks into a room with. You can change the state for an afternoon. You can't out technique a depleted budget.

Hey everyone sorry I couldn't make it to the lab call today I was in transit back home

Imagine standing on stage, delivering a keynote that captivates your audience. Then imagine having the skills, system, and confidence to do it again and again — and teach others to do the same, all while being paid to do this... SpeakUp is your six-day immersive journey from crafting powerful presentations to building a thriving speaking and training business. The programme will be held on October 7-11 in my hometown Lockerbie, Scotland. To find out more join me on Teams on 1st July 6pm. Follow this link to book a spot on the call: https://buytickets.at/tobykatemccartneytrainingltd/2268640

Before I roll out my newly updated public speaking course, I’d love to know if it’s something you’d be interested in. Below you’ll find the key details, dates, and pricing. Have a quick read and, if it speaks to you, either hit the thumbs-up on this post or drop a comment to let me know you’re interested. Thanks in advance for your feedback and support. SpeakUp: Public Speaking & Speaker Trainer Certification Programme A six-day immersive experience designed to take you from crafting powerful keynote presentations to delivering them on stage — and ultimately training others to do the same. Set in either London or Lockerbie, Scotland (near Carlisle), this programme blends practical speaking skills, business strategy, and real-world performance. Programme Overview Dates & Times - Public Speaking Intensive: Wednesday 7th – Friday 9th October 26 - Trainer Certification: Friday 9th – Sunday 11th October 26 - Daily schedule: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM - Daily independent work: 2 hours (guided homework and preparation) Course 1: Public Speaking Intensive (3 Days): Designed to help you build, structure, and deliver a compelling keynote presentation with confidence and clarity. Day 1 – Wednesday 7th October The Public Speaker’s Model & System - The SpeakUp framework for impactful presentations - Structuring a keynote from idea to delivery - Audience psychology and message clarity - Crafting your core message and narrative arc Day 2 – Thursday 8th October Keynote Scripting & Writing - Storytelling techniques for engagement - Writing for spoken delivery vs written content - Emotional pacing and persuasive language - Refining your keynote script Day 3 – Friday 9th October Presentation Day - Deliver your keynote live - Structured feedback and coaching - Performance refinement and confidence building Course 2: Public Speaking Trainer Certification (3 Days): For those ready to turn speaking into a business and train others. Day 4 – Friday 9th October (Afternoon Transition)