It's A Duck

23/10/2026

Stronger Than Before is back! 💛

I am absolutely delighted to be returning to Care for Cancer, Omagh, to deliver another six weeks of Stronger Than Before.

Having delivered this beautiful programme last year, I know just how powerful it can be when women are given the time and space to reconnect with themselves.

Through creativity, reflection, meaningful conversations and plenty of laughter, we explore the strength we sometimes forget we have, the beauty in our individual journeys and the importance of looking after ourselves along the way.

It's not about being strong every single day. It's about recognising how far you've come and giving yourself permission to discover what comes next. ❤️

I am so grateful to Care for Cancer for welcoming me back and for continuing to provide these wonderful opportunities within our local community.

Interested in joining us?

Please contact Care for Cancer directly on 028 8224 6599 for further information or to book your place.

I look forward to welcoming you. 💛
Brenda x 🦆

We are delighted to offer these beautiful 6 week courses with Brenda. These are very popular so please book your space by phoning Care for Cancer 02882 246599.

18/10/2026

🦆World Menopause Day | 18 October 🦆

This year’s theme is Chronic Pain at Midlife bringing attention to pain that can so often go unseen.

Behind “I’m grand” there may be a woman getting through her working day, caring for her family and quietly struggling herself.

Pain deserves to be taken seriously. Women deserve time to explain what they’re experiencing, to be listened to and to receive appropriate assessment and care.
We also need to be careful about putting every new pain down to menopause.

Understanding what’s happening starts with a conversation with a healthcare professional.

Today is a reminder to check in with the women around us. Ask how they are, give them space to answer honestly and listen without judgement.

And if this is you, missus you don’t have to keep saying you’re grand when you’re struggling. You deserve care too.

Love B 🦆

09/10/2026

When you’re tired, foggy and just want to feel like yourself again, those big promises can be very tempting.

But before we spend our hard-earned money, we deserve to know what’s behind the claims.

Sharing this because understanding our midlife health also means having honest conversations about the products marketed to us.

You deserve clear information, support and care not pressure to buy the next “miracle”. 🦆

06/10/2026

What a morning with Timely Careers

I joined the lovely Colette Leeson Interview and Career Coach to talk about career confidence, identity and the paths our lives can take. I shared some of my own journey too, because I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and wonder, “Where did I go?”

We talked about hormones and how they can affect our confidence, our work and the way we see ourselves. And we talked about all those different paths we’ve taken in life. None of them are something to be ashamed of. They’re part of us, and they’ve given us skills we may not even realise we have.

We are never too old to be ambitious, to follow a dream, or even to start discovering what that dream might be. 🦆

One woman wrote afterwards that she left feeling “motivated and hopeful.” Reading that meant the world to me.

Thank you to Colette, Careers and Deloitte for bringing us together, and to every gorgeous woman who spent the morning with us.

I only managed to get this one photo with Colette and a fellow Westy 😉 If you’re reading this, please comment below so we can connect! I’m woeful with names, and today I’m blaming the hormones 😂❤️

Love B 🦆

03/10/2026

“To feel me.”

Three little words spoken this morning that I think will stay with all of us.

Today was our very first morning of Autumn at the Duck Pond 🍂🦆 and I genuinely couldn’t have hoped for a more gorgeous start.

This morning wasn’t about fixing everything.

It was about stopping.

Taking a little time away from all the roles we play and all the things we do for everyone else, and asking…

🦆What do I want for me?

🦆How do I want to feel?

🦆And why is this time important to me?

Each of the ladies received their It’s A Duck! notebook and we talked about the goal they want to work towards over our time together.

There was honesty. There was laughter. There were a few moments that made us think.

And then there was that beautiful line spoken by one of the gorgeous ladies

“ To feel me.”

I think a lot of women will understand exactly what she meant. ❤️

And honestly, we couldn’t have had a better setting for it.

Autumn was well and truly in the air atOrba. 🍁 The colours, the morning sky, the trees…

After our conversation, the ladies headed out for a walk through the little forest, taking some time to notice the natural beauty around them, before coming back in to warm tea and homemade scones.

No rushing.

No having to be anything for anybody else.
Just a couple of hours that were theirs.

This was only morning one.

And I already have a feeling there are going to be some very special moments at the Duck Pond over the coming weeks. 🦆🍂❤️

Here’s to finding a little more of “me"

Love B 🦆

29/09/2026

I’m looking forward to joining Colette Leeson Interview and Career Coaching and the Centre of Learning in Belfast on 6 October for Career Confidence & Identity Shifts

I’ll be exploring how changes in our lifes can affect our confidence, our sense of identity and the choices we make about work.

If you’ve ever felt a little unsure of who you are or where you’re going next, this could be a lovely space to pause and reconnect with yourself.

The booking details are in the post below 👇🦆

Hope to see you there🦆

Have you ever stopped to think about how many identities you've held throughout your life?

Employee. Manager. Mother. Carer. Partner. Leader. Job seeker. Returner.

For many women, career confidence isn't lost overnight. It can be shaped by the many transitions and identity shifts we experience throughout our lives.

When life changes, our confidence, priorities and sense of identity can shift too.

Timely Careers is creating a space to help you pause, reflect and reconnect with your strengths. Join Careers Coach Colette Leeson and Mental Health & Wellbeing Coach Brenda McCaskie for a practical workshop designed to build confidence, recognise your value and gain clarity on your next career step.

Together, you'll:

✔ Identify your skills, strengths and transferable experience
✔ Build confidence and challenge limiting beliefs
✔ Communicate your value more effectively
✔ Gain clarity on your career goals
✔ Define realistic next steps for your future

This isn't about becoming someone new. It's about recognising the value that's already there.

📅 Tuesday 6th October 📍 Deloitte, The Ewart, 3 Bedford Square, Belfast ⏰ 10:00am - 12:00pm

Email [email protected] to secure your free place today.

27/09/2026

🍂 IT'S NEARLY TIME, LADIES!! 🍂

And don't just take my word for it… have a wee listen to Sheena! 🥰

I've been chatting with the lovely ladies who have already booked, and the excitement is building. I honestly can't wait to get started!

But here's the thing…
It's NOT too late to join us!

As we step into a new month, ask yourself one question…
When was the last time you did something JUST FOR YOU?
Not for the family. Not for work. Not because somebody else needed you.
FOR YOU.

Autumn at the Duck Pond is about discovering who you are now, what YOU want and taking those little steps towards making it happen.
And remember, nobody else can make that decision for you.

🍂 Starts THIS SATURDAY, 3rd October
📍 Orba, Omagh | 9am–11am
🦆 Six Saturday mornings across eight weeks
❤️ Only a few spaces remaining!

Private message me to book, and we'll arrange a wee chat before Saturday so we can meet and you can ask me absolutely anything.

A new month. A new season. And perhaps the beginning of something wonderful for YOU.

The only person who can take that first step is YOU.

Love B 🦆

21/09/2026

“I’m only 38… surely I’m too young for perimenopause? And isn’t it mainly hot flushes anyway?”

Thirty-eight is certainly not too young to have symptoms that deserve to be taken seriously.

Every woman is different, and that is why it is so important that a GP or healthcare professional looks at the individual woman sitting in front of them not simply her age.

Hot flushes are only one possible symptom.

Women may also notice changes in their periods, sleep, mood, anxiety, concentration, energy, confidence, libido or even how they feel within themselves. Sometimes we don’t immediately connect all those little changes.

One practical step that may help is tracking what you are experiencing. Writing down any changes over a few months can give you useful information to take with you when speaking to your GP or healthcare professional.

If you are under 40 and concerned about changes you are experiencing, it is particularly important to seek a proper medical assessment rather than simply assuming it is or isn’t hormonal.

Equally, we shouldn’t put every change down to hormones, as other health conditions can cause similar symptoms and may need to be investigated.

Lifestyle factors can support our overall wellbeing and may help us manage some symptoms but they are only one part of the picture.

Have you ever dismissed something because you thought you were “too young”?

P.S I wish I was 38. Lol. I am the grand age of 47 and loving it. (This was just a question a beautiful 38 yr old asked me and thought I would share ❤️)

Please note: I am a Menopause and Mental Wellbeing Coach, not a medical professional. This post is for awareness and education only and is not intended to diagnose any condition or replace individual medical advice. If you are concerned about symptoms or changes in your health, please speak to your GP or another suitably qualified healthcare professional.

13/09/2026

🦆🦆🦆Well... I don't think either Sheena or I were quite prepared for the response to Part 1 ❤️

The messages, comments and lovely words for Sheena were just incredible. So many of you connected with her honesty, her vulnerability and where she found herself at that point in her life.

So I think it's time for Part 2...

When Sheena and I sat down in my office there was no script and no plan for what she “should” say. We simply chatted about her journey the hard bits, the changes and the things she began to realise along the way.

And that's what I love about this. This isn't a polished testimonial. It's just one woman being really bloody honest about what life felt like for her... and what happened when she decided she wanted something to change.

If you watched Part 1 and recognised even a little bit of yourself in Sheena, keep watching. ❤️

Because remember... the woman you're listening to now isn't where this story ends.
And maybe, just maybe... it's time for you too. 🍂

Sheena's Story Part 2 🦆❤️

And Sheena thank you again for allowing me to share this. After seeing the reaction to Part 1, I think you can already see why your honesty matters.

Love B❤️ xx