Frank Bolaji Irawo and I are delighted to have facilitated the masterclass for The Association of Business Poets on 6th October 2026. (Don't forget their next event which is the annual Poetry in business Conference 12/13th November 2026)

See below for some examples of metaphors in action, and also links to some of my poems. Although first, a little promotion about some exciting things going on in my work this autumn.

• Beyond the Web - is my first illustrated poem and was published only last week 🙂 - do keep an eye for future illustrated poems coming very soon on the topics of confidence, inner wisdom and talking to brick walls.

• Conversations From the Bookshelf - where books talk, poems think and inner wisdom is revealed was launched two weeks ago - with books sharing poems about every day challenges we face - the first topic was testing the water to see if something would work, and second was juggling balls.

• We Are Nature - a collection of rewilding and nature poems will be published very soon - it includes a poem I wrote for the recent SCOTLAND: The Big Picture rewilding conference.
• You can keep in touch with what I'm up to by signing up for my newsletter.
• A little more about how I can help you.
• Email me on alison@alisonsmith.co (yes just .co) or call me +44 (0)7770 538159

And details of my existing publications

• Can't See the Wood For the Trees - Landscaping Your Life to Get Back on Track - were each chapter provides new insight about the metaphor contained in your language - such as can't see the wood, going round in circles, up a creek without a paddle etc - see blog for more, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

• Your Prescription for Wellbeing Journal - including a number of my poems - blog for more, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Metaphor Fishing

Here's the script you went metaphor fishing with (just in case you'd like to use it with others).

I feel like I’m completely stuck in a rut at work.

I’ve been in the same role for six years and, although I keep telling myself I need to move on, I just seem to go round in circles. There’s never a good time to do anything about it.

Work is full-on. I’m juggling several projects, constantly chasing deadlines and trying to keep everyone happy. My manager keeps piling more onto my plate and I’m beginning to feel as if I’m running on empty. There’s so much going on that I really can’t see the wood for the trees anymore.

Part of me thinks I’m at a crossroads. I’d love to do something completely different, but I have a mortgage and two children at university, so I can’t just jump ship. I’ve looked at a few jobs, but nothing has really grabbed me.

I keep hoping I’ll turn a corner and things will become clearer. Perhaps I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

I know something needs to change. I just can’t see what my next step should be.

How the Brain Finds Meaning in Metaphor

Working With Metaphor

I don't want to repeat what we did during the workshop however you'll find some Suggestions about using metaphor in a coaching context in a blog written to accompany a soon to be released conversation on the subject of 'Why Am I Tired All the Time - see the Using the metaphor in your language to get new insight and a different perspective section of that blog.

Here's why I love using metaphor and why I avoid diving into the story and content of the situation.

A few examples of metaphors people use and the insights they get from the metaphor are shown below.

• If you think the situation is like an iceberg and you realise an iceberg moves slowly because of it's weight and recognise the need to release physical, mental or emotional weight yourself.
• If you can't see the wood for the trees you might recognise you need to stop planting more trees;
• If you don't have enough time you may need to protect your time somehow

• If you have your head in the sand you realise you have a bigger problem

• If you you feel like a fish out of water you may realise you need to get to safety first.
• Or if you're going round in circles, life feels like an uphill struggle, you're talking to a brick wall, can't see the wood for the trees or are at a crossroads there's a blog that summarises the insights.

and some suggestions when you can't see the wood for the trees - solutions that after over 10 years of using the idiom we still find new solutions - for example - like looking behind you and realising there are no trees there.

My Poems

There's a playlist of some of my poems on my YouTube channel - here's some blogs sharing some of my often shared poems in group or 121 sessions some of which explore the metaphor mentioned.

• Paths & Destinations
• What is Normal
• Half a path
• Talking to a brick wall
• Pushing the same boulder up the same hill
• Rewild your life
• Juggling too many balls
• At a deadend
• Forests and Economies: What the Forest Teaches Us About Sustainable Business (a collection of poems for international forest day)

You can keep in touch with what I'm up to by signing up for my newsletter or email me on alison@alisonsmith.co (yes just .co) or call me +44 (0)7770 538159 - you can find out more about what I do here too.