Press articles
Tropical Magazine. Volume 7 issue 66
“Unhappy, stuck and unsure what to do next, the Life Change Programme based in Thailand offers a permanent solution. This really is a brand new approach to changing your life”
GT Magazine. March Edition 2009.
Article by Travel Editor Andrew Copestake
“Change is good, but the Life Change People are even better. I only wish I had met them sooner”
The company is run by an English woman called Chrissy Richman and partner Alex Gunn with other members of the team coming out to Thailand when necessary. They have worked with thousands of people, helping them make major changes in their lives, including, recovering from drug addiction and alcohol dependency, they worked with Aids patients in the early years and have latterly advised the government on a range of social issues, through focussed discussion groups at The House Of Lords.
Ever the cynic I arranged to meet Chrissy for a chat next time she was in London and expected the meeting to last about 15 minutes. Two hours later I was captivated. On first impression she came across as slightly scatty, was reticent about her own achievements and has a lively sense of humour. Clearly there would be no gung-ho style Paul McKenna mechanics here.
Seeing Chrissy waiting for me at Bangkok airport was like being re-united with an old friend. I had to remind myself I’d only known this woman for two hours. As we travelled onto Chiang Mai she described how our daily life change sessions would leave plenty of free time to explore the city’s markets, visit the nearby Elephant Nature Park, indulge in stress busting massage treatments, or just relax by the pool of the hotel, a tranquil retreat whose languid grounds would be enough to bliss-out the most stressed neurotic. All the time I’d have use of Son, a driver and guide, who works as part of the life change team. He is incredibly warm hearted and would tell me fascinating facts about the country and introduce me to the delights of Thai street food.
Working with Chrissy is not a case of off-loading pent up grievances, but about developing strategies for change. During the week we discussed ways to overcome snags and dilemmas that can get in the way and how to reframe negative self talk into positive change talk in a way that is meaningful.
“The location of the Life Change Programme is important. However good therapy may be, had I taken that route I would have been turfed out at the end of each session to the mad streets and slate grey skies of London. Each evening in Thailand, emotionally drained but strangely energised, I wandered through the bustling street markets, visited serene Buddhist temples or just relaxed by the pool. I began to sleep like a baby, waking with the dawn to seek out the saffron-robed monks as they did their early morning rounds and slowly, but surely, I could feel the stress slipping away.
The real test is how I’ve done since my return home. It would be ludicrous to suggest that my anxieties have reached zero, but 3 months on with regular e-mail support from Chrissy I’m learning to manage my anxieties better and focus on the things that make me feel good. I’ve quit smoking after 20 years. I have 2 cups of coffee a day, have cleared my inbox, the snowdrift of paper in my office, and have managed to kick-start my career again. I’ve even resurrected some book projects, and started some new ones. Finally I’ve just re-read The Art Of Travel. In one chapter the author describes how depressed he can feel when he returns from travelling, a feeling I used to know well. Perhaps he should get in touch with The Life Change People”
Thailand Tatler. March Edition 09.
A small group of qualified professionals with many years experience have developed the Life Change Programme to meet the needs of those of us who need to re-examine where we are in life and where we actually want to be, or overcome specific problems. Alex Gunn and Chrissy Richman have relocated to Thailand in order to offer the Life Change Programme in the beautiful city Chiang Mai. Other specialists from the team join them when required. People who are working to change their lives have the additional pleasure of knowing that 5% of the cost of every Life Change Programme is donated to the Vieng Ping Childrens Home in Chiang Mai.
Esquire Magazine. February Edition 2009. "Can I have a New Life Please?"
Article by Deputy Editor Dan Davies.
Will a lady in silver shoes, a performing elephant and a good massage do the trick?
Drawing on their experience of managing, developing and delivering life change programmes, the Life Change People have come up with a simple and effective idea; come to Thailand (the Land of Smiles), relax in a beautiful peaceful environment, look objectively at your life from a distance, then work with them to identify “barriers to change”. By understanding your own “change processes” you will be able to go on and create your own “change plan”, which will then be supported with calls and emails for at least three months after your return home. I’m worried about the answers I have put on my personality questionnaire.
After lunch, Alex explains that the methodology underpinning the programme uses recent advances in motivational psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy. He assures us there will be no deep psychotherapy or traumatic rebirthing: “We’re not talking about cathartic explosions, but about doing things we can guarantee” he says. “We want to give you the resources to change. It is completely reasonable to think that you can come here, enjoy a lovely holiday, work with us and then go home and be able to make major changes to your lives”.
We cross the Ping River that splits this low rise, jungle city, passing open fronted shops, spaghetti junctions of electricity wires and temples on every street corner. I am already feeling better and as a small Thai women walks up and down my spine, my mind descends into blissful free fall.
I feel bad for initially doubting Chrissy of the Life Change People who proves to be warm, kind and an extremely good listener. She also surprises me with her acute observations about how I act, and what it says about me.
“A pattern is established over the following days with sessions of 2-3 hours followed by downtime in which to lie in the sun, have a massage, or explore the markets and temples outside the walls of our tropical hideaway. The food is fantastic, the atmosphere relaxed to the point of horizontal and I am gaining strength. The sun and relaxation are doing wonders. Being in a tranquil environment with the time to think is like taking a hoover to the dust in my brain. Being taught how to reframe the way I think is helping replace habitual negativity with something new and enjoyably energising. The Life Change Programme is proving to be far more robust and realistic than I had dared hope for...for the first time in ages I wake up feeling optimistic and ready to take on the world”
Five weeks later and I’m back behind my desk, it’s raining stair rods outside and the sky is slate grey. The credit crunch has turned into a full blown recession, the newspapers are full of depressing stories and my Rover has a flat battery. My old self would have had a field day, but he hasn’t been around much lately. Instead, I’ve moved into a cosy one bedroom flat where I pay little attention to the cold and gloom outside. I get weekly messages and encouragement from Chrissy. I’m staying positive and am at last happily engaged in writing a long overdue book, which is going very well. Thank you very much.
Red Magazine. February Edition 2009.
Article by Celebrity Director Niki Browes
My once smooth talking, sharp dressing father is dying of a rare brain disease. My self esteem was low, my head was in a mess and I was failing to rise to the challenge of planning my wedding.
Going to Thailand to find yourself may sound like a hippy cliché, but this was more like a luxe holiday-with added therapy. All the Life Change practitioners are counsellors who use a combination of motivational psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy “to speed up the natural change process”. There are four hotels to chose from and we stayed in the Rachamankha, a gorgeous temple like environment.
The next morning, Chrissy, my immensely warm therapist, and I found a secluded part of the hotel and began our first session. Each day there was another session and as Chrissy got to know me a little more out came my fears, and to my horror a few tears.
“It soon became apparent that Chrissy from the Life Change People is extremely good at her job and the beautiful setting is key. After an intensive session you can gather your thoughts by the pool, visit numerous peaceful temples, have a massage or go elephant trekking, much more appealing than stepping out onto a bleak city street with a mascara streaked face. Then there’s the food. As a vegetarian it is rare for me to be spoilt for choice, but I was, not only was my body being nourished but so was my head- bingo”
I left Chiang Mai feeling calmer and more confident. With Chrissy’s help I realised I wasn’t organising my wedding because I didn’t want to think about Dad not being there or really sick. She helped me decide what to do. For the first time in ages I began to look forward to getting married again. The real clincher was the 3 months email contact with your practitioner when you return home. I now feel that if I keep following Chrissy’s advice I’ll have all the tools I need to have a permanent holiday from my own head.
Scotland on Sunday Newspaper. 15th February 2009.
Article by Gareth Rose.
If you are thinking of making changes in your life there’s no better place to do it than the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai with The Life Change People.
If there is a better place for finding yourself than among such beauty and serenity, it has probably yet to be discovered, which is why a group of British therapists, including Alex Gunn, a motivational psychologist and Chrissy Richman, have moved to Chiang Mai to set up the Life Change programme. This gives people the opportunity to get some distance from their daily treadmills and look at their own worlds from a relaxed setting. In particular the programme is devised at those stuck in a rut who feel that a major change is needed.
Those who sign up can look forward to a course that includes lengthy life change sessions with people who are attentive, astute and sympathetic. Guests also have time to enjoy Chiang Mai’s many tourist attractions. For the energetic, the most popular activities are elephant rides and treks to visit the hill tribes.
The Thais are also masters of relaxation, so the less adventurous can choose from countless massages, and other spa treatments available all over the city.
The city also has more than 300 Buddhist temples, some of them among the most revered in the world. The city is also surrounded by mountains and other wonderful locations, while the shops of Bangkok and beaches even further south can add stylish clothes and a suntan to complete your transformation.
If you are looking for a new you, Chiang Mai and the Life Change People could be just the place to start your journey. Who knows where it might lead?
The Guardian Newspaper. 3rd January 2009
The Dream Weavers.
Learn how to live your dreams with help from The Life Change People. Alex Gunn a motivational psychologist and Chrissy Richman have swapped life in the UK for Northern Thailand where they have set up their company and now teach people how to take control of their lives, and live life to the full
E-Travel Blackboard E Magazine. January 2009
“The Life Change People is a wholesaler with a difference, their goal is to offer Life Change holidays for those looking for a therapeutic holiday set to shift the way you live your life”
The Times Newspaper. 3rd January 2009.
Article byTravel Writer and Conde Nast Writer Tania Cagnoni
Angst, Buddhas And A Personal Pie Chart.
Mortgage, what mortgage? I’m sitting at the edge of Huey Tueng Tao lake surrounded by mountains, pine trees and people floating by in swan shaped pedal boats, talking to my life-change therapist in Chiang Mai. As therapy goes, the last week had consisted of the best sort of counselling a jaded, property-burnt, travel writer could have had.
Having dabbled in enough treatments to know my cognitive behavioural therapy from my Jungian, I was keen to put my mind in the hands of some new people. The Life Change People combine holidays in carefully chosen hotels in Thailand with individual coaching by a small team of qualified professionals.
I knew that I had hit the life-coaching jackpot when I received a tailor made itinerary to suit my likes (temples, architecture, markets, gastronomy, and elephants) and dislikes (bungy jumping, mountain biking). Chrissy and Alex, the directors and founding practitioners of the company explained their philosophy:”It’s important that we make our guests feel special before we’ve started working with them. We give complete attention and professional advice.”A full week here works out to about 4 months of weekly therapy in London.
Like many others I’m about to be caught in a new mortgage that I can ill afford, or made bankrupt if I rescind on the contract. Oh and I’d quite like to be in a long term relationship....I needed a miracle worker.
Chrissy and I discussed the week’s work ahead after which we started my favourite form of therapy:retail. It is satisfyingly cheap in Thailand; silk bags and cushions: £2; glorious hand made wooden puppets for £8 and on stalls and in temple courtyards, and array of delicious street food, from pork balls to fried Quails eggs, banana spring rolls and mango with sticky rice.
We worked through my questionnaire the next day and were rewarded by a visit to some nearby temples via a trip around Siri Wattana food market where we devoured warm coconut dumplings.
I was almost ready to square up to those relationship problems....but first the matters of debt and property....
The trip was just as much about new experiences as it was changing my old life and habits. We drove through banana plantations, paddy fields, and beautiful countryside to visit the Elephant Nature Park. Returning to the hotel late we sat under colonial fans surrounded by palms and drew up a pie chart to explore the balance (or imbalance) of my life. Ive spent so much time over the past 15 years developing my career that I realised I have completely neglected myself. Chrissy and I took my list of 42 negatives and began restructuring them. On our last day we drew up my Change Plan and Chrissy helped me practice being true to myself and honest with others.
I soon encountered my first test. The airport was blocked and all flights were cancelled. I felt stressed for the first time in a week. I tried Chrissys exercise.... The Life Change Programme technique passed with flying colours.
On arrival back at the airport my emails confirmed my worst nightmares – I’d lost my mortgage offer.
Four weeks on, I find myself facing financial ruin with an unexpected philosophical calm. Against all the odds this year bodes well. I’m working on the pie-chart and Chiang Mai beckons again.
Easier.com E Magazine. October 2008
“When the going gets tough the tough run to Thailand”
Spa Secrets Magazine. October 2008
“Frustrated with your life, the Life Change People have just the answer”
Spirit and Destiny Magazine. September 2008
“Stuck in a rut? Then head to Thailand for a break with the Life Change People”
Plymouth Herald. August 2008
“Inspired To Change Lives” Article by Martin Freeman.
