How I Got Here

For most of my career, I was helping other people figure out how they wanted to show up in the world.

I spent a decade in the agency world, working with global brands across digital experience, content and design. I worked on everything from shaping digital journeys to helping Specsavers bring more of its personality into the online experience — and even into its stores.

I enjoyed so many aspects of my work, I often got good feedback, promotions and from the outside, it looked like I was successful.

But I always this niggling thought that it wasn’t right for me, and I never felt like I was really being myself.

I knew I wanted to change careers for most of my twenties, but was overwhelmed by what felt like a mountain ahead of me, and I never knew what was at the top.

I didn’t have a clear job title in mind, and never felt like I had the confidence and trust in myself to figure it out.

So I stayed stuck.

For a long time, I thought I needed to find the right answer before I could make a move.

When I was made redundant, everything I'd been avoiding came to the surface. It was one of the hardest periods of my life, but also the point at which I finally started asking myself better questions.

What changed for me

I gave myself permission to pause, and spend time with myself getting back to who I am at my core… not in the world of work.

Finally I was away from the linear job descriptions, I spent time reading psychology research, listening to podcasts, being very crafty in my house, and writing.

Substack which I started 18 months ago, where I've been building a community around personal essays about life, work, confidence and figuring things out.

Think of it as the life section of a magazine: thoughtful, curious, occasionally quite deep, but with oodles and oodles of fun too!

Because that's what I believe, really.

I don't think we need to have ourselves completely figured out, but we do need to get better at listening to ourselves, understanding what gets in our way, and building enough trust to take the next step.

And sometimes, that next step is the beginning of something entirely different. 

Everything starts when you build trust in yourself

How I Think

 

“Be more confident” isn’t feedback

 

Confidence isn’t volume and it doesn’t arrive with seniority. It comes from understanding you well enough to back yourself.

 

Sensitivity is an advantage

 

Thinking before you speak and noticing what others miss makes for better writers, leaders and problem-solvers.

 

Honest writing is what people connect with

 

It’s how I work things out, and it’s why I write the real thing.

My Mission

I saw how better understanding myself, and giving myself the permission to be someone different, made me happier and more confident. So now I really want to help other people with that.

Contact Me

If you’d like to chat, understand more, or think we’d work well together… get in touch.