Category: New Beginnings

Participate in the process & measure the progress
‘I don’t care about making money, I want to make a difference with this.’

This stopped my coach training mentor in her flow and she paused to repeat back what I’d just said. This resonated and really stuck with me. I’d had a feeling for a while that coaching was my calling – that moment confirmed it.

This conversation was a few months prior to really considering what my business and brand could be aside to from the coaching world.

I worked with trusted coaches, mentors and peers along with hours of self-reflection and research – all helped along by the fact that I’m someone who is obsessed with inspiration.

Sometimes I seek it out, sometimes it comes to me in the middle of a conversation, TV show, song, book or talk. These inspirations give me meaning and guidance and help me bring my goals to life.

When you become a coach, you quickly get focused on goals

The are key in solution focused coaching and the models I was becoming familiar with. If the client has a goal for the session and we successfully work towards achieving it, then we can safely say that the session has been useful.

A few hundred more hours along, my coaching is no longer just about the goal… Sometimes there is other work to do too.

Along with my coaching practice, I was starting to build some goals for myself and the business.

A trusted mentor began gently guiding me to future focused achievements. There was some amusement in some of these sessions too. When I bound excitedly into my online mentoring session with my new logo and branding colours, excited to put it out to the world on social media, Jane’s reaction was priceless…

‘Oh, I don’t think we’re connected on Linked In yet, let me check’.

She pulled out her phone and after finding me, she paused and looked up at the screen to me over her glasses with a warm but firm honesty – ‘Well, you only have 30 connections, so don’t launch anything yet because no one is going to see it!’.

This moment still makes me smile when I look back but it made me realise the power of people in your corner, who you trust to tell you the truth and back you all the way.

While we are never in full ‘tell’ mode in mentoring, there was a certainty in the message from this session – go and make some worthwhile connections. ‘When you’re at 100 – we’ll launch!’.

The accountability along with the consistent, supportive drive and championing of my success markers from Jane got me there and beyond within about 3 weeks!

Along with Jane’s sessions, some excellent peer coaching introduced me to the power of visualisation: When I’m successful…
- Where am I standing?
- How am I standing?
- What am I wearing?
- How am I feeling?
One particular session around this work led to the infamous pink jacket that has become a staple of my brand. From the visualisation, I knew that when I was successful, I would be wearing a pink jacket.

Not long after the business launched, I saw a candy pink blazer hanging in H&M on a London visit with my husband. We were a couple of wines in on our way to dinner and with our mutual adoration of Michael Portillo, we grabbed it for a fun photo op.

But as I looked in the store mirror, that visualisation came back to me…

this is the jacket that is going to help me bring my vision to life!

The first photo I picked when creating my bio and website was of me in the jacket – it somehow represented success – even though at this point I had no paying clients!

But with goals and achievements, it of course takes work. And the achievement of a goal doesn’t always bring the desired effect. The business being a success felt huge – unbelievable even. Would people ever pay me?

So, like with coaching and visualisation, we need to figure out what the goal is and work things back from there.

Big goals like this take focused action over a long period of time. Sounds scary but if you break it down into small steps of progress you can see it clearer. You can then start.
- Success depends on action…
- Action leads to momentum…
- Before you know it, you’re halfway there.
Speaking of Bon Jovi (how long have you got?!)… Thanks to mum, I’ve been in love with Jon and the band from around age 8! Mum and I have a matching Bon Jovi tattoo and I have their music notes around it too. I carry their inspiration with me as a part of my canvas.

Watching their documentary ‘Thank You, Goodnight’ in late 2024 was planned as just a girls night with mum and sister, but with the business and all this goal setting world growing, something landed from the man himself when talking about the early days of the band.

He spent years as a runner prior to his success, sweeping the floors and making the coffee in the recording studios and watching the greats such as Queen and Springsteen at work.

His commitment to observing and learning the craft was inspiring.

And after years of success as a platinum selling musician, the pivot into action was again approached in that same way – start by learning the craft, know it inside out and grow with continuous improvement. Don’t just take the big paid job because of your name.

This took me back to that mentoring conversation. This wasn’t just to build a business to make money. This was me learning a craft and building a grounding to a whole different type of success – personal and professional excellence.

So, feeling inspired that even the greats start way before the starting line, and realising there is possibly some truth in the term ‘It takes 10 years to become an overnight success’, I settled into a sense of pride for the work I was putting in.

But it really resonated when Jon Bon Jovi talked about overcoming his vocal surgery and the way it could have easily the end of his career. For someone with less tenacity, it may well have been, but the mindset work it took was probably more of a challenge than relearning a new way to sing those incredible hits we all know and love.

Clearly a difficult road to travel, his simple phrase stuck with me and caused me to pause the TV and make everyone wait while I wrote it down!

‘Not every day you’re going to win, but every day is an opportunity to participate in the process and measure the progress’.

Knowing one day, there’ll be something in that quote to come back to, I kept it safe.

More recently, I knew I wanted to write this blog but I wanted to wait until I’d witnessed Jon’s return to the stadium stage. And wow, last week did I do just that!

After 15 years away from UK stadiums and any shows of that magnitude, Bon Jovi walked out and delivered 2.5 hours of amazing entertainment, with a presence that simply said ‘we’re not done yet’.

For mum, me and sister (along with the other 65,000 people!), it was the best night we could imagine, but I kind of think it was an ever better one for Jon and the band.
- Goals are set.
- Visions are brought to life.
- Barriers can show up unexpectedly in the shape of huge boulders…
But from what I can see after my years in leadership and L&D and now in business ownership, the sure way to success, to the next achievement or goal (or Linked In connection!) is hard flippin’ work (and a lot of coaching!).

So, learn the craft, put in the hours, find your network, do the practice, and that’s the way there’ll be longevity.

I was right in that mentoring session, I’m not just here to make money. I’m here to make an impact, to craft moments of reflection, emotion and connection that endure long after the session ends.
09/06/2026
The Accidental Author
If you’ve been on this business growth journey with me for long enough, you’ll know that foundations are a key to success, especially when they are tied to strong vision and core values.

I’ve lost count of the number of people who have asked me who my target market is, what’s my niche and who’s my ideal customer.

The answers to some of these questions are still shifting and changing but there’s a definite certainty in most of them.

Part of the work in finding those answers was looking back on all the years in my career to see what I’m actually about. Going really detailed with it and then putting a curious slant on it with a ‘why’ or a ‘so what’ and looking at the past with a future focused mindset:
- Why does that shape me now?
- What can that past experience bring to this situation?
I was tentative at first but the more I’ve looked back over the last few years, the more I fell in love with my past career all over again. Those of you who have gone through redundancy will know the impact it can have, the feelings you can take with you and hold against the past because of how it ended.

The focus ends up being all on that final chapter of an otherwise outstanding book! And it can sometimes take time to remember that the earlier chapters were overflowing with life, learning and joy.

Speaking of books – I’m not one to write a review but when a book grabs you the way a recent one did me, you have to tell your world about it.

That book was ‘I Shop, Therefore I am’ by Mary Portas.

I happened upon the book while on a girls weekend with mum. We were at Good Housekeeping Live. Mary had been the resident author a few days prior, doing book signings. I picked up the book and read the synopsis:

‘From the legendary doyenne of the high street comes a no-holds-barred account about her time as the window dresser and creative director for Harvey Nichols that is immersed in the fashion world, full of juicy anecdotes and bursting with ‘90’s nostalgia.’

I got excited about this… Let’s not forget, I am by trade ‘a retailer’. I read the inside cover summary; the final paragraph started with:

‘Mary takes us behind the shop window – to the people who kept the show on the road and the early lessons that shaped her career.’

I was sold. With a big smile on my face, this 43 year old approaches mum and says ‘ Please can I have this for Christmas?’!

Now, I could have bought it myself but it felt like a gift, like something I’ll be excited to open on Christmas Day and that will also remind me of this great weekend shared with my mum.

The book sparked something in me. Mary wasn’t a salesgirl, she was a creative. But the way the book weaves through the behind the scenes of retail, fashion and high street reawakened all of the glamour, pride, humour, exhaustion, chaos and sometimes horrors that make up the mystifying world of being a store manager in ladies fashion…

Oh the stories I could tell… and do you know what? I think I just might!

When I sat down to write this blog, before I knew it, I had eight pages of A4.

I realised, it wasn’t a blog anymore, there was a force in me to start writing my story from the beginning. I want to revisit all of those memories, all of those special times, the struggles, meeting L&D, working at headquarters, the fashions, the sales, the insane amount of hours in the workdays, the endless journeys across the country and most importantly, the incredible people I worked with, most notably all my wonderful Wallis girls, the core of whom are still at the centre of my friendship group today.

So, I have Mary’s book as a shining inspiration that told me how special my story with Wallis was. And how much of it is still helping me today.

I’m still living the brand… only this time, it’s my brand!

So I am it seems, accidentally writing a book! The book is a long way off completion – it may never be. It may never see the eyes of anyone outside my office but if that’s the case, I’m still doing it for me. And I’m excited to see where it goes. I’m so in love with revisiting those days and creating something from it.

So with a little thank you to Mary Portas, I’ll get back to my pen and paper. But before we wrap up, let’s reflect:
- What story from your past still has something to teach you today?
- What experience might you have undervalued that actually shaped your brilliance?
- And what could you create if you simply allowed yourself to begin?
04/05/2026
How do you feel about Imposter Syndrome?

Proceed as if success is inevitable
For some time, I’ve been conflicted with my feelings around the term ‘Imposter Syndrome’. Until recent years when I’ve been finding my way back in the game of my L&D career, it wasn’t something I’d ever really experienced.
And even in this recent time, I hadn’t fully understood it. But I hear more and more about it, particularly when attending women’s development events and within my work with females in leadership or in male dominated environments.
So I started thinking:
Was it just confidence issues?
Was it only females who suffered?
Does it affect other genders?
How does it really feel?
Understanding Imposter Syndrome
Put simply, Imposter Syndrome is a feeling of self-doubt that persists despite evidence of success. A feeling of not being good enough or that they will be exposed as a fraud.
I have certainly felt elements of it throughout my time recently in a high-level temporary role. Despite investment in me as a ‘high potential’ candidate for future promotion, each opportunity only ever seemed on a time limit, was temporary, had a deadline, leaving me feeling that I was never enough.
Why was it so difficult to get anywhere when everyone kept telling me how great I was at my job?
They must be lying
They are saying that to be kind
My feedback isn’t giving me results, no matter what I do… so, is it true?
Experiencing Imposter Syndrome
Just this month I completed an assessment against my management skills. A job I loved and wanted accreditation for to give me professional status.
However, despite the pride I had in my evidence and knowledge I could mostly do that job standing on my head and knew I was great at, the more questions I was asked by the assessor, the less capable I felt, convinced that they were going to catch me out and prove I didn’t know anything; my evidence was all a lie!
These thoughts are so bad for you. On this day, they were terrible for me. I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t commit to a conversation fully and was completely distracted. I was even considering emailing to request another go, before I even knew the outcome, convinced I hadn’t passed.
The result came through the next morning, I had passed and had achieved the accreditation I had wanted so much. Before I properly celebrated that moment, I said to myself:
That’s a relief!
That was lucky
They obviously felt sorry for me!
But what about my evidence and experience of success, what about the sponsorship endorsements I had submitted to go with it, what about my outstanding feedback over the last 20 years? Most importantly, what about the result showing me that I had passed?
Thanks to a wonderful coaching session to unpick all of this, I see that now, but in the chaos of that experience, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t capable or worthy of success. That isn’t good for my mindset, which isn’t good for me to be a success.
Reflection and Moving Forward
Here’s something to ponder on from this reading and how are thoughts can impact our feelings and actions:
Do what you are doing.
You are your actions, and thinking motivates your actions.
That’s why you have to be so careful what you think about.
My Challenge to You
So maybe I do believe in Imposter Syndrome after all, maybe I’m not as immune as I thought I was!
As you reflect on your own experiences with Imposter Syndrome, take a moment to consider:
What successes have you achieved that you tend to downplay?
How can you shift your mindset to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments?
How can you be more proud of yourself and your journey?
Success isn’t always about results, it can be about how you feel about yourself too and recognising your worth and potential. It’s learning what to look for to help us through, to keep going and believing in our own truth… and to proceed as if success is inevitable.

01/22/2025
Embracing Change: My Journey to Finding Purpose in 2024

This year, everything changed.

Some things were so exciting I couldn’t keep still.

Some hurt so bad it was hard to breathe.

But that’s what life is right? That’s how it shapes us.

Finding My Calling
This year, for the first time in my life I understood what it meant to say you’ve found your calling. I truly have found mine and the move towards it now feels completely natural and not at all daunting.
It’s so interesting to look back on the last 20 years to see how I’ve got here. Each twist and turn have led me to this big year of newness that feels so familiarly right. Why does it feel this way? Why do I feel so calm when everything is so uncertain?

The Nature of Change
This got me thinking about change; it’s the one thing that’s inevitable to all of us and yet the thing we’re often most afraid of.
When are we afraid of it? Usually when it’s unexpected and not planned. When it’s a difficult time, this is certainly the case.
If it’s a change that we want, then we put all of our energy into focussing on that result. If we don’t get it, then what? What does that do to us and what impact is that having on us. If we do get the result we want, is it that everything is now ok, we’ve ‘made it’ and can now relax. But for how long? When will we become dissatisfied again and want more; therefore, more change?

Learning and Growth
In the past, I’ve not been one for change, often dealing with it in a really poor way. Blaming others or a greater force (or mostly myself) if I didn’t get what I wanted or felt I ‘deserved’. I tended to be just short of most achievements. Great, but never quite great enough, a second or third best in most situations. Looking back now, I think that’s still pretty good. But just because I didn’t get the ‘win’, the ‘golden ticket’, whether it be the job, the boy, the house, whatever, then it was a fail; I was a failure.

Looking Back to Move Forward

Only now, looking back, I see that it was me that could change it. Not the result as such, but the reaction to it and the story I told myself and those around me about it. The energy around a situation good or bad can impact us and the way we see ourselves and our lives dramatically. This alone, daring to look inwards, is the most powerful learning, I’ve ever done for myself.
A few years down this personal development road, I’ve now began to use this to support my decisions and this is really helping my confidence. I trust my gut more and if I think that something isn’t good for me, even if I might really want it then I’m comfortable with steering myself away from it.

I don’t get tempted to do something just because I feel I should. By gaining that control, I feel better about saying no and understanding that if it doesn’t feel good for me then it’s probably not.

Since doing this, the doors around me seem to have opened up. I’ve put energy into myself and the paths I like the look of. Because they feel good, I’m enjoying them. Because I’m enjoying them, I’m seeing outcomes and positive results. It’s helping me attract the right things to me.

I have no doubt that the next year will bring yet more change. So much of this can be unwanted. This year has been one of my hardest and one of my best at the same time. I’m not sure what to do with that math! But a few years ago, I tore this piece of advice out of a magazine, and I’ve carried it around in my purse. Now I’d like to share it with you as I think it sums up this writing perfectly:

“Don’t stress. Life moves on, No matter what you’re doing, or stuck in, or are feeling, it will change. Just breathe and know that nothing is stuck, there’s always hope. Things always move. Don’t stay stagnant.”

Conclusion: A Challenge for the new year

My challenge to you is to look at what you really want but also what you really need. What feels good, what doesn’t and trust yourself to know what is right. If tough times come, embrace them, sit with it and heal from it. If greatness comes, be proud of it and know that you deserve it.

As we step into the new year, let’s embrace each change with courage and hope, knowing that every twist and turn brings us closer to who we are meant to be.

12/30/2024
Stepping out of My Comfort Zone

Today was my first in person networking event where I didn’t know anyone, safe to say this morning the nerves were huge!

But I wanted to go as me and meet like minded women who love & believe in empowering each other and their businesses. Safe to say I need not have been nervous, I was welcomed in and immediately felt at ease. We all had one shared vision, how to support other women with their confidence, education and barriers and how to engage with allies who can support this journey for them.

I am proud of my business and the work I do, not only with females but with all individuals, everyone brings a different story, challenge or situation that we work through together in partnership.

I often talk about self development first and leading yourself before you can lead others. I’ve worked on this for myself in the past, doing it again for this new journey and the results are amazing… I’m buzzing with ideas and new connections but mainly I’m very proud to have found my purpose and finally feel like the last 20 years has led me to this. I’m in the right place and on the right path… who knows where the destination will be!

10/08/2024