Tag: Inspiration

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
Resistance – What’s Needed Now?

Thoughts – ‘I don’t want to write. I can’t think of what to say at the moment. Actually, I don’t want to think about doing any work – even work that I love!’

Noticing that I was resistant to anything over the Christmas period and into January, I thought to myself; well, if I feel this way and it’s part of my career, I surely shouldn’t be posting to others about the expectation of motivation and ‘New Year resets’!

So, I wasn’t even going to write this. But as the weekend began and the plan to ‘take down’ Christmas was ahead of me, I got the niggle of inspiration. And as I wrote those first few sentences, the words came tumbling out.

I’ve always been authentic with what I write and create, so whilst I respected others in the industry that did want to put out email newsletters, blogs, promotions and motivating posts about the new year, it just didn’t feel right for me.

I just kept deleting email after email that was anything about work…

Or about networking event planning for 2026. No thanks, I’m fine right here in my bubble – ‘That’s a next year task’. I also purposely didn’t go on LinkedIn, only Instagram. LinkedIn somehow feels like ‘the office’!

Maybe also, I was a little resistant because it gave me the feeling that I should be writing or creating something. If I saw something great or inspiring, then I’d think I should be doing that too and it would give me a task I didn’t really need.

But even when I thought about doing something, looked through my notes and inspiration to think about what it could look like, it was just a blank page that I didn’t know how to fill… and then I’d let myself get distracted again by the holidays, perhaps with a pang of guilt or panic that the spark wasn’t there but not enough to make me feel uneasy, it seemed that I was internally pleased to be choosing simplicity.

If you recall ‘Choice’ was on my vision board at the start of last year as a key guide for me.

I have been intentional with my choices mostly and when I haven’t, I’ve noticed how different it’s felt.

Throughout autumn, I could literally feel my mind and body screaming at me to slow down. I kept thinking, is this burnout? I don’t think so, but if I had kept up that pace, maybe it could have been. So, when I finally did give my mind and body permission to slow down mid-December, I think they just kept wanting more time. I could have pushed though this and got myself into stuff, I’m sure of it, but instead, I listened a bit and let go of thinking what I should do and instead considered what I needed to do.

A great coaching question to myself here: ‘What’s needed now?’

The last few weeks, I’ve been seeing lots of posts about Wintering, about not rushing straight into the new year with rigidity. I’ve always quite liked January. The feeling of a fresh, blank canvas to create new chapters and I do always like the idea of taking my time and doing some trial and error until the year really gets going. I love the goal / feeling of being ‘ready’ for Spring. That for me is mentally, physically and professionally.

So, I am doing a cleanse – my body is crying out for it! But otherwise, January will be a slower pace: yoga, gym, walks, reading, inspiration and time to really be present before the chaos and pace lands on us again.

And I’m excited to work on my 1% Diary (Stephen Bartlett) over the next 3 months. I’ve set 3 important goals that have been key for me for a long time and haven’t been tackled. But I’ll do these with a comfortable kindness, not a rigid ‘must not fail’ attitude. The diary is very clever in how it supports you to do this.

So, this wasn’t the blog I planned, but it is where I’m at now.

Let’s see where the year goes from here. I’ll be taking the time that I need this January and will keep choosing and following my instincts.

And as you step into your own January, perhaps pause and ask yourself: If I really listened in… what’s needed now?

01/04/2026
Lyrics, Lessons, & The Leader in Me
Turning song lyrics into life lessons – and sharing them out loud.

The more I explore Role Model & Inspiration, the more it keeps finding me.

In recent weeks I’ve received emails talking about it, resources around it, leadership themes, webinars all around the importance of role model and inspiring leadership.

Well, this is what I’ve been doing for years… is everyone else only just catching on or is it suddenly now cool – a bit like country music?!

Similarly to my shift, my clients are also finding this pivotal in their growth. So, I’d like to share what happened for me to discover this useful anchor and see the great benefit of it.

Personal growth often happens following a challenge of some kind.

I’d heard the term ‘no rain, no flowers’. However, I didn’t really see this until around three years ago. Prior to this I seemed to get stuck in any kind of setback, clinging onto the negative of something not working out or going the way I hoped. I let things become my identity and took pity on myself, instead of seeing it as just a part of my journey and something to grow from.

I’ve written before about my excitement when a quote or song lyric appeals to me, but it really all came together for me in a personal development workshop in 2022.

Our exercise was to describe our experiences and journey using something creative. I had no idea where to start until I looked at my reflective journal notebook where I constantly write quotes and song lyrics in when they appeal to me. I took some time to think about the highs I’d had in the past, and how the lows that followed affected me. So how did that compare to where I am now?

Only then could I see that it was because of those highs and lows and the in between parts of ups and downs, trying to find my way back that made me who I am now.
- Every mistake gave me learning
- Every challenge and tough time gave me resilience
- Every step forward gave me strength
- Every new day gave me hope
I’m now so proud of myself for being honest when I was struggling and getting the help I needed to give me the power to find me and my passion.

So I gave myself a song, which, I believe is me speaking to me.

It’s by Kip Moore, my favourite artist and it’s called ‘Comeback Kid’… one line is ‘I’ll get where I’m going, because I know where I’ve been’.

I’m also very proud of being brave enough to tell this story to strangers in a workshop and now to all of you! But the reaction I got back made me so overwhelmed and elated.

Now, I’ve spoken before about Kip Moore, this lyric is now on my website along with some other inspiring quotes. I love him and his music but the reason he’s a role model for me is the excellence in what he creates and his dedication to it, his humility and his authenticity. He’s led by the passion for grit and determination with a depth of self-belief I was once envious of but I’ve now developed for myself. He quotes ‘don’t look at the pack, do what you really feel’. This gave me the confidence to do what I believed in, and what was in my gut.

So, in that workshop a confidence in honest vulnerability came to me…

My core passion is through music and lyric and how it speaks to me. When I found an inspiration and a confidence to use that, things really started to shift.

My work almost 20 years ago was in ‘Role Model Leadership’. I trained, led and developed people using the ‘Inspiring Others’ approach. I always wanted to be a role model to others, but I never considered back then, the importance of having one of my own and also being one for myself. And it’s had a profound impact on my self-confidence and personal brand.

A more recent group coaching session explored ‘Role Model’ and I built on what I did in that first workshop, only this time I reflected on it by creating tools and resources to discuss and use with my clients, it really works! This isn’t copying, it’s using your inspiration to create your own style and become a role model in your own right – to both yourself and others.

Since then, I’ve sought out inspirations and built on my growth by using them, but that first one, is a real special one.

The stars aligned last month when I ran into Kip unexpectedly. I was over the moon to have a chance to chat with him and be brave enough to tell him about the inspiration he and the ‘Comeback Kid’ lyric have been. His reaction was so humbling to see – I guess no matter how well known someone is, hearing that your work meant something so real to someone else, that’s the magic we’re all looking for, right?

You don’t need to be a leader of people to influence others positively, leading yourself authentically will result in you leading yourself to success.

So be proud of yourself

Don’t give up on yourself and don’t be afraid to share your journey, you’ll be amazed at the feeling it gives you when you hear how it’s influenced or helped other people. The sharing in itself will also help you too!
06/29/2025