2023: A year in review

Creating time to reflect on what has happened is something I always advise clients to prioritise. It allows you the space to really take stock on everything that has passed, to sit with those feelings and what that has meant for you and your goals. Then to look forwards and take those learnings with you into the future.

But sometimes this can be really tough to do for a multitude of reasons and I’ve found that this year I still feel very much ‘in it’, and this alone can be tricky when you are wanting to zoom out.

So I’ve blocked out a chunk of time and I’m typing this from a cosy spot, with my pooch at my feet and a hot drink at my side, so here it goes…

The highs

We have worked with some amazing clients this year - from companies, organisations and charities to the individual clients I have led through talent development and leadership programmes, workshops and 121 coaching sessions. Supporting people to unlock and unleash what is already within them never gets boring and it excites me to work through different challenges and help guide people to uncover solutions.?

The breadth of our clients have been vast across data and insurance companies, multiple universities, government funded organisations, the NHS and founders.

I’ve expanded the organisational design consultancy in supporting scale ups to design workplaces that are culturally solid as well as diverse, inclusive and equitable and help build high performing teams. I am excited to expand this further next year.

One of my words for 2023 was ‘resilience’ and it has really been tested this year - I’ve been really proud of my dogged determination to show up each day and do the work needed to grow the business (even on days when I really haven’t wanted to). It’s been a real challenge at times to do that but it means the business has diversified and I’ve set some solid foundations for growth. I’ve also really focused on growing my network in the L&D space (I think I under-estimated moving from employed to self-employed but also changing industries to be in the training/learning/consultancy space)

The lows

As well as running a business and raising two lovely but chaotic boys, we also had our house gutted and basically rebuilt. I thought it would be tough, but not sure I envisaged the impact it would have on every single aspect of life and work. The amount of project management has been pretty much a full time job in itself. I’ve also had to manage my delivery work given I mainly work from home. Pray for us that we will be builder free in time for Christmas.

I can’t talk about the lows without mentioning the economic climate which has impacted company buying behaviours and budgets. It’s certainly been an interesting year in that respect and has meant we’ve had to be very adaptable and nimble - and things have been shifted around.

The lessons

I feel this year has taught me that my wellbeing is a non negotiable. Not in an instagram ‘self care’ type vibe - but actually in staying sane and being a functioning human/mum/business owner. I now have a wellbeing tool kit (sounds fancier than it is) of things that help me to be the best version of myself and I’m trying to prioritise these things before I get to the point of being exhausted/overwhelmed/burnt out. For me this looks like home workouts, walking the dog first thing, massages, meditations, doing my journal morning and night, baths, reading, early nights and waking early, oracle cards to tap into my intuition.

Diversifying what we offer from a business perspective with a consultancy pillar and partnering with other businesses in similar spaces have meant we are having more of an impact on equity and has also kept things interesting and exciting! I’m hoping to do more of this in 2024 as we continue to take steps towards the vision.

As someone who has always hit milestones, taken a breath and then moved on to the next thing (hello striver my old pal) - I’ve really made an effort to really be proud of my achievements and the steps in the process taken to get to a positive outcome. This helps on days when I feel like I’m not doing enough or not where I’d like to be; harnessing a feeling of content.

My other word for the year was ‘joy’. I’ve made progress on doing things that I struggle more with (marketing/sales) in a joyful way as well as meeting people in person more and working in London (that brings me lots of joy!); but I definitely feel 2024 is the year that I focus on joy more fully in my life and business.?

I’d love to hear how your year has gone and what your biggest lesson has been? I feel there is real vulnerability in showing up warts and all, so hopefully I’ve inspired you to do the same