Exactly where you need to be

13 years ago this week I landed my very first freelance contract. It came after a summer of worrying about the future following a redundancy that I didn’t see coming.

As a result of that worry and reviewing the options I had available to me at that time, I had decided to dip my toe into the waters of freelancing, just to see what happened. And I was delighted (and possibly slightly amazed) that someone was willing to take me on to help them with their not-for-profit communications.

In all honesty, I didn’t have a plan back then. I just knew that:

• I wanted to work – I loved the power of communications to change the world and I wanted to keep doing my bit
• I needed to work – I had to bring in some income for the family pot
• But I didn’t want to work full time, as I had a nearly-3-year-old daughter and I wanted to spend time with her while she was young

So freelancing seemed like it was worth a go.

Like many freelancers, I started with the attitude of ‘if it’s related to my area of expertise and a client will pay me, I’ll do it’. Over the years I have refined the offer I make to clients and flexed the ways in which I add value to them. What I do now encompasses communication and kindness.

Communications services

My comms services are now all focussed on supporting not-for-profit organisations and responsible businesses to achieve better outcomes by communicating their messages strategically and effectively.

• I carry out communication audits to identify opportunities to improve the way that organisations reach and connect with their audiences. Recently I helped a national charity with ambitious growth plans to make sure that their internal communications were set up to keep pace.
• I work as a mentor for communications professionals, helping them to build their confidence and skills to support their organisations. So far mentees have come from health charities, a young people’s mental health charity and a public sector organisation.
• I support my clients to write robust, effective strategies and plans. Sometimes I write them for the organisation; increasingly they are taking up my ‘Write Your Own Comms Strategy’ service. I have trained local and national organisations in the skills to be more strategic in their approach to comms.
• I write compelling copy for some of my clients. This month I have finished an annual report for a client – as this is the 4th year of writing it for them, it’s been a joy to follow and tell their story for them.

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Kindness stories and workshops

One thing I know for sure is that I could not have predicted that 13 years after that first contract, alongside my comms work, I would found the Time for Kindness programme and describe myself as a Kindness Cheerleader and Communicator. And yet that is exactly what happened!

My mission for this aspect of my work fires me up: to change the narrative about kindness and encourage everyone to see what’s in the world around them. The response so far has been really encouraging, with people telling me that reading the stories and blogs about kindness makes them feel hope and positivity.

Now I’m piloting a workshop to teach people the skills and habits to make noticing kindness around them a more regular practice. It’s early days but that seems to have a lot of promise too.

Where I need to be

Do I wish that I had known during that summer of worry and upset what I would be doing in 2023?

On reflection, probably not.

At each step of the way I have made the choices and explored the opportunities that felt right at that point in time. If I had known the end point already, I think I might have started to second guess myself.

I recently listened to a podcast talking about the idea that we are exactly where we need to be. When we feel overwhelmed or anxious about something, pausing to remember this can be a reassuring thought.

At the time, having to leave the job I loved seemed like the worst thing in the world. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see it was actually one of the best things to happen.

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I am an independent kindness cheerleader and communicator. I work with my clients to find ways to communicate their kindness stories, change attitudes and behaviours, and achieve their organisational goals. Find out more about my comms work on?my comms website and about the Time for Kindness workshops on the dedicated programme site.