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What a difference a year makes

It’s been 12 months since I left my job at a consulting firm. My plan was to take a break for a year and think about what I wanted next. Well, that was as much of a plan as I had! And like all best laid plans, things didn’t quite go that way, but I’m very happy with the outcome!

In the weeks leading up to the end of 2023, I tried to gently recover from the loss of my dad and navigated that ‘difficult first Christmas’. Then at the end of January, we packed the car (including the dog) and drove 1400 miles to Southern Spain – and stayed until Easter!

The warm Andalucian spring was balm to the soul – and what a joy to live somewhere else for a while – be someone else – and redevelop my curiosity – for new places, new routines, new experiences. Even the food shop felt like a brand new adventure! (100% recommend, will do again).

Refreshed, still unsure about work, I spent a few months at home as well as taking a few trips. I went to the theatre on my own (Plaza Suite – brilliant!), saw some art, joined a gym (and kept going) and fitted in a few days in Mallorca and a week in Greece. And while I was lying on a lounger in Kefalonia, I (with Madge, obvs) decided to start not 1, but 2 businesses!

So fast forward, here we are. I’m back in Spain (just a week this time), sitting here as co-founder at 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, a consultancy that combines human-centred design and intelligent innovation to change the way services, experiences and products 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 are made and sold.

And as co-founder of 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, a sustainable t-shirt brand. A fun journey that began with a simple idea: to create t-shirts that we would genuinely love to wear – with designs that are inspired by the passions that fuel us.

I hadn’t planned on either of those things a year ago, but the space to let ideas emerge made me realise I don’t have to define myself by any one thing. I knew I wanted to do many, different things.

Which is why when I was also asked to take a fractional role as a co-Head of Creative at a personal finance management software brand I leapt at the chance. A position with a focus on elevating creative output, smooth running ops, AI-powered growth and developing high performing teams – yes please! I’m just back from California meeting the team and delivering a session on AI in Marketing – and excited about the next few months of making a difference.

What have I learned in the last year?

  • 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆: Embracing uncertainty has led to unexpected growth in unexpected areas (sit in the liminal space – even if it’s uncomfortable!)
  • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Time to reflect on what truly matters sparked new ideas – not just about work, about everything
  • 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲: True friends (and good colleagues) shone through during tough times; I cherish them
  • 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆: Being open to change and new experiences is exciting – trust yourself, you’ve got the experience and the smarts
  • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: Partnering exposes the power of diverse perspectives and collaboration – embrace the balance!
  • 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆: Keeping active clears my mind and boosts my mood – it’s now a forever part of my lifestyle

To new adventures – and everyone who has helped me on this one 🎉

(this is a longer version of a post that originally appeared on LinkedIn)

2nd November 2024
Live

Remember to smile at a stranger, and their dog

I was so sad this week to read that @CherryMorello had passed away. I didn’t know her – she’s someone I have followed on Twitter for a long time, and she was living with Stage 4 bowel cancer. Her posts were so honest as she shared her experiences with humour and candour, even up to her last few messages.

The saying ‘Remember to smile at a stranger, and their dog’ is hers. It’s something she often ended her message threads with, and I always thought it was such a lovely sentiment.

Earlier in the week I was having a chat with someone who told me that their new year resolution was to smile at people they walked past. And stop for a chat if it felt right to do so. Isn’t that lovely?  I’ve realised in recent months how important those tiny moments can be – and how, while they can start small, before you know it you are chatting properly with the people you see regularly. Having a cute dog definitely helps with that!

Picture of a Beagle dog looking directly at the camera

It’s well documented that social isolation and loneliness can have a profound negative effect on our mental and physical health, and those micro interactions – a friendly smile, a small chat, or a shared moment – really help our sense of connection in everyday life. While it’s very important to acknowledge they are two different things, isolation and loneliness can also be linked. A recent report in Fortune magazine stated that ‘Social isolation is linked to a 50% increased risk of dementia and an increased risk of other chronic conditions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One study found the health consequences of loneliness are on par with smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.’ Those are mindblowing stats, that obviously have a massive effect on healthcare and other services. It’s a challenge I’d love to be part of tackling as a service designer.

So, for now, while it may only be a small thing, I am going to take a leaf out of @CherryMorello’s book, and smile at a stranger (and their dog) just a bit more. You never know the difference it might make to someone’s day.

There’s is a helpful list of loneliness resources on the Mind website, and charities like AgeUK – who run brilliant friendship services that help lonely older people – are always looking for volunteers. And let me know if you start smiling at strangers too 😀.

14th January 2024
Live

The future is not a destination, it’s a direction

Sunrise on the beach in Marbella, Spain.

Hey there, wanderers, adventurers and daydreamers! Happy New Year.

First up, I can’t claim that headline, it belongs to the very brilliant Ed Catmull. But it sums up perfectly where I am right now, with my life in a radically different place to this time last year (or ever before, really), and as I focus back in on capturing my thoughts here. This tiny blog isn’t brand spanking new – it’s been here, seen things, but it is ready for a fresh start.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – Blogging? In 2024? But bear with me just a sec; this isn’t a nostalgia trip. 2023 shook my world up in various ways, and I’m entering the new year job-free. A conscious and deliberate choice to see what what it feels like to think about – and travel in – a different direction and swim in different waters. So I think of this more as a scrapbook-style journal; bits and pieces collected as I go along – a personalised compilation of memories, experiences and mementos captured in a corner of the internet where I spill the beans on all things travel, design, work, life, and everything in between. An attempt at embracing the timeless art of storytelling – or at minimum, somewhere to look back on in the future to see how far I’ve come. And I’m rubbish at keeping a paper journal, so.

In my work life I’ve been running projects, leading teams and advising clients for three decades. I’ve had a fabulous career (so far) that has seen me dance through the home entertainment industry, create, market and transform global brands and drive digital transformation, customer experience and human-centred design across a range of sectors. In 2002 I founded and ran my own design agency and most recently I led Customer Experience for banking clients in a consulting practice. From the record industry to the Bank of England – talk about a varied journey!

In recent years I’ve been lucky to do what I love the most – combine my multi-industry knowledge with insight and expertise in digital, design and technology to enable organisations to reimagine services and experiences, develop and manage their digital products, and create capabilities that help them grow, profitability.

But enough of that. This blog has some work stuff on it, but is more about the personal than the professional. You can head over to LinkedIn if it’s the work-me you want to find out more about. Here, each post is a page in my digital diary, filled with the highs and lows, the places that stole my heart, the designs that made sit up and look, random musings, plenty of cocktails and the personal and work experiences that taught me the most. I like talented people, beautifully useful things and stuff that makes the world a better place, so expect a fair bit of that.

So, come wander with me and join me on this journey.

12th January 2024
Eat, Live, Play

House Classic: The Kentucky Manhattan

I’m a late comer to this cocktail – call it a lockdown revelation, but it’s currently my favourite tipple. Strong, warm and silky – the Manhattan is one of the dark spirit cocktails that effortlessly crosses the seasons.

Originating in…of course… Manhattan, sometime in the mid-late 1800’s, the original Manhattan was a mix of  “American Whiskey, Italian Vermouth, and Angostura bitters”, and I guess my house classic doesn’t veer too far away from these original roots.

Glassware

I like to serve a Manhattan in coupe, a shallow, saucer shaped stemmed glass. My current favourite is the Riedel Bar Crystal Glass Nick & Nora set. At 140ml, they are slightly too small for the recipe below, but it means you can leave some in the cocktail shaker chilling while you drink the first glass.

I always put the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes before making the cocktail.

Ingredients

I’ve tried different variations of Bourbon, Rye and Vermouth brands, but this one comes out on top for me. The Starlino is an Italian sweet Vermouth di Torino, aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels. It includes wormwood, cloves, vanilla, rhubarb, ginger, cinchona tincture, grape skin, raisins, bitter orange peel and other herbs and spices, and unlike some Vermouth, is not too bitter, so it balances well with the Kentucky-originating Jack.

Recipe

  1. Take one round, golf-ball-sized ice cube and place in cocktail shaker (square ice cubes are also fine – but bigger the better)
  2. Add the spirits and the bitters (you could also add cherry bitter here if you like)
  3. Stir until it’s nicely chilled
  4. Pour, either straight up or with the single ice cube, into a cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry and a tiny drizzle of cherry juice.

Sip and enjoy with a snack.

 

 

12th September 2021
Live

Beach to 5k

167 days since I first laced up my old gym trainers and attempted a run, I’ve hit my 5k target.

We were in Spain on Christmas Eve when I decided to strap on my old gym trainers, download Couch to 5k and go for a jog along the seafront. I’ve never run before, or been remotely interested in running before. But I had decided that I needed to get fitter and 2019 was going to be the year for it.

I’ve struggled to stick to anything fitness-wise since I gave up martial arts in my twenties. Since then I’ve had random spurts of joining and going to a gym or going to random classes but nothing has ever really stuck. That lack of motivation, combined with the 3-hour commute each day means that having no time to exercise is an excellent convenient excuse not to do it. So I realised I need something that is easy to do wherever you are, that doesn’t involve getting home and having to drive somewhere else and something that I can do at my own pace.

That first ‘run’ lasted just under 15 minutes. And nearly killed me.

But I went out again that week while we were in Spain, and since then I have either been out most weeks or gone for a run in the gym. I’ve run in Marbella and Malaga. I’ve run in Sussex and around Smithfield in London. I’ve run in the evenings and in the mornings, in the cold and in the warm. I’ve dumped the old trainers and bought shiny new lightweight ones, and a ridiculously bright pink jacket; and I’ve even bought a couple of copies of running magazines. My Mum and Dad have joined in by buying me some gloves to keep my hands warm and Madge regularly buys me fun socks that make me smile whenever I put them on. I’ve stopped using the the Couch to 5k and app and started listening to podcasts and I’ve had oodles of encouragement from friends – in person and virtually – and every single bit of it is utterly, totally appreciated.

Looking back on the last 6 months makes me very happy – and a little bit proud of myself that I’ve stuck to it. According to Strava I’ve run 94.78km!

The biggest revelation hasn’t been that, yes I am a bit fitter, and yes I look a bit slimmer – the biggest revelation has been how good I feel when I’m regularly running.  How much it helps my head. A quick run at the end of the day is the perfect way to offload work-day stresses, which at some points in the last 6 months have felt almost overwhelming. Mid-way through, around Easter time while we were in Spain (again) I read ‘Eat, Drink, Run‘ by Bryony Gordon. It tells her journey to help tame her anxiety through running – how running saved her mental health and how through it, she set up her mental health support group ‘Mental Health Mates‘. Even if you don’t fancy donning your trainers and going out, I’d recommend it as a pretty inspirational, honest and heartfelt story.

I’m not making any big plans or ambitious goals for the next 6 months. I’m just going to keep on keeping on, running because I enjoy it and maybe adding some other activities to it a bit more regularly. I talked about the difficulty of finding time to do it with my coach, and he reminded me that if I don’t put myself first, no one else will. It’s up to me to stop prioritising other things (mostly work) above the things I want, or need, to do – like exercise. So keeping that in mind, I’m going to crack on and see if I can beat my 5k time over the next 6 months.

 

9th June 2019
Live

Out of the darkness

The clocks have gone forward, the weather is milder and it’s nearly Easter. So, spring is here and we can finally goodbye to winter. A new beginning.

I haven’t written for months, despite my aim to do so regularly from the start of the year. All of my brainpower has been taken up with work, and it’s sapped pretty much all of my energy for creative hobbies and desire to sit in front of a computer when I’m not there! It’s been an all-encompassing 3 months since the company I work for was sold, with lots of new challenges and opportunities rapidly opening up, in equal measure. I’ve worked in largely similar types of organisations in similar ways for a long-time, so this new world is making me think differently and try new ways of working. There’s great excitement and healthy nervousness in that, but I’m out of kilter; working long hours, getting stressed and not spending time on the things I enjoy.

It’s felt right to focus on work for the first quarter, but going forward I need to make some adjustments. That pace is fine for a period of time – it’s necessary when you’re getting used to something new, adjusting to change and have to put extra effort in, but it’s not sustainable. I need to do more prioritisation and make active decisions about where to put my effort.

I’ve signed up for some personal coaching sessions which should really help and fortunately, it’s nearly time for a holiday – my first days off since December, and I can’t wait. Holidays are such a good time for re-calibrating and taking stock. I’m fitter (and a bit slimmer) than I’ve been in years and that’s making me feel good, and I’m really enjoying life in our new home. There’s tonnes of work to do in the house but it’s been dark and miserable so I’ve hibernated and ignored it. Looking forward to thinking about interior design projects and what to do with the garden over the coming months. I’m also looking forward to cutting back on working evenings and weekends, to allow time for exercise, writing and photography.

In the past few weeks the universe has reminded me how important it is to stop and take a moment to breathe. There’s so much you can’t control. Happiness, uncertainty, stress, death and illness have all been present recently and the only thing you can control is how you respond to things, but I know that to do that well I need to achieve balance by making time for the things that help me to stay healthy in mind and body.

31st March 2019
Live

Embrace your comfort zone

When I was 13 I worked in a video shop on Saturdays. Every week pretty much the same people would come in and rent the latest VHS movies. Most customers wanted to watch the new releases, but what always fascinated me were the children. Rather than being tempted by the new films, the kids wanted to see something they’d seen before. Something they were comfortable with. Something they knew. Right down to being able to recite all the words. Epic tantrums followed when Mum or Dad tried to get them to try something different.

I didn’t know it then, but apparently this is not unusual. There are many and lengthy physiological explanations for why we are drawn to the things we are most familiar with, even from a very young age.

Fast-forward (pun intended) a few years and I’ve realised that actually, now that I am presented with more choice that ever, I also keep returning to the things I know and bring me comfort. We’re all accustomed to the the over-used term ‘comfort zone’.

I never thought I’d be ‘one of those people’ who go on holiday to the same place – yet that little piece of Andalucia that I adore to visit, with the restaurants I know and the beach club I love, brings me as much joy as any new adventure. The sense of peace I feel when I look at those familiar mountains, basking in the pink evening sky; the surge of joy when I see the beauty of the blue Mediterranean sea, the happiness of going back to places where we’ve had so much fun before is something I look forward to with something close to actual longing. It’s the place I go to in my head on a wet, cold Monday morning, and it’s the reason I go back there at least twice a year.

So, is this a lack of imagination on my part, an aversion to trying new things, or a genius strategy to make the best use of limited holiday time and budget? The truth is, it’s probably a number of things. A comfort zone is described as “a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress.”

Who wouldn’t want that on holiday?

But in truth, it’s not just holidays. I’m the same with books and films – I love to re-read or re-watch something I already know. I look up the ending of a film before I watch it. I have a set of favourite restaurants and tend to choose one of these for a night out. I love re-watching old boxsets, and I listen to much, much more old music than I do new. Oh, and I categorically hate surprises.

According to Psychology Today magazine, ‘ familiar things – food, music, activities, surroundings, etc. – make us feel comfortable. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense that familiarity breeds liking. Generally speaking, things that are familiar are likely to be safer than things that are not. If something is familiar, we have clearly survived exposure to it, and our brain, recognising this, steers us towards it.’

Makes total sense. Yet, paradoxically, I’m not against trying new things – I’ve moved house 13 times in my adult life, I’ve started a business (well, 2 actually), changed jobs multiple times, rarely stick to traditions, have a pretty variable daily life and have travelled all over the world. So, actually, I think that the peace and soul calming headspace I experience from a trip back to that familiar part of Spain is less about hiding away in the ‘safe’ and more about recognising that it’s nice to be able to rely on instant relaxation and a guaranteed good time. While travel undoubtedly broadens the mind, getting to get to know a place deeply – exploring it bit by bit and peeling back the layers brings a calmness and satisfaction that’s hard to beat. And it works brilliantly for a short break. I never get bored, because it’s never totally the same, and neither am I. A trip to that special part of Spain is a tradition I won’t ever tire of.

So for me, it’s about balance. A couple of trips a year back to Andalucia, complemented with new experiences and destinations is the perfect mix.

 

 

2nd September 2018
Live

We’re in!

Wow, I can’t believe exactly a month has gone by since we moved in to our new home.

From the day we chose it, without even seeing the spot it would be built on, to the day we moved in, took exactly 6 months. We hadn’t set out to buy a new build. Or to buy something we hadn’t seen or to buy it without actually seeing anything else AT ALL. But it just felt right. And thankfully, now we are in, it still does!

I went to The Design Museum on 8 June, and as I came out the solicitor rang to tell me the house was nearly finished and that we had to complete on 22 June. Exactly 10 days later. Not a lot of notice! But luckily, I’d been pretty organised and had a removal company lined up and we’d done at least twenty trips to the tip to de-clutter and get rid of things we didn’t want to take with us. And other than being a bit of a rush, the timing was perfect as we were due out of our rented house on 2 July.

It’s a real new start moment. A fresh new house for us to make fresh new memories in. And the fact that there’s no storage yet, or broadband, or toilet roll holders or pictures up are only minor inconveniences in the bigger picture of the fact we’ve managed to buy a house. There’s a big long list of things I want to do, but I have to keep reminding myself that they don’t all have to be done at once.

Mind you, patience is not one of my strongest points!

22nd July 2018
Live

Do what you want to do

It’s a strange old time at the moment. An impending house move after being settled for 6 years, but no real idea of when it might happen, is definitely causing fairly constant low-level anxiety. We are buying brand new, and apparently being able to indicate or confirm a finish date any time before 10 days before completion is an impossibility! Or even a finish ‘window’. At this stage I’d be happy with ‘between this date and this date’. But no, apparently not. So the best we’ve got is fingers crossed and hope that it will all be done and we’ll be in before our deadline of end of June. I know it’s like that with most house moves, but I had hoped that the project might be running to some kind of schedule. Perhaps I’ll try that approach with my next client project – yep, I know exactly how that would go down!

Needless to say, this means there’s a fair bit to do. The new house is smaller than the current one, so we’re being forced to declutter, which is no bad thing. But it feels like the mixture of the usual household chores, weekend routines and the additional chucking, sorting and getting ready for packing has meant that my weekends have been taken up with nothing but that, and trying to grab some rest before another week at (brilliantly) busy work. And a girl still has to fit in MotoGp and WSB watching around all of that!

I realised a couple of weekends ago that it was starting to get me down a bit. So, we made a conscious change and already on weekend 2 it feels great. Sunday morning is now ‘do what you want to do’ time. Not ‘do what you have to do/feel you should do’ time. For himself, that means going out cycling and not having to worry about being back by a certain time or feeling guilty about not doing house stuff. For me, it means coffee, a magazine, seeing my Mum and Dad, writing, reading or anything I want. Definitely no life admin, no work, no doing the washing, tidying up or going to the supermarket. Between 7 and 1 on a Sunday that can all wait, whatever state it’s in.

It’s weirdly liberating to be so organised. But it doesn’t feel like a rule, it feels like claiming back some balance. Being able to breathe a bit deeper and losing the guilty feeling that I should be doing something ‘productive’. It feels a lot more ‘in the moment’ and it means that I’m guarding against all those things I love doing becoming a chore that have to be fitted in around life’s commitments and routines.

Work in progress…but it feels good so far.

21st May 2018