Root Beginnings

Last week I had the honour of coaching a group of extraordinary women, and sitting on a panel to open an event that brought people together from across the world.

I came away inspired and motivated. Yet one thought stayed with me more than others: the need to empower a sense of agency.

Our own permission to do the thing.

Because here is what I keep witnessing - in coaching rooms, on panels, in conversations with remarkable people - the barrier is rarely capability.

It’s the accumulated weight of expectations. The shoulds. The not yets.

The subtle but persistent message that who we are right now is not quite enough to warrant taking up space, making bold moves or trusting what we know.

It takes real work to break that mould. To follow what feels right - not what looks right from the outside.

You already have what it takes. The question is whether you’re willing to give yourself permission to use it.

Because the world genuinely needs what you have to offer. Not a more polished, more qualified, more ready version of you. The one that exists right now.

What difference do you want to make?

I felt honoured to be on the panel for the opening ceremony of CoachPreneur Week! Created and hosted by the brilliant .me 💫

What a community!

Hearing everyone speak from the heart and share important lessons with vulnerability and courage was a testament to the space Julie has created!

Wherever you are on your coaching journey, I highly recommend tuning into this week’s sessions!

All info is in .me bio!

Be ready to get inspired 😄

We have more access to information than any generation in human history.

And yet something feels missing.

In the conversations I am having with leaders, professionals, people navigating significant change - there is a consistent thread.

A sense that despite knowing more than ever, we feel less sure of ourselves than perhaps we should.

Perhaps what is missing isn’t more knowledge. It’s wisdom. And I think we’ve forgotten the difference between the two.

I’ll be sharing more on how we might begin to rebuild the systems that help us access deeper listening, learning and the steadiness wisdom requires.

With a hopeful belief that we have more agency over this than we perhaps realise.

I’d love to hear what sources of wisdom you are returning to right now? 🍃🧡

When you think about a boundary - setting one, holding one, feeling like you’ve failed to keep one - what comes up for you?

For most of us, if we’re honest, boundary setting is heavily influenced by external things. Seen as hard barriers - drawing a line, putting up a wall.

What if that framing is part of what makes it so exhausting?

What if a boundary wasn’t a wall we put up, but a signal from within - something the body already knows?

The question is whether we’ve been taught to listen to it — and whether we believe we have the agency to act on it.

I am super excited to be exploring this framing of Boundaries to support a Life-First Career Design - for

This session is Week Four of the Career Compass Method, an eight-week journey curated by - led by expert coaches, designed to support women navigating professional pivots and career transitions.

I have learned through my own lived experience, and through my work, that when we do the things that give us energy, not deplete, we live a much healthier and joyful life.

Focusing more on questions like:
🍃 what season of life you’re in
🍃what you actually need right now
🍃 whether you feel you have the right to honour that.

If this resonates, do reach out to to register interest in the next cohort!

Not everyone has access to the support that helps them take the next step.

This week, we’re doing something about that.

In collaboration with the wonderful Linda McDonald Cairns at , a Mental Health Community Support Centre in - we are launching:

Root. Rise. Reach.
- A monthly community session built around three simple concepts.

🍃 Root: A short breathwork practice to ground and settle the nervous system.

🍃Rise: Gentle movement to reconnect with the body and build energy.

🍃Reach: A supported conversation to help each person take one meaningful step towards their goal. However big or small.

I have been volunteering at The Snug for over two years, and the people who come through its doors face some of life’s most challenging situations.

Everyone deserves access to the kind of support that helps them feel capable, connected and supported to take the next step towards something they dream of.

If this resonates, I’d love for you to share it with anyone who might benefit.

And if you’re working with communities or organisations where this kind of approach could make a difference, I’d love to connect.

“I know this is challenging. But I know I can do it. One step at a time.”

5️⃣ leadership lessons being in the mountains taught me this weekend:

➡️ One step at a time.
On a big ascent, thinking about the summit too early is the fastest way to run out of steam. The main thing that matters is taking the next step. The same is true when leading people through complex change.

➡️ The path is rarely clear.
You plan a route, and the terrain has other ideas. The leaders who navigate best aren’t the ones who avoid uncertainty - they’re the ones who stop pretending it isn’t there.

➡️ Be open to changing plans.
The weather shifted and we had to adapt, fast. The most resilient leaders aren’t the ones with the best plans. They’re the ones who model flexibility without losing direction.

➡️ Listen to your body.
High altitude makes this non-negotiable. Fatigue, terrain, altitude, it all demands you actually tune in. Self-awareness isn’t a soft skill. It’s a survival skill.

➡️ Nudge out of your comfort zone.
Nobody feels ready on a ridge. But growth isn’t about recklessness, it’s about finding your edge. Knowing the difference between discomfort that stretches you and fear that stops you.

⛰️ What does nature teach you about how you lead or work?

The things that bring us joy aren’t just a nice to have.

💡 I was fascinated to learn about Barbara Fredrickson (Ph.D)’s research over the weekend - the “Broaden and Build Theory””:

💡Described as “the function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, that can help promote creativity and strengthen psychological, intellectual, and physical resources and social bonds.”

💡The things that make us feel most alive, they aren’t indulgences to fit in around work. They are what makes work possible.

🌀I realised that in a very untraditional, non linear way, the things that give me energy and joy have woven themselves into the fabric of my day to day more than I ever expected.

🌀The key, I’ve found, is meeting yourself exactly where you are. With gentleness rather than pressure. With presence rather than pace.

🍃 William and Susan Bridges describe the ‘neutral zone’ the in-between space where the old has ended but the new hasn’t fully taken shape yet.

🍃 Uncomfortable, yes. But it is precisely in that spaciousness that all possibilities, creativity and new ideas can come to life.

I have worked in fast paced environments for my whole career and I appreciate how challenging finding space and time can be.

Is creating space for transition a something you’ve thought about? 👇🏻

There are seasons when life feels more tender.

In those moments, I’ve found that the simplest things often hold the deepest medicine — small, everyday gestures that remind me of my own strength, my breath, my belonging.

These are my 5 go-to things for finding strength in challenging times:

💃🏻 A burst of soca music to shift my energy and awaken pure joy in my body
🤗 A long hug with someone I love
🦆 Sitting in the park, watching the world go by
🍃 Getting my hands on the soil! Nature continues to grow, and so do we!
🍫 Eating something yummy and delicious! Nothing like a favourite chocolate bar or treat!

They don’t fix everything. But they root me — back into presence, back into my body, back into hope.

✨ Sometimes healing begins with the simplest acts of care.

What’s one small thing that helps you feel stronger when life feels hard?

You never know who might need your reminder today.