May Round-Up: A Bug-Eyed Fox & Works of Art
I slunk wearingly into May thinking I needed to slow down a bit (lot). I felt like I’d rushed through April with no memory of what I’d done! (Actually, every month ends like that which is why I have a cunning plan: the monthly photo round up video).
What actually happened was badly stuffed taxidermy, gin by 10am, a burlesque night, a deep conversation with perfect strangers, and making an essential oil blend that smells like my favourite sweet.
I did also some genuinely slow moments. Some in nature, some with laughter in rooms with women I’d only just met.
It turns out I didn't need to do less, I just needed to fill it with more of the things that actually make me happy.
Which is exactly what I'm creating for you in June.
Things that make you happy.
I've always been this way. Too many interests, too many rabbit holes, too much joy in completely unrelated things to ever pick just one. For a long time I thought that was the problem - because that’s what we’re told isn’t it? One thing, focus; don’t do too much, it won’t work. But it isn't true. It's actually the whole point - life is for living and experiencing. The alternative is the way I used to live - empty, bored, purposeless: and I’m not going back there.
When someone comes into my world, whether that's for a retreat, a workshop, a coaching session, or a coffee, I'm never holding one version of who that person is or who they could become. Some people are genuinely not one-dimensional. Many of us are more complicated, unpredictable, erratic than we’d like to admit (in a good way, of course) and that’s the kind of person I understand the most. SoI hold all of them - all the parts. The one who needs to laugh and the one who needs to cry. The one who needs to move, then be still, or make something with her hands, or finally say the thing she's been thinking for three years.
Because I know how to. That's not a coincidence. It’s who I am too.
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As it turns out…
…this what May looked like from the inside:
A Wild Words workshop under the canopy of trees at a Beltane festival that went somewhere I didn't expect (it always does that).
An Oxford trip where I was a 50s film star for 5 minutes (in my own head, of course).
Gardens (always).
Designing artwork for the subscription box and spending far too long making it exactly right (hello, perfectionism!).
And a networking morning where gin appeared before 10am and nobody batted an eyelid (at the 820 Distillery in Lymington, if you’re wondering).
It also looked like making the first edit of my therapy signature scent! Standing over a workbench, playing with oils and wax, and realising that even this, the making of a small beautiful thing, was a version of the same work I do with people. Finding what's essentially them, blending the small parts to make the whole; ingredients that make a work of art.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I had a tearful week. The tiredness that catches up with me when I've been running on ideas, adrenaline and sheer stubbornness. The usual voice that shows up around the full moon asking ‘Does any of this matter? Will anyone actually care?’
I'm telling you that because I suspect you hear that voice regularly too. And because the answer, as it turns out, is yes, it all matters.
All of that, from the ridiculous fox to the quiet moments immersed in plants, the making with my hands and the putting-myself-back-together, is exactly why I designed June the way I did.
Not unlike my expression a couple of weeks ago when I was running on fumes!
So. June.
The Secret Coffee Club is back, of course. If you've never come, here's what it is: a room of interesting people who've finally given themselves permission to be who they are, share their quirks and interests, and say out loud that they need each other. We call it networking because we had to call it something. What it actually is, is emotional support with better tech advice and discussions about the mother wound. Come once and you'll understand.
For those of you who've been craving something slow - really slow - Maja & I holdEmbracing Light, a monthly half day retreat built entirely around soft, gentle movement and quiet reflective journaling. No agenda beyond peace and quiet and remembering what your own thoughts sound like. If May was loud for you too, this one's for us.
The full day Love Your Inner Light, Get Your Outer Glow retreatis for the ones ready to go deeper and lighter on the same day. Physical and emotional self-care, held properly, to take home and develop new habits that support you wherever you are. And relaxation & pampering - the kind of day you come home from and something important has genuinely shifted. Limited spaces.
And then there's the thing I'm really excited about: the Think Tank. A pre-beta discovery session for my multi-preneur course, for people who run the kind of life that doesn't fit in a box. If you've got multiple passions and you're trying to make them work together rather than choose between them, this is where that conversation starts. Beta means you get in first, you shape it, and the pricing reflects that. But the Think Tank is open - could you help me pinpoint exactly what you want and need, and develop the beta?
Here's what I know after May.
A full life isn't a problem to be managed. It's the whole point. Not exhausting or too busy without time to rest, but the full that makes you smile when you lay your head on your pillow and doze off at night. Happy Full.
The gin, the tears, the taxidermy and the signature scent - it's all the same thing. It's me showing up for my own life, without waiting until conditions are better.
I hope June has something in it that feels like that for you.
Still here? Awesome - you’re a star. This next bit is just for you.
If you're not sure where to start, start with the Coffee Club if you are a solopreneur. It's the lowest stakes thing I do and somehow always the most inspiring, unsticking and fun session. Or if the multi-preneur lifestyle is calling you, go to the Think Tank to get in early, and help to shape the program.
If you need to look after yourself better, Love Your Inner Light is one day, self-care, and fun. Embracing Light is monthly, slow, quiet and nurturing.
And if you want to stay in the loop without committing to anything yet, follow along here. I share the good stuff, the real stuff, and occasionally the badly stuffed taxidermy.
See you there.