What do I believe in?

I believe in new possibilities. In evolutions, not revolutions. In progress, not perfection.

I believe in you, and your ideas, the contribution you are here to make.

I believe in the woman that you have become.

I want to help you move through doubt, value your experience, and build your self-belief. I want to help you with developing a clear vision and how to bring that to life.

I'm so glad you're here

In my wee corner of the web, because although I’m anchored in my happiest of Next Chapters now, it took me a while to get here. I’ve learned how to navigate the bumps on the road and that means I have so much to share with you to make your own journey a little easier.

Why is this work so important to me?

Because I wasted far too much time stuck in The Comparison Trap and all it's should’s and musts, doubts and difficulties, detours and derailments, believing that what I really wanted to share and do with my work was not possible because compared to so many others I was not...

Smart enough or strong enough.

Qualified enough or distinctive enough.

Confident enough or knowledgable enough

Just. Not. Enough.

With the benefit of Kindsight, I can now see that I was clearly in the Discontent Stage of the Next Chapter Model of Change, hamstrung by doubt. But at the time, I didn't have the insight or awareness to see this. I was just in pain.

When I finally developed the courage to let go, respond to my desire and make the leap into My Next Chapter in 2012, to create and build the business I wanted rather than stay in the one I thought I was limited too, the feeling of joy, relief, and subsequent expansion confirmed it was the right decision.

Let's go back a few years...

Life in my Next Chapter is so much better than it used to be.

I’ve worked hard on developing a healthy self-belief that springs from a solid core of self-worth, and that effort has paid off. I’m doing work I love, work that leverages my skills aligns with my values, and makes a difference.

But, like so many Next Chapter women, my present has been built on the skinned knees of my past.

Because I still shiver a little when I look back and can now see how all of the steps have led me to where I am today. Things do seem to happen for a reason, even if we don't understand them at the time.

But in the early 2000's I was struggling.  By definition, I had a wonderful life. A husband, two lovely kids, a nice house in the suburbs, wonderful friends, a successful corporate marketing career followed by a freelance marketing consultancy I ran from my home after the kids were born.

All the happiness and success boxes appeared to be ticked.

But I was not acknowledging the stress that all I was juggling was causing. I was often unhappy, overwhelmed and carrying a load of guilt for feeling that way.

My insides didn't match my outsides

I was fearful that the Everything's Fine facade that I so carefully presented to the world would crack and the real story of my “not-enoughness” would be revealed to my friends and family and clients.

In the midst of a spiraling self-belief crisis (which had been my traveling companion for a very long time, in fact, since my teens), I had become increasingly dependent on winding down with a few drinks at the end of the day. I loved the way it felt when alcohol quieted the doubts and turned down the volume on the judgmental voice that harassed me from the inside.

The problem is when you try and numb your emotions, you don't get to selectively choose which feelings are anaesthetised. The good are removed as well - confidence, courage, motivation, positivity, they are all gradually eroded.

I was stuck in a horrendous, self-destructive loop.

Eventually - thankfully - I began to understand that outside solutions can never fix inside challenges. With help and support, I flicked that switch and stopped numbing myself.

And that's when I began to grow again.

I started to believe in myself and what I was capable of. This major shift allowed me to begin a new chapter in my life. I now know it's the strength of our connection to our self-worth that determines the extent to which we flourish and expand. It's our ability to listen to - and act upon - our own intuition that supports us.

Another chapter began as my marketing agency grew

Once I let go of the external props that seemed to have held me up (but were actually holding me captive) - once I took hold of the resources within me, my optimism, enthusiasm, and self-worth were revitalised.

This new vitality spread into my business life. The small marketing consultancy that I had launched at my dining room table in 2003 grew.

And grew.

And grew!

I moved from being a solopreneur in a home office into serviced offices with casual staff. And from there to buying an office in Chatswood and expanding my team to four staff. Together we built a healthy multiple six-figure turnover, serving clients in three states.

But by late 2012, something else dawned. I realised I’d built a business that fully engaged all of my strategic skills from my previous corporate life, but very little of my heart. I'd built something without ever pausing and asking myself, "is this what I really want?".

When I finally did pause and ask myself that question, the answer was clear. Not any more.

I now knew from experience how important it is to respond to your feelings as they emerge. To listen when our heart speaks.

I remember thinking:

"Can I really do this? Should I? Can I really let go of this business and start anew? Isn’t there something just a little bit foolish about letting go and starting again at 43? Shouldn't I just knuckle down, suck it up and make this work?"

But then I considered the alternative. I imagined NOT making a change. Not following my heart. Not listening to my intuition. Staying safe. Staying where I was, doing what I was good at, but doing it without joy. I began to understand that just because you can, it doesn't mean you should!

And so it was time for another new chapter to begin.

That's the business you've discovered here - the synthesis of all of my strategic marketing experience and my personal development journey into worthiness to the coaching and mentoring of women who are also stepping into their own Next Chapters in business and life.

Magic happens when you choose to trust yourself. When you define success by your own values, not anyone else's. When you align purpose and possibility with positive action. The ripples you create then help and inspire others in ways they never imagined. Ways that you never could have imagined earlier in your life.

Because success and fulfilment isn't just about what you accomplish in your life. It's also about what you inspire others to do.