When you’re permanently employed holidays go something like this. If you’re busy, you count down the days and dream of the lazy mornings ahead of you. The day before you leave you write handover notes for your diligent colleagues and feel a spark of excitment as you turn on your…

I’m writing this from my private jacuzzi with sea view. Yes I’m actually in the jacuzzi. Yes this is why Medium needs to allow people to write from their phones! I’ve recently been taking some time off between contracts. The last week of which I’m spending on a solo trip…

I promised a retro from Sicily and here it is. I feel very lucky to be writing this as I listen to the waves crash on the shore and gaze at an empty beach. I highly recommend Sicily in April — it’s a delight. It should be said that I…

When I started self employed life, one of the things I was worried about was working by myself. For the 15 years I’ve been permanently employed I’ve loved being part of a team. This was one of the things that always stopped me from going freelance. Thankfully I haven’t felt…

Joy is only 3 months old. I’m not yet paying myself the full salary I hope to while I build up reserves. With all this in mind, it feels really hard to invest in my business. But I am. I recently heard my lovely friend and artist Jen Sievers talking…

Last week I graduated from therapy. I didn’t get a ceremony or a gown but it felt like an important moment that I wanted to pause and reflect on. Some people might wonder why I’m talking about this when I normally write about running my business and the professional learnings…

Aspiring service designers always ask me “what’s a typical day as a service designer?”. This question always makes me laugh a little as there really is no such thing. One of the things I love most about my work is the variety. I love that I can be working on…

Today is International Womens’ Day. This is my first IWD as a business owner and self employed person. Setting up Joy will always be one of the biggest milestones of my career so I’ve been thinking about the women who influenced my journey to this point. I’ve always loved making…

I’ve worked both in-house and as a consultant now. One of the main differences, I was reminded of last week, is the focus on outputs as a consultant and outcomes when working in-house. As a consultant I felt unfulfilled because I often didn’t see any meaningful change from my work…