a story of reinvention and no regrets

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black blazer and top, standing against a gray background.
A woman with short, messy reddish-brown hair and black glasses taking a selfie outdoors near a deck railing, with mountains and a cloudy sky in the background.

from Belfast to the top table - and back to myself

I was born in Belfast in the 70s, the oldest of seven - both taught me early: you keep your mouth shut and head down.

After uni I moved to England and spent 30 years climbing the professional ladder right to the top. I sat at the top table in multimillion-dollar organisations, leading teams, reporting to boards, making impossible decisions and keeping broken systems and teams running.

the reckoning

I achieved everything I was supposed to want but on Boxing Day 2022, I woke up and thought: ‘WTF am I actually doing with my life?!’

I wasn't burned out (in the traditional sense) - I was good at my job, and could keep going. But I realised I was performing a life that I didn't actually want to live.

So, I resigned. No backup plan. No next role lined up. Just a very clear knowing: I'm done playing this game. 

An aerial view of a city with a winding river running through it, surrounded by urban buildings, roads, and greenery.
A woman in glasses and a striped shirt holding a tray of assorted appetizers and a bowl of dip inside a restaurant with wooden decor and large windows.

life has a funny way of unfolding...

Straight away, I hired a personal trainer and a nutritionist because I'd spent 30 years ignoring myself. And I took a year to do all the things I had been putting off - theatre, concerts, reading books, lots of little trips - AND a solo month-long bucket list trip to Africa I'd been putting off for 25 years.

I studied Human Design and astrology - not to become all 'woo woo', but because I was genuinely interested and I thought it might help give me answers to understand myself more.

I started asking: What do I actually want? Not what I'm supposed to want. What do I want? 

I also got to realise that some things I have done naturally, that I thought were common skills - aren’t. And that a job title isn’t necessarily your biggest skill. I love puzzles, so I can see the noise and spot the elephant in the room. I can feel an energy in a room and a person. I see patterns. In homes, I can see how a space is underutilised. I can make a meal from whatever is available. All of this also makes me a great troubleshooter.

But if I’ve learnt anything over the last few years, it’s that everything starts with you.

Close-up of a gardening shovel stuck in soil with small green plants growing nearby.

I'm not done yet.

The next chapter is still being written.

This one? I'm building it exactly the way I want it to look.