Dear Reader, Do you have a sense of community in your work? Working solo can feel isolating, which is why many freelancers seek out peer groups. But even in a team, it’s easy to feel lonely. Most conversations are about the what: what needs doing, by when, by who. Important, yes, but not very connecting. Today, in an All Hands meeting with my associates, all freelancers, I was reminded what community feels like. And it wasn’t because of icebreakers or formal bonding. It came from what we...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Nothing tests a fresh insight faster than walking through your own front door.... I literally just stepped through the door, coming back from a week-long retreat with Mr Embodiment, Mark Walsh (you might remember him from podcast 282). As I was writing, it struck me: I was doing the exact opposite of what I’d taken away from the retreat, and what I was about to write about 🤯 Instead of arriving properly - making tea, changing into comfortable clothes, maybe just breathing for a...
21 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, When was the last time your ceiling became your new ground? It just happened to me and it feels like a milestone. Literally! About three years ago, before my first half-marathon, everything felt like a big deal: the tapering, the nerves, the diet, the sleepless night before. 21.1 km was the goal, and it was my ceiling. I never ran for longer.... Until Thursday. I broke my record and ran 23 km. It’s the fourth week in a row I’ve logged a half marathon distance as part of my...
28 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, How much of yourself do you leave at the office door? For my book about (un)professionalism, I am currently researching the concept of authenticity. And when I read yet another article suggesting leaders not to be authentic, I almost lost it! Leaders shouldn’t bring their whole selves to work. An academic article even advices practicing strategic authenticity not to compromise your professional image 🤯 Share just enough of your “real self” to look genuine, while keeping the rest...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Over the past two weeks I have been resisting it. I don’t need one, I said to myself. I’m not fully off. I’ll reply here and there. It’s just a few emails. I’ll do it after the run, after lunch, dinner.... tomorrow. The out of office reply... I cannot even think of a good reason for my resistance. Somehow, I was fond of the experiment trying to balance vacation and work. Maybe I felt guilty for taking six weeks off. Surely, there was some laziness before leaving, since I didn't...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I almost forgot to write this newsletter! And somehow it feels like a win :) In the past, I tried to finish everything before going on holiday and made it a challenge not to open my emails for two weeks. This time, I chose a different approach: leaving for longer — almost six weeks away — but being more flexible about the boundary between work and leisure. This week, I allowed myself 1.5 days with calls and some sit-down work to respond to emails. Next week, I might not. Of...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, I’m writing to you from my vacation, where an hour-long wait at the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland taught me an unexpected lesson in expectation management. Luckily, my friend Ben—whom we were on our way to visit—had warned me in advance that we will wait at the tunnel. I wasn't aware this was the default time due to a very accurate traffic management system. Still, I expected frustration. But as we inched forward, minute by minute, I noticed something strange: we were having the...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Don't tell me what to do! Otherwise, you might encounter the worst version of me (and many friends, colleagues, even clients have experienced this side that I am rarely proud of). And there is one exception... If you are my sports coach, tell me to sprint, lift, push, jump, run and I am in. No resistance, no rebellion. Pur excitement. I’ll even obey my virtual running app without questioning its authority 😅 I love the structure, the clarity, the push. This week, I brought my...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I woke up annoyed. No specific dream I could remember, no meeting I dreaded, no real reason to point to — just a gritty frustration under my skin. I went for a workout, which usually helps. Not this time. Everything irritated me: the too-loud laughter of a neighbour, a slow cyclist, even the way the toothpaste tube had been squeezed. And yet, nothing had really happened. Luckily, my partner and I have an agreement that we name our weird or grumpy feelings as they show up without...
2 months ago • 3 min read