June: Into Action
Building sustainable practices for the greater good
Mo chara,
This month, for some reason, I have been in full on action mode. I didn’t sit down at any point and say this month, I’m going to DO shit, I just started doing shit and well… now shit is happening and it’s great!
So, what’s going down, you ask? Well let me declare…
I joined two networks: Ignite Business Network and the Professional Speaking Association.
Side note, last week’s podcast episode was a conversation with Ignite founder and Networking Architect Jean Evans on networking as a form of resourcing (I believe everything can be applied to recovery)
You can listen here:
The PSA put a call out for a showcase speaker for their July event in Dublin and I put myself forward, which is honestly a bit scary but it has also motivated me to come off the sidelines & put myself back in the arena, after a long time out on spiritual sick leave / burnout.
I’m also experiencing an action led shift in my recovery this month, which I share about below along with photos & stories from my recent solo trip to Budapest.
I’VE LAUNCHED A NEW OFFER!
At last month’s PSA speaking event, president Michelle Mills-Porter really challenged me.
You can listen to me discuss this with her on the podcast here:
She had us do an exercise where we identified the value we could bring to the group and I'll be honest, that moment sent me into a a bit of a spiral, but it also planted a seed.
Two weeks later, I came off the second of two separate calls with colleagues to whom I had offered to bring my creative problem solving skills to their respective challenges.
One was a fellow therapeutic practitioner confused about her branding. The other was a solopreneur wanting to start a podcast but not having the first clue where to start with the technology & workflow.
Over the years, I have had many of these brainstorming sessions with friends and colleagues & have helped several of them have breakthroughs in terms of creative direction and/or identity.
That's when it hit me: Ehm, this is valuable!
So I'm officially launching The Collaboration Sessions: 90-minute intensives where I partner with you to see new possibilities in whatever challenge you’re facing.
Whether you're an artist trying to understand your own work, a writer wanting to get started on a creative project, a coach struggling with your messaging, or anyone feeling stuck, scattered or confused - I'm here for you!
Click below to learn more and maybe book a session!
Putting Money Where My Values Are
I got this email last week
While that's not why I'm making this announcement, it did crystallise something I've been sitting with for months.
It feels almost impossible to do business right now without some sense that you're contributing to the problem, whether through the platforms you use, the silence you keep, or the inadequacy of whatever response you can muster to unfathomable suffering.
I have deep respect for those raising awareness, protesting and sharing what's happening in Gaza, that work is vital and necessary.
But I know myself well enough to recognise that I just don't have the nervous system capacity to show up in that particular way.
Yet staying silent, frozen or looking away feels equally wrong.
So I've been quietly asking for guidance on how I can do my small part meaningfully. The answer that came: use this platform's earnings to support grassroots organisations doing real work.
So, I reached out to my former client Besan Abu Joudeh, co-founder of Build Palestine, for advice on where a modest donation could do the most good right now.
She recommended the Middle East Children's Alliance, which has local partnerships and is actively distributing aid in Gaza.
So here's what I'm implementing: Every six months, I'll donate 10% of that period’s subscription revenue to organisations aligned with our values.
To begin, I’ve donated $125 to MECA - exactly 10% of what this newsletter has earned since launching paid subscriptions in February of this year.
Going forward, this practice will support various aligned causes- Palestinian relief, women's aid, arts funding.
I hope this goes some way to helping you feel that your subscription, while greatly appreciated, isn't just supporting my work; it's making a broader positive impact.
And if you’d like to contribute, you can do so below. Obviously, the more paying subscribers I have, the more I can donate.
This isn't about performing activism or making grand gestures. The reality is that all platforms and technologies are problematic on some level and perfect moral purity is practically impossible; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to do good where we can.
Recovery On Tour: “Something” Happened In Budapest
Some months feel like slow progress. Others feel like everything you've been working toward finally clicks into place.
June was one of those months.
I started the month ready to quit my recovery program entirely. I ended it having my first real spiritual experience, meeting my higher power (I call her Eabha) and having breakthrough moments that have been nearly a decade in the making.
When Everything Clicks Into Place
The rest of this story contains vulnerable reflections on recovery breakthroughs, spiritual awakening and the messy reality of nearly 10 years trying to get food sober.
I share my most intimate recovery moments with paid subscribers as a way of honouring both the depth of what I'm offering and the boundaries I need around this level of personal sharing.
If these kinds of honest conversations about recovery resonate with you, I'd love to have you join the community supporting this work.