Thursday, 15 May, 2025
This week has been one of those gloriously unhinged ones.
It started with onboarding a new client (more on that soon), which had me once again reflecting on the kind of work I really want to attract.
Purposeful. Values-driven. People first.
The timing for a visit to the Huddersfield Health and Innovation Partnership’s (HHIP) Business in the Community (BITC) Wellbeing and Inclusion workshop for SMEs at 3M Buckley Innovation Centre couldn’t have been better.
I headed there with the brilliant Katie Walden Illustration, whose visual notetaking is always a highlight.
Watching her transform big topics into stunning, expressive sketches adds a whole new layer of insight (how does she do that so calmly while I’m still scribbling down the title in shorthand?)
We left with ideas, conversations and the excellent (and free) BITC Workwell toolkit.
Key takeaways?
Compassionate leadership matters.
Wellbeing isn’t a function, it’s a culture.
Inclusion, collaboration and mental health are all just as essential in business as they are in life.
Then, from Huddersfield to Leeds to support my friend and work buddy Cow Mad Designs at an AD:VENTURE workshop. Did I get offered cake? Absolutely. Thank you Buttercrumble for the surprise slice, proof that some of the best moments aren’t planned.
Speaking of unplanned…
Claire who is famously on her own time schedule arived on time, while I was late courtesy of a rogue lemon wedged inside my water bottle.
I’d washed it the night before, leaving the slice I had forgotten about still inside.
After failed extraction attempts (cutlery, skewers, and even a toolkit), I tried bribing Gracie and Andy into explaining to Claire I was delayed due to lemon issues.
Neither were willing to deliver my absurd message and I didn’t have time to explain.
We missed the train.
Thanks to Claire for the homemade sarnies (yes, I left mine at home), a dash through the city centre, and me sneaking cake crumbs from around my mouth just moments before arriving very late to the WeArePoWEr Exchange at KPMG.
The talk was worth every crumb. We just caught the inspiring words from Freda Shafi, a good catch-up with Roth Read Photography, and a dramatic tangle with chewing gum and tree blossom that nearly took out my sandals.
Thankfully the sandals were still intact and didn’t smell. Could have stepped in worse.
Somewhere between cake and chaos, I noticed Claire’s watch was upside down.
Apparently, she doesn’t use it, but it looks good, before adding, “it’s so you can tell the time.” Point made.
We rounded off the day exactly how you should when everything goes off script. By locking eyes with Banyan, missing yet another train and calling it self-care.
Moral of the story? People matter. Whether it’s a wellbeing conference, a workshop with a bestie, or muddling through a lemon-in-a-bottle scenario, human connection is at the heart of everything we do.
Next time, I’ll pack a spare pair of shoes and cut my lemon a little smaller.