How disconnected I'd become from my aligned path & in particular  how the;  9-5+ 'bums on seats' mentality, never ending to-do lists,  being 100% office-based, exchanging time for money and largely being praised for ‘hard’ work & life compromises was misaligned for me. Signs of burn-out, feeling like I was just going through the motions, dreading opening work emails, feeling less motivated & ambitious and being less present with loved ones all became more amplified - something had to change.



Instead of suppressing the feelings, I finally listened and I treated them as clues! That began my personal investigatory mission for purpose & fulfilment - I  quit (long story short - listen to this podcast episode for the full version) & booked a one-way ticket across the world. Whilst this felt different to the version of me I'd known until then who had  generally followed the status quo, I just knew it was the right step to take for me - mission accepted!

I'd done it all "right" - worked hard, got the grades, became the first Uni graduate in my fam, secured a training contract with my dream law firm, had the salary and off I went continuing to climb my dreamy ladder. Most of it felt great at the start and I was so proud for what I'd achieved against the odds.....plus I was being validated by society for these accomplishments, so I must have been on the correct path, right? It's everything I'd worked towards so I had to keep going, right? But the "soul nudges" got louder and louder until they screamed "WTF are you doing!?"

The first major clarity bomb on this mission was realising that a core personal value (which I’d not given any thought to previously) is “freedom” yet I hadn’t shaped a life around that. So, I called out my own BS and committed to carving out work & life based on my own version of success.

Instead of simply returning to London to take another City job, I decided to live in Bali (a place I loved at the time) and create / find work that was aligned.  I couldn't have even imagined this before, but having met digital nomads (mainly creatives & techies at that time, no lawyers) combined with the inner work I’d began to do, I transformed the conditions I’d placed on myself about what work "should" look & feel like.  Bali life as a remote UK lawyer became my reality 2017-19  & I created my own online coaching business, all when  working remotely wasn't a 'thing' (honestly it was a struggle in law to wfh then  just because the plumber was scheduled)!

This legal eagle felt so alive, inspired & nourished –  words I never thought I'd associate with work.
However....

When I say that I'm not your average lawyer and "I know you're not either" - I really mean this last bit; I *know* you're not either.  Whether you see your uniqueness or not, I see it.  Whether you recognised your potential or not, I recognise it.  Whether you feel worthy or not, I feel your value.  My gift is seeing your gifts,  strengths and potential and when coupled with the Human Design system, this makes for a powerful deep dive into your magic.

I could do it differently. I could do it in a soul-aligned way.  I just had to understand what makes me unique, own what makes me 'different' and take aligned action.