Grow with Soul: Ep. 116 - I've Been Asking The Wrong Question - What's Next For Grow With Soul
Hello, and welcome to episode 116 of Grow with Soul. I was writing this episode sitting in the sun on the wall outside my house as the UK neared the end of a nearly two week heatwave. This episode should have reached you last week. If I was being 'good' and 'professional' there wouldn't have been a week gap in between episodes, I would have got it out on time. But instead I had a week off to enjoy the sun, enjoying the garden, racing through two books, deadheading the roses, and swimming in the sea every evening.
What I talk about in this episode:
The previous blocks on putting life above work
Prioritising a life worth living
The continuing direction of Grow with Soul
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Read the episode transcript:
I am writing this sitting in the sun on the wall outside my house as the UK nears the end of a near two week heatwave. This episode should have actually reached you last week; if I was being “good” and “professional” there wouldn’t have been a week gap between episodes, I would have got it out. But instead, I had a week off to enjoy the sun; to sit in my garden, racing my way through two books, deadheading the roses and swimming in the sea every evening. I had started the week knowing I “had to” write and record this episode, but by Wednesday it still wasn’t done and I accepted it was never going to be, and rather than feel guilty I chose to feel ok about it. Because a podcast episode going out a week later than my own arbitrary schedule dictates is just not as important as enjoying one of the last sunny weeks I’ll ever have here.
When this podcast started a little over three years ago, there was no conceivable way I’d have told you a story like that one. This was a marketing podcast, and a year into my business I was preaching the gospel of consistency. I myself was posting daily on Instagram, too scared of what might happen if I skipped a day, assuming that that was the only way to achieve growth and desperate not to lose momentum. This was 2018, 6 months before my burn out season kicked in, and I was busy creating the conditions that would cause that burn out. It was not an option to skip a day, to not post on schedule – I would rearrange anything before I’d rearrange that.
The other reason is that back then I simply didn’t believe in the idea of putting life before work. Not even that I didn’t believe in it, more that it was anathema to me – that concept was not one that I could even get my head around understanding. Life was work, work was a priority, work was hard, work was the most important thing and then life slotted in if you have time. On a sunny day back then I would stay in my office; if I did go outside for a few hours I would feel shifty and uncomfortable, feel the pull of all the unchecked to do’s, with most of mind still with my laptop as I thought about when I’d be able to start making back up the time I was currently wasting.
So as you can see, things have changed, somewhat, since I started this podcast. My approach to work, my priorities in life, how I think about what’s important when it comes to business. No longer is exponential, endless growth towards some way off happiness my way of operating; the priority is happiness now and then, even if it take a little longer and feels a little riskier. I think part of this is burn out, part of it the life changes I’ve had over the last twelve months of ticking all the official happiness boxes only to find myself miserable. I also think part of it is time; the longer you’re in your business the more unsustainable it is for it to be your oxygen. Most people start to feel their priorities shift as they begin to feel more established, and it’s ok if you’re not quite in that space yet. But also, part of it is the pandemic. A trend I have noticed in my client calls over this year is that where people once wanted capital-g growth, now they want a life worth living.
I have spoken in earlier episodes this season about how this year I’ve been wrestling with the direction of my work, and how I feel I’ve outgrown and moved beyond what Simple & Season started off as. When my thoughts turned to this podcast I realised: I’ve been asking the wrong question. All these years I’ve been asking guests “how do you grow with soul in your work and life?”.
But they’re not two separate entities. There is not your work, and then your life. They are not two equally sized aspects of your calendar. You are one human, and you have one life. Your work is a part of that life, not something outside of it. You are the same human who does your work as the one who loves your family and likes to read or paint or dance or climb mountains. We need to stop expecting ourselves to have enough space and resources to have a work AND a life; we need to think about what it means if we have work in life, instead.
So that’s where Grow With Soul is going. If we’re honest, it’s been a long time since we’ve strictly talked about marketing anyway; over the last year or so I’ve been more and more interested in delving into these ideas of balance, of the emotional experience of self-employment that dictates how we feel about growth and marketing anyway. When we come back, Grow With Soul isn’t going to be a simple marketing podcast; it’s going to be a work-in-life podcast.
We’re going to explore how work can be a magical part of a bigger more meaningful life, covering topics like balance, prioritising, goals, time management, planning, decision-making, hobbies, friendships, intuition, energy, fulfilment, mindset. The format is also changing too. I’ll continue with solo shows as short pep talks or longer deep dives, but excitedly I’m introducing new guest co-hosts. I have a craving for deeper, truer conversations, which you just can’t get in one off one hours with somebody. So my guest co-hosts will join me for a couple of episodes a season where we get below the surface, compare notes, follow the threads and get to hear how they’re negotiating work in life over the course of months. And in between I’m sure there’ll be the odd coaching episode and coaching catch up too. So the next time you see Grow With Soul in your podcast app there’ll be new artwork, a new intro, and maybe even new music (I still really love the music so you’ll have to wait and see whether I go for it).
Thank you so much for listening and sharing Grow With Soul over the last three years – if you haven’t yet, now might be a really fitting time to leave a rating and review there in your podcast app. I hope very much that you’ll join me back on the other side of the summer break to start thinking more about those big questions: what we really want, how we get there, and how to redirect ambition into a life worth living.