Here is goes...
There are many aligning reasons as to why I wanted to start this newsletter. The more I thought about it, the clearer the overarching reason became; I wanted a space where I could be authentic 100% of the time. Ok, now that I’m really thinking about it I also want to create a community of founders and creatives, who feel they’re on their own. Because it is a lonely world out there when you are trying to create an impact. No one quite understands the emotional and mental pain of trying so hard to achieve something and get nothing in return (well, in my case anyway, but the returns will come through. Eventually.)
From the moment I set off on my own journey of creating a business, I put a lot of effort into trying to build relationships. Quality relationships, with people that were launching their own story into the world. This was made 10x harder due to the fact that it was in the midst of a pandemic and that every single conversation I had was digital. Building trust and connecting with someone is infinity harder when done via Zoom.
My hope is through my newsletter I can begin to pull together people I align with, people who are on their own journey of impact, people who have their own mental wellbeing story and people who yearn to live out their dreams.
I want to start with my own journey of how I got to where I am now - as honestly as possible.
I started my “entrepreneurial” journey in April last year. Looking back, I had no major plan. All I knew was that I wanted to begin to change the wellbeing landscape within businesses - especially after my own experience with mental health that led me to quit my job (I plan to get deeper into this in the next post). So I set off to create a company called Align; created wellbeing services, spoke to CEOs, taught wellbeing workshops, got invited to speak at summits and online events, and earnt my very first paycheque.
However, during this time there was one thing missing, beyond two paid gigs, I wasn’t bringing any money in. I understand it takes time to build and create, there are creases to iron out, connections to be made, but I knew there was a block somewhere. I kept getting to a certain point with a potential client again, and again, without being able to cross the finishing line.
It took me a few weeks to realise I was sabotaging myself. That the block was actually me, my own mind working against me. I wanted clients, of course, I did, but the moment a sliver of an opportunity came by, I was terrified of it manifesting. Can’t quite get anywhere when the very thing you desire (in this case, working with clients), is being stopped by yourself! After the realisation came, it made so much sense. I could feel it was true, and instinctively I knew there was no way I could continue the way I was going.
I made a promise to myself to finally take some time to reflect and evaluate where I was and what I wanted to achieve. Particularly because I kept missing the goals I was setting myself. It was time to realign Align. The outcome? This is it guys, big big news. I’m creating an app! Thanks to some deep thinking time and a few extra special communities, I realised that Catrin and services are not quite aligned right now. And that’s ok. But creating a product, a tech product that potentially serves an even bigger purpose and a bigger audience? Feels so right!
That basically sums up 2020 for me. Currently, I am in prototype mode - so far so good!
So what now?
I want people with me along my journey. I want founders who are on their own entrepreneurial journey to join me. Why? Because you don’t have to do it all alone. You don’t have to feel as if you’re the only person in the world who is going through the pains of creating an impact. You deserve support, and more importantly, you need it.
In the newsletters to come, I’m going to be covering a mix of how I’m navigating the lonely, mentally testing waters of creating my own revenue, how I’m trying to create an impact and the latest on what science is saying about mental wellbeing. I also want this to be a place where you can do the same, to build your resilience, to grow your network and to do so while absolutely thriving.
That’s my hope :)
See you on the other side!