On today's episode of The Executive Coach podcast, I'm reviewing my word of the year: 'supported'. What made me choose it? How did it work? And what surprised me?
The initial choice
It started with Rose Radford, my incredibly inspiring business coach (who excitingly will be joining us on the podcast soon!). After finishing her business coaching programme, I realised what I was lacking was any sort of team in my work.
In January, I started working with an amazing online business manager, Kayleigh Johnstone. She came by recommendation, thinks about the bigger picture rather than just being a virtual assistant, and holds me consistent through our coaching conversations before going away with a task list and summary. It's been transformative.
Now I have moments during my week where I think "oh, this is weird - I didn't used to feel like this." Work is off my plate, done better than I could ever do it, and done more systematically.
How the word worked
Beyond business, I started appreciating different elements of support:
My husband sharing the mental load - where he completely owns domestic and kid stuff "end to end". This is a massive topic I dive into with my LifeWork Design programme because it's such a huge challenge, especially for women building careers. When you can effectively share mental load, it's like giving "career dynamite" to the person previously holding it.
The podcast has evolved too. While my producer Arjun and I don't work together weekly anymore, our creative conversations led to initiatives like the August Rejuvenation series and Career Blind Spots month. It's shown me how supportive relationships can evolve over time - they don't need to stay in a pattern because as I grow, I need different support.
The surprises
The word has emerged in fascinating ways. Recent podcast guests talked about how having a wall behind you makes you feel supported in your workspace, and Rose will be sharing how having a "stack of cash" and a 6-12 month runway creates a feeling of support.
Most importantly, I've seen how being well-supported enables us to support others. From 11am, I'm typically dedicated to my clients, especially my social work clients where the work goes "up to the therapy line". I need to be really well supported to support them to the best of my abilities.
The power of systems
Having supportive systems has been crucial. In my LifeWork Design programme, I share how we downloaded the entirety of our domestic tasks onto checklists so it doesn't live in anyone's head. It makes everything easier - from outsourcing to managing changes in arrangements.
Looking back
What started as one thing has shown so many different dimensions. It's helped me appreciate support I already had more deeply, notice it, be attuned to it, and watch it bubble up in completely new ways.
To catch up on the full episode and find out more about my support system, you can listen to the podcast at Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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