Monday Morning Musings

Backing Yourself, Finding Your People & Giving It a Go – Monday 23rd March 2026.

Happy Monday everyone!

It’s feeling like Spring is officially here. The evenings are stretching, the blossom is beginning to show, and just like last year, there’s something about this time of year that feels full of possibility and new beginnings.

This time last year I wrote about standing on the threshold of a big change, stepping away from my corporate career and leaning into something far less certain. Well, here we are, twelve months on. And what better time than spring, the season of growth and fresh starts, to pause and reflect on what that year has actually looked, felt, and tasted like.

Whether you’re quietly thinking about making a leap of your own, or perfectly content where you are, I hope something in here resonates. As always, these are just my musings. Take what’s useful, leave what isn’t, and I hope your Monday is a good one.

What I‘ve LOVED

Going back to my purpose and helping others has, without question, been the thing I have loved most about the past twelve months.

When you leave a corporate role, you lose the structure of a team around you almost overnight. What I did not expect was how quickly I would find out what actually fills my cup. And for me, it is people. Helping them think through challenges, navigate decisions, and find a bit more clarity in what can feel like a very noisy world.

Coaching has been a big part of that. And here is the honest bit: putting your own oxygen mask on first does not come naturally when you are someone who gets energy from helping others. For most of my career I gave a lot of that energy to work. Leaving gave me the chance to redirect it more intentionally.

Saying yes to a lot of things this past year has been brilliant. I have met fascinating people, worked on interesting projects, and had conversations I never would have had inside a corporate building. But it has also taught me something important: saying yes to everything is not the same as doing the right things. More on that shortly.

For now though, I have genuinely loved rediscovering what motivates me. Not a job title, not a bonus, not a performance review. Just the quiet satisfaction of helping someone move forward. That feeling has not changed. If anything, it is stronger.

What I’ve LEARNED

This is the one I have thought about most. And it is probably the most personal.

Over the past twelve months, one of the things that has surprised me most is discovering who shows up when you step away from the familiar. When you leave a big corporate role, there is a version of events you imagine in your head. The people you have invested in, supported, and gone to bat for over the years. Surely they will be part of the journey.

Some were. But not all. And that has been a learning.

A few of the people I had helped the most over the years, people I had genuinely invested time and energy into, were not quite there when I needed them. No drama, no falling out. Just a quiet absence that you notice more than you expect to.

But here is the flip side, and it matters just as much. The people who did show up surprised me. Contacts I had not spoken to in years. People I had worked with briefly but meaningfully. Friends who had nothing to gain from supporting me but turned up anyway, with introductions, encouragement, and honesty.

James Clear writes about the idea that you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. I think relationships work in a similar way. You do not get back what you put in. You get back what the relationship was genuinely built on.

That is not cynical. It is actually freeing. It has helped me to focus my energy more carefully, to be more intentional about who I invest in and why. And it has made me more grateful for the people who showed up than I might have been otherwise.

Staying authentic through all of this has been the other big learning. It is very easy, when you are trying to build something new, to start shaping yourself around what you think people want. I have caught myself doing it. The coaching background helps. But it is a constant reminder: learning what works and what does not, and having the honesty to tell the difference, is some of the most valuable work you can do.


What I’ve LIKED

Having the time to think has been more powerful than I ever gave it credit for.

In a corporate environment, busyness is a badge of honour. Full diaries, back to back meetings, always on. I wore it too. Most of us do. But stepping away from that has shown me how much noise was getting in the way of actual thinking.

This past year, I have had the space to properly refine what I am building and why. To ask better questions. To sit with an idea long enough to know whether it is genuinely good or just exciting in the moment. That kind of thinking time is rare, and I have really liked having it.

It has led me to back myself more. Not in an arrogant way, but in the sense of not letting interesting but ultimately distracting projects pull me away from the one thing I am most focused on. Saying yes to everything taught me where my focus needs to be. And I am now more comfortable saying no, or not yet, than I have ever been.

The other thing I have liked is simpler than all of that. Giving it a go. There is something genuinely energising about trying something, not knowing exactly how it will land, and doing it anyway. It is good to give it a go. I mean that as plainly as it sounds.

Whether you are thinking about leaving your role or just wondering what the next version of your life might look like, I hope this is useful. You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.

Final thought:

Here is a song to kick start your week:

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Nik Dewar
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