A little day in the life… and a very honest chat at the end.
I don’t usually cross-post my Kindling Minds content onto my personal page. I tend to keep “business Kara” and “personal Kara” a little separate. But this one feels different.
The last month has stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve had to learn, properly learn, that it’s okay to use my voice. That it’s okay to stand up for myself. That I don’t have to shrink just to make other people comfortable.
Since Thursday I’ve honestly been running on fumes… but somehow it's also the happiest I’ve been in a long time. A week ago I had the best catch-up with Jill who always leaves me feeling like anything is possible, she shared a brilliant game that I used with my client that same evening (and watching that child’s confidence and communication grow in real time was magic), and reminded me how powerful it is to have the right people around you.
This time last year I was barely holding it together. I was trying to manage full-time teaching and my health, crying after school because I felt like I was failing the children in front of me. Four incredible teachers sat with me in those moments and helped me see that I didn’t have to carry everything alone. I genuinely didn’t know how I would get to the end of that school year… but I did. And then a parent encouraged me to start the business. And because I had finally learned to ask for help, everything began to change.
In Dumfries and Galloway everyone knows everyone 🤣 and I used to laugh about that. But I didn’t realise how beautiful that could be. The teacher who stood in my corner for 18 months through my postgrad and probation? She’s best friends with my now business coach. At first I thought, “Of course they are.” But actually… in their very different ways, Lindsay and Jill have challenged my thinking, stretched my confidence, and helped me grow more than I can explain.
The opportunities that have landed in the last 72 hours aren’t random. They are built on two years of people believing in me, steadying me, and helping me find my feet.
So I’m sharing this here, with you, because vulnerability matters. Because sometimes the shiny “business growth” posts don’t show the tears, the doubt, the health struggles, or the people quietly holding you up behind the scenes.
And because maybe someone on my personal page needs to hear this: the right people can completely change your trajectory. 💛
My LinkedIn Post:
A little day in the life… and a very honest chat at the end.
Some days of running a business feel calm and organised… other days feel like 67 tabs open in your brain at once, with some stuck open on a loop🫣
Today was one of those “67 tabs” days.
So many opportunities.
So many ideas.
So much growth.
And that familiar neurodivergent hum of everything spinning at once.
Before a big conversation tomorrow, Jill took time to sit with me and help untangle my thoughts. Not to change them. Not to shrink them. Just to help me see them clearly.
I know I say it a lot but, that kind of support… it changes you!
It’s not just business strategy.
It’s someone saying, “Your ideas make sense. You make sense. Go for it!”
I’m also stepping into an exciting opportunity with Kirsty from Kirsty Adamson Collective. We’re applying for something completely new to both of us. And there’s something so powerful about learning together. No pretending. No polished expertise. Just two women building something brave and asking questions as we go🥰
And then there’s Karen and the energy inside Co-Here. If you’ve ever been in a space that feels safe, creative and quietly ambitious all at once… you’ll know what I mean!!!
The older I get (and yes I’m aware of how old it makes me sound🤣), the more I realise this:
It’s the people, the right people, who shift your trajectory!💛
The ones who steady you.
The ones who believe in you before you’re fully there.
The ones who make you feel safe enough to be fully yourself.
Running a business as a neurodivergent, disabled founder isn’t always as tidy and organised as I’d like. It’s layered. It’s intense. It’s deeply personal!
But it’s also beautiful, because of the people in it🥰
I’d genuinely love to know 👇🏼… Who has unknowingly changed your path recently? Who is your cheerleader believing in you before you believe in yourself?
#businessgrowth #businessowner #womenownedbusiness #collaboration #friends
