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On Reimagining Life & Work: Lessons from Provence

Dear Friends & Subscribers,

I've explored different paths since leaving corporate in 2020 and then leaving London to live in Provence. Within those has been a steady, burning desire to share with the world the lessons I've learned about life and work as a result of my experiences in Provence.  

But, much like Goldilocks, although each effort has produced something fine in its own right, with several important exceptions, some have felt a little too this or a little too that, leading me to pause or pivot.

• Many of you followed my blog, Simply Eau-de-Vie, from 2020 - 21. I had just started a career break and enrolled in a Le Cordon Bleu program to fulfill my lifelong dream of studying wine and cooking. Through words & photographs, that blog highlighted the role such bounties played in cultivating my well-being. 

• In 2021, I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with distinction, specializing in Provençal wine and gastronomy. I also headed back into the business of learning. I researched career reinvention, interviewing 47 people on their experiences and writing an article with two former Harvard colleagues. This work reignited my curiosity about how people navigate career and life transformations.

• I started Exponential by Design, my consulting practice where I support European ed-tech and workforce start-ups and scale-ups. This work reconnected me with digital learning experiences' role in career and life transformation. That work has since expanded to include my coaching practice, where I support leaders who are, like me, playing an infinite game of growth in life and work. 

• I had the idea for a workforce development start-up, which launched with a team of co-founders in the first half of 2022. ExponentialChangemakers is now a growing network for women in the first ten years of their careers, which I continue to lead with my long-time friend and co-founder, Valerie Sutton. Here, and with my coaching clients, I've put my expertise and learnings from Provence into practice to support and impact others. These two efforts continue to drive me forward.

• In early 2023, I launched– my first Substack, How to Grow Your Self. After the third post, I knew the timing and focus weren't right. To maintain momentum, I paused and pivoted to writing shorter posts on LinkedIn.

Throughout this time – if you asked me – which many of you did – what I was doing in Provence, I told you that I was living there while launching my start-up. I cited the pandemic and Brexit (which did contribute to my decision). With regular trips back and forth between Provence and London, I was convinced I'd return to my 'real' life and work in London within the next year or two - proof that old habits and ways of being die hard.

But this summer – for a variety of reasons – it all started to click: 

I am at my best in Provence. I want to live in and work from here. For. Good.

I have learned more about the future of learning and work here than when I led such work at Pearson. Although I read voraciously and attend and speak at conferences on all related topics, that's not where the real learnings have been generated. The real learnings – the fundamentals of reimagining life and work – were developed on the ground while living – and, importantly, trying not to live – in a medieval village in Provence. 

So, I'm done fighting. I've jumped the tracks.

For the first time in my life, or so it seems, I have no idea what lies ahead, but I've peacefully embraced Provence's invitation to stay, and I couldn't be more excited.

With that, I invite you to step into the classroom of Provence to explore Reimagining Life & Work: Lessons from Provence. Part future of work and learning. Part self-help and well-being. Part travelogue. Here you'll find:

• A weekly essay with contextual stories – mine and others – and quotes from contemporary and historical sources, thoughtfully exploring possibilities for life and work that challenge traditional norms.

• Simply Eau-de-Vie, short musings on life in Provence that will make you smile and inspire you to think about how simple ways of just being might enhance your daily experience.

• Awe: Images and photographs scattered throughout are designed to inspire you to seek beauty wherever you live.

As the work grows, I expect to add the following:

• Occasional commentaries and reflections on books related to the above and viewed through my lens.

• Notes pointing you to other Substack authors engaging in these areas; and

• a podcast that will further bring all of the above to life.

I'm excited to collaborate, so if any of this work interests you, please reach out! 

In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the latest articles:

• Unplanned Moves: Landing in Provence, to hear about my journey living - and trying not to live - in Provence.

• Your Inner Rebel: You Know You Have One, to learn how to use rebellion as a strength in life and on the job.

• An Act of Rebellion: Life in a Medieval Village in 2023, to hear about the surprising range of people I’ve met and why we’ve chosen this radical life.

• And, grab a few moments of Provençal joy with You had me at hello: old fashioned courtesy wins, and It takes a village: and, in this case, a plumber.

Thank you for patiently following my journey over the past few years; I look forward to continuing to stay in touch with you here in this new space.