One Year of Elevative: the leap, the lessons, and Señorita Should

One year of Elevative. A year that changed me.

Twelve months ago, I left the safety of full-time work and took the leap.

What nobody tells you is that building a business is also about rebuilding yourself.

It’s been fulfilling, yes — but also messy, weird, and at times… a full emotional rollercoaster.
Not the fun kind with seatbelts and safety instructions. The kind where you realise you’re the one who built the ride… and forgot to test the brakes.

You won’t see the crying in the video. I don’t prop my phone up for those moments — though I’ve definitely had some Oscar-worthy performances over emails that never got replies.

But I’ve done my part.

The Inner Voice: Señorita Should
I’ve argued with Señorita Should more times than I can count.

You know the voice:
“You should play it safe.”
“You should tone it down.”
“Are you different… in the wrong way?”
“You should stop wearing bright colours to serious meetings.”

Some days, she wins.
But most days, Captain Courage shows up — with curl cream in her hair, a coffee in hand, slightly underprepared, slightly overdressed, and always determined to remind me:
“You didn’t come this far to whisper.”

The Real Lessons
This year has taught me to:

- Trust the leap, even if I can’t see the net
- Reframe rejection as redirection
- Turn impostor thoughts into data—and into direction
- Ask for help—because I built a network simply by reaching out
- Shift from scarcity to abundance, from perfectionism to excellence with room for collaboration
- Experiment even with fear—because clarity often comes after action

And no, I didn’t film the tears.
But they happened. Because building something from the ground up is personal.
It cracks you open in ways you didn’t expect.

Who I’ve become
Twelve months in, I can say with full honesty:
I’m not the same woman who started this.

I value different things.
I trust myself more.
I speak softer to myself when I fail.

And my new mantra?

Show up with purpose. Ask for help. Aim for excellence, not perfection.

Because perfection leaves no room for joy, collaboration, or humanity.

For anyone standing at the edge
To anyone thinking of starting something:
Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s scary.

But what if the version of you waiting on the other side
is so much more whole than the one who’s afraid?

🎥 Watch the video. The smile is real, even if the story behind it is layered.
🎤 And if you’d like to meet Señorita Should… she makes a cameo in my keynote, Unmute Yourself. 😉