The writing hiatus is over!

The last post on this blog was three years ago. I didn't plan to leave it that long, but quite a lot has happened since.

My family and I moved from Scotland to Japan. I carried on working online with my small business clients in the UK, which meant getting used to the time difference and finding a rhythm that worked for us. I also did more coaching, including quite a bit within professional rugby in Japan. It was fascinating to work with people in a very different setting, facing pressures of their own.

There were wonderful parts to living in Japan, and there were challenges, both at work and at home. Moving countries doesn't put everyday life on hold. You're still making decisions, looking after people, trying to do your job well and working out where you fit in. Some days we handled that better than others.

Living in another culture gave me a different perspective. I learnt from the people around me and found myself questioning some of the habits and assumptions I'd brought with me. I also became clearer about what matters most to me: the people in my life, having work I care about, and making room to enjoy it all (so writing was just something that had to give!).

Now we're back in Scotland, and I'm helping my two teenagers settle into life in the UK again. Coming home has been lovely, but it has been another adjustment for all of us. After three years away, even familiar places and routines can feel different.

Through all those changes, I kept working with small business owners. The circumstances were different, but many of our conversations came back to familiar questions: What matters now? What needs to change? How do you make space to think when life and work keep moving?

Those questions feel just as relevant to me as they do to the people I work with. I'm returning to this blog with a clearer focus on coaching for small business owners, and on the very human side of running a business. It's good to be back!