I saw a friend at a music festival over the weekend who asked me to spill the beans on this “business” I alluded to in my last newsletter. Having worked on many brand and campaign launches over the last decade, a big (perfectionist) part of me has been waiting for things to feel and look ‘ready’.
But ready feels different this time — I’m following my intuition to just get the thing started. So here’s my first public attempt.
At the end of last year, I left my full-time role. I’d known for a long time that I wanted to work in a way that felt more aligned, easeful, and true to who I am.
I’ve spent nearly a decade working in strategy, brand, and storytelling across tech startups, charities, and impact-driven businesses. And to be honest, what I kept seeing left me disillusioned with the whole ‘impact’ space — and questioning where I fit, what I had to offer, and if I was even valued.
I’ve worked inside some of Australia’s most well-known charities and purpose-led organisations — and yet, underneath the surface, I saw cultures of ego, burnout, competition, and people working against each other rather than alongside.
In many roles, I was tasked with communicating “impact,” but often left trying to piece together disconnected facts, figures, and case studies that didn’t reflect the real difference we were (or weren’t) making.
In one life-changing experience, working in international aid, I was sent to Kenya to gather stories from vulnerable refugees in unsafe, non-trauma-informed ways — an experience that was deeply unsettling, both for me and for the people I was interviewing. Many of them believed that sharing their story might offer them a way out of hardship.
I came home and needed psychological support. Soon after, I saw a child I’d met on the cover of a fundraising magazine, tied to a campaign completely different from what we had discussed. When I raised concerns, people listened, but no meaningful action was taken.
In another consultancy role, I watched as burnout became the defining experience of almost everyone on the team. There was a constant sense of being undervalued, and when I was performance reviewed (please never again), I was told that my “energy ebbed and flowed depending on how I was feeling” and, while this was fine, “perhaps there are ways to endeavour that this does not affect the consistency of work output.” As though being human and working with integrity could be separated. As though our work should somehow remain untouched by what we’re carrying in our bodies and minds.
What I’ve come to realise is that these aren’t isolated experiences — they are systemic issues baked into how many purpose-led organisations operate.
Many are trying to do good — “leading with heart”— but end up extracting from both the people they serve and their own staff. Using impact stories as “content,” and burning out their people in the name of helping others.
And more strategy is often not the answer. That’s why so many organisations get caught in endless cycles of rebranding or “re-strategising” without addressing the real issues underneath.
As I’ve been learning about regenerative business models — ways of working that focus on restoring, replenishing, and aligning with life — the penny has finally dropped. Most businesses, even in the for-purpose space, are operating from extractive, capitalist models because they’ve never been shown another way.
Similarly, as I’ve begun my studies in Gestalt therapy — a framework for relational awareness and understanding the systems we live and work in — I’ve realised these same principles apply to business too.
Because how we work is relational. How we work is personal. Business and life are not separate.
The more honest we are about who we are and what we value, the more aligned everything becomes. The more we build businesses that reflect our truth — rather than copying what others are doing — the more we attract the right people, and the more easefully our work flows.
And what I’ve noticed — in my life and work — is that the truer I get to myself, the more the right people and situations flow my way.
When we stop forcing and start aligning, things move with so much more ease. What I’m learning — and what I now help others explore — is how to build a business that is regenerative.
I know what it’s like to care deeply about your work and still feel disconnected or burnt out. I know what it’s like to feel like your gifts aren’t fully seen or used. And I know what it’s like to long for more ease and more honesty in how you show up in the world.
So if you’re in a season of:
- Wanting to do business differently
- Wanting to align your work with your values
- Feeling like the old models don’t fit anymore
- Trying to figure out what’s next
- Or wanting to put words to what you really think and feel (writing, Substack, thought leadership)
Right now, I’m working 1:1 with founders, creatives, and people in transition.
I’m helping them get clear on what they’re here to offer, who they serve, and how to do that in a way that feels human. If part of that is finding your voice and putting your ideas into words—whether for a Substack, your website, or something else—I love supporting people to do that too.
Emma / Poochie x
