Gorgeous veg, muddy puddles & why we might be getting it wrong.

Hello my lovely VIP

How are you on this February Friday? Here we are already at half-term (wasn’t it just Christmas…?) but I cannot lie, we’re very happy to be switching off those early alarms for a bit of cozy time. Are you keeping snuggled? Are your walks filled with muddy puddles? Or are you keeping your eyes open for the colourful murmurs of Spring?

If you’re craving some joyous colour, I think today’s Next Chapter conversation could be just for you…Let me introduce you to the wonderful Kathy Slack.

Picture credit: Steph McLeod

S11 Ep3: From Global Advertising Director to Food Writer & Cook: Kathy Slack

Kathy had a huge job in advertising which took her all over the world. But behind the glamour and fabulous hotels, Kathy was suffering from burnout. One routine trip to the doctors changed everything – I’ll let Kathy tell you what happened but Kathy knew she had to make change.

This change she found was in vegetables. Yes, vegetables! Gorgeous, colourful, wonderful veg. Her fascination of watching them grow and then creating delicious recipes with them, it turned out was the medicine she needed. When she was better, she went to cookery school and then became a food writer. Kathy created a wonderful website and has had partnerships with places like Waitrose. She wrote a cookbook From The Veg Patch which was named one of Delicious Magazine’s Top Picks of 2021, she takes part in festivals and has also held regular supper clubs. Plus she has a wonderful blog  - Tales From A Veg Patch filled with wonderful recipes for us all.

Kathy is open, honest and brave. She tells us what life really was like in the world of advertising (i.e was it really like Madmen?) and the reality of life as a freelancer. But best of all, Kathy shows even in the darkest moments, we can find light, sunshine and even a new path to a whole new life - (which sounds so lovely, I’ve included another picture below).

Picture credit: Steph McLeod

And speaking of paths…

I’ve been wondering this week if I’ve been getting it a bit wrong. I don’t mean with my books and podcast (I love them both.. and you, especially you!) I mean with the thoughts and belief path I’ve been finding myself on.

It all started with a book I’ve been listening to The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles.

I heard about this book during an interview with The Original Badass Jen Sincero. You may remember from a few weeks ago, having listened to her book You Are A Badass, I’ve since embarked on my own ‘Operation Badass.’ I cannot deny there have been ups and downs in said operation, but when the Badass lady said this book was a game-changer, I was in. ‘Come on Walter D. Wattles, let’s see what you’ve got.’

And Walter, it turns out speaks my/our language. The Universe, our own superpowers, how we can all create a life we love.

This book was written in 1910. Yes, 1910! The Universe it seems was alive and well then too. And so was a career in steam trains.

The point is, Walter says, we are all here to create abundance, and our creators are waiting for us to do just this. And contrary to what we may believe, there is more than enough for us all. The more abundance, the better the world. If we’re not creating abundance, we are not, Walter says, really doing our job.

He suggests it’s all about how we go about it. Why he asks can two men live in the same street, and one is much richer than the other - even when they work in the same profession? The answer he says, is how we go about it.

Less negativity, more self-belief. The person who is so worried about their competitors, and is also envious is still poor. No jealousy, no clinging on is needed. There is more than enough for us all. Walter believes fear driven wealth is not a rich life. It is not a life of abundance.

This made me think of us here today. I’ve heard a lot of talk recently which has gone along the following lines.

“There’s no money because of the cost of living crisis.”

“I need to make the algorithms work.”

“Social media isn’t what it was. It’s impossible to break through.”

“The market (in every single industry) is overcrowded.”

Then I met someone called G. I hope to have G on my podcast soon, so I can introduce you. But G and his partner had an idea. An idea so unusual they couldn’t explain quite what it was. They just knew they needed £4million of investment. It was lockdown, there was no money anywhere (apparently) and no blueprint to show. But they believed, they tried and they didn’t give up. Nobody is saying it is easy (Walter himself, says there is no substitute for working hard.) But their idea came to life, has so far been enjoyed by 300,000 visitors and has just almost doubled in size, due to its success.

The point is, if we listen to the stories and keep waiting for the sun to shine, perhaps we’re getting it wrong. As Kathy proved there was so much light hiding in her dark moment, she just had to sit still long enough to see . We can count the days until Spring, but we can also enjoy wellies and the muddy puddles - because even on the gloomiest days, our own little bit of magic is still sitting there - waiting patiently to be found.

And finally…

Next Chapter Wisdom of The Week 1

“If you feel like giving up because you’re not seeing results, remember this: the last thing to grow on the fruit tree is fruit.”

Womanceomindset

Next Chapter Wisdom of The Week 2

“A fancy car isn’t a symbol of success if you have to drive it to a job you hate.”

Midlife Mentors

(I also thought Walter would approve of this last one)

So, my lovely VIP I hope you enjoy magic, puddles and coziness for the next couple of weeks. We’ll be back again after half-term (Cookie has a list of activities planned for our boys…. they can’t wait.)

But in the meantime, thank you for being here. Your support, time and belief is priceless to me - always sunshine even on a rainy February day.

Have a lovely weekend you brilliant person

Love

E & C

x

P.S Don’t forget, my latest book Do We Really Have To Do This is out now.

I am so proud the boxing charity Empire Fighting Chance is a partner of The Next Chapter. They’re fighting to transform young lives and would love to hear from you if you’d like to learn more.