It all feels a bit weird. Like when you’re pregnant but haven’t reached the 10-week mark so you haven’t really told anyone about it, but a new life is on the way. It’s the calm before the storm. It still belongs to us but soon will be public, naked, out in the world for everyone and anyone to form their opinion, or not.
Andrew and I have written a book. We squirrelled ourselves away, focussed and wrote. It was great fun working together, bouncing ideas off each other, creating. But it’s not been published yet. The cover needs deciding, there are still edits to be done and most
importantly, we’re busy recording the book so that it’ll be available as an audio.
There have been huge transformations and changes from the initial idea to the final product. Initially we had two voices writing the book – Andrew’s and mine but the publishers thought that would confuse the reader, so instead it is mainly written in Andrew’s voice, with quotes from me. It’s strange knowing that Andrew will be acknowledged for many things I myself wrote. But without Andrew the book wouldn’t exist. I guess it’s the same with parenting, it’s mostly a joint effort and the most important thing is that your child is healthy and alive.
Different & Similar Views & Experiences
I’ve really loved writing this book with Andrew. We both have different and similar views and experiences that have been beautifully woven together by our editor. As we take it in turns to read parts out loud for the audio book, I am struck how two cooks can produce something
together that more deeply touches all the senses.
At home, Andrew tends to do the cooking while I focus more on the visual and atmospheric part of the meal as well as quietly clearing away the used dishes so that the kitchen looks less like a bomb sight. I love how our Irish, German, British and French heritages meet when we collaborate. Andrew will have tuned into a Dublin radio station playing 80s tunes and I occasionally interrupt his concentration with an invitation to dance. He selects a bottle of wine, letting it breathe and I lay out a few aperitives. Of course, we don’t cook like this every day. Mostly it’s a much simpler affair.
And I notice the flavours in how we’ve written the book together. Andrew came up with the structure and the big messages, while I concentrated on making sure the ideas were firmly grounded in theory and practical, concrete examples and stories. The same goes for the audio recording, I manage the technology while Andrew puts time in the diary and makes sure we stick to our deadlines. We bring out the best in each other and turn simple ideas into deeper, richer experiences. And that is what Heart in Business is about: bringing out the best in all the people you work with so that you are an orchestra rather than a number of solo performers. If you are going to play together, it’s important that you’re moving in the same direction but each have your individual part to play.
I love working and living with Andrew because I feel more complete with him. Andrew brings me out of my shy cave and helps me show up in the world. I ground Andrew’s crazy ideas so that his wings can take him higher without being burnt by the sun. In the deep winter, I love sitting knitting in the snowy, cold outside while Andrew jumps into a freezing lake.
What is the song that you bring to the world and are you playing in an orchestra or are you a solo performer?
It’s Our Mission
Discover the Purpose in Everyone
Our Mission is to equip leaders to discover the purpose in everyone, to inspire the company to honour its reason for being, so that everyone can be in flow through unknotting and live at their full potential. The Stepping into Authentic Leadership programmes are a key part of achieving this. We act as advisors to business leaders and boards, we facilitate team workshops and open training programmes. We coach business leaders, and help companies measure and track how much of their human potential they are accessing. We do this through our global team of specialist facilitators and coaches.
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Take a moment for yourself
In Heart in Business we work with individuals and companies to help them discover their purpose, their direction. What is it that gets you up in the morning? Where do you want to be on 21 January 2023 as one lunar year ends and another begins?
Happiness is defined by having a clear purpose and doing what you love doing. How will you create a prosperous year that brings you happiness?
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