Today we welcome one of my most valued colleagues and someone I am proud to call my friend. Rachel and I met some five years ago, she was on maternity leave, planning her future and I was nearing the end of my time at the NHS (although neither of us knew this at the time). We launched our businesses very close together, AllthingsIC in January 2013 and PPC in February 2013 – and we were both pregnant (again for Rachel, first time for me) in 2014. I am deeply honoured to be godmother to Rachel and Jon’s boys. Rachel has written about one of the boy’s struggles last year and his operation at Great Ormond Street.
On January 1st 2018 I dedicate this blog post and all the hopes and good wishes for the year to my brave giraffe, mini Miller; and his twin brother, sister and his amazing parents. Go Go Go. Charity – here is one woman’s take, and she should know.
What does charity mean to you?
The word charity makes me think of kindness and nurturing. It’s one of the greatest gifts we can give and is about lifting each other up, particularly through actions or words.
What importance has it been to you in 2017?
Charity helped keep my family buoyant during a difficult 12 months.
This year ended with one of my twin sons having heart surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital in December, a couple of weeks before his 3rd birthday. GOSH is an incredible place and their talented cardiac team have given him a brighter future as a result of their hard work.
I was on the receiving end of charity this year in the form of kind messages, prayers, cooked meals, cards, flowers, chocolates, donations and love.
It made the world of difference to my family, and we’ve started fundraising for GOSH to pay it forward so other families can benefit.
Epiphany is all about looking forward. What are your hopes for 2018?
Personally, I’m hoping for a better year health-wise for my son.
Professionally, I’m so excited about 2018! I have some new ideas up my sleeve I’ve been developing over the past 12 months.
All Things IC consultancy turns five-years-old in January 2018 and over the next few months I’m going to be revealing some new services for professional communicators to help them excel in their roles.
Who are your three wise men or women?
My husband Jon. He’s exceedingly supportive and constantly encourages me. In 2017, we worked together numerous times to support each other’s clients, which was a treat, uniting our Comms and IT specialisms to benefit our clients.
My fellow The IC Crowd @theICcrowd co-founders Jenni Field and Dana Leeson. They are wise, kind and super smart. We’re bringing back #thebigyak unconference for comms pros on 9 June 2018, and I’m looking forward to more conversations and plotting with them to benefit fellow professional communicators in our network.
Last but not least has to be you Sarah. You know how much I value our friendship and your personal and professional support. Your sage advice, determination, loyalty and wonderful outlook on life is exactly the reason I asked you to be Godmother to my sons in 2017.
What or whom is your guiding star?
My clients and professional network. Having written my All Things IC blog for nearly nine years, I have wonderfully loyal readers and love listening to their feedback and ideas to help me find solutions to their problems.
I host monthly Masterclasses and invite practitioners to join me to learn about internal communication and boost their skills and confidence. My training courses often guide my decision-making about new ways to serve my clients and readers.