On the Well Spirited journey so far…

It all started with my mum shouting at me ‘C’mon Suzie we need to leave for school now!’ as I slowly devoured a giant bowl of Kellogg’s corn flakes alongside The Times. That was most school mornings. I guess having grown up in a relatively sleepy village in middle England the stories of the wider world with all the glamor that was displayed in the supplements seemed like a fascinating peek into the outside world. So, it was a no-brainer that when I finished studying business at college, I would go on to get a degree in Business & PR. But it was also around that time I was suffering undiagnosed ill health. Doctors suggested all sorts, but it wasn’t until I read an article on what a celebrity living with Crohn’s Disease did, I realised what was wrong with me. Despite this diagnosis I slowly but surely made my way to working on big campaigns in London like the Dove Real Women and the British Airways ‘Don’t Fly’ campaign.

Whilst my peers were climbing the career ladder and having fun doing the things you should in your 20s…I was battling the ups and downs of living with Crohn’s Disease. And it was in those down times I remember clearly reading magazines and newspapers, watching daytime TV etc and wondering if I was the only one struggling with life. Back in the 2000s nobody seemed to cover ‘real’ stories, and this always left a question mark in my mind… ‘How can we change the media’s narrative?’.

Fast forward to Christmas 2015, I was with a dear friend who’d just had her 1st book published by Hay House. I felt so excited for their next chapter yet so torn with my own. I was studying with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become a qualified Health Coach at the time. Whilst paying my bills by freelancing as a PR in London. I remember feeling all kinds of confusion as I attended all these inspiring talks, meeting incredible people - change makers - people doing big bold things in the world.

Interestingly I always found myself at the front of the room ‘networking’, and when asked that famous question ‘What do you do?’ - I’d say ‘I’m training as a health coach’ then adding ‘but I do PR to pay the bills’. Their eyes would then light up, inevitably asking if I’d help them with their PR - we’d both laugh and that would be that. Anyway, after spending Christmas going round in circles on going all in as a health coach vs the seed of a PR agency idea I had - my author friend lovingly threw Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Big Magic’ book at me and said ‘here! read this and then come back to me’!

“Stories of the wider world with all the glamor that was displayed in the supplements seemed like a fascinating peek into the outside world.”

As I look back on this period things were exciting. Really exciting in fact. I was starting to travel all over the world to meet clients. I did a branding photoshoot in Brooklyn, New York. Experienced my 1st mastermind weekend in Topanga in Malibu led by an amazing coach called Michaella O’Connor. There was also the time I was working with best-selling Author, Kyle Gray on their book launch and as a result of his National TV interview (Loose Women) his book shot above Russel Brand in the Amazon book charts!

But the question kept coming up ‘Is this all truly in line with my life's purpose and the Well Spirited mission?’.

Having spent much of 2018 in Vancouver, New York, Bali, Sydney and London - I felt this calling to go to Cornwall…of all places! So, in September 2018 I hopped in a car share to Cornwall to stay in an Airbnb near Gwithian beach. When I arrived, I remember vividly breathing in what felt like for the first time in years. ‘I felt like I had found home’.

I wanted to slow down. I decided I would like to retreat for a while. I dreamt of living in an old cottage with a husband and a dog, perhaps a baby one day and living a simple low-key life. So as a Manifesting Generator (any Human Design fans out there?) I went ahead and created the Pinterest board to match the vision and that’s just what happened!

It was during this time I began a long-term relationship with the ocean. During that down period, I would spend hours sitting and staring at the sea asking whether I should walk away from Well Spirited or continue its journey. To my surprise the message I kept getting was ‘Keep going, just adjust the sails slightly’.

It took some years to adjust those sails and feel clearer than ever what Well Spirited 2.0 should look like but funnily enough it took finding out I was pregnant with my first child in Autumn 2022 to know it was time to share this with the world. The thing about me is that I am far more comfortable helping you with your visibility than my own. But I kept hearing this voice in me say ‘If not now, then when?’. Cue the big rebrand and relaunch assisted by the incredibly aligned Rhona at Good Rest Studios.

I was barely through the first chapter when it all came to me. The name, the concept, the ideal clients. In fact, I remember speaking with a colleague about it and they offered some new business name suggestions. Heck, I’m a well-seasoned procrastinator who likes to call in an army of advisors before making any kind of scary decision. But on this one - I was clear.

So, from my North London studio flat I would stay up late networking online, writing copy for the website and doing various interviews to raise my profile as part of the launch.

I’m not sure if I am one for regrets. In fact, I don’t even believe in mistakes. There are lessons. There’s the crumb trail that leads you from one thing to the other. That’s not to say there’s sure as hell cringe moments. Given the chance I’d have skipped these bits had I not been well versed in launching a business ‘sensibly’. But from that moment on things got exciting. I announced on Facebook I was launching an agency for all the businesses that didn’t have one before. Making it affordable for heart felt business owners, allowing them to feel truly understood. I've worked with brands of all sizes to have a mission no other PR agency at the time was offering (that I was aware of) - to consciously change the media’s narrative. Things really kicked off. Most days I was getting new business enquiries. I thought ‘this is it’. This is what I worked all these years for. But there was no long-term plan, and I most certainly hadn’t thought about how I’d pay my bills doing it just for the love. Last time I checked - you can’t pay your bills with just love alone!

All burnt out and realising I needed more of a plan - I moved out of London and back home to stay with my parents in Nottinghamshire to set about creating more of a sustainable plan. By 2018 I started to realise it was time to spread my wings again. I was inspired by an incredible mastermind where I made four new business besties who helped me have the courage to take the leap for business and life again. A desire to do the whole ‘laptop lifestyle’ whilst searching for a permanent home.

“Well Spirited isn’t just a PR agency. This is an ethos. A mission. ”

Today I am clearer than ever that Well Spirited isn’t just a PR agency. Hence why we have dropped PR off the brand name. This is an ethos. A mission. We are here to help people, brands, business owners (predominantly women), get the coverage they deserve in the media worldwide. We can change the conversations and create a better world together as a team. One feature at a time. Despite social media - the mainstream media remains the most powerful source of all our belief systems. And I know in all my heart, educating people on the power of the media and helping people utilise this for good is my life’s work.

In astrology they say a 7-year life cycle can dramatically change our reality and human existence. It is often known that people start new projects every 7 years. Also, the 7th wave in a set is known to be the biggest. And guess what? It's been 7 years since Well Spirited was launched!

I invite you to join me on this next phase of the Well Spirited journey. This is far bigger than me. And with plans for courses, masterminds, events, a book and even a big research project - the sky really is the limit. With the support of our community, it’s my hope that one day we create a more Well Spirited world together.

Oh, and some things never change. My home and office are wall to wall of past magazines and newspapers I refuse to let go of. And the epitome of luxury to me these days are long leisurely read-a-thons of The Times with a huge mug of coffee for company.