Celebrating a year of System Changers
Reflections on a year of writing this newsletter, what I'm proud of and my opportunities to deepen and grow.
It’s exactly one year since I hit publish on my first System Changers piece! Without realising the significance of the dates, I booked myself onto a writing retreat this week. I’m currently sat next to a crackling woodburner in a beautiful old barn on the Selgar’s Mill estate in Devon, a magical place that gathers regenerators to nurture hope for the future and unleash collective imagination and energy for change. The retreat has been lovingly crafted by School of System Change, an organisation enabling personal and collective agency to cultivate change in the world. I mean, could this be more appropriate?
My most important task for the week is to reflect on this past year of writing. Few projects in my career have been as enjoyable and enriching as this, so I’m excited to take stock and make some plans for the future. I’d also love to hear your feedback, so please share your thoughts via this very short survey to help me serve you better. One respondent will be selected at random to receive two free coaching sessions from me at the beginning of next year.
What am I proud of?
Overcoming under-confidence. I’d been sitting on a System Changers content idea for about two years before I built up the confidence to start. It’s a brave act to share your ideas with the world, so I’d like to acknowledge myself for overcoming that initial hurdle and each fearful moment as I’ve navigated the writing process! I’ve found it helpful to focus on writing for enjoyment, to write from a place of personal purpose and values alignment, and to care less about what other people think, trusting that I will find my tribe by being myself. I’ve learned to let go of self-judgement and focus on what I’m learning instead.
The diversity in my subscriber base. Substack tells me you’re based in 46 countries! From your introductions I know that you’re leading systemic change in many different ways and in many fields, including; human rights, venture capital, climate change and sustainability, education, psychotherapy, tech, healthcare, media, politics, art, farming, finance, housing, and philanthropy. This really excites me as I’m sure we have a huge amount to learn from each other. This week I reached the 500 subs milestone. Former me would be caught up in comparison and perhaps a bit ashamed to share this number, seeing the number of subs or followers as a metric for success or value, “only 500 in a whole year?” By working with healthier internal drivers (focusing on what I enjoy, sticking to a schedule that works for me, taking breaks when I’ve needed them), not external markers or cultural norms, I’ve built something that feels safe, enjoyable and authentic. Prioritising these things, especially a pace that feels right for me, has given me the space to build confidence and learn, and it’s kept me true to my purpose. I met a complete stranger at a conference this year who happened to be one of my subscribers, that felt amazing!
My two most impactful posts. In terms of numbers, the most popular post of the year was 12 things everyone should know about coaching. I wrote this piece to help me grapple with some big challenges facing the profession and to share the magic of this work. It covers topics such as the lack of regulation for coaching, self management for coaches, whole person coaching and system change within the field. It was popular because I answered some of the most common questions people have about coaching. Whilst it wasn’t the biggest hit numbers-wise, Loving ourselves into change clearly resonated deeply with a number of people who felt compelled to reach out, explain what “exquisite care” meant to them, and thank me for inspiring them to try something new. This post prompted the longest and most personal responses I’ve had to my writing so far, which taught me a lot about how I want to measure success. Self compassion and care are so important, and yet we often de-prioritise or avoid them altogether. I used the post to role model how to put them into practice, and this landed really well.
The interviews with system changers. I absolutely love interviewing system changers and I’m so grateful for the insights that came from my conversations with Lauren Fabianski, Lauren Currie, Abadesi Osunsade, Rose Chard and Jennifer Lewis. As well as providing a unique lens on system change in their respective fields, these women shared critical experiences from their growth as human beings. Joining the dots together, we explored the impact of these experiences on how they see the world and how they’ve shaped the gifts they bring to their work. Gold dust! I’m especially grateful for their transparency and courage sharing sometimes sentisitive content. I’m excited to deepen my interviewing skills and make sure I speak to a more diverse set of voices going forwards. I have many great conversations in the works!
The system changing projects. From a jobs board designed to help tech talent find a new role in climate-related work during the mass layoffs, to a story about delivering a gut-punch of a poem to the heart of power in the UK, to a national protest demanding Government reform on childcare, parental leave and flexible working, I’ve had so much fun finding a wide range of inspiring and creative system changing projects to share with you. Far more than a research exercise, this project provides me with a new lens for learning and living. It’s shaping what I choose to read, how I engage with my local community, and how I travel. It’s also been a great way to profile my clients’ successes, and the search for brilliant work has re-connected me with old friends and former colleagues I haven’t spoken to in years. Having more exposure to system changing work has also made me more hopeful about the future, and we all need a bit of that these days!
The resources. I’ve seen the benefits of working with multiple forms of support in my work as a coach and in my own personal growth. Research for this newsletter has helped me to discover yoga therapy, guidance on how to apologise, and an activist toolkit of free downloadable art to support your mission, to name a few. It helps me to think about what system changers need, to discover what resources are out there, and how to shape my evolving practice. I’m proud of how much I’ve found to share with you, and how I’ve learned to support myself better by using these resources myself. I’m most proud of my commitment to finding resources that enable system changers to thrive as whole humans, not just as impact machines, and look forward to pushing this agenda further.
What are the opportunities to deepen and grow?
Sharing more about what I’m learning. I started this newsletter with the intention of learning and designing in the open. I’m going to deliver on this more with a new Learning Journal section. I carry a lot around in my head, and writing and sharing it with others always helps me to crystallise thoughts and integrate what I’m learning. I’m going to build a better routine around this and get a bit scrappier. Expect more insights on my experiences building a coaching practice, coaching methodologies, and how system changers can be supported to lead with greater agency, impact and wellbeing. I can’t wait to share a piece I’m writing on transformational attributes and skills for system changers.
Enabling more community connection. Eek! This is something I haven’t delivered on at all. It’s been four years (!) since I last hosted a group in a professional capacity, so I’m feeling a bit anxious about it. This is silly because I’m good at it and I love it, so I’m going to start bringing system changers together online and IRL. Substack has built some great features to support community building, so look out for the new monthly Community Threads I’ll be starting soon. These will provide opportunities to share experiences and resources on juicy topics like system changer burnout, working across divides, and how to think big. As someone who works alone and remotely, I know I’ll really benefit from more community connection too.
More content and formats. I’m following what feels good and investing more time and energy in this project. I want the content to be more useful, digestible, and easier to navigate when you visit the publication’s home page. I’m going to experiment with a new rhythm and different formats, testing what it feels like to write a number of standalone formats and publish more regularly. It’s a bit of a change and more work, but I’m looking forward to pushing myself.
After an intense experience renovating our home this year, I’ve decided to take a short break from working with clients and dedicate the next few months to learning and writing. I have a mighty reading list to plough through, and I’ll be spending a good chunk of time on this newsletter. It feels like a great way to nurture a new approach to this project. I’ll be taking on new clients in January, so please reach out if you’d like to hear more.
Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for being here, and to anyone who’s reached out personally with feedback and ideas. Your engagement is so motivating, and it’s such a joy to write for you.
Onwards!
Gen
Loved reading about your journey! Celebrating you and excited to follow along whatever it will be you’re choosing to explore in the future!