Everybody drop a birthday wish for this guy — he deserves ALL the love today!! Stephen, you are such a vital part of what makes this community special. The energy you bring, the way you show up, the impact you have on the people around you here — it does not go unnoticed. We are genuinely better because you're here. 🙌 So today we celebrate YOU! Hope your birthday is as legendary as you are. Now let's get this party started — someone grab the cake!! 🍰🥳🎊🎊🎊

Shera and I have a bit of a story — we actually met on a plane about 12 years ago, and after reconnecting last week it was like no time had passed at all. Still the same great conversation, just like we never stopped! So excited to finally have her here. Shera, the floor is yours — tell us a little about yourself and what brought you here! 👇

I had a conversation yesterday that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Someone in this community (I won't name them) told me they'd been hesitant to post here because they were afraid of being too much. Too direct. Too open. Too willing to say the thing out loud that everyone else is thinking. I told them the truth: that voice is exactly what this community needs. What I know about rooms like this one: when one person says the real thing, everyone else stops editing themselves. That's not soft. That's how real conversation actually works. Then they said something that I'm still thinking about. "So basically, you can coach us all at the same time, based on what one person is willing to share." Yes. Exactly that. This community works when you show up as yourself. Not the performative version you've learned to bring to meetings. The one that actually has an opinion, has been through something, or is right in the middle of something hard and hasn't figured it out yet. So — what's the thing you've been sitting on here?

Hello Everyone! Hope this finds you well. I've placed an orientation video in the classroom, and I'd like to know if you are able to access this. please try on your phone AND computer. If it's not working on either, can you let me know so I can figure out my tech skill gap 🤣.

I’ve been a bit MIA from the group because I’ve been deep in restructuring at work. Somewhere along the way I ended up with a “promotion” (and I use that term loosely). 😂 It’s really more of a title change with the tiniest pay increase imaginable, plus the caveat that pay will now be frozen for the next three years. However… we’re moving from 37.5 to a 32-hour, four-day work week while keeping the same salary. So yeah Scotland wins on that one 🙌 I was really worried about a few members of my team, but I’m relieved to say I’ve been able to keep everyone. I was especially concerned about my admin, as a lot of her role is being absorbed by new systems. Thankfully, we managed to find her a home in another team, which is brilliant. I’ve never been so happy to “lose” my admin! She gets to keep her flexible, part-time hours, which I’m so pleased about, especially as she’s a single mum and that flexibility makes such a difference. We’ve been working on consolidation, cost savings, and restructuring for nearly a year now, so it’s a relief to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve closed several offices and gone through multiple budget reviews to limit redundancies. It’s been a long haul, but we’re nearly there. How has everyone been getting on? For many of you this is your Q1 and you’re feeling like you’re starting anew. For me, I’m into my Q4 and just pushing through until the end of March. Juggling budgets, people, projects, KPIs. I’ve just finalised our 3 year Workforce strategy which goes to the board Thursday. April will certainly be a fresh and new to launch the new structure and strategy. And one last thing to celebrate….. I was approved for my UK citizenship on Monday 🇬🇧🎉 Lots of changes, lots of new things happening! What’s the one word for you right now? For me it’s “renewal”.