It started on the 17th of May, a Sunday afternoon, and I was on a Zoom call with my business buddy, Beecher, when a hot flash arrived exactly the way they always do. With no warning and full heart palpitations. So f*cking annoying. I had to stop and take a breath.

I was walking her through the second stage of something I’d built and hadn’t fully tested yet, a framework I was calling ROOT. She was telling me, in that particular way people tell you the truth once they’ve stopped performing for the camera, that she’d spent years marketing herself as one thing: the calm, together practitioner with all the answers. Not the whole of her. Just the acceptable slice.

I felt the heat climb up my neck and thought, same. The exact. Same. Thing.

So I said it out loud, camera on, sweating slightly: “We’ve both been showing up as a curated version of ourselves, afraid that who we actually are won’t pay the bills.”

Neither of us had planned to say that. It just arrived, the way real things do once you stop trying to sound impressive. We both felt it.

That sentence is the whole story, really. Everything I’m building right now came out of one Sunday afternoon on a call with a beta-testing, client-friend, a hot flash, and an accidental piece of honesty.

I keep noticing that the version of this story people want is the tidy one. One that fits into a neat and tidy sentence. But is there ever a tidy one? I don’t think so.

Thirty years of experience, scattered across design agencies, government projects, financial platforms, a sustainable bag business I built and finished before Instagram existed, 27 years of yoga, motherhood, a divorce, a breakdown I only survived by taking one photo a day for a year. I spent a long time trying to fold all of that into one sentence, because everyone kept telling me a person only gets to be one thing online. Every time I tried, something got left on the floor. So I’d try again. Different lane, different bio, same problem.

The advice wasn’t wrong because I was doing it badly. It was built for someone with ten years behind her, not thirty. It had no room for load-bearing experience, the kind that doesn’t fit in a bio but is exactly why anyone should trust you.

So after that call with Beecher, I stopped trying to pick a lane and built the thing I actually needed: a way to lay out everything I know, the hard skills and the soft ones and the life I’ve actually lived, and find the single thread running underneath it. Four stages. Reflect, Observe, Orient, Thread. I called it the ROOT framework.

It’s free. I built it first for the woman standing exactly where I was, in the middle of her own becoming with too much to say and no idea how to say it. It takes 30-45 minutes to complete… but if you have longer and want to go deeper, you’ll get the best results.

I’m 56. My daughter’s thirteen. I’m running a design business, showing up for clients, and most nights I’m writing things like this at gone-eleven, glasses on, and my brain finally sharp for reasons no one has ever adequately explained to me. Some weeks the sentence doesn’t come and I go to bed later than I should. I’m not going to pretend that part’s glamorous.

What’s come after the ROOT framework is the harder thing to write about, because it’s still being built. It’s called Brand & Bloom, and it’s in beta right now with four women, including me, going through it. It’s on the done-for-you side: capturing your actual voice, not a generic one, and building the brand and content system that lets you show up consistently without it costing every spare hour you don’t have. Release the layers you’ve outgrown. Distil what’s left into something true. Bloom into a brand the world can actually see. There’s an old saying that calls this stage of a woman’s life her second spring, not a decline, a new season of growth, and I think about that most days while I’m building this in the cracks between the school run and an invoice.

I should tell you where AI sits in all of it, because I think it matters right now. The systems I’m building run the invoices, the scheduling, the bits that don’t need me. They don’t write the true things. This piece, every word, is mine, hot flash and all. I use the tools so there’s more time left for joyful experiments and the garden, not less. That’s the whole point of all of it.

I’m embracing AI like I did when I was at the epicenter of the dotcom boom in San Francisco in 1999. I’m building AIi marketing helpers, trained exactly on me, my voice, my brand and my experiences so I have more time for the things that count: family, friends, yoga, making, gardening, nature.

Here’s what’s caught my attention lately. There’s a few pieces going round about women over fifty being the fastest-growing group of new business owners, “redefining work” rather than just starting late. I read them in bed, while laughing at the timing. And underneath those, a quieter story I trust more: the menopause industry has ballooned, and people are getting rightly suspicious of anyone selling them a fix with a pitch attached.

I don’t want to be that. I’d rather be the person telling you the specific, unflattering, lived version, the hot flash on the call, the washing that didn’t get folded, the years I spent editing myself down, than a polished stranger promising you a transformation in three easy steps. If the algorithms have now finally caught up to rewarding the real over the polished, good. I was always going to tell it with truth regardless.

If any of this is landing, start with the ROOT framework. It’s free, it takes as long as you need, and you leave with the thread that runs through everything you’ve built so far. You’re not starting from zero. You’re starting from experience.

Get the ROOT framework

And if you know a woman quietly rebuilding the second or third version of her life right now, send her this.

With love + creativity,

xo, Louise 🫶

P.S. If you’re curious about Brand & Bloom while it’s still taking shape, leave a message below. I’d love to hear whereabouts you are in your own version of this.

I thought I’d rewrite it here for my community. These rules really are the bomb. 💣💥

10 Rules For Creativity by Corita Kent, the Pop Art nun

Corita Kent (1918–1986), the Pop Art nun, a visionary artist, educator, and activist left behind a powerful legacy of creativity and social justice. Her 10 Rules For Creativity for artists, educators, and everyone in between offer inspiration to unlocking our full creative potential.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Corita Kent’s influence on her peers

• 10 rules for creativity

• Applying Corita Kent’s rules to entrepreneurship

Corita Kent’s influence on her peers

Born in Iowa, Corita enters the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary aged 18, eventually teaching and then heading the art department at Immaculate Heart College. During the course of her career, her artwork evolved from using figurative and religious imagery to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and social injustice.

Her work was a breath of fresh air in the mid-20th century art world. Her bold, colourful, and often socially conscious pieces challenged the norms of traditional art. Her influence extended beyond the art world, inspiring educators and activists alike. Her unique blend of pop art, Catholic imagery, and social commentary resonated with a generation seeking change.

At the time of her death, she had created a body of work, comprising nearly 800 serigraphs, thousands of watercolours, and many public and private commissions.

10 rules of creativity

In the 1960s, Corita created her ten rules as advice to her Immaculate Heart College students. Corita’s 10 rules have been an inspiration for me, reshaping my own views on creativity. Her guidelines serve as a holistic framework nurturing the creative spirit within us all.

1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while. Cultivate a safe, supportive environment for your creative process.

2. General duties of a student – pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students. Engage actively in learning, drawing knowledge and inspiration from those around you.

3. General duties of a teacher – pull everything out of your students. Encourage and challenge students to reach their full potential.

4. Consider everything an experiment. Approach tasks with an open mind and a willingness to explore and learn from both successes and failures.

5. Be self-disciplined. Commit to your work and processes, setting and adhering to your own rules and guidelines.

6. Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make. Embrace every outcome of the creative process as a valuable step in learning and exploration.

7. The only rule is work. If you work, it will lead to something. Dedication and effort are the foundation of progress and discovery.

8. Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes. Separate the acts of creation and critique to allow for freer expression and more effective refinement.

9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think. Find joy in the creative process, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

10. “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” Stay flexible and open to the unexpected. Allow room for spontaneity and the unforeseen in your work.

Helpful hints:

• Always be around.

• Come or go to every thing.

• Go to classes.

• Read anything you can get your hands on.

• Look at movies carefully, often.

• Save everything - it might come in handy later.

• There should be new rules every week.

Applying Corita Kent’s rules to entrepreneurship

As entrepreneurs, we face unique challenges and opportunities. By applying Corita Kent’s 10 rules, we can navigate these challenges and build a successful business using some of these strategies…

• Build Strong Relationships: Cultivate strong relationships with other women in business. Support each other and learn from each other’s experiences.

• Embrace Your Unique Perspective: Your unique perspective as a woman can give you a competitive edge. Don’t be afraid to share your voice and challenge the status quo.

• Balance Work and Life: Prioritise your wellbeing. Make time for self-care, family, and hobbies.

• Seek Mentorship and Sponsorship: Find mentors and sponsors who can help you grow your business and achieve your goals.

By embracing Corita Kent’s philosophy of creativity, hard work, and perseverance, we can all make a significant impact on the world. Our voices absolutely must be heard – more than ever right now.

Did this resonate? Which rule(s) you are going to take forward into your work, your business, or your life? More than ever, the world needs the gifts that only we can share.

Go out and do the work.

Make. Create. There are no mistakes. Go out and break all the rules!

xo, Louise 🫶

I’ve been here before.

The place where everything feels like too much, where the person you used to be has gone quiet, and the only way forward you can find is something small. Repeated daily. Just to prove to yourself that you can do it.

Thirteen years ago, I had my daughter. And I fell apart.

Postpartum depression doesn’t announce itself. It just arrives…

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Menopause is often talked about in terms of symptoms.

Hot flashes. Mood swings. Sleep disruptions.

But something far more important is happening beneath the surface… a complete and utter transformation. One that quietly shapes the next chapter of your life.

For the past few months, I’ve been deeply grieving my old self. The one who wasn’t afraid of anythin…

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Not the kind you’re thinking of.

These are hormone deals. HRT handoffs.

In 2022, during the UK’s HRT shortage crisis, women were literally meeting strangers in car parks to trade medication. “I’ll give you a pum…

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This year’s word found me through a random Substack note, and the second I read it, I knew.

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As 2025 wraps up, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of the reset.

You know, the moment where we get to pause, look back, and ask... what worked well, what did I learn? And more importantly… what would I LOVE more of in 2026?

This year, I actively ramped up my yoga practice, which was a BIG win for my mental health and resilience during perimenopaus…

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You know that thing that happens when you walk into a room and completely forget why you’re there? You leave the room, remember, and then come back in and forget again?

Or when you open your laptop with clear intention and then... just stare at the screen – like, for ages?

Or that moment when someone asks you a simple question and your brain feels like it…

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I started my yoga practice in 1999. It’s guided me through my 20s and 30s, through breakups, a divorce, big moves and new jobs – but stepping into teaching was something I’d always quietly longed for… and feared deeply. I finally started my teacher training in 2016, after my daughter was born.

I feared speaking in front of others, but I signed up anyway.

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I wouldn’t normally swear, especially in the title of my post but, this is important.

If you are a man living with, loving on, or even occasionally crossing paths with a woman in her forties or fifties, then this is for you.

And women, if you’re in the thick of perimenopause right now, go ahead and forward this to said man.

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To teach or not to teach?

Last December (2024), I stopped teaching. Not because I fell out of love with yoga, but because I couldn’t hold it all together anymore.

Contract design work.
Growing a side hustle.
A twelve-year-old who needs a steady anchor.
A partner who’s often on tour.
And my body, steadily and loudly, crossing the bit…

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On September 1, I declared I was starting a new tiny experiment 🧪

Create something in my sketchbook, every day, for one month.

One page.
Any medium.
Just show up and share.

I’ve just posted all 30 days below.
It’s changed me.

This isn't just about creativity...

...it's about midlife. And remembering the girl I was before life happened.
Before I learned to tone…

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There’s a particular kind of quiet that can slip into midlife. It’s not peace. It’s the dimmer switch on joy. The books you used to love to read sit on your nightstand. Friends text and you take ages to reply. Your evenings out with friends are few and far between. Even small delights feel far away, like you’re pressing your nose against the dirty, smud…

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It started out as a 14-day experiment. I’m now on day 30.

Let me take you back…I’d been waking up early from non-stop broken sleep, my mid-life hormones going haywire, taking on the energy of a hormonal tween and the fact that my yoga mat had become a decorative rug.

Then came one luminous Saturday with neuroscientist . Twenty-two of us gathered to film …

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I was in the shower one morning, washing my hair. As I shampooed, clumps of hair were falling out – like handfuls. I stood there frozen, water streaming over me, as tears were falling just as fast, thinking: Something is seriously wrong with me.

I was 48.

When I looked in the mirror, I recognised myself… and I didn’t. The…

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Last December, I stopped teaching yoga.
I didn’t plan for it to be permanent. I just really needed a break.
Everything felt like too much.

Do you know that feeling? The one where your body and your mind are just not working together?

That was me.

So, I decided to swap my early morning flows for slow dog walks with Benny, hoping some fresh air and gentleness …

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Hormonal fog. Racing thoughts. No idea where to begin to make sense of it all. Overwhelm begins it’s slow creep into my brain.

But, I’ve learned tools to stop it before it begins.

This short mantra meditation became my sanity anchor.
It clears the mental clutter, calms the anxious edges, and brings me back to myself — even when everything else feels like too much.

I created this 7-minute guided practice for you — for the meno-crazed mornings when clarity feels impossible.

It quiets imposter syndrome, lifts overwhelm, and starts my day with a clear head and an open heart. I repeat this specific mantra often:

I am healthy.

I am strong.

I am happy.

I am calm.

✨

Hit play.

Breathe.

Repeat the words.

Let them move through you.

Because seven minutes of calm can change everything.

xo, Louise 🧘🏽‍♀️

P.S. Want these mantras at your fingertips?
I’m printing a limited first run of luxe Affirmation Cards (54 prompts, same high-vibe words). Drop one onto your nightstand or under your laptop lid and let the day meet your energy. 👉 Get on the waitlist now.

We’re headed to Boston.

Three generations, one flight, and me—the menopausal middle, holding the snacks, the passports, and everyone’s emotional equilibrium.

I’ve got my 12-year-old girl, all sass, soft skin, shiny new DMs, and sudden tantrums.

And my 82-year-old mum who’s decided she only needs one hearing aid because the other one vanished weeks ago, an…

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The mouldy menopausal meat

Some days I feel like I’m the only thing holding together a rapidly unravelling sandwich. And not in a delicious, hearty, nourishing kind of way. I’m talking mouldy, menopausal meat—wedged between a hormonal 12-year-old daughter who screams when I softly say “good morning,” and an aging 82-year-old mot…

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I would walk into a room and completely forget what I came in to do. Night sweats lasted for 2 weeks straight. My hearing became heightened and sensitive. And, in a split second I could go from irritable and angry to a flood of tears. I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know quite know what it was.

Sound familiar?

As with any huge life change, the…

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