Celebrating the first year of showing up in my business!

2022 was my first year of business for ERNL.

Officially my company exists for soon 2 years, and the first 12 months, during pandemic, were dedicated to more training, creating the business content, website, services, etc.  

The last 10 months have been dedicating to showing up, networking, getting out there, and presenting the business and me….and boy it was not easy!

In my +17 years in various international corporate roles, I never had a problem with showing up, no matter how big the room was, no matter if I was the only female in the room, delivering the good and bad of an audit, it was my job.

So, I thought showing up was not a problem and I knew how to do it, how to engage, how to build trust, how to work cross-culture, etc.

To my surprise showing up when the company is You, it is a very different type of game!

To show up when the company is You requires:

• Taking higher risks: financially, reputationally, emotionally, personally
• Being vulnerable and share your vulnerabilities more openly. I expanded my emotional vocabulary in the last year with a whole range of emotions I went through, and I still don’t feel comfortable with being vulnerable on display, is an internal narrative I am slowly learning to re-write.
• Embracing and celebrating failure and imperfection as a normal part of the learning journey of getting where you want to be.
• Self-compassion: this is a big discovery for me this year, work in progress…

Now imagine all the above, in a new country, new culture, where no one really knows you, at least not professionally, and very few people know you even personally. Is like X factor multiplied by Y factor!

Despite the obvious odds, and ups and downs, I had great opportunities of showing up as a business this year:

• From running my 1^st co-created team effectiveness program with my dear friend Robert in ‘t Veld
• to running a series of Elevating Impact workshops for a group of fantastic women, with my dear mentor and friend Roberta Pagliarulo or
• Running workshops on behaviours change and soft skills for internal auditors
• Writing articles for internal auditors or more in general for the international community
• Being a speaker at a European conference for IA
• and a speaker at the 1^st Positive Psychology summit in the middle east/Egypt. Thank you Kareem Sheta for this great opportunity.
• Showing up with my company at a business fair
• Co-presented a live Radio program

Last, but not least, the biggest achievements of this year are the achievements and results my clients got because of our collaboration. I got the opportunity of supporting some amazing coachee clients (team and individuals) to make the changes they wanted, shift perspectives and change behaviours.

On the way, I met some fantastic people, and I am sure some of them will continue being part of my journey going further.

A super big thanks to all my clients, collaborators, those who gave me a platform, opened a window or a door for me, my support network and family, you have been instrumental to me showing up this year!

My take aways into the next year:

• Show up
• Show up even when you don’t feel fully ready, you most probably are more ready than you allow yourself to feel/think. Each step is needed to get where you want to be.
• Keep focusing on your strengths and doing your best, perfection is not a destination!
• Practice self-compassion. Is about acknowledging where and how you are at a certain point in time, not judging yourself and keep moving as you can.
• Build a network which will refer you and talk about you when you are not in the room, they are your real marketers.
• Build trust & walk the talk. Consistently show up, deliver on your promises, and dare to share your vulnerabilities.

My main goal for next year is to enable individuals and organisations to challenge the status quo, change behaviours and the system if needed, so that they can elevate their positive impact within and around them!

Next year will be about:

• Continuing showing up
• Building trust and building my network
• Expanding on creating positive impact. Make ERNL services known to organisations who need to transform their culture and enable their employees’ grow.
• Having fun while following my passion
• Paying myself a real salary
• Getting more projects with my amazing collaborators (aiming for employees one day…..as they say if your dreams do not scary you, they are not big enough! ).

If I can help you, your team, or your organisations to move from where you are to where you want to be, accelerate the organisational culture transformation, by changing processes and shifting behaviours to fulfil your vision and mission, reach out, great collaborations start with curious conversations.

Wishing you all a 2023 which will bring you one step closer to where you want to be!

Someone (I believe was Woody Allen) said “80% of success is showing up”, so keep showing up, despite the odds!