Breaking Point
Why “just okay” might be holding your business back — and how to regain momentum with more ease (and less overwhelm).
Hello,
I’m back at my screen and so far my eye is recovering well after surgery on 10th July. It was very painful and sensitive post-op - and I must have been the only person wishing that the sun could shine a little less brightly.
Now I’m feeling better… and it’s raining - never happy!
Lessons from a skiing accident.
My sister broke her arm. Skiing. In fact…not skiing.
She was stationary at the bottom of the ski slope when she was barrelled into by another skier - causing her to be tipped off balance, fall and break her arm.
Not even skiing. Not doing some fancy trick or attempting a jump. Bah.
She’s a really good skier - I can’t even remember the last time she fell whilst actually skiing.
Anyway, back to the story.
Ouch, she thought. But she dusted herself off and went for an apres ski beer (it’s America) - all the while thinking that’s a bit sore. And, on her one hour drive home: hmmm, actually, that’s quite achy.
Once home, she went off to urgent care (courtesy of my niece who’s driving age), her arm ballooning and properly hurting. Not the ideal end to a day for a very busy exec who needs both hands to type, get dressed, and do, well, all the usual life stuff.
Interestingly, I also broke my arm when I was skiing. I think I was about 10. Someone fell on top of me on a dry slope. I don’t remember it hurting that much. I went to the school matron, who sent me away. It wasn’t until the next day, when I complained it really hurt, that I was whisked off for an x-ray. Four weeks in a cast, it came off, and life moved on.
Turns out breaking your arm later in life is a whole other thing.
The break itself? Painful, yes. But what’s surprised me most is the after. Not just the physio (more on that in a sec) but the impact of being immobile for six to eight weeks. At our age (hello, 50+), the period of rest (being in a cast) leads to real stiffness and weakness - and the journey back is long. Sob.
My sister broke her arm at the end of February. Physio started in May. She’s still having treatment. And here’s the thing that really struck me: right now, she’s got about 60–70% of her range of motion back. And that’s the point when most people stop.
Because 60–70% is manageable. It’s not ideal - but for most people it’s enough. And do you know why? Because full recovery hurts. A lot.
But here’s what my sister has: resilience. Determination. A (slightly stubborn) refusal to settle for “okay”. She’s not coasting at 70%. She wants full range of motion back – or as close as she can get to it.
The link to you and your business?
All this got me thinking - is running an interior design business kind of the same?
We push through the hard stuff (the daily grind of running a business) and get to a place that’s… okay.
The clients are mostly nice. The design work is fine. The money is alright. So we settle.
We stop short of “full range of motion” - not because we’re lazy or unmotivated, but because the extra effort to get beyond okay feels overwhelming. Painful. We’re already putting in loads of work, often without seeing the results we hoped for.
But, unlike my sister and her physio (where the only option really is hard work and pain), I believe that getting your interior design business to a better place doesn’t have to be that hard.
It’s rarely about starting again from scratch.
Instead, it’s about:
understanding where your time, energy, and money are actually going
noticing what is working (and doubling down)
spotting what’s not (and letting go)
and realigning with what you really wanted when you started this business
If you’ve drifted from your vision, even small shifts can bring big relief. This is exactly what I do in my Business Health Check for Interior Designers.
It’s a mix of mentoring and coaching (part strategy and part mindset). I’ve got one spot left on my summer saver offer: 4 sessions for £300 (normally £675).
Together, we’ll focus on:
protecting your time and energy
getting clarity on what’s working (and what’s not)
tackling the friction points in your business (mind gremlins, icky admin, or anything holding you back).
If you’re curious about this offer, just hit reply and we can chat about whether it’s the right fit for you.
And for paid subscribers (thank you!) – read on for tips on how to get more ease in your design business.
I’ll cover how you can build a business that feels spacious and sustainable, rather than overwhelming and draining.
We’ll focus on Time, Clarity and Ease - why I think these three foundations are so important, with coaching prompts to help you reflect and take action.