Ch..ch..ch...ch...changes
There's gonna have to be a different man.
Ah, David Bowie. What a talent. What a leader. What an innovator.
He was and arguably remains the original master of the pivot and reinvention, always pushing boundaries and “never playing to the gallery.“
To be clear, I’m no Bowie but I am making some changes to where I’m focusing my work and I wanted to create a short post to, as Bowie would sing, ‘carry the news’.
Evolution Not Revolution
There are a couple of important changes that are happening to The Pocket Dojō from 1st March onwards.
The first change
Longer-form posts will now be published once a month on the first Monday of the month at 09:00 GMT beginning on 7th April. Examining teamwork and leadership practices remains the focus of this Substack.
The second change
The Pocket Dojō podcast will no longer be available on Substack but the episode archive can be accessed via The Elevate Partnership YouTube channel here.
The third (and final) change
The ELEVATE section of The Pocket Dojō will disappear. These posts will be migrated (see details below)
Why the changes?
Well, it’s worth saying at the outset, that I still love working with teams and helping them to work together better. That doesn’t change. Indeed, you can find out more about the work I do with teams here.
Sometimes we get started with one thing which we enjoy doing but find that other things stir the juices more readily. That’s all that’s happening here.
What’s New
My emphasis is shifting to serving accomplished senior women in tech and consulting.
They are often:
The C-level tech leader who's mastered her domain but feels increasingly voiceless
The consulting Exec Partner or Associate Partner who's hit every target but lost her spark
The female VP and SVP who's "successful" on paper but dying slowly on the inside
This work gives strong, accomplished women something they rarely get - a space where they can be truly seen and heard while figuring out what success actually means to them, not everyone else.
I help them bring together all the different parts of who they are – even the bits they've been told to hide or push down – so they can live more authentically. I show them how to set boundaries that protect their energy and focus on what really matters in their lives.
Because I've walked both paths – the corporate ladder and the journey to finding myself – I can help them make this transition without throwing away everything they've worked for or taking unnecessary financial risks. I understand what they're leaving and where they're heading because I've made that journey myself.
I’ve started a new Substack called Beyond The Gilded Cage to serve accomplished women in business.
Alongside this I have created a 12 week journey called ELEVATE to enable senior women to work through a process of redefining success on their terms and choosing work that lights them up.
Finally, I am in the process of creating a private podcast where each episode features intimate, honest conversations with women who've made this journey. They share the pivotal moments that led them to change direction, the obstacles they faced, and how they crafted lives and careers that feel much more authentic and fulfilling.
You'll hear practical strategies for navigating transitions, managing financial considerations, and addressing the fears that inevitably arise when stepping into the unknown.
Most importantly, listeners will discover they’re not alone. There's a growing community of extraordinary women who are redefining success beyond the gilded cage of corporate achievement.
This is work that delivers generative change with a lasting impact as some of my current and former female clients have said:
"What I received was far more transformative than just 'fixing' my work life—in just three months, Paul's unique approach helped me move from struggling with huge imposter syndrome and drowning in confusion to becoming grounded, calm and clear, ultimately enabling me to be 'the calm in the storm' during recent family trauma." ~ Founder, Director, Boutique People Consultancy
and;
“Hi Paul, I just wanted to tell you I've resigned from the Board as a director but stayed as a coach. I felt understood, I felt heard and I feel the hugest relief. I feel free for the first time in years!!!! Thank you to you and TLC what a brilliant tool. I love having the bright shiny shell you gave me in my pocket.”
~ Former Director, Leadership & Culture Consultancy
My Mission
Having a mission has, in the past, always sounded a bit too grand and is something I’ve shied away from for fear of being judged.
The truth is I’m going to be judged anyway so I’d rather be judged for attempting to make a difference than sit on my hands and do nothing about something I believe in.
So, the time has come to step into courage more fully than ever before to apply Brené Brown’s definition;
“to speak one’s mind by telling all of one’s heart.”
So, without filters, here goes…
I firmly believe our collective future depends on more women defining success on their terms rather than conforming to patriarchal expectations.
As Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama have suggested, investing in women helps to create more balanced, compassionate communities and workplaces.
I like to think that my work contributes in some small way to healing societal divisions by helping influential women break free from restrictive expectations.
Much as I’d like to, I recognise I’m not going to shift several thousand years of social and cultural history overnight. That said, I believe that by standing up to do this work, I am contributing and making an important difference.
By supporting women, to harness their wisdom, experience and unique perspectives, I feel I am helping address complex challenges like poverty, environmental degradation, and inequality through the adoption of diversified leadership approaches.
When asked what I do, my answer is this:
I enable them to choose work that lights them up without sacrificing their hard won success, taking unnecessary risks and listening to the naysayers.
I enable strong, accomplished women to transform individual achievements into accomplishments to inspire others to do the same by creating ripples of positive change and impact far beyond each client.
I encourage you to tell others about my work in this way.
If you’re interested in following along, please subscribe to Beyond The Gilded Cage and share it with women in your network who may be on the cusp of redefining success on their terms. They may value the stories and voices of other women who have been there and come through it all to choose work that lights them up.
Love the change Paul! And excited to see the stories of the women you are helping! Me included!