Life Lately

April was a busy one. A good kind of busy. The kind that leaves you feeling like you actually lived through the month rather than just got through it.

The biggest thing was that I've started a new role at JLL, leading a team and owning the analytics and BI strategy globally for one of our accounts. It's a step up in every sense, and I'm still getting into the rhythm of it, but it feels right.

And then April also decided to be the month of firsts outside of work.

I had my first ever business trip to Poland. It was also only my second time in Europe, and the first time I've travelled somewhere completely on my own, without my family or my partner on the other end of the journey. That part took some getting used to. The first morning at the hotel, sitting at breakfast surrounded by people who all seemed to be with someone, felt a bit uncomfortable. I ate quickly and left. But by the third day, I took my time, got what I wanted, sat with my tea, and actually enjoyed it. I even did some solo sightseeing and booked a restaurant for one, just to see how it felt. It felt good, actually. A little uncomfortable at first, and then surprisingly freeing and nice.

After Poland, I signed up for a social running event in London. Running a 5k is pretty routine for me at this point, but this one was different because it was designed for people to meet and run together. I ended up chatting with strangers, running in a group, and at some point, we went past the London Eye and Westminster just as the sun was going down. When I first saw those landmarks five years ago as a tourist, I was completely awestruck, and running past them that evening brought that feeling back in the nicest way.

Then this weekend I went to a terrarium making workshop, again by myself, and I think I might just have found a new hobby. There was something really satisfying about the whole thing - working with your hands, learning something from scratch, leaving with something you made. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

This comes off the back of pottery last month, too. I'm noticing a pattern. I'm carving out more time for creative things, for learning, for doing stuff that has nothing to do with a screen or a deliverable. It has done a lot of good for me.

The podcast is also still going. My partner and I record episodes with different data professionals, and the conversations are genuinely some of the most interesting I have. Every person's journey is different and I always come away having learned something. The numbers can be discouraging sometimes as there's a lot of work that goes into each episode, and the views don't always reflect that. But doing it with my partner makes all the difference. One of us is always more motivated than the other on any given day, and somehow we always manage to keep each other going.

Check it out if you haven't! - https://www.youtube.com/@Data-in-10

Closing

April was a lot. But it was a really good lot. I'm just proud of myself for saying yes to things. The solo trip, the workshops, the new role. None of it was particularly comfortable at first. But I think that's kind of the point.

Looking forward to what's ahead.