As founders, should we bring our whole selves to work ? Or should we build our true selves into it?
Before I launched Lucky Start, I spent time looking at what I needed from the work. Far from opening a spreadsheet and figuring out how much money I could make, I used it as an opportunity to figure out how it could fully serve me. I’ve always brought intensity to what I do: full focus, fast decisions, real passion. But I’ve worked in places where I had to compromise parts of myself in ways that felt unsustainable. Where I felt like I had to work around my strengths, instead of from them. That wasn’t an option this time.
It took a beat to understand how to get this right. Through coaching, reflection, and a closer look at my own patterns, I started to see that the problem wasn’t commitment or capability, it was structure. I was working in ways that didn’t support who I really am, consciously and subconsciously. I began to count the times I’d slipped out of alignment with my own work, often because I’d handed over the power to others.
That journey was over for me.
As an employee, I’d experienced plenty of psychometric tests, often fascinating, but seldom useful. I’d learn something about myself, but the results rarely fed into anything that made team dynamics feel different. It all felt like away-day filler.
But what if that kind of insight could inform everything?
I asked myself: as founders, should we bring our whole selves to work, or should we build our true selves into the work we do?
It was time to build something that reflected how I think, lead, work and emote. Something I could stay inside without losing myself.
As this evolved into Lucky Start, I began to notice how many of my clients wanted the same thing. They often came looking for stronger messaging, but underneath, they were searching for a strategy that felt more like them. A way of working that could sustain them both financially and emotionally. One that would allow for real depth without depending on sheer endurance.
Most of the people who come to me for this kind of work are founders, creatives or leaders building something personal. They’ve outgrown their old strategy, or never really had one to begin with. They’re making real decisions about what to keep, what to let go of, and how to stay true to the kind of business they actually want to run.
The work we do together is shaped by the same instincts that built this business. There’s room for honesty, even when the answers are messy. There’s space to ask better questions and follow the thread. There’s structure that supports creativity, and clarity that respects taste. There’s an underlying care for the work, the business, and the person behind it.
I recently revisited my VIA strengths as part of this process. These are the top five that showed up:
Love – I work closely, hold trust carefully, and take the responsibility of someone’s story seriously
Creativity – I build tools that work in motion and find structure where others feel stuck
Curiosity – I ask questions that get to the root, not just the request
Appreciation of beauty and excellence – I notice what others miss, and I care about the quality of the work at every level
Honesty – I say what I see, clearly and with care, to help things move forward
These aren’t things I aim for; they’re fundamental to how I work and sustain my energy. They’ve shaped every part of this business, and taking this approach is helping shape others, too.
That’s how Lucky Start was designed and how it continues to evolve. Bringing authenticity to the work to help others find and maintain theirs.
