The Juggle is a Wonderful Struggle

It’s the start of November, and I’ve just finished my eighth week back at work after having my daughter, Sasha. Eight weeks of multitasking, of trying to run a business in the run up to Christmas, all with a two month old (now three) in tow. To say it’s been a bit of a juggle would be an understatement.

Take this week, for example. I spent one day driving to Oxford to meet a US tour group, leaving the house at six in the morning and getting home twelve hours later, breastfeeding on the go and teaching twenty people how to paint a frame somewhere in between. And that was just one day. We’ve also completely relaunched our freestyle section of the website, I’ve trained up Izzy to help me on the technical side of designing needlepoint, and tried to keep on top of the ever-growing pile of admin that comes with a rapidly expanding business.

I’ve been documenting it all on YouTube — the return to work, the day to day, the chaos, the challenges, and the fun (because there is fun too). The videos are long and honest, really more of a diary for myself than anything particularly polished. But I wanted to write this piece to capture what these first few months have actually felt like. Because while the logistics are a bit of a mess and my head often feels like it’s spinning in several directions at once, it’s also been brilliant. It’s a privilege to do a job I love, have a baby I love, and somehow combine the two. It’s a privilege that’s easy to forget on the harder days.

So, for those who don’t have hours to sit in front of a screen watching me babble, this is an honest reflection on the struggle - of motherhood, of running a business, of trying to hold it all together - but also on the mindset that’s keeping me going. As the weeks go by and we somehow manage to keep it together, I’m realising it’s not about any kind of unique ability. It’s all about mindset.