Ten Years of Love, Work, and Learning as I Go

Snowy mornings have a funny way of slowing everything down and speeding everything up at the same time.

This year kicked off wrapped in snow, and with the first day back at work and school turning into a snow day, I had no choice but to embrace it. Once I’d finished work, the kids and I were straight out sledging. Squeezed in between recording my very first podcast of the year (coming soon on Trailblazers Uncut). In it, I share my entrepreneurial journey as a female founder: the highs, the lows, and all the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

I genuinely love sharing those learnings. Starting and running a business is not easy, even when Instagram makes it look like it is. The graft behind the scenes, the years of effort, the mistakes and resilience… those are things you don’t forget. Being able to talk honestly about that process on LinkedIn and Instagram is something I’ve really enjoyed over recent months.

This month marked my husband’s and my (and co-founder’s) 10-year wedding anniversary, closely followed by ACAI’s 10-year anniversary and our son’s 10th birthday. Ten years feels like a big milestone, especially when I think back to 2016, a year that truly shaped our lives.

We got married, started a business, and welcomed our first baby, all in the same year. Looking back now, it feels a little wild… and incredibly special. We did manage to get out and properly mark the occasion, which was just lovely and very much needed.

This month also saw me return to one of my favourite and most-loved things: making clothes. It’s my creative outlet, my way of expressing myself, and being able to share that process fills me with so much joy. Showing how clothes are actually made isn’t something you often get to see, so it felt important, and exciting to open that up and bring you along with me.

Follow me on Instagram if you fancy seeing clothes come to life.

I also returned to running this month… and wow, it was cold. I could definitely feel that my fitness had dipped. December’s busyness set me back a little, and I hadn’t been running regularly. But getting out in the mornings for fresh air with Homer (our dog) has kept me sane and grounded.

On the days I manage to do it before emails take over, it feels like a real win. I’m noticeably less frazzled, more resilient, and better able to cope with whatever the day throws at me. I’ve even started blocking it into my diary a couple of days a week as part of my routine and it’s made such a difference to my mood.

I talk about this all the time, yet every single time I’m out there and feel how good it makes me feel, I’m still surprised. Maybe that’s the reminder we all need sometimes: the simple things really do matter and when we make space for them, everything else feels that little bit more manageable.

With love,

Kasia