This is January...

Disclaimer: Please don’t anticipate a blog where I humble brag about my busyness. I’m going to deliberately work out loud a little this year because I had firm feedback from someone I love and trust, that I just don’t talk about the (sometimes delicate) work I do.

What does January hold here at FBHQ?

I turn 50 this week. There was a party / ceilidh at the weekend - a gloriously overwhelming gathering family, friends and neighbours - so the year began with a rush. My love and thanks particularly to the four organisers of the non-apocalypse Amanda Arrowsmith FCIPD Fiona McBride Anne-Marie Garner Brian Baglow

The break means my work focus has been floating delightfully around for a few weeks and it’s time to check that, gently... so  I’m taking a couple of days over the weekend, to a cottage on the the west coast of Scotland with the dog, to write and plan… you would think I’d had down time in the last 2 weeks, but sometimes life is for living, not working.

Nevertheless, when I do get back up & running, it looks a bit like this:

Coaching and Supervision conversations – coachees always come to the work slightly differently in January, it’s often surprising to hear what has been bubbling or reflected upon over the Christmas/ New Year period. I also begin a new Supervisor relationship this month too, as my Supervision client portfolio quietly grows and my confidence in being a Supervisor steadies.

I have my own Supervision session at the end of the month and am already thinking about what I want to bring to it.. it's like a balm and a tonic Kay Young

Values Refresh work – I'm supporting a client that has a set of established values which need a little updating. The work involves collaborating with a team including HR, Internal Comms and Marketing people, as we agree key timelines, overall purpose, ways to bring the Values to life in a busy operational environment, as well as how to make the project itself - and the outcomes it will yield - meaningful and useful.

Facilitation Workshop – I'm designing and running a one-day session with internal Facilitators for a large Healthcare provider, as we take time out to reflect on their practice. The practitioners are about to roll out a series of one-day workshops and before the work kicks off, we are taking time to look at delivery, managing airtime, supporting participants etc. It’s all about reconnecting with their skills, confidence and competence. I love this stuff.

Team Start Up Sessions – I worked with 3 separate clients on restructures last year…anything that involves transformation involves pain, and I feel like last year was a lot of redundancy and working with the emotional and cultural impact that rolls from that. It is, therefore, really good to be beginning this year with some reconstruction.

With a new structure and new reporting lines, I’m working with the COO to run a series of full-day sessions -light on structure, big on space – where leaders and managers can come together and figure out HOW they will make the structure work, practically and realistically. Yes, we need to think about delivery, but also about relationships, conversations, reporting lines and ways of working that will bring the new structure to life.

The work runs until March, with the January sessions really allowing everyone to sense-make where they are at and pick out risks and opportunities for the future.

Write Nights is back!!! With a new cohort kicking off on 22nd January, all of the good stuff that comes with encouraging creativity, stories and expression will ripple forward… How utterly joyful.

The month ends with a Rise and Write morning meditation session and closes with a check in with my OD practitioner Group Morwenna Hart Sarah Boyd Dan Symonds

Along the way, I’ll be catching up with people, plotting some new work with the good folk at GameShift, walking dogs (not in a commercial sense) looking for more coachee and supervision work and writing, writing, writing…. I'll be trying to avoid the inevitable temptation to be better, thinner, faster, more....whilst also trying to be all of these things....

If you want to get in touch about any of the above or just to say hello - please drop me a note on info@fuchsiablue.com

Wishing you love & fortitude for 2025.

(PS. If you’ve read this far and have The Dread for the year ahead, go gentle with yourself….steady steps and lots of tea)

About me:

I'm Julie Drybrough - Founder of fuchsia blue ltd. An experienced Organisational Consultant, Executive Coach/ Supervisor, Writer & Speaker.

Pragmatic, forthright and kind, I work with people & organisations to improve conversations, relationships & learning.

If you want to talk to me about coaching, supervision, leadership development or change,  contact fuchsiablueto find out more or book a space to chat.

Join me for Write Nights or Rise & Write Solstice Meditation here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fuchsiablue

Find me on bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/juliedrybrough.bsky.social