Apr 29 • The leap
A little more about me
I wanted to share a bit more of my story than the front page allows.
About a year ago, I left a career in banking that I'd spent over a decade building. It bought me a nice life but the expectations were high — not unexpected of my role or industry — and the pace and culture had started to diverge from my values.
The bigger change happened when my first son was born. Life wasn't quite the same (shock horror), and a while after, I realised that the version of myself I wanted to be — the example I wanted to set for my son, being actually present for my family, trying to live a life I'd chosen — wasn't aligned with the career I'd built. So I left.
It was a complicated decision, with a second child on the way and plenty of reasons not to. The first time I considered it, I dismissed it outright. But the more time went on, the more I could see the career was pulling me away from everything I wanted to be — and for what?
The thing I kept coming back to was this: I was being pulled away from my family when they needed me, planning to outsource all the best times with them now so I could spend time with them when I was retired — by which point they'd have their own lives, probably doing the same thing I was, or I'd be too old to enjoy it.
When I finally buy the bullet I left quietly, on good terms with my employer. I expected panic. Instead I felt free.
There was no plan. I thought I'd take on full-time parenting and eventually find a new path — or something. Instead I found myself somewhere in between: building something new in the gaps between playing in the garden, going on adventures, working during naps, holding a vision for what I'm building while also being the person who makes lunch and reads the bedtime story. It's a wonderful shape of life, and most days it doesn't fit any conventional template.
What I've found is that the loneliest part isn't the work or the parenting — it's not having anyone in my daily life who fully gets the combination. I have really good friends I've known for years, some for decades, but they can't quite meet me here. The other founders I've come across mostly don't have very young children, or they have full-time childcare, or they've structured their lives in ways I haven't. The other present-parent friends I have aren't building.
So this community exists for the specific shape of life I couldn't find elsewhere. People building something real, with their family genuinely at the centre, doing it in a way that doesn't follow a clear template.
A few things to know:
🔐 This is a small, private space. It's not optimised for growth or visibility. It's optimised for honest conversation among people who recognise each other's shape of life.
👍 You don't have to post. Reading and being part of the room is enough. When you're ready to share, you'll know.
❌ There are no levels, points, or rankings. This isn't a place to perform.
🗂️ The categories are deliberately few. Where to post is usually obvious. If it isn't, post anywhere — we'll figure it out.
📞 The monthly call is my commitment to the community. Show up if you can. It's recorded if you can't.
Welcome. Glad you're here.
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A little more about me
