As a small business owner (Head of Everything) I’m pretty average at rather too many things…so I surround myself with people that brilliantly fill in the gaps.

Firstly there’s Helen. An ace with a spreadsheet and beyond superb with Indy customers. Clare (mum) incredible at knocking up a sentence or ten who writes pretty much everything on Indytute. Jason - very hush hush SEO. Tamsin, oozes cool and is our social whizz. Krish and Ryan (husband and wife duo) who send all our vouchers out seamlessly and smiling. The last is absolutely not my forte. Pre K & R I carried twenty vouchers in my rucksack for about two weeks before they hit the box. 

Anyway.. While thinking about how hopeless I am at quite a few things, I am very good at one thing. That is bringing people together IRL. My party girl past has come in very handy when creating businesses that rely on bringing people together.

I can and do bore for Britain on health and longevity - my poor husband...one of those annoying armchair health 'experts'. But I can say with certainty that friendship and connection come alongside diet and exercise when it comes to longevity. You'll know this if you've watched the Blue Zone on Netflix. You don’t need loads of friends, it’s quality over quantity, but you need to nurture friendships. You need to see them IRL.

At this point I could mention all The Indytute experiences that create conversation and connection but I’d rather give you a few ideas that I implement regularly to make sure I’m not just working in a vacuum at home with WhatsApp for company.

1. Weekly fitness classes with my local friends. If I can’t make it, I'll grab a mate for a run (and a swim). You can’t back out once you have a friend on board.

2. Curry club. I love cooking but with work and a small boy I mostly can’t be bothered to cook up an Ottolenghi storm, but the delicious ‘Spicery’ recipe kits mean I can reproduce an easy dinner for my mates.

3. Clothes swapping event with the girls. Everyone feels good giving their wardrobe a free makeover.

4. Breathwork session with a mate in my living room using an app (Soma or Othership are a fave). I promise you the buzz of a good breathwork session is better than an Espresso Martini.

5. Drinks and nibbles where everyone chips in for a beautician as a treat - or as we did last week ear Acupuncture and ear seeds.

6. Movie night - not just for the kids - support your local cinema and see something random.

7. Get out in the community. My son and I are currently collecting second hand toys from across Deal to sell at Christmas for charity. We’ve met so many different people on this mission and heard a lot of stories that have made me feel connected with the area I live in.

8. Host a workshop at home. I have great plans to become more creative and less computer bound in 2024. We’re starting with a back to basics monthly embroidery class.