Speaker #0Hello lovely listeners, I am back after a break last week so I apologise for missing an episode last week, I don't usually do that but I was away at an incredible regenerative agriculture festival called Ground Swell which is held here in the UK. There are 10,000 people who go to the festival to immerse themselves in the world of regenerative agriculture. Lots and lots of incredible farmers farming in just the most beautiful way with nature, restoring soil health, increasing biodiversity, sequestering carbon, producing healthy local food. It was such a joyful experience and in amongst all of that I didn't have space to step out and do a podcast and that experience on top... of my recent trip where I went to visit new farmers down in Cornwall has meant that there has been quite a lot of acceleration in terms of my new venture that you will have heard me mention here and there on the podcast and it's time for me to make a few changes. This podcast is to really bring you up to speed so let's get into today's podcast. Let's start back at the festival. So I want you to imagine a kind of a music festival except instead of music it's farmers and the stalls have all kinds of incredible displays of things growing and of soil samples and of irrigation systems and a lot of incredible discussions and talks about how we can create really healthy resilient food systems and just how important the role of regenerative agriculture is in meeting the challenges of our time you know particularly things like soil health which tend to go completely under the radar in a lot of climate conversations but you know are just so essential So... because when we run out of soil we don't have another way of feeding ourselves. And for me, I found the festival incredibly positive. I actually felt a kind of hope and positivity from the festival that I don't think I've connected with in the same way even through many, many years of working in climate technology and I think that's because the impact is so tangible. We saw so many examples where... you can look at a picture of, for example, someone was showing us images of the Chihuahuan Desert, which is in North Mexico and up into the southern United States, and areas of ranches that were just completely dried out and essentially unusable. And then showing us pictures a few years later, after that ranch had been using regenerative techniques and how green it was and how lush. and abundant and how it was thriving despite incredibly low rainfall and just the fact that you can see that difference in a few short years. I know many of you listening are really seeking that tangibility in your work, that feeling that the effort that you put in results in a really clear distinct difference that you can kind of taste and see and touch and for me Regenerative agriculture offers that in a way that I've rarely seen elsewhere. The difference that it makes is fast, it's real and you know you get to experience it. It's one of the reasons that I am so drawn to work in that area. All of which really is to say that this festival for me felt like the kind of culmination of a number of forces that have been at play for me and kind of growing momentum in my new venture which is a tech platform to support small-scale ecological farmers to actually make money from their farming businesses to become far more resilient and to eventually become investment ready and to create a mechanism where the much talked about investment in regenerative actually can actually happen because the farms themselves are resilient, the farmers are generating profit, you know, actually making a livelihood. And that is just so essential, because without that, none of the rest of the amazing things that are happening in regenerative agriculture actually matter. If farms fail, if new farmers don't come in to that kind of business, then you know, then we're lost, essentially. So that's, I just feel... so connected to this mission and to this work and the reason I'm kind of going on about it at length is because I think it's It's so important when you find that sense of connection to trust it and to be patient with it and to you know to let the process kind of happen that brings you closer to that work. It's taken me a long time to find my way into regenerative agriculture and I've felt a lot of the time a lot of imposter syndrome of being on the outside of thinking you know I'm not a grower I don't Have deep. permaculture knowledge, I barely managed to keep the vegetables alive in my front vegetable garden, you know, I'm completely new to it and so it would have been easy to sort of walk away or to think that that was just a pipe dream and again this is what I see with so many of the clients that I've worked with and what I have the pleasure of kind of helping people through is trusting that pull when you feel it trusting that mission, that why, that whatever it is that you think, like this is work where I feel a deep connection, this is work where the motivation and the energy is there even when I'm tired, even when I'm unsure, even when I'm not feeling all of that, the confidence that I would like to feel, like something about this work is galvanising me and that doesn't immediately translate into clarity about the kind of work that you're going to do, about the kind of business that you might build, it can take a long time and it really is just a process of letting yourself get closer, whatever it is, whether it's, you know, work with community, whether it's a kind of passion idea that you've held on to for a long time or that you've, you know, shoved to the back of your consciousness because you just didn't think that you could make it happen, whether it's wanting to transition into a completely new sector where you just don't feel like you have any relevant skills or qualifications, just trusting that magnetic pull and going a little bit at a time, exposing yourself, educating yourself, you know, meeting people, making connections, volunteering, going on the trips, you know, going and experiencing whatever it might be for you. I really... If I sort of leave you with nothing else from this episode, just want you to encourage you to follow that spark, follow that joy, let it be unclear, let it be messy, don't ask it to make sense all at once, keep going and it will begin to form into something that starts to make sense to you, that starts to show you the connection between the work that you've done before and what you will go on to do that starts shaping into something where you can begin to create a work life that is not only filled with that purpose and passion but also gives you that financial resilience and stability that you need. It's a little bit like kneading dough. I'm thinking of that because since this festival I've been on a big drive for whole foods and paying more attention to the ingredients that we use at home and this transpired into me making my own tortilla at home and I had to make regular tortilla and I had to make gluten-free tortilla as I always do and there was a lot of kneading involved in this process and kneading is so interesting particularly I have to say with gluten-free flour which is not easy to work with and I was I had this sort of lumpy dry mess and was it the recipe had promised me that that it would form into a smooth... um elastic dough and you know halfway through this kneading process I was thinking just how many days is it going to take for it to form into that smooth dough because what I was looking at in the mixing bowl did not resemble smooth dough by any stretch of the imagination and sure enough the kind of magic of baking I just kept going and kept going and eventually it did form into a albeit imperfect, but totally workable and ultimately very yummy dough. And that is the possibility that you have in your career. And if you are in that messy middle and you know that for whatever reason you want to make those tortillas, keep going, keep kneading the dough, trust the process, trust the kind of alchemy that is happening underneath the surface. I truly believe. as I said in my previous episode and go back and listen to that if you haven't, that the work that you are seeking is out there, it is waiting for you and sure you can't sit back passively, you know that dough was not going to form itself magically in the bowl, I had to put in the effort, I had to you know use my muscles, I had to get on a bit of a sweat. But if you put in that effort and energy and attention, it will come together for you. And I feel like I am at that point where it is really beginning to come together for me. These recent trips that I've had, there's a course that I'm in and several conversations that I've had with potential investors. I really feel I'm at that moment where my new venture... requires now my full attention. You know, it's started to come together, but I can't neglect it. I need to build on that momentum, I need to find depths of courage to do things that feel uncomfortable to me, that feel exposing and vulnerable, and I don't feel that I can stay in that sort of messy middle of holding on to my identity as a coach and the love that I have for this work, helping people towards meaningful work, meaningful careers, and, you know, fully tap into my founder and entrepreneur identity and give this new venture the full attention and energy that it deserves. So I am going to be taking a break. on the podcast over the summer and I'm going to check in in September and see where I am at. So that means this will be the last episode for the summer and I really apologise because I know what it's like when you build a relationship with a podcast and you get into a habit of listening to it every week and I genuinely cannot express how much it means to me. that people make space for my podcast in their life in that way. And when I hear, for example, I know somebody who does all of their watering in the garden while listening to the podcast. You know, I had someone last week say, hey, where was the episode? I was waiting for it last week. I know people tell me that they go for walks with their dog and listen to me or they fall asleep, listen to me, or they do the dishes and they're listening to me. And that is like a privilege that I really do take. seriously and at the same time I know that I need to take this period for the summer when my kids are going to be very much more present in my life and I'm going to have less work time anyway and give the available work energy that I have to this new venture and then I will come back around September time and I will check in with you and I will let you know how everything is going. If you are somebody who has been listening to this podcast for a while who has maybe been thinking about working with me is curious about what they might be able to achieve with my coaching you can still work with me I am not going to be doing long-term engagements so typically I work with clients for a period of six months I'm not going to be doing that for a while but I will be available for either a one-off session or a pack of three sessions if there's kind of a meteor. um transition stage that you want to work through so I'm going to put the links to book those sessions into the show notes and you know maybe this is your opportunity to say yes and to um you know to dive in to do some coaching with me to experience what that is like I I can tell you actually like without feeling embarrassed around this that I see how much people get from just one session. with me and that is partly because I'm a good coach and it is partly because when you sort of prioritize yourself in that way and you take yourself seriously and you take your work life seriously enough to say I want to invest some dedicated time to working out a particular question or exploring a new direction or you know making a transition something shifts energetically and you get... Far more benefit than you might imagine from a 60 minute session. So I wholeheartedly Encourage you to do that I am not going to be sort of pushing out coaching beyond this offer. This really is for you. If you're someone who's kind of been on this journey with me for the podcast, and I don't want to disappear, I don't want to take that offer away from you. So I am here for you. If you are, you know, a dedicated listener, if you are somebody who has been thinking about this for a long time, because I know exactly what that's like. been there where you're you know you're listening to something you're kind of going through it internally you're thinking about making those shifts you're building up the courage you know you're putting the pieces in place like you still have an opportunity to make that happen and of course you can do that you know beyond me there are other people who offer work in that space but if you are keen to work with me and you've been on this podcast journey for a while I really encourage you to go ahead and book one of those sessions it would be a pleasure to meet you and to work with you and to support you on your journey. In the meantime I'm sorry that I won't be in your ears over the summer, I am on Instagram so I'm melissa underscore murphy on Instagram and that is where I do most of my Regen Ag content. I'm also on LinkedIn if you look up Alyssa Murphy so you can find me in either of those places and I will still be putting updates very much focused on my new venture there so if you're curious about that journey then come and connect me with me and follow me there. Finally I want to wish you a joyful summer or or not summer if you are not in the northern hemisphere um let's say a joyful period where I will not be speaking with you as often as I have been and I want to come back to what I said earlier about trusting the process of change and trusting the pull. Something brought you to listen to this podcast and it's much bigger than me or my coaching or my offer. Something brought you here because the work life that you had before was not serving you. It was not having the impact that you wanted to have. It was not bringing you joy. And you felt a sense that there was something more available to you. And there is. And it doesn't always materialise overnight. It takes time. It can be an uncomfortable and messy process. But it is so worth it to find work that lights you up. And I believe that is something that all of us deserve. So keep. going keep pursuing keep immersing and thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this process for understanding this period of pause in some ways that I'm going into it will not be pause in terms of the new venture but just supporting me on my journey as I aim to support you on yours and with that I will leave it there and I will speak to you in September If this episode of From Corporate to Calling was helpful or inspiring, follow the show so you don't miss an episode. And if you know someone who's questioning their career, send them this podcast. Lifelines are meant to be shared. Remember, you don't have to tolerate burnout or misalignment. You can redirect your skills into meaningful work that brings back life to you and to the world around you.
