Deborah Craig

My guilty pleasure 👀

I’m a hard core consumer of tarot readings on YouTube 🙈

Honestly I can lose far too much time watching them 😂

So last week, when someone gifted me my own set of cards I thought I should actually learn how to read them myself

I’ve always wanted to learn but now seems a good time because I need a hobby that takes me away from always thinking about business or travel plans!

What’s a hobby you’ve got that can pull you out of the daily grind?

PS I take tarot with a pinch of salt though - if it says something good I run with it

If it says something I don’t like I just ignore it - free will and all that 🤣

PPS pulled 9 of swords 🗡️ this morning so I’d say I’ve got a gift since I’ve been stuck in overthinking for a few days 🤪

There’s something really special about spending time with people who inspire you

I had such a lovely night at the 02 catching up with Karen Farrell

🍻 celebrating HER incredible success on her recent awards

🍵 spending time earlier that day with Darren Barden The Conversation Starter - what you’re building is fantastic

(thanks for rescuing my missing AirPods, absolute legend 🙏🏻)

Hanging out with my friends in London for a couple of days - priceless

Everyone is building something they’re passionate about - career, business, a life they love

I always come away from days like this with fresh ideas, loads of energy and a head full of things I want to do next 🥳

A little reminder that who you spend time with really does matter. The right conversations and the right energy have a way of giving you a fresh perspective and reminding you what’s possible

Happy Friday, folks❤️

Me: write a meaningful post

Also me: nah, spend time planning my return to Italy ☺️🇮🇹

So I’m keeping this one short and sweet

Life’s busy in the best way at the moment

Early stages of travel planning

Stepping in for pet sits

Building YouTube

Researching villas for a retreat

Supporting my lovely clients

Seeing what’s next 🤷‍♀️

Social media hasn’t been top of my list lately, but I just wanted to pop on and say hi

I hope life’s being kind to you and your summer is off to a great start

Oxford is as warm as Italy some days so I squint my eyes, look at the blue sky, feel the heat and occasionally pretend I’m in Monopoli 🇮🇹☺️

Last few episodes of Sofa Chats left, Tuesday 7pm live on YouTube

Or watch on catch up - all deets below

PS just some of the fur babies I’ve been taking care of 👇🏻

A year ago I didn’t have “professional dog auntie” on my bingo card 🤪

Yet here I am

Living in a gorgeous house in Oxford with two fabulous mutts for the next week

One dog casts so much hair I’m like a walking mohair cardigan!

People don’t always understand my decisions, like pet sitting for a season, but thankfully I don’t need to explain myself to anyone 🙏🏻

Right now, this paid experience is giving me exactly what I need

Time
Space
Money
A change of scenery

I need to be in the UK to build my days back up to return to Italy (visa still in progress)

Pet sitting side hustle gives me the freedom to build what’s next without feeling like I need to force anything

Because behind the scenes I’m turning my business on its head

Trying things I’ve never fully committed to before

Giving myself the space to go all in on a completely different way of working

And for once, I’m not overthinking it 🥳

I owe it to myself to find out what’s possible

The way I see it, sometimes you have to step sideways for a while to create space for the biggest leap forward - that’s at least been my experience

Meantime, I’ll be over here walking dogs, making connections, building something new and hoovering enough fur to create a third dog 🤣

Watch this space 👀

Who else has side stepped to take a big leap forward? I need the inspiring stories to keep me going 💪🏻

PS thanks to Gilly Mulford - FInstAM for trusting me to be part of her community and pet sitting experiences 🫶🏻

PPS in Oxford for 2-3 months so reach out and connect if you’re local ☺️

01/26 Portugal 🇵🇹
No clue what I was doing

02/26 London 🇬🇧
Still no clue

03/26 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Trying to figure out my next move

03-05/26 back to Italy 🇮🇹
No idea what was about to unfold

06/26 Oxford 🇬🇧
Surrender some more

09 or 10/26 back to Italy 🇮🇹

Oxford:

Dogs
New people
A business pivot
Another new chapter
Breakdowns & breakthroughs

My life is constantly changing and moving

I often think I need certainty or
More answers or
More control

But none of the biggest shifts came from having a fixed plan

They came from saying yes

Getting on the plane
Taking the next step
Trusting myself
Moving through the uncertainty

And meeting people I never could have planned for

Some of those people changed me just by knowing them

Some reminded me who I was

Some showed me parts of myself I’d forgotten

Some challenge me

Some inspire me

And some will stay with me long after the chapter itself has ended

Life isn’t about having everything figured out

It’s about letting the people, places and experiences shape you as you go

Because sometimes the things you never saw coming end up changing you the most 🫶🏻🇮🇹

PS I talk about these shifts in my book and every week on YouTube - deets below if you’re curious

PPS Wee pic of my dogs for the next 7 days 🥰

Old me: trying to find herself
Me now: finally enjoying being herself

Yesterday I climbed Goatfell in Arran - bucket list ✔️

Years ago, hillwalking was a massive part of my life

A real life line tbh

Back when I was in corporate with an unhealthy lifestyle I was constantly trying to create a different future

A healthier life
A better relationship with myself
A life that felt more aligned with who I wanted to be

Luckily for me I met a great friend in corporate, Liz Thompson - best walking buddy ever!

We climbed hills, benns and marathon distance walking/hikes were our new norm

Those days were a saving grace and let me channel my energy and focus to help me on my inner healing journey

But yesterday’s climb felt different

Sure, I was climbing with the same friend

But I wasn’t the same woman

I wasn’t there trying to fix my life

I wasn’t there trying to become someone else

I was just there because I genuinely wanted to be there for the joy of it

Sounds unimportant but for me, that realisation was profound

I was experiencing it in a brand new way and it felt incredible - just as fantastic as making it to the top did

Anyone else climbed Goat Fell?

PS: butt and calves still a tad sore 🤣

PPS more about my life journey tonight live on YouTube on Sofa Chats - deets below

Success looks different to me these days

Right now I'm sitting in the local sports centre in my home town

Laptop open, working away

Waiting for my niece to arrive at 9.30am to play in a netball tournament

Later I'll be at the school sports day for both nieces

This is every bit as important to me as building my business

A younger version of me measured success differently

More money
More achievement
More status
Now I measure it differently - time, choice

And being present for the people I love ❤️

🇮🇹 Italy still matters - working on a visa for longer stay

🇬🇧 Oxford matters - perfect way to spend my summer in the UK

💻 My business matters - pivoting in a major way right now

🫶🏻 But so does showing up for the humans I love the most when I can

I've become acutely aware that the bigger my dreams get, the more they don't mean much without people to share them with

My nieces have started talking about coming to Italy to visit me - made my day when they said that!

That's the dream now

Not building a life somewhere else to separate myself completely but

Building a life that's big enough to include the people I love

That's success to me



What does success look like to you?

2 months in Italy - golden tan
1 day in Scotland - burnt

Go figure 🤷‍♀️

Anyway a lot has been happening recently

Birthday celebrations
Plans for a summer in Oxford
Flat for autumn in Italy sorted

Business getting turned on its head too, watch this space…

My 2 months in Italy was for

Living
Receiving
Integration

Now it’s time for the next phase

Catch me tonight on YouTube for Sofa Chats where I share some of this and more

It’s read from my book Uncertainty is Your Superpower

It’s for anyone navigating uncertainty, reinvention, and the in-between phases of life - deets below 👇🏻

Still celebrating in the garden yesterday 🥳🥳🇮🇹