"I have found, when I've shared my fails as well as the journey to getting to my wins, the people who are there with me at the winning line, that finish line, are more involved in that story because they've come with me on the journey. And more often than not, the fails on the journey have led to more opportunities landing for me because people want to talk to me about the fails more than the the wins."
What does it really take to shut the door on a thriving city business and step into an entirely different life in rural France ? In this episode, I speak to Lucy Werner shares the honest story behind her midlife relocation from London PR agency owner to creative entrepreneur deep in rural France.
From testing the extremes of a new place (she picked the bleakest winter to see if she'd survive), making peace with a vanishing identity, facing language and cultural mishaps, and learning to create opportunities in a new place, Lucy is refreshingly upfront about the messy, emotional reality behind "living the dream."
If you're making a big change or you just want insight into real-life reinvention, this episode offers both inspiration and permission to embrace the adventure (and the failures).
Highlights
00:00 Show a bit of ankle: Why sharing your messy bits matters
02:57 Meet Lucy Werner: author and creative force behind HypeYourself.com
04:45 The decision to leave London
06:30 The everyday build-up that pushed her to relocate
08:21 Testing the worst-case scenario
11:14 Adapting her business model and why hiding her new life didn't work
16:15 The unexpected opportunities in rural France
19:11 Losing the city, and gaining a new sense of self
25:46 Loneliness, isolation, and building real connection as an expat
32:37 "Too many open doors": Is moving once ever enough?
39:30 What makes somewhere home after a big change?
43:02 Why Lucy Werner chose the newsletter route over social media
46:44 The power of play, testing, and saying yes to imperfect experiments
51:36 The magic of honesty, asking for help, and sharing your unfinished story
Lucy's Change Toolkit:
Soundtracks:
"Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust (plus the French version by Magenta Club – "Avec Toi")
Book:
Book of Play by Michael Rosen
One piece of advice:
"Show a bit of ankle. You don't have to share everything, but let people in on the real story, including the fails. People connect more with your journey than your wins, and often the messy bits unlock new opportunities."
About Lucy Werner:
Lucy is the author of three books, co-founder of three children, and founder of HypeYourself.com, a platform helping self-employed people get seen and get paid. A PR expert with 20+ years' experience, she's worked with leading creative agencies, high-growth startups and hundreds of freelancers, and now teaches independents to earn more, work smarter and promote themselves confidently. She writes The Hype, formerly a Substack Top 50 global business newsletter, and has written for iNews, Creative Boom and Metro. Featured in The Times, Stylist, Forbes and more, she's also a Domestika instructor and Adobe Express ambassador.
Website: hypeyourself.com
Work with Eleanor:
Buy the Book - Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change. Described as 'Game changing' 'Brilliant' 'A must read' 'The best book on change'.
Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it's coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training.
Work with Eleanor 121 as your coach, when you are starting something new, to develop the idea, to create the idea, to get it launched.
Book in a Change Mastery for a team session - when your team is navigating change.
Book in a 90 minute workshop - to think through change at work.
Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/
Website: www.another-door-opens.com
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
