Who’s On Your Field?

Life comes at you fast, and for so many of us, it’s never just one thing. It’s the job, the relationship, the injury, the move, the family drama, illnesses, the startup, the goodbye. I’ve had a few years where it felt like life didn’t just throw the book at me, it launched the whole damn library. But like most we smile, build, and push through because what else do we do?

I used to be the queen of the “This is our year!” mantra. I hashtagged it like gospel. #2022OurYear. #2023ThisIsTheOne.

Turns out? They weren’t. But it was the years I got really good at dancing in storms. Proper storms. The ones that soak you to the skin. I don’t just survive them anymore, I’ve learned to love the thunder.

And here’s what I’ve come to realise: the storm doesn’t matter nearly as much as who’s out there dancing with you.

A recent moment made me stop and look around. And when I did, I saw my team. Not in the family sense in the “you didn’t have to show up, but you did anyway” sense. The ones who stepped in, stepped up, and held the line.

There’s a friend I joke with about “who’s on your field.” Are they in the starting lineup, benched, in the change rooms, or already in the car park? Because people move. Some drift. Some disappear. And that’s okay. But the ones still on the field? Those are the ones I’m holding onto with both hands.

And here’s the unexpected, surprising part: so many of them? I met through work.

Clients. Candidates. Colleagues. Collaborators. People who started as a ‘project’ or an email thread and ended up part of my world.

I’ve worked with my cousins, sister-in-law, my son, my nieces. I’ve started businesses, solo and with a partner. I’ve hired people who’ve become family and introduced me to their people. Some clients have turned into mentors and confidants. Some candidates into cheerleaders. The percentage of people in my life who started as a ‘work thing’ is staggering and kind of amazing.

And that’s why I care so deeply about what I do. Because when you place the right person, in the right environment, with the right people, it can shift the whole trajectory of someone’s life. It’s about creating a moment that could lead to a lifelong connection, a trusted ally, a new chapter.

It’s not just recruitment. It’s connection. It’s culture building. It’s matchmaking, at its most meaningful. It’s not just a hire; it can be about finding people who might just end up on your field.

And that’s where the magic happens.

So, to everyone I’ve met along the way, the ones who’ve backed me, taught me, challenged me, shown up for me, sat with me through the chaos, and helped me find the calm…

Thank you. From the bottom of my very full heart. You’ve made life brighter, funnier, softer, braver, and better than it had any right to be.

Here are just a few of those faces, not even close to all, but each one a reminder of how good it can get when the right people show up.

Recruitment changed my life. Now I get to help it change others. That’s the work I’m proud to do. Because building great teams isn’t just what I do, it’s what’s built me, too.