“Since I was as young as I can remember, I craved a life beyond the one I could see; something extraordinary in every sense of the word.”
BABY CAITLIN KNEW.
Down the backyard, through the hole in the back fence, across the paddock, over the dirt lane, and up the giant hill of sand and stone, with a sheet of corrugated metal under my arm. I'm definitely beating the boys today.
In hindsight, sledding down these rock piles of sheets of tin before engaging in the inevitable rock throwing war game we had developed while all being under the age of 10 was nothing but a bloody-mess waiting to happen.
But that was all part of barefoot country life that only ended when the lights went off in the street or Mum yelled one of our names from the back door step.
But it wasn't just a mind for reckless play.
I grew up getting lost wherever I could pour out my bleeding heart or satiate that learners mind - writing, scrapbooking, knitting, sketching out fashion lines, song writing and poetry, making jewellery, sewing, hours spent in the photography room, piano, taekwondo, netball, athletics, swimming. Convinced that each obsession was THE obsession only to find the next thing that lit me up from the inside out.
It struck me recently that despite all of the twists and turns, heartbreaks, promotions, missteps, accolades, years of feeling a little lost and all of the mid 30s “revelations” - baby me knew.
Even at 17 years old when she chose the Double Degree in Marketing and Psychology she already knew three important things that have also brought me to this exact moment with the very same conclusion.
I have an insatiable appetite for learning and exploring
I am endlessly curious about the way people experience the world
I could never be just one thing.
I never made it to that specific degree (cue bleeding heart and following a boy instead) but every choice since then has consciously or unconsciously served one of those three things.
Living in cities all over the world, pursuing a consulting career, joining a technology company, and following one opportunity after another toward multiple CXO hats, joining communities online and offline, all while attempting to satiate the need to constantly tickle this brain - podcasts, books and conversations - we want it all.
AMBITION REMAINS, THE VEHICLE HAS EVOLVED.
The next chapter is no different. A full expression of self, while exploring what makes us most human and trying to do some good along the way. We’re not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but there’s less striving for striving’s sake and more intentional energy to contribute to something meaningful.
For me that’s redirecting the expertise toward creative entrepreneurship where we can build purpose-driven companies transforming the way people experience the world. That goes beyond better businesses to more connected communities and a less lonely world.
Now co-founder of Meus Studios, founder of Topple and yapping and rambling all over Substack, our pod and YouTube, I’m not just one thing. But is anyone really?
So even as the portfolio of life takes different shapes, you can rely on me to be:
Sharing stories with a little too much honesty and intimacy
Laughing at my own jokes
Painting vivid pictures of what is possible
Getting lost in the pursuit of pleasure and play
Igniting little fires of hope and audacity everywhere
Being in the arena.
Because this is not an "or" to being a small town gal who is happiest barefoot saying hello to people on the footpath.
She and I are still one in the same.
And at the end of the day, I’m still human.
Getting here hasn’t been without its stumbles.
It was deeply relieving and cathartic the day I have learned to see there is beauty and privilege in knowing you are not the same person you were yesterday. I don’t shy away from my flaws or imperfections. It’s those same parts that also make me empathetic, honest, brave, and capable of living the life I dreamed. It’s what makes me a great thought partner, builder, storyteller. My genuine vulnerability gives you permission to do the same.
You don’t need it, definitely not from me. But it helps nonetheless.