I am grateful to have walked into Mother a decade ago and found a place that would shape and inspire me, while loving every weird quirk of mine. And I count myself among the luckiest out there, that my work secret weapon exists within our four walls.
Sure, I’d have long ago lost the plot without my husband; yoga; long-lasting lipstick; sleep and lots of it; my parents; meditation; never saying no to wonderful food; my friends; Oprah’s Super Soul podcasts; twice-weekly personal training; gardening; vitamin D supplements; reading for pleasure and never believing I’m too old to indulge a love of playing dress up. But these aren’t my secret work weapons, they’re just my life.
My secret work weapon is my three friends, now partners, Ana Balarin, Chris Gallery, and Hermeti Balarin.
They are my superpower and my conscience.
My squad. My support network. Hands down, my single best reason to do what I do.
They catch me when I’m edging towards burn out. And they cheer me when I’m flying high.
Together, we care about three things above all else. The best possible work on every single client and every single brief. Having fun with our colleagues and our clients – but this is so much more than epic parties. It’s honesty, difficult conversations, shared successes, lunch together. And making a living doing something we enjoy.
But it’s not all rainbows, unicorns and starbursts in the Biscuit Building.
We irritate the hell out of each other. And gosh, do we know exactly how to press each other’s buttons.
But that’s why they’re my secret weapon. They’re not afraid to hit me with the horrible truth. They see what I don’t and question what I do. They accept my terrible control freakery.
And we demand the same level of trust, honesty and passion from each other, every single day. So, as the world becomes more isolating and more angry, let’s never forget that secret weapons needn’t be solitary pursuits.
The biggest myth we need to bust is that there’s no need to play on your own. Do what you love, alongside people you love, and nothing will knock you down.
Katie Mackay-Sinclair is a partner at Mother