Carrie Cruickshank, BA (Hons) 3D Design

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 & 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 🟣 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: Get people to read your LinkedIn content and reap the rewards by getting a conveyor belt of new business. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻: In my car overlooking the North Sea. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Lowestoft, Suffolk. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 3 July 2024. 🟣 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀? Simple: Success comes from 'forcing' the prospective reader to stop what they're doing (scrolling down the feed) and triggering them to read your post. 🟣 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁? Spend more time on your headline. You may have a great post, but if your headline doesn't explain what the reader can gain from reading your post, it’ll fail. Look at my headline; it has two benefits. 1. How to stand out on LinkedIn, and 2. Get more business. If my headline said, "How to write headlines for LinkedIn posts", it would sound less 'sexy' and would get fewer people reading the post. 🟣 "𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀?" Easy, get hold of 'Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich' by David Garfinkel. (I'll leave a link in the comments section. You can spice up the dullest of posts with a good headline. However, if you're writing boring posts, you also need to do some work there. 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆: LinkedIn isn't the Yellow Pages. Don't just post and do nothing else. If you want to generate work from LinkedIn, you'll get more exposure and be rewarded by the algorithm (no idea how it works) by commenting on posts coming through your feed. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆..... 🟣 '𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀' Psychological Mind-Reader / Non-Practising Solicitor / Ex-Coppice Woodsman / Digital Nomad / King of the Retainers / Ex-Trout Farmer / The Cold Email Man / Breathing Life into Your Warm Leads That Went Cold / 𝟭𝟯,𝟮𝟵𝟬 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻: No.1 Legal Copywriter on LinkedIn ✅ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹: 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿; 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁. 𝗣.𝗦. Book your 2-hour 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 coaching session here: https://shorturl.at/hruCE 𝗣.𝗣.𝗦. The coaching comes with 12 weeks of access to me via email to turbo your account into generating leads and new business.

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“basic terms” for you, = gibberish to your client. Last night our invertor didn’t kick in. I take some pics for the husband, He sends more back to me, And the more I look at all the graphs, The more irritated I’m getting. Yes, I can see our battery is full, So why hasn’t the invertor kicked in? I found myself asking “what does it actually mean”? It didn’t tell me what I wanted to know: 1. Why I have no electricity? 2. What button do I press to make the system work? It got me thinking that the same thing happens with our clients. ▪️They know something isn’t working. ▪️They see parts of the picture ▪️But they don’t know how to fix it. And so often we use terms that feel “ordinary” to us. But when the client is faced with a problem… and now they have terms they need to try understand to fix the problem… it adds a layer of frustration. Having worked with a variety of industries, I can tell you that each industry Speak their own language Our branding industry are just as bad with terminology: —————— Messaging Brand story Way finding Client journey Brand identity Brand strategy Visual branding Brand alignment Brand experience Online positioning Brand architecture Unique positioning Positioning statement To name a few… And yes, the terms are an important part of what we do. But remember that when you’re interacting with your clients… Forget fancy terms, focus on them. ▪️What is the pain they are faced with ▪️What you can do to help them solve it ▪️What are the key next steps Because fancy terms don’t make you look smarter, They make clients more frustrated and confused. Read the room. —— Follow Emma Weise 🌟 if you would like to hear more random moments turned into branding lessons 😆

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There are so many benefits to crocheting and I’m delighted to share this one with you What benefits do you gain from crocheting? If you don’t crochet but would love to learn comment learn and I’ll send you some information 💚 #crochetismytherapy #crochetismyhappyplace #crochetforbeginners #howtocrochet

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BFCM planning has begun... good excuse to crack open some mince pies? WHY NOT, that's why. Excuse me munching, but I want to talk to you about list-cleaning (ok, not technically 'cleaning'... more like 'moving clutter to a different room where I don't have to look at it'). This time of year, all the email platforms are telling us to clean lists in preparation, and that's a good start but last year I did something that was even better than sweeping up... and gave us a 75% CTR on one of the biggest sale days of the year! It's not radical, but you might like to try it. I wanted to make a list of the people who reeeaaally wanted to shop the BFCM deals, filtering out the superfans and saving the others from feeling harassed, so I talked to the team and then did something obvious - just asked. We sent one (early November) email asking subscribers to tap through and join the BFCM VIP first-through-the-doors list. Then we had a nice, tidy, self-segmented list which (a) saved money on sending at the busiest time of year and (b) gave us a 75% clickthrough rate on sale day. Want to give it a go? Or forget the whole thing and get a massage while I sort out your BFCM email campaigns for you? Send me a ping. #emailmarketing #emailcopywriter #ecommerceemail

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Unspoken Wounds: Embracing the Chaos to Craft a New Me What’s next? It’s Thursday. I’ve just wrapped a TikTok session debating which curtains should frame the living room I've redecorated with eclectic finds from charity shops around Aberdeen. It’s not just about décor; it’s about setting a stage for a new chapter. Here I am, concocting excuses to skip the gym, inspired by a TikTok of someone's serene bath, complete with candles and a glass of rosé. My shoulders ache from yesterday’s workout, and after 10 weeks of relentless gym visits and 3,200 push-ups in April alone, my body is begging for a break. In less than two weeks, I’ll publish a book aimed at easing the mental strains of those in the oil and gas sector. Despite getting a solid eight hours of sleep nightly, I’m itching for something new. The haunting question, "What am I going to do with the second half of my life?" echoes in my mind. Should I write a novel? Perhaps pen a script? Or maybe start filming a documentary on the majestic whales of Moray Firth? Tempting as it is to buy a motorcycle and embark on a global tour, I find myself drawn to the quaint cottages of Northeast Scotland, imagining weekends spent fishing from a small lobster boat. But there’s this gnawing, relentless idea: to completely reinvent my identity. It’s as if David Bowie’s spirit of transformation is urging me from beyond—his mastery of reinvention not just a trait, but a way of life. Every year, a new persona, endlessly fascinating and wildly inspirational. We often get bogged down with the "what's next?"—in jobs that have lost their zest, in relationships that no longer thrill, or in lives that feel overwhelmingly predictable. Perhaps it’s time for a radical shift. Maybe it’s time to explore life as a nomad or a philanthropist. At the moment, I’m torn. One day, I’m leaning towards buying a Triumph Bonneville and hitting the road by June 2025, giving myself a year to elevate my online business to thrive independently. The next, I’m dreaming of launching a YouTube and podcast channel, seeking out extraordinary stories and sharing them with the world from my own studio, with a dedicated PA to scout the UK's most fascinating figures. Here’s what I do love: the parts of my business that challenge and fulfill me, like collaborating with one of the best digital brand agency owners I’ve ever met, serving as both copywriter and business advisor to her clients. The team dynamic is unbeatable. I could continue this work from anywhere in the world—a concept that grows more appealing by the day, now inching towards a 60/40 likelihood. Life isn’t about perfection. It’s about happiness, following your gut, and listening to those persistent feelings that keep finding you. I’ve spent too long ignoring my own voice, hoping to find joy in others instead of within. At 43, I’m finally starting the ultimate journey: the journey to know myself. And I feel like things are only just beginning.

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Rainy days and Mondays... I love walking in the rain, and Monday mornings, so yesterday started well for me 🌦️☂️ Having seen the forecast I was well prepared, and returning home drenched I was changed into dry clothes and was drying the dogs with the hairdryer before 7.30 am...🫣 But it got me thinking about Businesses and how unexpected events can impact them. We don't have a crystal ball or someone on the news, who tells us how our week is going to pan out, can you imagine if we did? 🫣 Things can happen out of the blue, and particularly if you are running your business solo, a couple of days that don't go to plan could leave you feeling like you have been put through the mangle. That is where working with a Virtual Assistant like myself can give you peace of mind. A contingency for "rainy" days, when you need an extra pair of hands, or perhaps when you want a laptop-free holiday. Here are just a few things I can help you with: ✒️Minutes - Board meetings/ Disciplinary 📩Inbox management/cover 💡Research 👓Proofreading and editing 📑Newsletters You can work with me for as little as one hour a week. Each hour helps me to build up my knowledge of your business and to be able to help out when you have a "storm". If this sounds like a service you need, drop me a DM. #virtualassistant ##virtualassistantservices #smallbusinesshelp

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We have been having some work done in the garden this week! 👨‍🌾 The people that lived in the house before us didn't like gardening very much, so we had a big job on our hands when we moved in… It can feel a bit disheartening to spend any spare hours we have making improvements, putting in lots of effort, just for it to all grow back a week later and look worse than when we started 😫 The reality is, we have the KNOWLEDGE to do what we want to the garden, we just don't have the TIME to do it ⏲ Therefore we have hired a professional to come in and make the BIG changes that we need - the ones that take up lots of time - and then when he's done we can work on maintaining the garden during those spare few hours each week (when the sun is actually out!), rather than feeling like we are constantly chasing our tales. Still lots to do, but it feels like a weight has been lifted now that it's been started 🌳🏡 This is why outsourcing is such a powerful thing! The same is true for outsourcing your admin - you spend ages tidying up your inbox one day just for there to be 100 more emails a day later, it feels never ending. Let me be your inbox 'gardener' - let's have a chat about how I can help you with an Inbox Detox ✨

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No more conservatory workspace come Lego table, craft making and drawing space 🙌 This is my new little space at the bottom of the garden. It’s a work in progress as it needs a door upgrade, insulating before the winter, a set of shelves re-painted and a few wall pieces (not that I do t love the youngests current art work 🙈). BUT I know have to walk out of the house to go to work 😆. It’s a space I’m creating that’s just for Rebecca Jane Virtual Business Support HQ. Give me some more inspo show me your HQ. #MomsInBusiness #WomenInBusiness #SocialMediaMarketing #LaunchMarketing

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Just 4 days to go until Autistic Pride Aberdeen online! Here’s some FAQs: What can you expect? Lots of infodumping on people’s fave topics! Showing off collections. Fun facts. Autistic communication and community at its best! What can I talk about? Anything you want! There may be young adults people attending, and last year we had topics as diverse as Dr Who to data management, Star Wars to snails. If you’re passionate about it, we wanna hear it! Do I have to infodump? No, you are welcome to listen, engage with the chat, ask questions, but it’s all optional. I don’t have a formal diagnosis, can I still infodump Definitely! Self identification is valid, you are welcome in this space. I’m not Autistic, can I still come along? Yes - allies are welcome along too. We are prioritising infodumps from autistic participants, but allies are welcome to join in the chat, ask questions, and enjoy being in a neuroaffirming space. I don’t want to say my infodump aloud, can I still join in? Absolutely, yes! You can pre record, type it into chat, send through a script for one of us to read out - whatever makes you feel comfortable. I’m not in Scotland, can I still join in? Yes! The beauty of the internet means we can welcome people from all over the world. How do I register? Through Eventbrite here: https://lnkd.in/egaYH9n9 You will be emailed out a Zoom link to join the session. Got another question? Let us know and we will do our best to answer! What do you want to infodump about? #AutisticPride #InfoDump #online #community #event

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Every small business owner should use the word NO regularly..... 💼 NO to putting work first 🥪 NO to working through lunch 🕰 NO to working 9-5 🛑 NO to putting yourself down ✋ NO to clients wanting to pay cheap rates but expecting you to provide high-quality work 🙅 NO to unwarranted meetings 🆓 NO to free work 🗂 NO to adding work beyond the agreement 💷 NO to reducing your rates 🙅 NO to working outside your values and ethics 😠 NO to people who push your boundaries 📧 NO to answering emails outside your working hours 🚩 NO to red flags in clients It's YOUR business! YOU get to decide how and when you work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Use the word NO! #SayNo #SayNoToBadClients #YourBusinessYourWay #SmallBusinessOwners

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Even early #SummerTemperatures can cause #HeatStroke, Dogs Trust Evesham warns owners⚠️ ☀️ With sunshine finally arriving in the #Midlands, Dogs Trust, the nation's largest dog welfare charity, is warning dog owners that too much exercise in warm weather – even as mild as those forecast for this weekend - can cause severe #HealthProblems for our canine companions. 🐶 While most #DogLovers will be aware that extreme weather and #Heatwaves can be dangerous for dogs - sometimes even deadly ☠️ many will be unaware that exercising dogs in early summer temperatures can cause heatstroke in dogs. In some cases, heatstroke can prove fatal. A recent study showed that nearly 75% of cases of heat-related illness in UK dogs were because of exertion, and over two thirds were just from walking only! 🐾 Head over to BBP Media's homepage to find out more, or click the link below to read full news article! 👇 https://lnkd.in/dXwYHFrc #HealthAndWellbeing #DogWelfare #WarmWeather #DogHealth #PetCare

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When sweating the small stuff counts. You might not want to hear this. In for a penny, in for 1/2 pint. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗻, 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 ✌️ Icky Fact: That preloved one you bought. The one where you didn't replace the mattress. You're lying on someone else's sweat legacy 😬 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝟭/𝟮 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. Into that mattress. Ewwww. 🫣 It's just one of the many facts Nicky Cannon, CEO of Jonic Leisure Mattresses and Bedding and sleep expert, makes sure people know. After 18 years in the trade she cares too deeply to use flog-it tactics to make a sale. There's a reason their moto is "when you sleep better, we sleep better" Their customer care team is the best in the industry. As are their products. As is their view that you get what you pay for. As you're about to jump into that preloved mattress, maybe you do need to sweat the small stuff ? There's a cracking new website to make sleeping well even easier (in the comments) Give it a try ! What's been your favourite adventure?

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Happy Monday everyone! Gosh that was a bit of a wet weekend! I know us Brits are always talking about the weather but when it’s been so wet and windy for such a long time it begins to drain your energy. It feels like we’ve hardly seen spring and it’s the 1st of May on Wednesday! Although I’d like to be outside shooting, I’m keeping my spirits up by bringing spring indoors, so here’s a bucket of spring blooms to brighten your day, all picked from the garden except the tulips which were a supermarket buy. I sometimes shoot these greeting cards shot sets, like this in the house where the natural light is good but sometimes, I shoot in my office, which is above the garage. Being in the roof of the garage, my office has a sloping ceiling so doesn’t always give me the best space (I’m forever hitting my head), and natural light is only provided via a one window at the far end and a Velux in the roof. Therefore, when shooting in my office, I often rely on my continuous daylight soft boxes, which provide a good alternative to natural light. You can see one in use in the behind the scenes pic. With my branding shoots I also like to use natural light where possible but if I’m shooting in low light, I can easily bring along these lights. So, don’t worry, if you think that your home, studio, workshop, or office isn’t a suitable location for a shoot, I can work around most situations and am used to working in difficult spaces. Well, the sun is finally shining this morning, although it is still windy out there, fingers crossed we have some better weather to look forward to this week. 🤞 What does the week have in store for you? #greetingcards #imagelicensing #photographer #brandingphotographer #behindthescenes

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How ofen do you get feedback from your clients? I know it might be uncomfortable to ask your clients for feedback on social media especially from therapy but that genuinely helps to grow your business and gives credibility on the market. Therefore l do appreciate every effort my clients did to leave their thoughts. Thank you for another positive review on Google 🌸 #client #review #possitivefeedback #business #smallbusiness

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You make very little. So how DO you get started in property then? Here’s how… Saw a very reasoned post on here the other day that naturally attracted a bit of scepticism. Basically: “I DoNt EaRn eNoUgH to GEt iNTo pRoPeRTy ItS sO UnFAir…” Politely… not true . You absolutely can. Maybe not right now today, but you can. But this bit is the part most people don’t like because it forces them to go outside conventional thinking. e.g “I can’t ever save for a deposit” But the answer to this is very simple, if not easy: You get started *any way you can*. I was living in Hong Kong when I got started earning £33k and paying £2k a month rent. £33k felt like minimum wage tbh given Hong Kong made London look like Teesside back then. So I took the box-room and sublet my apartment for just over half and started tucking a little bit of money away. I also borrowed a bit unsecured over there. I then dumped it all in a UK account for 3 months for a paper trail and then used it as a deposit. Paid that down, borrowed more, got a bit of a pay-rise, repeated time and time again for 7 years. Was this entirely legal? Not sure, not bothered either tbh. This specific avenue might not be open to you but I guarantee there are options that are. You just might not like them, like I didn’t. 
For example: ✔️ You could work your nuts off for a while doing something you really don’t want to ✔️ You could move back in with your parents ✔️ You could borrow it from a family member ✔️ You could take that job you don’t really want to but it pays a lot more ✔️ You could start an Onlyfans The exact mechanism is not as important as the realisation that ultimately it comes down to what you are prepared to do. Nobody said it was a level playing field, because it isn’t. And even when you do get started you’ll need to understand that you’re then going to have to live like Scrooge McDuck for years to reap any real benefit. But do know this… Right now, there is somebody near you that is less smart than you, earnt less than you and comes from an inferior background than you. And they have got an massive property portfolio that prints cash and they live a life you’d kill for. And one of the biggest reasons they have that is they were just prepared to be a bit uncomfortable to get started and then they stuck at it. Anyway, food for thought. (If you do have £50k kicking about though, you can get started with us now. Drop me a DM 👍🏻)

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Scale up your business…or scale up your life… 🤷🏾‍♀️? I’m having a couple of weeks ‘off’ here which, this holiday, has meant driving 🚘 up and down the country seeing family and friends, whilst managing puking 🤮kids in the back seat. But don’t feel too sorry for me…It has been lovely too! From Aberdeen to Northumberland to Brighton and back to Manchester, we’ve made memories, ate lots of ice cream and endured seagull 🐦 bombing attacks (twice!). And, inbetween passing sick bags to the three wee ones 🤮, it’s given me time to reflect, as I come up to my business birthday 🎂 next week. It’s been 6 years since I set up TCC (The Carvalho Consultancy) providing therapy, training and coaching to lawyers - from those who’ve walked in their shoes 👞🥿👟👡. Our boys were 18 months old then 🧒🏻 🧒🏻 . And then, almost 2 years ago, our little miracle baby C arrived. And you can add to that significant bereavements, family difficulties, our children’s various challenges. All the stuff of life! I’m glad that life is full. Even though it has its painful moments. And me and my fellow midlife (ie messy life) therapists and I often talk about this. About how, even though it’s not easy, we think it’s important that there are therapists who are in the messy middle. Who are right there in the trenches with their clients’ struggles. Not wafting around like a version of Dame Judi Dench (no criticism of Judi intended) wearing clothes from Hampstead Bazaar, with financial freedom, living a life removed from their clients. Because we need a diversity in the therapeutic community. Young and more mature, of all ethnicities, abilities, financial statuses and backgrounds. And if you live a messy life then you need to be prepared for tension. Tension between your values and your priorities. For me, my tendency can be to over stretch myself. I have big ideas and I get excited 😜. And then I need to step back and remember the busyness of my life and work out what’s actually doable. So, as TCC (The Carvalho Consultancy) continues to grow this year (watch out for new lawyer-therapists coming soon!) and we continue to attract brilliant clients, I guess I’m ‘scaling’ both my business and my life. It can be messy. It can feel topsy turvy 🙃. But it’s never, ever dull! And here’s our little lady looking cool in Brighton in mummy’s shades 😎 #entrepreneur #psychologyoflaw #therapy #midlife

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