COO @ Kurogo | We Create Thought Leaders Through Personal Branding | x2 TEDx speaker | Advisor, Investor & NED | Law Graduate | I talk about entrepreneurship, agency life and grief

Hey, I’m Lewis! 👋 I'm an operator, builder, and believer in doing work that matters.

For the last 4 years, I helped scale Kurogo, one of the leading personal branding agencies, as Chief Operating Officer, partnering with 300+ world-class founders, CEOs, C-Suite Execs and public figures to grow their influence and impact. I joined in September '21 and within 4 years, we scaled to a 7-figure business, with a global, remote team of 20+. We had clients across the UK, Europe, USA and MENA regions.

I have 5+ years' experience as a Non-Executive Director, particularly within the non-profit and social impact sector. At present, I continue to serve as:

- Vice Chair & Non-Executive Director, Child Action Northwest
- Non-Executive Director, Spring North

Currently, I’m travelling and building quietly behind the scenes - creating space to explore what’s next.

Lewis Alexander Baxter

Five months ago, I went all in on myself.

This is the honest version of what that's looked like.

A recap of '26 so far (can't believe it's nearly mid-March):

Let me rewind:👇 

In mid-October, I left my full-time COO role after four years in agency life. We scaled to 7 figures, hired 25+ brilliant people.

I gave it everything. And I learned more than I could have imagined.

60 to 70-hour weeks, consistently. 

What a ride.

But somewhere along the way, I wanted something different. More control over my time. More freedom to build my own things. Work that fits around life rather than consuming it.

So I left.

Travelled. Australia, Fiji, Bali, New Zealand. A proper reset.

Landed back in London mid-December and hit the ground running. Picked up my first few clients, working with agency founders as a fractional COO and ops consultant.


January and February:👇 

My first working week of 2026, my grandad died.

It wasn't the January I'd hoped for.

Work took a back seat (and rightly so!)

Early February, I moved back to London properly. Got back into a rhythm and slowly things started moving again.

Now at 8 clients, up from 3 in mid-December. Starting a 9th this week (a cool agency in Slovenia!). 

In the last couple of months I've worked with founders scaling to £10k per month, helped one agency go from £30k to £45k per month in under three months, and I'm deep in the weeds on a 'road to £1 million ARR plan' with another.

The honest version of why I started this was never just money. 

It was about building work around life, not the other way around. 

More freedom. 
More travel. 
More saying 'yes' to what matters. 

Space to build something of my own. And eventually, time to give back to charities and social impact organisations too.

I probably undersold myself on what was possible.

The consultancy is growing fast, hitting numbers I'm proud of (but the bigger win is that it's on my terms!)


What's next:👇 

In a few months, I've grown a business with a lot of moving parts.

So I made my first hire. Two days a week. Supporting on my content systems, lead gen, and being an extra brain.

Next, I'll build out a network of partners. 

(Part-time, full-time, or specialist experts in specific tools and ops challenges, so clients get the right person for the right problem!)

Because the goal was never to build myself another job. It was to build something sustainable and intentionally designed.

Oh, I'm also building an agency in a space I genuinely love, alongside a co-founder. 

(more on this soon 👀 )

It's been a difficult few months in some ways. A genuinely exciting few months in others.

I'm learning to hold both.

March will be a BIG one. 🚀

The last Mother's Day card I bought was 2020.

My mum died that July.

Yesterday was hard. 

Five years on, it still is.

It doesn’t get easier. You just learn how to carry it.

One of the first things I did yesterday was message two friends who’ve also lost their mums. 

One is around my age. One is about 30 years older than me.

Both came back with the same thing: it’s always one of the worst days of the year.

Not comfort, exactly. More recognition. The knowledge that what you’re feeling isn’t strange. It just is what it is.

Milestone days have their own weight.

Mother’s Day. 
Anniversaries.
Birthdays. 

The dates that arrive (whether you’re ready for them or not!)

The people who’ve been through it are the ones who don’t need it explained.

But here’s the part I keep thinking about:

A close friend of mine, someone who still has his mum, messaged to ask if I wanted company. 

We went for coffee and dinner.

He didn’t try to 'fix' anything. He just showed up.

And I think that’s one of the things loss makes you notice.

You notice who understands without needing to be asked. And you notice those who show up anyway, even when they don’t fully understand.

Both matter more than people realise.

I’ve always tried to be forward-looking about grief. Not because the hard days go away.

They don’t.

But difficult days are still survivable. And the people around you make them that way.

If yesterday felt heavy for you too, you’re not the only one.

And if someone in your life is carrying it today, you don’t need the right words.

You just need to show up.

I've started being more intentional with my weeks. Here's what that looks like for me:

(w/c 23rd Feb edition)

It's my third week back in London. Starting to find my rhythm.

My plan:👇 

- 4 discovery calls for my operations consultancy 
- A full day in Leeds on Wednesday with a new client 
- 2 coffees (making more time for IRL this year) 
- Co-working with aryan on Thursday
- I'm a guest on Sarah's podcast on Friday

Oh, and I'm building a business in an industry I love. The branding and naming kicks off this week. More on that soon.

My non-negotiables:👇 

- Gym x3 
- Clean eating all week 
- Saturday is mine - Reading v Bradford City (my flatmate's a Bradford fan). Then a (brief) visit to the pub.

--

Accountability is easier when you say it out loud. 

Consider this me saying it out loud. 

Curious, what does your week look like? Do you have any non-negotiables? 

--

PS. hi, I'm Lewis! 👋 I share reflections on business, life and travel. Right now, I'm on a mission to design work around life, not the other way around. I'm a fractional COO, builder and believer in doing work that actually matters.

Tonight I'm locking my phone in a box. 📱 

Literally.

I'm heading to a dinner in Soho.

14 founders, early-stage and exited, coming together for an evening of honest conversation and proper connection.

No phones in sight. Everyone fully present.

We don't do it enough.

So, go on. Put the phone down. Even just for a few hours.

You might be surprised what happens when you do.

--

PS. Can't wait for another YES Club event. I've spoke about how awesome these IRL events are and tonight will be no exception. Arthur is the brains behind it. 🙌  

Look forward to catching up with Louis and Samuel too.

“So, what do you do?” 

It's one of the most common questions in the world.

And for a growing number of people, one of the most reductive.

Last Thursday, I went to Charlie Rogers’ launch for his debut book: 

undefinable life design.

I stayed for ~4 hours.

And, you know what really stood out to me? 

Who Charlie brought together under one roof.

Around 60 people, brilliant minds, and real warmth. Genuine conversations - that remind you life and work can be bigger than one label.

That’s why Charlie’s core premise lands so well.

For me, this looks like:

Agency operator.
Business owner.
Charity trustee.
NED. 
Friend.
Son.

All true.

None of them are the full picture on their own.

Charlie and I had known of each other for years, but we probably connected properly last summer. 

I first saw him in action at Life Design Day in September...

(where I spent the day thinking more honestly about what I actually wanted from life and career!)

By that point, I’d already handed in my notice from a 4-year full-time COO role.

Not long after, I went off on a 9-week trip across Australia, Fiji, Bali and New Zealand.

Since then, I’ve thought a lot about something Charlie and I have spoken about at length:

That the 'portfolio career' is not a fallback.

It’s a deliberate architecture.

Multiple income streams.
Multiple interests.
Multiple contributions.

Held together by a common thread.

Most people make life fit around work (without even noticing they’re doing it!).

The more deliberate alternative is to decide what you want your life to look like first, then build work that funds and fits that.

I’m still very much on that journey. But I believe that more as every month passes.

Charlie, congratulations! It was a brilliant book launch, a brilliant room, and a brilliant reminder that we do not have to be defined by one title, one employer or one path.

--

If you’re looking to intentionally design your work around your life, drop a comment below and I’ll pick someone to send a free copy to.👇 

P.S. Fancy buying a copy? Link in comments!

5 agency & creator-led marketing opportunities YOU can apply for this weekend:👇

—

1/ Email Marketing Copywriter
act Copywriting Ltd
Salary: £34K (+ bonuses)
Location: Remote (UK only)

act Copywriting specialise in email marketing and sales page copy for B2B coaches, consultants and course creators. You’ll be writing emails people actually open and read. Funny, sharp, conversion-focused copy that makes clients money. You’ll work closely with the founder and Head of Strategy, with real responsibility early on.

—

2/ Content Lead
Compound Content Studio
Salary: $95K -$105K
Location: Full-time, remote

Compound Content Studio is a B2B SaaS content agency working with technology companies on founder-led growth. You’ll lead written content across LinkedIn and newsletters, interview founders and execs, edit ghostwritten thought leadership, coach junior writers, and own quality end-to-end.

--

3/ Senior Video Editor
Chris Donnelly Ltd
Salary: £55K (+ bonus) (OTE £71.5K - £77K)
Location: London Bridge (Hybrid)

Chris Donnelly has built four businesses before 35, scaled to eight figures, and grown 3M+ social followers. Now he's building the most practical high-performance business YouTube channel ever. You'll own the full video production system - long-form YouTube, Shorts, Instagram content, and thumbnails. Be accountable for retention, performance, and quality while building scalable workflows. 

--

4/ SEO & Content Executive
Cedarwood Digital
Salary: ~£26K
Location: Manchester (Hybrid)

Cedarwood Digital is a digital marketing and PR agency based in Manchester. You’ll write SEO-led content, support strategy, manage client communication and gradually build deeper technical SEO skills. A great role for someone early in their SEO career who enjoys writing and wants to get closer to how search and performance actually work.

--

5/ Campaign Manager
The Goat Agency
Salary: £35K
Location: London (Hybrid)

Goat is a global influencer marketing agency working with brands across multiple markets. You’ll manage campaigns end-to-end. From influencer selection and briefing through to delivery, optimisation and reporting. This role suits someone organised, calm under pressure, and comfortable coordinating across clients, creators and internal teams.

--

Every week, I share cool opportunities at marketing agencies and creator-led businesses. All were posted recently. Salaries included.

♻️ Repost to share these opportunities with your network.

The best things I've built didn't happen at my desk.

These are my (unstructured) thoughts on why.

There's something about a conversation over coffee that no Google Meet or Zoom call can replicate. The energy shifts when you're sat across from someone. You pick up on things you'd never catch on a screen. Body language, energy, the natural flow of a conversation.

I think we've accepted a diluted version of human connection and called it 'efficiency'.

As someone building businesses, it's easy to fall into the trap of locking yourself away. Head down, door shut, grinding through the to-do list.  

I've been there.

In my final year of university I was juggling a full-time COO role and my law degree. 16 to 18 hour days were just the reality. When you're in the trenches of scaling a 7-figure bootstrapped business, sometimes that's what it takes.

I'm not glorifying that. But those years taught me something important. 

The real breakthroughs - the ideas that actually moved things forward, the relationships that opened doors - rarely came from being sat at my desk. They came from being in an actual (not virtual) room with someone. From conversations that started as a catch-up and turned into something neither person expected.

Harvard Business Review found that 95% of people say face-to-face meetings are essential to building long-term relationships. 

I'd go further: they're essential to building anything worth building.

Today I worked from a coffee shop in West London, had a meeting with two incredibly sharp guys who are building something exciting (in stealth right now, so I'll leave it there), then moved to a hotel lobby for the afternoon. Different environments, different quality of thinking.

That last part matters more than people realise. Where you work shapes how you work. The coffee shop gives you one kind of energy. The hotel lobby gives you another. Your desk at home gives you another. None of them are wrong - but treating one as the default for everything is.

This is all part of something I'm trying to be much more intentional about. 

Building work around life, not the other way round. Protecting the things that matter - the conversations, the experiences, the moments of genuine human connection - and fitting the work around them. Not the reverse.

It's a different way of thinking about productivity. And I think it's a better one.

This won't look the same for everyone. Not everyone works well in a coffee shop, and that's fine. But getting out from behind a screen and meeting people in person? That part's universal. You'll thank yourself for it.

If you fancy grabbing a coffee, in London or elsewhere, lmk! 🤝 

--

PS. hi, I'm Lewis! 👋 I share reflections on business, life and travel. Right now, I'm on a mission to design work around life, not the other way around. I'm a fractional COO, builder and believer in doing work that actually matters.

KSI just bought a 20% stake in a sixth-tier football club. 

The strategy behind it is worth paying attention to.

He's now a shareholder and strategic partner at Dagenham & Redbridge FC.

It's one of the more interesting moves in football right now.

Here's why I think this matters (for KSI, and for Dagenham):👇 

1/ KSI brings a distribution network most Premier League clubs would envy.

17 million YouTube subscribers. 
A music career. 
A boxing empire. 

He's has spent 15 years building audiences and converting attention into commercial value. Lower league football is desperate for new revenue models.

A creator-owner who knows how to monetise attention unlocks things a traditional investor with deep pockets simply can't.


2/ This isn't his first move in football...

KSI has been president of Baller League UK since its launch in 2025. 

He's already been learning the football business from the inside. 

Buying a stake in a club like Dagenham is the next logical step.

That context matters. 

The club aren't getting a celebrity who turns up for photos. They're getting someone who's been in the space for years now. 


3/ Dagenham has something money can't buy: community loyalty.

Football has something almost impossible to manufacture:

Genuine local belonging. 

In February, Happy Fan Group completed its takeover of the club. 

John Grabowski, who leads the investment group, said the partnership is "a clear statement of our intent" to build a club relevant to both its local community and a global audience. 

That dual positioning is where the real opportunity lives. KSI knows how to serve both. Local clubs at this level rarely get that combination. 

--

KSI said he wants to take the Daggers to the Premier League

(that's a bold claim for a side currently five points off the National League South play-off spots!)

The Wrexham comparisons are already coming. But KSI isn't Reynolds or Mac

And that's the point.

Taking a sixth-tier club to the Premier League is a long shot.

What KSI is doing at Dagenham is worth paying attention to regardless of where they finish.

-- 

♻️ Repost if you found this valuable. 

PS. Hey, I'm Lewis! 👋 Fractional COO by trade. Curious about where business, culture and sport are colliding. Follow if that's your thing...

5 agency marketing opportunities YOU can apply for this weekend:👇

--

1/ Senior Social Media Executive
Plus 1 Communications
Salary: £31K - £35K
Location: Windsor / Hybrid

Plus 1 Communications is hiring a data-focused Senior Social Media Executive to own campaigns across paid and organic channels. You’ll work across ideation, scripting, production, amplification and reporting, with a strong emphasis on KPIs, testing and ROI. A strong role for someone who wants real ownership over both creative output and measurable growth.

--

2/ Paid Social Executive
The Good Marketer
Salary: £31K - £35K (DOE)
Location: London / Remote options

The Good Marketer is a growing digital agency hiring for its performance team. You’ll be hands-on with paid social delivery across Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn, working across varied client accounts and helping drive results for SMEs. A strong role for someone early in paid media who wants real responsibility inside an agency environment.

--

3/ Marketing Manager
Chris Donnelly Ltd
Salary: £35K - £40K
Location: London Bridge / Hybrid

Chris Donnelly Ltd is hiring a Marketing Manager to support The Creator Accelerator, a creator-led business helping founders build personal brands that drive leads, revenue and opportunities. You’d be working across lead generation, email, landing pages and webinar content. A strong fit for someone who wants a commercially focused marketing role close to creator-led growth and direct response.

--

4/ Creative Strategist
MHI Media
Salary: £45K + performance-related bonuses
Location: Remote (UK timezone overlap required)

MHI Media is hiring a Creative Strategist inside a performance marketing agency focused on scaling DTC brands. You’d be owning creative strategy across paid social accounts, turning performance data into stronger briefs, hooks and concepts that actually convert. A strong fit for someone who understands paid social creative and wants to sit close to both strategy and commercial results.

--

5/ Social Media Executive
Cowshed Collective
Salary: £32K - £35K
Location: Greater London

Cowshed Collective is hiring a Social Media Executive inside a business built around entertainment, creators and social-first content. You’d be helping shape channel output in a culturally connected environment, working close to brands, creators and media-led ideas. A strong fit for someone who wants a social role with sharper creative energy and more relevance to where culture is actually moving.

--

Every week, I share fresh opportunities at marketing agencies and creator-led businesses, all posted in the last 7 days. Salaries included.

🔗 Links to every role in my comments!

--

♻️ REPOST to share these opportunities with your network. 
✉️ SHARE this post with a friend looking for a new role.

Formula 1 had the best racing in the world. 

But, fans just couldn't connect with the sport, the drivers or the story behind it.

For many of us, F1 felt inaccessible. And commercially it was paying the price. 

Drive to Survive changed that.

Before the series landed, F1 didn't fully recognise the extent to this problem. 

The racing was spectacular. But emotionally? It felt out of touch. Drivers said the right things in press conferences. PR teams carefully controlled what got out. The paddock felt like it belonged to a different world.

Then Netflix put cameras in the middle of it.

Three things happened that are worth paying attention to - as a fan, and as anyone working in sport, content, or brand.👇 

--

1/ The paddock stopped feeling like a closed world

Suddenly it felt accessible. 

Fans were seeing what happened after a retirement, after a race win, in the conversations that never made it to broadcast. 

Connecting with drivers as actual people. That connection turned passive viewers into properly invested fans.

True fan engagement. 

(Season 7 of Drive to Survive remains the most-watched sports documentary on Netflix, with 10.4 million views)


2/ A new audience found the sport and actually stayed

F1's social following exploded. A new generation of supporters - many of them younger, many of them women, a huge number of them in the United States - found the sport through the documentary and stayed for the racing. 

The average age of the F1 fan dropped noticeably. 

The sport stopped being a largely European institution and started feeling genuinely global.


3/ The commercial story rewrote itself entirely

Sponsors follow attention. And Drive to Survive created attention in markets F1 had struggled to crack for years. Las Vegas got a race. Miami got a race. 

Oracle signed as Red Bull's title sponsor. LVMH committed to a 10-year global partnership with the sport. 

ESPN's average US viewership grew from around 547,000 in 2018 to over 1.2 million by 2022, and F1 used that momentum to renegotiate broadcast deals from a position of actual strength.

A sport that had plateaued commercially found a completely new gear.

--

The new series drops on the 27th.

What Netflix proved here goes well beyond F1. 

Audiences don't need stories to be manufactured. They need access. Genuine access to the people behind elite performance.

Give people a way in. The rest takes care of itself.

PS. Who has watched Drive to Survive? And who's ready for the new series?

Everyone talks about product-market fit like it’s a lightbulb moment.

“We found it. Here’s how.”

But that’s hindsight talking.

The people I love following on LinkedIn are the ones in the thick of it. Sharing lessons live. Not polished retrospectives once the hard work is done.

The reality? Most of the interesting work (ie. the messy, uncomfortable, expensive work) happens before you find the fit. And not many people post about that part.

Right now I’m building a few businesses simultaneously. An operations/fractional COO consultancy, an agency within the sports space, and FUNC - an online health store. 

All at different stages. All still finding their footing in some areas.

And honestly? That’s the part I want to talk about more.

Because the gap between what you think the market wants and what people will actually pay for, consistently, is where most businesses get stuck. 

Agencies, B2B services, physical products. It doesn’t matter the model. The challenge is the same.

A few things I keep coming back to:👇

1/ Validation ≠ revenue:

Someone saying “that sounds amazing” is not the same as them buying. Enthusiasm is easy. Commitment costs something. 


2/ The model matters as much as the offer: 

You can have the right product or service with completely the wrong commercial structure. Retainer, project, subscription, one-time purchase - each one attracts a different buyer and builds a different business.


3/ Distribution is underrated: 

You can have the right offer at the right price and still struggle if you’re reaching the wrong people. How you get in front of buyers matters as much as what you’re selling.


4/ Iteration > perfection:

Waiting until the offer feels fully formed before putting it out there is how you spend months optimising something the market doesn’t actually want.


Still figuring it out. Still adjusting.

But I think there’s more value in documenting the journey than waiting until I’ve “cracked it” to share anything.

Who else is in the thick of it right now?

Content @ Kurogo | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

I just moved from Bangalore to London on a fully sponsored writing job. Here's my story so far:

Age 17: did 4 internships in a gap year before my undergrad
Age 18: started writing online on Instagram, Medium, and LinkedIn
Age 19: signed my first ghostwriting client
Age 20: graduated uni with first-class distinction
Age 21: one of the youngest members of LI's creator accelerator, got paid lakhs to write here (wild)
Age 22: beat 700+ people to get my dream job in personal branding
Age 23: dropped out of a Masters degree from KCL
Age 24: moved back to London for work

I've had quite the unconventional story. 

The fact I'm the proudest of isn't any of the "achievements" but that I did it all my way.

I write mostly to my younger self. 

My journey is an example of how your life can change if you refuse to conform and earn the right to play your own game.

Today, the clients I work with at my job are multi-millionaires dominating their industries. I'm lucky I get paid to learn from them everyday.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, email me at varunkhadri@gmail.com.

Varun Khadri

100 years ago, even the richest people in the world had no hot showers, died from a simple infection (no antibiotics), and took 5 days to get to NYC from London - by ship.

The average life today is miles better than the best life just a few decades ago.

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Writer at Kurogo | We’ve built 350+ leading personal brands | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

Brian Noel

When life feels hard, I remind myself I'm living out my childhood dreams ❤️

Do it for your younger self

Happy Women’s Day to all the women who raised me, shaped me, and tolerated me ❤️

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At 22, I walked into a hospital and got told I had high cholesterol during a routine health checkup.

This was a wake up call and I needed it.

Back then, I was:

- Overweight
- Drinking & smoking every other day
- In a bad relationship
- Miserable freelancing
- About to do a degree I knew was wrong

At 25, I’m:

- In decent shape
- Have no vices
- Love my own company
- Working a job I love
- Living in London

No 22 year old should have high cholesterol.

But I’m glad I did, because I’d never be here today without that wake up call 3 years ago.

I published my first LinkedIn post 6 years ago.

9 things that happened since then:

- Graduated with first-class distinction
- Got into the best unis in the world for post-grad
- LinkedIn paid me to write here every day
- Made $25k in my 2nd year freelancing in India
- Beat 700 people to get my dream job
- Got a sponsored work visa 
- Moved to London
- Built an audience of almost 20k of you
- Made friends I'll keep for the rest of my life

NONE of this would've happened if I didn't force myself to put my work out there.

If you don't know how to leverage your personal brand to attract opportunities, clients, and leads...

Start here (link in comments)

They told me I couldn't make money writing, I did.

They told me I couldn't get a stable job in social media, I did.

They told me I couldn't move across the world alone, I did.

They told me I couldn't juggle sport, content, and work, I did.

They told me I'd never survive as a dropout, I did.

Bottomline - they have no idea what you're capable of. Neither do you.

Keep going 👊🏻

I’ve always struggled with really bad insomnia.

I used to take melatonin to help with it for the last few years.

But it was doing TOO good of a job, I ended up always feeling a little sleepy and lethargic.

Exactly one month ago I quit taking it.

The result has been many nights laying awake in bed and even when I do sleep, it’s for max 5-6 hours a night.

Obviously that’s been really hard but I’m so glad I did it because my energy levels aren’t that much lower.

And it’s a dangerous game anyway to rely on external stuff for normal bodily functions like sleep.

Proud of me for getting through this battle that nobody really sees.

P.S please don’t suggest sleep hacks in the comments I’ve already tried literally everything under the sun

Having an audience gives you unparalleled confidence.

I have less than 20k followers here, yet I know that:

- I’ll never struggle to get a job again 
- If I start a business, the first couple of leads will be easy
- 80% of the connection requests I send are instantly accepted
- It’s easier to make new friends because people trust you faster
- I can monetise my audience and make extra income whenever I want

A personal brand makes EVERY aspect of your life easier.

2.5 years ago, on the first day of my job, my boss Sam G. Winsbury politely told me everything I'd learnt until then was wrong.

I'd written blogs, worked at multiple agencies, and had been ghostwriting for years at that point.

But I had to learn how LinkedIn copywriting in particular, works at the highest level.

It was humbling. But also a really fun process.

True mastery is impossible if you're not willing to accept that you'll always be a student of the game.

I recently wrote a guide for new content writers who joined our team, a guide to content writing at Kurogo - Personal Branding Agency.

I haven't got it all figured out by any means, but it's a full circle moment to be able to pass on what I've learnt from the best.

Long way to go, but nice to look back on how far I've come :)

P.S. 
Hit me with your weekend plans in the comments 💬

I've been writing for a long time so very little rattles me anymore but this made me want to ragequit.

The right companies will always take a chance on people with potential.

When I started my job, the company was hiring for a full-time, remote role.
But they ended up hiring me part-time, in the same city (London).

I was an incoming Masters student and could only work 20 hours a week.

Then, 2 weeks into the job, I dropped out and told them I was moving back home.

Since it was supposed to be a remote role anyway - they were fine with it.

I kept the part-time job, and since I no longer had visa restrictions, went full-time a couple of months later.

Then a year later, when I wanted them to sponsor my work visa and move back to the UK…

They eventually agreed.

Mind you - this was also a remote role with occasional in-person stuff, and sponsoring a work visa in the UK is no cheap endeavour, I was ALSO only the 2nd person they’d ever sponsored, and the first writer ever.

So I really had no business getting my way.

But they took a bet on me anyway.

Sure, one could argue I’d earned it.

But in other ways, I also got lucky, I was fortunate that the people in charge were good at spotting potential and great at taking care of their people.

Takeaway: it’s easier to get what you want when you make yourself indispensable at the right organisation.

9 things making a comeback:

1. Pubs over clubs
2. Being close to family
3. Catching up over coffee and walks
4. Running errands together
5. Optimising for learning over earning
6. Travelling slowly
7. Not rushing into dating/marriage
8. Making time for play daily
9. Celebrating wins privately

Two years ago, the current version of my life was my dream.

Now it’s normal.

And I still catch myself thinking about what’s next… what’s missing… what I haven’t cracked yet.

That’s the trap.

We’re wired to measure the gap, not the gain.

But pause for a second.

You’re probably standing in a chapter you once hoped you’d reach.

The client you wanted,
The confidence you were building,
The skills you doubted you’d ever master,
The conversations you were once too intimidated to have.

Progress doesn’t feel like a big deal when you’re inside it.

It feels messy.
Too small.
Too slow.
Uneventful.

Until you zoom out.

I’m not where I want to be yet.

But I’m closer than I’ve ever been.
And that counts.

Yes I have places I still want to go, but where I am now isn't so bad after all.

Something nobody likes to hear but I need to say:

Instead of asking for free value from others, leverage the internet to create opportunities for yourself.

When I started creating content, I didn’t ask anyone for feedback or handouts.

When I was trying to get my dream job, I didn’t ask anyone for referrals or tips.

When I wanted to move to the UK, I didn’t text random people who had a work visa for advice or hacks.

Even when I wanted to start therapy, I just looked up different therapists and platforms on google maps.

Whatever I wanted to do, I just started.

I asked GPT, I spoke to personal connections about their experience, I watched tutorials and YouTube videos.

I’m not against helping people.

I’m just saying there’s so much free info out there today that you don’t have to rely on a stranger’s kindness to go after what you want.

Feb ‘26 recap (my most honest one yet):

1. Sometimes I forget just how beautiful London really is.

2. Getting to be at OT during our first unbeaten run for years was special.

3. Lifting consistently for the first time in my life, baby steps but can see progress already.

4. My biggest motivation to be active physically is so that I can eat like this.

5. Being around people who push me and have high standards inspires me like nothing else.

6. I have enough friends but sometimes I find it so calming to get in a pint alone.

7. There’s nothing that makes Londoners happier than sunlight (did I just call myself that!?)

8. I’ve had insomnia for years so used to take melatonin. I quit, now only get 5 hours a night on average sadly.

9. Nature (the moon, the stars, trees, sunsets) soothe me like nothing else ever can.

10. Indian food will always, ALWAYS be my favourite cuisine in the whole wide world.

How was Feb for you?

A supremely underrated skill to succeed at work as a 20-something:

Emotional equilibrium.

Nobody wants to hire or promote someone whom they can't trust to hold it together.

Can you show up as your best self at work even when life gets messy, other people get on your nerves, or you're just having a bad day, week, or month?

I'm not saying you need to bury your emotions completely and put on a happy face regardless of what's going on in your personal life.

After all, we're only human.

I'm just saying - the people who are given exciting new opportunities are the ones who are trusted the most.

If the powers don't have the confidence that you have your shit together, you're doomed.

It's okay to be emotional, but it's more important to come back to baseline quickly (at least in the workplace).

Good writers are chameleons. Top writers are masters of deception.

My manager is a Scouse lad who I struggled to understand for the first 3 months.

My longest standing client is a 52 y/o female entrepreneur who works with governments. 

My colleagues are people based all over the world. So is my audience.

And I’m a 20 something guy from India, living in London.

I’m never fake to anyone, I don’t change my accent, I’m never dishonest about who I am.

But one skill that I’ve mastered is how to adapt depending on who I’m dealing with.

Don’t underestimate how far cultural awareness can take you.

Simply fitting in in rooms you’ve never been a part of before can be a cheat code for a great career.

I've woken up in a bad mood every day this week.

So every morning I'd tell myself "let me do the bare minimum today and just focus on getting through the day".

But something strange started happening.

I'd start the day in a bad mood.

But as I went about my day speaking with my team, collaborating with my clients, catching up with my loved ones, going on walks...

Like clockwork, every single time, I automatically felt more motivated and naturally ditched the "bare minimum" approach without even realising it.

2 learnings from this:

- Good mood often follows movement, just sitting in bed and moping around rarely makes me feel better. You don't have to conquer the world, but do SOMETHING, because you'll build momentum and feel better in the process.

- How lucky am I that my daily routine gives me energy on bad days even if I had none when I woke up? I'm actually really proud of having built a life where doing just simple, everyday stuff gives me joy when I need it most.

P.S.
Saturday plans?

POV: you live in London but your Saturdays still look like this ☀️🌊

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