Just 100 days till Christmas
Hello,
Well with the wind has come the Spring! I hope that instead of being blown away- you are hanging onto your hat and letting the change of season blow the cobwebs off those plans you made for 2024- we are on the home straight to summer- it’s time to make this year count.
Since our last site-wide e-newsletter we are delighted to report that WorkLife Berry WON the Shoalhaven Small Business of the Year Award! We were shocked and thrilled by the accolade- it was a great night to celebrate with some of our favourite South Coast businesses- including award sponsor Tom from Dynamic Tradies (pictured with Zar, Holly and myself above)- a nice moment of serendipity as Tom is a new WorkLife Virtual member! In another unexpected quirk- this win propels us to the next stage—the Illawarra Regional Awards, where we’ll be going head-to-head with none other than…WorkLife Coledale! Yes, you read that right. It’s a sibling rivalry that’s got the judges scratching their heads and us cheering from both sides of the aisle. May the best WL win 😉 The awards night is on tonight where we’ll be sitting at a table with our friends from Coal Coast magazine cheering on those who are having a go and building our communities.
This month also marks the 1st anniversary of WorkLife Picton. Our beautiful, heritage space is buzzing now thanks to an amazing community that’s embraced WorkLife as a hub of creativity and connection. To celebrate with the locals we’re excited to be part of the Illuminate Festival in Picton from September 20-22. We’ll be throwing open the doors, joining the street festivities, hosting live music and kids art projects- and when dusk falls, we will be showcasing the incredible work of renowned photomedia artist Tamara Dean– with a presentation of her work Dysrythmia. If you’re local or looking for an excuse to visit, come and join us!
The last month has seen me organising FlexCon24 in Melbourne, pushing regional coworking advocacy at the Regions Rising National Summit in Canberra. Last week I was meant to be in a PitchFest at the Social Impact in the Regions conference in Kempsey- but a talented kiddo of mine went and made it to the National Interschools for Snowboarding. Next month I will be diving headlong into SXSW as an attendee and Tech & Innovation Industry Mentor- the program this year is looking incredible- if you’ll also be there- please let me know- i’d love a conference buddy!
Staying active, staying engaged, and surrounding ourselves with community feels like the right move when the road ahead is uncertain- and at the very least it’s a great distraction. As an extrovert, I have always thrived on the energy of others, and lately, I’ve been finding the hustle of these gatherings just the tonic needed for challenging times. Plus with so much time on the road I will have a chance to dive into the raft of podcast recommendations we have crowd sourced from the WL team- check out their great list below.
This month for our Members Profile I interviewed one of our original Berry WorkLife members- Clare Mills of ElevenEighty and Barton Mills Recruitment-who shares her entrepreneurial journey with us. But it was this comment she made that really lit me up. “Every time I’m at WorkLife I end up chatting with someone I haven’t met before, and invariably something good comes out of it—whether it’s a business opportunity, an idea, a lead, or just a recommendation to talk to someone. It’s the icing on the cake. So, do I manage the juggle? Half the time, I’m hanging on by my fingernails, but walking in here, I feel like I can finally breathe.”
We’re all about making the most of these moments at WorkLife. Whether we’re cheering each other on at awards nights, collaborating on projects, or simply sharing a coffee in the kitchen, it’s the connections we make every day that fuel us.
So let’s keep the momentum going! Whether you’re in Berry, Picton, or Coledale, we’d love to see more of you in our spaces—working, creating, and connecting.
See you soon at WorkLife!
Kate
