From Anxious to Energised - The Power of Showing Up
What happens when you swap isolation for collaboration...
What have you been up to this week? I hope it’s been fruitful and cool? Not sure I can take much more of this heat, though 😝
I started this week feeling a bit anxious about the busyness of what lay ahead.
Three voluntary events to get to - all while I'm trying to build my digital coaching business and keeping buoyant in the face of potential layoff - seemed a bit heavy going.
There's something draining about being away a lot, then confining yourself to home & chained to your laptop for the other part - caught between the pull of opportunity and the pressure of staying productive.
But by Thursday night, something had shifted. I felt brighter, more enlivened, and genuinely hopeful.
The difference? I'd stopped working in isolation, and started sharing the load with others.
Between those three events, I found myself having the kinds of conversations that just don't happen when you're staring at a screen in the summer heat - wondering why your brain is foggy and your ideas are falling flat!
The magic of collective wisdom
On Tuesday an hour spent online for Create Central and Robert Peston's Speakers for Schools programme was the gift that started it all.
About fifty 16-19 year-olds from across the counties of the West Midlands grilled me about my media career as part of their three-day challenge to pitch climate-related content for 10-13 year olds.
These young people weren't just learning about TV executives, commissioners, actor filmmakers and journalists from me and other guest speakers across the mornings —they’d jumped in with both feet to collaborate, build on each other's ideas, and create something none of them could have managed solo.
And their questions cut deeper than creative collaboration.
They asked me directly ‘Is there a place for a youngster from the West Midlands in the creative and media industry?’ and ‘What if you're neurodivergent—does it still suit you?’
These questions were poignant and tough to answer TBH because - as much as I believe there is still a place for everyone in the media industry - it's increasingly clear that not all employers in my sector are doing right by their staff.
The Film and TV Charity's latest Looking Glass report—for which I'm an ambassador—paints a worrying picture of where we are right now, when it comes to class and mental health.
When experience meets fresh perspective
Wednesday night took me to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for a gathering of BCON - group of senior Black C-suite & senior industry executives from across the West Midlands.
Alongside Zak Mensah (co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust) and my wonderfully multi-talented comedian and event producer mate, John Simmit (also formerly Dipsy from Teletubbies. I kid you not!) - we unpicked the seismic shifts happening in our spheres - quizzed by my lovely friend, Yetunde Dania, who is a partner at a global law firm.
After a short tour of the Ozzy Osbourne and a peek at the Watch Us Lead exhibitions, we got ‘down to business’.
Many in the room were genuinely shocked by the data I presented about digital media and AI's impact on traditional broadcasting.
But what struck me most was the appetite from this esteemed audience to hear from Zak, John and myself about how we've reached where we are in our careers, the challenges we’ve faced, how we overcame those, and what the industry is grappling with at the moment.
The conversation quickly moved to something deeper: what role does creativity, media and the arts play in shaping legacy and culture in today's social and political climate?
I often talk about legacy here in Moments, so you already know how strongly I feel about ‘leaving a footprint’.
The reminder that stopped me in my tracks
Yesterday brought the most humbling experience.
After sorting out Mum's top-up shop and sharing a cuppa with her while watching This Morning with Ben & Cat, I headed to one of Summit Learning Trust's nine academies.
I was guest of honour, alongside Sir Paul Scott Lee, at a special lunch for around 100 pupils who are carers—every single one of them juggling school, while caring for parents, siblings, or other relatives.
CEO Vince Green and Christa Vines-Harris have developed something remarkable - an environment that recognises these young people's extraordinary load and actively works to share it with them.
With community events and help at school, but also with respite care for the pupils and their families - all wrapped up with the simple but powerful message: "You're not alone in this."
Chatting with a lot of them - the youngest aged 4, the oldest 16 —hearing their gossip, their ambitions, taking selfies, and watching the shy ones get gently encouraged to join conversations—reminded me why we must continue to remember that vulnerability is not weakness.
It's the foundation of real strength.
The lesson for all of us
We're living through a moment where teachers are leaving the profession almost in their droves, where many of us are working longer hours in isolation, where the pressure to have all the answers feels relentless.
But this week reinforced something crucial. Oftentimes the best solutions emerge when we stop trying to carry everything ourselves.
Easier said than done, I know. And the strong Black woman trope has had me in its grip for most of my life.
Whether it's young people collaborating on climate content, senior executives sharing industry challenges, or a schools trust creating community around young carers, the pattern is clear.
We thrive when we share the load.
So remember that there are days you need to be present enough to remember to get up from your desk, close the laptop, step away from the struggle - be that solo or otherwise - and find ‘your people’.
The conversations you need might be waiting just outside your comfort zone—and definitely outside your inbox.
What's one area where you've been shouldering too much alone? I'd love to hear about. Why not fill in my survey so it gives me an idea of how I could help you.
Until next time, much liuv
Marv!
x
PS I’ll be popping up on GMB later this month. Next week Thursday 17 & Friday 18 July, and also Monday 28 and Tuesday 29th. Tune in and keep me company on social media, won’t you?