I often ask myself a simple question when I start working with a new client: what will bring this workplace to life?  It goes without saying that it should be functional and efficient, so how do we then make it feel truly alive?  

The answer has become clear over time: it's people feeling connected, a sense of belonging and like they are part of something bigger than themselves. That’s what drives us.  Guiding organisations to transform their workplaces into communities where purpose is at the heart of everything. 

Last week, I had the privilege of exploring community with a group of heart-led leaders at the Serenity Collective Deep Dive Day. Walking into the room, you could feel the energy of curiosity and openness. People were ready to pause, reflect, and challenge the ways they had been thinking about culture, connection, and the spaces they inhabit. 

We started by acknowledging a reality that has been quietly reshaping the modern workplace: 

Our workplaces are no longer just...

What I discovered when I finally addressed my exhaustion—and why it transformed my business

You're scrolling through client messages while your coffee goes cold.

Your team needs an urgent decision, but you're already in back-to-back meetings until 6pm. You agreed to review that proposal tonight because saying no feels impossible, and now you're staring at your laptop screen feeling the weight to exhaustion and wondering when it’ll let up.

You've cancelled lunch with friends again because work is too busy. You snap at your kids over something small because your patience is paper-thin. You lie awake at night mentally preparing for tomorrow's presentation, even though you know that you’ll be wading through the brain fog, because you never really switched off.

If this sounds all too familiar, I want you to know: it’s not that you’re broken, or that you “haven’t got what it takes”.  

You're exhausted. And I know, because I've been exactly where you are.

When Success Comes at a Co...

Why workplace change feels harder than it should, and what we often miss about it.

If you’ve ever led change at work, maybe you moved offices, rolled out hybrid working, shifted systems or team structures, you’ve probably run into something unexpected.

Even when the change makes sense…
Even when it’s been well-communicated…
Even when it’s genuinely better than the old way…

It can still feel like pulling teeth to get everyone on board.

There’s resistance. Frustration. That awkward silence in meetings where you thought there’d be momentum. Little signs of disengagement that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you feel them.

And it can leave you wondering: Why is this so hard? Why aren’t they embracing this?

Here’s what I want you to know, something most change strategies completely overlook:

Change isn’t just a checklist or a rollout plan.
It’s a nervous system event.

Even positive change, when it’s smart, strategic, progressive, still creates uncertainty. And our brains? ...

A workplace strategy helps you decide

Just like the classic Clash punk rock anthem from the ‘80s, this question still hits hard — especially when it comes to your workplace! 

The pain of indecision is real, and for many organisations it’s a looming end of a lease that brings them the all-too-familiar dilemma: Should we stay, or should we go?

It’s a decision that feels even more complex when you’ve already poured significant funds into your current office — fit-outs, furniture, technology upgrades, signage and branding. Understandably, the instinct is to stay put and protect the sunk cost. But what if the space no longer serves your people, your operations, or your strategy?

At COMUNiTI we often hear: “We’ve spent so much on this space — wouldn’t investing in a workplace strategy just be wasted if we end up staying?”

The answer is no! 

Here’s why:

A workplace strategy isn’t about the building — it’s about your business

Workplace strategy isn’t just about moving or redesigning of...

There’s a moment in every business lifecycle that offers rare, transformational potential. It usually doesn’t arrive with fanfare.  

In fact, it often shows up in the form of a lease expiry. 

At first glance, it looks logistical — a decision about how much space, the right location, how much is it going to cost, and the style and furniture. But if you pause long enough, you’ll see it’s something far more powerful: a once-in-a-decade opportunity to reset your culture, reconnect with your purpose, and reimagine the way your people work together. 

The workplace isn’t just where work gets done. 
It’s where your values are felt. 
Where leadership is either embodied or eroded. 
Where culture becomes a lived experience — or falls flat against glass partitions. 

The Opportunity Beneath the Surface 

Too often, workplace transitions are treated as operational checklists. A project manager is appointed. A budget is approved. A space is found.  

But what gets missed is the conversation about...

I’ve been intrigued with the power of community since I was a child, on reflection.  Having grown up in a small country town, I think I have always been acutely aware of the feeling that you have when you know your neighbours and the people you greet as you walk down the street.  It’s a feeling that I have continued to seek out in my adult life, a desire for my own village.

This interest was sparked again in 2017 when I travelled to Malawi with The Hunger Project.  After immersing ourselves in the work they were doing to empower villages out of poverty, it was evident that despite how little many of these communities had, there was an undeniably strong sense of community that existed.  A joy, a sense of oneness. 

Inspired by this sense of community, I returned home, adopting this premise in my own business, rebranding to COMUNiTI and establishing our foundational purpose of “fostering the creation of communities where people feel connected”.

7 years on and my sense of what it truly ...

Burnout isn’t just about feeling tired—it’s a full-body crisis that too many of us ignore until it’s too late. While stress and exhaustion are often dismissed as part of a busy life, the reality is that long-term burnout and adrenal fatigue can have serious consequences for our physical and mental health.

Functional medicine practitioner Filipa Bellette, co-founder of Chris and Filipa Functional Medicine, has worked with thousands of clients facing the same struggles. What makes her approach different? Instead of treating burnout as just an energy problem, she looks at the whole picture—our hormones, gut health, nervous system, and the deep-seated beliefs that keep us stuck in overdrive.

What is Body Burnout, Really?

Burnout goes beyond mental fatigue. It’s when the body’s systems—particularly the adrenals, gut, and nervous system—become so depleted that they struggle to function. Some of the most common signs include:

• Waking up exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep.
• Mid
...

 The conversation around workplace inclusivity has gained momentum in recent years, yet one critical area often leaves leadership uncertain on how to progress forward—neurodiversity. With an estimated 20% of the workforce identifying as neurodivergent, businesses have a unique opportunity to create environments that not only support these employees but also unlock greater innovation, engagement, and productivity across the board.

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in human brain function, encompassing conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more. Just as biodiversity strengthens ecosystems, neurodiversity enriches workplaces by bringing diverse perspectives, problem-solving abilities, and creativity. However, traditional office setups often fail to accommodate different cognitive needs, leading to unnecessary stress and reduced performance for neurodivergent employees.

The Business Case for Designing Inclusive Workplaces

Supporting n...

2024 was a paradoxical year, both deeply challenging and incredibly transformative.

It reminded me that there cannot be light without darkness.

As a business owner, I’ve come to realize that stewarding a business is deeply intertwined with how we steward ourselves. The vision we have for our own lives inevitably shapes the way we show up in our work.

Over the past year, I’ve learned some invaluable lessons about business, leadership, and success—lessons that have not only shifted how I run my business but also how I show up in life.

Here are 7 key lessons I’m taking forward:

1. Bigger Isn’t Always Better

I used to believe that growing my business meant expanding my team, taking on more projects, and constantly chasing “bigger.” But this year, I realized that success isn’t about size—it’s about alignment. With a small, highly skilled team, we achieved incredible results, worked with dream clients, and created more spaciousness in our lives. Growth doesn’t always mean more; s...

For a long time, I was ignoring the signs.

The exhaustion, the brain fog, the emotional overwhelm—I chalked it up to the demands of motherhood, business, and life. I pushed through, ignoring the signals my body was desperately sending.

Until I couldn’t anymore.

At the end of 2023, my health hit a wall. I was juggling an 18-month-old, two older children, a business, and the never-ending mental load that so many women carry. But something felt off. No matter how much I slept, I woke up exhausted. Bone achingly exhausted. My emotions felt raw, my mind clouded, and despite trying everything, nothing seemed to help.

Doctors ran tests. Everything came back “normal.”

But I knew this wasn’t normal.

The Reality of Burnout

It wasn’t until a friend introduced me to Chris & Filly and their Ending Body Burnout program that I finally got answers. My body wasn’t just tired—it was depleted. Tests revealed adrenal fatigue, SIBO, low serotonin, low dopamine and reduced liver function. My ne...