In 2015 my life was completely flipped upside down with the loss of my mum.
After years of supporting her through chronic illness, mum peacefully slipped away in a hospital bed she’d occupied for three years and my world went dark.
In that moment, I promised myself that I would stop sweating the small stuff, never again let work run me into the ground and I’d invest time and energy only into the things that I loved.
Her passing gave me a completely new perspective on things and opened my eyes to just how short life is and the importance of creating your happiest, healthiest and most harmonious home / work life.
For as long as I can remember, I'd let society's idea of success dominate my existence.
I pushed myself as hard as I could up the corporate ladder - always searching for that new opportunity and next step.
I followed the path from uni to full-time work and never took the time to think about the industry I was most passionate about, the type of working culture I wanted to be a part of, if I was playing to my strengths and if I actually enjoyed what I was doing.
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I worked ridiculously long days, cried through panic attacks over my workload, berated my husband for not knowing what it was like to be so busy and was all consumed with a never ending 'to do' list.
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When asked to describe myself, I’d use words like hard working, organised, driven and strategic but was completely out of touch with who I was outside of work. My work self had so brazenly taken centre stage that with every step she made in pursuit of success, I became less and less certain of what I truly wanted and what made me happy.
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After years of supporting her through chronic illness, mum peacefully slipped away in a hospital bed she’d occupied for three years and my world went dark.
In that moment, I promised myself that I would stop sweating the small stuff, never again let work run me into the ground and I’d invest time and energy only into the things that I loved.
Her passing gave me a completely new perspective on things and opened my eyes to just how short life is and the importance of creating your happiest, healthiest and most harmonious home / work life.
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Whilst in my family life change had been so cruelly forced upon me, I realised I now needed to be brave and create it for the chance of happiness.
After all, change can be scary but you know what’s even scarier? Looking back at your life and thinking, I wish I’d done that differently.
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​In and around my mum’s passing I made some pretty major changes to my life in the pursuit of happiness:
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​Ditched lousy friends and recruited an amazing group of soul sisters
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Relocated from London to Melbourne
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Reversed the ‘Heathrow injection’ by creating a regular exercise & eating regime
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Started a new job, in a new field and at a new level
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Embarked on a new romantic relationship and married the sucker
And now?
I’m pursuing my passion and purpose by empowering women to step up, say yes, embrace change and live their best damn life possible.
As a certified Confidence and Career Coach, I support high-achieving women create the work and home life they crave. We smash through roadblocks in career, relationships, priorities, wellness and mindset, to master their graceful collective.
Through graceful thought, words and actions, my clients are able to create and live their happiest life.
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I'm doing what makes
me happy.
I look to mum for inspiration and remember the profound impact she was able to have on others through compassion, kindness, love, humour and unwavering gratitude for the goodness of life.
The Graceful Collective is dedicated to my incredible mum Wendy ‘Grace’ Stewart; she taught me that life is precious, people are magic and happiness is everything.
Then, in my late 20's my life was completely flipped upside down with the loss of my mum.
Big Love,
Luc X
