my dog is my co-founder

despite the fact he cannot type, talk, or pay for coffee

His only KPI is vibes. He’s exceeding expectations.

The day after I left my corporate job, my dog Alastair decided it was the right time to tear his ACL. Nothing says "congratulations on becoming your own boss, mom" like a £4,000 vet bill 24 hours after walking away from a steady pay check.

After side-hustling for months, I had big dreams for my first *official* months in business. Be hyper-productive, nail the business strategy, overhaul my marketing, network like crazy, sign clients left and right. Basically, boss it from day one.

You plan and God laughs.

Instead, I spent three months shuttling Al to and from surgeons, physio appointments, and vet check-ups as we navigated three surgeries, four metal plates, one MRSA infection, and a rotating collection of 'cones of shame'. While grateful self-employment afforded me the time to take care of him… I was incredibly annoyed at the situation. I feel like a bad person for saying that out loud, but that’s how I felt¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was falling behind on my goals, wedding bills were mounting, and most frustrating of all, I felt creatively stagnant. I left my job because I was obsessed with the intersection of burnout, career clarity, alcohol-free living, movement, and sports and wanted to create solutions freely. I’d also fully recovered from burnout, had boundless energy to spend, and struggled to make anything happen.

There I was on a train to a veterinary hospital 2 hours from London multiple times per week thinking, “I’m several months into this and have virtually nothing to show for it.”*

*Technically Al did have a new leg so I could count that as something.

turns out we were in our flow era all along

What felt like a massive detour was actually the beginning of a beautiful co-founder relationship. On those train rides to and from the hospital, I brainstormed some of my favorite takes on career development. Takes that got me published in BuzzFeed and Business Insider.

I filmed TikToks that reached millions navigating burnout - one of which put me on national TV in the USA talking about my recovery process.

I crafted frameworks that have since helped over 150 people clarify their next career steps whether in corporate or on their own.

While it may not have been what I envisioned progress looking like, that time period laid an incredibly strong foundation for what my work would become.

Hours spent in Alastair's stoic and loving energy were a force multiplier even if I wasn't seeing it. When I was stuck, I'd talk it out with him. When I needed a break, his walk schedule forced me away from my laptop. When an idea hit, his silent presence gave me space to develop it without judgment.

Simplistically, we were vibing. And that vibe was fueling my creativity in ways I couldn't yet recognize.

fast forward two years and i move to australia

I moved to Sydney in January 2025. Due to logistical issues, Alastair couldn’t move until April 2025.

I missed him fiercely those four months. In parallel, I was experiencing the first bitter taste of founder loneliness. It was a flavor of isolation that settles in when there's no one to bounce ideas off, no one to celebrate the small wins with, no one to simply share space with as you work.

I was fortunate to have so many incredible thought partners in London. But then I moved 10,000 miles from home and they were asleep when I was awake. I felt my energy for creating and dreaming up new ideas dwindling. It wasn't just my dog I was missing; it was connection itself.

and then alastair moved to australia

Since his arrival, several people have told me, “you seem at ease.”

I guess I just needed my dog.

His arrival instantly shifted something in me. Ideas that had been stagnant suddenly flowed again. Problems that seemed insurmountable became puzzles to solve. The momentum I’d lost leaving London rebounded.

I felt in flow. Full. My co-founder was back in the office and our vibe-based business arrangement was thriving again.

When we talk about entrepreneurship, we glorify the self-sufficient founder who needs nothing but their own brain. My god what a dangerous myth that is.

We are social creatures, even the introverted among us. Our brains are literally wired for connection and in its absence, our creativity, resilience, and even cognitive function begin to suffer.

We evolved to think, create, and solve problems in community. When we deprive ourselves of that connection in the name of hustle culture, self-reliance - or in my case moving 10,000 miles away to a country where I know no one without my dog for 4 months - we're actually operating at a deficit.

Alastair may not understand the intricacies of my business model (tbh it’s incredibly simple), but he understands the rhythm of my days, the subtle shifts in my mood, the moments when I need encouragement without advice. In a strange way, he's the perfect co-founder: enthusiastic about every idea, never competing for credit, and always ready for a lunch break.

When I look at the most successful founders I know, none of them truly did it alone. They had partners, mentors, communities, families, friends, and often pets who provided the essential connection that fuelled their creative fire.

And while Alastair doesn’t know what Quickbooks is and has contributed circa zero product ideas to the business, he's a daily 9.5kg reminder my ability to create is directly tied to my willingness to connect.

If this hit, I want to ask you when was the last time you intentionally connected with someone new?

Been a while, huh? Go do that.

-

PS. If we’re meeting up soon in Sydney, Alastair cannot wait to meet you. Like his mom, he's always looking to make new friends.

PPS. Here is me carrying Al home in a Waitrose bag the day he tore his ACL.