Ending into a beginning

Welcome to my first newsletter of the New Year. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2026.

It seems a while ago now, but I do hope you managed some rest time over the break. I'm writing this from my desk with a fresh cup of tea, looking out at the year ahead with as much optimism as I can gather.

Firstly, I want to say a huge welcome to all the new subscribers who have joined over the last few weeks. Welcome to the team.

If this is your first newsletter from me, here's what to expect: I write about leadership, purpose, and impact. I share what I'm working on, what I'm reading, and the conversations I'm having. I try to shine a light on the things that make the world of work bad and how to improve them, and the things that could make the world of work a whole lot better. And sometimes I just share what I've been up to at the weekend.

I hope you'll stick around.

Rebuilding a platform

One of the unexpected highlights of my break was watching my YouTube channel absolutely blow up. It made for a rather less restful Christmas than I'd been expecting as I was suddenly responding to 100s of comments from 1000s of new subscribers.

For those who don't know, alongside my charity career, I spent years in a very public-facing political role. When that came to an end in 2024, I found myself without the public face, or the platform, and I was uncertain where to take my career next. As someone approaching the possibly final act of my career, that felt pretty tough.

I dusted off and reactivated my non-profit consultancy but I felt drawn to recreate the public platform bit and wasn't entirely sure how.

So I started making videos. Through chatting to people in the non-profit world as I put feelers out about project work, I realised that many people were deeply unhappy. The combination of disruption from AI, political instability (USAID closure), changes to working patterns after Covid, and years of unaddressed burnout felt like it was reaching a tipping point.

Given all the work I've done leading teams myself, and working alongside charity leaders to support inclusivity and culture change, I thought this could be a topic I could help with.

I made some videos about toxic workplaces, about knowing when and how to move on, about protecting yourself from bullying bosses. And the response has been astounding.

Hundreds of comments from people sharing heartbreaking stories. Talented, capable people who have wasted years in environments that have systematically ground them down.

Of course, with numbers come criticisms. One commenter described my approach as "charmingly naïve."

That stung for a moment. But is it really naïve to believe that human beings don't deserve to be bullied at work? Is it naïve to think we can do better?

I don't think so. And the response from everyone else suggests I'm not alone in that.

The charity sector is struggling too

While I was reflecting on all of this, I came across the latest report from ACEVO. It shows that demand for their CEOs in Crisis service is increasing whilst their membership numbers are decreasing.

Charity leaders are burning out. They're being bullied out. They're leaving the sector.

This isn't a corporate problem or a tech problem. This is happening everywhere, including in the very sector that exists to make the world better.

If we can't look after our own people, what hope do we have of helping anyone else?

You can read more about the ACEVO CEO in Crisis programme here.

What's coming this year

I'm determined to turn all of this energy into something useful. Over the coming months, I'll be sharing more about:

• My new coaching offer for leaders who are navigating difficult transitions
• The digital workbooks I'm developing for people at career crossroads. Here's my first: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
• And more YouTube content because so many people are finding it helpful

If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear from you. Just click reply.

Here's to a kinder, more purposeful 2026.

Lucy

P.S. If you haven't already, you can find my YouTube channel here. And if workplace toxicity is something you're dealing with right now, please know you're not imagining it. The data (and the comments section) prove it.

What am I reading? 📚

I've just finished Arundhati Roy's memoir, Mother Mary Comes To Me. I love her writing. In fact, The God of Small Things is one of a very few books I've read twice. It was fascinating to learn about her early life and her complex relationship with her mother, a force of nature just like Arundhati herself.

What am I watching? 👀

We enjoyed House of Guinness on Netflix, not too demanding a story. It made me look into the real history of the Guinness family in 19th century Ireland which I didn't know anything about. Think Succession in the style of Peaky Blinders.

What am I listening to?👂

Talking of memoirs, or maybe not. The stories that have emerged about the truth behind the massive best-seller Salt Path and its author have been fascinating.

There's a podcast about it all by Chloe Hadjimatheou, the journalist who wrote the original exposé and continues to investigate the doubts behind the book.

Joy-giving things 😍

Every year, I look out for the emerging snowdrops. I planted these guys two years ago when we moved here and they're gradually multiplying.

ChangeOut is created by Lucy Caldicott. You can find more about my work at ChangeOut.org. If you’re looking to have a chat about culture, leadership, purpose, equity, or a facilitated team discussion about any of those things, get in touch.

You can also find me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and ...

🎬🎬🎬 YouTube 🎬🎬🎬

If you like what you read and you'd like to show your appreciation in cash, you can do that here. Thank you so much!