Why wait for January?

A year ago, I asked a question in a YouTube video: what if we moved New Year's Day to 1 October? I'd seen some discussion online about this being a better time of year to do a reset than January. Here's that old video if you want to have a look. I can see the merits. Why wait till 1 January when you can start new things three months earlier instead?

If you live in the Northern hemisphere, 1 January is a rubbish day to start new things. Days are cold and short, you're sluggish after Christmas, and it all feels so pressured that the resolutions are out the window after a couple of weeks and you feel like a failure before the year has properly begun. Starting in October gives you a run-in. Thirteen weeks - time to start small and kick January off with something that's already underway. If you want to take up running, run round the block a few times a week before Christmas and see how it goes. If you want to write a book, write 500 words a day between now and December. By January you'll have half a novel under your belt.

More than any other time of year Autumn feels like change. When I was starting to look at branding for ChangeOut, pictures of leaves changing colour, red berries on bushes inspired me. In the UK voluntary sector where I've spent much of my career the run into Christmas and beyond into the last quarter of the financial year is a key time for planning, looking back and looking ahead.

A year ago, I was undergoing my own October reset. My Henley Business School coaching course started that month, we had a big birthday trip to India, and while we were away people found my YouTube channel. I came home to ten times as many subscribers as I'd had when we left.

The YouTube channel, and the community we've built there, has grown and strengthened over the last twelve months. But I know that the conversations there are held back by how public that space is. When people tell me about a difficult boss, a toxic team or a job they can't decide whether to leave, they are rightly hesitant about what they say in a place where anyone can read it. I'd like there to be somewhere to say what's actually going on.

That's why I'm opening The Changing Room. It's a private online community for people working through hard situations at work, with support. Instead of working things out alone at midnight, you can share them in a room with me, and with other community members who understand, because they've been there too. Every fortnight there's an online live Q&A where you can bring whatever's on your mind, a work conversation you're dreading, or a decision you can't quite make. This will be recorded and available to watch on demand later too. Plus I've uploaded some online resources like my Should I Stay or Should I Go workbook and documentation template. I will add to this and build up the content over time.

Because you're a newsletter subscriber, you get first access to the founding member offer - your first three months completely free. After that it's £20 a month, or £180 for the year. Of course, you'll be able to cancel any time. I'm keeping the founding group to fifty people, and 12 places have already gone.

Our first live Q&A is on Wednesday 7 October at 5:30pm BST, and I'd love you to be there. To access the offer, use the code FOUNDER at checkout.

And if you'd rather have a private conversation than with a group, I've created Get Ready for 2027. It's my executive coaching programme for experienced professionals and leaders: three one-hour, one-to-one sessions with me between now and the end of December, for £675, or a single one-hour session for £250. It's a confidential space with someone who understands what you're experiencing to help you make sense of what 2026 has thrown at you and create a clear plan for 2027. There are ten places and they're already going, and, because the three sessions need to fit in before Christmas, please don't leave it too long if you're thinking about it. I'll be as flexible as I can to fit around your diary.

What am I reading? 📚

It has, devastatingly, been a record-breaking year for wildfires in the UK. There have been 1132 so far in 2026, beating 2025's record-breaking 1017.

The UK is not prepared for this in any way so I was interested to read Kinglake 350, Adrian Hyland's moving account of the Black Saturday bushfires in Australia in 2009 which killed 173 people. I hope the powers that be are learning from others.

What am I watching? 👀

Celebrity Traitors, of course, which started last night.

What am I listening to?👂

I always find Django Django's music cheery. They've got a new album out soon. Here's one of the tracks from it premiered on a balcony in South London: Feel Alright

Joy-giving things 😍

I've really enjoyed my Celestine and Hare calendar this year. Here's the October page:

Does sending a newsletter to you count?! Orders for the 2027 calendar are open till the end of October. (Not an ad!)

Have a good weekend everyone

Lucy x

I've been writing regular blogs since 2020. If you want to have a look at my back catalogue, they are all here.

If you're wondering whether coaching might help you think through where you are and where you're going next, I'd love to hear from you.

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

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If you like what you read and you'd like to show your appreciation in cash, you can do that here. I'd be very grateful!