It’s been a long time coming but, after a few years of hibernating, sickness, transformation and stepping into a new era as a mother - I am back, ready and excited to connect with you.

Over the past three years, I became disillusioned with how I thought I was meant to operate in the industry, build my name and business, and I promptly exited stage left. I quit the projects I put most of my effort into, I quit my own company, and asserted boundaries. I let go of who I thought I was meant to be, and relaxed into who I am. Life then began to flow with a lot more ease, culminating in the birth of my son. We are both healthy and well, but the pregnancy was not without its challenges, and I suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe sickness) the entire pregnancy, being unable to work for much of the year.

So now as I enter 2026, with renewed vigour and a gorgeous little human in my arms, I am excited to return. After speaking with a dear friend about how I can get back into contributing to improving the events industry, she urged me to do it on my terms. Safety Sistas and writing both bring me joy, and so I decided to focus on these two areas as my way of engaging, contributing, and supporting others.

My angle will be, sort of what it's always been, understanding the human condition in order to help improve crowd safety and empower those behind the plans. I love championing friends and colleagues to assert their own authority and achieve goals, and want to use all I've learned in neuroscience, biology, psychology (transactional analysis); and practiced in Human Design, A Course in Miracles, Tibetan Buddhism and Ehama to do just that.

Nothing lights me up more than standing in (comfortable, waterproof) boots in a giant field or city streets, surrounded by flags, tents, parades, music, food and laughter, where I have been part of creating a safe container to allow crowds to come together and experience release, relaxation, connection and joy, without thinking about their safety.

In the current state of the world, I believe we need this now more than ever.

The power of choosing your terms
It makes me smile that so many of you have subscribed over the years and although I admit I retrograded a few times since 2020, I finally feel comfortable with departing all traditional social media and focusing on this newsletter instead. LinkedIn was the last to go, and after hibernating my account last year, I realised that my mind and body felt calmer and more centred without it. 

I say traditional social media, because my website is made by Ghost and they achieved something pretty cool - they federated our websites. Just like podcasts, you can now follow my website from many social media sites, including Flipboard, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, or wherever you get your social web feeds. My handle is @[email protected]

What I am bowing out of are the platforms designed to manipulate and exploit us for profit.

In fact, I noticed that all of my clients either already knew me or were recommended to me from someone I knew. I realised I never got paid work via LinkedIn (or Instagram), which gave me the confidence to say bye bye. From all I learned with Human Design, I tuned into how my body would respond. When I logged out, I felt relief. When I logged in, I felt awful.

I caveat that there is no judgment on my part for anyone who continues to use and find benefit from these platforms. Things work differently for everyone and my check point is if it feels good to keep using it, then keep using it.

It's when it doesn't feel good, if we feel resistance or any host of negative emotions, is when I begin to question. My approach has always been to challenge the status quo, and remind others, by demonstrating, that we have a choice. If you love LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, then great! They can bring many benefits. I am thinking about those who feel trapped, who feel like their lives are negatively impacted, who feel like their health is affected.

As I was cheerfully reminded in a podcast interview with the girl with no internet, we hold the power. We are the many. The "tech bros" are the few. Meta would shutdown tomorrow if we all stopped using its products. We have a choice. What does social media look like on your terms?

Notes

In the spirit of crafting my own version of social media on the web, I have started posting Notes. These are short form observations, reflections and learnings on the go that I would have in the past posted as a story on Instagram, or an update on LinkedIn.

Now they are here, and as you are subscribed to the website, you can login and comment, sort of like social media. In fact, you can comment on this newsletter, and any of the articles I have written, or audio/video recorded. I would love to hear from you, even to say hello.

Ironically, my first Note is about OFF February. Are you taking part? One of my strategies for disconnecting from my phone has been reintroducing my (now vintage) Filofax. Oh yes. She said Filofax.

Honest conversation

The latest episode of Safety Sistas is a gritty honest discussion about safety, events and Rachel's experience in it. This is what I intended for Safety Sistas, a platform for people to share their stories, experiences, challenges and opportunities. I want to cultivate a space for honest conversation, because I believe we can only truly develop and improve if we voice what's really going on. If we refuse to look at the issue, how on earth can we resolve it?

Additionally, if you are someone who knows anything about sponsorship, please reach out. I would love to get sponsorship for the show, as I want to record in studio and pay for editing, but I have no idea how to package it up. (I had a very kind and supportive person offer years ago but I didn't take him up on it as I just did not know how to go about it). Especially as I don't have a set frequency.

Being a guest on Joe Marler's Things People Do made me crave a producer to organise all of this. It was amazing to watch Ryan and how he got everything sorted, allowing Joe to do what he did best. I'd love a Ryan.

Speaking of honest conversation, and being a guest on his show, I couldn't believe how deeply terrified I was. I was so nervous that everything I wanted to discuss vacated my mind and my throat went dry, making it hard to talk. I wish I had a second chance to go back but alas he has moved on from the podcast. I was also paranoid for months afterwards that I said something wrong and was going to be cancelled, sued, or arrested.

Amazing, isn't it? The mind, when it runs away with us. It humbles me time and time again how little control we have over the very thing we use to interact with reality. I guess its why it makes it into Buddha's top three essences of his teachings "to tame this mind of ours"

Housekeeping

A quick sweep through the house before I go. You are signed up to my website isemurphy.com and by default, you are subscribed to:

• Newsletter
• New Blog Posts

You are not subscribed to Notes by default as I don't want to overwhelm your inbox. You can login to subscribe if you wish to receive Notes to your inbox.

You can login and turn these off if you don't want to receive them, but still remain a member of the site (as some of my posts, especially my audio recordings, are behind a login). If you use RSS (which I highly recommend), you can add my website and get your posts there.

Getting to know you

As I mentioned, my intention for this newsletter is to share with you my learnings and thoughts as I continue my study and work. I want it to provide something useful, so I welcome feedback you have, or email me if there is something you would like me to investigate, or raise as a topic for discussion.

Thank you for reading! See you at the next newsletter.

P.S. A dear friend has produced this soothing soundscape. She invites you to "pause and immerse yourself in a moment of peace"