1/ I posted back in January about needing some time out, and was really touched by the response. So I just wanted to give a quick update

2/ I spent a month reading books in hammocks in Mexico & Guatemala, visited an old friend & her family there, moved slowly, breathed deeply & soaked in as much sunshine as I could

3/ I did lots of thinking, and came home having remembered who I am and what makes me happy.

One of the things that doesn't make me happy is running a growing business.

4/ Don't get me wrong, I love our company & am super proud to have got it to this point, but it's a lot of pressure when you don't have a business background, you're forging a new industry, and staff, clients, investors are all relying on you getting it right

5/ I wasn't able to spend the time focusing on the aspects of the business that I really enjoy and am good at, because everything else was weighing on me, and I constantly felt like I was about to drop all the balls. That's not good for me, or for the business

6/ Luckily we had someone very close at hand who knows our company inside out and *is* good at (& enjoys) running businesses. @KatieCritchlow has been on our board since 2018, joined me at 2 UN biodiversity conferences & had stepped in to hold the fort while I took time away

7/ She's also got an amazing CV, with a degree in environmental economics & career in sustainable supply chains, green energy start-ups and most recently in politics where she helped write the Lib Dems' policy on climate change

8/ So it was one of those times where everything miraculously slots into place. Katie has now taken on the @NatureMetrics MD role full time & I'm able to focus again on the things I love: combining the science, policy, and business worlds and spreading the word about #eDNA

9/ It took me a few weeks to adjust to being back (what with the shifting sands of coronavirus to deal with too), but pleased to say I'm now 100% back in the game, loving what I do, loving working with our wonderful, diverse, talented team & excited about the future

10/ From now on, I'll be taking better care of my own wellbeing - for everyone's benefit. I'm learning to occasionally say no to things & to value myself more highly (yep, #therapy rocks, try it if you haven't).

11/ Above all, I'm so grateful to the team, the board, advisors and all those around me who listened to me and supported me, and have enabled us all to emerge stronger, happier and ready to take on the world!