Weaving your future story

Have you ever created a vision board, only to have its meaning reveal itself years later? My journey with vision boarding has been a fascinating exploration of intention, manifestation and the power of trusting the process. What started as a way to fill space on oversized cork boards unexpectedly led to the creation of Le Trente, a global community for open-minded people and purpose-driven brands.

This essay explores how seemingly disparate interests, from coaching and consulting to events and storytelling, can integrate into a cohesive mission. It’s about the importance of contemplation, embracing the unknown and allowing the threads of your passions to weave together into a unique tapestry.

Discover how a simple image on my vision board sparked the vision for Le Trente and how you too can connect your own diverse passions. 

I am known to work fast. Whether it’s cooking a meal from scratch, delivering strategy, or coaching. The downside to my enthusiastic introverted nature is that I occasionally gloss over the small print, or casually look over measurements when purchasing something online. That’s how I found two gigantic corkboards at my door in December 2020. 

A few months prior, I’d listened to a talk by the psychologist Marissa Peer who gave detailed instructions on how to make a vision board. 

Anne, really? A vision board? 

Yes. Wait for it. It gets good. 

Ashamed by their size, and unable to carry them to the post office on my own, I decided to keep them. I had them wall mounted in my office, side by side, horizontally, and given the expanse of empty surface, I eventually gave myself over to the process of vision boarding. 

A friend at the head of a large creative agency had sent me a book of their work the year before. This gave me far more material than any of the magazines that were lying around the house. I had no intention of researching images online and printing them myself, so eventually I started to cut, pin, cut, pin and a creative collage started to form in front of my eyes.

THE STORIES CONTAINED IN AN IMAGE

Peer in her video imposed a creative condition on the vision board. I was to write on each picture what it meant or represented for me and my future. On day 1, only 75% of the images held a clear meaning. Again, due to the scale of my canvas, I didn’t take down the rest of the pictures and illustrations I’d collated. I kept them where they were. Peer advises to look at the vision board daily, which I did, and not only read the words scribbled in black marker but also speak them aloud. A strange but not unpleasant way to contemplate the things that matter.

Days after, some images started to offer their hidden meaning. I left the black marker on my desk and didn’t seal the meaning on the paper. Instead, again, every time I would stand and look at my oeuvre, I spoke the phrases that had emerged. 

HOW THE SALON CONCEPT CAME TO BE

Four years ago, one of the small cutouts I added to that board depicted colourful invitations. I reiterate: I was trying to cover the blank space. I’d selected this intuitively, without much of a clear intention. Another one showed a fun, delightful meal with friends and one other under fairy lights, outside somewhere. 

Little did I know then that I would start hosting salons. I was on my own, coming out of lockdown, in the middle of a global pandemic. And yet, I’ve hosted twelve large-scale events in my own home. The images, the attention I gave them, their meaning and my energy somehow merged to create something I couldn’t have imagined at the inception of my board creation. 

A couple of years later, I was invited to a conference in Milan where a number of participants gave extra workshops. One of the ateliers was on vision boards, which struck me as odd. Wasn’t that a little on the woo-woo side? How did this find its place on the schedule? The gender split was 50/50 and my assumption was that it would skew toward women. 

I couldn’t have been more wrong. A long conference table seating at least 30 was already full by the time I found the room, with plenty of men of all ages already seated and cutting away at magazines. The coach who presided over us had laid out tens of glossy titles and reviews across the black surface. We passed scissors, pens, glue and went on like this for 30 minutes without being offered much guidance. 

Meh, I thought to myself about the uninspired image-hunting session. But I did find a hidden gem in an Italian newspaper magazine. A full page depicting the office space of an architecture or design studio somewhere. How beautiful, I thought to myself. I peered over the details of the suspended ceiling light, the mixed textures and fabrics of sofas and chairs, contrasting pleasantly against the polished dark wood of a large table at the forefront. Yummy. 

I flew home and pinned it to the board, despite being clueless as to what it meant. 

WHEN WE REFUSE TO LOOK AT THE FUTURE

In 2024, a dream I’d held close to my heart collapsed in a pile of dust. My heart heavy, my body swollen, I slugged through month after month, pushing on as best I could. My inner resources are many, and I drew on external help as well, with coaching, somatic experiencing therapy, journaling, hypnosis and meditation, of course. Now is not a time to be complacent, my inner monologue relayed to me. 

The spiritual teacher Thomas Hübl said on his podcast the other day: “One description of Hell is no movement. When the movement of life stops and there is no development, it seems like an eternal stagnation.” 

It’s like I’ve been hiding away, I’d said to my coach, somewhat surprised. I retreated within myself during that period, in a cocoon of sorts, an image which we unpacked together. Fragile, I’d twisted my ankles twice that summer, it was as if I was unsure of how to put one foot in front of the other, truly making it very hard to move forward (or anywhere) with any kind of strength and purpose. 

What are other ways in which you are hiding, Gretchen asked? I jotted down some notes, and suddenly, my head swung back to look at the corkboards in my office. Oh my god, I can’t believe it. 

Having welcomed clients to my office, I’d covered my vision board months before, to protect my creation from prying eyes. Over it, I’d pinned a beautiful Sri Lankan batik depicting a large exotic bird, gifted by someone special a few years before. I’d hidden my dream away from my own eyes, just as much as others. 

The weight of this metaphoric gesture stung me somewhat. My inner critic jumped out: I can’t believe I did that! How dare I self-sabotage! (Or was it how dare you, the scolding voice critical of me). I was refusing to look at my own vision board.  

Gretchen gently pointed to this inner conflict and invited me to bring self-compassion and kindness to the part of me that had retreated, or benched me, a necessary process while I repaired, mending myself after the loss I’d experienced. 

I vowed to continue to explore in which ways I may be hiding, embracing ‘unhiding mode’ fully, if only intellectually. 

WHEN THE MESSAGE REVEALS ITSELF

“But Anne, you do so much,” an acquaintance said to me not long ago. The words were uttered by someone who I know to be very kind. I received them as containing several meanings: 

Aren’t you doing too much? (A little concern)

How are you doing so much? (A little admiration)

Why are you doing so much? (Where are you going with this, really?)

I held this with care. I explored this with inner inquiry: should I do less? Is there something that’s superfluous, that should drop off? Am I overwhelmed? 

In the past eight years, I have taken countless courses and certifications. As soon as I closed the door on my previous job, I found myself parched, thirsty as hell for inspiration, new ideas, and connections outside the world of luxury fashion. 

My friends were kind, though I could tell no one around could understand the path that I was on. Yoga teacher training, mindfulness meditation training certification programme, coaching certification, facilitation programmes, writing programmes, all of the Seth Godin-approved courses under the sun, etc, etc. 

The answer was clear: I’m good. Sure, my multi-hyphen lifestyle may not make sense to anyone else. And that’s okay. It feels right to me, in my body, mind and heart.

Three weeks ago, I walked past the vision board. My eyes landed on the mid-century interior page and my right palm flew over the image. “Oh, I know,” I exclaimed to myself. 

Bright as an electric shock, I felt a surge as synapsis communicated with each other, neurons fired together, new connections unveiled a brand new set of possibilities. 

“Of course” I voiced aloud, staring at the image. “It's a social club. Duh!” 

The thoughtfully designed interior I’d been walking past for a few weeks represents a space that invites connection, conversation, community, intimacy, collaboration, exploration, discovery, and generosity - maybe even, in the future, social change. 

All these exist within the container of my events, my salon, named Le Trente. These also exist in my work as a business adviser, as a communications and mindfulness coach, a podcast host, writer and as a loving kindness teacher. 

Suddenly, all the seemingly disparate threads, the skills, the expertise and passions I’d given my time (and money) to develop, found an umbrella, a new home so to speak. With this new understanding, all of the pieces slotted in neatly next to each other. 

Eager to test this new meaning, blending coaching, consulting, events, storytelling, facilitating, etc, I ran to my desk and unloaded all the new ideas into a document, which I fed to one of the LLM’s (Freddie, my copy editor, was not available at that very moment). Seconds later, a torrent of newly formed information was coming at me. Jubilant, I read the words. 

“It makes sense. It finally makes sense!”’ The dog and cats sleeping near me stirred, witnessing my excitement. 

BUSINESS PLANS ARE JUST AS USEFUL AS CRYSTAL BALLS

During the last quarter of 2024, I invested much time into re-working a clear vision for my business. I wanted to do things by the book, aka drafting a new business plan. Per my introduction, I’m not a slacker. Ten hours into this project, I stalled. Uninspired, despite the clarity of the mission and my connection with my clients, I abandoned the document to gather dust in a corner of my Google Drive. Not long after, I decided to build a few presentations to offer my coaching services to local companies. Again, in front of this hellish slug, I stopped. 

I didn’t have words to explain what was happening, only a felt sense of ‘not right’. This is not right for me, not right for my expertise, not the right way to connect with new prospective clients. If there had been a hard deadline, you bet I’d have finished it. But there wasn’t. 

The holidays came. As a good enthusiastic introvert that I am, a surge of excitement came at the quiet time ahead, the opportunity to make a dent in my entrepreneurial to-do list. 

The universe had other plans. Instead, I got the flu for Christmas. Fever. Muscle aches. I was down for a week, unable and unwilling to do anything but rest. 

Part of me was fuming at this. I had prepared this great online workshop, at the time entitled Rest and Reset (I know, I can see the humour in this). Eventually, I continued to edit until it became Your Story, Your Map, a guided reflection for meaning and orientation.  

Is it any wonder that I came to a state of integration after a: resting, and b: writing a whole guide about meaning and orientation? 

Probably not. I guess rest and reflection really is the secret sauce. Thank god, that means I’m aligned with myself. 

Someone smart (though I can’t remember who) told me that business plans are as useful as a crystal ball, though maybe not as fun. The original plan I was building failed to conjure any vivid picture of the company I want to build. No wonder! A whole chunk was missing to create the full picture. It’s like I was in a box and somehow, the lid fell off, leaving me to marvel at the sky and the stars and the possibilities all around. 

I’m so excited to start over. 

Maybe you are like me and you have many interests, dreams and goals. Maybe, like me, you’re unsure of how to bring these out into the world. Or simply, you find that your nearest and dearest don’t get what you do, making you feel shaky about whether your goals are even worth pursuing.  

My advice? Don’t worry so much about making everything neat and tidy right from the start. 

Learn to sit with the unknown. Rest. Reflect. And only then, make a plan.

Despite the detours that we may take and the cosmic banana peels life throws at us, trust that integration will happen. That magic moment when disparate threads weave together to form a unique tapestry of your work, your life, your mission. 

Le Trente — where inspiration meets connection. 

V1: Le Trente is a global community for open-minded people and purpose-driven brands seeking meaningful connections and inspiration. We offer a safe space to engage in deep conversations, explore new ideas and nurture your personal and professional growth. Born in Geneva, but with plans to expand across the world, Le Trente is a social club with a difference.