‘…during life’s dark stretches, when the future seems uncertain, it often helps to stop and acknowledge where we are, before inching ourselves towards a clearer route ahead. Maybe there’s always an invitation and a sense of promise hidden in the deep winter…

…no matter what might be happening in our individual or collective experiences, life invites us to move forward, to find the best flow we can.’

Taken from Enuma Okoro ‘Feeling Blue? It’s ok not to be ok’ The Art of Life @ FT.com

By mid-January, everyone is back to some form of regularity and routine. And whilst the blue winter skies led me to daydream about being by a cosy fire in the countryside, they often shift into the grey skies of reality, leading to moments of frustration and a heightened sense of annoyance. Looking back at my notes during this insular season, I quickly realised I was capturing a number of things which didn’t resonate with me or my values. It read like a list of ‘arghs’; guttural reactions to what made me cringe, turn away or fume. It soon became obvious this list signalled the things I no longer wanted to be a part of. And there were two related things:

Corporate ‘C-suite’ language and manufactured authenticity

‘Alpha’ female spaces trading on manufactured authenticity and superficial ‘empowerment’ language

To be clear, this is not throwing shade on any founder or space that’s giving tools to enable women in the workplace, particularly when my mission is to support women. But what I find jarring is ‘performative authenticity’ so often used in spaces like Linkedin. When this language is used in the corporate Alpha Exec and elite member spaces, it literally goes against two of my guiding principles as shared in Season 1:

Good company and vibes, even over status.

Space, warmth, fun and nourishment, even over earnest privilege

The trigger for me was reading an article about a US private club and networking space for ’high-flying women in business’, which launched with much hype (Amal Clooney at the opening) and eye-watering membership (up to £7,900 a year) in New York. It was quickly followed by a London, UK ‘clubhouse’ opening, only to close 12 months later due to lack of interest

I read its US website to find out more, and honestly, the whole tone and approach completely jarred with me.

Now, I’m not the target audience at all, but it did show clearly that this was not what I valued. It gave further clarity and truth to the kind of space I wanted to occupy in my future. In this case, an exclusive, corporate and high-powered culture was the polar opposite of the space I wanted to build with Oh Yeah. It was not an exec environment, its pressure cooker of stress, the stranglehold of presenteeism or the sacrifices – all for someone else’s bottom line, not your own.

And that’s why the corporate ‘C-suite’, status-driven spaces and manufactured authenticity made it onto my ‘Yuck’ list. And be even more determined to stay human.

The Oh Yeah Juice