Some people like to jump into the new year in high gear. I always feel like doing as little as possible in January. After usually sprinting in December to wrap up things, January is a month for reflection more than action. A lot of people I talk to feel the same way. How about you, are you hibernating in January or are you super active?

Sometimes when you are busy in the doing of all the things you forget why you even started. And New Year’s or any vacation is always a good opportunity to take a step back, remember where you wanted to go and if you are still headed in the direction you want.

For me that meant revisiting my “why”. Why am I creating a tech startup. Every startup has its own purpose and reason for existence, something innovative it wants to bring into the world. And every startup is also part of the next generation of companies. Just like the next generation of humans are here to teach us new ways of living, next generation companies are here to push the boundaries and define a new normal for work. On a deep personal level I am committed to this because it means I have to live on my creative edge and keep growing. Also, I believe work can be so much more enjoyable for everybody, and I want cyberjuice to be an example of this. I believe the “new new work” is a major topic for this century and I intend to be part of that discussion. Some of the key questions are: How do we define work? What if we don’t have to work? What do leadership and organisations look like in the next paradigm?

My word for 2022 was integration, this has shown up in various ways, and the most important was the integration of aspects of myself that I didn’t always feel comfortable with. It means feeling good in my own skin, where ever I go and in any situation. That is real freedom.

From time to time I get asked to be a role model for female leaders in tech, and I have often felt conflicted about that. For so many years I was in denial that gender has any role to play in work and opportunities… that is one of the aspects that has integrated more. And this year I have decided to say YES when I get opportunities to speak about women in tech, my personal experiences and what I do to feel good in my own skin. When you set a clear intention results tend to come quick. I have already been invited as a panel guest for an “Aspiring Women CTO” event in January. If you are curious about this, it’s a free online event, check out the link here.

So what can you expect from me in 2023? You can expect me to talk more about women in tech and to share some of my personal experiences. I hope it will inspire lots of women to believe in their dreams and to go for it. You can also expect to hear a lot more about Cyberjuice and how we redefine work: in our own team and how cybersecurity gets integrated in an agile organisation. On the coaching side there will only be room for a couple of one on one clients but there is a mini course coming out too because I believe I have some insights and tools that really work when it comes to building confidence and believing in yourself. I want to help a lot more women develop their confidence and resilience so they can feel good in their own skin.

Every New Year’s I take time to calibrate my personal compass. For my process I am taking inspiration from The Year Compass - maybe you will find that helpful too?