ACEVO’s first-ever week-long digital festival takes place on 16-20 November, bringing together social sector leaders to reflect, reboot, rebuild. The full programme is available on the website and in this blog series, you will get to know our speakers a little bit better.
A narrated version of this blog is available at the bottom of the page
Jules Hillier is the CEO of Pause. At #ACEVOFest, she will take part in a discussion on the issue of CEO mental health, the responsibility of boards to support their chief execs, and the strategies they have used to stay mentally healthy and best able to support their teams and organisations.
How would you describe your time working from home because of lockdown in 5 words?
Privileged, tiring, creative, flexible, well-supported.
What was the best thing you did for your own well-being in the past few months?
I have given myself permission to have bad days and accepted that not every day can be as productive as I’d like. I’ve also, as the days have got shorter, started changing my working patterns so that I always have time every day to go outside in daylight.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
To have people that you have a regular check-in with, just to chat, not to work. The Pause leadership team has met for 30 minutes every morning and some of the time we are simply sharing our anxieties and talking about our days and that has been incredibly supportive.
What was your favourite digital discovery this year?
I have really appreciated the websites that have made life easier. At Pause, we have sent everyone little gifts every now and again as a little spirit lifter. I’ve found some really lovely sites that have made doing that very simple and have particularly liked www.beardsanddaisies.co.uk and www.eelcatchersdaughter.co.uk. I also could not have got through lockdown without decent coffee from www.silveroakcoffee.co.uk. That, and Eel Catchers Daughter, are small businesses that are local to me who had to adapt really quickly in order to survive and they have done that with lovely websites.
If you had to leave a message to yourself to read a year from now, what would it be?
Look how much has been achieved with some amazing people, some creativity and some tenacity. Well done to you and everyone else for navigating the difficult bits. Now focus on all the successes, and don’t forget to celebrate them!
