Honestly Woman Jan - March, 2017 | Page 22

REASON FOR BEING BY CAROLYN TATE

My first complete reinvention came in 2001 , when my son Billy was three years old . I divorced , moved house , and quit my corporate job in marketing to start my own marketing company . I remember thinking that if I ’ m going to throw one ball in the air I may as well throw them all . I felt like I ’ d taken on too many mandated roles and I didn ’ t really know who I was anymore .

While running marketing workshops and teaching small businesses marketing I wrote my first book , Small Business , Big Brand , which really supported the business growth and garnered much exposure for me .
In 2010 ( after a total of 20 years in marketing ) I just fell out of love with my profession . I really questioned marketing . I questioned my own work . I was also in a love affair that I wanted to end , and struggling financially as a single mum . I just felt stuck .
I clearly remember the morning of May 17th in 2010 : I woke up and thought , “ Well , I ’ m out of here .” Within 90 days I had sold my home , given away all my possessions , closed my business , and Billy and I had moved to live in Aix en Provence in the south of France .
My third book , Unstuck in Provence - the courage to start over , came from my blissful six months in France , where I could really think about what I stood for , what I was passionate about , what I believed in , where my work could take me , and what the world needed .
I came back to Melbourne , Australia , with a deeper commitment to make marketing a force for good in the world and to support more women in their journey , because I do think it ’ s our time as more mature women to step up and lead – and we don ’ t need to wait for permission from anybody to do that .
Now I have two businesses . The first is Carolyn Tate & Co , where my sole commitment is helping people and organisations unearth their higher purpose as the balance to profit , and I am about to release a new book called The Purpose Project .
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