See.Think.Do. Lucy Werner
Hey Lucy! Whereabouts are you right now?
In my garden office in Clapton or Hackney depending on which side of the front door you stand on.
What (if anything) is getting you excited right now?
I’m extremely over excitable but a few things in no particular order: Grubby delivery boxes, our new puppy Arlo, whether we will hit enough sales in launch month to be a Sunday Times Business Bestseller, a geek out planning session with a spreadsheet for 2022 (work & life), new series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Tell us about your journey into launching ‘The Wern’. What inspired you to start your own PR business and when did you take that first big / small step?
I kept meeting brilliant entrepreneurs & small business owners who had brilliant stories and ideas but couldn’t afford the big agency ticket. In my previous role, I’d hit a certain level where I didn’t actually do the PR anymore. I was just managing teams and creating new business powerpoints – neither of which I was trained in or good at.
I love the actual craft of PR and executing it.
I left agency land to work with Dominic Cools-Lartigue on a project called Fairground. At that same time, my friend Ikenna Mokwe planted a seed in my head by asking me when I was going to set up www.lucywerner.com (what is actually now thewern.com) – I hadn’t ever considered it before but once he gave me that that thought then I started to notice who in my network needed launch support and the rest as they say, is history.
What’s been your highlight to date?
It’s like asking me to pick between my favourite children. I have lots of micro-moments that make me smile. Every time I get a great piece of coverage or land a speaker slot for a client. OR when people message us to say our courses or books or something we shared on Instagram helped them to achieve XX. Some of my followers have absolutely SMASHED their own DIY PR and that is a really lovely feeling.
THINK.
What have you learnt in the last 12 months, that you could apply to your next challenge/goal?
Enjoy the journey rather than the destination.
What’s been inspiring you recently?
A new project that we are working on called The Uncertainty Experts, it’s created by a brilliant, clever and lovely human called Sam Conniff and is scientifically proven to reduce your anxiety and increase your creativity. We are working on the promotion for Season One starting in November and its one of the best projects I’ve ever worked on.
How do you think about mental health and what helps you manage it?
I think happiness is a practice that take hard work and consistency. But with all things, rather than big grand gestures it’s better to take as many little steps as you can. Pre-pandemic 2019 was one of the hardest years on my life and I’m still recovering from that mentally. One-to-one friend dates, eating well & exercise, finding the funny – be that books, TV, podcasts – I try to listen to things that lift the spirits. I’m also a huge advocate for therapy and holistic treatments and when budgets allow will try anything from a sound bath, reflexology or a massage.
DO.
Any bad habits you’d like to kick?
Shit talking to myself. I’m extremely unkind about what I could have done better both personally and professionally.
How will you measure “success” in 10 years' time?
Same as today. How many times can I laugh in a day. How many good habits am I keeping up. How strong my relationships are. Enjoying what I do for work as much as possible. Having time for my little people and being able to drop everything for friends & family if they need me.
What’s the next adventure?
I don’t know universe? What have you got for me? We were going to dabble with some chunks of time in France pre-pandemic so probably some more time there. From a personal creative side I feel like I would love to write something a bit more meaningful that the two toolkits like a TV script or a book that isn’t related to PR & branding.
Me and my partner Hadrien are also developing the other side of the business www.hypeyourself.com which is a DIY PR & branding platform and I love creating content and products to help those with a slimmer wallet, so I guess seeing that grow.
Lucy Recommends
Top Local Spot: Chatsworth Road Market, we try to go and support the local & independent businesses every Sunday.
Watch out for: Vanessa Belleau at High Fifteen – every business needs her.
Best new thing: My second book Brand Yourself of course, written with the French co-founder of my children and if that is too pluggy, head to the Happiness exhibition at the Wellcome Collection
Smallest change/ biggest impact: Working to Flow State podcast
Your message in a bottle: One day at a time.
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What's Doing at Days
Doing: Winterising our run club
Listening to: Jordan Rakei's new album 'What We Call Life'
Watching: LFG
Reading: That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea
Wearing: AllBirds
Getting ready for: Sober October
