High Flying Design

06/09/2026

just so you know

03/09/2026

A few years ago, everything .ie had asked for started arriving at once: the bigger stages, the real money, my name in the Irish Independent and Stellar, on RTÉ and Newstalk, on Fox News in Detroit.

Do you know what she did with all of it? She went blasé!

A friend actually pulled her up on it.

There she was, mentioning that she was writing a book and speaking on American stages in the same flat tone she'd use to say she'd booked the car in for a service.

Her friend looked at Jennifer and said, "Do you hear yourself?"

Jennifer was dimming the whole thing down, making it smaller as it came out of her mouth, because some old part of her had decided it was safer to act like none of it was a big deal than to stand fully in the fact that it was.

That's the fear nobody recognises as fear...

It doesn't always look like hiding under the duvet. Sometimes it looks like being suspiciously blasé about the best, most exciting year in your business, because if you don't make it matter, then you don't have to change, and you don't have to risk others seeing you differently, or worry it might cost you a friendship.

And she's not an exception to the rule(!), which is why she's taken a forensic look into why ambitious women fear success for : https://www.highflyingdesign.com/magazine/mindset/fear-of-success

03/09/2026

I bet you've been asked at least one of the questions in the top half of this image in the last month... are we right? 😉

I bet no one has asked you the question at the bottom.

Bose Akadiri asks it of everyone she meets. She met a stranger at an event, opened with it, and watched the woman's face light up as she talked about problem-solving and how much she loves a challenge.

So, seeing as you're here. What brings YOU joy?

Then set goals that amplify it, rather than goals you'll celebrate one day if there's time. Life is precious, and there's no reason to wait for some distant goal to celebrate.

Bose's piece on using joy as your litmus test for decisions is up on High Flying Design now. 🔗 👇

https://www.highflyingdesign.com/magazine/mindset/using-joy-to-make-decisions

So, what brings you joy? Tell us in the comments.

02/09/2026

The norm is to set a goal, then celebrate once it’s been achieved. But what if we got serious with ourselves about what brings us joy, then set goals that amplify that joy? Flip the script. Life is precious, and there’s no reason to wait for some distant goal to celebrate. 👀

Postponing joy raises the risk of burnout, because you go non-stop without pausing for anything, let alone recognition. And as high-achieving women, we tend to move the goalposts every time we get close, so the celebration never arrives.

That sounds awful! But it's how a lot of us live, Bose Akadiri included, until she realised the answer was to start with joy, let it guide her decision-making, live in joy on the journey, and amplify it every step of the way.

Read more from Bose in her article, 'Using Joy as Your Litmus Test: How to Determine Which Decisions Are Right for You' on 👇

https://www.highflyingdesign.com/magazine/mindset/using-joy-to-make-decisions

01/09/2026

An everyday reminder 🤭

31/08/2026

As said ’s ‘25 festive meet up, we don’t celebrate ourselves and our wins enough.

If you’re feeling like you’re behind or want to give up, STOP for a sec. Take some time to write down your wins (BIG AND SMALL). Take some time today to acknowledge how freaking awesomely you’re doing, because you are!! Even if it’s taking a bit longer than you thought, even if your wins look different to others! 🐬🩵💫

Behind the scenes we are working on creating our very own physical Wins Tracker that female founders can use to celebrate themselves. Join the waitlist at highflyingdesign.com.

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

There's a scene late in The Devil Wears Prada 2 where Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of New York fashion bible Runway, finally calls her former assistant Emily Charlton out. Emily, now a senior executive at Dior, has been secretly engineering a takeover of Runway, planning to install herself as editor and push Miranda out for good. It's a long-running grudge wearing a rescue plan. When Miranda turns to her, she explains:

"You're beautiful and intelligent, but no, you don't have what it takes [to step into her shoes as Editor-in-Chief]. I'm sorry. But you're not a visionary, you're a vendor."

It's the line we found ourselves thinking about on the drive home from the cinema. And we doubt we're the only ones!

A vendor, as per the Oxford English Dictionary, sells. While a visionary has original ideas about what the future could be. Both are valid. Both are real categories of work. The film makes the contrast literal: Dior, where Emily works, buys ad space in Runway. Miranda has shaped Runway editorially over decades. Emily has the resources. Miranda has the point of view.

In the real world, most founders are both. You're selling something; that's how the bills get paid. But you're also shaping how the work in your corner of the world gets done, and that's why anyone chose you in the first place.

The question isn't “which one am I?”; it's “which one am I leading with when I describe what I do?”

Most women lead with the vendor half. Often with a “just” in front of it, for good measure.

Read our full write-up at: https://www.highflyingdesign.com/magazine/business/devil-wears-prada-2-vendor-or-visionary

Andi left a comment earlier in the week that has prompted this reshare. Swipe to read her reaction. It's a powerful one. 💥 Drop a COMMENT below if it resonates.

24/08/2026

Don't feel disheartened if it's taking longer than you thought it would.

Social media has made us all believe that success (however you define it) needs to be instant. But it takes time.

"When you first start it's really hard, it takes about five years to build up. But once you've got it, if you look after people, they come back and they bring others," shared Dina Humphreys, owner of .

Déjà Vu Hair Studio is a top salon in Clacton, recognised by The Clacton & Frinton Gazette.

Read our full conversation at https://www.highflyingdesign.com/magazine/founder-stories/dina-humphreys-deja-vu