TPL Experiences

12/10/2026

One of the things I love most about mentoring is that success looks completely different for every person I work with.

For one , it might mean earning more. For another, finding the to talk about their fees, for someone else it could be about building a team, choosing better opportunities or simply making more time for the creative work they love.

My intention as a Mentor though, is not to hand somebody my version of ambition.

It is to listen, challenge, ask the occasionally annoying questions and help them work out what growth actually looks like for them.

Some of the lovely I have received from recently has been a brilliant reminder of why I enjoy this work so much.

And amongst all the behind-the-scenes action at TPL Experiences, I am particularly excited to be developing a new support programme specifically for creative freelancers.

If you love your creative practice but feel frustrated or stuck when it comes to the business and growth side of things, get in touch. I would love to tell you more.

Image details- Photo of me with the very talented sculptor and Designer Jo Woffinden who I have been supporting through my 1:1 mentoring support. We have got through so much in the past couple of months and I am so excited to see Jo scale her creative practice to new heights in the coming months. 💃

09/10/2026

In the world of , ​I have spent quite a lot of time recently talking to about . And one thing I keep noticing is how much energy we spend trying to make uncertainty feel...certain.

We want the plan, the timeline and the answers. Except sometimes, we genuinely do not know yet.

AI transformation is bringing this into particularly sharp focus. There is so much conversation about , and what can enable. But I am equally interested in another question- What is the people cost of all this change?

What happens to when roles start changing? How do people respond when they don't know what AI might mean for their jobs? And how do leaders communicate when they themselves do not have all the answers?

Because is not about pretending uncertainty does not exist. It is about creating clarity, trust and while people move through uncertainty.

And while we are spending so much time thinking about what AI can do, are we paying enough attention to how people are coping with the pace of change?

This is something we are increasingly exploring through our work which has lead us to get behind the scenes to develop a to help organisations check in on how their people are psychologically navigating change, particularly as AI begins to reshape roles, expectations and ways of working. Would you like a copy? DM me and I will send it over to you.

Image details- Image of workshop participants reflective on a prompt collectively.

02/10/2026

What a week! 🌈

And a lovely reminder of how generous people can be with their support, encouragement and willingness to champion the work we do.

This week, I am celebrating three rather different moments-

💫 Seeing my thoughts on –India business relationships featured in The Yorkshire Post, something that has been a big part of my own journey so far!

💫 Seeing , a community group I co-founded with older + people, represented at The Labour Party's annual Conference this week

💫 And a wonderful conversation with Dahlia Stroud on the Stressed But Well Dressed Podcast talking about culture, AI, success and self-worth- you can tune in here- https://lnkd.in/emESsiBF

Three very different spaces, but all connected by things I care deeply about: showing up authentically, living with purpose and creating change.

Feeling particularly grateful this week for the people in my network who open doors, champion ideas and talk about our work even when we are not in the room. You know who you are. Thank you! ❤️

02/10/2026

Beyond chuffed!

from Leeds is being heard at 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹 this week. What began in 2020 as a dance project with older LGBTQ+ adults has become a place of friendship, confidence and belonging.

Our members have performed, made radio shows and short films, and found their voices. Families have reconnected, and relationships that were lost are being repaired.Independent evaluations have proven the impact again and again. Like so many grassroots groups, though, we still live on short term funding, proving our worth over and over.

The things that matter most are the hardest to measure: trust built over time, friendships formed, confidence restored.That is why our story, 𝗔 𝗙𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄, is part of the case being made this week for a permanent endowment for community life. It would be long term investment, weighted to the places that need it most, with local people deciding where it goes. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 keep our cities alive. They deserve a future as secure as their impact.

A big thank you to the 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗴𝗻 for supporting us and a big thank you to all members of the 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 team for making this only creative group for older individuals, a possibility.

28/09/2026

Pressure vs Progress

One thing about being a is that there is nobody quite as good at putting pressure on me as me! 😅

I love a deadline. Give me a goal, a timeline and something to work towards and I am generally very happy.

But this year, with everything happening at TPL, I had quietly set myself some deadlines for where I thought we should be by now.

We are not there.

And yes, I have found that frustrating.

I have also had to practise something I regularly talk about with the leaders and businesses I work with...my .

Some things have needed more thinking. Some have evolved. Some have relied on other people and processes. And some, quite simply, have needed more time.

I am learning that moving a deadline does not mean lowering the ambition.

Sometimes it means caring enough about what you are building not to rush it just so you can say it is done.

Still ambitious and still impatient! 😄

Just getting slightly better at knowing when the pressure is moving me forward, and when it is simply weighing me down.

For my fellow , how good are you at moving a deadline you set yourself?

24/09/2026

After my last post about just how much has been packed into this summer, I thought I should probably share the other side of it too. 😊

The little pockets of that have kept me going

Collaging with friends. Long walks. Time in the woods. Travel. Lovely food. Building random things out of recycled boxes with my son. Teaching him chess or at least trying to! Moving when I can. And sometimes, doing absolutely nothing or at least trying to! 😅

My usual routines have been all over the place, and for once I have tried not to give myself a hard time about that.

Instead, I have become much more interested in noticing what actually gives me energy and making space for more of it.

None of this would make a particularly impressive plan.

But it works for me. And perhaps that is the point. The more intentional I become about the life I am building, the less interested I am in whether what brings me makes sense to everybody else!

What have your little pockets of calm looked like lately?

17/09/2026

Is anybody else still wondering where exactly the summer went?

Because I am fairly certain I blinked and July and August disappeared!!

This has probably been one of the busiest summers we have had at TPL Experiences. Very much more work than play this year, entirely by choice, and actually, a genuine joy.

There have been countless Post-it notes, flip charts, workshop rooms, train journeys, big conversations and a very well-used stationery box. (As a Virgo, I cannot pretend the last one has not brought me an unreasonable amount of joy.)

And amongst all of that we have had an incredible time-

• Helping organisations turn their into everyday

• Working on pulling together not one but two Regional level that will shape the future of 's sector

• Supporting with engagement and effectiveness through

• Delivering masterclasses for a long standing client from the

• brilliant creative businesses on their

• Exploring unheard LGBTQ+ histories with my lovely community group- Voices

• Continuing to drive our priorities as of

Yup, I know...quite a mix.

And there has been a lot happening behind the scenes at TPL too.

Some of it has taken longer than I expected, and some of it has evolved along the way. But the next chapter is taking shape, and I am getting increasingly excited about sharing it.

For now, a few snapshots of a summer very well spent.

11/09/2026

Honest confession but lately I have had a bit of a creative block with socials!

No dramatic reason. Just an extremely busy summer, personally and professionally, and lots of brilliant work taking up most of my thinking capacity. Turns out there is only so much in the creative bucket!

But talking about where I was on Tuesday feels like a brilliant reason to get back here :)

So on Tuesday, I had the privilege of facilitating a session exploring as part of the development of the for .

It was a fascinating space to learn from people across the Creative Health system and think about what meaningful collaboration could actually look like!

A genuinely brilliant, insightful and honest conversation that also feels particularly important right now. With , , and a voluntary and community sector feeling increasingly stretched, we need to think carefully about how we build systems that enable people to work better together.

I feel incredibly fortunate that so much of my work involves being trusted to of . Creating space for different perspectives, holding the , and knowing that what emerges can help shape ambitious region-wide strategy. Thank you to all those who joined us, such a rich conversation was had!

Find out more about our ambitions here- https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/ceada/creative-health-hub/creative-health-system/

PS- A few images from our session earlier this week.

21/07/2026

The last of my reflections from Japan....

And this one has stayed with me strongly as I continue working with clients on culture, behaviour, and leadership.

One thing I noticed constantly during my time there was just how little energy people seem to spend in proving their importance.

People moved through spaces effortlessly, often quietly.

And it made me think about leadership.

I spend a lot of time working with organisations on culture change, and one thing I notice often is how easily we confuse with .

The loudest voice in the room is rarely the one creating lasting change.

In my experience, the leaders who create the deepest impact are usually the ones who lead quietly, consistently, and with intention.

Perhaps real leadership has very little to do with being noticed. And everything to do with how people feel when they work with you.

Perhaps a nudge for all of us as we swift through meetings today- are we confusing influence with visibility?

Image details- Me standing under a beautiful, gracious tree on a very quiet evening near Lake Ashi in Hakone.

19/07/2026

You know, there are certain pieces of work that stay with you long after the delivery is done! For me, Bradford Producing Hub's has definitely been one of them.

Over the last 2 years, I have had the privilege of designing and leading this programme, working closely with freelancers, creatives, and arts organisations across Bradford, helping them think more strategically about sustainability, growth, and what it really means to build resilience in an increasingly uncertain sector.

And if there is one thing this work has reaffirmed for me, it is this- We need to keep investing in infrastructure development within the arts and culture sector.

Too often, we focus only on funding the output, the performances, the exhibitions, the visible work.

But the real long-term shift happens when we invest in people, organisations, and the confidence and capability needed to build sustainable creative ecosystems. More so now, when the sector faces such acute challenges, organisations like BPH play such a key role in long term change.

I am incredibly proud of the impact this programme has had in such a short period of time.

Really pleased to see this work featured as part of a wider conversation on the future of the sector- https://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/features/the-bradford-way/

Jess Hill interviews several cultural leaders involved in the Bradford Way, which builds on the work of the City of Culture through skills and network opportunity programmes.