When Life Lifes

Last Wednesday I sold my flat in East London. Exactly seven years after moving in.

As anyone familiar with property transactions in England will attest to, the process was not simple. Throw in the fact my property was a high-rise, shared ownership, leasehold building which might give you a greater indication of the complexity in a post-Grenfell environment.

I’m telling you this because, as I joked on LinkedIn, selling my home has been my part time job since October. A public opinion poll found selling a home to be the second most stressful life event, only to topped by divorce. And even more stressful for women. Not knowing for months, when, or if, this sale would go through, has created a tonne of anxiety, and, an inability to plan things properly.

Missing last week’s newsletter and some rescheduling aside, business has largely continued as usual, though. I’ve been so grateful for these anchors in place across my work, team and systems that have meant continuing to run a fully booked 1-1 practice, two group programmes and generate new client enquiries.

That’s because the work a previous version of me did, is paying off today.

My writing, or workshop replays, or podcast recordings, completed months ago, today lead to the AI search gods listing me as a potential coach when people are looking.

Thank you, Claude, let me know what I owe you!

In recent months I’ve not had the time or mental bandwidth to show up in other people’s communities, attend networking events or post daily on social media, as I have often done in the past.

I’ve really done very little by way of true business development for a while, yet have a strong pipeline, and my calendar is full of active clients. All thanks to the clear, consistent positioning and writing online that a previous version of Ellen put in place.

This stressful period has only led to my greater conviction in the need for authority building when you work for yourself. Specifically: building your Body of Work.

Building your Body of Work is rarely urgent, it takes time, and the payoff isn’t immediately visible. But too many experienced coaches and consultants are still running businesses that depend entirely on their continued efforts day after day…. Being chronically online, or having lots of in person, or zoom coffee chats.

Which is a strategy that works when you’re working, but not when you’re off. Not when someone gets sick, you take a parental leave, a quieter summer, or move house.

It’s in these seasons that a Body of Work starts to matter most.

A Body of Work is much more than just “content.” It’s not the same as being an influencer who shares their morning routine.

A Body of Work is the accumulated evidence of how you think. It’s your frameworks, your beliefs/POV, your unique way of solving problems. And when other people know about them (and they don’t just live inside your head) then over time, many people will want to work with you before you’ve ever spoken to them.

Claude will refer you these people, because Claude’s been reading your Body of Work, too.

I see there being three distinct stages to this Body of Work building.

First comes cohesion. Most experts have years of insight, experience and instinct but it still exists in fragments: conversations, client work, old posts, workshops, notes apps and half-finished ideas.

So at some point, you have to pull these disparate threads together and identify the through-line. That’s the central idea underneath all the different ways you help people and the thing you want to become known for.

The next step is about codification. Here, your thinking becomes tangible instead of remaining trapped in your head. You name frameworks, develop clearer methodologies, create assets that communicate your thinking without you needing to personally explain everything from scratch each time.

This is also the stage where many people begin exploring more scalable ways of delivering their work because repetition starts revealing patterns worth formalising.

And eventually, if you stay with it long enough, things begin to compound. Old writing continues bringing new people in, clients start arriving already educated and your reputation becomes more specific.

You stop relying solely on effort, and start benefiting from accumulated intellectual equity.

I think this is one of the most important transitions experienced service providers can make, especially now. The internet is noisier and AI is flattening generic expertise.

Being visible isn’t the answer in and of itself. It’s your original thinking, your clear perspective and the tangibility of those things in a Body of Work that can work on your behalf, that makes the difference.

• In the clarity of your positioning

• In the language clients use to describe your work

• In the frameworks attached to your ideas

• In the articles, talks and essays that continue circulating long after you’ve published them

• In the repeatability of your delivery

• In the systems that work when you’re out living your life

• In the consistency of who finds you, and why

This is the kind of work that’s easy to postpone because it rarely screams for your attention in the immediate term. Clients always need you first. Admin and taxes have clearer deadlines. Keeping the algorithm happy becomes your second job.

But this is the work that creates the most resilience, leverage and longevity over time. That has kept me operating at over a six-figure turnover for three years running.

And that is the work The Practice has been created to help you do.

I’m creating a space for experienced coaches and consultants to step out of constant delivery mode and finally build the deeper foundations of their Body of Work with focus, structure and support.

An early, small, cohort will begin this summer. Past clients I’ve worked will be invited first, and any remaining places will be offered to the waitlist. If you’re ready to build the kind of Body of Work that continues opening doors long after you’ve logged off… join the waitlist here.

Any questions, I’m on the other side of this email.

Until next time,

Ellen

Ellen from The Ask is brought to you by Ellen Donnelly, Founder of The Ask, offering strategic business coaching & mentorship to Authority Entrepreneurs ready to grow a profitable business in a way that feels true to them.