Lea 🌈 Turner

Dress like a leader, they said.

Hold my axe.

Okay, fine, I’m not exactly leading vikings into blood thirsty battle.

And I keep the pillaging to a minimum these days.

But as reluctant as I am to think of myself as a leader…

…it’s a role I’ve become very comfortable and confident in.

Helping people
Protecting people
Supporting people
Finding solutions to new problems every day
With 500 battle ready business owners by my side.
Keeping our ships afloat by working together.

So, I may wear this more often, to remind myself how fcking lucky I am to ride alongside such fearless warriors.

Or just because I feel goddamn fierce in it 😆

What did you wear for Halloween, LinkedIn friends?

Well, blow me down with a hotel hairdryer.

After I posted last week about the generosity of one of our members buying HoLT membership as a gift to 2 other business owners, and got a lot of you all wobbly-lipped and emosh, you'll never believe what happened...

Some very generous soul popped into my messages wanting to donate 3 x 3 month memberships to struggling small biz owners, which we've already allocated to 3 lucky people!

THEN

Someone else appeared like a heaven-sent angel saying they would like to gift an annual membership to someone very close to them, one business owner lifting another.

It never even occurred to my naive little brain that this would be something people would want, but I've been on to my team to create gift vouchers for 3, 6 and 12 month memberships to The HoLT.

If you want to support a small business owner with the gift of community, encouragement, skills masterclasses, and a network of truly spectacular humans... drop me a message. They'll be available very soon.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to dab my eyes with some three-ply 🥹

They say that it ‘takes a village’ to raise children, but I didn’t have a village.

Since the 5th day after my c-section, I’ve done it alone, while running a business from home.

No colleagues
No family nearby
No comraderie
No one to ask for help or advice
No one to rage to when things went wrong
No one to celebrate with when things went well

And I was painfully, chronically lonely. All. The. Time.

There were many, many reasons I decided to start The HoLT community, but the isolation and loneliness of being an only parent and a solo business owner, was the biggest.

Now, every day, I have people to talk to who ‘get’ how hard it is to run a business.

They don’t judge me, or each other, for asking questions that seem ‘silly’.

They cheer for wins
Console the losses
Relate to the failures

They become confidants, cheerleaders, collaborators and FRIENDS.

I see them hiring, referring, and supporting one another CONSTANTLY.

We’ve created the village it takes to raise a business.

And we’ll continue to build them, while learning, laughing, and having fun, together.

Much like the fun I had building a sand turtle yesterday with the boy I’ve built everything for 🩷

(Photo of our completed turtle in the comments for those curious 🐢 )



There’s space for you in the village, if you want to build with us https://the-holt.com/

Success to me isn’t making millions.

It’s having built a business, and a brilliant team, that make it possible for me to escape the onset of British winter for a week of quality time with my son in the sun.

Being a business owner and a solo parent feels like a never ending treadmill trying to keep up with my responsibilities.

But being able to escape them for a week has been exactly the reset I’ve needed.

Thanks to all who make it possible.
I’ll be back and raring to go on Friday 🩷

This might sound like a minor achievement, but it has rebuilt my confidence from the bones up…

I’ve learned to say NO.

Not with panic.
Not with a 14-paragraph justification and 3 virtual curtseys.
Just a simple, respectful… no.

It felt alien AF at first.
My people-pleasing muscles were bench-pressing my boundaries on the daily.

But the more I did it, the easier it became.

No to podcast invites that don’t serve me.
No to events I have zero desire to attend.
No to collaborations that make absolutely no sense for my business.

Because I realised, through the blurry lens of exhaustion and overwhelm, that
I don’t owe anyone my time or energy just because they asked for it.
And I also don’t owe them an explanation.
(and nor do you!)

Now I say things like:
“Thank you so much for thinking of me. It’s not for me, but I really appreciate the invite.”

That’s it.
No “at the moment.”
No “maybe later.”
No wedge of hope for a follow-up ask I still don’t want.

My No Muscle is now stronger than my People Pleasing Muscle — and that’s only because I kept doing the reps.

But the most important lesson has been that every time I say yes to something that drains me…
I’m saying no to something that fulfils me.

And most often?
That “something” is my son.

I don’t want to miss the moments that matter because I’m too busy proving I’m polite.

So, I say no.
Often.
And with zero guilt.

Because he deserves my yes more than anyone else ever will.

Get yourself a VA who guards your inbox like a sassy Doberman.

Have a day ✌🏻


Luke Manton

When I dramatically quit LinkedIn training at the end of last year, I was honestly extremely worried.

How the FK was I gonna shake off being ‘The LinkedIn Lady’ that I’d become *known* for?

(Okay, lady is a stretch, but let’s not argue semantics)

But nearly 10 months on, the amount of people who now approach me because they know of me as ‘The HoLT founder’ or as a ‘community expert’, is staggering.

Like, it actually worked.
I successfully pivoted my brand.
I’m hired to speak at events about community.
Or liaise with massive brands about building engaged communities.

How’ve I done it?
I’m not actually sure.

Relentless consistency?
Loudly loving what I do all over socials?
Community members who tell anyone who listens what great experiences they have inside The HoLT?

Probably a combination of all of them plus some others I’ve not realised yet.

One thing I do know is that it was a huge risk to walk away from a business still making tens of thousands a month, with an eye wateringly large mortgage, and not much of a plan.

But it was the second best risk of my life (after becoming a solo mum by choice).

Because I’ve finally built something that really matters, that helps people daily, that encourages kindness, friendship, and mutual support and brings the very best out of good people, with beautiful hearts and minds.

I never wanted to be ‘known’ as a LinkedIn trainer.
Truth be told, I never wanted to be ‘known’ at all 😆

But being known for this.
For building a micro world where people shine together…

…I’m pretty ok with that 🩷

Have you ever met a person who just radiates a kind of calmness that you *wish* you could achieve?

I have. This is Hedi Shah 🐉

For over a year, Hedi has been hosting Wellbeing Circles inside The HoLT.

She creates a space for people to tune out of work for an hour, talk openly and vulnerably, reflecting on how they have taken care of themselves over the past month, and how they plan to prioritise their wellbeing in the month to come.

I liken being in Hedi's presence to:

- A warm hot chocolate in your hands on a chilly winter day
- A hug from your mum when you've scraped your knee
- The deepest of breaths while stood next to the ocean during a beautiful sunset

The feedback from the members in The HoLT who have attended her sessions would bring you to tears. She's helped guide them through grief, trauma, imposter syndrome, overwhelm, anxiety...at times when they have not known where else to turn for support.

She's created blogs, masterclasses, and posture guidance for our members.

And she never asks for a thing in return. She is the definition of a giver.

So it's time I gave back to her for what she has done for our HoLT community.

Hedi helps people who’ve tried everything, to finally move beyond modern-life pain through mindfulness and posture-focused strength training to address the root cause, not just the symptoms.

She is a gift to your body, your mind, and quite honestly, your soul.

Please give her a follow and support her, hire her, learn from her, and benefit from being in her energy.

Like we all do.


(PS she gonna be so mad I did this post but hopefully she'll also smile about it)

I don’t have a business with 500+ clients.

I have a community with 500+ friends.

Some I know really well.
Some I’ve just met.
All of them are people I respect, admire, and look forward to spending time with.

And this week a bunch of us got together to attend The Big Festoon.

So many, in fact, that we didn’t manage to get them all coordinated for a picture. There were at least 10 more I’ll try to corner today 😆

One of the most important things I’ve learned about building and leading a thriving business community is that you’re never done.

It’s never the ‘final version’.

The world changes
People change
Their needs change with that

And unless you are standing alongside them, listening and paying attention, you won’t be able to evolve what you’re providing to keep them supported in the ways they need the most.

I couldn’t ask to stand alongside a more beautiful bunch.

Now, to get my Halloween costume on for day 2 of this very serious and professional conference 😆

🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Finding great service providers you can trust can be a STRUGGLE. Especially when the best ones aren’t always (/usually) those who shout loudest on social media.

That’s why I’m creating something that makes it easy.

I’m building a searchable directory of brilliant people in The HoLT.

Verified non-knobs.

Accessible from our website, featured on my LinkedIn profile and in my newsletters. Backlinks to member’s own websites.

On average, I make a dozen referrals a week to people outside the community who want access to ‘my’ people.

But soon there will be a way they can skip that step and easily find outstanding humans who are committed to do their best work to uphold not just their own brand, but ours, too.

Once members have reached their 3 month HoLT anniversary, they will get the opportunity to join the directory. And they’ll remain for the duration of their membership.

I’m constantly looking for ways I can leverage the trust I’ve built with my brand, to benefit the people within it.

Just another reason to join us, and stay with us, so that we can all help one another thrive 🩷

Can’t wait to launch this 🥰

Unbelieveably, my epic team have pulled these together in just 24 hours.

One person has bought three vouchers for 3 month memberships.

Someone else has bought two vouchers for 3 months.

Another has bought one voucher for 3 months.

And a fourth person is buying an annual membership.

We’ve also had a lovely lady reach out to offer our members 5 free tickets to her small business event next month.

The kindness ripple is real!!

If you would like to gift a solopreneur, freelancer or small business owner community, support, friendship, fun, and endless opportunities to learn and grow inside The HoLT, we have 5 more of each vouchers available. Just DM me for the links.

3 months £195
6 months £390
12 months £650

And if you know a wonderful small biz owner who would love to join us but finances just don’t allow right now, please nominate them below with why they should get a place.

I’ll save this post and revisit it as and when vouchers are purchased.


(Remember, no knobs allowed, and all our live calls are between 10am and 6pm UK time, but all masterclasses are recorded and kept in the library in our app - nearly 200 of them!!)

Find out more here ➡️ https://the-holt.com/

🚨 There are only 3* (edited) tickets left to The HoLT Xmas Party!!!

19th November
Central London
Karaoke, DJ, photographer, and a very special surprise guest...

Plus a room full of people who won't pitch at you, and are just there to laugh, get to know one another, and celebrate another year in business.

(Cos being a solopreneur is rubbish when you don't get a Christmas party!)

If you haven't got your ticket yet, you'll soon be TOO LATE!

Then you'll be kicking yourself when LinkedIn is flooded with photos of all your faves having fun together.

Link for tickets is below.

Questionable photos like the one below guaranteed.

Spending my Sunday evening hand making small gifts for HoLT Xmas party attendees.

Over 200 of them.

Maybe I take customer care a little too far 🥲