It's Good to Be Back

I'm writing this from my new co-working setup while my little human hangs out upstairs in the onsite daycare.
Side note: an amazing resource, and a shoutout to One Space in Vancouver.

Using my brain again and thinking about business? Thrilling.
Being surrounded by other people doing interesting work? Great.
Having my daughter close by, making friends and having fun of her own? Unreal

Maternity leave looked different than I expected. I stepped away more fully, and for longer, than I thought I would. I'm deeply grateful to our team, and to my co-founders Jenn and Sarah, for making that possible.

And, honestly, as I write this, I can hear the tiny human losing it a little upstairs. I'm already wondering if today will end early with me going to get her.

I'm feeling excited and energized by everything this incredible team has done to grow and move Collectively Tangled forward while I was away.

I'm also feeling a little intimidated stepping back into a space that used to feel as familiar as breathing.

HubSpot looks different.
I'm still figuring out which Slack channels are for what.
There are new people, new systems, new rhythms.

As I transition back into work, I'm trying to embrace both sides of it: the excitement of returning to something I care deeply about, and the reality that returning doesn't mean picking up exactly where I left off.

And coming back has given me a perspective I don't think I could have had while I was in the middle of it.

We've grown a lot since I've been gone, and I'm especially excited to support the excellent therapists who've joined our team and the strong work we're doing with entrepreneurs.

There's also something fascinating about stepping back into your own company with fresh eyes.

For a long time, building meant building everything: the systems, the processes, the programs, the partnerships, the next iteration of whatever needed to exist.

We've reached a point where we're not building every block from scratch anymore.

That might sound simple, but I think it's one of the hardest stages of building a company to reach. You spend years in the endless cycle of build, test, iterate, fix, repeat — and then, almost imperceptibly, you realize you have something substantial underneath you.

We're not done building. Far from it.

But the work is starting to look less like creating something from nothing and more like expanding, strengthening and refining what we've already built.

There's something pretty exciting about that.

This transition has brought a lot of space for gratitude — for our Collectively Tangled team, for my co-founders, and for everyone in our community who's helped us get here.

I'm excited to be back, to bring some of the perspective I've gained along the way, and to keep building what comes next.

— Keara

About the Author

Keara Gillis, MSW, RSW

As an entrepreneur and registered social worker, Keara (she/her) brings a unique blend of professional expertise and lived experience to her practice. She understands the challenges, stressors, and demands entrepreneurs face. Through thought provoking discussion, Keara empowers clients with practical tools to enhance their well-being both professionally and personally.

In addition to her focus on entrepreneurial mental health, Keara specializes in supporting clients with ADHD, helping them navigate life with greater clarity, balance, and confidence.

Specialties: ADHD, work-life balance, stress, anxiety, co-founder conflict and alignment, life and career transitions

Service Area: Alberta, British Columbia