The Other Side

Rosie Milsom - Building A Joyful Portfolio Career With Purpose And Self-Worth

• Jane Curtis

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Ready to trade a single job title for a life that actually fits? Jane sits down with former grants fundraiser Rosie Milsom to map her rewarding shift from sector employment to a flexible, purpose-led portfolio career. It starts with side projects and a LinkedIn post, winds through a deeply personal fertility journey, and lands on a simple insight with big consequences: self-worth powers everything.

Rosie shares the practical moves that made her transition stick: taking on training, launching coaching while employed, and negotiating part-time hours to create space for clients. We unpack the way she uses joy and values to filter opportunities, and the systems she leans on when forecasts wobble. Expect real talk on pricing with confidence, setting boundaries, and building resilience without pretending everything is fine.

We also dig into the engine of sustainable growth: relationships. From sector groups to conferences, follow-ups to case studies, Rosie shows how thoughtful outreach compounds into referrals and a reputation. She explains why many purpose-driven women stall despite credentials, and how to rebuild that self-worth foundation so your marketing, offers, and money mindset finally click. 

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You can connect with Rosie on LinkedIn or visit her website.

You can also check out her free confidence block quiz - https://rosiemilsom.scoreapp.com

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Jane Curtis helps charity professionals transition from 9-5 employment to flexible and profitable freelance careers.

With over 20 years in the charity sector, she led teams that raised tens of millions of pounds from events before going freelance in 2018 and launching her own business in 2020.

She supported over 100 event fundraisers through her Collective membership during the pandemic. Now, she offers her signature "Charity Freelancing Course," a high-touch 1:1 programme for consultants, coaches, and freelancers seeking to make more money working fewer hours doing what they love, and in-person events like The Rich & Restored Retreat. She also provides occasional strategic events consultancy to charities.

Known for her positive, creative approach and calm, no-nonsense style, Jane is a mum of two humans and one dog. She loves swimming, cycling, avocados and being by the sea.

Ready to transform your charity expertise into a profitable freelance career? Join Jane's Feel Good Freelancing community.

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Jane Curtis:

Welcome to The Other Side, the Charity Freelancers Podcast. I'm Jane Curtis, and this is where we explore the journey from charity professional to thriving freelancer or business owner. Each week I chat with people who've made this leap from the charity sector, sharing invaluable practical tips and incredible insights firsthand. So whether you're considering making the move or you've already on your freelance journey or you're just a bit nosy like me and want to know what goes on behind the scenes of well-known freelance businesses, you're in the right place. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let's dive into today's conversation. Rosie Milsom is a coach, trainer, and speaker. She started work as a fundraiser back in 2012 and began freelancing alongside her main role three years later, primarily in trust and foundations. Three years ago, Rosie retrained as a coach, launched her new business, and ran it as a side hustle alongside her senior leadership role in the sector. At the beginning of last year, Rosie decided to go full-time on her business and has been doing it successfully ever since. Rosie, welcome to the other side. Oh, thank you, Jane. Really happy to be here. Yeah, likewise, really excited for this. Um, so first question, I'd love to know about your motivation really behind starting your business. Um, especially when you were doing your fundraising role at the same time. I'm kind of interested in hearing how that how that will work for you.

Rosie Milsom:

Sure. Uh well, I could probably speak to that both in the freelancing stuff that I did and my business. But uh if if we rewind back to you know that what you were saying about the intro about doing freelancing, I think uh at first, like I said, I first started doing a bit of freelance work during 2015, 2016. At the time, I would have been at Birmingham Hippodrome, uh, which was my first fundraising role, a big theatre in Brum. And um uh I'd definitely move past my entry-level role, but I think it was just about extra funds, to be honest. Uh, that's that's what I started. Uh I had a friend who uh ran a dance theatre company and she needed some help with some uh funding applications. So I kind of started off there as a side hustle, and then um moving kind of further freelancing and and and training whilst I was in in the sector in an employee role. My next thing that came along uh was uh working with Get Grants. Um so uh quite a few people will probably know about them in the sector, but um they just John, the founder John Ellery just put a call out on LinkedIn saying, um, you know, we're looking for some new trainers. And I and I'd literally just done a bit of a kind of revisit into my uh into my journey. I think I was either at Cordwell Limeco at the time or about to start the British Youth Council, and I thought, you know what, I'd love to get into training. And again, I'm all about adding, you know, further routes of um, you know, income and and uh it just felt like a really great timing. So I set up a call with him and he was like, great. And and then I just started doing more stuff from there. And then how I came to my coaching business, which you also mentioned, um, so I've spoken about this uh a number of times. So those who follow me will probably know, but um I went through a really long and difficult um fertility journey, um uh number of rounds of IVF, which were ultimately unsuccessful. And part of that journey um made me kind of revisit my purpose, my legacy. You know, it was a bit like okay, if if my life isn't gonna look like I thought it was going to look like, um sorry, my dog barking somewhere in the distance. Um, uh, if it's not going to look what I thought it was gonna look like, if I'm not gonna leave the legacy I thought I was gonna leave, what do I want to do instead? And I I found a huge amount of purpose in uh working the fundraising sector. Um, you know, it really spoke to a lot of my values, uh, but I just felt like there was still an element of my purpose that I hadn't yet discovered. I I felt there was more, more for me to do, more for me to be, uh, and more impact for me to make that wasn't just in the fundraising sector. And, you know, it's kind of similar to training in a way, coaching. And um I'd always been intrigued by it. And I took a bit of um an online purpose course, and it kind of confirmed what I already knew that that this was a you know a really valid path for me. And I studied alongside my full-time job and my freelance and work with Get Grants and other such things, certified within a couple of months, launched my business on social media and got my first paying client six weeks later. And wow, yeah, here we are.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, wow. So, how did you find that kind of balance between your your role, your employed role, your kind of your your coaching, the bits of freelance you were doing? Like that seems like a lot of plates. Like, how did you how did you balance all of that?

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah, so first of the freelance work that I do, um it wasn't like consider I wasn't doing it all of the time, it would just be then I I I picked up more frequent freelance work probably in the last couple of years, probably since I um stepped back from full-time employment. Because one of the ways that I did it, so when I certified to become a coach, I was on maternity cover for the British Youth Council. Um, and uh the the the I think the contract was contract was due to end in like the September, and I'd um just launched uh, like I said, as as a being a coach in May 2022. And so the the uh the September was coming up, and the person who was in my role had decided not to return. And so they offered me the the role, and I said I'll I'll stay, but I only if I could do part-time hours, so I can go part-time in my coaching business. So for me, that transition, which they luckily accepted. Um, so for me, I got that transition. So it wasn't, you know, I've got a full-time job. I mean, there were parts absolutely um where I had a full-time job and I was doing get grants training, for example, and I was doing uh, you know, I have three you know, three one-to-one clients as a coach. But there's a couple of things in there. I think one, actually, there's probably three things. One, as we've mentioned, I don't have kids. Um, and so I you know, that does afford me a little bit more time and flexibility in my working and other life. Two, if you're doing something that feels like joy, um, which coaching very much was to me, and obviously it was a new business as well. So, you know, I was exploring this whole new world with new clients, you know, having sessions with them on a uh, you know, post-work sessions or evening sessions, that was a joy for me. That didn't feel like work. Um and uh thirdly, like I say, having that ability to go part-time in my role meant I was able to uh, you know, manage my timetable more flexibly. Um so let's say it wasn't like I was trying to do three jobs all at once. Um, and my get grants training, you know, might only be like a course or a two a month as well. So um, and I think also you you uh sometimes have to be somebody who likes doing multiple things. I personally thrive on doing multiple things. I have multiple passions, I have multiple things that I'm that I feel I've got skills in and experience in that I like to express. And there are some people that like to do have those multiple things, have those multiple roots of income, balance their time. And there's some people that like to know like that sense of routine, that sense of certainty, that sense of this is what I'm going to do, this is what I'm gonna put my whole focus in. And I'm someone that um that likes to do those multiple things, but also I often tell my you know, my clients, we're kind of brought up to think, right, you this is the route that you go on. Yeah, you know, you take some training, you take a job, you you progress through there, you become a leader, uh, etc. etc. And and you're you're generally known for one thing and you have a career and you build it. And sometimes my clients, coaching clients, will come to me and have like a lack of sense of like purpose or direction. I'm stuck, I don't know where to go next. I like this, I like that. And I'm like, you do realise you don't have to just be one thing. Um, that's what we're told, that's how we're brought up, but you don't you don't have to be one thing, you can be more than one thing, you can be as many things as as you want to be, you can indulge as many passions and skills and earning income roots as as you want. Um we just have to break out of the idea that it means that we're flaky or that we don't get to make the best of one thing, or it's going to be too much work. Um you know, there are absolutely ways around it.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, I love that. It's so true. It's it's a very hardwired kind of premise, isn't it? That like you stay in one job for 30 years or whatever, um, which perhaps, you know, 50 years ago or something absolutely was the norm, but times have changed.

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah, you don't have to do that anymore unless you want to, and you know, there's no judgment either way. Um, but you you get to build a life and a career or a business that reflects you as a person, your passions, your values, your skills, and you that gets to be whatever you want it to be.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, and it's so joyful. I love the use of the word joy because it is it's such a joy, like for learning learning in your sort of middle age and perhaps adding a totally new string to your bone. Like for me, that is one of the absolute biggest benefits of hundred percent.

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah, uh you know, joy is one of my core values. Uh, I know about that because I'm sure you you do a lot of values work as well, and joy is such a central part of my life, um, along with purpose, unsurprisingly. Um, optimism um is also one of my values, and you know, it's something that I'm known for amongst my friends, sometimes annoyingly so, but I'm the same. Um, but yeah, you know, I often think like if we can't all agree on a purpose for or a meaning for life, like joy has to be it. Like at the end of the day, if you're not enjoying life, then maybe we're not doing it right. Um and again, joy means different things to different people, purpose means different things to different people. Um, but I I I genuinely believe what that when you're doing what that feels like joy and ease, and I think again, joy means a lot of different things to different people. Like I say, that ease, that sense of peace, some things that come easily that you enjoy, you get so much like purpose from um it becomes a lot easier to uh make time for that.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so you describe yourself as a self-worth and confidence coach for purpose-driven women, which sounds flipping awesome. How did you come to the conclusion that what uh your offering, your offer was the thing that women wanted?

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah. So it was quite a quick evolution, actually, because when I first certified as a coach, I thought I would be like a career confidence or purpose coach. And that's definitely a lot of what I do. Um, but what I noticed in the first, even just from the first few clients that came to me, whether it was about work, whether it was about relationships, whether it was just about a general sense of like confidence and happiness, at the root of it all was uh self-worth. The root of it, no matter what they had different nuances to it, but most people's beliefs were I'm not good enough. Um, you know, I'm not smart enough, I'm not lovable enough, I'm not capable enough. And that is a self-worth issue. And um, yes, there are lots of you know elements around confidence, and and you know, I call myself a confidence coach as well because you know it's all interlinked and people understand the confidence piece, but ultimately, if you don't have a strong foundation of self-worth you won't be able to be the person that you you want to be. You won't be able to do the career that you want to be able to do. And I think a lot of people focus on and like say, say, you know, we're talking about for purpose-driven women, generally they're they're women like me, like say that have a purpose that want to make some kind of impact. So they they know they're here to do something or build something that can help people or help communities. Um and you can do all of the like certifications, qualifications, working hard, um, you know, get all of the experience you want, take all the marketing courses you want. Um, but ultimately if at the core you don't believe that you have what it takes, or you are scared of judgment from other people, um, if you worry that you're not good enough, you'll worry that people are going to question your expertise, um, you know, any of those things that are to do with self-worth, it doesn't matter how much you know, it doesn't matter how many um qualifications you get, um, you will not move them forward. Even if you're a hard worker, you'll keep showing up, but you'll do the wrong things, you'll show up in in different ways. Um, you'll won't believe that you're worth of the money that you want to charge. And I know that you know about that because I know you're really into money mindset as well. Um, and that's one of the other certifications that I've got because I've I'm money and earning and um you know is very distinctly related to to worth as well. So, you know, I I realise that self-worth was the key issue, the key underlying issue for pretty much everyone. And I realised if you if you can unlock that, you can unlock pretty much anything. And you know, I've been talking about that message in various different ways ever since I certified as a coach in 2022. And people, you know, I'm very, very lucky to say that I've been working with paying clients ever since. And so people understand this, you know, if if you say to most women what they would like in their to feel in their career, they'd say confident. Um, but you can't feel confident, uh, truly confident, until uh it's and I'm talking about the confidence that lasts, the confidence that isn't just like put on a shirt, like the fake it till you make it and show up and do it anyway. I mean the confidence actually feels good, like the confidence where you trust yourself uh to make a decision, and and if it goes wrong, you're not gonna like kick yourself uh about it or stop or fail, you know, fail or stop. Um, you know, I'm talking about you know, the the very confidence and like foundation in yourself. That means I'm I'm worth doing this. I'm like I have something of value to offer. And you know, the more women that know that, and the more women that are creating businesses or going freelance and helping other charities to do amazing things, like to me, I just see it as this huge ripple effect. The more people that I can empower with the belief that they can uh like I say, I love working with like creatives, change makers, entrepreneurs and doers. That's what I say, entrepreneurs and doers, and um you know, they're the people that have this this ripple effect. So the more people that I can get to see their worth, the more change and impact they can make, and and then that just ripples out. Does that answer your question? Sorry if I look at it.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, it totally does. It totally am I pick being picked up? I've just got this microphone to put a pin on here. Okay. Yeah, you're all good. Um thank you. Uh no, it does, and your energy is really infectious. I just want to say that. I like I can feel the joy coming through the screen right now, which is lovely. Um, so could you talk me through if there is such a thing, a normal working day in your world, like what that perhaps looks like for somebody maybe who is hoping to do something similar in the future.

Rosie Milsom:

I mean, like I say, coaching is my main thing, but um, you know, I also have uh like do a lot of kind of free uh fundraising training, but so there is no normal day for I know everyone says that that when you're a freelancer, but there but there isn't. But I can give you an example. So it might be it might be easier to say this is what my week looked like last week, and this is what it looks like this week. That'll probably give a better idea than it than a day. But one thing that I love about being a freelancer and a founder, and not forgive me, not having children, is that my mornings are my own. So I have like a very set-like morning routine, you know, I'm able to get up, um, I'm able to exercise, walk my dog, um, do my journaling, meditate, um, set out my goals for the day, um, have breakfast, you know. So my my mornings, I have like a very good kind of routine in terms of that, and and I love the flexibility that gives me. You know, if I'm not ready to log on until half past ten, that's fine. You know, I might work a little bit later, but it, you know, I usually try and get on before that. But um so you I think the message there really is though, other than perhaps when you've got to get your kids after school, your time is yours. You you work uh, you know, in a way that works for you. But like last week, um, for example, I delivered a confidence and well-being workshop to a group of fundraisers, actually. So it was my coaching hat on, but um uh an in-person workshop in Birmingham that had been organised by charity people who are recruitment company specifically for charities. And um we've started like a little collaboration where I run a confidence and well-being workshop for fundraisers who really need it because uh, well, you'll know, and and the people that are listening if they're in the fundraising world will know how much that's that's needed. So that was like Tuesday, and then Wednesday um morning, I did a uh resilience um session for Get Grants's virtual uh conference. Um had about 800 people signed in. I had a power cut halfway through, my wi-fi cut out. I had to like jump back on hotspotting, um, but got some lovely um messages and some lovely new followers, and um uh and I just I love the stuff that Get Grants does. Um, I also delivered um the first uh week of a community fundraising course for Get Grants. Um I uh sent some emails um and sorted up out some work, uh freelance, trust, and foundations work that I'm doing for um a small uh muscular dystrophy charity called Alex's Wish. Um I also recently had like an uh so yeah, I also recently, I think it was Friday or the Friday before, went and delivered a uh an in-person confidence and well-being workshop at a domestic abuse recovery centre in Stoke, which is near where I live. Um I've been delivering workshops there now for the for their women in recovery from domestic abuse, like around self-worth and confidence and rediscovering their identity for like a couple of years now, and we're getting we've just secured um like three years more uh funding and investment to get uh to carry that on. Um and then I on the same afternoon I went across to um a small uh charity that's like a special education nursery and to help them with their um uh demonstrating their impact and measuring their impact. Um and then this week, obviously, I'm doing this with you. Um I've had one-to-one client sessions. Um I've got the second week of a Get Grants community fundraising course. Um, I also do some freelance work for a company called Social AF. I'm actually due to stop doing that soon because I have taken too much, which is what we were talking about. Um, but that's uh around moderating um Facebook groups for some of the big charities in the UK, like I'm doing Mind and Um Pancreatic Cancer UK today. Yeah. Uh so moderating their like virtual challenges. Um so like the I think ones walk 100 miles in November and ones walk 90 miles or run 90 miles in October. Um, so a bit of that thrown in. I also work as a team leader for that um organisation, so I might be team leadering the freelancers who are all working on that. Um varied, it's really varied. Like really varied.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah. And do you feel like that has kind of come over the years, like that variety? Did it start off more narrow?

Rosie Milsom:

Yes, I would say so. Yeah. I I I would say definitely there's momentum that gets built. And one thing and one tip I would say, uh just because it's coming up, I you might have asked this question anyway, but one thing that I realised for me that came up from some of like the recent freelancing work and even my coaching work as well, is uh relationships. And I know everybody says that, but um, it's reaching out to people, it's connecting with people because the Alex's Wish work that I'm doing now came about when I posted in like fundraising chat group. God, it might have been like two years ago, maybe even longer than that. Um and I posted to ask somebody about um if anyone did a business club and could I bend their ears about it? Because it was for the um charity I was working with at the time. And I jumped on a call um with someone who said, Yeah, I'm happy to speak to you about that. Um, and then I said, if there's anything ever anything I can do for you, and she said, Oh, well, we are looking to go into trust. And I was like, be happy to just give you half an hour of my time and chat through that. And it was from that that she said, actually, we're ready to do it. Would you be our freelance person? So, you know, it it was stuff like that. And then the the um special education needs nursery that I'm I'm working with. I met um Catherine, who's now the CEO when she was a fundraiser um um about God five years ago, and she had me in mind, she saw that I posted on LinkedIn about doing um a monitoring and evaluation course for get grants and thought, oh great, Rosie's down the road. I really like, you know, really like Rosie. You know, we we've kept in touch. Um so you know, got it through there, and then like I say, coaching clients have come through the same from you know, connections on LinkedIn or people making referrals because they've um you know been coached by me. Um you know, and that that you know that happens a lot. Um yeah, it over it over time, it's it's being visible, I think, talking about what you're doing. Because I think when we're freelancing, especially if we're doing work for clients, you know, we kind of think it's not our stuff to talk about that we're doing. Um, but that it actually it absolutely is. Otherwise, how are people gonna know that that's a specialism of yours? How's how are they gonna know that's something that you're doing or that you're interested in doing more of? So, yeah, it was talking about the stuff that I'm doing, being proud of the stuff that I'm doing, uh, making those connections, staying in touch with people, um, and just being open to those opportunities and they just they just seem to come. Um, and like I say, you build up a reputation and you build up those networks over time and you get used to putting yourself forward for opportunities. Um, you know, I I did share on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago about how um I went full-time self-employed at the beginning of last year. And the first few months were hard. Like um, I had been doing some um uh freelancing, I'd like been an associate consultant for another awesome uh fundraising agency, um, big up Nova fundraising, the ladies there. Um that I did quite a fair amount of freelancing for them and really enjoyed it. Um, but I kind of came to the end of a project with them. Um, and I was struggling to like get some new coaching clients through the door, um, and it really just struggling with that insecurity of you know moving from a like a steady monthly paycheck, even if it was part-time, to just purely it down to me, generating my income and that sense of uncertainty, um, and like that losing that security blanket and not knowing, knowing that I've constantly got to be starting not from zero every month, but and like that this needs to be an ongoing thing, felt really hard. Um, but now like I've been you know, consistent figure earning for like months, and I and I know I I I trust myself, I know these opportunities come, I know I will find them, I know clients will come. And so even if I'm forecasting a couple of months ahead and I'm not at that target yet, I'm like, do you know what? There's plenty of time. Like I generally people come, I can uh generate those opportunities, I can generate that income, and I've built that level of self-trust now.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is hard at the beginning when you don't have that benefit or that hindsight, you know, that experience. Um, but what I often say to the people that I work with is you know, you've got to believe it on day one of week one, you know, that it is gonna happen because the one thing that will stop it from happening is is yourself and it's all the things you've been talking about. So it's like you know, almost like believing that before you see the proof that actually it is happening.

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah, that's such a such a good, good point and a good way of putting it. Like say it, you have to, and and uh that comes again back to that self-worth piece. Like so if you if you have that b that belief in yourself, your value, your expertise, you know you've got something to offer and you know that you can make this work, like I said, that's all down to self-worth.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah.

Rosie Milsom:

Um, and you have to believe it's there, otherwise, like you say, the way you show up, excuse me, the way you speak to people, the opportunities you go for, the way you pitch yourself, the way you price yourself, you know, is all going to matter. And and you know, if if you if like I say it then when you do find it hard, if you don't have that like grounded sense of like you say, that belief that this will work and that you can make it work, yeah, you'll find ways to for it not to work, and you'll find all the evidence for ways that oh, this was the wrong decision and I'm just going to go back. And and do you know what? There's no shame uh or blame actually in needing to go back. Um, you know, like I say when I when I had those couple of um you know difficult months, I started looking for like part-time jobs again. Um because I was like, I don't know if I could hack this. And also I was just going through a separation. I was about to move out and live um on my own for the first time in my life. Realised I, you know, I've no longer got um, you know, a husband to um, you know, help me uh with my earnings, um, if they're not um, you know, if they're not at where they need to be that month. Um, but actually what that led on to, it wasn't a reemployment role, it was a freelance role. Another thing that I do, which I haven't spoken about, um, which was working for Breast Cancer Now, facilitating the Moving Forward program, which is um a program for women who are recovering from breast cancer, basically helping to find their sense of identity and worth and being ready to kind of move on um after recovery. Um, so I started that role instead as like an just another, you know, using my coaching skills, but bringing in another route of income. And I've been doing that ever since as well. Um, and that gives me a great sense of like pleasure and purpose, and you know, for the people that I'm helping. But you know, there's no there's no shame in thinking, oh, I need to take on something else, or I need to take on another little side hustle, or I need to take on a bit of freelance work elsewhere. Like, like I say, you you have an idea of what purpose you want to fulfill, what income you feel you need in order to feel safe and secure. And so you do whatever you need to do.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, and just don't give up on your dreams, being open to those possibilities, you know, not having the kind of blinkers on of kind of like this is how it has to look. I mean, I think for me, like the best advice I could have given myself at the start was it won't look like what you think it will, and that's fine, like you know, don't be don't be gripping so tightly to that kind of one vision or version rather of kind of yeah, self-employment, you know. Um because really the beauty for me has been in all of those opportunities I could not have foreseen at all at the start. Um so I love that, you know, that flexibility is so important and just being open to that. Um, you mentioned about um uh the relationships and how important that is in you um sowing seeds and building those collect that client base. What other kind of networks or communities or support have you found really sort of essential since you've been self employed?

Rosie Milsom:

Good question. Um I think like really just showing up on LinkedIn that feels like a community almost on its own. Um I I I know there's been in person networks that have really helped, but in terms Of like fundraising ones, you know, I'm not I'm not really part of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising anymore. I think being part of Get Grants um feels like its own community as well. And I know I haven't been able to make one for a while, but I know their VFN or their virtual fundraisers network, as they call it, has such a great group of um like both freelance and employed people, often doing grants, and it's such a supportive community. And I've I've met people at that. Um in fact, at that virtual networking thing, but um then this was when I was working for Cordwell Limeco, I think. Um we kind of read each other's uh Garfield Western, we were both working in medical research fundraising. We read each other's Garfield Western applications, we both got funding, and we stayed in touch ever since. Um, she was a recent client of mine as a coaching client, and now she's in her dream job because of the work that we did together. Do you know what I mean? It it's just even that just shows you like that these simple things like showing up to those calls. I know there's like a charity meetup thing that's specifically for freelancers. I think you've um facilitated. I'm sure I've watched it. I've only got along to one of those, but I did find it really helpful. But I think it's just getting your name and face out there. Do you know? Um, I was at um an uh award ceremony on Friday. I was made uh finalist for a solo print. I saw that.

Jane Curtis:

I saw that. So cool.

Rosie Milsom:

Yeah, it was such a lovely day. But what who I met there was this uh woman called Phoenix Humphreys, and uh she was also a finalist, and she works in the charity sector, she's got a business called Raise to Rise. So I'm just gonna give Phoenix a bit of a shout out there. But um uh so she kind of helps charities uh, you know, raise money. And uh we'd connected on LinkedIn, but we'd not met in real life, and when I commented on her post uh before we went saying, you know, I'm gonna be here this is Friday, and I was like, I can't wait to meet you. And she she posed she commented on my comment and said, like, I'm totally fangirling over you right now. And I was like, I said to my partner, I was like, babe, someone's fangirling over me. Like, have I have I got to this stage now? And um because she was in the fundraising sector, it was the fundraising thing that she was on, even though I was there as a coach, it was a fundraising thing that she recognised me from. And anyway, I caught up with her at the awards and I was like, it's so funny you say like fangirling. She's like, Yeah, but you're just you're such a name in the sector. And I was like, Am I? Yeah, you totally are. Um, but yeah, but you know, when you don't necessarily uh like you don't necessarily see yourself and and uh you know I I'm you know when I speak at like get grants conferences, I see the names that I'm up against and I know their names in the sector because I I follow them, and so I I know to a degree that I must be visible and known. But I think that that's part of it, you know, it's because I am visible because I do take those opportunities to to speak. Um, you know, I do speak about my work on LinkedIn, I do show up, I do have connections with people in the in the sector, and I think, you know, Phoenix had in her head, um, because of that, she was like, Oh, you know, I was helping this charity raise this money and that money. She was like, You must be working with all the big charity, you know, big charities raise money. I'm like, no, I'm not, I'm working with you know, small charities, that's my specialism. Um, you know, is helping with small charities. So um, you know, it it's realising that you know those networks and the the way in which you build your presence, you know, does kind of stick in people's minds.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, for sure. It really does. Um, so one piece of advice, if you can make it just one, um, for uh somebody who's considering taking the leap from nine to five into self-employment, what would that one piece of advice be?

Rosie Milsom:

It would be to work on your mindset, um, mindset first. Um, I always say self-worth before strategy, because you can have the strategy in place. But if you like you said, like you've said about having that belief that it that it's going to work, you can have the strategy, you can have the testimonials, you can have the like so the marketing, you can have your brand photos done, you can uh, you know, um have your business plan or whatever. But if you if your mindset isn't on board, if your self-worth isn't on board, you won't be able to implement it. So minds make sure you are looking after and investing in your mindset, preferably more than just reading a few books or listening to podcasts, but even that's a great start.

Jane Curtis:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fantastic. And uh finally, how can listeners find out a bit more about you and your work? I know you mentioned a free quiz.

Rosie Milsom:

Yes, yes. Um, so yes, I'm on, you know, LinkedIn is probably the best place for for your people in your world to find me, but I am also on Instagram, um, intermittently on TikTok. I'm trying to be on them all because actually it's quite fun. Um, I'm on Facebook as well. But yes, I've got a um a free quiz that I launched a couple of months ago that's been really um uh really popular, and it's based on the fact that um over these past few years, I've seen a lot of different women and people, I've coached men too, but I specialise in women come and I've identified that there seem to be like five really distinct like confidence blocks. It's not all like one, yes, they're all related to self-worth, but that there's nuances to each one. Um so I created a quiz that helps you find out which your inner confidence, like what your kind of inner confidence block archetype is. Um, and once you know what it is, um I give uh also in the results I give like um you know a little breakdown of how it's showing up for you, what you know how so that you can kind of identify with it, but I also give you a move to move past it to get you moving again. So for anybody that is looking to kind of go out on their own or even just progress like in their career that's listening to this um and thinking, I've I feel like I'm you know either going in loops or I'm not kind of putting myself out there as much as I want to, or I'm working really hard and I'm not really getting where I'm going. Then um if you take this quiz, it should give you a bit of an indication about what your block actually is and and how to move past it.

Jane Curtis:

So happy to share that link with you and yeah, we'll make sure it's listed in the show notes. Rosie, thank you so much. That's been really helpful, valuable, um, and fun. I've enjoyed talking to you.

Rosie Milsom:

Good, and to you, thank you. I hope I didn't talk too much. Once I get on my shape box, that's it pretty much. So I love it. But I've got my own podcast, that's somewhere something else that other people can come and find about as well. I've got my self-worth for school podcast for, and that's for anybody that wants to just feel more happy and confident. So I'll share that with you too, in case anyone would like to come listen.

Jane Curtis:

Sounds epic. I'll definitely be checking it out. Thank you, Rosie. Thanks, Jane. That's a wrap on another episode of the other side. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a colleague who might be thinking about their own freelance journey. And if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. Remember, freelancing doesn't have to be a lonely journey. Whether it's joining communities like the Charity Freelancer Chat or signing up to the Charity Freelancing course or simply reaching out to former colleagues, connection is key to thriving as a freelancer. You can find all the links and resources we mentioned today in the show notes. And if you want to connect with me, you can find me on LinkedIn, where you can also sign up to the charity freelancing course wait list. Until next time, keep exploring what's possible on the other side.