Having worked
in the public sector and later in consultancy, Jackie O’Carroll knew the time
had come in Spring 2014, when she had to focus on her business idea entirely to
let it realise its potential.
Jackie O'Carroll |
Make Space, a
social enterprise, is a developing community of people who are seeking more joy
and fulfillment in their lives. People who are committed to a journey of
self-discovery, of finding more meaning and more spiritual self.
Jackie says
that Make Space is; ‘a reflection of my
own spiritual journey – learning to get out of my own way, learning to live
from my heart and less from my head.’ With the assistance of a mentor who
had set up a similar membership community in London, she was able to focus on
her vision and starts to see the possibilities of her ideas.
Holding her
back were two aspects, her initial vision for the community and her own self-belief.
Realising she wanted to find someone to help her take her first step and start the
business, Jackie wrote an ‘intention’ for ‘someone
with the right skills to come into her life’. A month later she met Karen
at Liverpool’s ‘Soul Full Reading Group’, an events manager with experience in
communications and project management. Jackie says; ‘I found it hard to believe she was real.’
Working
together with Karen, Jackie approached The Women’s Organisation and worked with Business Adviser Janine to register Make Space as a Community Interest Company (CIC) – a social
enterprise – earlier this year. Launching in 2014, Jackie has begun to enjoy
the freedom that comes with working for herself, after nearly 25 years of working
for others.
Make Space is
growing and developing every day, not just encompassing events, but a whole
calendar of exciting workshops, meditation groups, reading groups and speakers
taking place in Liverpool and Chester.
As well as
this, Make Space is becoming what Jackie hoped it would be; ‘A community for people who are beginning to
recognise, or already know, that life can be much more meaningful and want to
explore that at a deeper, more spiritual level.’
Make Space is
now 8 months old and the community is growing fast in terms of numbers and in
commitment. One of the most important things that Jackie has come to realise
through launching her business, is to keep focussed and trust your instincts.
The self-doubt that she was feeling, just a few months previously, she believes
was clouding what her intuition was telling her; ‘take time to focus on your vision – for yourself, your purpose and
passion.’
Doubting
whether people would ‘get’ what she was trying to accomplish, or making
assumptions about whether people would want to hear about Make Space, is a
thing of the past. Jackie continues ‘Now
I speak to everyone I meet about the possibilities in our lives.’
The plans for
2015 are taking shape, with a full list of all of Make Space’s events on
Eventbrite; www.makespaceliverpool.eventbrite.com
Their next
events will be on November 27th and 28th, hosting Molly
Harvey, a renowned public speaker, at her only open event in the UK this year.
Molly works
with CEO’s of top companies and teaches them about working in a different way,
leading projects such as taking some of the top 1% of CEO’s to Nepal, and other
remote areas of the world, involving them with the local communities to take
the learning back to the working environment.
Jackie says; ‘Molly has been an inspiration for me. I
have heard her speak on a number of occasions and love that she speaks from the
heart, how open she is and how ready she is to offer her wisdom and insight.’
On the 27th
November, Make Space will host Molly Harvey, speaking about ‘Making Changes,
Not Excuses’, and on the 28th November, there is a day-long
workshop, looking at a five step approach to living from the inside out, from
the heart, rather than the head.
If you are interested
in attending these events, please head over to Make Space’s Eventbrite page to
book your tickets!