Seven years ago I launched a business (with the support of a young Whipper Snapper by the name of Oliver Lapsley as my sidekick), called FTSQ short for ‘F*** The Status Quo’. I was coming out of my previous business, having sold my share of a successful consultancy to my business partner and I had a fire in my belly to do things my way.
I wanted to build something different.
Something braver.
Something that made space for the people the business world often doesn’t know what to do with.
The misfits.
The non-conformists.
The square pegs.
The beautifully unorthodox humans trying to build something of their own…on their own terms.
I wanted to create a home for them.
A community.
A place they could go to be seen, heard, and supported without having to polish themselves up to be more “professional,” more “presentable,” or more “palatable.”
That was the dream.
But not long after launching… life had other ideas.
The illness that nearly took everything
Just a few months after setting FTSQ free into the world, my body began to fail me.
At first it was a whisper, something felt off, but I didn’t know what it was, but then that whisper soon became a roar.
Within months, everything started to go very wrong with my brain and my body…brain fog, chronic exhaustion, pain, unknowns to me I’d blown a hole out in my skull and cranial fluid was leaking. I could no longer work properly, think clearly or even show up consistently. And it didn’t stop for months, then years.
I was trying to build a business and my body was actively resisting it.
There were long periods of silence. Of watching others move forward while I felt stuck.
Of trying to keep my head above water financially, emotionally, physically.
I had no idea that what I thought was just fatigue would become the defining battle of the next several years of my life.
But here’s the thing: FTSQ didn’t die.
It just… paused.
It waited.
For me.
What saved it (and me)
I couldn’t run the business the way I’d planned, but a handful of people quietly held the line with me. My amazing parents (Bruce and Marg I will never be able to tell you how much you saved me over those years), my ‘Bubble People’ (Chris and Lisa that’s you two), other close friends (Bernie, Lukas, Dolly, Gary, Kerrin, Jo, Anna, Jenny, Kristel, Miriam), dear clients (in particular Deano and Carla who rang regularly and even took me to hospital appointments), Collaborators (Chin), and my many long-suffering Lodgers (currently that’s Karolin who is a blessing to have with me every day).
There’s no way to name everyone here (though I’ve tried in the private version of this story), but a few need a proper shoutout: Alison Bastock, my brilliant friend and lawyer who flew over from Spain especially in this early days to get my paperwork sorted so I didn’t lose everything). Alan Silver, my steadfast friend and accountant, who has been one of the most generous humans on the planet with his time and support. Without them, FTSQ might not have made it. Full stop.
They handled the practical stuff when I couldn’t.
Others handled the emotional.
From Zoom calls with the amazing Kiwi women from New Zealand Business Women’s Network’s Startup Club every Friday (thank you Claire), to unexpected support from clients, artists and friends who kept the faith. It was those people who kept FTSQ quietly alive in the background while I fought for my own recovery.
And fight I did.
I’m still fighting.
But I’m also finally emerging.
What FTSQ is now
FTSQ is still a consultancy. Still a gallery. But now it’s more than that.
It’s a content platform. A podcast. A movement-in-the-making.
It’s me, being honest about what truly matters:
We now live in three places:
FTSQ Consultancy – which is still supporting non-conformist business owners with brand, marketing and new business strategy, but only when it really aligns with my purpose.
The FTSQ Gallery – which is championing artists, especially those whose work deserves to live on as a legacy long after they’re gone.
@Flora.lishus – my photography and writing project that began as a wellness tool and has become a beautiful exploration of life, art, and nature.
These projects are not side hustles. They are pillars of the FTSQ ecosystem. All connected by one thing: storytelling that tells the truth. Even when it’s messy.
The grief that reignited my fire
In July 2024, my friend Agenda Brown, the original of The New Chieftains passed suddenly..
It broke me open in a way I didn’t expect. We’d talked a lot about connection to community, about legacy and about leaving something behind that mattered. Something that helped people. Something that made a dent in the world.
His passing reminded me what this was all for.
Why I had to keep going. His inspiration will always be there for me.
FTSQ isn’t just a business.
It’s the way I honour the people I’ve loved and lost.
It’s the way I give back to the community that held me through the darkest nights.
It’s the container for the ideas I haven’t even had yet.
It’s the thing I intend to leave behind. It will be my legacy.
What I’ve learned
These past seven years have humbled me.
They’ve sharpened me.
They’ve softened me too.
I’m no longer interested in running myself into the ground. I’ve traded hustle for healing. I take care of Lena first now and in doing so, I’ve become better at taking care of others.
I’ve learned that you can be wildly ambitious and gentle with yourself.
I’ve learned that rest is a strategy.
That curiosity is fuel.
That kindness is a business plan (thanks Jacinda Ardern for being such an amazing inspiration with regards kindness and leadership.)
And I’ve learned that if you’re going to build something real, you have to be willing to burn the old rulebook.
What comes next
This next chapter is already underway.
I’ve relaunched The FTSQ Podcast, with real conversations, real people and no shiny bullsh*t. (thank you Dave Brown and Orion Studios for having my back on this).
Lena Unedited is giving me space to share the mess behind the message.
@Flora.lishus is becoming a book in collaboration with the magical Anna Cowie, combining my photography with her art and our shared love of nature.
I’m working on launching a community-based arts programme to combat loneliness with my dear friend Benjamin Southworth and my amazing artists (watch this space).
And yes, I still dream of growing the FTSQ community. Not for the numbers. For the people. For the stories. For the reminders that we don’t have to conform to succeed.
So here’s what I want to say:
If you’re tired of being told to play small…
If you’re bored of doing things the “right” way…
If you’ve ever been made to feel like you’re too loud, too weird, too honest, too emotional, too intense, too awkward, too you…
You are exactly who FTSQ was made for.
Because f*** being "normal."
F*** ticking boxes.
F*** creating success for other people who don’t even get it.
You don’t need to fix yourself to fit in.
You need to remember who you are and find the people who get it.
FTSQ is one of those places.
And if this post resonates, maybe you’re one of those people too.
Here’s to seven years of surviving.
Here’s to what’s coming next: thriving.
Let’s go.