We are taught to be careful, to be sensible and responsible. To wait until we feel ready and are certain we will succeed. Somewhere along the way, many of us learn to trade freedom for security and passion for approval. What I realise now is that freedom is something we choose, and it often feels uncomfortable before it feels empowering.
This is what I call The Freedom Revolution, a book I published that became an Amazon best seller on publication.
I have worked with top 100 law firms and climbed the career ladder, but I was unsatisfied. I knew things could be done differently. For me, freedom came when my work stopped being something I fitted into and started becoming an extension of who I am. I led with purpose, values and passion, and money followed. I call this being a free entrepreneur. It means accepting emotional, financial and reputational risk in exchange for alignment, something far more valuable. There will be highs and lows, but the return on investment is freedom.
Fear, of course, always has an opinion. Fear has the best lawyers. It presents well reasoned arguments explaining why now is not the time or why someone else is better equipped. Fear paralyses because it sounds so convincing. But everything I have ever truly wanted has lived on the other side of it. Fear is not a stop sign. It is a doorway.
In a world that rewards sameness, freedom often comes from standing out. In business, that can be as simple and as radical as doing something because it feels right. I believed the way legal services were delivered needed to be transformed, and Acumen Law embraces just that. We built a firm without hierarchy or dress codes, with approachable and accessible lawyers. These decisions do not always require investment, just courage. They are the decisions that make competitors pause and say, “Do they really do that?”
Many of us hesitate because we feel like imposters, waiting until we are perfect before we begin. But perfectionism is not about excellence. It is only a delay. “Fake it till you make it” was never about deception. It is about silencing the voices of doubt long enough to let confidence grow. Acting as if your creative work belongs in the world until you believe it, because it does.
Freedom is not found by avoiding discomfort. It is found by choosing alignment again and again, even when it feels uncertain. Especially when it feels uncertain.

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