Experimentation, creativity, motherhood & the freedom to get it wrong | Cathryn McLauchlan

In this episode of the Bee Formless™ Flow Driven CEO Podcast, I connected with Cathryn McLauchlan, Experimentation Manager at News Corp, Co-Founder of Vizall and mum of three boys, to explore what changes when we stop trying to get everything right.Experimentation is part of Cathryn’s working life: test something small, learn from what happens and use that insight to shape what comes next. I really loved how naturally that thinking flowed into our conversation about motherhood, creativity, identity and the pressure we place on ourselves to have things figured out.Cathryn is writing a book about innovation in motherhood, born partly from her own experience of moving from work into maternity leave and missing the intellectual stimulation and creativity that had always been part of her. We explored who we are when a role or identity shifts, and how we stay connected to ourselves while still embracing what we are becoming.Perfection became a big part of our conversation too, as Cathryn talked about giving herself more grace when she gets things wrong and teaching her boys that mistakes are normal: “the most interesting stories in our lives… are usually shaped around our mistakes.”That feels particularly relevant when careers, technology, education and work are changing so quickly. None of us has perfected what comes next. Being willing to experiment, learn and reshape may be far more useful than waiting until we know exactly what we’re doing.I also enjoyed hearing the analogy Cathryn shared about knowing which balls we are juggling are glass and which are plastic, some need protecting, others can drop and bounce. Then, when creativity disappears, sometimes the answer is not to push harder, instead to step away, get outside and give our minds space to reset.THE SHAPE SHIFT IN MOTIONExperimentation isn’t simply a business tool. It can change how we move through uncertainty, creativity and change.LEARN (LETTING GO)✨ Let go of the pressure to perfect something before allowing it to exist.✨ Release the belief that everything we are carrying has equal importance.✨ Give ourselves grace when life, work or motherhood refuses to follow the plan.UNLEARN (CREATE, REIMAGINE & RESHAPE)✨ Reimagine mistakes as information rather than evidence that we failed.✨ Create space for creativity beyond the roles and identities we carry.✨ Question linear ideas of career, progress and what we should have figured out.RELEARN (TEST & IMPLEMENT)✨ Test small before committing big.✨ Build, observe, learn and reshape what comes next.✨ Protect the glass balls and allow some of the plastic ones to bounce.ACTIVE RECOVERY (REFLECT & RESET)✨ What are you trying to perfect that could simply be tested?✨ Which ball could safely be allowed to drop?✨ Where could stepping away help you see differently?🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathrynmclauchlan🌐 https://vizall.com.au💭 What could you learn if you stopped waiting to get it right?Ready for your next shape shift? Book a Strategic Shape Shift Diagnostic.🔗 https://calendly.com/beeformless/strategicshapeshiftdiagnostic#beeformless #flowdrivenceo #experimentation #creativity #innovation #motherhood #workingmums #lifeleadershipbusiness #grace #storytelling #flowstate