Is Speechwriting the Loneliest Career in the World?

This week I want to tackle another difficult topic — loneliness and speechwriting. You see, this isn’t my first time attempt at entrepreneurship. I was a consultant from 2014 (when we first moved to the US) until 2017, when I took a job as the speechwriter to the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Honestly, entrepreneurship wasn’t the best life decision for someone fresh off the plane from the other side of the world. I had an anchor client (my former employer) so I was in the fortunate position of being able to pay the bills, but with no friends and no network I missed PEOPLE. Ultimately I went back in-house because I knew that an office and colleagues would be good for my mental health. And I loved the job I ended up in - truly, some of the happiest days of my career were in that role.

But, as a speechwriter you’re usually the only one in your organisation and a lot of your job is spent doing solitary activities like reading and writing. I definitely fall in the middle of the extrovert/introvert spectrum so I appreciate alone time, but I also enjoy office gossip 😉 and a glass of wine after work. As an immigrant I’ve had to make the effort to make a conscious effort to make friends because my crew are back in the UK.

So, when I decided to leap back into entrepreneurship for a second time I had one major concern: Would I be lonely? (Okay… I was also a bit worried about the money part, but that’s for another post.)

After nearly five years on the east coast and nine years in the States I now have a solid network here, so there’s always someone to call when like the cat, I’ve been staring at the wallpaper in my office too long.

But what’s really taken me by surprise are the creative collaborations that have come along that never would have happened if I’d stayed in-house. I come away from meetings with partners energised and excited (crazy, I know) because we’re creating something that none of us could achieve alone.

All that is to say that there are some VERY exciting things coming from Thoughtful Communications and friends this autumn. And while speechwriting can be lonely, it really doesn’t have to be. I always say that speechwriters are the loveliest people in the world and together we have a very special community. I cannot wait to gather in person at the Professional Speechwriting Association conference next month for real hugs with so many friends.

And in the meantime, if you need someone who understands the pull of the “power of three” or wants to get into the finer points of rhetorical devices, you know where to find me.