By Ella Schwarz from Coffee With Ella

If you’d asked me 12 months ago whether I thought I’d be sat here, on a Saturday night, my daughter asleep beside me, writing this blog post — having accomplished what I have in my first year of business — I’d have laughed out loud and said: you’re joking.

Twelve months ago, I’d barely dipped my toe into my coaching practice. I’d just about received my diploma and was still in shock that I’d secured a contract, seemingly out of the blue, to do career coaching — the kind of contract that made it possible to go all in with my own business.

And the story I was carrying — and only recently got caught repeating — was this: these things don’t happen to someone like me.

Someone like me who grew up playing the good girl.

Someone who made herself small to make others feel comfortable.

Someone who checked all the boxes but never really checked in with herself.

And yet, curiously so, here I am.

Still going — even when my vision sometimes feels like it hangs by a thread.

Still showing up — even when imposter syndrome tries to pull up a chair.

Still creating work that makes me want to write at 9pm on a Saturday because it’s that worth it.

Work like this blog piece. Or like launching a manifestation collective for women of colour — and watching the founding members blow past every goal I’d anxiously hoped for. Or like holding space for young creatives to curate their practices and realise: they don’t need to wait to be chosen. They’ve always belonged.

These have been serious pinch-me moments and they’ve rewritten the old story I used to tell about who I allowed myself to be.

Because here’s what I now know: the life you crave isn’t waiting for permission. It’s waiting for you to remember who you are and to begin showing up for it like you mean business.

A New Way to Move

So let me introduce you to someone who’s been dying to meet you:

Someone who speaks up — without shrinking.

Who knows what she wants — and trusts the timing.

Who works with ease — and calls in the things that light her up.

Who says no — without over-explaining.

Who rests — even on a Tuesday. (Especially on a Tuesday.)

This someone is Future You.

Future You has already done the thing you’re dreaming about but have been too scared to name. The thing that feels both too big and too small to admit out loud. And she’s not judging you for being hesitant — she’s just waiting for you to catch up.

She Already Knows

Because let me tell you what Future You knows.

She knows you’ve already done the hard bit: the people-pleasing, the doubting, the shrinking. She knows how many masks you’ve worn, how many versions of success you’ve contorted yourself to fit in. She knows how many times you’ve wondered whether it’s safe to want more.

And she also knows that not only is it safe to want more —  it’s the first step toward the life that finally feels like it’s yours: deeply, deliciously and unmistakably so.

She is the version of you who did the thing: left the job, wrote the book, moved abroad, slowed all the way down. And the real flex? She didn’t do it because she was fearless. She did it because she stopped waiting for the fear to disappear and started trusting her intuition instead.

Time to Tune In

So this is the moment I’ll hold up a mirror. Grab a pen, a notebook or even just your notes app and take a deep breath. I’ve got a few questions for you — and you can write them down, voice-note your answers or simply say them out loud into the room.

Most importantly, let your answers come from that version of you who already did the thing.

• What is one thing Future You has already done — that you’re still afraid to embrace?

• What does her daily life feel like? What does ease look (and feel) like for her?

• What belief did she have to let go of in order to get there?

• What is she no longer available for — even if it ruffles feathers?

• What’s one thing she wishes you knew right now?

For once, this isn’t about 10-year plans or rigid timelines. It’s about tuning into a different frequency — one where expansion feels natural, not forced. Because Future You isn’t a goalpost. She’s a guide. Think: someone you get to check in with — again and again — to anchor yourself and remember who you really are. Because she’s always been within reach and she’s been impatiently waiting — car keys in one hand, latte in the other — wondering when you’ll finally kick into gear.

Say It Out Loud

Before you close this tab and scroll back into your life, I want to leave you with one last thing — a little dare, just between us:

In the next few days, introduce yourself not as who you are but as who you’re becoming, say, 6 or 12 months from now. The version of you who finally stopped waiting and started moving like it’s already done.

Say it out loud to someone you meet. Or if that feels like too far of a stretch, write it on a post-it or text it to your best friend.

I think it’s only fair if I go first, so here’s mine:

“Hi, I’m Ella. I’m a coach, writer, space holder and the founder of a thriving global manifestation collective where women of colour curate their lives with intention, softness and unapologetic joy. And yes, I’ve just signed the book deal. Obviously.”

Now it’s your turn and remember: she is already you.

And she’s ready when you are.