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Welcome to the Messy Middle: The WildEdge Story
This is not our polished origin story.
This is the real one.
If you're the founder or the leader of a business that's currently playing in the messy middle, this is for you.
The Saturday morning in bed that turned into IKEA craft paper on the bedroom floor. The golden cage we built the first time. The moment we realised something had to change. And what it looks like to burn the bridges behind you when you are already established.
If you are building something new while still standing in the middle of it, this episode is for you.
🎙 Episode SummaryIn this episode, WildEdge CEO & Co-Founder Claire Ackers heads into the woods to tell the real story of how WildEdge was born. She shares the Lake District dream that has been quietly shaping her and Co-Founder Ant’s lives for over a decade, the success-on-paper business that felt wrong in truth, and the practical, emotional and financial reality of pivoting when you already have reputation, income and identity on the line.
This is an honest conversation about risk, alignment and what it means to build something in real time rather than looking back safely from the other side.
Key Takeaways- Why success on paper is not the same as alignment in your body
- How to recognise when you have built a “golden cage”
- What it really takes to pivot when you are already established
- Why burning the bridges behind you creates a different level of commitment
- The power of building in motion rather than waiting until everything is tidy
00:00 – Out in the woods, and why the podcast format changed
03:01 – The WildEdge story begins
03:14 – Welcome to the messy middle
03:21 – The Saturday morning that became the WildEdge plan
04:06 – IKEA craft paper, and the “million pound idea” moment
05:05 – The Lake District dream, and why this has been brewing since 2013
05:40 – Meeting Ant, GPS coordinates, and the early adventure roots
08:51 – The first business, success on paper, and the golden cage
10:08 – How our two paths evolved, and why they had to merge
10:52 – Rewilding, the outdoor work, and what WildEdge really is
12:12 – The 2024 double house move, the stretch, and the wall we hit
12:32 – The eureka moment that made the pivot non-negotiable
12:44 – Where we are now, and what it means to be all in
12:57 – Burning the bridges, and why there is no Plan B
13:47 – Why this is legacy work, and what we believe we are building
14:51 – Closing words
To find out more, visit https://wildedgeworx.com
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By Claire AckersThis is not our polished origin story.
This is the real one.
If you're the founder or the leader of a business that's currently playing in the messy middle, this is for you.
The Saturday morning in bed that turned into IKEA craft paper on the bedroom floor. The golden cage we built the first time. The moment we realised something had to change. And what it looks like to burn the bridges behind you when you are already established.
If you are building something new while still standing in the middle of it, this episode is for you.
🎙 Episode SummaryIn this episode, WildEdge CEO & Co-Founder Claire Ackers heads into the woods to tell the real story of how WildEdge was born. She shares the Lake District dream that has been quietly shaping her and Co-Founder Ant’s lives for over a decade, the success-on-paper business that felt wrong in truth, and the practical, emotional and financial reality of pivoting when you already have reputation, income and identity on the line.
This is an honest conversation about risk, alignment and what it means to build something in real time rather than looking back safely from the other side.
Key Takeaways- Why success on paper is not the same as alignment in your body
- How to recognise when you have built a “golden cage”
- What it really takes to pivot when you are already established
- Why burning the bridges behind you creates a different level of commitment
- The power of building in motion rather than waiting until everything is tidy
00:00 – Out in the woods, and why the podcast format changed
03:01 – The WildEdge story begins
03:14 – Welcome to the messy middle
03:21 – The Saturday morning that became the WildEdge plan
04:06 – IKEA craft paper, and the “million pound idea” moment
05:05 – The Lake District dream, and why this has been brewing since 2013
05:40 – Meeting Ant, GPS coordinates, and the early adventure roots
08:51 – The first business, success on paper, and the golden cage
10:08 – How our two paths evolved, and why they had to merge
10:52 – Rewilding, the outdoor work, and what WildEdge really is
12:12 – The 2024 double house move, the stretch, and the wall we hit
12:32 – The eureka moment that made the pivot non-negotiable
12:44 – Where we are now, and what it means to be all in
12:57 – Burning the bridges, and why there is no Plan B
13:47 – Why this is legacy work, and what we believe we are building
14:51 – Closing words
To find out more, visit https://wildedgeworx.com