Stop going from one hamster wheel to the next

Alice in Wonderland's rabbit, always late for a very important date, is Yun Qiu's picture for freelancers who left the 9-to-5 for freedom and now rush from one project to the next. She quit her corporate job in 2018 because she felt limited there. In this interactive session on 15 May 2025 she asks whether freelancing changed anything or whether you moved from one hamster wheel to another.

How the session runs

• It begins with a short guided relaxation and an intention for the conference: how do you want to feel afterwards? Then a visualisation of an ordinary freelance day to check whether your actions match the outcome you want.
• Part one is about you. Why did you become a freelancer? She names four kinds of worth you can gain or give up: financial, social, time and physical. Sacrifices can also be read as letting something go.
• The six human needs: security, relevance, love and connection, variety, growth and contribution. Everyone has two or three that dominate. Hers are growth, love and connection, and contribution. Her thesis: if you focus on growth and contribution, you cover the rest.
• Part two looks at obstacles that show on the surface: low rates, inefficient workflow, dependence on one or two clients, little marketing, low visibility, too few enquiries. Her point is that these sit on top of root causes such as not seeing your own value, insecurity, fear of rejection, lack of time and knowledge. Tips without the root cause fade after a month or two because resistance sets in.

Four directions she suggests

1. Market yourself.
2. Work on your growth mindset and your sense of worth.
3. Build healthy habits through self-reflection.
4. Grow your business, with help once you can afford it. Taking an employed job is also fine if security matters most to you.

Who it's for

Freelancers who feel busy without feeling free.