11:11 – A story of friendship, loss and living with purpose

Emily Hewett
Nov 11, 2025
3 min read

There are moments in life that stay with you forever.Some joyful. Some painful.And some that quietly change the course of everything that follows.

This one is mine.

A tale of two grandmothers

I grew up in Leeds, spending weekends in York with my Grandma and long summers in South Africa with my Ouma and Oupa. Two women, worlds apart, but both shaping the woman I’ve become.

Two inspirational women in Emily from I am Emily Marketing's life.

My Grandma was your classic Yorkshire matriarch – baking, sewing, knitting, and finding treasure at jumble sales (which, unbeknown to my school friends, is where most of my “cool” clothes came from). She was practical, warm, and quietly ahead of her time. A classic loveable Grandma with a heart of gold.

My Ouma – she was very different. Elegant, spiritual, magnetic. She practised Japanese flower arranging, wore crystals in her bra, and had a cheeky streak! When we were together, we were mischievous, giggly and thick as thieves. She taught me about energy, deja vu, and trusting that the universe has a plan.

I didn’t understand it all back then. But she knew I would one day.

Friendship, loss, and the moment that changed everything

From being five years old, I had two close friends, also both very different – Helen, still a friend and now part of my team and Lizzie, who lived across the road.

Lizzie and I were inseparable. We grew up together, studied together, worked together, lived together. We had a dream book, we played with ouija boards, we shared everything – right down to her Coco Pops bowl left on my bedside table most mornings.

Emily with childhood friends Helen and Lizzie

On 11 November 2008, Lizzie collapsed in a car park after a work conference. She was 27. Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.

That call broke me.

There’s no preparing for that kind of loss.

When I saw her at the chapel of rest, I remember thinking – she’s there, but her light isn’t.

That spark that made her Lizzie had gone somewhere else.

And yet, over the years, I’ve felt her.

I can’t explain it.

But I know she’s been there – guiding, nudging, reminding me that life is for living.

It was her loss that gave me the courage to leave a toxic relationship, move south, and start again. The life I have now – in Essex, running a business I love, surrounded by people who truly get me – all started because of that moment.

Polaroid pictures of Emily with childhood friend Lizzie

The meaning of 11:11

If you’ve ever noticed 11:11 appearing everywhere – clocks, receipts, signs – you’ll know it’s said to be an angel number. A sign of alignment, intuition, and new beginnings.

Lizzie died on 11/11.

Our funeral ribbons said, Lizzie – our angel.

I didn’t connect the dots for years, but now 11:11 follows me everywhere. It’s become a reminder that she’s close. That I’m on the right path.

Laptop displaying 11:11 in bold white on black screen. Glasses rest on the keyboard. Soft, neutral-toned desk setting.

And this year, on 11/11, I’m marking that connection in the most meaningful way.

I’ll be in London – Lizzie’s loved the city – with my beautiful friend and business partner Laura whose energy reminds me so much of Lizzie. We’re getting matching 11:11 tattoos at 11:11, having lunch at Selfridges, and visiting the Psychic Sisters for a reading.

It’s remembrance in every sense – for the soldiers who gave their lives, and for the souls who continue to guide ours.

How it all connects

So, what does any of this have to do with business?

Everything.

Because business isn’t separate from who we are – it’s an extension of it.

Since leaning into the spiritual side of myself – the one my Ouma introduced and Lizzie helped me rediscover – I’ve found a sense of flow and alignment that no business book could ever teach me.

It’s about intuition.

Energy.

Boundaries.

And knowing when something feels right.

In my work, that looks like:

– Saying no to projects that don’t align with my energy or values.

– Choosing clients who light me up, not drain me.

– Building genuine connections over quick wins.

– Trusting my gut, even when logic says otherwise.

And it’s about remembering that we’re all human. We can’t be in “work mode” 24/7. Sometimes, the best thing we can do for our business is to pause, step back, and live.