'What's Stopping You?' - A Sunday Times Bestseller by Timothy Armoo, 2026

I first met Timothy Armoo at a creator event in 2024. He was a keynote speaker.

Jumping to lunchtime. He was sitting at a different table. I started walking over to say hi, but chickened out! He looked busy in conversation with Lara Acosta.

But my friend wasn't having any of it. She marched me over and thank goodness she did because...

The 3 of us were getting a photo together, and Timo quietly said, "I've got this Penguin book coming out"

"I'd love for you to illustrate for it."

I walked away in shock.

That really is the power of a personal brand. It keeps happening. Prospective clients follow me over a long period of time, and then by the time they meet me, or by the time they are ready to write a book, they are already set on working with me.

It's the biggest compliment.

And we never know who's watching. Which is why we need to keep publishing our work and making ourselves visible. I didn't get lucky. I did all the pre-work. 

I created a situation where I could be considered for dreamy projects like this 🙏

***

Fast forward to January 2025, I was having a meeting with Timo while he was riding a Lime bike" 🚲 

"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺..." 😂

And there I was, being introduced to Penguin and receiving the manuscript... I was obsessed with it immediately. It is the kind of book that I would buy and think you would love.

When we got the project off the ground, there was a catch. A two-week deadline.

I would have been crazy to say NO, but also crazy to say YES. Unfortunately, it is a common theme that clients underestimate how long I need for the illustrations.

But obviously, I went for it ....

I delivered 12 visual frameworks in record time, adapting my style so that the content of the book would be taken seriously in professional settings, but still feel playful and fun.

As is often the case, I was given a list of concepts to visualise, with the flexibility to suggest other ideas if I thought they fit better. This allowed me to let the content dictate the visuals. 

***

Then it's January 2026, and I'm in the airport, on my own grabbing water before my flight. It felt like a normal day. I was literally just getting water...

Until I realised that: "OMG THE BOOK IS OUT"

"THE BOOK MIGHT BE IN THIS SHOP"

And there it was, a bright orange copy of What's Stopping You 🧡 📙

I hadn't seen it in the flesh before. I quickly flipped through to find all 10 illustrations. They look even better than I imagined!! I read my name on the copyright page. How is this even real?

How crazy it is that I can just walk into a bookshop and see my work?

Sharing the moment with an older couple next to me... "omg, I know someone famous," they smile and say. I laughed and walked away, "definitely not me, but maybe the author" 👀 

And then I was off, walking around the airport with a big smile on my face, messaging my friends and family and doing a tour of the airport bookshops...

"I FOUND THE BOOK"

"I FOUND THE BOOK AGAIN"

"THIS FEELS LIKE A BIG MOMENT"

It was 🤭