“Can I give you some feedback?” Even when it’s well-intended, that sentence often lands with tension. Shoulders tighten. Attention narrows. Defences quietly come online. That reaction isn’t weakness or sensitivity. It’s human biology. Somewhere along the way, feedback  became synonymous with criticism - something delivered formally, infrequently, and often too late to be genuinely useful. And that’s a problem. Because growth doesn’t happen in annual rituals. It happens in ong

This is a topic I’ve been meaning to write about for a long time. Not because it isn’t important — quite the opposite. But because I needed time to properly get my own head around it first. Questions about influence, power, and what happens beneath the surface come up again and again in my work with leaders and HR professionals. Yet every time I tried to write about it, something felt off. Too neat. Too binary. As if it missed the lived complexity of what people were actually

As the year draws to a close, many people sense a shift. Something ending. Something wanting to begin. And a quiet discomfort in the space in between. I’ve written before about transition moments — the small, often invisible shifts we move through every day — and how the energy we carry from one moment into the next shapes our presence and performance. This piece stays with the in-between  itself a little longer. Because year end has a way of bringing it into focus. Change a

This is a topic I’m deeply passionate about (my clients know:) - because I’ve seen, time and again, how quietly powerful values are when things get hard. Not in theory. But in real life. A moment that stays with me I remember a client saying to me, halfway through a session: “I know what the ‘right’ decision is — I just don’t know if I’m brave enough to act on it.” When we slowed things down, it wasn’t a capability issue. It wasn’t even a strategic one. It was a values moment

Why it’s normal – and why or how you don’t have to believe every thought you have. No greeting. No “thank you”. No feedback. Just a short email in response to a piece of work I had put real thought and care into. Almost immediately, my mind filled the gap. I haven’t done a good job. I’ve missed the mark. This reflects badly on me. Nothing like that had been said. And yet, the conclusion felt instant and real. This is often how taking things personally starts – not with facts,

Can you hold high standards and  be kind to yourself? It’s a question that comes up again and again… and at its heart, for me it really a conversation about grace and grit. For years, many high performers — and the organisations they lead — assumed that kindness weakens performance. That to stay competitive, you need to stay tough. I used to believe that too. But over time, and thanks to some brilliant coaches I’ve worked with, I realised it’s not a contradiction at all — it’

Why What You Carry In Shapes What Comes Next We often think of transitions as the big moments in life – the new role, the restructure, the move, the shift in identity. But the truth is: we transition constantly. In a single day, we might move from strategic leader ➝ parent ➝ negotiator ➝ coach/mentor ➝ colleague needing support ➝ decision-maker in a high-stakes meeting ➝ back to parent and partner➝ and then friend or daughter or son. We switch roles, expectations and energy s

A little while ago, I sat with a senior leader who had just stepped into a much bigger role. From the outside, he looked composed — confident even — the sort of person everyone turns to when things get tough. But as soon as he settled into the chair, he exhaled and said quietly: “I’m waiting for someone to realise I’m not as good as they think.” This wasn’t a junior manager. This was someone respected, trusted, and repeatedly promoted. And yet, this sentence comes up again an

How leaders stay open without being drained Ever left a meeting or conversation feeling heavier than when you walked in? That subtle tension in your shoulders, the mental fog afterwards, or the thought that keeps looping in your head long after the discussion ends? In leadership, these moments happen often — difficult conversations, emotionally charged topics, or people who seem to drain more energy than they give. And while it’s tempting to push through, leaders who constant

Revisited Through the Lens of Neuroscience and Modern Organisations I first read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  by Stephen Covey back in school. At the time, I didn’t know how deeply it would shape my approach to life — and later, to leadership and coaching. Years on, I still come back to it — especially when working with senior leaders and organisations navigating transitions. Because while the world has changed, these principles haven’t. What’s changed is how we a

When I worked in the corporate world, I learned quickly that competence alone doesn’t open doors . I remember delivering a flawless...