Part of my Reboot this year is to get back to the novel I’ve been writing since forever. It’s called “The Kissing Stopped”, and I’m telling you about it because I want you to know it’s going to be bloody brilliant. I’ll sign a copy for you when it’s done. I had a full draft prior to the pandemic, and used the first 3 months of lockdown to dive in and zoom through a whole heap of rewrites and edits, and it was reading and feeling damn good. And then…nothing. Lockdown meant that I was getting no fresh input or variety, so the well ran dry and the creative juices stopped flowing. Only ..read more

Tomorrow I fly to Portland. It’s my first trip anywhere since 2020, and my first time to Portland—my happy place—since 2018. Truth is, as much as I need it, I don’t know how it will go. To say I’ve been feeling worn thin these last couple of years with the challenges life has thrown at me is an understatement. I shut down huge pieces of myself and I’ve felt stuck with writing, coaching and everything else. It was only during the Spring that I felt the tiniest shift of energy, a faint glimmer that things might be ready to change, and this trip is part of what I’m calling the Big Reboot. Thos ..read more

I’m a HUGE foodie. If foodies were people, I’d be China. And I’ve spent the last few months indulging in some of the finest food porn available. The grand finale of the latest season of MasterChef Australia just aired (which makes the UK version look like “Chimps Make Toast”), and the latest winner declared (no spoilers). I’ve slobbered at the sights on my screen, luxuriated in lusciousness, and dreamed of the delicious dishes on display. Seriously, it’s the pinnacle of food porn. But besides the food, the contestants went through the wringer to figure out who they are, what their food is a ..read more

You might have seen that quiet quitting is the latest topic that people just won’t be quiet about. Like the blue dress/gold dress or pineapple on pizza, everyone has a point of view and opinions are split. So I’d like to help. For years I’ve worked with employees and leaders who’ve encountered this phenomenon at different times and in different ways, and successfully helped them navigate it with clarity and purpose. So buckle up and lean in, here are 8 home truths about quiet quitting. 1. Replace “quitting” with “boundaries” As a baseline, the term “quiet quitting” is deeply misleading. Most ..read more

When I’ve screwed up as a leader (and holy maloney have I ever made some screw-ups), I can put it down to one of these five reasons: Ignoring that tiny, quiet little voice at the back of my head that tells me exactly where the problem is. Being so focused on getting work out the door that I just want everyone to shut up and do what I tell them. Staying quiet and squashing myself down in order to toe the party line, instead of flagging what I know to be true. Internalising the pressure of delivery and turning it into stress. Normalising an unhealthy environment or toxic behaviour as “the way ..read more

Jobs. We all got 'em. At least, the lucky ones do. Sometimes you lose confidence in your job though. You start coasting. You feel disconnected. You feel like the people around you are better at their jobs than you are at yours. You don't apply yourself like you once did. You get scared to make a change. You lose your self-confidence. I see it over and over and over and over. And it's happened to me so I know how it feels. If you want to be more confident in your job, here are nine ideas for you. 1 Stop People-pleasing Ever find yourself running around trying to keep folks happy ..read more

2021 took a lot. The whole covid pandemic has taken a lot. It feels a bit like Thanos snapped his fingers and blipped away a couple of years of my life, and I'm a little shocked and discouraged at how different things are today versus two years ago. I can count the number of social occasions in the entire year on one hand. Some days the only words I speak are to my Google Home to switch the lamp on. My armchair has become my little hermit hole. This is the only thing I've written in 18 months (hi, by the way). See, with an underlying chronic illness and covid all around I've had to be careful ..read more

Life is hard. I’ve learned that…the hard way. Twists, turns, slaps and roundhouse kicks. Life is full of surprises. We all go around pretending we know what’s going on. That we have our shit together. I do it too. I want people to think well of me. I want to be the best at what I do. I want to create stuff that matters. But really, I’m just making shit up as I go. We’re spinning through space at 1.2 million miles per hour, and yet we’re still dumb enough to think we’re in control. Anything can happen. At any time. Good or bad. When you get right down to it, you don’t have a clue. Nor do you n ..read more

If good leadership were people, Jacinda Ardern would be China. She's received much-deserved universal praise from every corner, in terms of her handling of the covid-19 pandemic, the work she's done to serve the most vulnerable in New Zealand, her support of the LGBTQ community, and not least, her clear dedication and prioritisation of her family. Just watch this, and see what I mean... What she demonstrates is human-first leadership—the ability to lead as a human being first, without wanting, trying or pretending to be a leader. Here are five BIG lessons leaders can learn from her. No p ..read more

A young girl was walking along a beach, and was horrified to reach a spot where hundreds and hundreds of starfish had been washed up during a storm. One after the other, she'd pick up a starfish and throw it with all her strength back into the waves. People watched her with some amusement, and one man approached her and said, “Hey, why are you doing this? Look at this beach, you haven't even scratched the surface. You can’t possibly save all these starfish!” The girl looked down at her feet, then along the beach at the dying starfish. She bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it a ..read more