As I write this, I’m packing my bag to head off and help my daughter this week. She’s wrestling with two energetic kids and a demanding career, while her husband is performing on stage in the West End. And she’s far from the only woman leader I know trying to balance a high-pressure role with […]

There’s a moment every accomplished woman leader faces when she realises her expertise deserves a bigger stage. You’ve built credibility within your organisation, but no further. You know your insights could transform entire industries if more people heard them. The harsh truth? Brilliant women are underrepresented in industry conversations that shape our future. And that’s […]

It’s early harvest time at my allotment, and I’m struck by how much this mirrors the seasons of leadership. I dug up my second early potatoes yesterday, and it never ceases to amaze me how much comes from so little. A dozen seed potatoes buried in the ground a few months ago now yielding a […]

Journaling. The simple practice that quiets the noise in your head Every morning for years now, I’ve been doing something that changed how I lead my days. I journal. Not the pretty, curated stuff you see on social media, but Julia Cameron’s raw morning pages — three pages of whatever thoughts are swirling in my […]

I’ve been wrestling with a charity shop jigsaw puzzle for months now. Wildflowers scattered across my coffee table — blue cornflowers, purple foxgloves, delicate yellow sprigs. It’s been the most challenging puzzle I’ve ever attempted, made even more challenging by not knowing if all the pieces were even there to begin with. After months of […]

I’m just back from three weeks in Canada, and I’m sitting here with the most curious feeling. My brothers took me everywhere during those precious weeks. We wandered through vineyards in southern Ontario, explored prehistoric fossil sites in Manitoba where ancient sea creatures once ruled, and walked the streets of my childhood neighbourhood – hardly […]

Yesterday, I was at my allotment clearing weeds, trimming grass paths, and netting the fruit trees. With only days before my three-week holiday, I’m in that familiar pre-departure frenzy of trying to get everything “in order” before I leave. As I worked under the summer sun, pulling up stubborn, persistent horsetail and bindweed and wrestling […]

I’m sitting here on a bright sunny morning in London, watching a clever crow figure out how to raid the bird feeder meant for smaller birds, and I’ve got absolutely nothing to write about. You know that feeling? When you sit down to tackle something that usually flows easily, and suddenly it’s like trying to […]

The Hidden Cost of Digital Distraction I start every workshop with the same rule: phones on airplane mode, notifications off, be fully present. You’d be amazed at the resistance I get. Women leaders who can handle million-pound budgets and complex strategic decisions suddenly look panicked at the thought of being unreachable for two hours. But […]

Yesterday, I stood in my allotment garden, surveying the contrasting landscape before me. Patches of carefully tended beds alongside areas still waiting to be transformed. After years of working this 10m x 30m plot, I’m still not in full control of the space. The plots surrounding mine tell their own story – abandoned by well-intentioned […]