There once was a leader who delivered the best Q2 performance review in company history. Everyone clapped politely. One person yawned. Another quietly updated their LinkedIn profile. They had every reason to be engaged, but they weren’t. Why? Because there was no...

A lot of my friends’ children have just sat their GCSEs, and it took me right back to a pivotal moment in my life: my results day. I was 16, feeling accomplished, with three A’s, three B’s, and three C’s. I proudly handed the letter to my dad, expecting a pat on the...

Last week, one of my senior-level clients said, completely deadpan: “I’m just not cut out for presenting. I could never do it well, let alone enjoy it.” I replied: “Anyone can learn to deliver a great presentation - and feel comfortable doing it - with the right...

Last week, my 13-year-old son was unusually quiet, moody, withdrawn, snappy. You might think ‘teenagers, right?’ But this wasn’t like him. Something was off. Eventually, he admitted he was overwhelmed by a school assignment. He didn’t feel equipped to handle it. His...

This weekend, we went out as a family - myself, my husband, our son, and of course, our Labrador, Cookie. We visited ‘Open Farm Sunday,’ a brilliant initiative by British farmers to invite the public onto working farms, helping people understand where their food comes...

This weekend, my husband, son, and I went to Burgh Island for a little family getaway. The weather was great, the views were stunning, and the scones were everything I’d hoped for. And yet, within two hours, we were driving each other quietly mad. My husband wanted to...

“You’re not listening to me!” That’s what my 13-year-old son muttered under his breath yesterday. And the truth is... he was right. Despite over 20 years of coaching others and teaching others how to coach, where listening is a core skill, in that moment – I wasn’t...

As an external consultant, I often get brought in to resolve workplace tension. And more often than not, leaders assume the issue is about communication, prioritisation, or process. But the truth is, it’s almost never about that. Here’s a recent example. The Surface...

Okay, the title is a little misleading. Of course soft skills training works—if it didn’t, I’d be out of a job! But here’s the problem: it’s often treated like a last resort. A desperate attempt to fix a team that’s already in free fall. By the time a course is...

Last week, something surprising happened: my walk-obsessed dog refused to go for a walk. Cookie, my chocolate Labrador, usually sprints to the door the second I touch her lead, tail wagging like a metronome on overdrive. But this time? Nope. She flopped to the floor...