Dear Reader, I thought my podcast was diverse… until I actually looked at the guest list: Most of them looked like me, spoke like me, came from the same cultural bubble. What a confronting realisation! Not because I’d done something wrong, but because I hadn’t even noticed. If I’m perfectly honest, I wasn’t aware of the reason behind my unconscious bias until an upcoming guest asked whether I’d hosted other Indigenous facilitators. I surprised both of us with my very honest: I may have...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, On Sunday, I almost missed my first marathon 😳 After sixteen weeks of training, I nearly missed the start because I arrived five minutes late. I’d adjusted my schedule, diet, sleep — everything. Yet there I was, begging the security guard to let me through with another late runner from the US. He eventually waved us in. Crossing that starting line already felt like we’d made it 🏆 and back then I wasn't aware of all the lessons I'd learn that had nothing to do with the run. For...
17 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Do you know this voice in your head second guessing your behaviour in the last meeting?? Last week, I joined my first team meeting with a new collaborator. I knew they were good with boundaries, the kind of person who states clearly what doesn't work for them. So I showed up as myself. I added ideas, asked questions, even challenged one of theirs. The meeting went well. We got things done. And then I left the call and my monkey-mind kicked in. Did I take up too much space? Was I...
24 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, For years, coaches and therapists have told me: "You need to sit with your emotions. Just feel them." I'd nod confused, slightly annoyed because nobody ever answered my two questions: What do I actually do when I sit with them? And then what (after we're done sitting)? It seemed as if I needed to process, understand, analyse, journal, dance it out—something. The magic step! Then came the card game. I was playing with my partner. Great cards in my hand, I was going to win. Until...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Have you ever noticed how your body knows you're trying to please someone before you do? It hit me when I was sitting in the coaching chair, across from my colleague Mark Walsh. Within minutes we notice something I hadn’t realised: my body is leaning forward, eager, as if I was rushing ahead of myself. That forward-lean isn’t just posture. That's the manifestation of people pleasing. And I thought I was 'recovering' 😅 I used to consider people-pleasing a minor issue, harmless,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, How do you know when it’s time to let go of something that still works? Closing NeverDoneBefore almost a year ago was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made. Nothing was broken, but I could feel it was time. Letting it go created space for new things to emerge: my business is growing, and I finally have the time and energy to write Unprofessionalism. And the more time I spend writing, the more I seek conversations that weave into that theme: how to be more human at work? How to...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Have you ever learned something completely new, only to realise it was teaching you more about the things you already knew? I signed up for a novel-writing course that hammers one point over and over: show, don’t tell. Don’t say a character is nervous. Let their twitching eye, their shallow breath, their bitten nails speak instead. Trust the reader to make sense of it. What a challenge. My instinct - shaped by academia, running a training business, and wanting to write...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, What if growing smaller actually meant growing stronger? This question came to mind when my newsletter provider announced a significant fee increase (based on the number of subscribers). I've been obsessed with numbers believing that more is merrier and more followers or subscribers means more reach. But just because we are sending a message doesn't mean someone receives it. I've learned from years of facilitation that just because we're sending a message doesn't mean someone...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Do you have a sense of community in your work? Working solo can feel isolating, which is why many freelancers seek out peer groups. But even in a team, it’s easy to feel lonely. Most conversations are about the what: what needs doing, by when, by who. Important, yes, but not very connecting. Today, in an All Hands meeting with my associates, all freelancers, I was reminded what community feels like. And it wasn’t because of icebreakers or formal bonding. It came from what we...
2 months ago • 2 min read