Last week I found myself voluntarily swimming for six hours in 15.7° water. On paper, that sounds a bit mad. In reality, it felt like a strange homecoming: back to the cold, back to the rhythm of stroke, back to that quiet question I keep asking myself – how far can I really go? I was reminded that my mental resilience is strong, and I am lucky not to feel the cold as much as others do. My quiet superpowers held me in good stead. Since my Sealand Swim last year, I’ve been intrigued, if not a little excited, about discovering my edges. I’ve dared to dream about a Channel solo swim – a thought that still feels outrageous when I say it out loud and yet is more “yes” than “no” every time I check in with myself. I’ve also noticed how the people I spend time with change what feels possible. The more I hang out with Channel solo swimmers, the more normalised the idea of doing it myself becomes. They talk about tides and feeds, jellyfish and night swimming, with the same casual tone other people use to talk about their commute. Being around them shrinks the gap between “impossible” and “maybe I could”. Then I speak to my non‑swimming friends, who go pale at the mention of 14‑hour swims and shipping lanes, and I’m reminded that what feels ordinary in one community can seem utterly extraordinary in another. Their visible anxiety has been interesting to sit with. On the one hand, I feel incredibly held by their concern; on the other, I’ve had to get clearer about what is fear‑based “don’t do it” and what is genuine, practical care for my safety. It’s made me reflect on how often we absorb other people’s limitations as our own. How many dreams get quietly shelved because someone else can’t imagine themselves doing it? My swimming journey has been transformational for my mental health and resilience, as well as my physical health. When I first started, it was simply about moving my body and finding some headspace. Over time, it has become the place I go to remember who I am. There is something about immersing myself in cold water, the shock, the breath, the focus, that presses a reset button inside me. It is so calming and yet energising at the same time. Every time I achieve something new in the water – a longer distance, a colder temperature, a tougher sea – it ripples into other areas of my life. If I can stay calm when my face is burning with cold, maybe I can stay calmer in a difficult conversation. If I can keep swimming when the sea is choppy, perhaps I can keep going when a work project feels overwhelming. The water has become a rehearsal room for courage. If I can swim through stormy waters and come out smiling, then life is good. I’m discovering that resilience is less about gritting my teeth and more about staying connected – to my body, to my values, to the supporters around me. My swimming community has been just as powerful as the swimming itself. The incredibly encouraging swimmers I’ve met along the way have taught me the importance of cheerleaders and of getting outside your comfort zone. But having cheerleaders doesn’t mean they always tell you it will be easy. It means they hold your belief when yours wobbles. They remind you of the training you’ve done, the swims you’ve already completed, the grit you’ve shown on days when the chop was high and the wind unkind. When my self-talk wavers, I can rely on them to lift me up. When I think about a potential Channel solo, I still feel that familiar mix of excitement and fear. But underneath it, there is a steadier knowing – a sense that something inside me is indeed so strong. Not invincible, not reckless, just quietly, stubbornly strong. For now, I’m taking it one cold swim, one training session, one conversation at a time.  Maybe that’s the real invitation, whether you swim or not: to ask yourself where your “channel” lies, what cold, slightly outrageous thing is calling you. To surround yourself with people who expand your sense of what’s possible. And to remember that even in the choppiest waters, you might be stronger than you think.

I was asked the other day what my latest project was – is it events or is it coaching? On the surface, it’s a simple question, but this lens feels far too small for me. We live in a world that loves tidy labels, quick LinkedIn headlines and neat “What do you do?” answers, and yet few people have the time or curiosity to get to know who we are underneath those labels. I find myself entering 2026 less tied to a routine, but with a stronger awareness of who I am and where I’d like to put my energy. The more I learn about myself and my values, the harder it is to squeeze what I do into a job title. So I’ve stopped trying. Instead, I talk about finding ways to connect, to build communities, to inspire others to be the best they can be – and the places I do this take many shapes and forms. Part of the discomfort comes from how much of our identity we’ve been taught to hook onto work - “I’m a lawyer” “I’m a teacher” “I’m in events.” These phrases are useful shortcuts, but they can become boxes that feel increasingly tight as we grow and change. A portfolio of different roles – a mix of projects, interests and income streams – is becoming more common, yet our language hasn’t quite caught up. When your week spans facilitating a workshop one day, coaching someone through a career crossroads the next, and then hosting a community event, the old labels start to feel flimsy. What sits beneath it all, for me, is a desire to create spaces where people feel seen, connected and alive.​ So how can we support people to find more meaning in their lives, rather than pushing them back into the nearest box? I think it starts with the questions we ask. Instead of “What do you do?”, we might ask “What are you curious about at the moment?” or “Where are you feeling most alive in your life right now?” Open questions invite longer, more thoughtful answers and help people feel genuinely heard. They gently signal that it’s safe to bring more of themselves into the conversation, not just the polished job‑title version. We also need to be careful about the assumptions we make about what a “good” path looks like. It might be the promotion and the bigger job title – but it might equally be a sideways step, a portfolio career, a season of freelancing or a role that pays less but fits your values more. So many of us quietly crave change but talk ourselves out of it because we don’t have “enough experience” in a new field. Yet if we look honestly at our lives, we are often carrying a rich mix of transferable skills and lived experience: the projects we’ve led, the teams we’ve supported, the crises we’ve navigated, the care work we’ve done. All of this counts. The bigger question is whether we are prepared to take a risk on ourselves. Leaning into this messier, more fluid way of living can feel unsettling. It often leads to a richer life, but also a more complex one – less certainty, fewer straight lines, and more conversations where you see people’s eyes slightly glaze over as you try to explain “what you do now.” A life built around what makes you come alive can mean sitting with more ambiguity day to day, trusting that clarity comes from action rather than over‑thinking. But it also offers more chances to feel in flow, to notice that you are fully present in a moment, using your strengths in service of something that matters to you. I’m reminded of the Howard Thurman quote: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I come back to this often. It doesn’t mean ignoring responsibilities or pretending life is simple. To me, it is an invitation to keep asking: Where do I feel most alive? How can I bring more of that into my work, my relationships, my community – even in small, everyday ways? When we follow that thread, we don’t just step out of the box for ourselves; we quietly give others permission to do the same.  So perhaps the more helpful question for all of us this year isn’t “What’s your job?” but “What are you building?” A life, a community, a practice, a body of work – even if it doesn’t fit neatly on a business card.

It’s January and many of us make resolutions for the year ahead. “It’s going to be a new me – I’m going to lose weight, exercise more and read every day.” Perhaps the reason we often fall short is that we are aiming for the wrong thing, or we don’t explore ways of achieving it that are in line with how we actually want to live. Maybe it’s more helpful to think about the true you rather than the new you. Societal pressure can make us feel that we should be doing certain things, but are we really taking the time to think about how we would like to live? Exercising more can take many forms. I’ve never found running enjoyable, but I love swimming, and it took time to discover this. If we pick the “wrong” thing, it isn’t a failure; it might simply mean we need to explore other options until we land on something that feels right for us. I’ve just finished a book by Roman Krznaric called Work and the Art of Living. One line in particular has stayed with me: “Is your work big enough for your spirit?” I love this idea of seeking the aliveness in ourselves and questioning whether our work – or our life, for that matter – is truly fulfilling. Sometimes it is fear that stops us following our true calling rather than anything more practical like money or stability. And we all have our own version of this. The more we can look inward and find our own inner spirit, the more fulfilling and alive our lives can become. Whenever we make a decision about how we want to live and work, we have a choice. In the busyness of life, we often find ourselves on autopilot, saying yes to a project because it’s what we’ve always done. We make decisions quickly because our to-do list is overflowing and we just want to tick something off. We don’t always stop, pause and ask whether there is another way, or whether we even want to be doing it at all.  So my invitation to you today is to give yourself permission to pause. Take a moment, create some space, and consider, as Mary Oliver writes, “what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

As the year draws to a close, it is natural to reflect on the past twelve months. I often find myself torn between wanting to capture every achievement and simply being present for the moments themselves. I know I will rarely look back over a list of what I have done, yet I recently realised I had forgotten a couple of small but fulfilling projects from earlier in the year, lost in the fog of everything else that had been going on. It is often those smaller moments that bring the most unexpected joy. I recently heard a lovely word: glimmers – “small, brief moments that make you feel safe, calm, connected or quietly joyful.” While the iconic moments of the year may be what spring to mind first, it is usually the glimmers that make me feel most connected: a random chat with a stranger after a swim, an uplifting read, a shared smile on the tube, a chat with a friend. When you start looking for them, these moments are everywhere, offering tiny resets and bursts of joy throughout the day.​ For me, 2025 has been an uplifting year, from celebrating a big birthday to undertaking a big swim. But more than anything, I am remembering the glimmers: with friends and family, with strangers, in something heart warming I read, in the times I could make a difference to someone else. When I really pay attention, those glimmers are never far away. So as the year comes to an end, my hope for you is that something brings a little sparkle and joy into your life – and that you notice it when it arrives.

I have come to a little pause in my working life after a busy year and busy birthday celebrations. As I slow down and pause, I’m noticing a tussle between the unease and uncertainty of not knowing what’s next and the excitement about getting other things in my life done. I used to fight these uncomfortable feelings, but I’ve learnt to listen to them and explore what’s going on. I know that some of the unease is linked to social norms and the fact that when people ask me what I’m doing it may sound as if I am sitting around not working, despite my full days. Some of the unease is linked to the uncertainty and knowing that I want to find the right thing to do next. And on the flip side, I take the opportunity of a lighter workload as a signal to try and achieve everything else I want to do in life and that, in itself, can cause some unease and overwhelm! I have been reflecting on my coaching practice. When I started coaching, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to add value without giving solutions. I soon realised that the more present I was and the more human the connection, the more powerful the conversation and impact could be. And when I look at the next steps to take in my life, it really is this simple – the more I’m present and the more I anchor myself with my values and what’s important to me, the easier it becomes to make decisions about what to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis; the decisions about whether to take a project on or not, can be viewed through this guiding light.  Last year I did a course on Ikigai – the Japanese concept of your ‘reason for being.’ I love this concept as it gives you an opportunity to explore your passions, skills, what the world needs and what you’re paid for. From this, I designed my Ikigai which is ‘To energetically connect with kindness, creativity, integrity, respect and joy, inspiring myself and others to shine brighter’ As I navigate these new paths, I will hold connection at the heart of what I do and ensure that whatever I’m doing, I’m enabling someone to shine brighter. So, what’s your reason for being today?

I’ve written in the past about the benefits of embedding healthy habits. It’s something that I have found very helpful in my life. When I started a habit tracker 8 years ago, I would track absolutely everything on a weekly basis – how many times I swam, how many steps I walked, whether I had a meat-free day…the list goes on! I loved the ritual of it but over time, I noticed that I would happily tick off the habits that were well embedded to get that dopamine hit but brush over those that were a little harder. I then started to focus more on the habits which weren’t so easy with mixed success. Some of them worked after a bit of tweaking but others resolutely failed to be part of my life. I found myself wondering if they were really things I wanted to do or was this an obligation or feeling that I should be doing them. I recently read Meditation for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman and I was struck by his thoughts around information overload and the fact that we are never going to get everything done. It’s something I have struggled with. A lot of this is self-imposed, but there never seems to be enough time to get it all done. And while we can always blame a lack of ritual for inaction, the truth may be that some things are not in line with how we want to live our life. Perhaps we can let go of a few things which we feel we should do and focus more time on how we can live life more meaningfully. Whilst reading this book, I was reminded of one of my early mentors in the events industry who’s mantra was JFDI (think Nike with an extra word!!) We spend a long time overthinking things or waiting for the ‘right’ moment to do something and that time may never come. Sometimes we just need to take action. Having read the book, I have become less of a slave to my To do list. It has been liberating and actually the things that mean a lot to me do happen. I had been waiting for ages for a Thursday or Friday night to meet a friend and ended up emailing and saying could she meet on a random afternoon and she could! So much wasted energy waiting for the right moment. I heard Matt Haig say “get a routine baggy enough to live in” and I love this. Routines and habits can be helpful, but we also need to flex, improvise and just do stuff when it crosses our mind. Ironically one of my habits of being early is exactly to allow for random chats on the way. Not everything needs a ritual - sometimes we need to seize the moment and take action and knowing what makes you come alive makes it easier to make those choices. Do more of the meaningful stuff that will allow you to shine.

Last Tuesday, I took on my biggest swim to date, swimming from the Principality of Sealand to Felixstowe. I wanted to mark turning 50 with a positive challenge, that would allow me to grow. Why this swim? I have been intrigued by the Principality of Sealand - a micronation on HM Fort Roughs, off the coast of Suffolk. I wanted to challenge myself to do a solo endeavour, take on my single longest distance swim and to train to be able to do it without a wetsuit. It was advertised as 7 miles but ended up being about 9 miles! I signed up in December 2024, giving myself an 8-month training period. And what have I learnt? For something like sport, which I find intimidating, having a long lead time was good for me. I got comfortable with a Personal Trainer, I pushed myself to attend SwimDoctor sessions (still not always loving them), I went on a long-distance swimming week to build confidence and found a group to train with in Dover. Having the time to get into a new scary routine was helpful. It also meant that I had the time to flex training around busy and less busy work periods. I am more resilient than I give myself credit for. In areas of my life where I feel more confident, I recognise my strengths, but sport has felt like a big weakness at school and through my 20s. It has taken me a long time to celebrate what I bring to the swimming. I have learnt that I am quite happy in cold water and that when I set myself a swimming goal, I push myself to do it, despite the fear and discomfort. In fact, I think it’s because of the fear and discomfort, that I am driven to push through! I also know that I enjoy long distance more than trying to sprint so I shouldn’t worry as people whizz past me in a class. My swim was postponed twice and those postponements taught me not to wish away a key milestone. So often we want to tick something off and move on to the next thing, but this was too special to wish it away. I was so nervous the day before my original swim date that I think I got some of the nerves out of my system! By the time my date was finally confirmed, I was more excited than nervous and that felt magical! I thought about coping mechanisms for when things might get tough. I chose a butterfly swimming costume because one mantra that has helped me through training is ‘Let your butterflies fly in formation.’ I channel my nerves to spur me on to do more and accept them as a sign that I care. I learnt to accept what was thrown my way. After 14.5km I was disappointed to learn that I was being swept out and that I would need to get on the boat to be dropped further up the coast to finish the swim (a result of hanging out with too many channel swimmers where this would not be allowed!!) However, I soon made peace with this – there were no rules on this swim to say that this couldn’t happen, and there was so much positivity to celebrate rather than focussing on this. My community has never felt stronger – during the last 8 months, I been supported by swimmers in London, Croatia, Dover and Felixstowe. Friends, family and colleagues have cheered me on endlessly. And the outpouring of love and support (as well as the financial support to charities I am swam for) on the day was truly incredible and overwhelming. It has reminded me that I don’t have to do things on my own. I can share my hopes and fears and the right people will support this. I learnt to enjoy the journey – during my swim, I looked up at the looming Sealand platform, I admired container ships whizzing past, I smiled and joked with my crew, I thought about my Mum, I tried to improve my stroke, and I had a fabulous time. This was a huge difference from previous swims where I have felt amazing afterwards but found the actual swim very challenging and stressful. When things feel hard, we want them to be over, so it was refreshing to lean into it and enjoy every minute of it. I didn’t even realise when I wasn’t moving due to the currents!  “Despite choppy waters, I found my way and my stride, and I loved it!” This was me describing a practice swim to my coaching supervisor and she replied saying she thought it was a great metaphor for life! This swim has taught me to be kinder to myself, to believe in myself, to push myself to do things I never thought would be possible, to find the joy in the journey and to shine brighter. It’s not a bad way to start my 50s and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

Last week, I was hoping to complete my big sea swim that I have been training for, for the last 8 months. Unfortunately, the weather gods had other ideas, and my swim has been postponed. This has been an intense focus for me this year with all my training and healthy eating geared to this date so to have it postponed was strange. I am a quick decision maker and knew it was the right thing, but it still felt a little numb and disappointing. Reflecting on it over the last week, I realise that I don’t want to wish it away in that one moment. This is a journey that I am enjoying hugely. It started off as a way to celebrate entering a new decade and to push myself on my swimming journey – my birthday present to myself! Throughout the year, I have expanded my swimming community with incredible new connections, I have put myself in swim classes where I feel very daunted, I have lifted weights I never thought were possible and I feel fitter than ever before. What’s more, I am thriving on the exercise and feel more resilient and joyful about life. I’m embracing a happier, fitter, more resilient, me, one that even 10 years ago, I would not have thought was ever a possibility. With this comes growth and expanding possibilities – who knows what’s around the corner! The arbitrary date of the swim is useful to give me a focus, and I am buzzing to do it, but I don’t want it to be the end, I want it to be a milestone in a continuing journey. So, whilst it is a little frustrating to have to wait, I am going to continue to enjoy the journey, knowing that force 3 winds would have been tough. I am going to embrace uncertainty and know that this week has been so productive and exciting in other ways because I didn’t swim. I’m going to know that it will happen when the time is right. And most of all, I am going to try and enjoy it and not wish it away.  So much of our lives are busy rushing and ticking things off so we can move on to the next big thing. This is too important to me and who I am becoming to rush it and see it as another tick box exercise. This postponement has shown me that I need to enjoy this phase of the journey for a little longer and know that in every moment there is growth. So next time you are wishing away a milestone, take a moment to enjoy the journey, celebrate the wins, recognise how it has transformed you and hold on to what you will take forward in the next exciting chapter of your story. (And in case you are wondering, I am hoping to complete my swim in the next 3 weeks, weather permitting, so I will keep you posted 😊)

When I worked on the Thames Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in 2012, I was bombarded with jargon…SAG, LOSPG, C3. The job was a step up for me and trying to navigate the acronyms didn’t help with my imposter syndrome. A few weeks in, I realised that lots of people were struggling with the same thing. We’d all sit in meetings, and no-one wanted to look silly. It took one brave person to ask for an explanation and you would see the relief fill the room. I even changed the LOSPG acronym in one meeting to see what would happen and no one batted an eyelid or had any idea what the acronym was supposed to be! Over the years, I have got braver about asking when I don’t understand something. I think this also comes with confidence. Yet I did experience the same feeling when I started swimming training sessions this year. It took me a long time to sign up to classes because I was worried that I wouldn’t understand the jargon around swimming drills. And as expected, I didn’t but the more I talked about it, the more I realised that I wasn’t alone. I also realised that people are only too happy to explain it to ensure that I understand what to do. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of wanting to understand fully, in order to do your best. The fear of asking is often tied up with how we perceive we will be judged. When I think about when people ask me things, I don’t have that judgement so why should they have it about me? We are often wrapped up in our own thoughts and our perception of what people think of us, is simply not true.  I know that acronyms and jargon are supposed to make our lives easier but sometimes it feels like it’s being done to look good. Often a simpler way of communicating can be far more powerful and effective. We don’t need big words or jargon to prove we can do our jobs. By complicating things, we often exclude people. So have a think about whether your language is serving you and your community and whether there is a more effective way to communicate. We are all responsible for creating an inclusive, open and welcoming environment and we can do this by communicating clearly and being prepared to be vulnerable when we don’t understand.