“A coaching session with a female transformation leader in the Civil Service reminded me how powerful the simplest questions can be: Am I clear on my role? Are those around me?

The truth that the answer could still be no - even for someone seasoned and accomplished - was a moment of humility and possibility”.

“Stewardship always begins with self.
Before we can hold responsibility for others, we have to hold it for what’s within our care - our energy, our presence, our people. The Ten Facets of Self-Stewardship describe the ways we sustain integrity and calm amid complexity.
Grace in accepting help, rhythm in pulling back, courage in showing up where it matters most - this week was a live practice of that. Stewardship, like the tide, begins at home”.

“Oceans coming together.

That’s how this week felt - family, work, and purpose all flowing into one another.

To quote my mum - “When workers haven’t got safety, there’s no safety in mind. Even if it rocks the boat they should step in.”

A different take, to mine on stewardship, but somehow speaking the same. Simple. Moral. True.

Family, in every sense, depends on that - distinct tides, shared waters, and the courage to hold together when it matters most.”

“Some weeks call for care, others for patience. This one called for boldness - not bluster, not noise, but the courage to act before certainty arrives.

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” - Brené Brown

I’ve been sitting with what it means to act before you know, to recruit for attitude not polish, to write and speak without hedging. Boldness as movement, not noise.”

“…questions - which in my life have often been sharper than speaking truth to power.

Questions.

They can crush a heart, or heal it.
They can shame a soul, or liberate it.
They can shatter dreams, or energise them.
They can obstruct connection, or invite it.
They can create defences, or melt them.

We have to use questions wisely…right now, we have world leaders who are refusing to answer them”

“Reaching out to coaches for associate work and reconnection brought it home to me. Coaching gives me the deepest kind of human connection, but I’ve realised I also miss the energy of a team - the camaraderie, the spark that comes from standing alongside others in shared purpose. This week reminded me of that, and how much I value it.””.

“I paid attention to my own words too, conscious of how I was framing things, the questions I was asking, the ground I was trying to hold.

But what I probably didn’t absorb enough was the warmth behind some of the responses. The love, the advocacy, the quiet encouragement that was there for me as much as for the work. I heard it, but I don’t think I let myself fully receive it. That’s what I missed - not because it wasn’t offered, but because I didn’t stop long enough to let it in”.

“There was honesty, alignment, and a shared sense of purpose. It reminded me again that real leadership doesn’t sit in slides — it lives in the willingness to keep showing up.

I also finalised a proposal for a transformation programme I’m genuinely excited about. It’s designed to help leaders understand change, lean into ambiguity, and coach their people through it not around it.”.

“A single tall building in a city of smaller ones - standing firm, with boundaries around it.

It struck me: the leaders I admire most are like that. Not tall in stature, but in presence. Rooted in clarity. Boundaried, not closed. The kind of leaders who know what they’re for - and what they’re not for. Who know their lane, and run it with love.

The boundary isn’t a wall - it’s a stance. And that’s what gives the work its depth.

Many think they know what they stand for, but often they only know what they believe - what you stand for is what you will and wont tolerate. ”.

“As I see it; True strength in leadership comes not from going it alone, but from surrounding yourself with a tribe that holds you accountable, challenges you honestly, and has your back. Whether as coach or coachee, we are teammates in the journey.”

And, to borrow the words of a client, the fact that I’m willing to sacrifice a lot for the cause - and for the people I serve. You can’t bottle that. You can’t replicate it with polish or positioning.

That edge is asking me to own what’s distinct - not loudly, but fully. And the next few weeks and months have to be about how I show more of that to those who are ‘watching’ as well as ‘playing’”.

“The word I’m carrying is tired. After the bikepacking trip, my body feels heavy with fatigue, yet my spirit is motivated to do more. The tension between exhaustion and drive is a place of learning.

I have needed to let my body rest - to truly listen to what it demands.

As poet David Whyte writes:

“Rest and be kind, you have only just enough time.”

Tiredness is not weakness; it is a vital part of growth, a call to kindness, to renewal. Presence here means honouring limits as part of the journey. ”

“So, who are you now? And of that, what deserves celebrating – not because it’s perfect, but because it’s true?

And who do you want to become? What remains the same? What needs to shift?

When people are honest in answering those questions, the change is rarely about becoming someone different. More often, it’s about scale, reach, influence, visibility. Recognition not in place of authenticity, but as an extension of it. ”