Often we think that to reach the height of a meaningful career you need to become really good at something that you are recognised for and that has a positive impact. So did I for a long time. In 2014, I got another perspective.  That there was something beyond that.

I had arrived in Switzerland in 2010 and started a new business from scratch. I had no network. I was told I was crazy and that the market was saturated in terms of coaches and consultants.

Within 18 months I was working with big multinationals and humanitarian organisations doing what I loved - focusing on energy management, meaningful work, emotional intelligence and leading change. And my business was doing well.

2014 was a turning point though in an unexpected way. By that time I was working with high potential leaders and actively supporting internal change agents in large organisations to bring meaningful change. I was leading transformation journeys and 5 day retreats so we could go deep.

At the end of that...

One of the things we don't talk a lot about is what it really takes to build a meaningful career over time.  

When I first decided I wanted to do work that had meaning, I was totally focused on finding that perfect meaningful role or setting up the perfect meaningful business.  I couldn’t see much beyond that.  It was black or white, there were no shades of grey. 

It was like this box that I was going to find and tick.  And then that would be it. Everything would be alright.  I would arrive in some kind of paradise and automatically be ecstatically happy all of the time.   

I went on to realise there was a lot more to it than that ...  

Initially, I put too much pressure on myself to find the perfect thing straight away.  The one thing that would fulfil me completely immediately and totally.  Instead of letting it be an ongoing work in progress.  I was probably too ambitious initially in the jobs I applied to when...

Change of Energy

In the Northern hemisphere we have just passed the Autumn Equinox, when the days start getting shorter again.  In nature it is the time of harvest and preparing for the new.  

I decided a long time ago to attune my own process of evolution to mirror the cycles of nature.  We all have innate potential that is seeded in us and wants to express itself.  We are a part of nature and at some level are coded to its rhythms of transformation and transition.

Ending A Chapter And Beginning A New One

Traditionally, we celebrate January as the time of new beginnings with our new year resolutions.  But we forget that in nature the process starts much earlier than that.  

In nature, September/October/November are a time of harvest, endings and reorganising - when we collect the bounty of the last year, complete this chapter and move on to prepare the soil for the new crop.  

So this is a time to harvest what you have...

Here are a few extracts from past blogs that I thought you would find useful to take care of yourself and reconnect over the summer.  See it as creating your very own mini-retreat.

Which Type Of Rest?

In our society, it is a badge of honour to always be switched on and ‘out there’.

So it feels like an act of courage to say:’ I am taking some time out to rest and to just 'be' for a while’. To rest not just your body - but also your mind, heart and soul.

A while back I saw this social media post I loved about 9 types of rest:

1. Time Away

2. Permission to not be helpful

3. Something ‘unproductive’

4. Connection to art and nature

5. Solitude to recharge

6. A break from responsibility

7. Stillness to decompress

8. Safe space

9. Alone time at home

Most of us can relate to sleep, holiday, ‘me’ time or going out into nature to recuperate. We know about those... even if we don’t always do them. But I find this a useful checklist for...

A Next Generation Leader is someone who feels called to contribute from their inspiration, purpose and humanity. They are naturally drawn to embody more humane values. They often don't really see themselves as leaders.  But they want to somehow make the world a better place.

The Untapped Potential of A Next Generation Leader

One of my favorite quotes is: 'If you feel like you don't fit into the world you inherited it is because you were born to help create a new one.' (Ross Caligiuri)

This applies perfectly to Next Generation leaders. Their potential is to lead the charge to a new sustainable loving world where we can all flourish. They have the innate ability to catalyse that new world into being. Bringing new blueprints for how we live and work on this planet. They are not here to maintain the status quo. They are here to evolve it.

Reluctant leaders, they are often not aware of their power. Unconscious as to what they are made for, they focus on fitting into the...