I saw one of these posts recently and it piqued my curiosity. Normally I normally scroll past those things as my attention is finite, and I try to spend it deliberately. But people post them, and those posts appear to get lots of engagement. So decided to dig into the topic... And the answer turned out to be more interesting than the puzzle itself. 1. Our brains are wired for tiny hits of uncertainty When we sense a gap between what we know and what we might  know, the brain

How to Thrive in the Quiet Before the Year Really Begins January always barges in like a gym coach — whistle, stopwatch, new targets, fresh notebooks. That manic “let’s hit the ground running” vibe. But if you work anywhere between Sydney and Singapore, you know the reality: January is only pretending to be January. In Australia, nothing really gets going until after Australia Day. And over here in Asia, half the team’s already wondering how many reunion dinners they can surv

As we step into 2026, it’s easy to become consumed by professional ambitions. We set targets, chart strategies, and dive headlong into work. But true growth, lasting, meaningful growth, requires us to expand our focus beyond the confines of career milestones. It begins by asking: How will I create balance, foster connection, and cultivate purpose in my life this year? Creating Space for Renewal Before the busyness takes hold, pause and mark your calendar, not just for meeting

Motivation and Inspiration Day is a day about knowing yourself and focusing on who you want to become. The start of the new year is the...

An open letter to anyone who’s ready to pay deeper attention. The wonderful Michael Bungay Stanier once suggested replacing the whole “New Year, New You” machinery with something much more human. Setting aside goals or metrics, he suggested an intention . Having failed to achieve too many resolutions over the years, I decided to try it. 2024 was the Year of Listening. Last year was the Year of Mindfulness. And this year, after a few clues in my journaling and a handful of int

Another eclectic year in my reading - fewer coaching books and more Japanese fiction. Orbital  — Samantha Harvey Set over the course of a single day (what ever a day is) this is an award winning, meditative story set in orbit that reflects on humanity, fragility, and the view of life from above. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library  — Michiko Aoyama A heartfelt reminder that the right book, and the right librarian, can quietly reroute a life. How to Stop Time  — Matt H

Happiness doesn’t knock, it sneaks in while we’re busy. Love it! Looking back over 2025, I see happiness wasn’t just in the big moments...

Everywhere I turn, in client conversations, over lunch with colleagues, even the awkward small talk at networking events, someone is talking about the AI wave as if it’s a storm we can outrun if we push ourselves hard enough I’ve been to this dance before. I am old enough to remember the first beige PC humming on my desk, the dial-up modem singing its terrible song, the pressure to ‘learn to code’ before you were left behind. It feels all too familiar, the panic, the urgency,

A design for showing up with steadiness when you’d rather stay under the covers Some days you just wake up feeling bleh . Not sick exactly, just off, like your body’s running a half-step behind. Maybe it’s a bad night’s sleep, or simply the weight of too many days spent carrying too much (or even that doom scrolling in bed 'til past midnight...). Whatever the cause, your energy feels low, and the idea of “powering through” sounds exhausting. Those are the days that call for

According to Microsoft, most of us spend nearly 85% of the week “collaborating.” Yet somehow, less is getting done. I see it every week, smart people, endless calls, full calendars, and still, that sinking sense of why does this feel so slow? It’s rarely about doing more  collaboration. It’s about knowing which kind you’re doing — and when to stop. That’s where the four Cs come in. Co-creation  – Bringing everyone together and involving them equally Collaboration  – Working

We often hear that AI makes us more productive, efficient, or optimized. But what if it could make us more fulfilled? In early July I began to use ChatGPT as a kind of reflective companion, not to do more work, but to help me live more consciously. Most mornings I sit by the pool or at my desk, open a chat, and talk through whatever the previous day had stirred up. What started tentatively has begun an almost daily ritual. I open a chat and speak my reflections on the prev

Why five minutes in nature can rebuild your focus and calm your mind I was reading a book recently that talked about ART, so I looked it up. It’s called Attention Restoration Theory . And the idea is simple: the ability to focus is like a battery. It drains with use, but you can recharge it, if you’re in the right environment. And it turns out that nature is especially good at restoring our mental energy. There are two kinds of attention. Directed attention  is the one we us

How I’m Using AI to Reflect and Flourish The Quiet Power of Reflection Since I became a coach, journaling has been a part of my practice to pause long enough to hear myself think. It’s one of the ways that helps me "see" the previous day clearly, what worked, what didn’t, and what patterns might be shaping who I’m becoming. I've found that journaling is really about awareness and reflection. And when practiced regularly, becomes one of the most powerful tools for growth. Tha

As this week closes, I’m reminded: let go of what I can’t control. Meetings ran long, projects shifted, people zigged when I thought...

Most mornings I start the day with a cup of tea, a book, a little journaling about the day before and the contemplation of my immediate surroundings. Yesterday I found myself suddenly struck with my fortune to enjoy such moments. So I made a list of those things I am grateful for English breakfast tea Baked unsalted cashew nuts Early morning sunshine Still able to call my mum and dad The sound of gentle waves lapping the beach The pleasure of going to bed early The noses of d

Flourish forward to better worlds, within and without When I got the credential renewal approval for my coaching qualification recently, I felt a sense of gratitude. The journey there involved forty hours of continuing education. An ethics course. Documentation. The kind of administrative labor that should feel tedious. But strangely, none of it did. Every single course, from supervision to team coaching, from ICF Singapore to Ezra, left me more alive than before. I met extra

The Hidden Skill That Builds Trust and Moves People We’ve all been in conversations where something just clicks . Clients suddenly open up or team meetings that seem to shift from tension to flow. That click isn’t luck. It’s emotional pacing, the subtle ability to meet people exactly where they are emotionally, then help them move somewhere better. 🧭 What Is Emotional Pacing? Emotional pacing is the art of matching and mirroring the emotional energy to create connection and

10 ways to pass time waiting for a friend (without resorting to your phone) You’re in a restaurant. Your friend’s late. You’ve already checked the menu, the specials, and your watch (twice). And your thumb is hovering dangerously close to your phone, that glowing rectangle of doom that whispers, “Just check one thing...” But hang on. What if waiting didn’t have to feel like a holding pattern? What if it could actually be… nice? Here are ten ways to turn dead time into somethi

Preparation honors everyone’s time, including your own. We love to hate meetings. And most of what makes them painful, rambling updates, vague questions, late decisions, isn’t about the meeting itself. It’s about how we arrive . Preparation changes the energy in the room. Whether you’re leading or joining, a few small habits can turn meetings from endurance tests into moments of clarity and progress. 1. Read the Agenda Early (and Once More Just Before) Don’t skim it on the

There’s a champagne bar tucked away in the lounge at Dubai airport. It’s off in a corner, away from the melee of food counters and flickering TV screens. Maybe it’s the food. Maybe it’s the bubbles. Maybe it’s the mix of people who find it, the ones who don’t mind sitting quietly for a while. That’s where I met a fellow traveler and struck up a conversation. We didn’t talk business or travel. We talked about our kids. We began to talk about our children. About how they might