We need to talk. Literally.

I’ve had so many conversations (ok, arguments) with my kids about using their phones to do the most shocking thing of all…

Actually call someone.

You know, a real, human-to-human, live, in-the-moment conversation. They resist it.

I’ve always blamed it on the generational thing, thinking this just affects people whose year of birth starts with a 2.

But honestly? It’s not just them.

Somewhere along the line, we all decided that typing was safer/easier/quicker/more convenient than talking.

Instead of picking up the phone, we fire off an email (or a Teams message, Slack ping, insert-your-platform-here).

Written words will always lack the tone, nuance, and connection of an actual conversation.

Especially when there’s conflict.

You know the drill:
Draft the spiciest email you can.
Hit send.
Sit back smugly thinking, “Ha! Winning.” (👋 Hello, Cheetah)
Until their reply lands… spicier.

Or maybe you’re the Ostrich – you avoid the call because it feels awkward, so you hide behind your keyboard instead. #conflictavoidance

Or perhaps you’re the Dog – you want to be kind, so you soften the email to the point where nobody really knows what you’re trying to say. 🐕 #clarityiskind

Either way, the result is the same: you’re not resolving anything.

And it’s not just one industry, or just “kids these days.”

I’m seeing this talk-avoidance right across sectors. Maybe it’s the hangover from remote working post-Covid. Maybe we’ve just got lazy. Or maybe it’s because schools don’t tend to teach one of the most essential leadership skills of all: conflict resolution.

But we show up differently when we’re in a live conversation.

We’re much more tuned in to how our words land.

We get instant feedback, which reduces misunderstandings.

And we’re less likely to dehumanise the other person (it’s a lot harder to be savage when they are right there).

Typing creates distance. Talking creates connection. Always has, always will.

Whatever the reason, the need to actually talk to each other will never go away. On the phone, or ideally face to face. #humanconnection

Because here’s the brutal truth: this is the number one reason I get called in for a Trust Repair Workshop. Relationships have broken down, stress levels are through the roof and the bottom line is it’s costing the organisation money.

And it’s not because leaders don’t know the strategy. It’s not because people aren’t clever. It’s because they’ve stopped talking to each other.

Instead, they’re hiding behind keyboards. Or worse, replacing words with eye rolls, tuts, and sighs.

So here’s my plea (ok, my rant):

Pick. Up. The. Phone.

Two minutes of human conversation beats two weeks of passive-aggressive email tennis, every time.

Because clarity is kind. Connection is human. And trust isn’t built behind a screen.

So, who do you need to call, not email, today?

Rock on.

“Oh ignore him, it’s just how he is.”

Sound familiar?

Translation: “We’ve given up trying to deal with him, so let’s all pretend it’s fine.”

Here’s the problem: what you tolerate, you teach.

If John talks over women in meetings and nobody calls it out, congrats – you’ve just made “mansplaining” an official part of the culture.

If Sarah shuts down people who think differently and everyone stays quiet, you’ve basically given her a VIP pass to keep doing it.

👉 Poor behaviour left unchallenged doesn’t disappear. It multiplies. And let’s be honest – if you don’t call it out, that elephant in the room is only going to get bigger.

And if the culprit is senior, the need to address it is more urgent, because culture always takes its flavour from the top. Toxicity from senior level leaders will trickle down faster than the redundancy rumours. And before you know it, the people who genuinely live and breathe the company values – the very people you most want to keep – will be the ones heading for the door.

Whoever is behaving inappropriately, keeping your head down with “I don’t want to get involved” isn’t neutral. That’s your Ostrich talking, and burying your head doesn’t make the problem go away, it just leaves you with sand in your ears.

Your job as a leader is to lead the culture. Ignoring poor behaviour is, ironically, poor behaviour itself.

And to the Dogs out there, here’s the truth: it’s not kind to stay silent.
Clarity is kind. Real support is speaking up.

So why don’t we?
👉Not sure what to say?
👉Worried about the backlash?
👉Think it’s above your pay grade?

You’re not alone.

Most leaders aren’t handed a magic script for these conversations. But once you learn how, you’ll wonder why you ever left it so long. “Difficult” conversations stop being difficult – and start being just Tuesday.

Here’s the truth: if nobody speaks up, that pyramid of toxicity will keep growing, faster than you can say “it’s not a pyramid scheme.”

The best time to address poor behaviour was the first time you saw it.
The second-best time? Right now.

Because silence doesn’t protect you. It just gives the nonsense free rent in your head. And honestly, haven’t you got better things to think about?

The antidote? Clarity is kind. Address it kindly, clearly, directly and in a timely manner before the rot spreads.

Rock on.

(Oh and btw, if you’re thinking “but I don’t know how to have those conversations” – that’s exactly what our Leadership Training is for. You’ll practise with an actor, so you can try out different approaches, see what lands, and find your voice. Not only will you master your difficult conversations, we (almost) guarantee belly-chuckle level laughter.)

But they did, because of this.

Let’s be honest.

The Lionesses didn’t play the best football in the tournament.

In fact, if you’re anything like me, you probably watched most of it from behind a cushion, muttering “Just clear the bloody ball!”

But they won.
Not because they were the most technically perfect team.

But because they had something even more powerful: trust, belief, and a leader who actually gives a damn about the humans.

Sarina Wiegman is being hailed (rightly) as one of the greatest leaders in sport.

But not because of her tactical genius (although she’s pretty damn good at that too…)

No one’s raving about her deep knowledge of formations or set pieces.

They’re talking about her character.
Her empathy.
Her unshakable belief in her players.
Her relationships.

She’s the kind of leader who combines the drive and determination of a Cheetah with the compassionate loyalty of a Dog.She sets the bar high, holds people to account and makes every player feel seen, safe and significant.

Because here’s the truth:

If you want long-term, sustainable success on the pitch, in the boardroom, or anywhere else, you’ve got to put people first.

Too many leaders still think:
👉 If I just master the strategy, the results will come.
👉 If I just hit the targets, the team will respect me.
👉 If I just look like I know what I’m doing, no one will question me.

But you’re not leading a spreadsheet.
You’re leading humans.

Skills matter. Results matter. But relationships are the multiplier.
When your team trusts you, they’ll go further. Fight harder. Stick together when it gets tough.

And let’s be real – it will get tough.

So if you’re still leading like it’s all about performance, here’s your halftime team talk:

Relationships first.
Results second.
That’s how you win.

(And if you’re only building relationships with the people who think like you? You’re not building a team. You’re building a fan club.

Don’t wait until the team falls apart. The Lionesses didn’t flinch in the panic of the penalties, because they trusted each other.
And that trust was built waaaaay before they travelled to Switzerland.

#SarinaWiegmanMasterclass #PeopleBeforePerformance 

Rock on.

I’ve just come back from holiday. (Sorry? Oh thanks for asking – Portugal.)

And for the first time ever… I didn’t take my laptop.

Not “didn’t open it much” – I mean, didn’t even pack it.

And wow.

I can’t tell you what a difference it’s made to my clarity, my energy, and my enthusiasm to get stuck back in.

My brain isn’t fried. My motivation isn’t flat.

And I’m more excited than ever about the training I’ve got coming up.

I was on a retreat with an old school friend – days filled with early morning lake swims, sauna sweats, ice bath screams, gym sessions, and full-on belly laugh snorts during mountain walks.

I even played volleyball for the first time since school – and blooming LOVED it. Turns out I’m quite competitive… 😉 #Cheetahallday

Honestly, by day three I couldn’t tell whether my abs were sore from workouts or from laughing.

And that’s when it hit me…

This is what real rest feels like.

Which brings me to this question:

Are you WFH?

(That’s Working From Holiday, in case you thought I meant your kitchen table.)

☀️ Your suitcase packed with sandals, swimsuits… and your laptop
📩 Your out-of-office lying through its teeth

The Wi-Fi password is the first thing you ask for at check-in.

You sneak into emails before breakfast.

And suddenly, that holiday you were so desperate for… feels suspiciously like work, just with more suncream.
#WFHolidays #LeadershipFatigue

But here’s the real question…

Why don’t you trust your team to step up when you’re away?

Is it because they’ve actually dropped the ball before?
Or because you’ve never really let them carry it?

If you’re hovering on holiday, you’re not delegating.
And if you’re not delegating, you’re not leading – you’re hoarding.
#DelegationMatters #LetGoToLead

Let’s bring in the #AnimalInfluencers, shall we?

🐶 Is it your Dog that feels guilty for resting, because you “don’t want to let anyone down”?
Reminder: burned out leaders aren’t helpful leaders. Oxygen mask. You first.
#BurnoutWarning #LeadWithBoundaries

🦁 Is it your Lion who just can’t bear giving up control?

Let someone else drive for once. Even you can’t be in the driver’s seat from a sunlounger.
#ControlIssues #LionLeadership

🐝 Is it your Honeybee, twitching at the thought of someone doing it differently (aka wrong)?
Their way might not be your way – and it might actually work.
#ProcessPerfectionist #HoneybeeHiccups

And while you’re busy micromanaging from your beach towel…

They’re tiptoeing around decisions, hoping not to mess up your version of right.

Because if the boss won’t step back, they assume they’re not ready.
#TrustYourTeam #PsychologicalSafety

So before you pack your charger alongside your passport… ask yourself this:

Did you really fork out thousands, fly four hours, and promise your partner/kids/friends real time together…
just to sit with your inbox in one hand and a mojito in the other?

Didn’t think so.

Rock on.

I was 7 months pregnant when I got made redundant from my lovely, secure, very ‘grown-up’ job at American Express.

(And yep, the hormones were raging, belly like a beach ball, crying at dog food ads… it was A LOT.)

This was back in 2002.

We’re talking low-rise jeans, flip phones, and Destiny’s Child on the radio.

It felt like the rug had been yanked out from under me by someone wearing steel-capped boots.

I hadn’t planned it.

I hadn’t asked for it.

And I definitely didn’t feel ready to leave the ‘safety’ of full time employment.

But here’s the thing about curveballs:

They often knock us straight out of our comfort zone… and into a whole new chapter we never saw coming.

If I hadn’t been made redundant, I know I wouldn’t have had the guts to leave.
Not then.
Probably not ever.

I would’ve stayed put, doing great work for someone else’s vision, never realising what I was capable of building on my own.

And The Training Rock?
Wouldn’t exist.
(Which means you wouldn’t be reading this glorious slice of truth right now. #SlidingDoorsMoment )

Right now, lots of companies are ‘resizing.’

Which is the corporate equivalent of:
“We’re gonna need your swipe card back.” 

It’s painful.
It’s unsettling.
It’s bloody hard not to take it personally.
#RedundancyFeelsReal 💔

And when it happens to you – or someone you care about – it feels massive.

Like your whole identity’s been shaken, stirred, and poured out on the pavement.

But let’s get one thing straight:

This moment might feel like everything right now…
But in the grand scheme of your life?
It’s just one chapter. Not the whole book.

And real talk for a second – was that job ever really that comfortable?

Or had it become your favourite uncomfortable jumper?
A bit itchy. Bit tight. But you stopped noticing because it was familiar.

Were you working for someone who didn’t really get you…
But you got used to it?
Stopped questioning it?
Started telling yourself it was “fine”?

Sometimes we don’t jump – not because we’re happy,
but because we’re used to it.

And redundancy? Well… it can be the nudge we didn’t know we needed.

I’ve had 23 years since that day in 2002.

Was it painful? Absolutely.

I was about to have my second child – I had a mortgage, a career I loved, and a whole lot to worry about besides growing another human. 🤰🏽

It felt like everything was unravelling.

And looking back? That redundancy was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

It cracked open a path I never would’ve taken on my own.

And I’m not the only one.

Most of the people I know who’ve been through redundancy?

They end up somewhere brighter, bolder, and more them.
#PlotTwistToPowerMove 💥

And while we’re at it, let me remind you:

✨ You still have all your strengths.
✨ You still have all your experience.
✨ You still have all your fabulous, sassy, skilled-as-hell self.

Nothing can take that away from you.

Your confidence might’ve taken a wobble—but your value? Rock solid.
#YouStillGotIt 🔥

Your next move?

❌ Don’t let fear drive your decisions.
❌ Don’t shrink to fit.
❌ Don’t let your inner Meerkat or Hedgehog take the wheel.

✅ This is your time to lean back into your strengths.
✅ To trust your instincts.
✅ To back your brilliance.

The world hasn’t ended.
It’s just giving you a new plot twist.

So throw on your big girl pants, take a deep breath,
and remember who you are.

✨ You’ve done hard things before. You can do this too. ✨

Rock on.