Inspire - Rewire: Retreats and Events

06/02/2026

No one ever taught me how to handle conflict. And it took me far too long to learn.

By working through my own sources of conflict: the uncomfortable, internal kind, I began to understand what’s really needed between two people in disagreement. Here's what I discovered:

People want two things:
1️⃣ To be heard
2️⃣ To be understood

“That’s not what I meant.” or “They just don’t get me.”

I’ve heard it from others, and I’ve said it myself.

When emotions are heightened, we feel misunderstood. And at the same time, we lose our ability to truly listen, or calmly express. That’s how conflict keeps looping.

I used to fear confrontation.
Now, because I understand this dynamic, I feel noticeably calmer when conflict shows up.

In personal life, it can be easier, at least it has been for me. Strong boundaries, clarity on who I want around me, and good energy make a big difference.
Professionally, it’s harder. Power dynamics, pressure, and stakes are higher.

But I always come back to one guiding nugget:
Most people are acting from a place of feeling misunderstood.

When you pause, soften, and bring compassion before solutions, tension drops. From there, resolution becomes possible.

And yes, sometimes situations are truly toxic and require a different approach. Compassion doesn’t mean tolerating harm. But understanding what’s driving the behaviour is still a powerful leadership skill.

That inner work is now what I bring into teams when leaders and colleagues are stuck in conflict.

Before you respond in conflict, ask yourself:
Have they felt heard yet?

If you lead people, this skill is non-negotiable.

How do you handle conflict?

If this resonates, let’s talk about how leaders can build this capability intentionally.

05/02/2026

Most stress in the workplace isn’t caused by one thing.
It’s caused by the accumulation of many things over time.

This image I made captures what leaders often don’t see.

Stress doesn’t start and end at work. It’s shaped by mental exertion, environment, health, recovery, personality, unresolved experiences, boundaries that aren’t held, and ongoing stress responses in the body. All of it stacks. Quietly. Gradually.

When that load becomes too heavy, what shows up at work is often labelled as disengagement, reactivity, resistance, or underperformance. But more often than not, it’s an overwhelmed system — not a lack of capability or commitment.

This is where leadership requires a bigger picture.

High-performing cultures aren’t built by treating stress as an isolated workplace issue. They’re built by understanding people as whole systems, carrying cumulative load into every conversation, meeting, and decision.

And this starts with self-leadership.
Yes, our working culture is also key and the orgs overall leadership, but when or where we can't influence that directly, we can start with ourselves.

Leaders who can recognise their own stress patterns, how pressure shows up in their thinking, behaviour, and nervous system are far better equipped to respond rather than react. They know when they are overloaded, when their empathy is stretched, and when their leadership presence begins to shrink.

Self-leadership creates the space to pause, regulate, and choose a more effective response. Without it, stress cascades down through teams, even with the best intentions.

The most impactful leaders I work with don’t ask, “How do I get more out of people?”
They ask, “How do I lead myself well enough to not add to the load?”

Because sustainable leadership isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about seeing the whole picture, starting with yourself.

Question for leaders:
How aware are you of your own cumulative stress, and how might it be influencing the way you lead?

05/02/2026

Trigger warning: Around this time 10 years ago we lost someone suddenly. I'm not going to go into details or write a long post. But I simply came across this website in a WhatsApp wellbeing group I'm part of.

I think it's timely at this time of year for support for mental health: 'busy time of year' we were told by the funeral director. So if you need to read something short and relatable yet encouraging then this website shares a short letter to read and every time you refresh the page it brings a new letter written by a real person 🥰

If you're teary, let it help you to let it out.

I hope it brings some relief on the more difficult days.

Reasons to Stay is a su***de prevention project reaching people at difficult moments through anonymous letters written by volunteers. Each letter on this site was written by a real person and delivered to you at random when you visited this page.

04/02/2026

Right... We need it. To a point...we all know when we've gone too far

02/02/2026

Do you need one of these?

02/02/2026

The most powerful leadership learning doesn’t come from being told what to do.
It comes from being invited into a real conversation.

Whether it’s a workshop, leadership retreat, or retreat for purely wellbeing rest and recovery, there’s nothing I love more than getting right into the thick of the 'work'.

For me, learning and growing is never about preaching.
It’s discussion.

Yes, there may be frameworks and a few useful nuggets to support the growth journey. But the real value isn’t in what I tell people, it’s in what gets drawn out of them.

What they already know.
What they’ve learned through experience.
And, often, who they really are beneath the role.

This is where leadership development actually lands.

When people are invited to reflect, question, and connect the dots for themselves, learning moves from intellectual to embodied. It becomes something they can use under pressure, not just something that sounded good in the room.

The best leaders aren’t created through instruction alone.
They’re developed through insight, dialogue, and self-awareness.

That’s why I design spaces that prioritise curiosity over compliance, and conversation over content.

Because real learning doesn’t happen when people are told what to think.
It happens when they’re supported to uncover what’s already there.

When you invest in development, are you creating space for reflection — or just delivering information?

01/02/2026

30/01/2026

posted this 1 year ago stating I will be here next year. It came true! This proves how visualization mixed with perseverance really works.

Today I got them email saying I have been selected for a Tedx talk at University of Chester, where I carried out my studies on Leadership burnout and explored the question; whose responsibility is it?

I’m looking forward to sharing my plan for my talk on my perspective on the reality of wellness and where I see the status currently is. I’m keen to hear your thoughts on this as it will help me gain even more insights. Please share below.

The art of manifestation comes from belief, action, divine timing - in my opinion. If it’s meant to be, it will happen but wishing alone won’t make it so.

What great timingfor our webinar on 12th Feb on the reality of goal setting! I’ll drop that in the link.

wellbeingatwork leadershipretreats

29/01/2026

A reminder I needed today and maybe you do too. In a world that rewards constant motion, productivity, and “what’s next,” it’s okay to slow down. Give yourself permission to press pause, reflect, and breathe. Rest isn’t quitting; it’s how we reset, realign, and come back stronger.

28/01/2026

Have you ever presented polished and energized on the outside but exhausted on the inside?