What creates lasting transformation is intentional rejuvenation—and this isn't another "treat yourself" message.

The question isn't whether rest is important—it's how to achieve it when your calendar looks impossible. The answer lies in becoming more aware of both your body and mind's need for decompression.

Perhaps it's a creeping awareness that you aren't enjoying your work as much as you did, the role you worked so hard to earn no longer reflects who you are. That rather than expanding you, it feels like it's limiting your influence.

The reality is stark: when children are home, every aspect of your communication skills gets tested. Boundaries that worked during term time suddenly blur. Your emotional bandwidth—already stretched thin from managing teams and deadlines—becomes critically tight.

Fear is the catalyst keeping us silent, and it's not okay. The question isn't whether this is happening – it's understanding why and, more importantly, how we can change it.

The brain trusts tone over text. If your voice and message don't align, tone wins. Every time.
This isn't just anecdotal —it's science. Research shows when there's a mismatch between words and emotion, people instinctively trust nonverbal cues first.

Your voice is often the first impression you make and the lasting memory you leave. In high-stakes communication, you can't afford to let an unprepared voice undermine your expertise, passion, or message.

It’s an example of phatic communication and is the modern day equivalent of the “how do you do” of the past. It serves a social rather than an informational purpose and creates a connection with those you don’t know well. It’s a type of linguistic dance that we all know how to engage.

Being unapologetic doesn’t mean being aggressive. 


It means being clear, grounded, and confident in what you have to say — without diluting your message to make others more comfortable.

I looked up what the word means and tele is Greek for far, phone for voice or sound. So telephone literally means "distant sound"… This linguistic evolution reveals something profound about how we communicate. We've created devices for "distant sound" but now we use them when people are right next to us. Ironic, isn't it?

We judge ourselves so harshly that we often forget to enjoy what we're actually doing. And in Sarah's case the stakes were even higher as any mistakes she made happened live, in front of millions of listeners. But as she so wisely put it, “success is built on the foundation of many failures”.

In this piece, I share some nutrition tips I’ve learnt from working with a nutritionist, the wonderful Clare Backhouse, and through my own scientific research. 
What works for one may not work for all, but for us women balancing leadership, life, and hormonal shifts, food is more than fuel—it’s a professional power tool.  

Psychologists tell us that as human beings we are always looking for the new - the next phone, car, job - to give us that kick of dopamine. But a couple of weeks or months later and the excitement has worn off.

This is called hedonic adaptation…

And this is the problem. We actually do need some nerves. They mean we care enough, and they give us an extra frisson of energy to up our game. But if we rely on beta-blockers, we can come across as a catatonic zombie.

Not how you want to get your message across.

Ultimately, storytelling is the alchemy of shared creativity. It’s not simply about telling a story, but about the collaboration that comes from co-creation. By asking questions, you transform your communication from a lecture into a conversation — and this is where true influence takes root.

I always tell clients to think of their presentation as a dialogue rather than a monologue. That means being focused on the audience not trapped in your head in self-conscious rumination. The dialogue becomes “What do they need? How are they responding?” This audience-centered approach is transformative.

The truth is, in today’s connected world, being able to communicate with confidence is more important than ever — and openness is right at the core of that. It’s not about oversharing; but it is about approaching conversations with a sense of vulnerability.

And that’s just it. Notes shouldn’t be a script at all, but a roadmap laid out in brief prompts. We need to create them as short bullet points rather than full sentences.

Everything we do communicates something - and because we are visual creatures, movement often speaks louder than our words.

That’s why it’s so important to move with intention.