Written by Nick Ronald, Elite Mindset Coach Nick Ronald is a mindset coach and public speaking trainer with experience as a Toastmasters Club President and Area Director. He is the founder of Confidence Mindset Club, helping individuals build the confidence to speak up, stand out, and lead. You got the promotion. The title changed. The salary, hopefully, went up. So why does it feel like you have no idea what you're doing? Here's the truth nobody tells you at the celebration drinks: being good at your job and being good at leading people who do your old job are two completely different skill sets. Research from Gartner and Corporate Executive Board (CEB) backs this up in sobering terms. Sixty percent of new managers fail within their first 24 months, and it's rarely because they weren't smart enough or didn't work hard enough. It's because nobody helped them make the internal shift the role actually demands. The Chartered Management Institute puts a finer point on it: 82% of new managers step into their first leadership role with zero formal training. They're handed a team, a spreadsheet of targets, and a "you've got this," then left to figure out the rest through trial, error, and the occasional 2 am spiral of self-doubt. I've coached founders, team leads, and newly promoted managers through exactly this transition at Confidence Mindset Club, and I've made most of these mistakes myself before I ever coached anyone else through them. The good news? Leadership isn't a personality trait you either have or don't. It's a set of mindset shifts you can choose to make, starting today. Here are the five that matter most. 1. From "I need all the answers" to "I need all the questions" Sound familiar? You get promoted because you were the person with the answers. You knew the process, you solved the problems, you were the safe pair of hands. So naturally, when your new team comes to you with a problem, your instinct is to solve it for them. This is the single fastest way to burn out as a first-time leader and accidentally train your team to stop thinking for themselves. The shift: your job is no longer to have the best answer in the room. It's to ask the question that helps someone else find it. Early in my own coaching practice, I caught myself doing this constantly, jumping in to "rescue" a client's thinking instead of holding space for them to arrive at their own insight. The moment I started asking, "What do you think the next step is?" instead of telling people what the next step was, the quality of the work around me improved, and I got my evenings back. Try this: Next time someone brings you a problem, resist answering for the first ten seconds. Ask, "What have you already considered?" instead. 2. From managing tasks to managing energy New leaders obsess over task lists, who's doing what, by when, ticked off or not. It feels productive. It's also incomplete. Development Dimensions International (DDI) Global Leadership Forecast, which surveyed over 10,000 leaders across 50 countries, found that 71% of leaders report significantly higher stress since stepping into their role. A huge part of that stress comes from treating people like task executors rather than humans with fluctuating energy, motivation, and confidence. The best leaders I've worked with, and the best mentors I've had, shaped a lot of my early thinking on public speaking and presence. They pay as much attention to how someone shows up as what they produce. A brilliant task list means nothing if your team is quietly disengaging. The shift: start noticing energy, not just output. Who lit up in that meeting? Who went quiet? Who's been consistently "fine" for three weeks running, which usually means they're not fine at all? Try this: In your next 1:1, open with, "How are you feeling about the workload?" before asking, "Where are we on the project?" 3. From being liked to being trusted This one stings, but it needs saying: if your primary goal as a leader is to be liked, you will make bad decisions. You'll avoid the difficult conversation. You'll let underperformance slide. You'll say yes to things you should say no to. Ironically, your team will trust you less, not more, because people can sense when a leader is managing their own anxiety rather than managing the team. I know this shift personally because it's the one that took me the longest. As a Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner and someone who trained formally in counselling and psychotherapy, I understand exactly why we crave approval. It's wired into us. But leadership asks you to tolerate short-term discomfort (someone being annoyed with you) in service of long-term respect (someone trusting that your word means something). Research collected by Training Industry found that four in ten employees rate first-time managers as weak specifically in "handling difficult situations" and "providing quality feedback." That's not a coincidence. It's the same root cause wearing different outfits. The shift: swap "will they like this?" for "is this the right call?" Trust is built through consistency and honesty, not through comfort. 4. From doing to delegating properly Delegation sounds simple. In practice, it's one of the hardest transitions for a first-time leader because handing something off often feels slower and riskier than just doing it yourself. The stats are blunt here. One recent analysis found that only 19% of rising leaders have the delegation skills needed to operate effectively as managers rather than senior individual contributors. Most people aren't taught delegation. They're taught to be excellent doers, then thrown into a role that punishes doing everything yourself. Here's what I tell every client wrestling with this: delegation isn't dumping a task and hoping for the best, and it isn't hovering over someone's shoulder either. It's being clear on the outcome, generous with context, and disciplined about stepping back. Poor delegation isn't a trust problem with your team. It's usually a control problem with you. Try this: Before you delegate something, write one sentence describing what "done well" looks like. If you can't write that sentence, you're not ready to hand it off yet. You need more clarity, not more control. 5. From individual contributor identity to leadership identity This is the deepest shift, and it's the one most organisations never help you make. For years, your sense of competence and worth came from doing the work well. Now, your value comes from enabling other people to do the work well. It's a completely different source of satisfaction and, for many new leaders, a genuinely disorienting one. This isn't just a skills gap. It's an identity gap. It explains why so many capable people struggle in their first leadership role even when they're clearly talented. The problem was never their competence. It was that nobody told them the psychological job had changed, not just the practical one. I built AI Entrepreneur Hub partly around this same principle, helping people navigate identity shifts as tools and roles change faster than ever. Whether it's stepping into leadership or adapting to new ways of working with AI, the pattern is the same: the external change is the easy part. The internal permission to see yourself differently is the hard part. The shift: give yourself explicit permission to let go of your old identity as "the best individual performer" and step into a new one as "the person who makes the team the best version of itself." That's not a demotion of your value. It's an expansion of it. The bottom line None of these shifts happen overnight, and none of them happen by accident. The 60% failure statistic isn't a reflection of first-time leaders' potential. It's a reflection of how rarely anyone teaches the internal work leadership actually requires. You don't need to have this figured out today. You need to be willing to notice where you're still leading like an individual contributor and gently, deliberately, start leading like a leader instead. Which of these five shifts do you find hardest? Want more on building genuine confidence in leadership and public speaking? Explore more at Confidence Mindset Club, or if you're navigating how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we work and lead, check out AI Entrepreneur Hub. Follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Nick Ronald Nick Ronald, Elite Mindset Coach Nick Ronald is a mindset coach and public speaking trainer dedicated to helping people unlock their confidence and find their voice. Having overcome his own confidence challenges, Nick understands firsthand what it takes to silence self-doubt and step into your power. He is the founder of Confidence Mindset Club, an online platform offering coaching, resources, and community for those ready to transform how they think, speak, and lead. A seasoned Toastmasters leader and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, Nick brings real-world experience to everything he teaches. His mission is simple: to help you become the most confident version of yourself.

Irene Tasho is an experienced reflexologist, educator, speaker and industry leader dedicated to advancing the practice and recognition of reflexology in Australia and internationally. As the founder of Sole to Soul Reflexology, Irene has spent more than 18 years helping clients improve their wellbeing through professional reflexology treatments. Irene Tasho, Principal, Lead Educator & Practitioner Reflexology has become more visible in recent years, but what do you think still holds the profession back from wider recognition within healthcare? Reflexology is slowly becoming more recognised by the general public and in some hospitals or medical facilities around the world, but there is a greater need for research or trials to produce convincing evidence. This, of course, is slowed down by the limited research funds available to conduct the rigorous trials or studies needed to produce the necessary evidence. Due to the nature of the therapy, it is hard to establish a strong and consistent evidence base. Outcomes related to pain and anxiety are often subjective due to contextual effects such as relaxation, touch, and therapeutic relationships. There are no clear, plausible mechanisms explaining the links between foot and hand reflexes and specific organs, glands, and systems, or their effects on health. This makes clinicians skeptical. There is also limited integration with biomedical systems. Reflexologists usually operate outside mainstream care facilities, such as in wellness or alternative therapy clinics. This can also lead clinicians to dismiss reflexology as nontherapeutic. The opportunity to work with medical professionals and show them, through patient feedback, how reflexology may be beneficial for symptom management, sleep, and improved quality of life would greatly help us gain more recognition throughout the healthcare system. After nearly two decades in clinical practice, what has most changed about the way you think reflexology supports health and wellbeing? A lot has changed over the last two decades with regard to how reflexology is recognised and how it supports wellbeing. It is slowly being integrated into clinical supportive care roles in hospitals and hospices to help with symptom management and relief, including pain, anxiety, nausea, and sleep problems, especially in settings such as oncology, palliative care, maternity care, and primary care. There is wider recognition that a person needs not just medical attention but also holistic support to help with their recovery. People are seeking more nonpharmacological and person-centred options. This is also coming from some medically trained specialists who have themselves gone through traumatic diagnoses and realised that the human body may need deeper alternative supportive care. This is raising the visibility and awareness of reflexology. Reflexology is recognised more strongly in relation to autonomic regulation, whereby it may help balance the nervous system, therefore helping with stress-related conditions, relaxation, mental health, and wellbeing. There is more emphasis on standards of professional training and clearer practice frameworks. There are more specialised training courses, allowing for better support for specific conditions. There is also greater use of validated outcomes reported by patients regarding their levels of anxiety, pain, and quality of life, as well as simple physiological markers such as heart rate variability and sleep quality. There have been more clinical trials. Results are still mixed, but research is more methodical and focused on outcomes than it was before. As both an educator and Research Director, how do you encourage practitioners to embrace evidence while preserving the person-centred nature of reflexology? I would like to mention that when students come to learn reflexology, they already have a deeper sense that humanity needs more person-centred care. They also have the inner intuition and sensitivity needed, which is why they come to learn in the first place. This is the most valuable skill a reflexologist can have, but at the same time, the need for evidence is essential, as it would give the therapist more confidence. I think most practitioners these days would welcome more evidence, as this would support and give value to what they do. It is challenging when there is such skepticism about the possible benefits of reflexology. This is mainly due to a lack of awareness or understanding, which can cause people to judge. I know it is a difficult therapy to explain, which is why more evidence is needed. However, I don’t believe evidence will take away from the holistic and intuitive nature of reflexology. In fact, I think it would reinforce the fact that what we do can be incredibly powerful. It is important to teach practitioners critical appraisal and evidence literacy so they can judge the relevance and quality of studies when making everyday decisions. We must continue the effort to combine quantitative and qualitative outcomes. We should celebrate person-centred outcomes as evidence and highlight stories showing how tailored interventions have improved wellbeing, together with aggregated outcomes, so practitioners value both numbers and narratives. Research should be presented as a way to improve care and justify client-centred choices, not replace them. Where do you think reflexology practitioners have the greatest opportunity to raise professional standards over the next decade? The first step towards raising reflexology standards in Australia would be to establish a professional, standardised level of education. It would be incredible if we could partner with universities to create diplomas or even degrees. Postgraduate courses are imperative for increasing the knowledge and skills of professional therapists, and these are encouraged and offered to all practitioners. Training reflexologists in basic clinical language and communication, documentation, and referral etiquette would help them work effectively with clinicians and multidisciplinary teams. The opportunity to collaborate with hospitals by creating pilot programmes in oncology supportive care, palliative care, and pain clinics for symptom management would raise not only professional standards but also recognition of reflexology. We should run cost-effective studies to demonstrate the realistic benefits and true value of reflexology, such as reduced medication use, shorter hospital stays, and improved quality of life, to hospital administrators, insurers, and other health services. Research partnerships with additional funding would allow for well-designed trials that provide objective outcomes and the evidence-based information needed by clinicians and patients. This, in turn, would ensure that professional standards are raised. Your work spans women’s health, pain management, and chronic illness. What patterns have you consistently observed across these very different client groups? Even though the above are very different groups with various presentations of symptoms, we often find that there is an underlying component that is consistent across them. I would say stress is one of the biggest contributors to many conditions. Trauma experienced at any time, but especially in early childhood, can have a significant impact on how you progress through life and the issues that may appear in the physical body later in life. Chronic symptoms rarely appear out of nowhere. They build slowly and are your body’s way of asking for deeper support. Often, these patterns begin during a time of emotional strain or burnout. The body remembers what the mind tries to move past, and this then becomes the new normal. Reflexology works beautifully for all these groups because it doesn’t separate the emotional from the physical. While working on the feet, we are not just working on the physical body. We also reach the deeper emotional and spiritual parts of the person, potentially allowing the client to release emotional issues and stressful events that are often related to or major contributors to the conditions above. You’ve worked in cancer support, maternity care, and children’s palliative care. What have those experiences taught you about the role of touch and presence in healing? Working with cancer patients experiencing the trauma of diagnosis and treatment, as well as with children dealing with life-limiting conditions, I have found that mindful touch can send signals of safety to the body. In a clinical environment that can often feel threatening, touch may help regulate the nervous system, reduce stress, and allow the body to shift into a more relaxed state. Touch doesn’t operate as a cure but as a therapeutic intervention focused on comfort and connection. When using gentle, intentional touch, you are communicating care without the need for verbal language. For children experiencing anxiety or pain who are unable to express themselves, touch can provide support and validation. I often find that physical touch during a reflexology session provides a grounding and nurturing effect in the present moment, helping to distract from pain and other forms of distress, including the profound sense of isolation that often accompanies serious illness. Maternity care is a very different situation from cancer and palliative care. However, touch also offers a calming and supportive effect, helping the expectant mother manage the physical and hormonal changes that the body goes through during the nine months, as well as preparing her for birth and postnatal changes. In all cases, touch, combined with the practitioner’s focused attention, can amplify the physical benefits of the techniques. While reflexology is a complementary therapy, the value of stable and empathetic touch in oncology and palliative settings is increasingly recognised for its ability to enhance the human side of medicine. When mentoring new practitioners, what habits or mindsets separate those who become exceptional clinicians from those who simply master the techniques? During their training, all practitioners learn the techniques with precision. Eventually, with experience, they start developing more sensitivity and a greater understanding of what they feel and what it means. Some already come from a background in a form of manual therapy or energy work, which helps them progress more quickly beyond the mechanical form of treatment. An exceptional practitioner is one who is fully present with the client, without judgement, using sensitivity, timing, and the ability to adapt from moment to moment. They can read the client as a whole, including what they say and what they don’t say. Intuition and trust play a very important part in the sessions, as they allow the therapist to listen to what the feet are telling them and recognise that every session may need to be different. Their grounded and calm attention can be deeply regulating, and this often becomes part of the healing. Most reflexologists will have some aspect of these qualities, as this is usually what brought them to learn in the first place. It is important for practitioners to understand and allow the free flow of energy without forced action or expectations. This is what ultimately separates the exceptional clinician from others. Looking back on your journey from ballet teacher to international reflexology educator, what has that path taught you about helping others through meaningful change? Change is never easy, especially when it involves giving up something you love or when life circumstances have pushed you in a different direction. The first thing that comes to mind is that it helps to be open to something new because there is always a possibility that it could bring you just as much joy, if not more, or a different form of gratification from what you experienced in the past. I learned to help others see and celebrate even the smallest positive changes that were occurring. Resilience is not something that can be taught easily, but helping others develop coping strategies and encouraging them is vitally important. Life has taught me to be compassionate, and this has helped me support others. It is important to allow people to explore their own strengths because those strengths are what will help them through change. If you could change one misconception about reflexology among healthcare professionals and the public, what would it be, and why? There are many misconceptions about reflexology, unfortunately, but if I were to choose one, it would be when people say, “It is just a foot massage.” There are some key differences between reflexology and massage. Reflexology is based on the principle that the hands, feet, ears, and face mirror the body. Therefore, the organs, glands, muscles, and bones are mapped onto those areas. By working on them, practitioners believe they may identify areas of imbalance or congestion and use certain techniques with the intention of supporting relaxation, wellbeing, and the body’s natural processes. It is incredibly relaxing, as it may help regulate the nervous system by calming the sympathetic system, which keeps a person in a fight-or-flight state, and activating the parasympathetic system. This may support the functioning of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems. Massage, on the other hand, is a way to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the area being worked on. This is also very relaxing and has therapeutic benefits. Clients often say they feel that reflexology is more purposeful and that they can feel it targeting specific parts of the body. They report that it can be powerful in helping with symptom management, stress, overwhelm, and coping, and that it can have lasting effects on their wellbeing. I wish people would be more curious than judgemental. Many people don’t know what reflexology is or how it works, yet they are quick to make negative comments or judgements. I would love for them to do some research or have a session to find out how powerful it can be and what it may do for them. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Irene Tasho

Written by Joanna Hulton, Ph.D., Family Therapist, Author & Educator Joanna Hulton, Ph.D., practices and teaches eclectic parenting psychotherapy, integrating psychoanalytic psychotherapy, attachment theory, and brain development. It was my last appointment of the day. I was in session with a young father who had been working for months, trying to understand his kids so he could speak “childrenese” more fluently. On this particular evening, we were talking about the difficulty of being a parent in today's world. Together, we understood that the way he had been parented was not only unhelpful but also causing painful conflicts. Chronic dissatisfaction left him feeling depleted and unhappy. At one point, he leaned back against the sofa and sighed, “Do you know what I am suffering from? Parent fatigue syndrome.” With that phrase, he captured what so many of the parents who come to my office are experiencing. What leads to parent fatigue syndrome? How did we get here, and why has it become so exhausting to raise children? Consider this article your official invitation to explore the concerns of so many, as well as solutions that will combat this syndrome. I guarantee that you will feel empowered by the realization that understanding your child ultimately helps you understand yourself. Let us begin. "In every nursery there are ghosts. They are the visitors from the unremembered past of the parents: the uninvited guests at the christening. Under favorable circumstances, the unfriendly and unbidden spirits are banished from the nursery and return to their subterranean dwelling place. This is not to say that ghosts cannot invent mischief from their burial places. Even among families where the love bonds are stable and strong, the intruders from the parental past may break through the magic circle in an unguarded moment, and a parent and his child might find themselves reenacting a moment or scene from another time with another set of characters." – Selected Writings of Selma Fraiberg Your childhood as a remembering context In the quotation above, psychoanalyst Selma Fraiberg reminds us of the inevitable: every new parent engages in the “mental work” necessary to become the parent they want to be. In that process, we can't help but recall our own caregivers and identify with them. Our daily acts of caregiving become an intense and highly influential “remembering context” for our experiences and feelings from when we were children. While we as parents can be sure that this remembering will happen, it is not assured whether the process will happen consciously through stories we share with chosen witnesses or unconsciously through episodes with our children that may be “reenacting a moment or scene from another time with another set of characters.” This difference is crucial. Whether the remembering occurs consciously or unconsciously determines whether we will be able to liberate ourselves from the “ghosts in the nursery” or become dragged down by them and engulfed in parent fatigue. If pursued consciously, the act of remembering is a gift that you give yourself and your child, for it is only after we speak about and understand the past that we can use the memories to move freely into the future. Only by doing our best to recall both our good and bad childhood experiences can we redefine ourselves and establish the proper priorities of claims upon our time and emotions to meet the all-consuming needs of children. When conventional wisdom is not very wise There is considerable research explaining how individuals reidentify with their own parents after having children of their own. We are all hardwired to scan our memories so that we can engage in the tremendous task of being a parent. The gift of remembering may not come easily. As we consciously recall our past as children, we are likely to come face to face with our ambivalence towards our own parents. It is here that we often collide with the conventional wisdom of the past. Some of the wisdom sounds like this: Do what I say, not what I do! Spare the rod, spoil the child! Children are to be seen and not heard! Speak only when spoken to! Only girls do that! Only boys do that! Respect your elders! Wait until your father gets home! How about these, which I gathered from a book of vintage quotations: "Tired mothers find that spanking takes less time than reasoning and penetrates sooner to the seat of memory." "Who loves well chastises well." "My mother protects me from the world, my father threatens me with it." Alas, some of this wisdom passed down to us clearly has no place in our postmodern age, where our children have both greater freedoms and fewer responsibilities. Children in the present day learn early on that they have some of the same entitlements to self-expression and self-determination as adults. At the same time, children do not play the same economic role today, with its responsibilities, that they did over a century ago. During the preindustrial era, children may have farmed the land and tended the livestock. At the very least, each of them was required to make a contribution to the survival of the family. Likely, very few of our children work the family farm in the morning. What do our children really need? Quoting Penelope Leach in Children First, “Children in the postindustrial West have the longest compulsory childhood that the world has ever seen. With all those years of enforced dependence ahead of them, we have to learn that letting them take their own time over growing up is what is best for them now, and what will best help them fulfill their own potential when they are grown. It will not be an easy lesson.” As parents, we are in conflict. We need to believe that the values of the past are helpful, since not being or acting like our parents might confirm our worst fear, that we as children were, at times, not treated well. So we cling to the conventional wisdom of the past while we are trying to move our children successfully into the future. Alternately, we may have promised ourselves that we would never do to our children what our parents did to us. But from this impossible promise, we can end up hating the very child who causes us to behave like the parent we vowed never to be. Such conflicts create enormous fatigue. But what is a parent to do? We can start by revisiting that important question: What is the purpose of children, and how do they contribute to today's family? Some sociologists over the years have suggested that we have become fascinated with being part of a leisure class and take pride in having an economic surplus. While this might describe a better life for all of us, it may also adversely influence how we encourage our children to spend their time. The “longest compulsory childhood” has pressured us to find ways to fill their time productively. Amid the economic upheaval of the 21st century, one must additionally wonder how and if this further complicates how we feel about our so-called prosperity. We want our children to be smart, capable, and successful, and we worry that they will not be ready for the competitive world that awaits. As a result, we have created some of our own conventional wisdom. It sounds like this: "The earlier they go to school, the smarter and more social the child." "Start training early, or they will fall behind." "Deprive them of medication, and you set your child up for failure." Some results of this new wisdom are in. In his book Generation Rx, Greg Critser cites example after example of young adults who depended on drugs to learn, yet felt crippled when faced with the important challenges of college and beyond. David Elkind, in The Hurried Child, warns us about the dangers of growing up too quickly. His eloquence brings into clear relief the preciousness of each stage of a child's development. He challenges us not to be seduced by a society that pushes children forward without understanding their essential needs. But what do children really need, and how do we as parents provide for them? I have spent many years studying parent and child development. The many books that I have read offered differing opinions that sometimes confused me as I tried to cobble together a unified approach that could truly support and inform. In addition, these books contradicted what many have learned from their parents, only perpetuating a low sense of self-efficacy. I believe that our evolutionary purpose is to keep the traditions of one's family while innovating so as to adapt to the ever-changing world. In doing so, we honor our parents, have empathy for their life journey, and, most importantly, give ourselves permission to create a caregiving style that they might not fully agree with or understand. Considering that young parents are designed to seek approval and recognition from their own parents, I have found that this lack of understanding can put them at odds with the very people whose approval they seek. How do we combat parent fatigue syndrome? I wondered what I could do to help parents choose a new path. It was this sacred mission that guided me to write Parent Fatigue Syndrome: What To Do When Conventional Wisdom Is Not Very Wise. Stay with me. Together, we will continue to understand and combat the exhaustion you feel as you parent during this most unusual time. I promise that you will understand parent fatigue at its deepest core. In the coming months, I will contribute more articles that will further define and explain Parent Fatigue Syndrome and, most importantly, help combat it. Next: "Understanding the Absolutely Essential Needs of Children and Their Caregivers" Visit my website for more info! Read more from Joanna Hulton, Ph.D. Joanna Hulton, Ph.D., Family Therapist, Author & Educator Joanna Hulton, Ph.D. has dedicated herself for the past 35 years as a teacher, workshop leader, and practicing psychoanalyst. She is committed to improving children's self-esteem, feelings of personal efficacy, and ability to learn by transforming the role of family, school, and community. Her interdisciplinary approach inspires her ongoing commitment to exploring ideas and issues from multiple perspectives. As such, her mission is to support the implementation of community programs that promote the mental health of children, as well as the adults in their lives.

Written by Jan Turner, Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor Jan Turner works at the intersection of leadership, resilience, and conscious transformation. As an executive coach, former C-suite leader, and 2x burnout survivor, she brings the human back to organizations and guides leaders home to themselves. I will never forget meeting a senior colleague at a community event where we were both volunteering. He had just returned from a six-month sabbatical to fulfill a dream of traveling the country. After obtaining his truck driver’s license, he drove a big rig around the nation, meeting people of all kinds, living simply and reconnecting with what truly mattered to his soul. He had returned to work uplifted and recharged and continued an impressive trajectory of leadership and impact. That conversation deeply inspired me. As an executive coach, I’ve supported leader after leader who is disconnected from the natural rhythms that nurture us as human beings. Many professionals have shaped their identities and built work cultures around the often unstated belief that taking a meaningful break signals weakness or equates to failure. Rest can feel like a privilege you have to earn instead of a basic necessity. Organizations and executives can benefit from taking a page out of the playbook of farmers who, for centuries, have understood that this perspective is deeply misguided. The value of a fallow field In agriculture, fallowing is the process of leaving land intentionally unplanted for one or more growing seasons. This practice allows the soil to regain nutrient content and disrupts pests and pathogens. Combined with crop rotation, fallowing enables farmers to generate optimal yields more effectively and efficiently. When farmers ignore these steps, they can see their production decline until they potentially reach a point where the soil can no longer meet their demands. This concept applies to leaders as well. Just as our bodies and minds need true rest to recharge, we must take time to restore the cognitive and emotional energy that high performance requires. A 2025 United Kingdom-based study confirmed that recovery from work is an active process through which psychological and physiological systems return to baseline after strain. Without it, chronic exhaustion follows, impairing performance and decision-making and potentially leading to burnout and its cocktail of challenging symptoms: negativity, apathy, relationship strain and illness, among others. What stopping produces Extended rest provides leaders a host of benefits. A Harvard Business Review study found that 75% of leaders return from sabbaticals with fresh organizational visions, and nearly half successfully implement those innovations. Additionally, research from the University of Tampere found that extended rest significantly reduced stress and increased wellbeing, with effects lasting months after return, producing greater creativity, emotional resilience and improved cognitive function. Furthermore, extended breaks from work create distance, which can be a powerful condition under which perspective becomes possible. Dynamics such as mindset, decision-making, and behavioral patterns that can be very challenging to see from inside an organizational system become more readily apparent from outside it. Organizations can also benefit when leaders take a meaningful pause from their work. When employees see their careers as a decades-long marathon, engagement and retention can suffer over time. Occasional extended breaks have been shown to lessen these risks. Additionally, when leaders step aside for a period of time, there is more headroom and opportunity for those on their teams to step up and contribute at a higher level, potentially uncovering talent that was lacking visibility and sufficient ‘at-bat’ opportunities. Interestingly, 60% of senior executives who took sabbaticals reported that their boards became more effective because of the planning their absence required. Why we say no anyway High-achieving professionals can pass up experiences that could truly benefit them, in part because of a deeply ingrained belief that their presence is essential and that taking time out from day-to-day projects is a weakness or an unrealistic pipe dream. Examples include not taking vacation time, carrying it over into the next calendar year and then failing to use it again, not taking paid time off, and/or requesting leave only when illness, medical conditions, or qualifying situations arise for themselves or their loved ones. This dynamic stems at least in part from identity. When your self-worth is tied to your output, taking a break can feel like you're fading away or admitting defeat. Culture can also play a role. Many corporate settings tend to reward those who are always visible and taking on more. Employees may feel they are signaling to superiors and colleagues that they’re not serious about advancement, and they may fear sidetracking their career by intentionally ‘tapping the brakes’ at work. They may worry that a crisis will arise while they are away, or worse, that their job will be on the line if they step away for even a brief time. A MetLife survey of over 2,600 full-time employees found that 66% wish they had access to paid sabbatical programs. The desire is definitely there, but in most organizations, the authentic support and appropriate programs are not. What it means to be intentional about rest Rejuvenation for leaders can come in many forms. What matters most is the intention behind it. Here are some ways to make a period of conscious rest meaningfully rich. Set clear boundaries: Research on the way humans recover from workplace stress shows that truly stepping away from work on occasion is essential for our mental health. Establishing clear boundaries and openly communicating with colleagues about your non-negotiables for time away is an important act of personal leadership. This also includes letting others know the conditions under which you can be reached in a truly urgent situation. Use the time to ask the questions you don’t make space for: This can include questions like these: What do I most need from this time away and for my next chapter? What have I been sidestepping or avoiding? How can I show up from a place of my highest self when I return to work? Ask the questions that most driven professionals rarely give themselves focused time or permission to contemplate. Reconnect with who you are beyond the role: Many leaders share that after taking a sabbatical, they reconnect with aspects of their lives that had been put on hold for years, such as old hobbies, meaningful relationships, and learning new skills. Back in the workplace, experiences like these can increase leaders’ capacity to nurture others through genuine presence and curiosity. It’s hard to tap into such essential qualities when you are often running on empty. Role model sustainable leadership: Leaders who prioritize wholeness in their own lives set a powerful and potentially life-altering example for others, whether they are colleagues, business partners, community members, or loved ones. When leaders take occasional extended breaks, they can encourage more employees to want to advance within the organization and take on the greater risk/reward trade-off of senior roles. It’s not just about sabbaticals; make it a recurring practice: Leaders often take an extended break only when their bodies force them through illness, burnout, or life-changing situations. The professionals who best sustain their energy and overall wellbeing prioritize and build into their schedule ways to stay present, purposeful, and resilient. They then readily call upon these capacities when facing a significant obstacle or challenge. This can be practiced in different ways and to varying degrees: Designate one day a week with no screens, no news, and no work-related input. Spend time in nature, even briefly. Research consistently shows it reduces stress and restores attention. Return to something you did before you became who you are at work: a creative practice, a physical pursuit, a form of play. Take up a skill where you have no expertise, no reputation, and no performance pressure. Sit with silence intentionally, whether through meditation or contemplative practice. Inspiration lies within and without I vividly recall a coaching client telling me he had only one professional regret: turning down his firm’s offer of a 30-day sabbatical earlier in his career. Now a partner, he wondered if such an option could ever be on the table again. He was describing a window that had opened and closed, and a version of himself he never got to meet. That ‘other version’ of each of us is within reach and is waiting to be uncovered. As a leader, what steps could you take to prepare for what is yet to come in your work, career, or life? How could you support your team members in their own growth and leadership journeys? What could your organization do to better support employees and become an exemplar in its industry as the macro, technological, and competitive forces shift with ever-greater uncertainty? When we take on the mindset of a cultivator, we can help ensure that whatever springs forth as the seasons inevitably change will be more resilient than what came before. The high-performing professionals and teams I work with often carry more than they realize. Integrative Coaching creates the space to name what is happening and rebuild from a stronger, more sustainable foundation. If you or your team are navigating a transition or wondering what it would mean to lead from a fuller place, explore more here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Read more from Jan Turner Jan Turner, Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor Jan Turner is an executive coach, strategic advisor, and former C-suite leader with over 25 years of experience in global financial services. Having led teams across 11 different functions and survived burnout twice, she guides leaders and teams through significant transitions, helping them build trust, grow in confidence, and move beyond self-defeating habits. Jan’s approach combines whole-person development, mindfulness, business acumen, and practical leadership techniques that deepen presence, resilience, and overall impact. She helps organizations and teams to navigate complexity and drive results by fostering personal growth and transformative leadership. Her mission: bring the human back to organizations and leaders, home to themselves. References: Affinity Health at Work, 2025, Regular Breaks, Detachment and Recovery: The Hidden Drivers of Wellbeing and Performance Harvard Business Review, 2025, When Employees Take Sabbaticals, Organizations Benefit University of Tampere, 2021, Why More Professionals Are Taking Sabbaticals — And How It's Transforming Work and Well-Being (Forbes, citing University of Tampere study) Atlassian / TSNE Mission Works, 2018, Is It Really Worth It to Take a Sabbatical? Forbes / MetLife, 2025, Why More Employers Offer Paid Sabbaticals to Combat Burnout

Written by Tracey L. Curtis, Chiropractic Clinician, Educator, Coach & Advocate Dr. Tracey is an educator, coach, and chiropractic clinician whose work bridges genetics, nervous system regulation, functional wellness, and human potential. Known for her compassionate and insightful approach, she empowers individuals to create lasting transformation by aligning science, self-awareness, and personal leadership. Have you ever known exactly what you needed to do, and still couldn't get yourself to do it? You may have had the plan, the information, and even a compelling reason to begin. You told yourself to focus, be disciplined, stop procrastinating, or simply get moving. Yet somehow, action still felt difficult. We tend to interpret these moments as motivation problems. We assume we need a better mindset, stronger willpower, or more discipline. But action doesn't begin with thought alone. Before you take the next step, speak up, make a decision, start something unfamiliar, or move toward a meaningful goal, your brain and nervous system are continually evaluating what that action requires of you. Do I have enough energy for this? Does this feel manageable? Is there uncertainty or risk here? Do I have the internal resources to respond if something doesn't go as planned? We usually don't consciously ask ourselves these questions. Much of this evaluation happens beneath conscious awareness and comes from old beliefs and habits that run on automatic. That means what looks like a motivation problem may sometimes be a capacity problem instead. Why knowing what to do isn't always enough Most of us have been taught to approach change from the top down. We set goals. We create plans. Make lists. Change our thoughts. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Tell ourselves what we "should" be doing. This is certainly what I learned to do. Well-meaning teachers and other authority figures presented processes they believed would lead to the results I desired. However, I rarely experienced the transformative results I was looking for using that guidance. It’s not that these actions can’t be useful. But information and intention don't automatically translate into action. Your brain doesn't operate separately from your body. Your ability to focus, make decisions, tolerate uncertainty, regulate emotion, and initiate behavior is influenced by your physiological state. Think about how differently you approach the same problem when you are rested and calm compared with when you are exhausted, rushed, hungry, overwhelmed, or emotionally activated. The problem hasn't changed. Your capacity to meet it has. This is one reason I encourage people to become curious when they find themselves repeatedly unable to follow through. Instead of immediately asking, "Why can't I make myself do this?" try asking, "What is happening in my system that is making this action difficult right now?" That question opens an entirely different pathway forward. Your nervous system influences what feels possible The nervous system is constantly gathering information from inside and outside the body and adjusting your physiology in response. When your system has adequate capacity, you generally have greater access to curiosity, creativity, flexible thinking, social connection, and intentional action. When demands begin to exceed your available resources, your priorities change. Your attention narrows. Decisions feel harder. You become more reactive, restless, avoidant, fatigued, or indecisive. Something that seemed exciting yesterday can suddenly feel overwhelming today. This doesn't mean you should wait until you feel perfectly calm before doing difficult things. Growth requires us to encounter uncertainty, challenge, and discomfort. The goal isn't to eliminate activation. The goal is to develop enough internal capacity that activation doesn't automatically determine what you can and cannot do. That's an important distinction. Movement can create momentum before motivation appears We often think motivation should come first. Feel motivated, then take action and make progress. But sometimes the sequence works in the opposite direction. A small amount of physical movement can change your internal state enough to make the next action more accessible. This doesn't have to mean completing a workout. It might mean walking outside for five minutes, standing and stretching between meetings, gently shaking out tension, changing your posture, or moving to a different environment before returning to a difficult task. Movement provides sensory information to the brain. It changes breathing, circulation, muscular tension, attention, and your relationship to the space around you. Sometimes the most productive response to feeling stuck isn't another thought. It's movement. Then you can return to the task and notice whether something has shifted. Your breath is information Breathing is another way the body and brain continually communicate. Your breathing changes automatically with your state. Notice what happens when you are startled, rushing to meet a deadline, deeply relaxed, laughing with someone you love, or preparing to have a difficult conversation. Breath reflects your state and is also one way you can influence it. This doesn't mean taking one deep breath instantly removes stress. For some people, deliberately controlling the breath can actually feel uncomfortable. It can help to notice your breath before trying to change it. Is it fast or slow? Deep or shallow? Are you holding it? Can you allow the exhale to become slightly longer or softer without forcing anything? Even a brief moment of awareness can interrupt automatic patterns and give you more information about what your system needs. Emotional regulation creates room for choice Inspired action also requires the capacity to experience emotion without immediately becoming controlled by it. Fear doesn't necessarily mean stop. Excitement doesn't always mean go. Discomfort doesn't mean something is wrong. Emotional regulation lets us experience these signals while staying flexible enough to choose our response. This is particularly important when we're doing something new. Growth frequently includes uncertainty. Starting a business, changing careers, having an important conversation, setting a boundary, sharing your work publicly, or becoming more visible can create activation precisely because the outcome isn't guaranteed. If we've learned that confidence means feeling no fear, we may wait indefinitely. Embodied confidence is different. It sounds more like, "I can feel this uncertainty and still trust myself to respond." Confidence is something the body learns We often approach confidence as a belief we need to create in our minds. But confidence is built through experience, before the mind is fully engaged. Every time you encounter a challenge and stay connected to yourself, respond, recover, and realize that you can handle what happened, your system receives new information. I did something unfamiliar. I experienced discomfort. I stayed present. I adapted. I recovered. This is how confidence becomes more than positive thinking. It becomes embodied evidence. Over time, experiences that once triggered significant hesitation may require less internal effort. You aren't simply telling yourself that you're capable. Your brain and body have accumulated experiences that support that conclusion. Before pushing harder, build capacity When you're struggling to take action, adding more pressure isn't always the answer. Before assuming you need more discipline, pause long enough to notice what your body is telling you. You might ask: What sensations do I notice when I think about taking this step? Am I tired, activated, overwhelmed, or simply uncomfortable because this is new? Would movement help me shift my state? What happens when I soften or slow my breathing? Is the next step small enough for my system to engage with it? What support or resource would make this feel more manageable? Can I take one action without requiring myself to feel completely confident first? The best way to find out what will help is to try the action, then pause to notice how you feel afterward. If you feel calmer, more present or engaged, or ready to consider a next step, your body benefited from the regulation you gave it. You have increased your capacity from the bottom up. Now you can act from a more positive place with improved conditions. Inspired action feels different from forced action Sometimes we need discipline. There are responsibilities we won't always feel inspired to complete, and nervous system regulation shouldn't become another reason to wait for ideal conditions. But there is a difference between stretching your capacity and continually overriding yourself. Forced action often feels like pushing, bargaining, criticizing, or threatening yourself into motion. Inspired action can still be challenging, but it contains a greater sense of internal agreement. Your thoughts, emotions, physiology, and intentions are moving in roughly the same direction. That's why some of our clearest decisions arrive after a walk, a good night's sleep, a quiet moment outside, a meaningful conversation, or simply enough space to settle. We didn't necessarily think harder. We created the conditions that allowed us to access more of ourselves. Start with the body The next time you find yourself saying, "I know what to do. Why am I not doing it?" resist the urge to immediately demand more from yourself. Notice your body. Move. Breathe. Orient to your surroundings. Pay attention to the emotion underneath the hesitation. Then make the next step smaller if you need to, and take it. Motivation matters. Mindset matters. Strategy matters. But our ability to use them depends, in part, on the internal capacity available to us in that moment. Sometimes the path forward doesn't begin by convincing your mind. It begins by helping your body discover that moving forward is something you can handle. For more nervous system regulation support and neuroscience-backed resources, subscribe to my blog or website, where you can download a practice or join a course. Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Tracey L. Curtis Tracey L. Curtis, Chiropractic Clinician, Educator, Coach & Advocate Dr. Tracey is a chiropractic clinician, educator, and coach specializing in nervous system regulation, functional wellness, and personal empowerment. Known for her thoughtful and compassionate approach, her work integrates genetics, human behavior, and neuroscience-informed wellness practices to support lasting transformation. She is passionate about helping individuals reconnect with their innate resilience and capacity for growth through greater self-awareness and intentional living. Through her clinical work, coaching, and writing, Dr. Tracey explores the intersection of biology, mindset, and human potential to support meaningful, sustainable change. Related articles: Decoding The Breath’s Language Take Inspired Action

Written by Vinitha Edward, Life Transformation Coach Vinitha Edward is a Life Transformation Coach and Founder of Transform & Thrive, empowering women to build meaningful habits and shift their mindset through journaling. She inspires women to embrace personal growth and create lasting transformation. Every parent wants their child to be successful. We celebrate good grades, athletic achievements, and awards because they are visible signs that our children are doing well. But what if the greatest predictor of your child's future success isn't found on a report card? It's found in their ability to understand, express, and manage their emotions. In today's fast-paced world, emotional intelligence is becoming one of the most valuable life skills a child can develop. As parents, we have the incredible opportunity and responsibility to nurture this skill every single day. What is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognize emotions, understand why we feel them, manage emotional responses, show empathy toward others, and build healthy relationships. Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence isn't something children are simply born with. It is learned, practiced, and strengthened through daily interactions with the adults who raise them. Children learn more from what we model than what we teach Parents often tell children: "Use kind words." "Calm down." "Be respectful." But children pay far more attention to what we do than what we say. When they watch us apologize after making a mistake, they learn humility. When they see us handle disappointment with grace, they learn resilience. When we stay calm during stressful moments, they discover that emotions don't have to control behavior. Every interaction becomes a lesson. The missing piece: Emotionally intelligent parents One truth we don't hear often enough is this: "You cannot consistently teach emotional regulation if you are emotionally exhausted." Parenting is demanding. Between work, household responsibilities, school activities, finances, and caring for everyone else, many parents are operating in survival mode. When we're overwhelmed, our brains naturally become more reactive and less reflective. That's when patience wears thin, voices get louder, and connection becomes harder. This isn't because you're a bad parent. It's because you're a human being. The healthier your emotional well-being, the more available you are to guide your child through theirs. Self-care isn't selfish, it's part of parenting Many parents, especially mothers, put themselves at the bottom of every priority list. We often believe taking care of ourselves means taking time away from our children. In reality, the opposite is true. When you sleep well, manage stress, nourish your body, and create moments of rest, you're building the emotional capacity to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively. Your children benefit from the healthiest version of you, not the most exhausted one. Sometimes self-care is as simple as: Taking a 15-minute walk. Spending quiet time in prayer or reflection. Talking with a trusted friend. Exercising regularly. Saying "no" to unnecessary commitments. Allowing yourself to rest without guilt. These aren't luxuries. They are investments in your family's emotional health. Strong parents know when to ask for help One of the greatest myths in parenting is that good parents should be able to do everything alone. Emotionally intelligent parents recognize their limits. They ask for help before burnout turns into resentment. Whether it's reaching out to grandparents, trusted friends, a counselor, a parenting coach, or your faith community, seeking support is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Children also learn an important lesson when they see parents ask for help, strong people don't have to carry every burden alone. Parenting is a team effort If you're parenting with a spouse or partner, emotional intelligence grows when you share parenting responsibilities. Too often, one parent becomes the family's emotional manager while the other steps in only when needed. This imbalance can lead to exhaustion and frustration. Instead, regularly ask one another: "How are you doing emotionally this week?" "What do you need from me?" "How can we support each other better?" "Which responsibilities can we redistribute?" Delegating household tasks, sharing childcare, and giving each other opportunities to rest creates a healthier emotional environment for everyone. When parents support each other, children experience greater stability and security. Instead of correcting the behavior, understand the emotion Many parenting struggles begin because we focus only on the behavior. A child slams the door. A teenager rolls her eyes. A sibling starts an argument. Instead of asking, "Why are you behaving like this?" Try asking, "What might you be feeling right now?" Behavior is often communication. Behind anger may be disappointment. Behind defiance may be fear. Behind tears may be frustration. When parents respond to the emotion instead of simply reacting to the behavior, children feel understood rather than judged. Validation is not the same as permission One common misunderstanding is that validating emotions means agreeing with every behavior. It doesn't. You can say, "I understand you're angry because your friend hurt your feelings." While also saying, "It's not okay to hit your brother." Children need both empathy and boundaries. The emotion is accepted. The harmful behavior is redirected. This balance builds both emotional security and self-control. Five daily habits that build emotionally intelligent families Building emotional intelligence doesn't require perfect parenting. It requires intentional habits. Check in with yourself before responding to your child: Pause and ask, "What am I feeling right now?" Model healthy emotional expression: Let your children hear you say, "I'm feeling frustrated, so I'm going to take a few deep breaths before we continue talking." Share responsibilities with your partner or support system: Protect your emotional energy by remembering you don't have to carry everything alone. Listen to understand before trying to fix: Children often need empathy before solutions. Repair after conflict. Every parent makes mistakes: Apologizing teaches accountability, humility, and the strength of healthy relationships. The goal isn't perfect children or perfect parents No parent responds perfectly every time. There will be moments when we lose patience, raise our voice, or wish we had handled things differently. Emotionally intelligent parenting isn't about perfection. It's about awareness, growth, and repair. The more emotionally healthy we become, the better equipped we are to raise emotionally healthy children. Our children don't need perfect parents. They need parents who are willing to grow alongside them. Final thoughts Children borrow emotional regulation from the adults who care for them before they learn to regulate themselves. That means one of the greatest gifts we can give our children isn't having all the answers. It's doing the inner work ourselves. When we care for our emotional well-being, ask for help when we need it, and support one another as parents, we create a home where emotional intelligence can flourish. The legacy we leave isn't just well-behaved children. It's emotionally healthy adults who know how to love well, lead wisely, and build meaningful relationships. It all begins with one emotionally healthy parent choosing to grow, one day at a time. Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Vinitha Edward Vinitha Edward, Life Transformation Coach Vinitha Edward is a Certified Life Transformation Coach and Founder of Transform & Thrive, a platform that empowers women to create meaningful habits and mindset shifts through journaling and conscious living. She helps women overcome obstacles, build confidence, and find balance through intentional growth. Blending practical strategies with emotional awareness, Vinitha guides clients to move from feeling stuck to thriving with purpose. Her mission is to transform lives one step at a time.

Written by Kirsty Marie Denny, Kinesiologist and Neurodivergence Specialist Kirsty Marie Denny specialises in trauma, neurodivergence, and sensitivity, empowering her clients to transform their lives through energetic kinesiology. She focuses on each individual’s unique gifts and challenges, and the root causes of distressing symptoms. More and more celebrities as well as everyday people are ‘coming out’ as dyslexic, signalling a societal shift away from stigmatisation of dyslexia. There is also increasing awareness of dyslexia as much more than a simple difficulty with reading. Rather, it may be characterised as a different way of thinking and perceiving, which comes with strengths as well as challenges. In the past, dyslexics were frequently written off as not being academic and ‘relegated’ to trades and practical jobs. Of course, in spite of not fitting the mould, or maybe because of it, there have been many influential people over the years who are either known or assumed to have been dyslexic, ranging from Einstein to Cher. The history of reading Reading is clearly an important facet of modern culture, and we take it for granted that learning to read is imperative. However, in the grand scheme of human evolution, reading is a relatively new development, with cuneiform dating to around 3200 BCE. It is even more recent in terms of being accessible to the masses, rather than reserved for the upper tiers of society. Literacy gained momentum with the invention of the printing press in the 15th Century, really taking off with tuition in public schools in the 19th Century (see Havenread, The History of Reading). Whereas learning to speak is fairly instinctive for babies, learning to read is less so. It is often assumed that if children are motivated, surrounded by books and frequently read to, they will easily learn to read. However, although records on reading difficulties in antiquity are limited, as early as the late 19th century, ‘word blindness’ was noted in children who otherwise appeared to be of at least average intelligence and who received tuition. Rudolf Berlin coined the term dyslexia, meaning difficulty with words, in 1887. Diagnosing dyslexia In essence, a diagnosis of dyslexia requires persistent difficulty or lack of fluency with reading despite a lack of generalised intellectual impairment or visual problems. In the DSM 5, dyslexia now falls under the umbrella of Specific Learning Disorders, with the specifier ‘with impairment in reading’. Other options include ‘with impairment in written expression’ (dysgraphia) or in mathematics (dyscalculia). Read more about diagnosis here. Dyslexic strengths As previously mentioned, many famous or influential people are officially or unofficially dyslexic. Dyslexic people often show above-average visuo-spatial skills, imagination, creativity, ‘out of the box’ or multidimensional thinking and associated problem-solving capacity. Common careers where dyslexic people tend to thrive include, but are certainly not limited to, the arts, business, engineering, graphic design, sports, culinary pursuits and the tech industry. Learn more here. How to assist dyslexics Structured literacy: The standard approach to assisting dyslexic people is structured literacy. A key aspect of structured literacy is explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, the ability to break words down into their individual sounds. This phonemic awareness is combined with learning about other common language structures and ‘rules’ as well as the common exceptions to the rules, which, in English, are plentiful! Multi-sensorial learning: Within many approaches to structured literacy, including the Orton Gillingham philosophy, there is a heavy emphasis on utilising multiple neural pathways simultaneously, e.g. auditory, visual and kinesthetic, for more efficient learning. An example of this may be tracing a letter in sand whilst saying it aloud. The idea is that this creates backup options for learning and recall while catering to a variety of learning styles (see this useful guide and references within). The Davis method: The Davis Method is another method that many dyslexic learners experience great success with. This approach is notable as it initially grew out of Ron Davis’s own experiences as a young boy struggling with dyslexia and autism, and what helped him to learn. There are similarities with structured literacy in the focus on multisensory learning, e.g. modelling letters in clay and creating models to illustrate tricky words. However, the method diverges significantly: it focuses not on phonics but on understanding and harnessing the dyslexic individual’s visual and multidimensional strengths. In his book The Gift of Dyslexia, Davis opines that from very early in life, dyslexic people develop perceptual differences, being able to visualise multidimensionally, for example, that are adaptive in general, but not in the case of learning to read. He suggests techniques for avoiding confusion and focusing the ‘mind’s eye’ whilst reading that allow dyslexics to learn with relative ease alongside specific techniques for remembering words that aren’t easy to visually conceptualise. Davis also strongly emphasises that the gifts that come with the multidimensional perspective may be retained whilst learning to read and write proficiently. The Steiner approach: In Steiner Schools, there is generally a holistic introduction to literacy utilising songs, story, rhymes and artistic representations. So, what did Rudolf Steiner think about dyslexia? Although he was not formally diagnosed as dyslexic, many who study Rudolf Steiner's work believe he may have been. It is interesting that Steiner recommends avoiding the abstractions of learning to read in the early years, along with integrating creative, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles. This certainly aligns with some aspects of the Davis method as well as the multisensorial elements of structured literacy. Are we learning to read too young? Steiner schools are well known for not promoting literacy until age 7, but some of Rudolf’s writings suggest he considered somewhere around age 12 more appropriate. This is, of course, very much at odds with our education systems and would be considered radical. It does, however, align with child development in that we become capable of more abstracted ways of thinking around this age. It also dovetails with the more spiritual/philosophical musings of Joseph Chilton Pearce in his book Magical Child, which considers the holistic development of the child with their creativity and intuition intact. Of course, in reality, every child is different, and some will naturally learn to read and love it very young. However, it’s interesting and reassuring to consider that our ideas about the benefits of learning to read very early on may be based largely on social norms rather than hard science. Although our brains are primed for language acquisition early in life, there is no age limit on learning, and that certainly includes learning to read and write! Technological supports: While reading and writing remain key skills in our society, we are increasingly moving into a technological era. Technology, including voice-to-text for writing or audiobooks for study, can be hugely beneficial, allowing dyslexics to stay up to date, get their ideas across, and share their talents with the world without the impediment of slower reading and writing. In my opinion, it would be a shame to create an over-reliance on technology that discourages the use of the most wonderful technology of all: the human brain! However, it is a very useful tool when accessible, and each individual or family must find the appropriate balance for themselves. In addition to IT supports, dyslexic people may be eligible for other accommodations in their schools or workplaces, such as extra time on assessments, printed handouts or note takers, something worth investigating for your local area or institution. Primitive reflexes: It’s worth taking a small detour here and mentioning primitive reflexes as being of potential relevance to dyslexia. These are instinctive patterns of movement that are important for our survival in infancy and lay the foundation for further development. These primitive reflexes should be temporary and become ‘integrated’, making way for more mature sensorimotor responses. However, they are often retained, potentially leading to energetically costly adaptations. Retention of reflexes is often correlated with neurodevelopmental delays including dyslexia [1,2]. Thankfully, it is relatively easy to work with simple exercises to help integrate these reflexes at any age. Although there may not yet be much hard scientific proof for these interventions, therapists regularly note greater ease with a variety of academic and day-to-day tasks after working with them. So, what is going on in the brain? Before brain imaging technology, ideas about the function of different brain areas were drawn from studying people who had lost specific functions after an injury. This is how Broca’s area was identified as important for physically producing clear speech, whereas Wernicke’s area is involved in understanding language [3]. It is assumed that in dyslexia, rather than there being physical damage to the brain, there is a difference in the wiring from early in life, affecting phonological awareness, being able to pull apart and put together the individual sounds of words for both speech and reading [4]. Several functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments have engaged dyslexic people and proficient readers in reading exercises to explore differences in brain activation. These studies show normal healthy brain structures in dyslexics, but clearly indicate the use of different pathways for reading compared with the norm [4,5,6,7]. Proficient readers generally activate a web of neural systems for reading predominantly on the left side of the brain, with the posterior regions being of particular importance [4,5,6,7]. Within these posterior regions, the temporoparietal cortex is involved with phonological processing, and the occipitotemporal region is important for recognition of whole words and includes the visual word form area [8]. This area may be a meeting point where visual perception, speech sounds, and meaning are integrated for more efficient reading [9]. Dyslexic readers show markedly less activation in these left-brain areas, as well as reduced connectivity between the visual word form area and other parts of the brain [6,10,11]. What this means in a practical sense is that reading doesn’t easily become automatic in dyslexic readers, so that they must rely on slower, more analytical recognition of words and alternative, compensatory brain networks [11,9]. Dyslexic readers generally show increased activation in the right side of the brain [11,12,13], as well as in more anterior regions of the left brain [13]. Disrupted connectivity between systems for reading and attention, and crossover with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have also been suggested as factors in dyslexia [4,6]. The effect of these brain differences can be amplified by the impact of the stress of ‘failure’ on a child’s brain integration and motivation. It’s no wonder our neurodivergent kids and adults often struggle with self-esteem. Integrating the information These brain scan findings align with the approaches to learning that tend to assist dyslexic people: more explicit phonological learning and engagement of multisensory systems to provide alternate ways to anchor the information and learning. A recent study showed that the visual word form area did increase in size in dyslexic readers following intensive tuition. However, disparities in this area persisted compared with typical readers after a year [14]. How does this relate to Davis’ ideas about multidimensional thinking and orientation of the mind's eye? Do dyslexics develop creative thinking because of some ‘mistake’ in the phonemic circuitry? Or is the creative thinking already present, meaning they don’t need the standard circuitry and are more efficient without it, until it comes to reading? The idea that dyslexic people are more right-brained, holistic thinkers is also supported by the research showing increased activation on the right-hand side of the brain [15,13,11,12,16]. Whilst many are focused on whether attempts to normalise left-brain activity improve reading, a New Zealand-based research group challenges this idea with their finding of a positive correlation between right brain activation and reading performance in dyslexic people [15]. Therefore, rather than painfully trying to activate the same pathways as in ‘normal’ readers, perhaps we should be encouraging adaptation using the dyslexic person’s right-brained strengths, just as suggested by Ron Davis. Food for thought. Future focus Inevitably, our understanding of what specifically is going on in the brains of dyslexic readers will continue to evolve with further research. Whilst early brain imaging and mapping efforts have focused on assigning specific regions to specific functions, we are increasingly coming to understand the brain's incredible adaptability. An excellent resource here is the book Soft-Wired by Dr. Michael Merzenich, one of the pioneers of neuroplasticity research. This idea of neuroplasticity opens up whole new worlds of possibility [17]. When we focus on the innate strengths and passions of dyslexic people, I believe there are multiple ways of building bridges to reading skills, or any other areas of challenge. For some, reading and writing may never be the most important skills, but they can provide useful scaffolding for sharing unique gifts with the world. More broadly speaking, I think we can all take a leaf out of Davis’s book and learn to shift our perspective in ways that serve us. For example, an analytical, left-brain thinker can learn to access intuitive, big-picture thinking, just as a dyslexic person can learn to narrow their focus for reading when it suits. Working with kinesiology provides a huge opportunity to support dyslexic individuals, as it’s so holistic. For example, I can provide energetic support for accessing different brain areas as well as encouraging connectivity between areas via white matter tracts and the neuroglial system. Additionally, we can work with reducing emotional stress or self-esteem issues, addressing any retained primitive reflexes as well as prioritising therapies, interventions or exercises that may assist. I’d love to hear what supported you or your child on your dyslexia journey. Contact me here or book a session here. Here’s to you and your amazing brain. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kirsty Marie Denny Kirsty Marie Denny, Kinesiologist and Neurodivergence Specialist Kirsty Marie is an energetic kinesiologist who believes in each human’s capacity to thrive as their unique and authentic self. Kirsty navigated chronic health challenges in her 20s and an intensely stressful early parenthood experience. Having transformed her own life and her children’s, she is on a mission to empower others. She specialises in supporting those who are highly sensitive, neurodivergent, or who have experienced trauma. Her approach is truly holistic, incorporating practical lifestyle coaching as well as energetic processes to balance the brain and body and transmute emotional stress. References: [1] Martello, J.M., 2023 [2] Hazzaa, N. et al., 2023 [3] Carey, D.P., 2021 [4] Shaywitz, S.E. & Shaywitz, B.A., 2008 [5] Richlan, F., Kronbichler, M. & Wimmer, H., 2009 [6] Paulesu, E., Danelli, L. & Berlingeri, M., 2014 [7] Mitchell, J.L., et al., 2026 [8]​Glezer, L.S., et al., 2017 [9]​Shaywitz, S., & Shaywitz, J., 2020 book [10] ​van der Mark, S., et al., 2011 [11] Finn, E.S., et al., 2013 [12] Shaywitz, B.A. et al., 2002 [13] Hoeft, F. et al., 2011 [14] Mitchell, J.L. et al., 2026 [15] Waldie, K.E. et al., 2017 [16] Shaywitz, S.E. et al., 1998 [17] Gazerani, P. 2025 Related article: How Stress Hijacks Learning

Myra Swan Kotze is an Executive Pressure Specialist, former Group Managing Director, and creator of Accumulated Executive Pressure™, a framework that explores how pressure from sustained leadership responsibility can accumulate over time and leave its mark on the women carrying it. Drawing on her experience in senior corporate leadership and her work with accomplished women, she challenges the belief that continuing to perform always means everything is fine. In this interview, Myra explores why highly capable women can overlook the cost of sustained executive pressure, how the body begins communicating through whispers, signals, and screams, and why protecting your health and life beyond work does not have to mean walking away from the career you have built. Myra Swan Kotze, Executive Pressure Specialist What led you to focus specifically on the pressure carried by women in senior corporate leadership? I chose to work specifically with women because I was one of those women. I spent years in senior leadership, ultimately as a Group Managing Director, carrying responsibility for hundreds of people, significant financial outcomes, difficult decisions, and the constant expectation to deliver. I know what it is like to be highly capable and successful on the outside while carrying far more internally than anyone around you necessarily sees. Although the corporate world has changed since I was in those roles, I still hear many of the same experiences from senior women today. This isn't to suggest that men don't experience significant executive pressure. They absolutely do, and for some, that pressure can be equally or even more profound. I simply made a conscious decision about where I wanted to contribute. I understand these women because I have lived a version of their world. I cannot change the experience of every woman in senior leadership, but for the women I do work with, I want that change to be big, meaningful and lasting. What makes Accumulated Executive Pressure™ different from the stress or burnout executives may already recognize? Stress is usually something we recognise because we can connect it to what is happening around us. A difficult quarter, a restructuring, a board meeting, a major decision, or an intense period at work. Burnout is also widely recognised, particularly when someone reaches significant physical or emotional depletion. Accumulated Executive Pressure™ looks at something different. It is the gradual accumulation of pressure through the continuous, day-to-day reality of carrying executive responsibility over time. A senior woman may move through hundreds of decisions, conversations, problems, and competing demands while remaining completely functional. The immediate situation passes, but that does not necessarily mean everything her body carried in response to it has disappeared. Over months and years, pressure can leave footprints. That is why I don't describe Accumulated Executive Pressure™ as something that happens before burnout. Burnout can be one possible expression, or what I call a “scream,” but it isn't the only one. The accumulation may begin showing itself physically, emotionally, cognitively, or relationally long before a woman identifies herself as struggling. Why can remaining highly functional make it harder for a senior leader to recognise that pressure is taking a toll? Because we tend to use performance as evidence that everything is fine. A senior woman can still walk into the boardroom, make complex decisions, lead her team, deliver results and carry enormous responsibility. From the outside, there may be very little indication that anything is wrong. Often, she uses that same evidence herself: “I'm still functioning. I'm still performing. I'm still getting everything done.” That is precisely what can make accumulated pressure so difficult to recognise. The early effects can be subtle. She may be more exhausted than she used to be, less patient, sleeping differently, withdrawing more at home or needing increasingly more energy to maintain the same level of performance. But because she can still perform, these changes are easily dismissed as the normal cost of senior leadership. High-functioning women are exceptionally good at adapting. The danger is that adaptation can keep moving the line of what she considers “normal,” until something happens that becomes much harder to ignore. Why do you believe endurance has become such a deeply ingrained measure of strength in executive culture? Executive culture has traditionally rewarded the person who can carry more. The person who remains available, handles the difficult situation, takes on another responsibility, and continues delivering regardless of what else is happening. Over time, endurance becomes intertwined with identity. Being the woman who can cope is not simply something she does, it becomes part of how she understands her own value as a leader. There is also a practical reality. At senior levels, responsibility doesn't disappear because you are tired or because something difficult is happening in your personal life. People are depending on you. Decisions still need to be made. Results still matter. So you learn to keep going. The problem isn't endurance itself. Sometimes, endurance is necessary in leadership. The problem comes when we begin treating the ability to withstand pressure indefinitely as evidence of strength. I believe real strength includes recognising what carrying that responsibility is costing you, rather than waiting until your body or your life makes that cost impossible to ignore. What changes around midlife can make some accomplished women begin questioning whether they still want their leadership roles? By midlife, many senior women have already spent decades building their careers. They have proven themselves, carried significant responsibility, and achieved many of the things they once worked incredibly hard to reach. Then something can begin to shift. It isn't necessarily that she has lost her ambition or that she is suddenly less capable. Sometimes she simply becomes less willing to accept the personal cost of continuing in exactly the same way. She may find herself thinking, “I don't know if I want to do this anymore.” That can be frightening when so much of her identity, achievement, and financial life has been built around her career. But I think there is another question worth asking before assuming she wants to leave: “Do I no longer want this career, or do I no longer want to feel the way I feel while having it?” Those are very different questions. Sometimes the career isn't what she wants to escape. It is the way she has had to carry it. In your Whispers, Signals and Screams model, which early signs of accumulated pressure are easiest for executives to overlook? The whispers are often the easiest to dismiss precisely because none of them necessarily feels serious enough on its own. It might be waking already exhausted, struggling to switch off at the end of the day, feeling emotionally flatter than usual, losing patience more easily or gradually withdrawing from the people and activities that once restored you. A senior woman can explain almost all of these away. She has had a busy month. She needs a holiday. There is a difficult project underway. She isn't sleeping well. Once things settle down, she will feel like herself again. That phrase, “once this is over,” is one I pay particular attention to because executive life rarely stays quiet for long. One demanding period is replaced by another. In my Whispers, Signals and Screams model, the objective isn't to make women anxious about every change they notice. It is to help them recognise patterns earlier, before whispers have to become louder signals, or eventually screams, to get their attention. How does Recognition, Release, Recovery™ help a woman recover without stepping away from the career she has built? Recognition, Release, Recovery™ begins by changing the question. Instead of asking, “Can I keep pushing?” or “Do I have to leave my career?”, we begin by recognising what years of sustained executive responsibility may have been leaving behind. Recognition gives language to the invisible footprints of accumulated pressure. It allows a woman to see patterns she may previously have dismissed simply as the normal cost of leadership. Release is the intentional process of no longer carrying every emotional, psychological, and physiological burden as though it has to remain with her indefinitely. It is not about reducing ambition or becoming less committed to her role. It is about changing how that responsibility is carried. Recovery is not about returning to the woman she was before leadership. It is about restoring the capacity to lead with clarity, resilience and vitality while protecting the woman behind the executive title. In many cases, that means remaining in the career she has worked so hard to build, but no longer believing that success has to come at the expense of her wellbeing. How did experiencing the cost of sustained leadership in your own life change your definition of success? For many years, I measured success by what I could build, achieve and carry. I became a Group Managing Director, built successful businesses and carried responsibility for hundreds of people. From the outside, I had many of the things we associate with a successful executive life. What I didn't fully understand at the time was what sustaining that level of responsibility was costing me personally. The impact wasn't confined to work. It reached into my health, my marriage, my relationship with my daughter, and eventually the way I experienced my own life. That changed my definition of success profoundly. I no longer believe success can be measured only by what a woman achieves professionally if maintaining those achievements is steadily costing her everything else that matters to her. Today, success means being able to hold significant responsibility without disappearing underneath it. It means protecting your health, your relationships, and the person you are beyond your title, while still pursuing meaningful, ambitious work. I don't believe women should have to choose between an extraordinary career and themselves. What would you like senior women to understand about carrying responsibility without losing themselves in the process? I want senior women to understand that carrying significant responsibility doesn't have to mean carrying everything at their expense. For too long, we have admired the woman who can keep going regardless of the cost. She delivers, she solves, she supports everyone around her, and because she remains capable, very few people stop to ask what carrying all of that is doing to her. You do not have to wait until your body, your relationships or your life forces you to pay attention. Nor do you have to become less ambitious, step away from the career you have built or stop being the woman people can depend on. But you do need to recognise that your capacity is not an unlimited resource. The goal is not a life without pressure. That is unrealistic at senior levels. It is learning to carry responsibility differently, so that the pressure of leadership does not slowly consume the woman carrying it. Your career can remain important without requiring you to disappear inside it. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Myra Swan Kotze

Ben Robins is a business and leadership coach and keynote speaker who spent a decade in senior leadership, including running EMEA for a global consultancy with clients such as Google and Meta. He has seen the pattern from the inside: companies that have grown but still rely too heavily on the owner for decisions, client relationships, and to keep things moving. His work sits where business strategy, leadership and mindset meet. He helps owners change how the business runs, while also challenging the habits, beliefs and ways of leading that keep them at the centre of it. Ben works with business owners across London, Dubai, Singapore and the US who are ready to lead the business rather than carry it. Ben Robins, Business & Leadership Coach Who is Ben Robins? Introduce yourself, your hobbies, your favourites, you at home and in business. Tell us something interesting about yourself. At 22, I worked on a cattle station in the outback of Australia. On a particularly sweltering day, I passed the wrong tool to my boss, and he exploded in rage. This happened most days. But what I could never quite understand was that he would almost always come and apologise afterwards. He knew what kind of leader he wanted to be. He just often fell short of it. That question became the central premise of a lot of my coaching, "Why do we know what kind of business owner or leader we want to be, but sometimes fall short of it? And what does it take to actually change that?" From that cattle station, I motorbiked through Vietnam, spent several months in India, and taught English to children in South Korea whose language I could barely speak. Eventually, I made my way into boardrooms in London, Amsterdam and Seattle, leading Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for a global e-commerce consultancy, growing the division to around £15 million in revenue and a team of more than 20, working with brands like Google and Meta. Now I’m a London-based business and leadership coach, working with established founders and business owners internationally. The thread I first noticed on that cattle station is still the one I'm pulling on, the business and the person running it are inextricably linked. My partner and I split the year between London and somewhere sunny. We travel a lot, eat our way around wherever we happen to be, and are ideally never too far from the sea. What inspired you to become a coach, and what problem do you feel most called to help people solve? I don't really think of it as becoming a coach. Looking back, much of what I had always valued most in leadership was already coaching, understanding what somebody actually wanted, what was really motivating them, what was behind what they were saying, and how to help them move forward. That was the part of building businesses I found most interesting. Eventually, I realised I could do it much more directly, without a specific industry being at the centre of the conversation. What I'm most interested in is helping business owners solve the problems they've struggled to solve themselves and build the business in a way that works better for them too. Very often, that starts with seeing the problem differently. A founder says they have a hiring problem, a delegation problem, or a growth problem. But when you keep asking questions and get underneath it, the real constraint becomes much easier to see. When that happens, the beauty is that what looked like a constraint often starts to look more like an opportunity. That's what I'm interested in, coaching that changes what a founder actually does next in their business. How would you describe your coaching approach, and what makes it different from others in your field? My coaching sits between business strategy and the person making the decision. I don’t see the two as separate because, in my experience, the biggest impact comes from addressing both at the same time. I usually start with the business problem the owner thinks they have. I take that seriously, but I don’t automatically assume it’s the problem we actually need to solve. I’m listening for the question behind the question. Why do you want the business to grow? What would that give you? What are you assuming to be true? What are you worried would happen if you made the obvious change? And is that risk actually real, or has it grown larger in your head than it is in reality? Because usually there is something deeper than the presenting problem. These types of questions allow me to understand what the business means to the owner, what fears sit alongside the decision, or perhaps what they are too close to see for themselves. As I see it, strategy and psychology are happening at the same time. So sometimes the answer we need is a better business decision. Other times, it might be understanding why that decision has been so difficult to make in the first place. My role is to work out which one needs attention and how the two are affecting each other. One of the business owners I coached on my Owner’s Block podcast put it better than I could. He said most coaches and consultants snorkel, whereas I scuba dive. He came in thinking he had a recruitment problem. But within 90 minutes, we had challenged several assumptions he was treating as facts and realised that one of his strongest recruitment advantages, the mission behind his company, was barely showing up in his hiring process. Once we were able to see that, it wasn’t only about recruitment. It had implications for retention and even how potential clients connected with the business. A conversation focused only on recruitment tactics or onboarding strategy would never have got us there. Who are your ideal clients, and what challenges are they usually facing when they come to you? My ideal clients are founders and business owners who have already built established businesses but have reached a point where some of the things that got them here are starting to get in the way of what they want next. What they want is someone who can get to grips with it quickly, speak their language, and challenge the thinking behind the decisions they’re making. They know a good strategy is important, but they also recognise that they’re part of whether that strategy works or not. What they come to me with varies. For one person, it might be that they are still too involved and have become the bottleneck and don't quite know how to pull themselves out. For someone else, it might be hiring, a difficult decision they finally want to make, or why the business has become more challenging to run as it has grown, rather than less challenging as they’d hoped. We often come back to where their time is going, how much real control they have over the business, and how they can keep growing without just adding more complexity or making everything even more dependent on them. The people I work best with are willing to look at themselves as part of the equation. They’re not just looking for another set of tactics. They’re open to the possibility that part of what needs to change might be how they’re thinking, deciding or leading. Why can growing a successful business sometimes create more pressure and fewer options for the owner? Because growth tends to magnify everything that already exists in the business and in the person building it. If the founder is still central to the important decisions, client relationships and quality control, adding more revenue doesn't automatically reduce that dependence, it can simply scale the chaos. The volume of what needs their attention increases, but the number of hours they can feasibly work doesn’t. It doesn’t, of course, happen overnight. As the founder, you check a piece of work one evening because you care about the standards. You don’t just do it once, so the team knows that whatever they produce is probably going to come back through you anyway, which means they naturally stop taking quite as much ownership. That same thing happens with clients. You are involved in everything because, particularly in the early days, it was probably one of the reasons the business did well. But it also trains those clients to expect that you will always be there and that they will have direct access to you. When a problem comes up, you know you can probably solve it faster than anyone else, so you just do it. Again, none of these decisions in isolation are wrong, but there does come a point where the behaviours that get you to one stage can become exactly the behaviours that stop you getting to the next. The irony is that, from the outside, everything can look better. More clients, more revenue, a bigger team. But you can actually have fewer options than when the business was smaller. Taking time off becomes harder, and stepping back becomes harder because more and more of the business now depends on you. "If this business doubles, what else doubles with it?" If the answer is your workload, that is worth addressing before simply trying to make the business bigger. What are the most common patterns or blocks you see holding founders back from real progress? Four come up again and again, and they all have something in common, they look like one thing but are actually another. Founder dependency disguised as high standards. The founder stays involved in everything because they care about quality. Over time, the team learns not to take ownership because the founder will always check anyway. "It's faster if I just do it" is one of the most common things I hear. Usually true in the short term, but costly in the longer term. Sometimes what looks like high standards is actually perfectionism. The difference is that high standards are about the work, whereas perfectionism becomes about the person. Until you understand why everything needs to be perfect, it can keep pulling the founder back into things they should no longer need to own. Avoided decisions disguised as needing more information. There is always another book, another conversation, or another quarter to wait and see. But in many cases, owners already have enough information to act on. What they often need is to get comfortable with making a decision and adjusting as new information comes in. Complexity disguised as ambition. Launching a new product or channel can feel like the obvious next move. But in many cases, the founders with the strongest businesses are ruthless about focus. Often, the answer is doing fewer things really well rather than lots of things adequately. That’s the basis of what I call the Subtraction Method, before adding something new, ask what you could stop, simplify or do less of first. Delegation without authority. The owner hands something over, it doesn't work out, and they conclude the team can't handle it. But the key part, the ownership, wasn't passed on, just the task. They remain the bottleneck, frustrated that everything comes back to them, even if the work itself is done by someone else. Beneath a lot of this, there is often a fear, assumption or old belief that hasn't really been questioned. So a lot of the time, it's about challenging that, testing whether it's actually true, and then deciding what to do next. What kind of transformations do clients typically experience through working with you? The transformations show up in the business and in the owner, but they can ripple out much further than I ever see, to family members, employees and beyond. I've seen a client go from working 12-14 hours days to working four or five-hour days. Another tripled their revenue over the time we worked together. One went from overthinking decisions and watching opportunities pass by to growing his property portfolio, improving returns from his existing assets, and feeling in control of his business rather than controlled by it. Then there are the outcomes that probably don’t make the headlines but can be just as significant. Spending more time with family, being more present, taking a few weeks off without stressing, or not spending their time at home thinking about work and their time at work thinking about home. Putting far more focus into what they are uniquely able to do. Over time, they get better at catching themselves too. They start recognising their own patterns earlier, questioning assumptions they might previously have treated as fact, and seeing what actually needs their attention rather than just reacting to the obvious problem. There's a phrase you sometimes hear, "chips on shoulders put chips in pockets." My clients can still put the chips in their pockets without needing the chip on their shoulder. They can remain ambitious and driven while becoming clearer on what they actually want, rather than constantly needing to prove something. How do you help clients create change that is sustainable, not just short-term motivation? I'm not in the motivation business, as motivation comes and goes. If someone keeps needing to re-motivate themselves to behave differently, something is still making the old behaviour more attractive than the new one. Most business owners already know the obvious changes they could make. If knowing was enough, they would have made them already. So when somebody keeps doing something they say they want to change, I'm interested in what they're getting out of it. Staying closely involved might allow a founder to feel significant or to hold onto control that feels important. Until we understand what the behaviour is doing, telling someone to act differently rarely works. Once we're clear on that, it's about connecting the change to something they really want, rather than something they think they should want, then breaking the next step into something small enough to do on a difficult day. We do that because I'm much more interested in building momentum through consistent action than doing something sporadically. Then we iterate. It might be that the person you've delegated to does a brilliant job, or maybe they don't. Based on that, we now have actual data from your business to work with. So we adapt based on what has happened and build from there. For me, sustainable change is when somebody no longer needs to keep motivating themselves because enough of what was driving the old behaviour has changed. For someone reading this who feels drawn to your work, what's the best next step? The best place to start is Ben Robins’ business and leadership coaching website. You can read client success stories, watch me coach business owners through real strategy sessions, and get a clear sense of what working together looks like. If what you see resonates, you can book a confidential consultation. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube for more info! Read more from Ben Robins

Vicky Vimbai Goredema is an award-winning Chartered Certified Accountant, entrepreneur, and author of The Numbers Behind the Business, Tax Structure and Systems for the Modern UK Entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Director of VCK Accounting Services Ltd, a UK-based accountancy practice supporting small to medium-sized businesses with strategic financial expertise. Vicky Vimbai Goredema, Chartered Certified Accountant UK What led you to build VCK Accounting Services around helping business owners understand the numbers behind their businesses? When I was at university, I received career advice that encouraged me to think beyond simply qualifying in a profession and to consider what I ultimately wanted to build for myself. Even then, I knew that one day I wanted to have my own business. After qualifying as a Chartered Certified Accountant and gaining experience working across several organisations, I felt the time was right to build the practice I had always envisioned. I have always had a strong passion for accounting and tax, but what motivates me most is seeing how much more confident business owners become when they actually understand their numbers. That is really where the idea behind VCK Accounting Services came from. I wanted to go beyond preparing accounts and tax returns and help business owners understand what their figures are telling them, so they can make informed decisions and build stronger businesses. What financial challenges make healthcare businesses different from other small and medium-sized businesses? One of the biggest challenges is cash flow. Many healthcare businesses operate under contracts where there can be a significant delay between providing the service and receiving payment. At the same time, they still have immediate financial commitments such as salaries, pension contributions, suppliers, rent and other operating costs. This can create significant pressure, particularly for growing businesses that are taking on more staff or premises before the corresponding income has been received. A profitable business can still experience cash flow difficulties. That is why I encourage healthcare business owners to look beyond their profit figure and actively manage their cash position and future cash requirements. When advising healthcare providers, which numbers give you the clearest picture of whether a business is financially healthy? I look at both cash flow and profitability, because they tell you different things. Cash flow tells me whether the business can meet its immediate obligations, whether it can pay its staff, suppliers and other bills when they fall due. Profitability tells me whether the underlying business model is actually working and generating a sustainable return for the owner. A business can be profitable on paper but struggle to pay its bills because the cash has not yet been received. Equally, a business can have cash in the bank but not be genuinely profitable. For me, financial health is about understanding both sides and how they work together. Where do you think entrepreneurs most often misunderstand the role an accountant should play in their business? I think some entrepreneurs still see their accountant primarily as the person who prepares their accounts and submits their tax returns. In reality, an accountant can be a valuable strategic adviser. I have seen business owners make financial decisions without seeking advice first, and sometimes those decisions can have unnecessary tax or financial consequences. For example, the timing and structure of a purchase can affect whether certain tax reliefs, including capital allowances, are available. My advice is simple, don’t wait until after you’ve made the decision to ask your accountant whether it was the right one. Bring your accountant into the conversation before making significant financial decisions. What changes when a business owner starts treating accounting as a strategic tool rather than a compliance requirement? The biggest change is that they start taking control of their business rather than simply ticking a compliance box. Instead of looking at their accounts once a year, they begin asking better questions, "What is driving my profitability? Where is my money going? Are my prices right? Can I afford to grow? What needs to change?" Accounting then becomes a management tool rather than something that is simply done because HMRC or Companies House requires it. Ultimately, it gives the business owner greater clarity around why they are in business, where they want the business to go and what they need to do to get there. What financial information should every entrepreneur be reviewing regularly before making growth decisions? One of the first things I would look at is pricing. Business owners need to understand whether the prices they charge for their products or services are generating a healthy margin after taking into account their costs. Growth can sometimes create the illusion of success because turnover is increasing. But if the business is not pricing correctly, increased sales can actually create more pressure rather than more profit. I would also encourage entrepreneurs to regularly review their profit and loss, cash flow and key business costs before committing to growth. What is one financial system growing businesses should put in place earlier than they typically do? A reliable bookkeeping system. For many businesses, accounting software such as Xero provides the foundation for understanding what is happening financially on a day-to-day basis. But having software alone isn’t enough. The bookkeeping needs to be accurate and kept up to date. When transactions are recorded regularly and correctly, the business owner has access to meaningful financial information and can make decisions based on current data rather than trying to piece everything together months later. What does going “beyond numbers” mean to you in the way you advise and support clients? For me, going beyond the numbers means understanding the person behind the business. Every client has different personal circumstances, ambitions and definitions of success. One business owner may want to grow a large organisation, while another may want to build a profitable business that gives them greater freedom and flexibility. I therefore want to understand both the client’s business goals and personal goals because the two are often closely connected. The numbers are important, but they are ultimately there to help the business owner achieve something bigger. What is the one thing you want entrepreneurs to understand about their numbers before they focus on growing their business? Before focusing on growth, make sure you have a sound financial system underneath you. At a minimum, that means having appropriate accounting software, keeping your bookkeeping accurate and up to date, and regularly reviewing your financial information. You cannot make good strategic decisions from numbers you don’t trust. Once the financial foundations are in place, you can start using those numbers to understand profitability, cash flow, pricing and performance, and then make informed decisions about how and when to grow. For me, growth should not simply be about becoming bigger. It should be about becoming stronger, more profitable and more sustainable. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Vicky Vimbai Goredema

In a crowded market, having a great product may no longer be enough. Entrepreneur and bestselling author Daniel Priestley believes one of the biggest advantages a business can build today is being known. Priestley, co-founder of Dent Global and ScoreApp, has spent years helping entrepreneurs become what he calls a “Key Person of Influence” in their industry. His message has become even more relevant in 2026 as businesses compete for attention in an increasingly crowded digital world. Priestley argues that attention is now one of the hardest things for businesses to earn. A company can have an exceptional product or service, but without visibility, the right customers may never discover it.But being known isn't about chasing millions of followers. His approach focuses on becoming highly visible and highly valued within the right market. Through publishing, building authority, developing a strong profile and forming strategic partnerships, entrepreneurs can position themselves as the obvious choice in their field. That distinction offers an important lesson for business owners. Visibility isn't simply a social media metric. When paired with genuine expertise and a strong business behind it, it can create trust, demand and new opportunities. As Priestley puts greater emphasis on personal brands and attention in 2026, his message is clear: being great at what you do matters, but making sure the right people know about it may matter just as much.

Written by Cameron Tukapua, Heartfelt Living Coach, Chinese Medicine Practitioner Cameron Tukapua coaches people to heal and transform their lives and relationships through conscious Self-care. Her offerings are based on four decades of clinical acupuncture and teaching experience. Cameron is the author of 'Heartfelt Living – How to Navigate Change and Healing: Your Ancient Wisdom Guide'. Wondering why your heartbreak is hard to heal? In this article, a Chinese medicine practitioner introduces practical steps for reconnecting with your whole heart. This pathway explores how to use heartbreak to go deep within and connect with the essence of your true self. These seven steps offer insights into what you may feel when you are wounded by love. 1. Allow time and space to attend to your depths The heart is the home of our deepest sense of Self, which is why heart pain hurts. It can be brutal and savage. Like a cut from a scalpel, we feel it in our depths. With the right support, our deep scars become part of our life experience rather than the reference point for our existence. There is no right or wrong way to heal our heart hurt. It is a highly individual journey. In clinical therapy, practitioners are trained to keep pace with a client’s healing process and meet them where they are. Lasting healing takes time to fathom and integrate, so gently, gently is a healthy approach. It can be an up-and-down journey. Above all, be patient with yourself. “We can’t go too deep, though we can go too fast.” Dr Samantha Jennings 2. Accept your hurt In the early stages, heartbreak is likely to feel most intense. We can feel it physically in our chest, with tightness, tension, and difficulty breathing. Emotionally, we may feel extremely vulnerable. As the heart is our supreme ruler, when it is broken our thoughts can be racing, scattered, and ‘out of order’. All these signs are to be expected and allowed. When you are raw and broken, stay safe. Notice who and what comforts you. It may be a belief, a person, a teaching, or a substance. In the acute phase, do what you need to do to get through it. Reevaluate as you move forward, and get help if you remain stuck in unhealthy self soothing behaviours. Resisting our pain and trying to escape never works long term. Our wounds are part of the human experience. 3. Collapsing duality As many of us in the Western world have been brainwashed by 'good and bad,' 'right and wrong,' and 'should and shouldn’t' thinking, it is easy to avoid and deny what feels imperfect. Denying our hurt places creates tension in the system, as the self we like and the one we reject appear to be at war. In broken states, we can think, 'If only I didn’t have this problem, I would be ok.' This creates tension between us and the problem, as though there were two of us. To collapse the tension, begin by accepting that our pain and whole self can exist together. Roger Callahan, an American psychologist, observed that in chronic states of imbalance, people’s brains can default to searching for what is not working rather than what is. Roger developed a simple technique called 'psychological reversal correction.' I’ve been using a version of this correction in my clinic for over two decades. As a practice, this simple acupressure and affirmation technique can help interrupt the 'I’m broken' self-reference point and reset homeostasis. It supports the search for balance, which is programmed into every cell of our being and is far stronger than any disease pattern. 4. Engage your higher self’s viewpoint, consider the context The heart is the home of our highest consciousness, which acts as the 'fair witness' to our lives. In situations of heartbreak, it is wise to call upon this part of ourselves and look for higher points of view. Our hearts are attuned to love and they know what is real. It is important to be brave and to listen. “When you ask people about love they will tell you about heartbreak” Brene Brown When heartbreak responses are especially intense, the roots may be old traumas. We can recognise these by the depth and intensity of the feelings. Like high voltage electricity, there is often an extra charge to the sensations. On the other hand, the intensity may be a natural, normal, healthy response to extreme stress, for example, the grief a mother feels when her child dies. In this situation, the natural order of life and death has been disturbed. 5. Practice compassion, lick your wounds Treat and speak to yourself as you would your best friend, beloved partner, or family member. Give yourself space for the rawness of your heart pain to ease. Time is a compassionate healer. Prioritize sleep to help support the restoration of healthy brain function. Tend to your wound in loving, tender ways. For some, it is time alone, on retreat, to reflect and dive deep inside. For others, it is best to be surrounded by those who love you and with whom you can safely express your emotions. Accept your wound as a path to wisdom. In the future, when you look back, it will make more sense. “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran 6. Tell the truth If our heartbreak follows a relationship breakdown, it is an opportunity to reset and review. Sometimes, a relationship has simply run its course. When it is over, it is over. Relationships show us who we are now, and as they evolve, we evolve. Some were never meant to be long term. In romantic relationships, 'love is blind,' and healthy discernment can easily vanish. When we want someone in our lives, we will make all sorts of excuses for 'out of order behaviour.' This can be an unconscious attempt to hold on to the dream of being in love. Truth is like a sword. It cuts to the heart of our knowing. Truth telling starts with taking an honest look at how we show up in life and with others. When we tell the truth to ourselves about what we sense and feel and act accordingly, we come home to our authentic self. They can help you shift from a heart breaking to a heart awakening. “Oh break my heart and do it again and again so I can love even more”. Sufi saying 7. Be you, be true, be courageous The French word for heart is 'cœur,' which also means courage. If we stand by our heart’s depth of knowing and presence, we discover a sleeping power that lives within us. When we are pushed to the limits of our humanness, it is here that we find our divinity. Our heart spirit has more power than we can ever imagine. Its light helps us see the purpose and meaning behind life’s happenings. Heartbreak is often a path to lasting heart awakening. Deep down, we know what we need to become the most whole version of ourselves. “There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place. And if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom, and love, it’s the right choice.” Dr Angeles Arrien, Cultural Anthropologist If you resonate with these teachings I invite you to join me for a Heartfelt healing journey. Learn more about my livetime, interactive Masterclasses: 'Heartfelt Living' and 'Nourishing Roots'. For a deeper dive, individual wellbeing healing, and/or professional development support, join me for one to one coaching. Free yourself to be your Self. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cameron Tukapua Cameron Tukapua, Heartfelt Living Coach, Chinese Medicine Practitioner Cameron Tukapua is a wellbeing coach who shares ancient wisdom teachings from Chinese Medicine, along with Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation practices. She helps people align the head and heart. Cameron has written a book called ‘Heartfelt Living', and her work has been featured in Thrive Global. She offers Individual coaching, online study pathways, and face-to-face wellbeing retreats.