#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Stepping up without taking it all on. Being someone who makes things happen is a strength. But last week left me asking a slightly uncomfortable question: when does stepping up become taking on too much? The Weekly Debrief Last week was a roller coaster. The high point was launching a new support programme for female founders in Wales. The launch went brilliantly, with great feedback and that lovely sense of being

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Hats — the ones we wear, the ones that suit us, and knowing when to take one off. As leaders and business owners, we can move between several roles in a single day. The question isn’t just how many hats we wear, but whether we are choosing the right one for the moment — or trying to wear the whole collection at once. The Weekly Debrief Last week was half and half. No, not rice and chips — work and play. I started t

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Leading with humanity — and recognising that good leadership starts with understanding what you bring, while making space for others to do their best work. The Weekly Debrief Last week was a busy one: Cardiff on Monday for meetings, then on to Milton Keynes for Leadership Live 26. It was a fantastic conference, with brilliant presentations, inspiring keynote speakers and thoughtful conversations about what it means

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Face reality, find the gap, make progress. It sounds simple, but honestly assessing where we are — as leaders, teams or organisations — can be surprisingly difficult. We may avoid information that challenges how we see ourselves, or feel stuck because we can see a gap between where we are and where we want to be, but cannot yet see how to close it. Research on “motivated avoidance” suggests people sometimes avoid f

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Flexible by design. Flexible working is often talked about as where we work. For me, it is equally about when we work, and designing the week around focused contribution, personal commitments and the energy needed to do both well. The Weekly Debrief Last week was a real mix of work and play. There were sunny afternoons at the beach, work in the morning, then back to it again in the evening. I’m fortunate that I can

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Travelling stories: curiosity, kindness and connection. Every time I travel, I seem to come home with a story. Sometimes it is about delayed trains or changing plans; more often, it is about the people I meet along the way. I have learnt that if you are curious enough to ask a question, brave enough to start a conversation and open enough to listen, people will nearly always teach you something. The Weekly Debrie

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? The journey is part of the work. For leaders, it is easy to view travel as something to get through: a necessary inconvenience between meetings, responsibilities and the next item on the list. But a journey can also create something increasingly rare: space. Space to think, notice, reflect, catch up, and see situations from a slightly different perspective. As Mark Twain put it: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigot

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Another year older, a little clearer — and ready for the September reset. Birthdays can be noisy, busy and full of plans, but this year I spent mine home alone in France. And, honestly, it was rather brilliant. There was walking, sewing, charity-shop wandering, fizz, and time to sit with a good book. No rushing, no over-planning and, importantly, no laptop constantly calling my name. The fresh air and headspace fro

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Using time intentionally, rather than simply filling it. It is all too easy for a diary to become full without us being clear on whether the things in it are giving us energy, moving us forward or reflecting what matters most. The Weekly Debrief Last week was one of preparation: getting the gîtes and the house ready for autumn, and getting organised for a little time home alone in France. Work was non-stop, v

The Weekly Debrief After ten wonderful but busy days with Mum and Dad in France, I came back to work on Tuesday feeling slightly like I didn’t know which way was up. It was not one big thing; it was lots of little things, all quietly adding up to the same realisation: I feel a little rudderless at the moment. I have been so busy in the doing that I had forgotten the power of having a clear goal, a focus and a sense of progress. I tend to achieve more when I know what I am w

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Generosity creates connection. Sometimes it is giving our time, sometimes sharing what we have, and sometimes simply making room for someone else. The result is often far greater than the gesture itself. The Weekly Debrief Well, what a week that was. Mum and Dad came to visit us in France for the first time, and it was certainly an adventure from the very beginning. I travelled to London to collect them, only f

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Making space to rest, play and notice the small moments that turn into the memories we carry with us. The Weekly Debrief Last week brought one of those reminders that joy is often hiding in the smallest details. I watched two young children completely mesmerised by my husband playing guitar. They were dancing, laughing and moving like no one was watching. It was brilliant. There was such freedom in it. No self-c

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Feeding your mind, feeding your business — how the stories we read and reflect on can sharpen the way we lead, even in a quieter week. The Weekly Debrief Last week was a little quieter in terms of major events, but still full of activity. There was the very real workout of cleaning gites in 35‑degree heat, speaking for the Institute of Leadership, attending a 10‑week accelerator start‑up awards, picking up a new ca

This week’s theme? Diverse perspectives — how they strengthen you as a leader, and how they can feel challenging in the moment. The Weekly Debrief Last week was a battle with the heat: daytime temperatures at nothing less than 36°C and nights that never dropped below 26°C. I’ve come to appreciate traditional French heat management. The choreography of when to open the windows, when to close them, blinds and shutters firmly shut at the right times, and every small habit that

This week’s theme? Trusted relationships and realistic expectations, the twin engines that keep our energy (#NRG) sustainable when life and work get busy. The Weekly Debrief Last week was busy, busy, busy. It was all about people and impact: dinners with friends and family, and meeting AGP clients face to face. It was such a pleasure to spend time with people who are just as passionate about business as I am. Those conversations reminded me that how you connect makes all th

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? You never know who you’ll meet… and how those encounters can help you laugh, learn, recharge and remember what all the busyness is for. The Weekly Debrief As readers know, last Saturday I travelled back to the UK for two weeks in Cardiff: board meetings, family get‑togethers, nights out with friends and business events. It promised to be a fun‑packed 14 days and I can confirm it’s been very busy. We’ve had to be ad

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week’s theme? Adaptability – staying open, flexible and curious when life doesn’t quite go to plan. The Weekly Debrief As the temperatures ramped up, so did the workload. Last week was full-on with coaching sessions, NED work, client reviews and board appraisals. The kind of week where the diary looks like a game of professional Tetris. In the middle of it all, I still managed to squeeze in a friend’s 40th birthday celebration a

This week has been a reminder that conversations and connections are one of the best sources of energy we have — whether it’s with family, friends, or the people we work alongside. The Weekly Debrief We’ve had a wonderful time playing tour guides in our little corner of France. A calming boat trip, long walks in the forests, a breezy visit to the beach and, for balance, a 22,000-step day marching around the sights of Paris. It was one of those weeks where entertaining over

A Snapshot of All Things #NRG This week has been a powerful reminder that energy isn’t just something we have, it’s something we choose. And when you really notice it, you see it everywhere. The Weekly Debrief It’s been a week of movement, quite literally. I’ve been travelling, popping back to Cardiff for a charity event, and in between, finding pockets of time to enjoy the journey itself. One highlight was walking across Paris on a perfect spring day, about an hour of wand

After last week’s return, this week has been all about energy. Noticing it, borrowing it, lacking it… and being reminded just how powerful it can be in all the right places. The Weekly Debrief This week has been full of conversations with start-up founders, and I have to say, their energy is completely infectious. The passion, the belief, the sheer determination to make something work… It’s hard not to be swept up in it. That kind of #NRG is pretty special. It did, however, g