Essay library
Essays on work, identity, leadership and change — organised by the shift you are looking for.
Essays and prompts for clarity, confidence and forward motion.
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Systems, leadership and operating models for better outcomes.
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NLP, reframing, decision making and behavioural flexibility.
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This is a revised, shorter version of the original essay, The Self You Didn't Choose. This piece draws on Western psychology, African philosophy and Buddhist thought to ask a better question than "Who am I?" — and what to do with the answer.
Read essayThe self-help industry tells you to find yourself. But what if a significant part of who you are was assigned, conditioned and reinforced long before you were old enough to push back on it? I think the question we ask shouldn't be, "Who are you?', It should be, "Who decided.?"
Read essayStuck at home with my leg up and two fans trying to cool my tackle, but I was doing it wrong.
Read essayEvery World Cup, the same question resurfaces. Who actually gets to be English, and who is only ever lent the shirt until the football stops going their way.
Read essayI watched a man fall apart in a hospital corridor this week, and I watched a system fall apart around him. He was in his eighties, still standing straight and proud, with the spirit of a tiger. I learned a little more about empathy, boundaries and where systems fail.
Read essayI am grateful for the strength I carry. I did not know how much I had. Gratitude is what I choose.
Read essayI finally had the operation. What happened next taught me more about progress, healing, and gratitude than I expected.
Read essayWhen pressure turns into survival mode, hunger can make you move. But without strategy, it can also make you waste energy in the wrong battle. A reflection on Sun Tzu, Hannibal, mindset, and the quality of the next decision.
Read essayYour social media feed is not a window to the world, It is closer to a mirror. And the world it shows you may not be the world as it is.
Read essayAfter another cancelled surgery date, I reflect on the weight of waiting, the disappointment of getting my hopes up, and the perspective shift that turns frustration into gratitude. Still on the ground, still moving forward.
Read essayA practical reflection on mental health, self-talk and the lens we choose to look through. This piece explores how changing our internal representation can shift our emotional state, behaviour and sense of control.
Read essayA bank holiday football match was meant to be a simple act of support, not a return from retirement. Seven minutes later, my foot was facing the wrong direction, my ankle was dislocated, and the road ahead had changed completely. But lying on that pitch, breathing through the pain and staring at the clouds, I was reminded of something deeper: disruption does not get to define us. Our response does. This is a story about injury, responsibility, friendship, family, and learning how to find direction when life suddenly stops you walking.
Read essayDysfunction rarely announces itself as a crisis. More often, it settles quietly into the way things work until harm becomes normal, language softens reality, and people adapt to conditions they should have challenged. This essay explores how systems protect poor design, distribute hidden costs, and teach people to stop noticing what is draining them. The question is not only what is broken. It is what you have learned to tolerate.
Read essayA year of applications, silence and rejection can feel like confinement, especially when forward motion has always been part of your identity. This essay reflects on a difficult season of career uncertainty, where effort did not guarantee outcome and experience did not automatically open doors. Yet beneath the stillness, something was changing. Rejection became information, silence became less personal, and the work of rebuilding continued quietly.
Read essayFrom a broadcast failure at the BAFTAs to alleged racial abuse in football, the pattern is familiar. Institutions explain, apologise, appeal, and move on. But repeated harm is not random. It reveals what the system is really designed to protect.
Read essayRejection after a strong interview can feel confusing, especially when the feedback does not match the role or your experience. This essay explores the “too good to hire” problem, where senior candidates are seen as a risk rather than an asset. It shows how to reposition your experience, reduce perceived hiring risk, and make your relevance clear without diminishing what you have done.
Read essayWaking to the sound of a hospital monitor changed the question. It was no longer about meetings, deadlines, or achievement. It became simpler and harder: how much time do I have, and am I spending it well?
Read essayBeing busy is often mistaken for being valuable, but a full calendar is not the same as meaningful progress. This essay challenges the identity of busyness and explores how people fill their time with noise, meetings and reactive work while avoiding the priorities that matter. The real shift is not doing more. It is protecting your energy, choosing one meaningful outcome, and designing your week around it.
Read essayValentine’s week is not only about romance. It is a reminder that every relationship depends on clarity. When expectations are left unspoken, people are forced to guess, interpret and adjust, often creating unnecessary tension. This essay explores why clarity is an act of care, how vague communication creates friction, and why honest, explicit expectations are one of the kindest ways to protect connection.
Read essayWhen a client failed to pay, the real lesson was not about contracts. It was about standards, selection, and self-respect. What you tolerate shapes what you attract.
Read essayTony Robbins’ path to happiness is less about motivation and more about structure. This essay reflects on his Time to Rise framework, exploring why happiness comes from meaningful progress, honest self assessment, daily practice, higher standards and contribution. It is a practical reminder that growth often starts where comfort ends.
Read essayA £70 speeding fine became £350 because I opened the letter, understood it, then failed to act. This is a story about the knowing-doing gap, and how small delays quietly become expensive lessons.
Read essayEight days into a metabolic reset, the cravings were expected. The clarity was not. This reflection explores how awareness, Sunday planning, and better systems can turn tired negotiation into intentional action.
Read essayMisapplied Effort
Read essaySunday night can be more than the end of the weekend. It can become a quiet ritual for choosing your focus, setting your intention, and deciding how you want to show up for the week ahead.
Read essayWaiting Is Expensive
Read essayA Small Commitment
Read essayI built everything the world told me success looked like. And when I got there, I felt nothing. That was the beginning of a shift.
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