Having responsibility isn't always a choice, taking it always is

When I run, I go unplugged. No music. No distractions.
Sometimes what surfaces is mundane. Other times, it’s the kind of insight that stops you in your tracks.

This reflection explores what it means to carry responsibility across continents, the quiet shift from trust to control and how slowing down can reconnect us with the part of ourselves that already knows the way forward.

Some lessons arrive in unexpected ways. This week, two young people taught me something I didn’t know I needed to learn about perfectionism, contribution and holding back.

Leaders are human first. Leaders cannot afford to be prisoners of their past — or captives of someone else’s story. If we live trapped in either perpetual guilt or perpetual victimhood, we are not free. And we lead from fear, not clarity.

Last week, I had the privilege of being part of a volunteer team that delivered a hugely successful community event. Over the course of the day, we hosted around 4,000 people — families, friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers — all coming together in celebration, connection and joy.