“What if…?” is a question that can take our brain in many different directions, some of which are much more helpful than others!
Who can you dive straight in with?
You know those people in your life?
The ones you have a rich shared history or an instant understanding with?
The people who bring out the best in you, who it’s easy to be completely yourself with, and talk about anything and everything?
The people who you can dive straight in with without getting lost - from the start or after many years?
They’re simply your people, and they are a complete gift.
#ThisLittleGirlIsMe | 2025
Every October for the last few years I’ve shared a photo of my younger self, part of the Inspiring Girls International #ThisLittleGirlIsMe campaign, along with the advice I’d give that younger me.
Each year a different picture has inspired different thoughts, and this time it’s me aged 4 ish, peering out of the window of a train carriage on the Bluebell railway. I look a little apprehensive, as though I’m not quite sure what the journey will bring.
This little girl is me, and here are 5 things I wish she knew for the journey of her life that lies ahead, with love from me to her.
What helps you organise your thinking?
I love a simple framework.
The best ones can help put structure around anything that feels overwhelming or scattered - a way to get everything out, group and organise what’s there, and find a way to see the wood for the trees.
They can be especially useful for the content of our heads, when it feels like we have so much we want to say, but don’t know how to say it.
One of my favourites is this one - the SCQuARE process.
What have been your best decisions?
I used to think that every decision could be made logically, until I looked back and realised that all my best ones were made in a different way!
They were the decisions that felt completely right - even if they looked brave or risky to others.
They took me on gap years and solo travel adventures, led me to reapply for Marketing training schemes when I didn’t make it the first time, helped me leave a job I loved (twice) to explore a new path, and so much more.
But for a long time, I couldn’t articulate how I made them.
How do you know when you know?
There’s a magical moment when things become clear.
The penny drops, we see or feel things differently, there’s a shift and a sense of things clicking into place.
Once we know, we can’t unknow - even if our mind tries to talk us out of it and it doesn’t make sense on paper - or to the people around us.
But how do you know when you know?
Are you in an argument with yourself?
Do you ever find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place in your mind?
Caught between two opposing options - both of which feel like a compromise, neither of which feel like a realistic solution?
Endlessly going back and forth between the pros and cons of each without finding an answer?
It’s not a fun place to be, and many of us get stuck here.
Is it time to rekindle a relationship?
What are you ready to declutter?
Do you need some quality alone time?
This was me in Brighton last week.
I had 2 wonderful nights by the sea, coaching as usual from a different place. Plus leisurely breakfasts, walks along the seafront, yoga, reading, baths and quiet evenings.
Quality time in my own space, with the freedom to follow my energy and empty out - and the added bonus of being a little cooler than London temperatures.
A complete gift.
