September 2026

Who am I to lead?

This was a question someone asked me this week, and I suspect it’s one many of us ask ourselves. For many of us, the word “leader” implies some sort of hierarchy, and if you don’t see yourself at the “top”, telling people what to do, it can feel as though leadership belongs to someone else. I certainly remember feeling like this many times in my life: As a young analyst in management consulting, thinking I was too junior and inexperienced to take the lead. When I first stepped into the world…

Back from a retreat and my mind sped up

I got back from a retreat in Tuscany in the early hours of Tuesday morning this week. A busy and hectic few days followed, and I found my mind getting busy with everything there was to do. school drop offs book launch prep meetings fitting in workouts client calls house chores, etc. Yesterday morning, as I set the intention to return to a mind that slows down on purpose, I was reminded of three particular benefits. If you’re new here, welcome to a topic I write about often, and a practice I…

The Lens You Listen From

If you were to wear a pair of glasses with a red lens, what colour would the sky look to you? What about if it were a green lens? So, what dictates the colour of the sky? Multiple factors, of course. The physicists amongst us could get technical and talk about the atmospheric gases, white light being refracted, and so on. But from a subjective view in this case, it would be the colour lens we wear. Someone not wearing glasses would see a blue sky. Someone next to you who is wearing red…

How to Slow Down to Speed Up – Interview

What if the qualities that made you successful are now the qualities holding you back?For almost a decade, Nitesh Agarwal has helped build and lead Urban Company’s Middle East business.He had recently been promoted.The company had gone public.Everything on the outside was going well.But inside, there was conflict.The drive, intensity and attention to detail that had helped him succeed were making it difficult to switch off, let go and be fully present.He was thinking about work at…