The Gentle Rewind
My day always begins early.
This morning, as I sat to write in my journal, I tried something a little different.
So, I sat quietly… and replayed yesterday in my mind’s eye.
I slowed down, even more unhurried, with no sense of rush. And as I did, it felt like watching an old video on rewind. Scene by scene in full colour.
I watched myself.
Where I was.
Who I was with.
What I said.
And how I showed up in each moment.
And something interesting happened.
I began to notice not just what I did… but how I was.
Was I present… or just physically there?
Was I listening… or waiting for my turn to speak?
Was I calm… or quietly hurrying the moment along?
There were moments I liked. Times when I was fully there, engaged, listening, unhurried.
And there were others…
Moments where I could see the subtle rush.
A hint of impatience.
Divided attention.
Tiredness creeping in.
Nothing dramatic.
Just small, human moments.
But really seeing them and properly noticing them, somehow felt different.
There was no harsh judgement.
Just a gentle awareness.
“Did you notice that moment?”
“That’s where you were trying.”
“That’s where you could slow down.”
Those quiet observations changed everything.
Questions…
I found myself asking a simple question as I watched it back:
How did I really show up yesterday?
I realised how rarely I give myself the space to truly see my day.
Not just skim it… but revisit it, unhurried.
Because the truth is, most of leadership – and most of life – isn’t made up of big moments.
It’s made up of small ones, including conversations, glances, pauses, interruptions, fatigue, kindness.
And somewhere in the middle of all that… is who we are becoming.
Slowing down long enough to notice it might be one of the most important leadership practices we develop.
Why not give it a go?
If you were to quietly rewind your day, what might you see that you didn’t notice the first time?
To the Rescue

Sunday morning thought
The Thinking Face
The other day, I was co-facilitating a virtual learning session on coaching for Aviva, on their new flagship leadership programme, Lead the Way.
After an initial exploration of the topic and some key areas to focus on, we sent the participants off into breakout rooms in trios and pairs for a little practice.
Armed with good intentions, a handful of questions, some listening skills and a new coaching model, they had just enough structure to get going.
And off they went.
As I dropped in and out of the rooms, something caught my attention.
Not the questions, the coaching model or even their listening skills.
Rather, it was their 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬.
Many had a very familiar look that said something like, “I’m concentrating very hard on getting this right….” 
You know that sort of look that was slightly tense, yet focused, and thinking more about the process, than the person.
There was a kind of intensity about them.
It was coaching… but it didn’t quite feel like connection.
Connection Coaching
I smiled, because (although it’s been a while) I’ve been there too.
In coaching, we can get so wrapped up in doing it right that we forget something simple: Your face is always speaking and more importantly, it is a very powerful tool in the coaching world.
Prior to sending them off into the breakout rooms, we’d spent a while considering questions, those of the verbal variety.
Experience has taught me that you can ask many questions in non-verbal ways through facial expressions, eye contact, a raised eyebrow, a puzzled look, tilting your head to the side, tugging your ear, placing your hand on your cheek, stroking your chin, using hand gestures to help or a combination of them all.
Self-awareness is paramount.
So, I left them with one thought towards the end of the session: “Have a think about what your face was saying.”
It may not something we often think about too often, but it might be one of the simplest ways to become a better coach.
Because great coaching isn’t just in the words we use… it’s frequently in the signals we send.
👉 What is your face saying?
Mission to Marriage
Joy filled moments
The Quiet Realisation
Knowing
Twelve facilitators in a room…
It’s been quite a journey.
A year ago, this might have felt like a bit of a pipe dream for some at Aviva. But last week in London, it became very real.
For the first time, our full UK Lead the Way facilitation team came together for a couple of days in person. Twelve of us, all part of Aviva’s flagship leadership programme – Lead the Way, finally in the same room after months of working side by side from a distance.
What became obvious pretty quickly is just how much we enjoy working together.
There was a real buzz when this group got going.
Between us, there’s a huge amount of experience, and when we start sharing ideas, swapping stories and building on each other’s thinking, the energy lifts… along with the noise levels.
At times, we were probably one step away from needing a facilitator for the facilitators. 😃
There are also a few proper characters in the team, which really helps.
Strong opinions, quick wit, and just enough mischief to keep things interesting. In other words, plenty of laughter alongside the learning too.
It’s obvious that we’re a group who care deeply about what we do.
It came through in every conversation. At one point, someone described it as “violent agreement” – lots of energy, lots of perspectives, and a slightly chaotic way of realising we actually all agree.
The feedback on the programme so far has been pretty amazing, which we’re proud of.
But there’s no sense of “job done.” If anything, it’s the opposite.
There’s a shared drive to raise the bar even higher, and a real belief that the best days are still ahead of us, especially as we tap into the full mix of skills across our community of practice.
Two days that reminded us why this work matters… and confirmed that getting this group in a room together was a very good idea – especially day two, when a bigger room gave our energy (and volume) a bit more space.
What makes a team really click when you get them in the same room?
Hope in Extra Time

The Art of Not Hurrying
Ladybirds in the Stairwell

