You become the sum of the people you surround yourself with - whether it’s their energy, their expectations or their standards.

Earlier this year, I did something which felt super uncomfortable.

I left the country…
…and left my phone behind.

No one questions the late-night shareholder dinners where the wine keeps flowing, even when there’s a critical board meeting the next morning. You can show up visibly under par, off your game and no one says a word (believe me, I’ve been there when it’s happened…more than once!), because that kind of hangover is still more acceptable than choosing not to drink at all.

We’ve all had it - that creeping sense of unease, a low-level anxiety and that urge to check your calendar… just to feel more “in control.”

No one ever pulls you to one side and tells you that success can be isolating, that the higher up an organisation you get, the lonelier it gets. That reaching the boardroom might come with a side of silence.