My Gran and Granda grew up in a northern steel-making town at a time when going to the pub meant your family went hungry, so they found a different kind of joy. Instead, they spent their free time sat in a circle on uncomfortable chairs, singing praises to the Lord. I was always baffled by …
Self-care for pathological altruists
I once bought a collection of academic essays entitled “Pathological Altruism” as a quasi self-help book. I don’t trust the way self-help books co-opt emotion to make their point, so I figured this might be more my kind of thing. Needless to say, I didn’t find any ah ha! moments, labels to attach to myself, …
The best adventures are not geographically defined
The 2-minute version of my career history takes you on a whirlwind tour of France, Spain, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and sounds deceptively glamourous. There’s a research station in a cloud forest, a yoga studio in a treehouse, lunchtime wine-drinking in Parisian school canteens, an office overlooking an ancient Moorish palace. Understandably, I get oooohs and …
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What if the leader doesn’t have to be perfect?
I’ve always thought I could perfect myself. When you’re a loner, like me, it’s easy to think that the way to self-improvement is to strive relentlessly to make yourself better. And believe me, I’m aware of how much I need it - not least because when you co-habit with teenagers, you hear about your failings …
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Covid-19: Can everyone please just slow down?
I remember another time of crisis that rocked the community I used to live in. A beloved teacher, colleague, friend, was killed on a work expedition. She was struck on the head by a rockfall as she dived to save a student. The reason I think of it now, is that for days I went …
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My new year’s resolution for 2020 is to fail more
I have a story about when I learned that it’s ok not to be perfect. It’s a ridiculous story, which is why I never tell it. But as it’s the genesis of my new year’s resolution, I’ll give it a go. It was almost a decade ago, when I lived in a community of farmers, …
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The importance of being NuanceEd 