Questioning every compliment you get? That reflex to find the flaw and hand it back might be your old self-story at work, not honesty. This piece unpacks why praise feels unsafe and how to start letting it in.

Constantly checking whether you're happy enough? That self-surveillance might be the exact thing preventing you from feeling it. Here's why and how to stop.

A viral “prophet,” a looming virus, and the strange human habit of turning random events into patterns, stories, and certainty.

Surgeons save lives with steady hands and razor-sharp focus. Yet, when challenged on small things like communication or schedules, even these extraordinary professionals can unravel. 

Sometimes, friendship is less about words and more about moving together whether carving down a mountain or walking side by side. Shared movement releases powerful brain chemicals that deepen trust, empathy, and connection.

Most people think confidence is a steady trait you have it, or you don’t. From self-esteem that refuses to stick, to the myth of fearlessness, to the way one bored face in the audience can unravel your nerves, confidence is a moving target.

Authenticity isn’t about never changing as much as it is knowing when to adapt, without losing sight of who you truly are. Because sometimes, “that’s just how I am” can be a convenient excuse to avoid growth. And growth, messy as it is, is where real strength lives.

Frank Fitzpatrick survived the chaos of 1970s Detroit by escaping into music—a refuge that became his life’s blueprint. Now a Grammy-nominated producer and health innovator, Frank believes our greatest technology is the human system itself.

There’s a Bob at every party. Someone convinced he’s a master of emotional intelligence, but blind to his own blind spots. The real irony? The more certain we are of our emotional savvy, the more likely we’re missing the mark.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Goals can crumble when unexpected challenges arise, leaving us feeling lost. But what keeps us grounded during these detours? Our values. Unlike goals, values remain constant and give us purpose, even in tough times.

Imagine your eight-year-old self looking at you now. Would they beam with pride at the realization of long-held dreams? Or would they wonder where the adventurous spirit and wild imagination had gone?

In our hyper-competitive world, career advice often champions the relentless pursuit of personal advancement. This narrative elevates personal success above all, nudging many towards self-centered decisions.

What if the best career advice you've ever received came from someone you initially ignored? From reluctant to now passionate podcaster, a persistent suggestion from my husband Chris Smith led to 100 episodes, 52 countries, and countless inspiring stories.

As a psychologist working with leaders, yet, as I have delved deeper into wisdom as a concept, an intriguing pattern has emerged - the scarcity of female sages in our collective narrative. This peculiar absence begs the question: where have all the wise women gone?

Mixed emotions are a common occurrence. One piece of research suggests that we experience them up to 36% of the time in our daily lives. Moments of delight are often intertwined with disappointment. but we struggle with allowing opposing emotions to co-exist.

‘How well do you really know yourself?’ A hugely significant 95% of us think that we’re self-aware, but the reality bears a stark contrast with 10% to 15% actually knowing who we really are (Eurich 2017).

We may feel like we don’t or shouldn’t need others to believe in us, but in reality, we do. It matters to feel like we matter, that we have worth and that others believe we can do the things we set out to.

Because we humans like things to be simple it’s appealing to consider habits or other ‘life hacks’ as a straightforward way of making our life better. But while habits are definitely a part of who we are, they are only a very tiny part in a complex jigsaw puzzle.

Did you know that 80-92% of our efforts to change behaviour fail? That means that when you say you’re going to eat more heathy food, cut out alcohol, exercise more, be less grumpy with your partner, most of the time most you won’t actually do it. Us psychologists call it the ‘intention-behaviour’ gap.

At the heart of role modelling is mirroring. We mirror the people around us all the time, even though most of the time we are completely unaware that we are. It is a fundamental aspect to how we learn. You could even say that it’s the most effortless way of learning because it’s what our brain does unconsciously.