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Letting go can feel like an impossible ask. You’ve been taught, both subtly and openly, that certain hurts are better held onto or tucked neatly out of sight. You might not realise that releasing them could be the key to easing a lifetime of shame, resentment or grief. Listening to Dr Jane Lewis in Focus on WHY podcast episode 490 Forgiveness Heals Toxicity, you hear from someone who hasn’t only explored release as an idea, but lives its raw and human truth.   Letting go does

Rigour isn’t a word you’d usually connect with purpose, impact or wellbeing. It often suggests rules, discipline or even restriction. Yet when I recorded Focus on WHY Reflections with Actions episode 489 , I discovered a different truth: rigour is the steady thread running through every story of transformation, empowerment and meaningful change my guests shared.   You probably talk about philanthropy, entrepreneurship, leadership, health or money in emotional terms — instinct

Ever feel like you’re rushing around, getting loads done, yet somehow not moving forward? You’re not alone. Most people I coach aren’t stuck because they lack motivation or talent. It’s because, somewhere along the way, they’ve drifted away from their purpose.   That quiet feeling of restlessness, burnout or the sense that ‘something’s missing’? That’s what I call a purpose gap . It’s the space between your intention and your actual impact. The difference between what really

London Poppy Day this year took place yesterday on 30 October 2025. It’s the flagship fundraising event for the Royal British Legion’s annual appeal, bringing together over a thousand serving personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force alongside civilian volunteers at 70 train stations across the capital.   Being a Royal British Legion (RBL) poppy seller on London Poppy Day fills me with so much joy. The 12 hours I spent volunteering yesterday at London Br

Today marks exactly one year since the publication of my book, Focus on Why: Create a Purposeful Way of Life . It’s a milestone that invites reflection, not only on the book itself but on the themes that have shaped my life and work for as long as I can remember.   It’s no coincidence that my favourite book ( The Count of Monte Cristo ), my favourite film ( The Shawshank Redemption ) and Focus on Why , the book I wrote, all converge around the same core idea: that purpose and

Last weekend at the Professional Speaking Association’s annual summit, I witnessed what I can only describe as the most powerful and unforgettable talk I’ve ever experienced. Flight Lieutenant John Peters’ keynote, Tornado Down: Performance Under Pressure , was captivating, haunting and yet delivered with remarkable humour and humility. His story reached deep into the audience’s hearts, reminding us of the extraordinary strength of the human spirit when faced with unimaginabl

Selfish. It’s one of those words that feels heavy in the mouth. From childhood, we’re told not to be selfish but instead to share, to give, to think of others first. But what if, as Gary Parsons suggests in this week’s Focus on WHY podcast episode 484 Reinventing Selfish Leadership , we’ve had it all wrong?   Some words, when reframed, flip their meaning entirely. ‘Selfish’ is one of them. Broken down, it simply means to have the character of oneself, to focus on one’s own ne

At last year’s Professional Speaking Association conference, one of the standout keynotes was from Steve Bustin, my guest from episode...