AMY'S BLOG

This week marks a significant milestone for the Focus on WHY podcast—500 episodes of honest, purposeful conversations. As I reflect on my journey, one message resonated above all: the transformative power of lived experience. So often, we’re taught to look outward for qualifications—degrees, accolades, validation from others. And yet your lived experience is your qualification. It’s not the impressive moments or dramatic events that forge your purpose, but those quiet, everyd

‘I feel off, but nothing is technically wrong.’   It’s a sentence I hear many people say with a shrug, as if it doesn’t deserve much airtime. Yet that vague sense of 'off' is one of the clearest signals you’ll ever receive. It’s not dramatic but it is meaningful. Something is asking for your attention.   Often, this signal shows up when you’re going through the motions. You log on, do what’s required and log off again. You’re reliable, capable and quietly detached. Meetings b

At first glance, alignment sounds like a technical term—something more appropriate to describe machinery, strategies or even posture. Yet, through my conversations on Focus on WHY, alignment consistently reveals itself to be something far deeper and far more personal. It is the honest congruence between who you are, what you value and how you choose to live.   When alignment is missing, the cost can be quiet but significant. You might feel it as a low-level restlessness, a se

Happy New Year! New Year. New Home!   My New Year began with boxes, aching muscles and a whole new perspective on what home really means. While our house undergoes a full renovation, we have had to temporarily uproot our entire lives. Fortunately, our rental is just two doors down the road but don’t be fooled by the short distance. Moving the contents of a four-bedroom house and garage without a removal company is no small task.   Armed only with hand trolleys, a few crates a

I’m writing this while sitting in an empty office. Everything is back in boxes again. It feels like only yesterday – July, in fact – that I was boxing up 19 years of ‘stuff’, unpacking it all and settling in. Now, while our new house is being fully refurbished, we’re relocating once more, which means… yes, packing everything up and moving again.   As you read this, you might recognise that feeling of transition – the sense of being between what was and what’s next. That’s why

Intentions give shape to how you show up in the world. They act as a quiet compass, guiding your thoughts, your choices and the energy you bring into each moment. As you move towards the end of the week, setting intentions can help you shift from simply getting things done to living with a sense of meaning and direction.   It’s one of the reasons behind why I started writing this newsletter. Since 14 August 2020, each newsletter has focused on a single theme, offering you a m

Listening back to this week’s Focus on WHY episode 492 featuring Alison Maitland and Liz Walker , one theme rose to the surface: the liberating idea that being enough, exactly as you are, isn’t merely acceptable but vital for genuine leadership and a grounded sense of self.   Alison spoke openly about the significant challenges she has faced, including breast cancer, yet her instinct has always been to operate from a place of possibility. She wasn’t striving to become someone

This Sunday will be a day filled with celebration. Not only is is St. Andrew’s Day, it’s also my birthday!   How has it crept up on me so fast again? It only feels like yesterday I was in Rhode Island with my husband and cousins celebrating turning 50, wondering what the next decade might hold. Then suddenly another year has zoomed by. Instead of feeling startled, I’ve learned to treat my birthdays as gentle invitations to pause. Nothing overly serious, just a quiet moment to