Everywhere we look, division is being fuelled. The news. Social media. Even our workplaces and communities. Differences are weaponised, and dehumanisation is used as a tactic to pit people against each other. And with an election year ahead, it's only going to get worse. But don't despair. There is hope. In this volatile and often hostile […]
How good are you at switching off from work? How about the people you lead? Despite Right to Disconnect laws now in place for large businesses in Australia (and coming this year for smaller ones), many people still find it harder than ever to log off. For some (including me), it’s their own bad habits. For others, […]
I've noticed a consistent theme in people’s intentions and resolutions for 2025 over the last month: the desire to stop saying yes out of obligation — to protect their energy and time by saying no more often. Time is a finite resource. It’s the most valuable gift we can give ourselves or another person. Yet, too often, we […]
I’m good at working hard—some might even say too good. That’s why when I choose a guiding theme or word for the year, I steer clear of anything that encourages me to push harder or drive relentless hustle. Instead, I focus on words that help me be the person I want to be while achieving the results I’m striving for. In […]
Let’s face it, Christmas gatherings can be a minefield. Throw together family members you see once a year, add strong opinions from colleagues at the work party, mix in well-meaning but nosy friends, and you’ve got a recipe for awkwardness or outright conflict. Add cost-of-living pressures, exhaustion, and polarised views on everything from politics to […]
On my eighteenth birthday, I sat my driver’s licence test. And I failed. It was the most mortifying moment of my life. I’d passed the written test with a perfect score and was almost at the end of the driving part—having nailed a reverse parallel park—when the instructor said, “Ok Leah, can you please pull over?” I […]
As we push through the last stretch of the year, many of us are caught in a relentless “rush, rush, rush, busy, busy, busy” cycle. There’s the pressure to tick every box, meet every deadline, and make it to the holidays in one piece. But, as tempting as it is to just power through, fuelled […]
How do I make someone talk about an issue when they don’t want to? That’s the question Lisa* asked me after attending my Don’t Shoot the Messenger workshop. Lisa was married with four kids and her relationship with her husband was in trouble. She’d tried to speak with him about their challenges many times, and even suggested relationship […]
Leading through change and uncertainty is tough. It requires the courage to not only support and deal with the feelings of your people, but also to lead yourself. You need the emotional intelligence to regulate your own emotions as you steer through the storm and the strength and self-awareness to model the behaviour you want […]
What do you think of when I say ‘aggressive communication’? I’m guessing you jump straight to the stereotypical image of a person who yells, bullies, threatens, and intimidates others with the aim of getting their own way. But while this is the version of aggressive communication most people picture, there’s a lot more to it […]
