Culture Cuppa

Confidence.
That was the clear result when I asked- What most limits your leadership impact right now?

Not strategy, no capability, but confidence.

And this is what I see every day in my work- highly capable leaders still questioning themselves in the moments that matter.

Should I say this?
Should I push back?
Am I ready for this?

Because as expectations increase, confidence isn’t a given, it becomes something you have to actively manage.

This is exactly what we explore in my Leadership Breakfasts.

Not surface-level motivation, not just saying to yourself - ‘be confident’.

But the real conversations:
How do you stay grounded under pressure?
How do you navigate self-doubt?
How do you maintain confidence as the stakes rise?

I’m currently bringing together a small group of 9 leaders for the next Leadership Breakfast on 7th May in central London.

No presentations, no panels, no networking- instead honest, high-quality conversation with a cross-industry group.

If you’d value that kind of space, DM me with the word ‘breakfast’ and I’ll share more.

The connections that endure. I met Mariko back in 2017 when she had just arrived in London with her young kids. She was grappling with a new life, hardly knowing anybody, and as she later shared with me, a sense of disconnection.

We went on to work together and I supported her with communication and cultural orientation, before she left back to Japan in 2019.

Little did we know the world events that would follow, and we lost touch for a while.

But by chance she was back in London for work last week, now living in Hong Kong, and visiting only for a few days as part of her Europe visit.

Yet, she took the time to reconnect and meet for brunch and it was such a joy to catch up.

So much had changed in both our lives and work, and yet it was easy to pick up the conversation again.

It meant such a lot to me that she made the time and effort to reconnect, and it was amazing to see her again in person.

These moments matter and it made me realise how important these conversations are.

Who have you reconnected with recently?

Who is somebody you’d love to connect with again?

From whiteout to clarity. This last week I was lucky enough to swap meeting rooms for mountains, getting away from my day-to-day.

I am learning to ski and to be honest it doesn’t come naturally, but I’m determined to improve.

The weather at the start of the week wasn’t helping- high winds and low visibility making it tough going and sometimes I wondered what I was doing, but then suddenly it turned and by the end of the week we were in beautiful sunshine and I could see the whole slope ahead.

This reminded me of something important about confidence- it isn’t built when everything feels easy, but built in moments where the ground is shifting, conditions are challenging and often constantly changing.

You’re outside your comfort zone, and you have to trust yourself that you will
learn to adjust and find a way.

I know standing at the top of a slope when you can’t see beyond a metre or 2, you don’t feel confident before you move.

But you still go forward, and know you will find the path- through small moves and adjustments, and regaining balance when something shifts. And if you fall over, you can pick yourself up again.

Leadership works in exactly the same way. Some leaders I meet are waiting to feel confident before they step forward, push their boundaries, move into the unknown.

But confidence doesn’t come first, action does. Then what follows builds the confidence - experience, evidence, and momentum.

This is the lesson that I’m reminding myself this week as I come back to work.

Where are you waiting for the perfect conditions to make your move?

What if you set off with the first step?

Today marks the 4th anniversary of the war in Ukraine, and last weekend I was back volunteering at , a charity that welcomes Ukrainian refugees with advocacy and support.

I delivered a session on how politics and government work in the UK. We explored how MPs are elected, how political parties operate, and how to engage at both national and local level, including how to get your questions answered.

We also held a one-minute silence together during the morning to remember all those affected by the war.

Families4Peace has been an extraordinary support to Ukrainian refugees in London since they started 4 years ago, from those early weeks of finding accommodation and school places, to now building an ongoing community hub for connection and resilience.

I was grateful to be invited back and to spend time with such warm, determined people, and support the work of this amazing charity. Great to see you again Oksana, Bohdanna and all the volunteers at

Networking sometimes is framed as a numbers game - connecting with as many people as possible.

But real leadership influence comes from deeper connection, human to human.

I’m delighted to share that I am speaking at the Institute of Leadership as part of International Leadership Week 2026, in a LinkedIn Live conversation on The Power of Your Network.

My contribution is simple, but not easy- how we move from transactional networking to genuine connection.

In the session, we’ll explore what it really means to build trust-based, purpose-led relationships, especially when you’re:
– Leading across cultures and borders
– Navigating rooms where you feel like an outsider
– Trying to balance visibility with authenticity

I’ll be sharing perspectives on cultural intelligence, influence and confidence, and why strong networks aren’t about self-promotion, but mutual support and shared purpose for long-term impact.

I’m really looking forward to the conversation, hosted by John Mark Williams and Rachel Mullings, speaking alongside the inspirational Sharon Davies. These are exactly the discussions leaders need right now.

Join us:

International Leadership Week 2026- Mon 16th March, 11am GMT
The Power of Your Network: Building Connections That Shape the Future, see the link in bio for all the details.

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Where are people in the equation as AI accelerates?
And what should we focus on, as humans?

That was the thread running through my talk on Future-Ready Leadership: How to Build your Human Capabilities in the AI Era last week, which I gave at the .

As an alumna and a parent myself of the GDST, bringing women together from recent graduates through to 84-year-old entrepreneurs, made this high-energy conversation even more meaningful.

We didn’t just talk about AI as a tool or a trend, we explored the importance of adaptability and the 4 Pillars I use in my work and feature in my book, which you can use to deepen your human capabilities.

Plus we talked about the very real and uncomfortable questions underneath:

Is AI inevitable?

How do we deal with the gender and cultural biases that show up in AI?

And critically, what is the question you’re trying to answer- before you even engage with it?

The key takeaway- our human capabilities- Confidence, Clarity, Connection and Cultural intelligence, have the opportunity to make the difference in leadership in an AI-accelerated world.

One comment I received the next day captured it perfectly:
Confidence isn’t something you wait to have. It’s something you build by doing.

And I’m excited that idea landed. Confidence is a journey, not a fixed state. Action first, confidence follows.

Thank you to the GDST and Louise Barnes for the invitation to speak, and to everyone who came for their curiosity, thoughtful questions and own perspectives on AI in leadership. These are exactly the conversations we need to keep having.

As AI accelerates, which human capability do you most need to strengthen right now?

Where do you go for mental clarity?

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, confused, or simply need space to think, what works for you?

For me, environment is a key part of my clarity.

I greatly enjoy meeting clients and connections for coaching, facilitation and conversations, whether out and about in London or globally virtually.

But in my moments of strategic planning, writing and creating, I need to find the best ways to feed my mental clarity.

That’s why I need to mix up where I work from.

You’ll find me at my coworking space, or the Institute of Directors, as well as working from home.

And it matters to switch up where I’m sitting, to literally stimulate new perspectives.

This change up of environment, energy and people around me is what helps give me mental clarity.

What about you? What gives you mental clarity?

Image: me at my coworking space .me earlier this week.