I looked down at my notes.

My slide clicker was in my hand.

My friend and former colleague was speaking and was sharing how we knew each other and why I was there.

It was almost time for me to take the stage.

It was 15 years ago that I left KPMG. Things felt like they had come full circle.

I was struck by something yesterday.

As a family we were at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

Of the many stories told there, there is one which affects every single one of us every day.

The foundations for making anything happen as a leader starts with what you give permission to influence you.

Who you spend time, what you scroll through, read and watch.

Stop! ... And look up.

I was racing through Trafalgar Square this morning between meetings and caught myself.

It’s so easy to canter through everything focused on goals and being busy.

It all kicked off on March 21st 2017. That was the date the ink was drying on my book contract for “Where the Magic Happens” when Bloomsbury (who publish Harry Potter) decided they wanted to have a little bit of our magic.

I was in Annapolis in Maryland three weeks ago at the start of my book tour.

It was just after 9am.

I’d just crossed the road and was walking down the street.

I was stopped in my tracks by a large noise

Have you ever noticed that you read, watch and follow the same things week in, week out?

I did.

What that means is that you are at risk of not having diversity of thought. Of being exposed to different ideas. Different viewpoints.

I couldn’t be more excited that I’m flying to America this Friday for the launch of my book “Where The Magic Happens”. I’ve got a 3 week long book tour starting in Annapolis, then Washington DC, New York and San Francisco (and potentially a few other locations too).

My 5 year old recently reminded me what leadership is all about.

She had a friend over for a playdate. Her friend was struggling to understand how to play a game (it was Cat Bingo). She stopped what she was doing. She went to understand where he was stuck and to help him

We’re 50 days into 2018 (at the time of writing). Two weeks ago I noticed that my energy was flagging and I decided to reboot.