There is a social behaviour most people recognise instinctively but rarely name. You show up as capable, confident, calm, expressive, or simply comfortable in yourself. You are not dominating the room. You are not showing off. You are just being you. And over time, someone starts trying to take the edge off you. It does […]

For many people, chaos does not arrive as a disruption. It arrives as home. Years of raised voices, emotional swings, unpredictability, and constant problem-solving train the nervous system to stay alert. Not because danger is guaranteed, but because it might be coming. Calm, in contrast, has no script. No cues. No immediate demand. And that […]

Winning the Six Nations is not about talent alone… Every Six Nations campaign reminds us of the same uncomfortable truth. Having exceptional players is not enough. International rugby is not a talent show. It is a systems test. The difference between a team that flatters to deceive and a team that delivers, year after year, […]

The morning after France beat Ireland in the opening game of the Six Nations, something entirely predictable happened. The rugby did not end with the final whistle. Instead, it carried on over coffee, inboxes, timelines and comment sections, where a familiar post-match ritual unfolded. Suddenly, the match needed re-refereeing. Tries required forensic review. Decisions that […]

An American chatter this morning asked if all firewood in the UK was still the property of the king.  “Oh dear” I thought, especially when someone else replied “oh I never knew that”… Time for a quick history lesson for our cousins on the other side of the Atlantic. When people hear the phrase “royal […]