Miss Fairley was put together and organised. She could get things done and didn’t suffer fools gladly. And I was sitting in her office. 

I was 15 and had been a Saturday check out girl for a year at a local supermarket. My little fingers flying over the big, grey till as, item by item,  I put through people’s weekly shop. And it was fine. Okay. A 20 minute walk from home.

But I wanted more variety.

You’re a manager and lead a team. How do you connect with individuals and create an open, healthy communication? This is quite brilliant on the topic.

“Every year when we left California he made index cards for us. He wrote down every phone number where he might possibly be reached and taped a dime next to each number…

A story of managing change, finding freedom in new places and spicing up Saturday afternoons

I look forward to going there and I LOVE the feeling of having been there. And once I’ve been, I feel lighter.

The steel covers from man holes got stolen making the walk home a bit dicey, “anti-trouble emulsion” was sold in chemists and mutton was on every menu. My first few days in the city had been educational but I was ready for something different.

I had an appointment to meet someone new. At an interview. The conversation was flowing, we were laughing together and it looked like a good match. Then Jayne paused. “Wow. You really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?"

I smiled and nodded “I really don’t. That’s why I placed the advert.”

I recently wrote about my recent experience at a networking event, that women were holding themselves back and that we need to talk about confidence. In this follow up blog I’m going to share 10 ways that can develop your confidence (whether you’re a woman or a man).

This means that the next time you’re given a brilliant opportunity you’ll reply with gusto “Why of course, I will be there with bells on - just try and stop me!”

Are you woman? Read this. Men, do you know any women? Show them this article. It could change their career.

I was recently at a breakfast networking event on the topic of listening. You know, that part of communication that we understand makes all the difference but that can be maddeningly challenging. And I learned something shocking: Sisters are screwing it for themselves.

Mentoring can take many forms and shapes. Here, two females born into very different worlds decades apart show the power of learning from one another.

Miranda is 7 ¾ and Stephanie is 84 ¾. This mentoring conversation might seem as likely as Depeche Mode singing about building a set of Ikea book shelves but these two females both learn from each other.

Mentoring is having someone in your corner to help you develop personally and professionally. Here are three tips to keep in mind.

1) Careful with the steering: learning is a process of trial and error. Be gentle with yourself as a mentee.
2) Get your go to place ready: when your head is full and you need a break this will provide you with the space to do that.
3) Find your sanctuary person: find a person who gives you unconditional support to help you through the tough stuff.

This simple exercise is fun, practical and makes people much better writers.

Small can pack a punch. A few words can distill a story as big as Alaska into the same potency as your granny’s perfume. I teach people how to write. This is one exercise that's fun, practical and makes people much better writers. It's called the six word memoir.