“You can find out a lot about yourself up a chimney.” Did you know that the actor Bill Nighy comes from a long line of chimney sweeps?

Sometimes we can learn a lot about ourselves in unusual situations.

Before I went to university I worked for a few weeks in a warehouse. It was dark, there were hardly any windows and it felt a little like being trapped.

Oxygen tanks and sherpas. Blisters and stunning views. The endless cycle of one foot in front of another. My husband and I recently went mountain climbing. And didn’t experience any of these.

But we did go to a place we’ve never been before. And saw sights we’d never seen.

You may have heard of where we went.

It’s that time of year again. Communication skills are in the spotlight, entire evenings of public speaking, and winners connecting with their audience.

It’s award season, with a number of glitzy, glamorous TV and film ceremonies toasting the great and the good, applauding and awarding performance.

But what 24 things does award season and the annual performance review have in common?

What do you do when the rollercoaster of day-to-day life contains more downs than ups?

When things are hard. Confidence is low. Stress is high. Your sense of self worth is paper thin. Your morale is low. And life comes and smacks you in the face.

What I’m about to share with you is what I call a ‘break glass in emergency’ exercise. And it’s a brilliant way to boost your confidence, trust me.

It's that time of year.

And maybe you’re wanting to make improvements in your life.

Go for that promotion at work. Get a new job. Or develop your communication skills and feel better and do better at public speaking.

Being an effective communicator, speaking confidently in meetings and being a good networker, all have more in common than you’d think with the trifle.

The holiday season is here and one of the most popular Christmas desserts is trifle.

And just writing about it makes my mouth water.