THE OUTPOST

07.25

Welcome to July, 

This is the month Summer is at full stretch. 🐝 The hedgerows hum, the canopy deepens, and everything seems to exhale.

Taken at Epping Forest

Three of my favourite things to look out for this month:
🦋 Butterflies in abundance fluttering like notes on the breeze.
🌿 The Green Canopy - dappled light through whole summer leaves.
🦇 Dusk skies are alive with bats

I've shared a video on LinkedIn of walking through Epping Forest, enjoy the shade of the Beech trees. 

"Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them"
Winston Churchill 

Leadership, Listening & the Quiet Power of Respectful Decision-Making

In leadership, as in life, communication is everything. But effective communication, especially when navigating complexity, high stakes, or strong emotions, goes beyond clarity or persuasion. It requires deep respect, patient listening, and the ability to hold space for others’ needs, even when they can’t always articulate them.

Too often in leadership, we assume someone’s silence means agreement, or their resistance means a lack of understanding. We forget to ask. We forget to invite them into the process. We default to doing for, not with.

My inspiration

"Support people to make their own decisions wherever possible, and when they can’t, make decisions in their best interests"

This isn’t just legal language. It’s guidance on how to show up with humanity. It’s stakeholder management in its most real form.

Scarlett may not be able to express her preferences in the ways most of us do, but she absolutely shows them in her mood, behaviour, and energy. And it’s my job to notice, interpret, and advocate for her.

Leadership is no different. Your team may not say what they need, but they’re showing you, every day.

When we honour those signals, when we pause to connect rather than control, we don’t just make better decisions. We build trust, belonging, and presence. We lead from presence, not protection.

And perhaps that’s the most powerful kind of influence there is.

Just as I’ve learned to include Scarlett in her own decisions through tone, options, rhythm, and choice, never making assumptions about her abilities, we can do the same with our teams.

Even if the strategic decisions lie with us, the process can still include them. That involvement creates ownership, which creates trust. Trust always builds stronger outcomes.

Because people don’t need all the answers to be part of the journey, they need to feel seen, heard, and involved.

Leadership is not just about making decisions. It’s about helping others see themselves in the decisions we make.

If you love a reflective moment in nature as much as I do, follow me on Instagram and I'll follow you right back.

I prioritise time outside every day and like to share these small adventures, which give me time to appreciate the beauty of the world around me. I also enjoy sharing the events and nature gatherings I've been to that have deepened my connection with the natural world.

Why Coaching Outdoors?

Taking focused and effective action.

Taken at the River Lea

Downloadable resource for you- Taking the inside out and bringing the outside in.

Simple ways to work outside more, how to be productive whilst walking and tips to bring some of the outside in. 

Step out of the noise and into nature to reconnect with what matters and see the bigger picture.

If you are curious about connecting to your bigger picture, then I'd recommend we line up a roaming call on Zoom whilst we are both out walking. Book a date here.