I have to admit, the start of this week was shaky. Returning to work after the Easter holidays, moving between roles and spaces - it doesn’t come as easily as it once did. Transitions feel different now. Heavier. Slower.

Perimenopause has a way of asking for more. More space. More time. More care. I’ve realised I can’t push through in the same way anymore. My pace has changed. And while part of me resists that, another part is learning to honour it. There’s a depth that comes from this season of life, an inner knowing that feels hard-earned and undeniable.

When I work from that place, what I offer is powerful. Impactful. Real.

Easter came and went a little differently this year. I gave myself permission to be a full-time mother. Not only to my daughter, but to myself too. I’m learning, deeply, what it means to choose happiness. To dream again. To tend to the parts of me that need care, wonder, and space to grow.

Self-employment gives me that freedom. Yes, it impacts the bottom line when I step back, but there’s something far more valuable I gain in return: presence. When I focus on just one role, one rhythm, one way of being, I get to fully experience it. And in that presence, there is magic.

So we dedicated two whole weeks to cultivating it.

The seven-year-old and the almost fifty-year-old both got fully stuck in. Each day became its own little world of wonder-cartwheeling in open spaces, discovering fairy rings, writing letters to the fairies in our local area, earning brownie badges, and even meeting the Mad Hatter at Mother Shipton’s Cave. Read more here.

Chasing Magic: A Midlife Quest for Daily Enchantment

Lately, I’ve been on a dreaming quest - a search for magic and everyday enchantment.

What began as a simple desire for more feel-good energy and a chance to rediscover myself as an almost-fifty-something has started to shift things in ways I didn’t expect. Wonder, connection, and joy have been quietly showing up, reminding me that magic often lives right under our noses.

This week I’ve been fully immersed in dreaming — not just the idea of it, but the practice.

I said yes to an invitation to a workshop that turned out to be life changing. The theme was managing our perfectionism. Since becoming a mum, my inner perfectionist isn’t quite as loud, but she’s still there.

Taking time to pause, breathe, and be moved by the wisdom of the horses reminded me to stay present, leave it all at the door, and ground myself. I learned so much about myself… but most importantly, my hope and faith in life returned.

A blog about a week that didn’t go to plan…

Sometimes life interrupts your big dreams to remind you of what really matters.

When you open up to your dreams, the blocks in your way suddenly become crystal clear. Then comes the choice: Do the work and face them or go back to sleep

Politics is hitting leaders hard with “political depression” surging amid Trump-era turmoil. The Guardian reports therapists overwhelmed and UK stress costing 22.1 million lost working days last year alone. Many of the challenges we face from pandemics to global instability and cyber threats are forms of collective trauma.

Our new partnership with crisis management specialist Emma Streets has been designed to support companies through any crisis. Our training blends trauma-informed coaching with crisis strategy, equipping Yorkshire businesses to spot workplace trauma, communicate with compassion, and build unbreakable cultures.

This blog is about directive dreaming during a week full of highs and lows. I’ve made a commitment to chase daily enchantment - to let myself actively pursue what feels good, magical and of course dreamy.

A blog about guilt, dreams and stepping into my 50s… As I look ahead to this next decade, I’ve hit a few emotional and practical obstacles. Prioritising my own desires and needs feels selfish and almost impossible.

I’ve made myself a promise that I will allow myself to dream.

I can see myself now, sitting alone at a little table in Italy, wearing a floaty “fufu” dress - likely to be Dolce & Gabana, twirling pasta on my fork. Not because I want to escape my life (I don’t), but because I want to reconnect with who I am - beyond roles and responsibilities.

Stay tuned…

For some reason, I felt called to write this today. I think many of us are sensing that now is the time for more love. Maybe it’s a reminder for you, too - to stop searching outward, and instead, to journey home. Because this; this is the heroine’s journey.

Taking time out over Christmas brought real clarity. When you do the leadership maths, being a working woman under most existing frameworks simply doesn’t add up.

Leadership systems were built within patriarchal structures designed for men; assuming a consistent baseline of energy, availability, and life-stage stability. Women’s bodies don’t work that way.

Leading through perimenopause has quietly changed how I relate to leadership, certainty, and meaning. As my body has shifted, I’ve found myself reconnecting with the cosmos; with astrology, symbolism, and the wisdom of the stars.

Not as prediction, but as perspective. And I’m noticing I’m not alone. Many women I work with are reaching for something bigger, higher, and steadier than the daily noise of the world. When earthly systems feel chaotic and change feels relentless, we instinctively look to deeper wisdom and longer cycles for reassurance. Our ancestors understood this instinct well. I’m sharing the reflections below in the hope that they offer comfort, context, and a sense of readiness for what comes next.

We are we not talking positive aging, why are we still hooked on anti-aging, I don't get it?

For too long, women have been written off after a certain age - both in Hollywood and in the everyday life we know.

But today’s female leaders are rewriting the narrative and showing the world what’s possible.

Still think recovery is a “nice-to-have”? In reality, it’s one of the most underrated leadership-life skills out there.

Learn more here.

So often, when we face a new challenge, an old, nervous voice shows up. But sometimes, our younger selves also carry the boldest lessons: the moments when we were fearless, determined, and unapologetic about asking for what we wanted.

👉 Read on if you’ve ever hesitated to ask for what you want, or if fear has tried to silence your voice.

Every woman I’ve worked with over the last 13 years experiences it, a tightness in the throat when the truth starts to rise.

Women are told how to act, what to believe, and how to speak. Breaking that “good girl” conditioning isn’t about being anti-establishment, it’s about showing up authentically.

Read more here…

There’s a powerful connection between taboos and negative thinking.

Taboos shape our behaviour long before we’re even aware of it. Especially as women, we’re taught to conform, not challenge. To smile, not speak up. To please, not take up space.

Here, I’ve written about how taboos operate in our thinking, our workplaces, and our bodies - and how we start to shake them off.

Sharing about my evening with Marianne Williamson - one of the greatest teachers of our time.

She called women into leadership - not just in titles and roles, but in presence, purpose, and power.

I’m Karen and I’m a reformed people pleaser.

I’ve finally dropped the forced smile.

These days, I only smile when something genuinely makes me happy or tickles me. After years of “good girl” conditioning, I’ve grown into my face, my body, and my truth - and I’m no longer smiling for anyone else’s comfort.

Where does your wisdom live?

Is it in your gut - that deep, instinctive knowing?

In your heart - where truth hits hard and moves you to act?

In your third eye - through intuition, dreams, and vision?

Or your creative mind - where ideas, emotions, and insight flow?

Maybe… it’s in the space around you. The field. The vibe. The energy.

Start with your heart. Yes. But don’t forget your mind.

One of the most powerful pieces of personal development work is taking your inner critic to bootcamp. Until we become aware of our saboteur’s voice, we can’t truly lead from wisdom.