Long before social networks became an industry, I was exploring how humans connect in business. In 1998, I co-founded Ecademy, one of the world’s first online business communities, at a time when most people thought the internet was just a tool, not a place where relationships could form.

That work, and everything that followed, has given me a front-row seat to the emotional shifts happening in business.

I’ve seen how pressure, speed, automation, and constant comparison have quietly eroded confidence, trust, and wellbeing, even in highly successful organisations.
And I’ve seen the extraordinary impact when people slow down enough to see one another again.

Today, my speaking focuses on emotional intelligence in business, the human cost of disconnection, and why significance, the need to know we matter, is one of the most overlooked drivers of performance, loyalty, and innovation.

I don’t speak about theory alone.

I speak from lived experience, building communities, leading teams, navigating failure and success, raising a family alongside a demanding career, and witnessing how small moments of empathy can change outcomes far more than strategy alone.

I remember Peter Drucker saying ‘ Culture eats strategy for breakfast’ and now, culture is the recipe for success, more than any time in business.

My talks are reflective, honest, and practical.

They give people language for what they’re already feeling, and permission to lead, work, and relate more humanly.

Because when people feel seen, trusted, and valued, everything works better.