Hello {{first_name}} ,

In business, we talk endlessly about strategy, performance, KPIs, and growth. 

We almost never talk about creating space.

This month, I want to make the case for something most leaders won't put on their calendar: unstructured time. No goals, no deliverables, no agenda. 

I know. It sounds indulgent. But stay with me…

The leaders I work with who make space for unstructured time consistently think sharper, decide faster, and innovate more boldly.

Last fall, the week before launching a new chapter of my business, I did something radical. I booked a spontaneous solo trip to Scotland to attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo - a centuries-old military & cultural tradition featuring a spectacle of pipes, drums, and military precision that had quietly lived on my bucket list for years.

No packed agenda. No productivity goals. Just a couple of days to walk, meander, think, and take in something completely new.

The Tattoo itself was extraordinary and more than a performance. It was a positive microburst - a surge of awe created when discipline, artistry, history, and shared purpose collide in full view. In watching the performers, I felt the power of both the individual and collective excellence.

On the flight home, my brain lit up. Months of new content. A three-year business plan. A strategic growth vision. All from not trying to force any of it.

This is the power of what neuroscience calls the default mode network - the part of your brain that connects past, present, and future and drives new insight. The kicker? It only gets activated when you stop pushing and allow your mind space to wander.

If you're leading through complexity, scaling something new, or just trying to think bigger - sometimes the most strategic move isn't to push harder. It's to pause.

(This topic is close to my heart - I gave a TEDx talk on exactly this.)

I've been working with several groups of executives on Microbursts - those sudden, emotionally charged disruptions that hit without warning and demand in-the-moment leadership.

What started as a personal story I shared has now become a keynote, a framework, and a hands-on leadership workshop. 

In these experiences, we don't just work on becoming more resilient to microbursts - we learn how to become a microburst when our organizations need change.

We take real business challenges from the room and apply new thinking, culminating in live pitches of new ideas.

Watching a room of executives end a session arms up, smiling, and energized is a powerful reminder: every disruption holds potential when leaders have the mindset and method to meet it.

Want to bring this to your team? I'm booking Microburst workshops for Q2 and Q3. Set up a call →

That's it for February. To sum up - create SPACE for your aha moments. 

If any of this landed - or if you're trying to figure out how to carve out space in a calendar that doesn't seem to allow it - just reply - happy to chat.

In partnership,