8 Lessons to Help You Lead Smarter and Live Braver

A few weeks back, I celebrated a special birthday – my first as a parent. So no parties this year, just quiet moments of gratitude in between midnight feeds and trying to remember what sleep feels like.

Birthdays have a way of serving as personal checkpoints – natural moments that invite us to look both backward and forward. Nowadays, they're less about the candles and cake (though I'll never turn down either) and more about the quiet opportunity to ask: What have I learned? What matters most? What wisdom am I carrying forward?

So in honour of another trip around the sun (and because 8 happens to be my favourite number), here are 8 lessons I'm carrying with me into this new year of life – reflections that are shaping how I approach leadership, courage, and showing up in the world:

1. Cold showers in the morning do for courage what making the bed does for momentum.

We all know that small wins compound. Making your bed starts your day with an achievement. But a cold shower? That's training your brain to do hard things first.

I started this practice during my "365 days of fear" challenge, and it stuck. On days when I've stepped into that icy water, I find myself more willing to lean into discomfort all day long – whether that's having a difficult conversation or pushing through when I want to quit.  (Bonus: It helps me push my coffee to later in the day too).

How are you training yourself to face discomfort head-on? Have you ever tried the cold shower challenge?

2. You will never regret time spent watching sunrises or sunsets.

No one has ever finished watching a sunset and thought, "I wish I'd spent those minutes scrolling Instagram instead."

We get one of each every day, but how many do you actually take the time to watch?

It’s something we often take for granted but those moments became anchors – reminders that regardless of how chaotic work and life gets, nature keeps showing up with spectacular art displays, free of charge.

Try scheduling 15 minutes this week to watch a sunrise or sunset – no phone or distractions. Just you, the sky, and a moment to breathe. You might just walk away with a fresh perspective.

3. You are not obligated to remain the person you were yesterday.

The differences are profound when I look back on who I was a decade ago. But it hasn't been about dramatic pivots – just tiny, consistent choices to question old habits, try new approaches, and occasionally burn the rulebook altogether.

It was one of the things I admired most about my late grandmother. Even into her early 90s, we’d have conversations about issues and topics where she’d call me back a day or two later to say “gosh, you’ve really changed my thinking on that”.

That willingness to evolve – to hold our identities with open hands rather than clenched fists – might just be the most powerful legacy we can leave behind.

What's one identity or belief you're holding onto that might be ready for an update?

4. Decisions come in two forms: revolving (reversible) and one-way (irreversible) doors.

Some decisions are like revolving doors – they come around again. They’re reversible and changeable, meaning if you don’t like the outcome, you can walk it back and try another approach. Others are one-way doors – significant and consequential choices that, once made, are difficult (if not impossible) to undo.

That’s why the greatest risk with revolving doors is hesitation and overthinking – you can always go back and try again. But with one-way doors, the risk lies in not thinking deeply enough about the decision’s long-term impact.

This framework (borrowed from Jeff Bezos) has saved me countless hours of overthinking decisions. When I recognised my tendency to treat every decision like a one-way door, I started asking: "If this doesn't work out, can I go back?" If yes, I learned to move faster and course-correct along the way.

What decision have you been sitting on that's actually a reversible door? What's stopping you from walking through it?

5. Every now and then, write a "to-don't" list instead of a "to-do" list. 

This one’s a shout-out to bestselling author and expert on work and human behaviour, Daniel Pink, who brilliantly reminded me that what you stop doing is just as important as what you start.

This year, my ‘to-don’t’ list included:

• No emails before 10am – Protecting mornings for strategic thinking.

• No back-to-back meetings for more than 3 hours – Building in buffers for reflection.

• No saying ‘yes’ out of obligation – Ensuring every yes aligns with purpose.

This week try writing your own to-don't list. What three habits or commitments would free up energy if you eliminated them?

6. Whenever you can, be in the orbit of masters of their craft.

Some of my greatest growth spurts have come not from formal education but from proximity to excellence. Whether it was working alongside Olympic athletes, interviewing world leaders, or collaborating with visionary entrepreneurs – their standards became mine through osmosis.

You begin to internalise their way of seeing the world, absorbing their ability to notice details others miss and their relentless pursuit of better questions. This is why I've always prioritised experiences that put me in rooms where I'm the least accomplished person present – it's uncomfortable, yes, but that discomfort is the growing edge where transformation happens.

Who in your network embodies mastery? How might you spend more time in their orbit?

7. There are very few bad moods a good song, a deep breath, or a five-minute dance break can't fix.

I keep a "mood rescue" playlist ready for emergency deployment. It's gotten me through pre-speech jitters, tough negotiation prep, and the special kind of existential dread that sometimes hits at 3pm on a Tuesday.

What I've learned is that emotion follows motion and changing your physical state is often the fastest route to changing your mental state. It's not about suppressing the harder feelings but rather giving yourself permission to shift the energy when you're stuck in an unproductive loop.

Sometimes the most professional thing you can do is step away from your desk for that three-minute dance break that nobody else will ever see but that might just save your day.

What's your go-to song for an instant mood boost? I'm always looking to expand my playlist!

8. Treat your information diet like your food diet. 

Most of us overconsume, don’t pay attention to the quality of what we’re consuming (i.e. underfilter), and rarely pause to digest. It’s information overload on an industrial scale. Just like junk food, not everything that’s available is nutritious for your mind.

This insight hit me hard last year at Energy Disruptors when I spoke with Yuval Noah Harari. He talked about the modern paradox: never before have we had so much access to information, yet never before have we struggled so much to find clarity.

Now, I ’ve committed to thoughtfully curating my sources and building in time for reflection after learning experiences. It’s not just about what you consume—it’s about how you process it.

How are you managing your information diet?

I'd love to know: Which of these resonates most with you? And what wisdom would you add from your own journey?