This week Cornwall put on a show. The Northern Lights rolled across the sky in colours I’ve only ever seen on postcards from Norway, and for a moment the whole coastline felt electric. Check out my Instagram feed if you don’t believe me!
Perhaps that’s appropriate, because today I line up for the final challenge in my longest triathlon, The Arc of Attrition: a 100-mile run around that same rugged coastline. Wind and rain, of course – it wouldn’t be Cornwall without them – but every step is for a cause that means more than the discomfort. If you’d like to support the mission, you can do so here.
Business Of Endurance
Some people teach you something in an hour; others change how you look at life entirely. Mark Bryant was firmly in the second camp. Losing him at the end of last year was a blow to many, but the decade he carved out after being given six months to live was nothing short of extraordinary.
Going back to this episode is a powerful reminder of what happens when someone refuses to settle for the prognosis handed to them. Mark turned curiosity into a healing strategy – nutrition, emotional work, spirituality – and then somehow channelled it all into endurance sport, culminating in an Ironman and a ½ that included running up Snowdon. It’s one of those conversations that makes you consider what you’ve been delaying, and why. Listen to it here.
What I’ve Been Reading
Michael Pollan has the rare ability to take a subject wrapped in taboo and make it approachable, scientific and oddly uplifting. How to Change Your Mind charts the history, politics and surprising renaissance of psychedelics – LSD, psilocybin, DMT – and why serious scientists are once again exploring them for depression, PTSD, addiction and creative breakthroughs. Pollan acts as both narrator and participant, and the result is a fascinating challenge to long-held assumptions about consciousness and the mind. You don’t have to agree with every argument in the book to feel your perspective shift slightly – and sometimes that’s the point.
TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting
I found myself talking this week about choosing the right people – whether you’re hiring, investing, partnering or simply sharing a big goal. And “grit” remains one of the most reliable indicators of long-term success. Duckworth’s TED talk is a brilliant reminder that talent often matters far less than the stubborn refusal to give up. A useful lens whether you’re building a team or trying to stay on track with your own ambitions.
What I’ve Been Watching
Season 1 already set the bar high, but this new instalment goes deeper into our ability to rewire the body and mind. The three themed episodes – brain power, pain, and risk – land somewhere between science class and adventure documentary. There’s something refreshing about seeing someone intentionally lean into discomfort and come out sharper for it. A good reminder that growth rarely feels convenient. Watch Limitless Season 2 here.
Quote of the Week
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” – C.S. Lewis
Tech I’ve Found Useful
ElevenLabs took a big leap recently: you can now generate full videos with realistic voiceover at the click of a button. It’s the kind of tool that quietly removes excuses – creating ads, instructional content, social videos or product explainers suddenly becomes something you can do in minutes rather than hours. The tutorial gives a great walkthrough too if you want a peek at what’s possible.
The Trusted Team
After a week of watching the skies, chasing coastline miles and revisiting stories of grit and transformation, it feels fitting to talk about momentum – and how easily it disappears when we rely on bursts of energy rather than reliable systems.
That theme came up again and again in this week’s Trusted Team event: The Automated Marketing Machine. So many brilliant service professionals are still stuck in the manual grind – sporadic social posts, inconsistent emails, waiting for referrals, juggling disconnected tools, and wondering why the pipeline feels feast-or-famine.
The session explored what happens when you remove the “manual” from marketing and build a system that works whether you’re chasing audacious athletic goals, serving clients, or watching the Northern Lights. Automation across all six marketing channels – referrals, content, email nurture, social presence, partnerships and targeted outreach – creates a rhythm that keeps working even when you step away.
If you missed it and want to watch the recording, you can find it here.
Expect practical frameworks, examples, and the realisation that predictable growth isn’t about doing more – it’s about letting the right systems do more for you.
As the coastline calls and the weather inevitably turns, I’m reminded that most worthwhile things require stepping into some form of discomfort – whether that’s a storm, a stretch goal, a new idea, or a better system. May your next week bring something that lifts you the way the Northern Lights lifted Cornwall.
