Welcome to the first Friday Footnotes of the year – and a slightly belated Happy New Year.
Between the festive chaos, moving house, and shuttling Bronwyn up and down the country (& Europe) for cycle races and training, the past few weeks have flown by in a blur.
I hope you managed to carve out some proper downtime over Christmas, and that 2026 already feels full of possibility. The turn of the year always brings that quiet invitation to reset – not in a dramatic, fireworks-and-declarations way, but with a calmer question: what’s actually worth carrying forward, and what might be better left behind?
What I’ve Been Reading
In Waking Up, Sam Harris explores meditation, mindfulness and spirituality through a refreshingly rational lens, grounded in neuroscience and psychology rather than faith or doctrine. It’s part memoir, part science, and part practical guide to understanding how consciousness and attention shape the quality of our lives. Harris makes a compelling case that many of the insights found in ancient traditions can be accessed without religion, superstition, or dogma – simply through learning how to pay attention to the present moment more skilfully.
High performance – whether in business, training, or competition – is often limited less by physical capability and more by mental noise, stress, and distraction. Harris shows how meditation can sharpen focus, reduce unnecessary suffering, and improve emotional regulation under pressure. If you’re someone who trains hard, works long hours, and wants to perform better without burning out, Waking Up offers practical tools to build mental clarity, resilience, and a calmer relationship with discomfort – skills that compound just like fitness or business habits over time.
TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting
In this brilliant TED talk, philosopher Ruth Chang tackles a problem we all face: how to make hard decisions when no option is clearly better than the other. Rather than seeing these moments as weaknesses or sources of anxiety, Chang reframes them as opportunities – moments where we actively create who we are through choice. Her core idea is that when options are “on a par,” the decision isn’t about discovering the right answer, but about committing to what you want to stand for.
This is a hugely useful mindset for entrepreneurs and athletes alike. Whether it’s choosing between business directions, investments, training approaches, or even races and goals, waiting for perfect clarity often leads to paralysis. Chang’s message is empowering: hard choices don’t diminish us – they define us. Progress comes not from certainty, but from commitment. A powerful reminder that decisive action, even without perfect information, is often the difference between stagnation and growth.
What I’ve Been Watching
This is without question the best series I’ve seen in a while. Senna’s intensity, clarity and obsession with mastery are gripping – and sobering. I genuinely mourned his death more after watching this than I did at the time. It’s a beautiful exploration of purpose, risk, and the cost of greatness, and it leaves you reflecting on how you choose to compete in your own arenas. Watch it here.
Quote of the Week
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Tech I’ve Found Useful
Glyphic is one of those tools that quietly makes you sharper. It uses AI to analyse sales conversations and pull out what’s really going on beneath the surface – patterns, missed cues, moments that matter. Used well, it’s less about “selling harder” and more about listening better, communicating clearly, and improving through feedback rather than guesswork.
The Trusted Team
There’s a clear thread running through this week’s Footnotes: awareness, systems, and sustainable performance. That’s exactly what we’ll be unpacking in this free workshop, The Automated Marketing Machine.
So many people are stuck on the marketing hamster wheel – creating content manually, relying on referrals, or stopping altogether when client work gets busy. The Automated Marketing Machine is about stepping back and building something calmer and smarter: a system that works quietly in the background across six channels, nurturing relationships and filling your pipeline without constant effort.
This isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about replacing scatter with structure, and hope with predictability – much like training with a plan rather than winging every session.
Date: Tuesday, 20th January 2026
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Investment: Free
Where: Online!
If you’re ready for your marketing to feel more like a well-designed engine than a daily grind, you can register here.
As the year settles into rhythm, my hope is that you find ways to move forward with a little more intention and a little less noise. Progress doesn’t always need to be loud – often it’s the quiet, consistent shifts that change everything.
Here’s to a grounded, energising start to 2026.
