“We don’t grow older. We grow riper.” — Pablo Picasso I was wandering around a bookshop recently with my book-mad wife. I stumbled across this quote from Pablo Picasso. In my work, I often talk about the transitions in our lives. From our early years to our teenage years. From our teens into our 20’s … Continue reading Why Picasso may have accidentally explained the psychology of active bystandership.
What If We Stockpiled Human Connection?
We are very good at stockpiling things. We fill our cupboards with food, our garages with possessions, and our bank accounts with money. We prepare for uncertain times by accumulating resources, hoping that when we need something, it will be there. We understand the importance of preparing for scarcity. But what if there is another … Continue reading What If We Stockpiled Human Connection?
Sometimes the most important thing we can do is interrupt – World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2026
Suicide is not an abstract subject for me. In 2008, I lost my dad to suicide. That experience has stayed with me. It has shaped how I think about prevention, about friendship, about silence and, increasingly, about the responsibility we all have to notice when someone is struggling. So today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, … Continue reading Sometimes the most important thing we can do is interrupt – World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2026
The Cup That Changed Nothing…..And Everything
This is a very personal blog. My mum died last Thursday, peacefully surrounded by her family. She was 80 years old. A courageous woman who had been living with and fighting multiple cancers for the last 15 years. As a family, we all knew the outcome was inevitable. Like many families who have walked this … Continue reading The Cup That Changed Nothing…..And Everything
Lead with Compassion. Heal with Purpose.
Every August, a new generation of medical students steps out of the lecture theatre and onto the ward. They know the science. They understand the evidence. They have spent years preparing for this moment. They have their new scrubs under their arm. But the ward teaches lessons no textbook ever can. This week I had … Continue reading Lead with Compassion. Heal with Purpose.
