🚨 BREAKING NEWS: The mice are back.
And this time… they’ve upgraded. 🐭💻🌍
You thought AI was here to help you write better emails?
Wrong.
It’s here to finally finish the experiment they started millions of years ago, turning Earth into a giant brain (again) to uncover the Ultimate Question to the Answer we already know is 42.
And you?
You're not the user.
You're the data.
In true Hitchhiker’s Guide fashion, I wrote this article for anyone who's ever felt like:
Something invisible is going on…
You're accidentally part of a much bigger question…
Or your AI knows more about your inner life than your therapist.
Read on to find out why the next stage of evolution might just be pan-dimensional rodents running ChatGPT…
🪐 “Still Mostly Harmless.”

🔥 You don’t always see the fire.
But you do feel the heat.
There’s a moment, before the decision, before the fallout, where something inside you knows:
“I’m still here… but I’m not sure I should be.”
Most leaders ignore it.
They wait. Delay. Rationalise.
Until the platform burns.
This post is for those who feel it before it shows.
The ones who are starting to question the version of themselves they’ve been leading from.
It’s not about change.
It’s about what change is asking of you.
👇 Read the full piece:
Leadership at the Speed of Change: Are You on the Burning Platform Yet? on the Burning Platform Yet?

Putting the cat amongst the pigeons…
We’ve glorified the “fast in / fast out” model for years.
Raise. Scale. Exit.
But what if that very formula is f*cking up the founder, the team, and the soul of the business?
I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it.
And I’m not the only one quietly asking:
“Is there a better way?”
This isn’t anti-growth.
It’s pro-alignment.
Pro-legacy.
Pro-building something you still love a decade from now.
🧵Here’s my take:
When Fast In and Fast Out Money F*cks It All: The Bootstrap Debate

You’ve changed. But the world around you didn’t pause.

That’s the tension many leaders feel after doing the inner work:
You’re ready to return—
but this time, it has to be different.

Not faster.
Not louder.
Just… clearer.

Part 6 of the Identity Shift Series is here:
The Return
How to re-enter your business, your leadership, and your life—aligned, present, and ready.

This one’s for those quietly holding a new version of themselves,
while the world still expects the old one.

Be gentle with yourself.
You’re returning as a changed person

You already built the business.
But what about the one you haven’t?
The one that’s been quietly burning…
> in your notebook
> in your gut
> in the back of your mind after a long day running the “real” one.
The Other One.
The one that feels too different.
Too personal.
Too stupid to pitch.
Too meaningful to ignore.
You’re not alone.
I wrote this for the founders, CEOs, and MDs who’ve built something great—
but haven’t yet built what matters most to them.

👉 Read: “The Other One: The Business You Haven’t Built (Yet)

If you know you’ve got something else in you, not to scale, not to exit, but to finally build the business that’s been waiting, this might just be for you.
DM me “The Other One” or click through to register interest.

You’ve let go of the old identity.
You’ve released the grip.
You’ve named the fear.

Now what?

This is the moment few talk about.

The stillness after the letting go.
The space between no longer… and not yet.

And for leaders who’ve built their reputation on decisiveness, movement, and staying ahead—
that stillness can feel like failure.

But what if that space is the strategy?

👇
Part 5 of the Identity Shift Series is here:
Stillness as Strategy
What happens when you stop performing and start listening.

For the ambitious leader no longer rushing to prove—
but learning how to pause, breathe, and lead from presence.

From “Not Wanting to F*** Up What’s Next”
To Greater Decisions > Greater Thinking > Greater Performance

We’ve been going through our own reinvention.
Not a rebrand.
Not a restructure.
A deeper shift.

Letting go of the version of The Alchemists that got us here so we can hold space for what comes next.
And what we’ve found is this:
The biggest transformation doesn’t happen in the strategy.
It happens in the identity.

This is the heart of Part 4 of the Identity Shift Series:
👇
The Inner Exit: Reinvention
Letting Go of the Leader You Had to Be
It’s for the founder, CEO, or business owner who knows they’ve outgrown the role they built and is ready to lead forward without dragging the old self with them.

If you’re in that space, this one’s for you.
You don’t need to let go of your legacy.
You are your legacy.

You can feel it before you can explain it.

You’ve built something real.
You’ve led through the highs and lows.
You’ve stayed strong when others wavered.

But now the real challenge isn’t external.

It’s internal.

It’s the quiet tension between holding on and letting lead.
The knowing that the way you got here…
isn’t enough to get you there.

This is Part 3 of the Identity Shift Series::
The Tension Between Letting Go and Leading On

For the leader who isn’t done
but knows it's time to evolve how they lead, who they are, and how they carry the mission.

If you feel yourself standing at that threshold
And would value a quiet space to think it through
Connect with me.
Sometimes one conversation changes everything.

You’ve always been the one who knows.

The one who delivers.
The one people turn to when things need sorted, fixed, led.

Competency built your reputation.
But lately—if you’re honest—it’s become something else.

A pressure.
A mask.
A quiet fear of not knowing, not keeping up, not being enough.

What if the performance of competency is costing you clarity?

This is Part 2 of the Identity Shift Series:
👇
The Mask of Competency

For the leader who’s done performing… and ready to lead from something more real.

You don’t need to prove anything.
You just need space to reconnect with what’s already there.

You probably won’t say it out loud. But you feel it. Especially in the moments that matter most.

There’s a moment you might recognise. It doesn’t appear in board reports or strategy decks. But it shows up in quiet pauses, late nights, and tough decisions.

“I don’t want to f*** it up.” And sometimes… “I don’t want to f*** it up again.”

This isn’t imposter syndrome. It’s not weakness. It’s the real weight of leadership.

Being the one who has to call it. To carry it. To make it happen when others are still looking for direction.

This is Part 1 of the Identity Shift Series:

Leadership in tough economic conditions is a lonely and daunting path. The weight of every decision is amplified, risks seem higher, and the pace of change is relentless. As a business owner or CEO, you are expected to provide answers, but who do you turn to when you need guidance?

Throughout 2024, the Alchemists Forum newsletters offered business owners and CEOs a wealth of insights, strategies, and practical tools to help them lead with purpose, build resilience, foster collaboration, and drive innovation. Each month addressed critical leadership challenges, providing a structured path for leaders to move from Good to Greater. Membership in the Alchemists Forum further amplified these learnings by offering a trusted, collaborative environment where ideas were transformed into meaningful actions.

On 13th December, the world lost one of its most profound thinkers and influential voices in the field of leadership and organisational change: Charles Handy. His passing marks the end of an era for those of us who were inspired by his ideas, his vision, and his revolutionary approach to business. For me, the loss feels deeply personal.

Carbon is the foundation of life and a critical element shaping our planet’s climate and ecosystems. Yet, the excess carbon in our atmosphere and oceans—driven by human activity—has disrupted the natural balance, fuelling the climate crisis. As business leaders, understanding carbon’s role, its origins, and its potential for regeneration is essential for driving meaningful change.

As a business owner or CEO, you’ve likely felt it: the loneliness that comes with being at the top. It’s an undeniable reality of leadership. The decisions you make ripple through your business, your team, and your life. The responsibility you carry is yours alone—something no one else can fully understand or share.

Running a business demands constant decision-making, clarity amidst chaos, and a relentless focus on growth. As a business owner or CEO, you often face the dual challenge of solving today’s problems while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s success—or your eventual exit.

By balancing Active Stress with Active Rest, we not only enhance our performance but also nurture our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

As we enter Movember, a month dedicated to raising awareness and support for men’s health, it’s a timely moment to explore how business leaders can address not only their professional challenges but also their mental and emotional well-being.

Your Mission to Transform Yourself, Your Leadership Team, and Your Business to Embrace ESG and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As a business owner or CEO, navigating uncertainty and adversity is an inevitable part of leadership. To successfully lead through these challenges, one must balance two essential elements: hope for the future and a clear-eyed understanding of current reality. This duality is captured in a powerful concept known as the Stockdale Paradox.