HASU High Performance Zen

14/04/2026

I used to only rest once everything was done.
That’s how my brain was wired.

Years of conditioning.
Grandma used to say ‘duties first, rest after’.

And that was the programme that run my life.

My daily to do list was longer than any human could accomplish.
And pausing never featured on it.

Until I burned out. I had to learn it the hard way.

Now I know this:
you don’t need long breaks, you don’t need to wait for your holidays and you don’t need to earn your rest.

All you need is small pauses. And building the habit to create some for yourself.

What if your coffee wasn’t just a power up,
but also a moment to reset?

This is something I teach my clients.
One said ‘I have never drunk my coffee this way. Usually I just gulp it down in between rushing to other things.

One minute.
That’s all it takes.

Slow down.
Use your senses.
Taste, smell, feel.

When attention drops into the body,
the mind quietens.

And in that moment,
there’s no overthinking.
No pressure.
No rush.

Just presence. Zen practice teaches you just that.

To train small moments are where real rest happens.

Try it next time you pick up your cup.

08/04/2026

Just over 1 hour a day changed everything.

This time last week I was in the Peak District, tucked away on a farm, bringing Zen practice to a group of entrepreneurs and business owners.

Most had never heard of Zen, let alone experienced it.
We practised twice a day.

7am
Taiso to awaken and energise the body, followed by sitting meditation to steady the mind and prepare for an intense day of learning.
Science has proven that meditation practice lowers brain waves frequency, so we can access more cognitive power.

10pm
A lying practice to integrate the day and support deep, restorative sleep when consolidation and recovery happens.

Just over one hour in total. Daily repetition.

That was enough.

Delegates reported:
Less anxiety and overwhelm
Better sleep
Improved mobility
Stronger concentration

Because when the body flows, then life flows.
And when the mind steadies, performance shifts.

If you want to experience how Zen change how you meet pressure, access more of your potential, and build recovery into your performance:

👉Follow here or on LinkedIn
👉Book a conversation with me
👉Watch for the new website

I have only 2 places left on HASU 8-week High Performance case study cohort for senior leaders, starting 20 April.

Message me if you want one. Bring a leader from your network maybe in a different sector, keep each other motivated and compare notes.

And the wnAccelerator Live 2027 is now open. Get on it!

02/04/2026

Leadership starts where certainty ends.

I read a great reflection from Sally Twisleton on engineers stepping into leadership roles.
Not struggling with the technical work,
but with the uncertainty.

Not having the answer.
Getting it wrong.
Not knowing how decisions will land.

Engineering trains you to solve problems.
Leadership asks you to navigate uncertainty
More information doesn’t always create clarity.
And often, there is no “right” answer.

One perspective that shifted this for me:
Don’t make the right decision.
Make the decision right.

Because when fear of being wrong shows up, creativity disappears.

From a Zen perspective, certainty is only a construction of the mind. An illusion of safety.

So the work becomes learning to sit (literally 🧘🏻‍♀️) with uncertainty,
and to know yourself within it.

Because we all act with the best information we have at the time.
And failure isn’t a flaw.
It’s part of the process.

I’ll be speaking about this at the IMechE East Midlands Network later this month. Link in comments

If you are interested to find out how Zen practice can help you steady uncertainty in leadership and life, get in touch for a conversation

01/04/2026

Teaching Zen does not make you immune to life.

I’ve come back from an energising week at Mission Accelerator Live straight into the reality of a difficult parenting weekend, a full-on work schedule, the cost and weight of closing out a divorce, and the build-up to the next 8 week HASU High-Performance study cohort starting on 20 April.

Life still happens.

This is why I practise.

Not to escape reality, but to return to myself within it.

Zen brings me back into the body, into the present moment, and into a place where there is more space, more breath, and less overwhelm.

Difficulty does not disappear.
But the relationship to it changes.
And that changes how we move through it.

If you are a high performer or corporate leader and want to join the April study cohort, I have a few seats available.
This cohort will also help build the data behind this bespoke programme.

Message me if you want to know more.

29/03/2026

29/03/2026

Last week at Mission Accelerator Live 2026, I worked with leaders and founders who felt it.

Stuck.
Flat.
Unclear.

Not performing at the level they know they’re capable of.
Not because of lack of effort.
But because something wasn’t aligned.

We spent the week learning from exceptional people.
Brand. Mindset. Operations.


And me.

My role was simple.
Look after their bodies and minds through Zen practice.

Because without that, none of it lands.
We started the day energising the body and calming the mind.
We ended the day creating space for rest and integration.

This is what most high performers don’t allow for.
Rest is not a luxury.
Stillness is not weakness.
If you don’t create space for quiet,
your system never resets.
And performance plateaus or deteriorates.

If you feel that shift is on the cards for you, follow here.

There’s a waiting list for Mission Accelerator 2027 (in comments)

I’ll also be opening waiting lists for upcoming programmes and away days soon.
Follow here.

20/03/2026

When your brain goes “aaaargh”….

Today I have felt overwhelmed by my to-do list.

An event on Sunday.
Traditional Chinese Medicine training all weekend.
Mission Accelerator Live™ starts Monday.

A lot to do.
Very little time.

That’s when pressure builds and the brain starts to spiral.
Familiar?

Then I remember I know what to do.
I trained and I train it.

So instead of begin spinning plates in a panic, I pause. It sounds counterintuitive.
But it works.

I’m going into the garden to clear some winter growth.
That’s where I ground best and drop back into my body.
Only 20 minutes or so.

Then I’ll write everything down in priority order and ask:
does this actually need to get done today?
(I often overplan)
And I’ll do one thing at a time.
With full presence and focus.

Forget multitasking. It’s only depletion masked as efficiency and rarely clarity, precision and productivity.

Regulate first.
Act after.