When the way forward isn’t obvious
Change can bring opportunity, but also uncertainty. I help people and organisations step back from the noise, reflect on what really matters and make better decisions about what comes next.
How did I get here?
I qualified as an actuary, but I’ve never felt particularly defined by being one. The part of work I’ve generally found most rewarding is what happens when the analysis piece is all done and people have to decide what that means going forwards.
Over the years I’ve worked with trustees of pension schemes, government departments, international development agencies and individuals running their own enterprises, helping them make their way through complex change. Those conversations have varied, but a lot of what’s underneath is pretty much the same: uncertainty, different people with different perspectives, and decisions that still need to be made.
I’m also someone who thinks about things a lot, and quite deeply at that. I’m interested in why we make the choices we do, what makes a life meaningful, how technology is changing the way we live and work, and how we hold on to some sense of perspective when quite a lot around us seems to be changing.
Feeling stuck between two quite different paths; knowing something needs to change but not being sure what; weighing up something you really want against what you might have to give up to get it; or trying to work out what you actually want the next ten years of your life to look like. There are some things that no amount of analysis can give us a certain answer to.
What I’ve found useful at those points is having someone to think things through with. Someone who gets to know me a little, listens properly and isn’t afraid to question how I’m looking at things. That’s the kind of thing I’d like to offer here.
Sometimes what we need isn’t another answer, but another person.
I’m not interested in telling people how to live their lives. I’m much more interested in asking the questions that help someone realise what’s right for them.
I’m still working professionally and I’m bringing what I learn there into this too. I don’t see the two as particularly separate. Whether I’m dealing with a complicated project involving several organisations or talking to someone who’s wondering what to do next with their life, there’s often a similar challenge underneath: making sense of uncertainty and finding a sensible way forward.
I’m not interested in decision-making because I’ve always made brilliant decisions myself. I’ve procrastinated, overanalysed things, sought reassurance and occasionally known perfectly well what I ‘should’ do and done the complete opposite. That’s probably one reason the subject interests me.
I don’t think uncertainty is something we can eliminate. A lot of life seems to be about learning to make sensible choices without knowing exactly how things will turn out.
If we were talking something through together, I’d be curious and ask quite a lot of questions – unafraid to throw in the odd challenge, possibly drawing from my own experience and learning. Some would say I’m good at sitting with a complicated problem, listening to the different pieces and noticing things that might otherwise get overlooked. The useful bit might simply be a question or observation that changes how you see the problem, or perhaps a perspective that changes what you thought the problem was in the first place.
Outside work, I spend quite a lot of time reflecting, reading and learning. I also need things that get me out of my head – walking, music, being outdoors and spending time with people I care about.
As I’ve got older, I’ve become less interested in having everything figured out. I’m more interested in asking better questions, doing useful work, having good people around me and making sure I’m actually enjoying as much as I can of life!
I suppose this website is somewhere for me to explore some of these ideas, share what I’m learning, and hopefully help a few other people consider things in a different light. If you’re trying to work something out too, I hope you find something here that helps – even if it’s simply a perspective you hadn’t previously considered.
And if instead you want someone to talk to, you can always reach out to me here.