✨ Constellation (noun): “A group or configuration of ideas, feelings, characteristics or objects that are related in some way.”

This week I spent time combining constellations and coaching — and surprisingly, star signs only came up once!

Exploring the work of John Whittington, expertly facilitated by Karen Tweedie in peaceful Port Melbourne, alongside coaches from across Australia and New Zealand. 

At its core?

⏳ Time

🌏 Place

🤝 Exchange

And the often unseen dynamics that shape everything.

Powerful, practical and slightly mind-bending!

I've added new tools to my systemic leadership and team coaching toolkit — and I’m looking forward to experimenting with clients, sharing insights with colleagues, and heading back to Melbourne later this year to go deeper.

Turns out, when you map systems… they talk back!

If you'd like to chat about benefit of exposing unseen dynamics, get in touch. I'd love to hear from you!

🌸 Sometimes oldies deserve a comeback!

(I'm referring to the flowers, not me.)

A few days ago, I was sitting in a huge field of Zinnias. As a child, I didn't like them - too old-fashioned, too obvious, too boring. Then they seemed to fall out of favour. I haven’t seen any around for a long time. I guess floral tastes change? Perhaps replaced by some new, trendy GI variety of blooms? 

Zinnias are definitely back on trend now - I see them everywhere! And I've grown to appreciate them - probably because they remind me of my mother's flower garden - she was a fan of Zinnias and all the classics.

Teams are a bit like flower gardens. “Old-fashioned” practices can get pushed aside as new and shiny things take over - hybrid working, AI, new fads.

But "oldies" are "goodies"! Team success isn’t about the latest tool or trend. It’s about old fashioned things like: listening, presence, curiosity, trust, and taking the time to actually talk, connect, and think together.

Teams, take inspiration from Zinnias! Let the classics bloom again. 🌸

If you'd like to bring the classics back to you team, or you'd like to talk about other ways to improve team success, please get in touch. I'd love to have a chat.

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

You’re probably ready to reply with something personal — a skill to learn, a habit to change, or a goal to achieve. Or, like me, you might skip it entirely - because resolutions are too hard to make stick.

But what if I asked your team the same question?  How would they describe themselves in the future? What would they want to learn, change or achieve together?

This month, I worked with two teams on exactly this! 

I asked them to physically stand on a rope. One end representing December 2025, the other December 2027. As they stood in the present, I asked them to look ahead and describe what they saw.

Not one person in either team mentioned achieving strategic goals, profit, or market share.

Instead, unprompted, they talked about:

·       Trust

·       Belonging

·       Navigating challenges together

·       Learning and growing as a team

·       And the difference these things made for staff, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the wider community

Most teams focus on strategic and operational plans, especially at this time of the year. Great! They are critical to ensure activity is aligned. But there’s more to talk about…

Perhaps the most powerful planning question isn’t what will we achieve by when?

It’s who do we need to be — together — to get there?

So maybe your team needs a New Year’s resolution too — and some support to help make it stick! If you’re keen to have a chat about this idea, please get in touch.

Enjoy the break, rest well, and step into 2026 with fresh energy! And a resolutions that lasts beyond mid-January!