Sitting With

My youngest daughter turned 10 this week, and it made me think about trade-offs. I love being a dad. I also love building businesses, training, travelling and trying to create a full life. But there is always a cost to having lots of plates spinning. This week, I missed one of my daughter’s performances because I was too late getting a ticket. It was the first time I can remember missing something...

England beat Croatia and suddenly we were genuine World Cup contenders. Then we drew with Ghana and the performance was described as “horrific”. That reaction says more than just something about football. We now seem to live in a world where everything is either incredible or a disaster, with very little room for context, patience or balance. In this episode, I talk about England, the media, busin...

For someone who likes plans, clarity and consistency, co-parenting can be a real test. This week reminded me that not every situation needs the same response. With my daughters, I need consistency. When supporting someone through grief, I need presence. And in business, when circumstances change, I need action. I reflect on co-parenting, attending the funeral of Becky’s mum in Brighton, the import...

In today’s episode, I reflect on a business coaching conversation that made me ask a simple but important question: What am I actually best at? With September potentially being a quieter period for Renew Education, I’ve realised that the answer probably isn’t to hide behind spreadsheets, projections or internal meetings. It’s to get back to what helped build the businesses in the first place: rela...

Last week, we took the girls to Corfu for what should have been a perfect family holiday. Beautiful surroundings, amazing food, sunshine and a much-needed break. But one of my daughters just didn't seem herself. As a parent, my first instinct was to focus on the behaviour. To wonder why she wasn't enjoying such an incredible experience. What followed was a conversation that completely chan...

The recent Sports Premium announcement has got a lot of people in education talking. But for me, it raised a bigger business lesson. If your business relies too heavily on one funding stream, one type of contract, or one version of the market staying the same, you are exposed. In this episode, I reflect on what Covid taught us at Inspired Schools, how we adapted to support schools when everything...

A month ago I joined a new gym in Bath. At the time, I thought I was just changing where I trained. What I didn’t expect was how much it would impact my mindset, ambition and energy outside of fitness too. In this episode I talk about: Feeling stuck and going through the motions Why environment matters more than we realise The people and conversations that can raise your standards Meeting ambitiou...

Last night I made the mistake of doom scrolling before bed… and within 10 minutes I was questioning whether I’m doing enough. After watching someone I admire still grinding at 10pm after a full day of coaching, business and training, it forced me to reflect on ambition, comparison, productivity and the reality of trying to balance business, fitness and family life. In this episode I talk about: Th...

Being reliable is usually seen as a strength. You step in. You solve problems. You protect people. You keep things moving. But what happens when your reliability starts to stop other people from growing? In this episode, I reflect on a small parenting moment with my daughter forgetting her school blazer, and how it opened up a bigger thought around responsibility, rescue and leadership. I talk abo...

Last night I found myself thinking: “What the f*ck am I doing?” We’re launching a small shop today—cakes, fudge, jewellery—run by my daughters. But in the middle of burnt fudge, a messy kitchen, and a late night… I started questioning everything. Do I really have time for this? Am I just creating more work for myself? Is this actually going to teach them anything? And then something shifted. This...

This week, I’ve decided to try something different with my daughters. Not pocket money. Not rewards. A shop. “Bubs & Bug” is something they’ll run themselves — baking, making, selling — and learning what money, effort, and responsibility actually mean along the way. Because the truth is: Kids today don’t go without much… and that comes with a cost. In this episode, I talk about: Why I’ve strug...

The last few days have been some of the heaviest I’ve experienced. What started as a short trip to Austria quickly turned into a race home after getting a call that changed everything. Within 24 hours, Becky lost her mum… and I lost my nan. In this episode, I talk through what happened, how quickly life can shift, and what really matters when everything else falls away. No big lessons. No overthin...

My house is a mess. Toys everywhere. Half-eaten breakfast left out. Rooms that look like chaos. And if I’m honest… it used to frustrate me more than it should. In this episode, I talk about something I recently heard —  “the golden blink”  — and how it completely shifted my perspective on parenting, time, and what really matters. With only seeing my daughters 50% of the week, I’ve started to reali...

9 months ago, I launched Renew Education. I had a plan. I thought I’d mapped it out properly. I expected steady growth, a clear model, and some level of control. That’s not what happened. We opened in September… and by November, we had no pupils. Payroll was going out. Nothing was coming in. And the pressure started to build. In this episode, I talk through: What I thought would happen vs what act...

One of the scariest things I’ve realised as a parent is this… Our kids will believe the things they tell themselves — even when those beliefs aren’t their own. In this episode, I reflect on a moment with my daughter that stopped me in my tracks: “I can’t play football… I’m a girl.” From there, this episode explores how beliefs are formed, how they quietly shape behaviour, and why the words we hear...

This week’s episode is a real one. My 12-year-old wants Snapchat. Her mum has said yes… I’ve said no. So now she has it half the week — and it’s created tension. In this episode, I talk through: why I’ve taken a firm stance on social media at this age what I actually think I’m protecting as a parent the challenge of co-parenting with different boundaries and why saying no is often the harder — but...

This episode is a reflection on  standards  and where they come from. After watching a recent series featuring Gordon Ramsay, I found myself thinking about how high-performing leaders set the tone for the teams around them. From restaurant kitchens to schools, sport and business, culture is shaped by the expectations set at the top. I also reflect on leadership in my own businesses, the importance...

This week I reflect on the emotional rhythm of parenting — the connection, the separation, and the moments that really matter. From a peaceful weekend with my daughters to the unexpected emotional shift of the Monday school drop-off, and why the small, silly moments are often the ones children remember most.

In this episode, I reflect on a moment that happened at a charity event this weekend. Someone made a beeline for me — not to say hello — but to mock me about my social media and post a photo of me and Becky into a WhatsApp group called “Kirk Watch.” It caught me off guard more than I expected. This episode isn’t about drama. It’s about what happens when you put yourself out there. Why does critici...

This episode was inspired by listening to  The Diary of a CEO , where Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said: “You have to learn how to work hard.” But can work ethic actually be taught? In this episode, I explore what “working hard” really means — from football pitches and school classrooms to business setbacks, losing my best friend, and navigating fatherhood. I reflect on whether resilience is so...

Episode Description – Resilience Is Useless Without Energy In this episode, I reflect on resilience — and whether tough moments in life actually rewire us. I talk about the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the part of the brain linked to handling discomfort and pushing through hard things, and how experiences like losing my best friend, going through divorce, and starting new ventures may have str...

Leadership doesn’t have to be loud. In this episode, I reflect on the idea of  quiet leadership  — inspired by a recent conversation between  Simon Sinek  and  Emma Grede  — and how real leadership is less about being in charge and more about taking care of the people in your charge. I share my own journey from being a shy, self-doubting child to captaining football teams, leading in education, an...

What do children really want from us as parents? In this episode of  Sitting With , I reflect on a family skiing trip and the realisation that hit me when I watched the memories back weeks later. It wasn’t the mountains, the destination, or the experience itself that mattered most — it was presence. I talk honestly about parenting, phone use, and why children value feeling seen, heard, and listene...

A few reflections from the week. Spoken in one take, without a script — just things worth sitting with.