During this important time, it's essential to equip ourselves and each other with emotional and practical tools in our businesses and community. My trusted colleague Suzanne Waldron and I are offering a highly practical session to share our crisis response skills and experiences to ensure level headed leaders are calm and clear. We have a special guest joining us who is a senior medical specialist and healthcare executive to provide strategies and real time updates.

As we all prepare to bunker down and take the necessary precautions and appropriate steps to minimise the spread of the COVID-19 Virus in the aftermath of the declaration by the World Health Organisation that we are now facing a worldwide pandemic, it is paramount that we as individuals, organisations, communities and leaders be our best selves.

If you're like me you will be in disbelief that it is already the end of February. With March around the corner, the month we celebrate International Women’s Day and Harmony Day, it is timely to reflect on the importance of inclusion, equity for all and social cohesion.

Happy New Year to you! I can’t believe we have entered a new decade and that the first month of that decade is almost over. It seems to me that the older one gets and the busier our lives become, time passes quicker. I sincerely hope this year, and this decade, will be a meaningful one for you all. One that will bring joy, growth, wonderful memories and some incredible opportunities along the way.

It’s been a big month of celebrations in my home. From school merit awards to billy cart racing, from carol concerts to speech days, from career goals to personal goals and always remembering the love, good health and comforts that surround us every day.

As I write this newsletter to you I am in disbelief that we are already in the second week of November, contemplating the arrival of the festive season and the year end.

As I mentioned in my newsletter to you last week, I have been reflecting for some time on the need to better represent the work I do and my role as a thought leader. We all need to take the time to reflect and, if necessary re-set. It was time for me to take my own advice!

I write this month’s newsletter and message to you on the day that hundreds of thousands of children across our planet take to the streets, and more than 2,000 businesses in Australia give employees leave to attend the Global Climate Strike. The united call is for more and stronger action on climate change ahead of next week’s United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

What a month it has been!  I don’t know whether the full moon and cosmic goings-on have had anything to do with it, but at times things have felt surreal.  How about you?

This month I’d like to share with you two big decisions I have made and steps I have decided to take in using my experience, privilege, voice and sphere of influence to serve others and impact change in a greater way. They have come about as a result of a wonderful introduction and subsequent invitation from a man who has committed his life’s work to help others and making our world a more peaceful place.

June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness month – a condition I know a lot about having been diagnosed with and suffering from this illness in 2006 following my tour of Iraq.  This and events that have occurred in my life this last month have been the catalyst for this newsletter.

Last month I spoke about the quality of authentic, values based leadership that was so obviously displayed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand in the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks.

April is a significant month in many ways. While Christians around the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, the son of God, on Easter Sunday and honored his sacrifices, the month is also marked by other significant reminders of human sacrifice. Notably, Anzac Day on April 25 is a day when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate all their brothers and sisters who have served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

“Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity…If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior…If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women…”

– Mahatma Gandhi

As we commence the Lunar New Year I ’d like to wish all my friends, colleagues and like minded souls a joyful, peaceful, successful and prosperous New Year. As this will be the year of the pig, which was the year I was born (1971), I am particularly excited to see what the next 12 months will bring and I am full of optimism and ready to kick some major goals.

I was incredibly fortunate to be gifted tickets for my birthday from my parents to see Malala Yusafzai in Melbourne this week. I have followed the story of this amazing young woman, read her book and watched her documentary.

Last week I took my new car in for its first service.

Obtaining the service was one of those pedestrian jobs that I had been putting off.

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me. The reason is I am currently writing my second book, which has required a lot of my focus and energy. I hope you will forgive my silence and I promise to keep you informed of the progress of what I hope will be a book that will empower, challenge and inspire.