2025: A Year I Won’t Forget in a Hurry
Reflections on speaking, storytelling, education and being 10% braver
Every December invites reflection. Here’s mine – human first, slightly chaotic, and including a crocheted octopus.
2025 was a year of voice, reach and making real change. A year that reminded me why storytelling, education and human connection matter so deeply.
Speaking Across the UK, Europe and the USA
🎤 As my dear old nan would say, I “got about a bit” — speaking at 90 events across the UK, France, Spain, Norway and the USA.
From classrooms to conference halls, arenas to auditoriums, I had the privilege of delivering keynote talks on resilience, leadership, wellbeing, belonging and being 10% braver.
⚽️ That included five arenas and six football stadiums — and yes, I still have no grasp of the offside rule.
📚 My speaking work spanned education conferences, Specsavers’ annual takeover, VIP book launches, The Inspiring Leadership Conference, and a film screening at the Festival of Education. Audiences ranged from multi-academy trusts to sales and marketing teams, from educators to female entrepreneurs.
🇺🇸 2025 also marked a major milestone in my international speaking career. With a brilliant American team at Outspoken Agency, I delivered more keynote talks in the US and was invited to give the opening keynote at IASB – the International Association of Speakers Bureaus, one of the most respected stages in the global speaking industry.
🎓 I was also awarded two honorary doctorates for services to education and public life, from the University of Hull and Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. I’m still overwhelmed with gratitude as I type that.
Because of You, This Is Me: From Book to Shared Conversation
❤️ In 2025, Because of You, This Is Me stopped being “my book” and became our conversation.
Published by Crown House Publishing, the book was launched, reprinted within just five months, shortlisted for its first award, and embraced by educators, leaders and readers across the UK and beyond.
The audiobook was also written, recorded and released on Audible, making the story accessible in new ways. Hearing from people who are reading, listening, reflecting and applying the ideas has been one of the most meaningful parts of the year.
Film, Storytelling and Seeing Change in Action
🍿 The NOSCO Films documentary Re-Story Your Life made its way into the world and quietly began winning awards at film festivals in the UK, Miami, Los Angeles and Cannes.
Alongside this, I began filming a new series of mini-documentaries showcasing schools, trusts and education organisations who are putting with-ness, belonging and relational leadership into action — showing what it looks like when people actually do the work we talk about.
Community, Mentoring and Meaningful Work
🎉 Beyond stages and screens, 2025 was deeply about community.
I hosted my first international retreat in Morocco, creating space for reflection, courage and connection. I recorded 101 episodes of the Spill the Spirituality podcast, and I mentored care-experienced young people, supporting them to become confident public speakers.
Watching young people find their voice — and realise it matters — has been one of the greatest honours of my year.
And yes — I found Mrs Cook. If you know my story, you’ll know why that matters more than any award ever could.
Creativity, Craft and Staying Human
🎁 Somewhere in between all of this, I made a kintsugi bowl, appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (in the audience), and crocheted three blankets, two jackets and an octopus.
Because staying human isn’t a side project. It’s the work.
Looking Ahead: Being 10% Braver
So that was 2025.
A year of being 10% braver, deepening community, and finding unexpected joy.
If you’re reading my book, booking me to speak, learning alongside me, or quietly cheering from the sidelines — thank you. You’re a huge part of the story.
🌱 I’ll be sharing my annual reflection playbook soon – the questions I use to pause, reflect, and think gently about what’s next.