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Well here we are. We’ve stepped into 2026, which still sounds to me like the kind of year we once imagined would come with flying cars and silver jumpsuits!

There’s definitely a lot happening around us. Conflicts rising, economies tightening and technologies accelerating. It can feel as though the ground keeps shifting before we’ve even found our footing. And yet, when I zoom out a little, I’m reminded that change has always been part of the rhythm of life. Nature moves in cycles (expansion, contraction, stillness, renewal) and we’re not separate from that, even if we sometimes forget.

Over the New Year, I found myself thinking back to 31st December 1999. Everyone was talking about the millennium bug and what might happen when the clocks hit midnight. But for me, that year carries a very different kind of memory. I started it revising for my GCSEs, still very much a child. By the end of it, I had lost my mum unexpectedly, was living alone and had learned to drive. It was a year that changed the shape of me and made me learn how to cope in the adult world.

What I understand now, with the benefit of time and a lot of reflection, is how that experience taught me to become incredibly quiet. Not outwardly as I could still function, still smile and still do well at work but internally.

I learned to read every room before I ever listened to myself. I became hyper‑vigilant and sensitive to every shift in tone or expression. It was a way of staying safe but it also meant I lost touch with my own voice. I nodded along when something in me wanted to speak and I blended in when something in me wanted to stand out.

And that’s why I share this here. Because the work I do now and the inspiration behind the name of my business (Daring Works), is in many ways the slow unwinding of that silence. It’s the return to something more instinctive and more like the way nature operates when it’s left to be itself.

Nature doesn’t force itself into shape. It doesn’t apologise for taking up space. It doesn’t try to become a monocrop.

A forest thrives because it’s diverse. A meadow is resilient because it’s full of different colours, textures, species and rhythms. Monocrop systems might look neat but they’re fragile. They depend on constant control and they collapse easily.

I think many of us have been living like monocrops for far too long in the pursuit of feeling safe and fitting in. We become trimmed, tidied and shaped into something uniform. Whether through trauma, culture, workplaces or expectations, we’ve learned to quiet the parts of ourselves that don’t fit the mould.

This shows up so clearly in the world of work. I lost count of the number of meetings where everyone looked around the table, waiting to see who will speak first and who will ‘lead the witness’. It’s the same dynamic behind The Emperor’s New Clothes, where everyone sees the truth but no one wants to be the first to name it. Psychologists call it pluralistic ignorance: the belief that everyone else thinks differently, so we stay quiet.

And then there’s the HIPPO - the “Highest Paid Person’s Opinion”…

We often imagine the HIPPO as the confident voice in the room but the reality is usually more human than that. Many senior leaders feel an unspoken pressure to have an answer even when their own imposter syndrome is whispering that they don’t.

Instead of admitting uncertainty (which would require the rare leadership attribute of vulnerability) they offer an opinion simply because they believe they’re expected to. And once it’s spoken, the room falls into line. Not because it’s the best idea but because it feels safer than disagreeing.

In a psychologically safe environment, something different becomes possible.

The HIPPO can pause. They can hold back their instinct to fill the space. They can invite others in before shaping the direction. They can say, “I’m not sure yet - what do you think?”

That simple shift can change the entire ecosystem of a team. It creates space for diversity of thought (the organisational equivalent of biodiversity) and with it, resilience, creativity and genuine co-creation.

Mother Nature shows us how this works. She trusts itself. She grows in the direction she needs to grow. She doesn’t rush and she doesn’t pretend.

As the world becomes noisier and more uncertain, I’m noticing a shift in people. A sense that something in us wants to return to a more natural way of being - one where we listen to ourselves, where we honour difference and where we stop contorting to fit.

This year, I’ll be hosting gatherings and experiences that help us reconnect with that wisdom. Spaces where we can remember what it feels like to be rooted, to be part of something bigger and to trust our own inner seasons. Because when we stop forcing conformity in ourselves or in our teams, we create the conditions for real resilience and creativity to emerge.

It’s why I’m so excited about what we’re building with The Natural Network this year. The roots are growing beneath the surface and new, exciting announcements will be emerging in the coming days with new events, formats and communities. More details soon, I hope to see you in person soon so that we can re-wild ourselves together.

So as we begin 2026, here’s an invitation to reflect on your role in the ecosystem around you:

If you’re the HIPPO. Notice where you might feel pressure to have the answer. Experiment with holding back. Try inviting others in before you speak.

If you’re a facilitator, freelancer or consultant. Consider how you can create the conditions for psychological safety. How can you help a room hear itself more clearly?

If you’re part of a team or organisation. Pay attention to the moments where silence feels like agreement. Say what you feel. Your influence might be greater than you think.

Nature doesn’t have to ask for permission. And neither do you.

Here’s to a year of daring, in whatever form that takes.

With compassion and curiosity,

Nick

Well that’s it for another week. But we don’t have to stop there.

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