Fast and Slow 🌲

or slow and fast?

Hello Friend!

This week felt like two different weeks stitched together. It started with a public holiday, followed by three incredibly fast-paced and exhausting workdays, and then it slowed right down as we left for Zagreb, Croatia, for Delta’s annual employee trip. That rhythm—fast then slow—mirrors life itself: moments of intensity followed by moments of pause, where reflection and connection finally get the space they deserve.

🚀 Endeavour: Balancing Depth, Distance & Emotional Weight

Those three fast days were demanding for many reasons. At Endeavour, my schedule was filled with two workshops and a series of one-to-one coaching sessions. At the same time, in my full-time role at Delta, I had to be deeply present during critical and emotionally heavy moments as our workforce continued to shrink. Saying goodbye to colleagues under such circumstances is never easy. Even when intentions are pure and conversations are handled with care, it’s hard to walk away feeling you got it “right.” You’re left with a weight that no strategy or leadership book can prepare you for—the human side of change.

And yet, in parallel, I had to step into my coaching sessions with clarity and neutrality. One thing I’ve learned over the years is the discipline of not carrying emotional baggage into spaces where it doesn’t belong. Before each coaching session, I picture myself putting the emotions of the day in a box, placing it on a shelf, and promising myself I’ll come back to it later. Then, once the session is over, I revisit that box—sometimes before bed, sometimes during training, sometimes in moments like this, while writing my journal.

Why? Because my role in coaching is not to project my emotions onto others. My coachees deserve my full presence, my curiosity, and my neutrality. If I allow my own heaviness to seep into those conversations, I risk clouding their process with my story rather than helping them make sense of theirs. In many ways, coaching is as much about self-regulation as it is about skill.

🎙️ GROWTH Schema: Strategy Meets Humanity

This week, the 71st episode of the GROWTH Schema podcast went live:

“Roundtable | The Boardroom Diaries: Strategy, Vulnerability & Grit” with Nadia Pace and Oliver Zammit.

We explored what really happens in boardrooms when no one’s watching—the tension between bold strategy and human vulnerability. What stood out most to me was how both Nadia and Oliver emphasized that vulnerability doesn’t weaken leadership; it strengthens it. It builds trust, deepens collaboration, and actually sharpens decision-making because people feel safe enough to be honest.

This conversation was a reminder that the future of leadership is not about louder voices or grander strategies—it’s about being human while being effective.

On the studio side, I started some DIY tweaks to make better use of the space. Small things, like reorganizing and adjusting, but they’re all in preparation for an upcoming roundtable discussion in collaboration with FHRD. The goal? To keep creating spaces where leadership is dissected in its rawest form—not polished, not rehearsed, but real.

✈️ Personal Reflections: From Plitvice Lakes to Career Crossroads

On Friday, after an intense week, we made our way to Zagreb for Delta’s annual employee trip. We’re a group of 130 people—employees and their families—coming together outside the workplace. Trips like these are fascinating because they strip away the formalities of work. You see colleagues as parents, friends, partners, just…people.

So far, we’ve explored Karlovac, gone on a boat trip, and today visited the breathtaking Plitvice Lakes. Surrounded by waterfalls, wooden pathways, and still waters, I found myself reflecting on the “Y-intersection” I’m currently at in my career. Between Endeavour, my full-time role, and GROWTH Schema, I feel pulled in multiple directions. Each path holds meaning, but I know I might need to make some deliberate choices in the near future.

Physically, this week was tiring. My physiotherapy journey continues—two sessions this week—and fatigue hit harder than usual, especially Thursday and Friday. Sleep was scarce, and I felt the toll in my body. But maybe being tired also made me more present in Zagreb. More willing to let go of the pace, to notice the details—the laughter on the bus, the quiet conversations over dinner, the simple joy of being somewhere new.

Sometimes, we don’t need clear answers to our “big questions.” Sometimes, the act of pausing, being with people, and allowing nature to remind us of scale is enough.

When was the last time you stepped away from work and came back with a new perspective—not because you solved something, but because you allowed space for it to breathe?

🌱 Closing

This week taught me two things: First, that leadership isn’t about being everywhere at once—it’s about knowing when to put emotions aside so you can show up for others fully. And second, that clarity often comes when you allow yourself to step away from the noise.

Fast, then slow. Exhausting, then reenergizing. Heavy, then light. That’s life—and leadership—in motion.

Until next week, Grow Beyond.