The words in my book this morning. Easy to brush off but felt like a calling.. we are meant to be going to the pool this morning as a family. It’s been a hot minute since I got in. I used to get in each week but burnout, life and my own sensory needs meant I’ve put off. But today.. today I’m going something scary and going to the pool. Updates to follow

LOL I wrote Misogi and it autocorrected to misogyny. Which is not my big goal - 🤣 I used to be a runner.. long distance mostly, and when I played sport, I always played in positions that had lots of running. It was a space of calm in my body and head. the pattern of breathing, my feet hitting the pavement, and even better if I ran in the rain …. FREEDOM. I last went for a run in 2023. Before that… pre-pregnancy maybe 2019/2017 and it was very short lived.. My health nose dived in 2010, and it has been a up and down journey since. I stopped playing hockey in 2009, and between then and now - over 15 years, I have not ever been able to get back into exercise that felt ‘right’. In 2023 I was the closest I had come… I had managed to slowly work myself up to running from walking, and for the first time in forever I felt like I wanted to run. I’d get to 5pm and say “I need to go for a run today I haven’t been yet” And then I broke my foot… I did the rehab, waited excitedly to get the clearance to run.. and then i didn’t.. I don’t remember why. I’m sure there’s a whole host of reasons. BUT it’s been 2 years. Im not responsible for staff anymore.. Im building a more sustainable business model that doesn’t need me to stay late every night… My physical health is sending me signals to say I need to put myself first. So, whats holding me back… Fear? Knowing I’ve quit this more times than I’ve succeeded in the past 15 years? I have always wanted to run a marathon…. Or a 10km because I actually dont know how long a marathon is. The ‘set an achievable goal’ me says - lets set the goal at a 2km. And sure that would be more realistic. But this isn’t the ‘set realistic goals that don’t challenge you’ chat. it’s the Misogi chat and I think there’s more like a 80/20 chance I don’t run a marathon. I think, its not so much about the distance honestly.. its about being able to think of myself as a runner, and it be ‘present tense’ again. The act of wanting to go for a run, because of how it will feel.

There was no big sign. No voice from the sky. Just me, alone, thinking: what if I actually did this? Turns out, the moments that change our lives the most don’t always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes they sneak in wearing plain clothes. It was 2013 and I'd just arrived in the UK. I didn’t really know anyone yet. Everything was unfamiliar. Cold. Quiet. I curled up in my tiny studio apartment near the hospital where I worked as a physiotherapist, with a bag of barbecue crisps from Marks and Spencer’s and a bottle of apple cider. I read Cycling Home from Siberia by Rob Lilwall, devouring it in a single sitting. I was immersed in the tale of Rob and his friend Alastair Humphreys riding their bikes all the way home from Siberia to the UK. Before I read that book, I thought adventure was for big muscly men. Not for pale ginger ladies who get sunburnt sitting under a tree. But page by page, my mind shifted and transformed. It might sound extreme, but it felt like someone had released me from a padlock and chains I didn’t even realise I was weighed down by. Suddenly, the impossible felt almost within reach — juuuust enough to let me imagine it. The fuse had been lit. The realisation that adventure doesn’t start when you’re ready, it starts when you follow the wild idea. The spark. Sometimes it even shows up as an ache. And you follow it, even if your hands are shaking. I decided in that moment, I’d cycle across the UK. That felt monumental. But then I looked at a map (I’ve been obsessed with maps ever since I was little) and I realised I hadn’t been to Belgium. Or the Netherlands. Or Germany. Or Sweden. And so, with no real cycling experience (like, maybe 30kms max in my life), I booked a one-way flight to Norway with my disassembled second-hand bike in a box … with the wild idea to ride my way all the way back to the UK. When the idea for that adventure fully landed in my mind — god, I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I’d never felt anything like it in my life.

Its origins are from Japan in an ancient Shinto ritual, that’s been reimagined for modern life and popularised by people like Jesse Itzler as a once-a-year, make-or-break challenge that stretches you beyond what you think you're capable of. Now this doesn't have to be related to your business or career ... it might be, but it doesn't have to be. The core idea? Pick something so damn hard that there’s about a 50/50 chance you might fail. Something that freaks you out and excites you — and commit to doing it in 2026. That moment of intense discomfort becomes a psychological reset, shaking loose self-limiting beliefs and expanding what you know you can handle. A Misogi isn’t about impressing anyone. It's all about you. Testing your fear thresholds, confronting the inner voice that says “I can’t,” and proving to yourself what you’re really capable of. Design yours around your biggest barriers - body, mind, work, relationships - something that’s legitimately intimidating but not reckless.