The Power of Awe: A Leadership and Life Superpower
I am currently experiencing a lot of awe. Perhaps it’s because I’m surrounded by vast mountains, pristine lakes, and breathtaking landscapes whilst visiting Tyroll. Being in nature seems to be the easiest and most accessible way to evoke this powerful emotion. It stops me in my tracks, expands my perspective, and makes me feel both small and deeply connected at the same time.
But I don’t always have access to dramatic landscapes, so at home, I’ve built a practice to train my awe muscle—I run a daily awe Instagram account where I post a photo of something that symbolises my experience of awe that day. It forces me to slow down, notice, and appreciate the extraordinary within the ordinary.
Purpose with a Small “p”: Redefining What It Means to Live with Purpose
As I sit here, surrounded by the breathtaking Swiss Alps, I notice something interesting. People going about their day - sweeping their doorsteps, chatting over coffee, adjusting their ski gear - all with an effortless sense of purpose.
It’s not grand. It’s not a world-changing mission statement. It’s small. Simple. Present.
And it got me thinking: Have we made "purpose" too big, too overwhelming, too impossible to find?
The Art of Unfolding – A Leadership Experiment on Wheels
For years, my default setting has been Plan Everything. Meticulous spreadsheets, color-coded itineraries, contingency plans for my contingency plans. As an ex-project manager, this level of control was basically my learnt personality trait.
But this year, I’m testing a different approach. Instead of detailed planning, I’m embracing unfolding, a way of moving through leadership (and life) with a balance of clarity and adaptability. And I’m using my upcoming two-month motorhome trip across Europe as an experiment in this very concept.
The Power of Rethinking - Why It’s So Hard & How It Fuels Success
Lately, this theme has been coming up a lot in my coaching conversations: Why is it so hard to rethink our beliefs, change our minds, or let go of outdated strategies?
In leadership and entrepreneurship, we celebrate conviction. We admire strong-minded, clear-sighted leaders - those who are decisive, confident, and unwavering in their beliefs. But what if this is the greatest myth of success?
Adam Grant, in Think Again, argues that great entrepreneurs and leaders don’t just have strong opinions, they actively rethink them. In a fascinating experiment on the Italian startup ecosystem, entrepreneurs who were taught to think like scientists - searching for truth instead of trying to be right - grew their revenue twice as fast as those who clung to their original strategies and products.
It turns out, the ability to rethink isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a competitive advantage.
Befriending Your Emotions
For 43 years, I physically felt the rising tide of emotions, trying - sometimes desperately - to control them. I had been told that emotions had no place in boardrooms, that they were unprofessional, that they clouded rational thinking. I believed it. I tried to push them away, manage them, suppress them.
Then, my coaching supervisor Divinia Knowles FCMA said something that changed everything:
"What if your emotions were your superpower?"
Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions
The start of a new year often brings an avalanche of resolutions and goals. This January, I watched the LinkedIn feed fill with declarations of change, ambition, and growth and I felt a profound sense of relief.
A year of mindfulness: what 365 days on the cushion taught me about life
Here’s a completely unrelated picture of my cat in a shopping bag, because apparently, that’s what LinkedIn’s algorithm loves. Now that I’ve gamed the system, let’s dive into the real stuff.
A year ago, I embarked on a journey to practice mindfulness every single day. Not for a badge, not for a streak, and definitely not to impress my ego. I started with one simple “why”: to explore how mindfulness could improve my emotional regulation and help me cultivate curiosity and a non-judgmental attitude towards myself, others, and the world. What began as a scientific enquiry turned into something far more transformative.
Embodied Leadership Takes Courage: Reflections from a Coaching Retreat
This is my favourite picture from a recent coaching retreat I had the pleasure to co-facilitate with Divinia Knowles, the founder of COO RT. The smile on my face says it all. While it might look like I’m watching a group of ‘kids’ in kindergarten taking their afternoon nap, the reality is far more profound. I was witnessing a group of courageous COOs fully immersing themselves in the process—letting go of hesitation, scepticism, and coming home to their bodies.
The Sound of Silence: Leadership Lessons from a Silent Retreat
Yesterday, I returned from a silent retreat, aiming to deepen my mindfulness practice and find answers to some pressing questions that have been piling up in my head. Over the course of 116 hours, 108 of which were spent in complete silence, I discovered that silence isn’t as silent as one might think. The world is a noisy place, even without the distractions of wifi, TV, and digital devices.
Where Solitude and Focus Meet, Good Things Are Born: How I Built My New Website
Launching my new website, dagmaraaldridge.com, is both an exciting and nerve-wracking milestone, but I am super happy to share with you all the fruits of my labor. This project was born out of a solo trip I took to Wales, so I could focus entirely on this daunting task. As someone who's never built a website before, it was a steep learning curve, but I’ve always believed that with focus and dedication, we can learn anything.
My Journey to ICF ACC Credential (spoiler alert - it was hard at times).
I'm beyond happy to share that on Monday, I have received confirmation of my ICF Associate Certified Coach credential and today I received my Credly badge for this achievement! This journey, which began back in January 2022, has been one of profound growth and relentless dedication. It also felt hard at times, juggling two jobs at one point, coaching education and coaching clients.
Embracing the Chill: Lessons from Cold Water Swimming.
For nearly three years, I've been journeying into the embrace of cold waters, a journey that has profoundly impacted both my mental and physical well-being. Today's swim was the epitome of why I cherish this practice. The water was a crisp 6 degrees - no wind, the lake a mirror of glass. Being the first to break the surface, to disturb the stillness, is an experience unlike any other, my absolute favourite.
Why Kids Should Learn to Breath Before Spelling.
Today marks 100 days of daily breathwork practice, a personal journey from skepticism to advocacy for the power of breath. As a leader, emotional regulation was a struggle for me, with my emotions often visibly overwhelming me for everyone to see. Advice to "just breathe" seemed overly simplistic, if not dismissive, until it transformed my life.
I Love Flying and What That Has to Do with Mindfulness?
In May 2014, I began my mindfulness journey, a path that turned out to be filled with ups and downs, much like the altitude changes in flight 🛩
This on-and-off affair, marked by over 1,000 sessions and nearly 14,000 minutes of meditation, led me to today's milestone: 100 consecutive days of seated practice!
