Revealing my Guide Word for 2025

And how I'm going to use it

On Monday, I encouraged you to choose a Guide Word for 2025. You can read about it here.

Now it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is and share my own word for the year:

Actually I’ve been greedy. I’ve commandeered a whole phrase: Make Love Consistently.

This phrase feels both audacious and grounding—an invitation to center my year around love in all its forms.

My husband, who usually edits this newsletter, was busy chopping wood yesterday, so this will be the first time he reads it. So, darling, brush your teeth—you’ve got a busy morning ahead of you.

Joking aside, let me share why I chose this word and how I plan to live it in 2025.

(By the way I’m running a masterclass to help YOU choose YOUR Guide Word for the year on Sunday 5 Jan 5PM GMT/ 12 EST.)

In 2024, I chose Leap as my Guide Word. I envisioned a year of bold personal and professional growth.

At first, I embraced the word wholeheartedly. I worked relentlessly—even when I didn’t need to (after all I’m not a heart surgeon). Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I pushed harder. I'd keep reminding myself - we’re leaping this year.

By September, I’d pushed too hard. I was sitting in an airport lounge on a Sunday, laptop open, trying to write—but I couldn’t see what I was writing. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. I didn’t want to leap any more. I wanted to have lunch with my family.

In my determination to leap, I’d forgotten about love.

Looking back, I’m proud of what I achieved last year. But the moments I treasure most—the ones I want more of in 2025—aren’t about professional milestones or financial targets. They’re about love.

Loving the moment when a client makes a discovery that changes their life.
Loving the pride on someone’s face after delivering a talk they once feared.
Loving deep conversations with colleagues and friends.
Loving doing bad art with my kids on a Sunday afternoon.

In 2025, I’m choosing to Make Love Consistently.

This means consciously prioritizing love over shiny distractions and short-term gains. It’s about choosing connection over ambition and status.

It’s about making space for love in every area of my life. And I’m declaring it right here to you.

These are some of the areas I see love showing up in my life.

Having three kids and living in the middle of nowhere—or "bumblefuck," as a local friend calls it—makes it harder to be the kind of friend I want to be. I love and miss my friends, so I’m using my Guide Word to change that.

Friends, I might not make it to your Wednesday night party in London, but I’ll call you the morning after while I walk my dog to hear all about it.

The tweak: I’m making a list of the people I want to spend more time with and keeping it visible. When the opportunity arises, I’ll call or arrange to see them. Simple, yes—but not something I’ve been intentional about before.

Here’s the paradox: sometimes, love means saying no.

Boundaries, I’ve learned, are one of the most loving ways to show up. They say: “I care about this relationship and I want it to be sustainable for both of us”.

If you, like me have an anxious / avoidant attachment style you’ll know there is a tendency to walk away rather than communicate a boundary.

The Tweak: This year, I’ll use love to guide my boundaries. With myself, with others. With my children (who, let’s be honest, test them the most).

I love my work. But like any relationship, it evolves. There are one or two long-standing engagements that I no longer, well - love. I do them for stability, and that’s ok.

But this year, I’ll be actively seeking and making space for the projects, clients, and collaborations that energise me. That’s going to involve making some scary decisions at the top of the year. But it’s ok - love will lead the way.

The Tweak: At the end of each week, I’ll ask: What did I love most this week, and why?

This holiday I’ve been enjoying some essays by French philosopher, Michel De Montagne. They’re like little sweeties, each takes just around 6 mins to read. I enjoy what he says about marriage – The best marriage, he says would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband. Oh hang on, that’s not the quote I was looking for! He says: a good marriage is more like a friendship. Don’t worry Rods – I still intend to ‘make love consistently’, but I also want to keep cherishing our friendship. It can be hard to keep the romantic candle burning when you’ve got the school run alarm going off at 6 and you like to put your Invisalign retainers in by 9.15PM but friendship, friendship is something I can do anytime!

Ok, phew - we’re nearly there and this one brings us back to where we started.

I chose my guide word last year because I saw what a colleague of mine had achieved and I wanted it too. I didn't actually stop to think about whether I actually wanted it - whether I would really really love it. It just looked really nice. So I chose leap to get me there. Never again will I allow comparison to sway me from the path of love.

The Tweak: I know when I’m suffering from comparison-itus because it feels deeply deeply icky. And when I feel the ick coming on, I’ll simply remind myself to look out for love instead.

Join me on Sunday 5 Jan 5-6PM for a masterclass to help you choose your Guide Word. Here’s the link to book your spot. I’ve kept the price affordable. Once you book your ticket, you’ll get an email with the zoom link. (Make sure you check your spam folder).

And if you’re looking for an end of year reflection and vision-writing exercise there’s one in this email.

And finally, I’ve discounted my course: The Confidence Boost - 6 Ways to Get Unstuck. It’s 50% off until Sunday 5 Jan.