Living in the Question

I love London, I really do. Since I moved to London six years ago, I’ve appreciated living there so much. In fact, I have often described the decision to move there as the best I ever made. And, yet, even though I have loved London so much, I’ve always been aware of the price I’ve had to...

The challenges of transition

We’ve just been through the ten day period that marks the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), a time of reflection over the past year, culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. One of the stories read over Yom Kippur is that of Jonah, who spent three days and nights in the belly of a whale (or...

The Human Factor

A few weeks ago I was due to be teaching in Newfield’s coaching programme in Colorado and to take part in our first ever global summit. It was my first trip to Colorado in five years and I was very much looking forward to it. But it was not to be. I arrived at Denver airport and got no further than...

Listen, listen, listen …

Towards the end of her life, my mother, who grew up and lived in Baghdad until she was in her late thirties, developed Alzheimer’s, and started to forget herself during her conversations. Whenever we spoke on the ‘phone, or when we met, she would ask me what I did for a living, and I would try...

The problem of cynicism …

In the work I do at Newfield, we spend a lot of time working with, and looking at, moods and emotions. Not in the psychological sense, but more from the perspective of moods and emotions as pre-dispositions for action. For example, if I am in a mood of anger, or resentment that pre-disposes me to different...

Talking about talking about …

Israel is almost always in the news, and it’s an area I take a keen interest in – I have plenty of family there, and it’s a place I know reasonably well. I read commentators in both the British and Israeli press, and often attend talks about Israel in London. One of the things that strikes...