Leading with Vulnerability

Since last March, the UK has been either in nationwide lockdown or under more severe regional restrictions dictating everything from where people can travel, to what reasons you can leave your home, and how people may interact (or not) with one another while outside. Restaurants have been shut down to all but takeaway or delivery orders, entertainment venues shuttered, and only essential shops have remained open. On a personal note, having watched the entirety of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, Peacock, and HBO Max as well as clearing a good chunk of my reading list, teaching my English Bulldog new tricks (his best trick by far is falling asleep and it’s adorable), and after being inspired by an outdoor survival show trying to teach myself how to make a fire in my back garden with only flint and tinder (don’t worry, I had no chance of burning myself because I had no chance of actually making a fire in the first place)…needless to say, I, and I expect most of the country, have run out of things to do.

To those who have visited London before, the hustle and bustle that is a hallmark of this incredible city have been replaced with an eerie stillness that reverberates into a deafening silence when standing in typically busy places like Piccadilly Circus or London Bridge. While the crowds are gone, so are the personal interactions that we take for granted on a daily basis with friends…