Something I’ve been noticing
ThriveSpan has been seven years in the making. Seven years of thinking, reflecting, and slowly allowing the ideas to take shape. It will be published in June.
When I look back at the very first draft, written during lockdown alongside my doctorate, it would have been a very conventional book. I wasn’t yet immersed in the woodland in the way I am now. That came later.
In many ways, ThriveSpan was written here, in the wood. I would come with a notebook, sit quietly, and reflect. It was only last summer that the structure truly revealed itself. I realised that the book wasn’t made up of sections at all, but of paths.
Not a dramatic change
I would arrive, pause, breathe, and then ask myself, where do I go today? Which path feels right? That became the organising idea. And once that was clear, traditional chapters no longer made sense. Instead, there are glades, places you can step into and spend time in. You don’t need to start at the beginning or move through in order. You can simply open the book and see what draws you.
Another shift came from my earlier book, Career Coaching for Midlife and Beyond, which was very much a practical guide with exercises and action steps. At one point I found myself starting to do the same here, and it just didn’t feel right.
Less pushing, more choosing
So instead, I offer gentle reflections. Nothing in this book is something you have to do. They are simply ideas to sit with, if you wish.
I think of the book as a companion, something you can return to, rather than work through.
The third path, which explores joy and meaning, is the one I feel closest to now. I often say I’m nearly 70, though I’m still 68, but it reflects something deeper. My relationship with time and with life has shifted, even over the past few years.
A different relationship with time
Last summer I took a sabbatical. What began as time away from work became something more significant. I realised I no longer wanted to continue with client work in the same way. I needed space to simply be, and to find my way again.
Writing has become a central part of that. I’ve also been writing for The i Paper, and it’s a very different rhythm. It allows me to draw on my experience and my doctorate, but in a way that feels more grounded and sustainable.
I spend more time here now, in the wood. There is a steadiness to it.
Learning, adapting, continuing
Bringing this book into the world has also meant learning new things. I chose to publish it myself, continuing to work with the same production team I’ve used before, but retaining full creative control. That mattered to me, especially with something so personal, including the woodland imagery that runs throughout it.
There have been technical challenges along the way, but I see that as part of the process. Learning, adapting, and continuing to grow doesn’t stop just because we get older.
The quiet return to ordinary things
Alongside the book, I’ve been creating a few additional pieces. Today, for example, I recorded a guided reflection here in the wood, with the birds in the background. It’s not a meditation, more a quiet invitation to pause and think. That will be one of the gifts for those who pre-order, along with a couple of others I’ll share soon.
I’ll also be sharing a chapter from the book, not the opening one, but something from deeper within, so you can get a feel for how it reads.
Between each chapter, there are also short reflective pieces. I’ve come to think of them as interludes. Over time, I’ve realised there may be a whole collection in those, perhaps something like a weekly reflection for the year.
What begins to matter now
What matters most to me, though, is that this work is shared honestly. I’m not creating programmes or promising transformation. I’m not trying to turn this into something larger than it needs to be.
It’s simply an offering.
I’m very grateful to those who already support my writing, particularly on Substack. That support has meant more than I expected, and I try to give back in small, thoughtful ways.
For now
For now, I’m going to continue with a few practical tasks here. Filling the bird feeders, walking the land, noticing the changes. The bluebells have gone now, and the seed pods are coming through. The wood is always moving on, in its own way.
And in early June, ThriveSpan will be out in the world.
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