Earlier this year (and recently republished), I was featured in The Australian Business Journal as one of “9 Rising Australian Authors to Watch in 2025.”
It was a quiet honour — one I acknowledged… but didn’t promote loudly at the time.
Not because I wasn’t proud.
But because, if I’m honest — and those who know me will understand — self-promotion has never been my natural rhythm.
People often remind me how important it is to be visible, to accept acknowledgment, to share my work more boldly. And I appreciate that encouragement. Truly.
But I’ve always been someone who rolls up my sleeves, stands shoulder to shoulder with others, and does the work that actually makes a difference.
That’s what lights me up — watching people grow, shift, and find their edge again. Seeing teams transform into safe zones for courage, curiosity, and collaboration.
So no, I didn’t amplify the article. But it stayed with me.
A quiet reminder.
That the writing matters.
That the voice I bring — the lens I offer — is needed.
And that maybe now, more than ever, it’s time to speak up again.
The Quiet Crisis We Can’t Keep Ignoring
This past year, I’ve been paying attention.
Not just to the headlines that grab attention, but to what sits beneath them — the tone, the shifts in behaviour, the quiet signals of what’s really happening.
That’s where the truth lives.
And what I’m seeing is deeply concerning.
But what I’m not hearing? That’s even more alarming.
There’s a silence creeping through organisations — thick with disillusionment.
You can feel it in the pauses between conversations.
In the hesitation to speak.
In the fear that truth might cost someone their job.
Behind that silence hides intimidation.
Manipulation.
Control disguised as leadership.
Power used to protect status — not people.
Senior leaders publicly preaching purpose while privately diminishing the very people holding the business together.
AI being used as a shield to justify cruelty.
Humans reduced to line items.
Let’s call it what it is:
That’s not strategy.
That’s not innovation.
That’s harm.
And that’s risk.
The Lesson in Looking Back
If you’ve read my blogs or articles from years ago, you’ll know this isn’t new.
In fact, it’s confronting how relevant they still are — maybe even more so now.
What does that tell us?
That we keep circling the same ground.
That we cling to the “known,” even when it’s failing us.
That dysfunction has become familiar — even comfortable.
We’ve made progress in technology and expectations, sure.
But the human progress — the part that really matters — is lagging.
And the costs are compounding.
Fatigue. Disillusionment. Disengagement.
And cultures quietly fracturing under the weight of it all.
Disengagement Is Not Just a Statistic. It’s a Signal.
We’ve known for years that engagement is low.
But we treat it like a data point — not a cry for help.
Disengagement isn’t a people problem.
It’s a leadership problem.
A systems problem.
A risk problem.
A living, breathing indicator of culture, performance, and reputation.
Ignored long enough, it becomes the quietest — and most dangerous — form of organisational decay.
We can’t keep pretending disengagement is something HR needs to fix.
It’s something leaders need to own.
A Lens for Clarity — Not Compliance
This is where our approach at Unearth flips the script.
Because risk management is not just compliance.
It’s not a report.
It’s not a quarterly review.
It’s a lens — a clarity tool. A leadership superpower.
Used well, it helps leaders:
- See beyond the noise and pressure.
- Connect decisions to identity, values, and purpose.
- Build alignment before chasing performance.
- Spot and act on risks before they erupt.
Yes, it takes courage.
But real leadership always does.
Frameworks like PROTECT and S4R weren’t designed to tick boxes.
They were designed to reveal what traditional systems can’t — and to help leaders lead with awareness, accountability, and care.
Because when you change the lens,
You change what you see.
And when you change what you see,
You change what’s possible.
Why I’m Writing Again
I’ve been capturing stories. Documenting patterns.
Listening to the hum beneath the headlines.
And yes — I’m deep in the process of writing my next book, coming in 2026.
It’s shaped by everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve learned, and everything I know to be true:
That risk and leadership are not separate conversations.
That every crisis is a collection of ignored signals.
And that courage, clarity, and care aren’t soft skills — they’re survival skills.
Woven through this new work is something many of you have been asking for — a closer look at the Risk Rebel Leadership Pathway.
It’s the journey that helps leaders see risk differently, lead more consciously, and reconnect to what truly matters.
To the Ones Who See It Too
If you’ve felt the disillusionment…
If you’ve watched good people being made the problem…
If you’ve seen what poor leadership really costs…
You’re not alone.
And you’re not imagining it.
We can’t keep pretending these issues are isolated or inevitable.
The longer we stay silent, the more we normalise harm.
And the more we avoid the conversation, the further we drift from what leadership is meant to be.
So this isn’t about raising red flags.
It’s about raising standards.
For those ready to lead differently — this is your nudge.
The way forward is through clarity, courage, and connection.
That’s what risk management can offer — when you see it through a new lens.
That’s why I’m writing again.
That’s why I won’t stay silent.
That’s what it means to be a Risk Rebel.
If this message resonates — if you’d like to stay close to the journey as it unfolds — you can now register your interest in my upcoming book, The Risk Rebel Playbook (working title). Those who sign up will be the first to hear about new insights, reflections, and some exciting behind-the-scenes moments I’ll be sharing along the way.
Because this isn’t just a book — it’s a movement.
And when the timing’s right, those who’ve joined me early will be the first to experience what’s coming next.
Register here to stay connected.
So stay tuned.
And Risk Rebels — what say you?
