STING!

I had been listening to Sting's music my whole life. I read his autobiography many years ago. And just like Richard Branson's autobiography, it made a great impression on me. Because of the values he lives.

The tickets to Sting were a birthday present for my husband, Friedel, because he does so much to support me in my speaking and writing and mentoring journey on so many levels. And in a thousand unselfish, thoughtful gestures.

Sting did not disappoint. In fact, as Keshnie Mati said at our recent speakers meeting, Sting was for me a lollipop moment in 2025. One of those indelible memories that will stay with you forever.

It was a lollipop moment for two reasons.

When Sting sang the iconic "Fields of Gold", I sat with tears gently soaking my cheeks. It was the song that our beloved friend, Paul Bannister, always used to play away before he passed away after battling crippling motor neurone disease. Paul left this world a richer place for the magnanimous spirit he left behind, his marketing prowess, his music, his remarkable intellect, his wonderful humour and the incredible family values he lived. Paul was simply unforgettable.

And he left us with Fields of Gold, Fields of Memories.

Because isn't that what life is really about? Not the companies we run or staff issues or scaling, but those incredible memories.

Those are the lollipop moments that matter when one day we too will leave the world - hopefully a richer place for the tapestry of memories we weave and the legacy of love we stitch together.

The second reason why Sting touched me so deeply was because I had listened to his iconic song, "Englishman in New York", so many times, but somehow I never really got the ending until I heard him sing it live. It was as if he was singing it to my very soul.

Maybe I'd never really let the words in before, but suddenly this year, those words finally made sense to me.

And the words were,

"Be yourself no matter what they say".

That sentence was what Sting came to sing to me in 2025.

Because in this past year, becoming more visible has been challenging. I had to overcome so many demons of self-doubt and so many voices of the past to find my true voice as a speaker and a writer and a mentoring coach.

Be yourself.

Being myself has been the greatest challenge of my life.

My greatest fear in becoming more visible was the voices of judgment I had battled my whole life. What will people say? If I become more visible, will they say I'm full of myself? If I make strong opinions or if I'm raw and honest about my past and the shame I lived in for so long, will people annihilate me when I've already exposed myself with such deep vulnerability?

You see, growing up, I was not the popular one. I was the plump, spotty, introverted, animal-loving, book-reading, quiet, desperately shy kid who never really felt like they fitted in.

Growing up in a bipolar family with my father's constant threats of suicide, I sought solace in food not sport, unlike my siblings. It set in motion years of extreme yo-yo dieting and eating disorders.

Often, I felt like I'd been delivered to the wrong address. How could I be so different?

It was only when I became a vulnerable storyteller that my whole life started to make sense.

And that was the journey of me starting to "be myself".

When you are an empath and a recovering people-pleaser, it's hard to be disliked. It smacks of the rejection and disappointment you were often met with when you were younger. You never really shake off the "fat kid label" as Brent Lindeque so beautifully and courageously recently wrote about.

But this year in particular, thanks to my remarkable team and many incredible people who have chosen to align themselves with my story and my message, they have given me the courage to slowly become more and more myself, less concerned about what other people think and more concerned about making a difference as a philanthropist, and as a warrior for change.

Thank you, Sting, for allowing me to finally hear the words, Be Yourself, no matter what they say.

That is the essence of Cassie Phillips' poetry and Mel Robbins' remarkable book "The Let Them Theory".

"Let Them" is about letting go of those other voices. Letting go of the 'barking dog' that threatens to stifle your courage, your creativity, and your confidence.

The only way you can truly be yourself is to listen to a higher voice, a voice that transcends human opinions and perceptions. Let that be your North Star no matter what they say.

Be yourself.

Be brave.

The world needs your unique voice, not somebody else's copycat version.

Be yourself because that's your greatest gift.