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“Thanks, But No Thanks: What Rejection Can Still Teach Us”.
There’s a particular sting that comes with professional rejection. Not the big dramatic kind, but the slow, creeping kind. The polite email, the generic phrasing, or the worst of all… silence. Over recent months, I’ve had a few of those moments. Some courteous, some vague, and some so quiet I wondered if my messages had been sent by carrier pigeon. And judging by the number of posts from educators and leaders on LinkedIn recently, I’m far from alone. Rejection is something we
mabrettell
Nov 17, 20254 min read


The Myth of the Strong-but-Silent Leader
Why those 3am thoughts don’t make you weak; they make you human We joke about them, but we all know they’re real. The 3am thoughts. The...
mabrettell
Sep 11, 20253 min read


The Fine Illusion: How Hiding Your Humanity Hurts Your Leadership
Content Warning: This blog contains a personal story involving significant medical pain and hospitalisation. We’ve all been there. The...
mabrettell
Aug 22, 20253 min read


The Year That Wasn’t What You’d Planned — And Why That’s O.K.
Leadership doesn’t always go to plan — but that doesn’t mean you haven’t grown. I remember the year I was convinced I’d finally crack...
mabrettell
May 19, 20253 min read
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