When Did We Stop Making Time for Real Conversations?

I've been reconnecting a lot recently.

It started as networking for my new business, but it's morphed into something entirely different. Something that's giving me genuine joy.

When I finally had the space and energy to reach out to people properly, I discovered I didn't want to stop. These weren't transactional conversations anymore - they were feeding something I'd forgotten I needed.

Over the last fortnight alone, I've reconnected with:

• An ex-colleague from my graduate days at Cable & Wireless - reminiscing about how our lives evolved over the following decades

• A BT peer on a similar journey to mine, sharing lessons learned and fears faced

• Another BT alumnus thinking about coaching, who opened my eyes to a whole new industry

• A local connection setting up her own HR consultancy - swapping stories and spotting collaboration opportunities

• A new contact (recommended by a mutual friend) who's planning their own mid-life pivot

The common threads? Genuine human connections, some stretching back twenty-five years. People at transition points. A shared desire to learn from each other rather than just at each other.

Here's what I realised: the patterns I'd defaulted into during my corporate years weren't serving me at all.

No time to breathe. No time to reach out. No time to switch off the analytical brain and just... listen.

This led to stagnation. Same questions, same options, same solutions. I lost my spark and curiosity. I spent more time managing expectations and navigating politics, less time genuinely connecting with the humans around me.

So here's my question for you: when did you last give yourself space to reconnect with someone - not for a project update or stakeholder briefing, but for an actual conversation?

What if you carved out an hour once a week for something that wasn't about deliverables or deadlines?

And if you fancy that being a chat with me - you know where I am 👆