Essays & Insights

Deep insights into how termite mounds, human societies, and the brain all demonstrate the same universal principle: intelligence emerges not from individual units, but from coordinated networks of specialised parts working together.

Through drummer Nick D'Virgilio's methodical practice for a Genesis tour, discover profound insights about brain preparation for high-stakes performance. From job interviews to team collaboration, explore the difference between earned confidence and false bravado, why the arrogance-ignorance-incompetence matrix matters, and how genuine preparation enables collective excellence.

Applying the principles of collective intelligence to everyday life: how stress responses, transitions, and play work the same way in families, workplaces, and communities. Practical insights for leaders and parents.

How quiet confidence shapes social dynamics in professional settings. From boardroom peacocking to authentic presence, discover why internal confidence matters more than external displays of power and how genuine influence emerges from steadiness, not showmanship.

How childhood dynamics shape adult leadership through the contrasting paths of Christopher and Peter Hitchens. From a father's peace treaty to public intellectual opposition, discover how early family patterns influence professional styles and the value of constructive disagreement.

Through the fictional yet deeply realistic experiences of social worker Angie Thokden at Midkwell County Council, witness how the system simultaneously demands and fails at the impossible task of changing others. A comprehensive exploration of why adaptation, not change, is what actually works in human development.

The psychological foundations of why we cannot directly change others. From neuroplasticity to attachment theory, discover the scientific evidence that explains why all genuine transformation must come from within, and how adaptation—not forced change—creates sustainable development.

How evolution's complete 'nonsense' is pure biological genius. From the giraffe's five-metre nerve detour to human resistance patterns, discover why our psychological responses developed as survival mechanisms, not design flaws. Featuring insights from Richard Dawkins and E.O. Wilson on the evolutionary debates that explain why change resistance isn't pathology—it's ancient wisdom operating in modern contexts.

The moral injury of promising impossible transformations. Following Angie Thokden through her professional crucifixion—stretched between political demands for change and evolutionary reality of resistance. How workers become unwilling participants in systematic harm whilst trying to help. From morning supervision to evening exhaustion, witness the gap between what we promise and what actually works.

What Darwin actually taught us about adaptation versus change. How influence works through environmental adjustment, not direct intervention. The biological approach to supporting human development without triggering resistance mechanisms. Understanding the difference between forcing change and creating conditions for natural adaptation.

Understanding the impasse between what we want and what's possible. Series synthesis exploring implications for practice, policy, and personal life. How to work with rather than against human nature in family development and professional practice. A compassionate examination of why we keep trying to change others despite knowing it doesn't work.

Like an overburdened Victoria sponge collapsing under too many layers, our children's services fragment under impossible expectations. From Sure Start's promise to current crisis, this structural analysis proposes parish-based integration where services meet families naturally, not through institutional gatekeeping.

Educators face impossible tensions between teaching and safeguarding duties. Examining "professional curiosity" versus the "microscope effect," this essay explores how structural pressures transform normal childhood behaviour into potential safeguarding concerns, affecting both professionals and families.