Wisdom in fragments

In the early days it was controversy… I remember, back then, thinking that there was something good about not being acceptable to everyone… it made us stand out from the crowd, and courted press attention.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

I remember taking my daughter to a speech I gave when she was just 5 years old, I wanted her to see mummy on stage as a way of showing her that she could be whatever she wanted to be.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

If you don't empower your team, you are doing them a disservice and it's not about working long, long hours but working smartly, productively, and sharing the workload with others who you are able to empower.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

We need to give women the freedom and confidence to believe and be whatever they want to. This isn't just about business, but about social conditioning in all cultures. Even now I experience inequality- I see it when I go to external meetings and I see two solicitors, both equal, and a female pouring the tea.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

I remember writing myself a letter- it's something I encourage women to do today- listing the things they've achieved in their career and personal lives. Before you go into that next important meeting, event or anything outside your comfort zone it's a great tool to give yourself that boost. Women need to be their own cheerleaders and remind themselves of the amazing things they've achieved.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

I'm extremely proud of the fact that we have driven social and cultural change. I have always wanted women to be empowered, and we've given them that opportunity. At the beginning, we said our events were going to be for women only, it enabled women to talk to each other about their sex lives in private, in a safe and unintimidating environment, and that was part of women's sexual empowerment as a movement.

Founder and former CEO of Ann Summers lingerie and party plan business

This year our footprint has gone down, but that has come at a huge human cost. There's no way we can aspire to decarbonise the way we have done this year, that's not responsible, the human cost cannot be sustained. We need responsible decarbonisation that creates jobs, creates wellbeing, and leaves the climate net better at the end.

Former UN Climate Change Executive Secretary & Global Climate Action Leader

Most people think of optimism as a celebration, but for us optimism is a courageous choice to remain grittily determined to find solutions in a timely and collaborative way. We have no choice but to address climate change, and thus we have no choice but to remain stubbornly optimistic.

Former UN Climate Change Executive Secretary & Global Climate Action Leader

It's sad that we don't immediately see the profound injustices embedded in climate change. It is precisely those people who have no responsibility for having caused climate change who are the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate.

Former UN Climate Change Executive Secretary & Global Climate Action Leader

If you don't believe in climate change, it is like telling me you don't believe in gravity. I don't care if you don't believe in gravity and I don't care if you don't believe in climate change… both are affecting you, and there's nothing you can do to deny or neutralize either of them.

Former UN Climate Change Executive Secretary & Global Climate Action Leader

I was a young mother with 2 small daughters and saw that the planet I was bringing my children into was one that was already severely diminished compared to the planet I received from my parents. How can any parent want their children to inherit a planet that's worse than the one they received?

Former UN Climate Change Executive Secretary & Global Climate Action Leader

As long as you keep your mind in the game, your body will follow. You convince your body through your mind. I've never heard anyone say, 'well, I was going to quit, but my body pulled me through…' it's your mind that pulls you through, and your body follows.

Former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in 2011

The key to getting over war is to talk about it. Nobody will think of you as the weak link- they'll either help you, point you to help, or perhaps even tell you they're going through the same. We all need to be more open; we're all going through something and communication is important.

Former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in 2011

When you first go to war as a young guy, it's almost like you want to get into combat. Quickly though, you realise that these are real people! You have to bring the human element to the fore. At first it was let's go to war… then it was let's do the right thing… and then it was why are we even doing this?

Former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in 2011

You need to master the basics and do the little things right. If you want to do something well you do it 1,000 times, if you want to do something great you do it 10,000 times. There's an old warrior saying, the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.

Former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in 2011

I was a semi-chubby white kid from Montana who couldn't swim. I became a Navy SEAL who ended-up in Osama bin Laden's bedroom on a Tier 1 Mission to take down the #1 terrorist in the world. My life is proof that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want.

Former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in 2011