Walpole: In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?
Natasha Towey: On occasion, the two do sometimes blend into one! Although we have hybrid working, I prefer to be in the office so my home stays a home, and not a place where I work. This is really important to me for the separation. I also prefer connecting with my team face-to-face – some of our best ideas come from serendipitous moments and casual chats in the office, and I find these happen much less virtually.
My 30-minute drive to work acts as my daily ritual to prep for the day ahead and then to shut down before I get home. I subscribe to the Masterclass app and on my commute to work I listen to one of these – it’s my daily dose of inspiration and puts me in the mindset of being a better leader. On my way home from work, I turn up the volume and play something like 80’s Groove Mastercuts to lift my mood and mentally disconnect from work. Both have become daily habits that prime my brain for work or home, and it seems to work for me.
What’s one thing you do after the workday to help you unwind?
I get outside. I go for a run, walk the dog, or combine the two; I just like to get out in the fresh air and nature. I’ve also recently started meditating and breathwork. Even just for 10 minutes, it really helps me unwind and re-focus my brain and mind away from work tasks. I find it provides the time and quiet needed to de-clutter my head of work thoughts and to think more clearly.
What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?
My teenage daughter and I always have a box set that we sit and watch together – we’ve done Friends (3 times!), Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls and now we’re on Grey’s Anatomy. After a stressful week I really look forward to the escapism and spending time together in front of the TV. My other go-to to destress and relax is a nice meal out with friends where the conversation and hours of laughter is always just what I need.
What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?
Last year I read Anya Hindmarsh’s book If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair. Not only is it a refreshingly honest account of the challenges of raising a family and running a business, but it’s also full of hands-on, practical advice. There are many things that inspired me from this book; the fact that there are benefits to bringing emotion in the workplace (and that this is a female superpower), to getting an old-fashioned alarm clock and implementing ‘stop the clock’ with your partying teenagers to avoid constant worry and waiting up for them. In the book she also says someone once told her that until the age of 50 you are still learning, after 50 it’s your time to teach. This really resonated with me and, whilst I won’t be writing a book, I instead joined Manchester Metropolitan University’s mentor programme and have begun mentoring students into employment and supporting future talent into the travel industry.
After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?
Earlier this year I discovered the coolest place for wellness experiences. The Farm Club is on an actual farm, next to a lake in the heart of Cheshire. Coaches and practitioners host outdoor fitness classes, yoga, breathwork, cold water swimming and ice baths (I’m building up to the ice bath!). Spending a morning here under the outdoor teepee practising yoga, followed by some healthy food from the Unagi street food truck on site has become a Saturday ritual. They also do ‘ecstatic dance’ which is a real feel-good Friday event and sets you up for the weekend.
On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?
If I’m honest, I try to avoid thinking about work on the weekends, especially on a Sunday evening. With two teenagers, who have a better social life than me, Sunday nights are often the only night we’re all together as a family, so that time is precious. If I started to think about my to-do list, my mind would be fixed on work, and I know I’d struggle to sleep. Instead, I prefer to get up early on a Monday morning and arrive at the office an hour or two before anyone else and use this time to plan the week ahead and I’m in a much better frame of mind to prioritise then too.
Best reason you've had to turn your Out of Office on recently?
I recently had an opportunity to spend a couple of days in the company of Sir Richard Branson at one of his new hotel openings, Son Bunyola in Mallorca. Having been inspired by his autobiography Losing my Virginity in my twenties, this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for me. He’s so passionate about all of his projects and to hear him talk personally about his journey was an amazing privilege.
