Walpole: In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?
Tanya Uniacke: I’ve always admired entrepreneurs, not just for their creativity and confidence to build something of their own, but also for the commitment to take on something they can’t ever really switch off from. I run a division within a global brand experiencing rapid growth. Add to that, for better or for worse, my husband also has the same mandate – we work in the same business. So the honest answer is my work and personal time are completely merged, but I still manage to switch off with the help of my fabulous friends and family.
What’s one thing you do after the workday to help you unwind?
Talk to my kids about their day. Immersing myself in their joys and woes puts everything into perspective.
What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?
Exercise, then play. I run or walk to work every day, and the weekend always starts with a prolonged exercise or HIIT routine to shake off the cobwebs. Then the play can start guilt-free, and your mind is fresher.
What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?
I listen to the The Rest is Politics podcast on my journey into work, which is thoroughly enjoyable and educational. I’ve got two interesting books on the go currently which are opening my mind on different subjects: The Hidden Half by Michael Blastland, which challenges human intellect to explain the unexplainable (cryptic, right?); and Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R Sunstein, which is all about the “noise” created from the flaws of human judgement, using statistical and psychological perspectives. The theme being, don’t just regurgitate what you’ve heard, challenge and discuss - write your own story. Both fascinating, but I need a holiday to actually finish them!
After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?
Outdoors anywhere. If I had to narrow it down, it would be a blue-sky day, attached to a pair of skis making first tracks on a freshly powdered off-piste ski run.
On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?
Immersive, mind-numbing television. If my husband has anything to do with it, this will be on a dystopian zombie-vampire-alien theme to make sure we’re prepped for every eventuality - all in the name of research, apparently.
Best reason you've had to turn your Out of Office on recently?
A road trip with the family and our besties from Miami to Key West in Florida, USA. It was the motivational reminder we needed as to why we work so hard.
Your go-to Out of Office outfit: Joggers and a jumper.
Your happy place anywhere in the world: It’s got to be home.
Your favourite bar or restaurant: Folie Douce in Chamonix, France or The Bungalow in Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
Something you booked recently that you'd recommend: A beach front suite at Parrot Key Hotel in Key West, USA - total paradise.
Something you've listened to or read recently that you'd recommend: Emma Gannon’s Ctrl Alt Delete podcast.
A hobby you'd like to cultivate: Making sourdough loaves. I got into it in lockdown, but you need time to love and nurture your starter – so that’s one for when the office commute is over.
A luxury that’s actually a necessity: The hairdresser.
Best luxury under £25: Black Sheep coffee – at £4.10 for a medium, it’s almost daylight robbery, but it’s so good I can’t help myself. That’s while we wait for Difference Coffee to come to the high street, of course!
