Walpole: In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?
There are practical things like having two phones and not checking email on holiday, but most of the time I don’t feel like there’s a hard line between the two. While I don’t necessarily want to be checking my inbox constantly, keeping an eye out for press requests that need a quick response is part of the job and doesn’t feel too intrusive.
Likewise, I love reading newspapers and magazines, and I do that in my spare time as well as for work. I’ve always been inspired and interested in culture, media and news. That said, since having my son I have different pulls on my time and being present for him is so important, especially while he’s little – so he acts as a tiny enforcer.
What’s one thing you do after the workday to help you unwind?
Cook! My day is often filled with things that I find intellectually stimulating but can also be intangible. I find cooking helps me switch off and it’s satisfying to do something practical. Quite often I’ll listen to a food-related podcast when cooking (very meta). Andrew Ridgeley’s interview on Jessie Ware’s Table Manners was joyous – he’s very specific about what he likes.
What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?
Despite having a garden the size of a postage stamp, I’ve become a keen gardener in the past couple of years. When we moved in, the garden was entirely paved in brick and we’ve now got proper beds, a tiny lawn and a patio that’s a real sun trap. I’m more into plants and flowers than veggies, but we inherited a plum tree that has enough fruit to feed the whole terrace and I’d love to grow more things to eat. My latest project has been a container garden at the front of the house and the pièce de resistance is a planter repurposed from a whiskey barrel that I found for £30 on Etsy. It smells incredible.
What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?
Grace Lordan’s book Think Big is fantastic. She’s founder of The Inclusion Initiative and a Professor in Behavioural Science at LSE with a focus on inclusive leadership and women’s progress in the workplace. I find her approach of making small but consistent, positive changes every day really resonates with me right now. Balancing having a toddler with work and feeling like you can still achieve your goals can be daunting, but she breaks things down in a way that is achievable.
After home and the office, where’s your favourite third space?
I live in Southeast London and Beckenham Place Park is a short drive from us. There’s an incredible wild swimming lake, huge grounds and woods for walking. Plus, there’s always something interesting going on in the house on from vintage fairs and markets to great live music and outdoor cinema screenings.
On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?
Unless I know I have an event the following week, in which case I’ll make sure I have something to wear, things are generally pretty relaxed. A roast, glass of wine and something on TV – I’ve just finished BEEF on Netflix which I can’t stop thinking about. The last episode was total chaos.
Best reason you've had to turn your Out of Office on recently?
A family holiday with grandparents to Marrakesh earlier this year. Despite some early nervousness about the hustle and bustle it worked on every level; the buzz of the souks, strolling around the Jardin Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent Museum, exploring the grounds of our hotel with peacocks roaming about, it really was perfect.
