What if everything you believed from your childhood was a lie?

I recently experienced something really profound on a retreat in the Scottish highlands with Peakes Private Members Club. We were having a firewalking experience on the last night, and I’d been really looking forward to learning how to do it. It must be possible, I’d seen people do it, but I couldn’t wrap my head around quite how. It’s all in the technique, because regardless of what you’re doing, once you know, you know, right?!

So we go and wait in the disco room (epic karaoke night was had in here a few nights previously) and the firewalking instructor had set up his pitch. They had some pop up banners and I was really surprised to see that they didn’t just do firewalking. They did arrow breaking (really, what?) and glass walking. I said out loud to the room, “I’m so glad we’re just doing the fire walk. Just looking at that photo of those feet on broken glass is making me feel sick, I couldn’t do that”

Why did I think that? Where did that belief come from? Well, that’s easy. What happened when you were younger and a glass got broken on the kitchen floor? What do you do now when the same thing happens? If you’re anything like me, you wave your arms out in a wide arc ‘nobody move, there’s broken glass!'. Because:  It’s dangerous.You will cut yourself. You will bleed.

The cat/child/dog (insert suitable alternative here) will bleed.

So there’s no way on this planet I’m walking on the glass. How indeed does anyone actually walk on glass?!

Anyway, let’s forget about the glass. Tonight, Matthew, we’re going to walk on fire.

Except, as you can see from the photo. I did actually walk on glass. Broken shards of glass.

I wasn’t going to walk on the glass. I had every intention of melting into the wall of that room (Homer Simpson style) and be overlooked - I was here for the main event, thanks.

Except, have you ever been in a room with the likes of Nicola, Sian, Charlie, Kirsty, Kate, Nicky, Callylouise, Zoë and Julie? Give it a go sometime, I challenge you to try and get away with something like that in their company. So I got up to do the walk.

First things first, there was no blood on the white sheet. That’s a good sign. I was also the last one up, so I’d watched everyone else that wanted to complete the walk and they were fine. We were supported, we understood why our minds were shouting at us not to do it, we’d watched the instructor do it. It was possible, but I still had that voice in my mind telling me to sprint, don’t walk, sprint out of the door and go and find the fire instead.

Seriously, I’d rather go and play with fire than walk on glass.

But I did do it (terrified, and actually sweating! Look how red my face is!)

And I broke the arrow in my throat.

And I walked on burning hot embers.

I walked on 900 degree burning hot embers, not once but twice.

And in the weeks since then, my mind has shifted. It’s literally blown my brain that that story I told myself about glass being dangerous wasn’t true (obviously, in a safe environment with trained professionals - please don’t try this at home). I did it.

I could prove to little me that it was possible.

It was dangerous, but I didn’t cut myself.

I didn’t bleed.

Imagine if you could do something really big. It might not look big to someone else, but it’s big to you because of your own beliefs. Change the story. Change your path.

What if those stories you’re carrying just aren’t true?

They form who you are, how you respond and react in different situations, in life and in business.

They define your life choices, what you think you can and can’t do. What you are and aren’t worthy to have and to be.

I can’t explain the range of emotions I’ve felt over the last week whilst being in Scotland with a group of the most incredible and inspiring women 🤍 

We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and we’ve felt everything in between. 

There’s something so beautifully powerful that happens when women come together in a space where they are completely free to be themselves and only themselves. 

No labels, no masks, no trying to be who they think they should be. 

When women are given the space to be completely themselves, it’s pure magick 🤍