Rachael McKelvey

• Jacinda Ardern “I no longer have enough in the tank”
• HMV returns to profit!
• Let us eat cake!
• Did you feel blue on Monday?
• Finding some new enthusiasm

Jacinda Ardern “I no longer have enough in the tank”

Jacinda Ardern this week announced she will stand down as New Zealand Prime Minister on 7th February, during her really authentic speech in Wellington she explained she had hoped to remain in post over the summer until the next election but had not been able to find the energy and the heart to continue.

Ardern said ‘I am leaving because with such a privileged job comes a big responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead – and also when you’re not.’ What a display of leadership, the likes we rarely get to ever see modelled in our lives and even rarer on the political stage.

While its fair to say the legacy left by Ardern is that you can be a power leader and lead with compassion but the price for that is considerable toll, a toll far more considerable as a women in a mans world.

HMV returns to profit!
HMV has returned a profit for the first time since it was bought out of administration in 2019 by Sunrise Records’ C$1.5m who now operate the remaining 114 stores. HMV saw its operating profit hit £2m, with over 60% growth in revenue and gross margin.

The return to profit is thanks mostly to an increase in vinyl sales which surpassed the sale of CD’s for the first time since 1987 and I think the rather clever vinyl exclusivity marketing artist are making part in their releases.

I still love a flick through the displays in HMV, it’s how I spent most of my youth, the part of my first real pay check was spent in HMV and my Business Studies A-Level course work was about the impact of the return in popularity of vinyl. There was a solely vinyl record store in town and my project showed there was demand but not supply, new artists needed to press records as well as burn CD’s if this shop ever hoped to survive. Sadly, it did not, but I’m excited about the prospect of getting old and returning to flicking through music from my youth on vinyl.

Let us eat cake!
Professor Susan Jebb professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford was obviously feeling brave this week announcing to the world that “Bringing cake to office as harmful as passive smoking” and that “workers should think twice before bringing unhealthy treats into the workplace which might tempt colleagues.”

Professor Jebb also happens to be the current chair of the Food Standards Agency but the FSA were quick to assure the public the comments were made in a personal capacity and did not reflect FSA policy or the view of its board.

While its hard to disagree with Professors Jebbs comment about environment and that if there isn’t cake to eat during the day then typically most people wouldn’t eat cake it’s also January and cold and I firmly believe that anyone who brings cake to the office should be put on a plinth and sprayed gold.

A solid tip to eating less office snacks is if they are not homemade or foreign and unavailable in local shops then you absolutely don’t have to have one because Mr Kipling will not be offended, but if they fall into either of the categories above then they’re calorie free anyway so why not!

Did you feel blue on Monday?
So the third Monday of January for the last 19 years has been affectionately referred to as ‘Blue Monday’, this sweet day only just an adult, eligible to vote, get called for jury service, get a piercing and now no longer eligible for free education has also been debunked that I do not understand why the media keep making a thing. IT. IS. NOT. A. THING.

‘Blue Monday’ only exists because Sky Travel asked a psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004 for a “scientific formula” to explain the January blues, and while the “formula” takes into account all the reasons why January both sucks and blows a bit, the weather, the return to work, the fact your December credit card statement is landing but you know what the antidote to potentially the most depressing day of the year? It’s not a marketing campaign designed to make you book a holiday.

I think the wonderful Joe Tracini has it right when he says that while we are better at talking about mental health we talk about it in terms of here is something to fix it, not in the real way we need to have the conversations and I think things like ‘Blue Monday’ are just a great example of that.

Finding some new enthusiasm
I had my first 1:1 swim coaching session of the year where I have every part of my swim analysed, what my feet were doing (good), where my heels were in the water (good), my body position (good), my head position (good) and most importantly what my arms where doing (not good – octopus in a string bag).

I like to treat myself to these every 6 months or so, just to check in, strive for continuous improvement. The experience is always invaluable, whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or a total newbie, swimming is not one size fits all, while the mechanics are the same they look very different in different bodies, you also don’t know what you’re doing in the water until you can see it yourself or have it explained to you. Having this session, the support of a very knowledgeable coach and the feedback and suggestions on how to address the concerns I have with my own swim.

I have been rescheduling this for nearly 6 months now, I had an awful year in the pool last year…in that I wasn’t consistently in it. But this session left me feeling more confident, has lit a little fire and left me incredibly excited about how this year might turn out.

Current watch: India: The Modi Question – Part one of this BBC documentary aired on Tuesday that examines the relationship between Modi and the attitude of the government towards India’s minority Muslim population. This episode starts at the beginning of Modi’s political career and shows how the foundations have been laid for the rise in fascism in India under Modi. This is a fascinating, well sourced and important documentary, India is the largest democracy on the planet with great influence and a key ally to many nations. Part two airs this week, see you there.

Current read: The Art of Career Change for Introverts: How to stop chasing the wrong jobs, utilise your strengths, and build your ideal career by Rebecca Healey – Relatable content for any introvert who is having a mid-career crisis (It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me) and while there is nothing ground breaking or out of the box in this book any introvert knows it’s nice to have a conversation without having a conversation. This book is a nice mix of prompted introspection and takes you on a step-by-step journey down a thought process that might resonate and provide the mental floss you need to feel a little less unstuck and maybe make some steps to help you be more yourself at work.

Most impactful listen: The News Agents – Armando Iannucci on the prince, politicians and being a ‘spare’ – Armando Iannucci joined Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel to discuss Harry’s book, the current state of politics and the similarities between the attack on democracy in Brazil and the January 6th riots. They cover the what and the why, offering an insightful perspective, a dose of cynicism and the odd laugh thrown in. Armando Iannucci created The Thick of It, Veep and Alan Partridge and if you don’t love any or all of those things, we cannot be friends.