Exploring the stories that shape our decisions and what keeps us stuck, I've found that a good edit can change a life. 

When I see a problem that people keep struggling with despite an abundance of explanations and remedies available to them, I ask myself what exactly is going on and why. I usually won't rest until I pinpoint the exact answer. 

Over time, I've realised that many of the problems we treat as questions of discipline, confidence or motivation are actually rooted in the stories people have come to believe about themselves, other people and the world. But any story can be edited. 

Working for two decades as a journalist in places where it's dangerous to speak your mind, I've witnessed how people had to muffle their own voices so they fit into the mould, or story that those in power imposed on them. 

Later, when I became a therapist and mentor, I saw that even when there is no oppressive regime, some people do this to themselves, and become equally unhappy and unsuccessful. 

My career taught me to listen for what is not said as much as for what is. Nowadays, I'm driven by investigating the hidden narrative that's keeping a person, idea or organisation stuck. 

Whether I'm editing a manuscript, helping someone clarify a difficult decision or move through a block, or whether I'm writing about the hidden forces that shape our lives, I'm ultimately doing the same thing: I'm looking for the story beneath the story. Because once that’s clear, the next chapter rarely looks the same.