Have A Read -Then Sit With It. Supporting or exploiting? Helping or controlling? The line between them so thin it was almost invisible. He saw the conditioning. The prisons without bars. Fleas in a jar. The lid on for days. They learned not to jump higher than the lid. And when the lid was removed, they still wouldn’t jump. Their children wouldn’t jump. The invisible barrier remained. Conditioning so complete it passed through generations. Baby elephants chained to stakes. They pulled and pulled but couldn’t break free. And when they grew into adults, strong enough to uproot trees, they still wouldn’t try. The same thin rope. The same small stake. The same learned helplessness. Pike fish and glass partitions. Hunting minnows until they hit the glass. Again and again. Until they stopped trying. And when the glass was removed, they starved in a tank full of food. The barrier that wasn’t there anymore. Still there in their minds. He understood then. The most effective cages had no bars. The most complete conditioning left no awareness of the conditioning. People plugged themselves back into the system because they didn’t know there was anywhere else to be. But there was.... There always had been. Now pause: If you were a fly on the wall in your own life: - How many limits do you live by that were never truly yours? - How many beliefs were handed to you, not chosen by you? - How many invisible ropes still shape your decisions? Take time with this. This matters more than most people realise. You are far more capable than you believe. Stronger than you were ever told. Smarter than the labels you accepted. Many of the limits you live with today: - Were spoken over you when you were younger - Were inherited from fear, not truth - Were reinforced by repetition, not reality You can change. If you choose to look. - Beyond the rope. - Beyond the bars. - Beyond the limits that were never real in the first place. Sometimes growth is not about becoming more.

Not sure if you saw it yesterday, But we dropped a new book review inside the School - see link below https://www.skool.com/thegrowthsyndicate/classroom/84055912?md=dcf4629fc6ef49aba07214d5a3a154ff As we look ahead to the year in front of us, Most people do the same quiet stocktake. What’s worked. What hasn’t. What’s hurt. What’s helped. And, often unspoken, Do I actually have what it takes to go again? This book was a turning point for me. Not because it’s comfortable. Not because it’s motivational fluff. But because it tells the truth about growth. Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, reshaped how I understand adversity, character, and purpose. Frankl didn’t study theory from a lecture hall. He observed human behaviour in the most extreme conditions imaginable. Nazi concentration camps. Loss of freedom. Loss of dignity. Loss of certainty. And yet, what he discovered changed psychology forever. That our experiences, Good, bad, or ugly, Are not just things that happen to us. They are the raw material that shapes us. One of Frankl’s most powerful insights is simple, but confronting. We cannot always control our circumstances. But we can always choose our response. That single idea has guided me through failure, fear, shame, and rebuilding. It reframed hardship from punishment into preparation. From damage into data. Frankl understood human behaviour at a level few ever will. He saw that people don’t break because life is hard. They break because life loses meaning. And the moment meaning returns, So does strength. This review is not about giving the book away. It’s about inviting you into a different way of seeing your own story. → Your past is not proof of weakness → Your setbacks are not evidence of inadequacy → Your circumstances are not the final verdict They are part of the shaping. If you’re entering this year feeling reflective, uncertain, or quietly determined,

Just got off the Saturday coffee call with Mike, and I have to say it was one of my BEST calls EVER.... THANK YOU! To sit and chat openly about the WINS in 2025, the struggles, and as we head into 2026 having the plan to build the legacy I want to be remembered by, which is what I will spend time reviewing today. The three year plan is in place, the 2026 plan is also in place 😀 and now is the time to realign, stop think and breathe, and work on those key priorities to take the business forward. With just over 25 miles to go on the 300 mile wheelchair ♿️ push, and with surgery looming this coming Saturday 3rd January 2026, the pace of recovery and rehabilitation really resonates with four surgeries to go. I am differently able, not disabled and learnt this through Mike. SO GRATEFUL 🙏 to Mike and the community, as I rebuild and the past six months particularly have been awesome! Wishing you all the best in 2026!

Hope you had an incredible Christmas. Proper rest. Proper switch-off. Time with people who matter. Time with yourself. While most things paused, something stirred. I’ve been writing. Not just any book: 87,000 words and just 2 chapters to finish 'The Remembering'. A novel… but not just a story. A layered message. A call to awaken. Principles I believe in, wrapped in intrigue, mystery, and meaning. It’s nearly done. But publishing takes time. So I’m doing something different. I’ve opened a free SKOOL group dedicated to The Remembering. A space to share the deeper themes. To reveal the hidden truths. To explore the questions that matter. It’s not The Growth Syndicate. It’s not business coaching. It’s something else. No fees. No pitch. Just real conversation. About what works. What doesn’t. And what the hell we’re doing here. If you’re curious, if you’ve felt that something isn’t quite right, if you believe the answers aren’t always out there, but maybe in here: then come join us. click on the link below for free access The Remembering has already begun. Would love to have you part of it. https://www.skool.com/the-remembering-7266/about?ref=8be58d04700b4eabb479c5cf09b0f1cb

Yesterday evening Juls and I were privileged to attend a B&S end of year celebration. ...And it was nothing like any corporate event/dinner I have ever attended. No seating plan. No hierarchy. No 'formal' speeches. ...just fun, friendly, inspirational shares From the cleaner to the founders. Everyone equal. Everyone valued. It was not a business dinner. It was a family dinner... a frienship dinner And suddenly it became crystal clear why this business has gone from one pharmacy to over £500m. ...And why I have zero doubt we will hit/surpass £1bn within 3 years. This business does not talk about values. It lives them. If I had to sum up what I saw, felt and experienced in 5 words, it would be 5 Ps. - People - Passion - Pride - Principles - Processes People first. Not on posters. In behaviour. You could feel it in the room. The ease. The respect. The shared purpose. No airs or graces. No power plays. Just people who matter 'knowing' they matter. Passion that shines through generations. Multiple generations working together. And a genuine commitment to employ future generations of their people too. This is not telling people they are important. This is showing them. Pride in every role. Every customer. Every transaction. Principles that are lived, not laminated. For everyone. At every level. And processes that think beyond today. Not How do we fix this fire? But How do we build a system so it never happens again? Always asking Who is best in the world? What are they doing better? How is the world changing? And how must we change to stay ahead? Samit & Alpa are extraordinary people. Their Children are shining examples continuing that legacy Kish a shining example of that next generation Giving back at scale. Building free schools for hundreds. Growing people as the business grows. Founded on values that are embodied every single day. I do not often call out individual companies on this platform. But this is an outstanding example of how to build something special.