I’m the most seasoned of our trio, which just means I’ve had more chances to mess up! I’ve made plenty of conversational mistakes; most of which, I wish I’d made earlier. Those gaffes have taught me a lot and I’m told, I do ‘risky’ quite well. I did at least convince Simon and Sarah to do this with me. Not every conversation has been easy, and not all will be.

I’ve spent my working life in and around the conversations people tend to avoid, ones that feel hard but lead to growth. I’ve learned that being kind and supportive occasionally requires saying tough things in a gentle way. Real life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.

Right now, the world feels loud. People seem worn out from endless choice and constant decisions. Many smooth talkers (spin doctors or gifted influencers) are promoting binary, black and white answers to problems that are anything but. Say the wrong thing and you risk being shut out or “cancelled”; so, where’s the incentive to have the harder conversations?

When I was young, I could mess up! Maybe there was enough psychological safety for my good intent to shine through and allow me to learn stuff. These days, I wonder if people say nothing rather than risk getting it wrong? Shout or say now’t! I’d like to know if I’m imagining things!

This research is personal and professional for me. My partner and I, parent six young adults who are finding their way through final stages of education and early careers. Talking across generations is a daily thing in our homes and it helps me hugely in working with emerging talent. I see how these chats can open doors or slam them shut and how hard they can be to start. That’s why I’m keen to understand the challenges we all face when it comes talking about important things and doing something about them.