TPL Experiences

The last of my reflections from Japan....

And this one has stayed with me strongly as I continue working with clients on culture, behaviour, and leadership.

One thing I noticed constantly during my time there was just how little energy people seem to spend in proving their importance.

People moved through spaces effortlessly, often quietly.

And it made me think about leadership.

I spend a lot of time working with organisations on culture change, and one thing I notice often is how easily we confuse with .

The loudest voice in the room is rarely the one creating lasting change.

In my experience, the leaders who create the deepest impact are usually the ones who lead quietly, consistently, and with intention.

Perhaps real leadership has very little to do with being noticed. And everything to do with how people feel when they work with you.

Perhaps a nudge for all of us as we swift through meetings today- are we confusing influence with visibility?

Image details- Me standing under a beautiful, gracious tree on a very quiet evening near Lake Ashi in Hakone.

You know, there are certain pieces of work that stay with you long after the delivery is done! For me, Bradford Producing Hub's has definitely been one of them.

Over the last 2 years, I have had the privilege of designing and leading this programme, working closely with freelancers, creatives, and arts organisations across Bradford, helping them think more strategically about sustainability, growth, and what it really means to build resilience in an increasingly uncertain sector.

And if there is one thing this work has reaffirmed for me, it is this- We need to keep investing in infrastructure development within the arts and culture sector.

Too often, we focus only on funding the output, the performances, the exhibitions, the visible work.

But the real long-term shift happens when we invest in people, organisations, and the confidence and capability needed to build sustainable creative ecosystems. More so now, when the sector faces such acute challenges, organisations like BPH play such a key role in long term change.

I am incredibly proud of the impact this programme has had in such a short period of time.

Really pleased to see this work featured as part of a wider conversation on the future of the sector- https://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/features/the-bradford-way/

The Bradford Way: how 2025's momentum continues – article - The State Of The Arts Jess Hill interviews several cultural leaders involved in the Bradford Way, which builds on the work of the City of Culture through skills and network opportunity programmes.

Continuing with my Japan reflections-

One thing I kept noticing everywhere I went was the quiet confidence with which everything and everyone exists.

Japan is a country deeply rooted in tradition, identity, and respect for where it comes from. But at the same time, you see change, its constantly evolving and being pro-active about being future ready.

The thing though that works here is the intentionality. Japan doesn't want to be future ready because it is insecure about itself, it wants to be so because it is intentional about its direction.

And I found myself reflecting on how often, as leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals, we make decisions from a space of insecurity instead of intention.

Am I ready enough?
Am I experienced enough?
Am I doing enough?

I know I have certainly had moments where I have allowed those questions to shape my thinking.

But perhaps the better question is this- Can we continue to evolve without losing sight of who we already are?

I think Japan in its own modest way asks us to be more intentional about our decisions!

So, are we evolving with intention?

Image details - Me observing hundreds of thousands of people at the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo - the busiest road crossing in the world.

This took longer than I had imagined.

I had promised myself that I would come back from Japan and share some reflections from the trip. But somehow June came and went, work picked up at full speed, and I found myself simply playing catch up. (Mostly.)

But here I am, ready to finally share a few reflections that have stayed with me.

I am going to start with one of the moments that has perhaps stayed with me the most, visiting the Peace Museum in Hiroshima.

Reading through the letters exchanged by those in positions of power in the run up to the 6th August 1945 made me reflect on how a series of seemingly small decisions eventually led to such an awful and deeply inhumane event. It got me thinking of how the same patterns show up today in our teams, organisations, communities as well.

You see, every conflict, every difficult moment, every challenge carries layers of lived experience, perspective, and truth that we may never fully understand.

Every story has multiple narratives.

And yet, our first instinct is often to defend our own version of events. To prove why our perspective is the right one.

Perhaps progress happens when we become a little more curious about understanding somebody else’s perspective, acknowledging it, respecting it, and recognising that moving forward together is often far more powerful than staying stuck in proving who is 'right'!

And perhaps in many ways, Hiroshima has done exactly that- it has acknowledged the different perspectives/stories of its past but it has not got stuck with it, it's moved forward in the most gracious way!

What are you stuck with that you can let go off today?

Image details - A photo of the Peace Museum in Hiroshima.

There is just so much that has happened these last few months for TPL Experiences, that I am feeling guilty of not pausing and celebrating some very special moments enough!

Like this one- So Incredibly proud to share that has been featured as part of the We're Right Here campaign . I have followed this campaign for a few years now, so it feels very special to see our work represented on a platform that champions the importance of community voice, local decision making, and sustained investment in grassroots spaces.

In this feature, I speak a little about the journey of Creative Voices, our aspirations for the future, and why community spaces need more than just funding. They need trust, belief, consistency, and long term commitment from stakeholders and decision makers. Over the past 6 years, on extremely small budgets, we have been able to create something genuinely meaningful through this group. The legacy, relationships, creativity, and confidence that have grown from this space continue to remind me why community work matters so deeply.

Really proud of what we have built together, and even more excited about what comes next.

Creative Voices: Leeds LGBTQ+ lifeline at risk of becoming a broken dream - We're Right Here The future of Creative Voices in Leeds is uncertain. To survive, the community group needs long-term belief as much as long-term funding.

So after a magical few weeks in Japan, I had every intention of returning to LinkedIn this week with thoughtful reflections, beautiful photographs, and perhaps a few lessons on slowing down.

Instead, business happened.

As anyone who has ever built a business will know, the roller coaster does not pause because you have been away.

The week has been full of surprises. Some wonderful, some less so-

The highs have included reconnecting with my brilliant creative business , starting work with a new cohort with Mastered, continuing work on the programme, a creative health session, and spending time with my lovely Voices members. Such a genuine privilege to come back to such incredible work.

However, the lows have included a genuinely traumatic travel experience to London, a few difficult conversations, and news that we had not been successful in securing a contract we had hoped to win.

In other words, a fairly accurate snapshot of business and life.

I often talk about embracing growth, uncertainty, and failure. This week has been a reminder that those things are much easier to talk about when you are not actively living through them.

So my Japan reflections will have to wait a little longer.

For now, I am ending the week grateful to be back, grateful for the work, grateful for the people I get to work alongside, and grateful for the reminder that no matter how experienced we become, there will always be weeks that test us and weeks that energise us. Sometimes they are the very same week.

Time to reset and rewind back to reflecting on my time in Japan!

What has your week taught you?

Image details- Me in front of the floating Torii gate at Meiyajima islands in Japan.

Right then, a slightly personal post from me this morning.

So a couple of weeks ago, I attended the 's 42 under 42 event with my husband, . In all these years of building a business and working in this city, it was surprisingly our first 'business' event together!

Spending time with him that evening made me reflect on . Not the loud kind, but the steady, everyday kind.

You see, growing up in Mumbai as the youngest of 3 girls, I had come to believe that building my professional identity was my only chance of surviving in the city. I started working quite early in life- as a model, International Master of Ceremonies, Sports TV Presenter, Consultant .....so naturally my professional identity was extremely important to me.

However, moving to this country and starting again shook it all up for me. I lost that sense of identity completely and it took me a while to figure things out and build it all back up.

Through all of that, Sameer has stood by me.

He encouraged me to step into rooms I did not feel ready for.

He pushed me to put my name forward when I doubted myself.

He believed in me when I was ready to give up!

Even now, he remains my sounding board, my quiet challenger, and my unpaid NED! He is not too keen on the title mainly because it remains “unpaid” but what's he going to do right! 🤣

As first-generation immigrants, building a life, family, careers, and a business here has come with its own challenges. But I am deeply grateful I don't do it alone. ☯️

So here is a rare picture of us at the 42 Under 42 event, and a small public thank you to the man who has quietly backed me through it all. ❤️

- For us- soooo much!

I am so excited (and also slightly nervous) to share that TPL Experiences is entering a new phase of growth in 2026!!

You are going to see a more intentional expansion in how we show up, the spaces we work in, and the value we continue to create across sectors. I am going to be talking more about this new phase over the coming months but what excites me most is not just the growth itself, but how it continues to be grounded.

in purpose.
in values.
in the belief that the work we do, should create meaningful, lasting impact.

There is a lot that I am looking forward to sharing in the coming months. But for now, I am holding onto this moment of clarity. That growth, when led with intention, can be both ambitious and deeply aligned.

As we step into this next chapter, I am curious:
What does intentional growth look like for you this year?