Welcome to our June Readers’ Corner, a cosy nook filled with books that have been written by our very own speakers. We have a trio of writers who couldn’t be more different – from neuroscience to politics, with a pinch of adventure and resilience thrown in for good measure.
Hannah Critchlow is a broadcaster who knows your mind as well as you do – probably even better, in fact. She’s a neurologist, presenter and author whose new book melds gnarly neuroscience with a practical guide to modern life, and is no less readable for it.
Despite leaving Westminster seven years ago, Rory Stewart is still very much part of the political landscape in the UK – and, arguably, isn’t going away any time soon. Tasked by King Charles III as a tutor for his then-teenage heir, this former politician’s latest book shines a light on the British countryside, its people, their way of life and the wildlife.
Vicki Anstey is a former advertising executive and entrepreneur who knows how to pivot. After realising that the orthodox paths of success – corporate career, traditional marriage – were not for her, she threw her cards up in the air. And what came back down was a a much stronger hand altogether.
Dr. Hannah Critchlow
The 21st Century Brain: How to Future-Proof Your Mind in the Age of AI
Dr. Hannah Critchlow’s latest book, The 21st-Century Brain: How to Future-Proof Your Mind in the Age of AI, explains how innovation shapes our brains, providing a framework of how people can equip themselves – and their children – to deal with the societal changes we all face.
Dr. Critchlow, the 2026 recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Lecture Medal, explores several themes; suggesting ways to strengthen and protect what differentiates the human from the artificial.
The secret of continuing relevance in the age of AI lies not in competing with machines but by collectively embracing what makes us all individuals.
Rory Stewart
Middleland
Middleland, Rory Stewart’s sixth book, is a love letter to the wilds of Cumbria, the remote constituency he represented as an MP.
Described as an “urgent and inspiring” portrait of rural Britain, and based on a series of columns he wrote for the local newspaper, Middleland is a must-read for policymakers and leaders alike.
The binary choices Stewart faces are stark and sometimes impossible. How to sail a path between environmentalism and farming that makes sense to both parties without it being a fudge? Middleland lays bare the current disconnect between ordinary people and the politicians who represent them.
Now co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast, Rory is one of the UK’s most principled politicians.
Vicki Anstey
Other People Are Like The Weather: Stop Managing the Forecast, Start Mastering Yourself
Vicki Anstey abandoned her life for a new one of endurance and extreme challenges, and is now a life coach.
Other People Are Like The Weather explores love, betrayal, friendship, ambition and the journey she took when she chose to step out from someone else’s climate into her own.
The 2x World Record-Holding Adventurer specialises in courage, resilience and performance under pressure – all qualities she learnt as an elite athlete under punishing conditions. From rowing the Atlantic Ocean to enduring the ice-capped polar regions and deserts, she realised that the most challenging environment was her own mind.
For more information on any of these speakers & experts, or to enquire about having them as your next speaker or adviser, please contact us below
