For our second Shot of Espresso, we’re diving into connection: how it shapes our purpose, fuels our resilience, and quietly underpins the way we build businesses, communities, and ourselves.

Dr Nick Hounsfield’s life has been shaped by water. From learning to surf as a child in Cornwall, to founding One Blue World, Nick has dedicated his career to placing Blue Health – the proven link between water, wellbeing and community – at the centre of how we live. His work led to the creation of The Wave, opening up world-class surfing to everyone from Olympic hopefuls to total beginners, and championing surf therapy, adaptive and para surfing, and NHS-backed programmes that support mental health, resilience and belonging.

After surviving multiple strokes in 2020, an experience he describes as the hardest and most transformative chapter of his life, Nick’s connection to his purpose deepened even further. His story is one of recovery, reinvention, and designing spaces that heal both people and planet.

Rebecca Brennan brings a powerful perspective drawing on her experience of loss and the worlds of leadership coaching, psychology, and endurance sport. A key source of connection for Rebecca has been forged through running; from her Surrey run club, to the fells of Derbyshire, to the mountains of Chamonix, to setting the Fastest Known Time on the Cape Wrath Trail in 2022.

That 230-mile journey, completed in honour of her mum, became a deeply personal exploration of emotion, resilience, and what keeps us moving forward in tough times. And it revealed how the seemingly impossible becomes achievable when connection to a higher cause matters.

Together, Nick and Rebecca will explore:

• Where and when they feel most connected – to nature, to people, to purpose
• How connection fuels their work in business and drives them personally
• What extreme physical challenges reveal about leadership and resilience
• How we can design more connected lives, teams, and communities

Expect honest stories, hard-earned insights, and practical reflections you’ll carry with you long after.

Hosted by Mindy Emsley and Lisa James, Espresso is a curated event series for people with open hearts and curious minds.

Every “shot” explores one essential dimension of being human and being fulfilled, leading you through the Espresso life wheel: Story, Work, Connection, Growth, Wellbeing, Joy.

Each gathering is a short, potent infusion; an opportunity to pause, savour, and reconnect with what matters. Through inspiring speakers, timely conversations and ideas that resonate, Espresso gives you the shot you didn’t know you needed.

Think of it as moment of clarity and connection; like the first sip of a perfect espresso: concentrated, energising, and deeply grounding all at once.