Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

March was supposed to be the month I walked 10,000 steps a day.     I’ve raised more than £150 for Cancer Research UK and - although I had days when it was impossible to reach my goal, my monthly average was a little over 11,000.     Now, my goal is to keep up my level of fitness. My daily average for 2019 is approaching 10,000. This is a huge improvement on last year, when I had seven months of feeling really under the weather (you don’t need the gruesome details!), and the most fit I’ve been since before the whole car-crash-broken-arm-frozen-shoulder-and-double-stomach-tumour-operations period of my life.     It feels like real progress.     Meanwhile, if you’d like to contribute, please click here

Not a fluffy robe in sight, I enjoyed a weekend of genuine me-time. Anyone who knows me in real life will know that appearance is one of the last things I consider - either in myself or in others. So me-time really is about soul-searching.     Saturday was spent in the London offices of PwC, but the event was more about the individual than the corporate. What a panel!       Let’s talk about ‘M’ was all about focusing on the stuff that matters in life - mental health, men, marriage, mindset, money and mates. Led by a team of highly professional (and yet friendly) presenters and facilitators, the day asked some potent questions and led to some important insights. Round table discussions were helpful and we even won prizes!     The stories the presenters told were heart-felt and humorous. There was plenty of time for discussion around the table and across the room. It was a happy, productive environment that gave plenty of food for thought. ...

Someone recently asked me if I have more than one bookcase. Of course I do. When I thought about it, I realised how important my books are, and their importance in my home. They’re daily reminders of the knowledge that I’m constantly acquiring. I love being able to pick up a book I’ve not read for years and turn its pages once more.     So, this is a few of my bookshelves.

Science was scary at school. Despite having some great teachers, I never really allowed myself to enjoy Biology, Physics and Chemistry. It became easy to say "I'm rubbish at science".     It came as a surprise, then, to find myself writing about science professionally, soon after leaving university. My father was working with a company called Quest International, who made flavours and fragrances to go into some of our best-known household products. I began writing for their in-house magazines, both internationally and locally around the UK. Truth be told, I blagged the science stuff.     Now, I’m writing once again for the same business, which is part of Givaudan, with sites all around the world. I’ve been writing again, mainly for their fragrance division, and still knowing a lot more about words than I do about science.     Which took me to my third course with FutureLearn. ‘Discovering Science: Science Writing’ was brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable. ...

It was interesting to read some of today's NatWest Rose Review report on female entrepreneurship.     As it was International Women's Day, I found myself in NatWest's own Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub in Milton Keynes, surrounded by dozens of other business women. There was some great networking and a couple of interesting speakers.     "The UK is the start-up capital of Europe, attracting more venture capital than any other European country, yet only one in three UK entrepreneurs is female. In comparison with 15% of women in Canada, almost 11% of women in the US, and over 9% of women in Australia and the Netherlands, only 5.6% of UK women run their own companies."     Some of the stories you hear about the responses to women's business ideas - often from potential investors - are reason enough why women don't want to become entrepreneurs.     It was interesting to be in a room with women who just want to get on with business. We don't think w...

Some big names have been announced for Love Supreme in July and I, for one, am making plans to check out the amazing Chick Corea . His 500 Miles High is one of my all-time favourite jazz tracks.     The Love Supreme Festival has just announced another wave of acts confirmed to perform at this summer’s event, which returns to Glynde Place in East Sussex from 5-7 July 2019.     For this, Love Supreme's seventh year, they'd already confirmed - alongside Chick Corea - Ms. Lauryn Hill, Gladys Knight, Jamie Cullum, Snarky Puppy  and Kamaal Williams .      The lineup now includes Grammy Award-winning Louie Vega , who will perform with his full Elements of Life band following a triumphant Royal Festival Hall performance earlier this year, Parisian electro-swing collective Caravan Palace , fiery New Orleans five piece Tank and the Bangas , Grammy-nominated pianist Christian Sands , soulful Australian quartet The Teskey Brothers , and two acts ...