Blog series on hold!
Turns out 5 weeks, 2 continents, and one tsunami scare make decent writing material.
This week: travel blog.
Back to our regularly scheduled wisdom next week.
The Five-Week Tour That Fried My Brain and Fed Me Parts of Animals I Can’t Legally Name
Or: What Happens When a Pale, Blonde Brit Takes on Two Continents, Five Workshops, and Tokyo at 35 Degrees
I’m sat in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, somewhere between knackered and delirious, waiting for my 22-hour trip home. My bag’s heavier than when I left, mostly from hotel slippers, souvenir sweets, and a mysterious lump of volcanic soap. My inbox is full. My brain is half full. My heart, weirdly, is overflowing.
Because after five weeks, two continents, and five very real workshops with some of the most incredible teams I’ve ever worked with, I’m tired. But I’m also grinning like a man who’s just been told there’s no seatmate on the flight home.
Let’s rewind.
Stop 1: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Souls Bared, Sunburn Gained
We started off in Puerto Vallarta, the kind of place where the air is thick with heat and the margaritas are stronger than your average northern emotional repression.
The client was AstraZeneca, the task was senior leadership development, and what unfolded was… honestly, magical.
I’ve run hundreds of workshops, but this one hit different. Tears were shed. Truths were told. Growth happened. It was like group therapy with flipcharts, salsa music and some very questionable tan lines. We talked about fear, courage, the weight of leadership, and what it really means to show up for each other – even when you don’t have the answers.
This was also my first proper delivery with Trev – KOAP’s own spiritual squirrel on Red Bull. He’s got the kind of boundless energy and deep empathy that makes even the most cynical participant crack a smile. Watching him work reminded me that joy and depth can co-exist. It also reminded me to pack spare electrolytes.
Together with this AZ crew, we built something that mattered. And I left lighter, brighter, and about 70% mezcal.
Three days of recovery followed, by which I mean I lay on a lounger, drank coconut water like it was holy nectar, and got sunburned in the shape of my lanyard. A proud moment.
Stop 2: Japan – Time Travel, Posh Onsen, and a Bit of Volcano Therapy
Then came the flight from Mexico to Japan. 14 hours across the Pacific. Somewhere over Hawaii, I lost a day, my sense of smell, and the will to live.
I landed in Tokyo with a body clock set to somewhere between “Wednesday brunch” and “why are my legs still vibrating?”
Luckily, I had a few days to recover in Hakone, a place so beautiful it makes your brain slow down just to keep up.
And this wasn’t just any recovery. This was posh onsen territory.
Yes, my friends, I had my own private volcanic hot spring on the balcony. Which, let me tell you, feels very “zen monk with a loyalty card.” I sat there, naked, steaming like a dumpling, staring at Mount Fuji and thinking, “This is the weirdest business trip I’ve ever had.”
I walked up a volcano. Ate food I couldn’t identify. One dish blinked at me. Another may have been cartilage. I’m pretty sure one thing was the ankle of something endangered. I ate it anyway. Because manners.
Week 2: Tokyo Meltdown and Strategic Mayhem with GE
Then, it was back to Tokyo to kick off the GE Japan tour – and James finally joined me. (Not in Mexico, as some people think – unless he was disguised as a sunburnt piñata.)
Here’s the thing they don’t tell you about Tokyo in July: IT’S TOO HOT.
34–35 degrees. Daily.
No breeze. No escape.
As a pale, northern Englishman with Viking genes and the skin tone of a fresh scone, I was not built for this. Cities should not feel like kettles.
First up was the GE MR modality team, diving into competitive strategy and storytelling in our “Shadow War” simulation. They were brilliant. Insightful. Hilarious. Someone used a sushi metaphor to describe stakeholder mapping, and it weirdly worked.
Then we moved into GE Leadership development – exploring psychological safety, emotional intelligence and team resilience. These weren’t tick-the-box sessions. People leaned in. They got vulnerable. They laughed. Someone said, “I didn’t expect to feel this much during a session on feedback,” and I nearly wept into my marker pen.
Then it was two days with GE’s direct sales team – who came in loud, fast, and ready to win. No karaoke, sadly – but lots of energy, good humour, and a team spirit that made the workshop feel like a game show crossed with a therapy session. We built plans, swapped stories, and tried to find air conditioning that worked.
We failed.
But we bonded through the sweat.
Final Stop: Elekta Japan – Quiet Confidence and Strategic Brilliance
To round it all off, I worked with Elekta’s oncology sales team and regional leadership – diving deep into strategic account planning, long-term value creation, and what it really means to be a trusted partner in healthcare.
It was thoughtful. Collaborative. And surprisingly emotional.
There’s something beautifully understated about how this team works – not loud, but powerful. Quiet insights. Bold ideas. Real impact.
And they laughed at my jokes. Which always helps.
The Day the World Thought I Drowned
On my last day in Tokyo, I suddenly started getting messages.
“Are you OK?”
“Steve, please tell me you’re not in the danger zone.”
“TSUNAMI???”
Cue me, sitting in a hotel lobby eating noodles made of something mysterious, wondering if I’d missed an important announcement.
So I check the news.
Yep. Tsunami warning. Major earthquake. Panic everywhere.
I’m fine, by the way. A bit confused. Slightly damp. But fine.
Still here. Still sweating. Still wondering what exactly I just ate.
But it was strangely comforting – knowing people across the world, from Yorkshire to Yokohama, were checking in. Even if they did assume I’d floated off into the Pacific on a tatami mat.
What I Learned (Besides How to Eat Jellyfish Without Crying)
1. Psychological Safety Is the Real Power Move
People don’t grow unless they feel safe. In Mexico, in Japan, across cultures, vulnerability always comes before performance. You can’t hack it. You have to earn it.
> Tip: Laugh with people before you lead them.
2. Culture Isn’t About Countries – It’s About Behaviour
Stop stereotyping. Some of the most expressive people I met were in Tokyo. Some of the most analytical were in Mexico. It’s social style, not nationality, that drives how people show up.
> Tip: Read the room, not the passport.
3. Rituals Matter – Especially When You’re Lost
Whether it was hot springs, green tea, beach walks or group reflections – rituals anchor us. In chaotic travel, they reminded me who I was.
> Tip: Create micro-rituals in your day. Silence, sharing, staring at volcanoes. Whatever works.
Final Thoughts from a Bloke at Gate 48
I’m heading home.
Body: broken-ish.
Heart: full.
Outlook: semi-conscious.
But if you ask me what the best part was, it wasn’t the posh onsen, the sushi, or even the five-star flipcharts.
It was the people.
From boardrooms to bathhouses, there’s something universal about humans trying to connect, do better, and laugh at the madness of it all. Whether you’re sweating in Tokyo or crying in Puerto Vallarta – we’re all just trying to figure it out, together.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find a Pret sandwich, change into clothes that aren’t stuck to my body, and fall asleep before the plane takes off.
Good job, I’m (just about) awake.
Steve Gore
Still Northern. Still Sweating. Still at KOAP.
(Knowledge. Of. Action. Performance. And Posh Onsens.)
