It just happened again. A long-time client said, “David, I like the beard, what’s the story there?” I said I’ll shave when Tottenham win again.
Cue gentle ribbing from the Leeds and Liverpool supporters on the call about the Championship. “You will end up looking like Father Christmas.” Fair enough. I can take it. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
The fixtures are there for everyone to see. We’ve been dreadful. And while friends are urgently trying to talk to me about the Straits of Hormuz, I’ve got Wolverhampton away, Villa away, Leeds home, Chelsea away and Everton at home running round my head at all times.
Loyalty matters to me. Probably more than anything else. So if the worst happens, I’ve already decided I’m going to lean into the experience. It will be character building. I’ll watch Spurs all over the country again. Derby, Rotherham, Preston, Lincoln. I’ll go.
But I suppose what I’m really thinking about is resilience. Football is only football. People are dealing with much bigger things. I know that myself, and I’ve spent years designing digital learning on mental health and resilience.
One thing I’ve learned is that people often carry a lot without showing it. That’s one reason I still believe in e -learning for difficult topics. It gives people some privacy. Not everyone wants to put their hand up in public. Sometimes they need space to reflect first.
And sometimes, if someone is under real pressure, they may not have the focus for an hour of linear e-learning. They may be more likely to use something more immediate and conversational: an AI support tool that helps them ask a question, find the right support, or take a first step.
Anyway, maybe Spurs stay up, maybe they don’t. But the whole thing has reminded me that resilience is not really about pretending everything is fine. It is about noticing when something is affecting you, and knowing how to respond. Not everyone knows how to do that. I really hope some of my e-learning courses have helped people, and in 2026 we have more opportunities to be innovative than ever before.