I wrote "True North, Zoe" before my daughter was born. At the time, I told myself it was a gift for her. Looking back, I think I was trying to name something I wanted her to carry — something I'd seen too many people set down along the way.
Learn to love yourself.
Never hide yourself away.
Step up, set sail.
I've been singing them to her ever since. I'm not sure she knows yet what they mean. I'm not sure I do either.
This Sunday is International Women's Day.
It arrived this week alongside a message from my friend Lauren Currie, who told me her book is finally out — a decade of work distilled into a practical, honest guide to building confidence for women. When I read what it was about, I felt like it was answering the song.
Lauren Currie OBE
Lauren's book, Be UPFRONT, is built on a simple but important premise: confidence isn't a trait you're born with or without. It's something you practice — especially in the moments the world tells you to shrink, soften, or stay silent.
That's the world I'm watching my daughter grow into. And it's also the world I'm hoping, with people like Lauren in it, is slowly changing. I don't have a framework for that. Just the honest wish that she grows up knowing her own voice — and finds a world ready to hear it.
If you know a woman who needs it, or if you are that woman, I think it'll mean something.
Don't let yourself be led astray.
Don't let your truth be filed away.
True North, Zoe.
