Karen Carpenter Thinking Events

20/10/2026

Spooks or fireworks . . . what’s your festive poison?

With Halloween and Bonfire Night falling within a week of each other, this has become my annual dilemma:

do I offer a ‘spooky’ event where the subject for discussion is the scary things we encounter in business, and how we contain and manage them

- OR -

do I offer an event where the subject for discussion is the gunpowder plot and the lessons we can apply to risk management in a modern era?

This year, I have decided on the latter.

There is so much more to the Powder Treason than most of us are familiar with, not least the fact that Guy Fawkes was never the central character.

The main protagonist – Robert Catesby - was someone far more charismatic, able to persuade people, often against their better judgement, to collude with a plan that, from the outset, was ill-conceived and doomed to failure.

And therein lies the first lesson: when leadership is blinded by passion, who provides the voice of reason?

In the case of the gunpowder plotters, it was the Jesuit priest, Father Garnet who – prohibited by the rules of the confessional from sharing what he knew with the government - tried desperately to dissuade Catesby from his folly and begged the Pope to intervene.

All to no avail!

When the plot failed, Father Garnet - considered equally culpable by the authorities, for what he failed to prevent - lost his life, along with the plotters whose actions he tried so hard to moderate.

The Question For Today's Leaders: how do you ensure that people with legitimate concerns, about a project you are passionate about, can speak up in good time - and what might be getting in the way?

If you would like to join the discussion, we'd love to include you.

There's no risk: its free to attend for anyone coming along to my events for the first time.

And, if you would like to discuss creating a bespoke event, as a framework for your next team awayday - I'd love to hear from you.

08/10/2026

Who says you can't combine business with pleasure?

Such an enjoyable evening yesterday attending Tracy Borman's at Severn Theatre, Shrewsbury.

I have been immersing myself in Tudor history since my schooldays and applying the lessons of their decision making (and those of the primary movers and shakers of their reigns) to my own experiences of leadership since my very first step up the management ladder.

Now, many years on, Tracy is one of my most trusted sources when I am preparing content for historical events for leaders and their teams.

So, when I saw that she was coming to Shrewsbury, booking tickets was both a business priority and a personal treat.

If you love Tudor history as much as I do, I would definitely recommend .

Tracy is such a skilled, knowledgeable, and surprisingly entertaining presenter - so expect a few laughs as she takes us behind the scenes of the people we think we know.

You can check when she is in your area here

Tracy Borman historian broadcaster bestselling author The drama. The scandal. The dynasty. The Tudors like you’ve never seen them before. The Tudors are big box office – and it’s easy to see why. With larger-than-life monarchs, gripping court intrigue, epic battles, forbidden love, and more t...

06/10/2026

What are your instincts telling you?

Yesterday, at The Quote Club, we shared our favourite quotes on the subject of INSTINCT - and we kicked off by acknowledging how difficult it was to find quotes by women - even though there were lots of quotes about women's instinct!

What I love about the group is that we can never predict quite where the conversation will go but there is almost always a theme that emerges that prompts our selection of the next month's subject.

Our conversation yesterday ultimately led to us choosing the subject of JUDGEMENT for our next meeting on 2 November.

So, what are your instincts telling you?

If there's a frisson of curiosity, drop me a message: we'd love to meet you.

15/09/2026

The last couple of days, I have been preparing slides for this month’s Network & Grow event, ‘A Little Bird Told Me . . . A bird’s eye view of business from our feathered friends.’

Over the course of 90 minutes we will be exploring the habits & behaviours of 12 distinctly different birds, some familiar, some less so & asking ourselves: what exactly are they doing, why are they doing it, and how might applying the principles to my own situation boost my chances of rising up the pecking order in the competitive world of human enterprise.

The slide I am currently working on is all about the Northern Gannet, a large seabird, best known for its high-speed dives - head first, wings flat back – from heights in excess of 100 feet, straight into the ocean in pursuit of its prey. On impact, it has been recorded as reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.

To protect itself against the force of hitting the water at such high speeds, the gannet has an array of physical adaptations including strong neck muscles that contract & lock the vertebrae in place just before impact, internal nostrils that close tightly during entry, & a network of sub-cutaneous air sacs that act as air bags.

Interestingly though, despite its mastery of the art of speed diving, Northern Gannets walk with great difficulty which means getting airborne requires much more effort &, if weather conditions are not in their favour, they may struggle to take off at all. So, whilst they may be leaders in one particular skill, they remain acutely vulnerable in other areas.

Thinking about the gannet’s strengths & weaknesses, the questions I invite you to ponder are:

When was the last time that you – or your business – dived straight in, in pursuit of a goal?

What adaptations protected you against opposing forces & where did you remain vulnerable?

How did things work out & what did you learn that is still useful to you now?

17/08/2026

This month's 'Network & Grow' event: Let's Talk About . . .

Back by popular request, this month we will be talking about TIME MANAGEMENT.

Includes workbook pages in advance.

31/07/2026

I must confess, I am growing tired of carrying buckets of water to every corner of my garden - seeking out the weakest, saddest plants & shrubs to rescue each day, deciding which can survive a little longer without intervention - & am longing for some rain to relieve me of the burden.

But, the uniqueness of this current drought has provided some unexpected inspiration!

On Sunday - whilst out with my dog - I felt one very delicate rain drop land on my face, shortly followed by another. Two or three drops later, I was convinced rain was finally on its way & rushed home to dodge the anticipated downpour.

Needless to say, I was disappointed! The down pour I was hoping for did not arrive - but an idea for a new event did.

'Weathering the Elements: six natural phenomena capable of causing chaos in your business . . . and what you can do to mitigate their effects.'

Small group coaching for business owners & entrepreneurs - short notice whilst current weather events at the forefront of everyone's mind.

DM to reserve your place.

21/07/2026

So, as the new PM continues to reveal his plans for change to a curious world, time to disclose that I too have something to reveal.

Nothing quite so transformational of course - but about the same amount of time in the making.

Delighted to finally be able to launch my new, rebranded website, merging together the three main elements of my business; personal coaching, online group coaching, & unique thinking events for leaders & their teams.

With thanks to Toolkit Websites for the perfect blend of creativity, advice & infinite patience.

If you have a moment, I'd love it if you would take a quick look & share with anyone you think might be looking for an alternative to more traditional team activities. TIA

Unique Thinking Events For Executives, Small Business Owners and Their Teams.

02/07/2026

For all those purposeful readers out there!

Join me on Wednesday 8 July, 7.30 - 8.45 pm for the inaugural meeting of Business Bookworms, an online book club focusing purely on books that relate to business.

The proposed meeting time is the second Wednesday evening of each month, 7.30 - 8.45 pm with the first meeting scheduled for Wednesday 8 July.

The first meeting will be an introductory, facilitated get together during which we will chat about all things books & business & share some of our personal top titles - before revealing the first book of the series.

The introductory price will be just £15 per meeting for the first three months, then £20 thereafter.

It is not a membership club - so you do not have to commit to attend every month & can dip in & out, depending on other commitments & how you feel about any particular book.

Numbers will be capped at a maximum of 8 to ensure plenty of opportunity to participate so let me know as soon as possible if you would like to reserve a place.

17/04/2026

Something new for spring - inspired by the recent adventures of Artemis II

07/03/2026

Still time to subscribe

Following the success of ADVENT-agious, the coaching advent calendar launched last year, pleased to introduce my new journal, 'TIME to SPRING into Action'

Starting w/c 1 March, comprises 12 weekly emails with spring image & thought provoking/motivational quote plus coaching question or coaching exercise to help you focus on priorities for the spring.

Includes an invitation to an online 'SPRING into Action' get together on the evening of 15 June to help build momentum & accountability.

Late to the party? No problem - sign up any time & catch up with back dated emails to ponder at your leisure.