We all grow up with the hope of finding that special person - the one we can spend our days with, the one who “gets” us. Someone whose presence feels like home, where even the silences are filled with love and comfort.

My guest this week, Tony Stewart, shared the most moving story of his life with his beloved wife, Lynn. Their love story was not about grand gestures or big declarations - it was about the quiet, steady companionship they shared as they moved through life’s adventures together.

And then, as life often reminds us, everything changed.

When Lynn received her cancer diagnosis, Tony told me how they sat across from each other, holding hands across the table, and began to say out loud all the words of love they had carried inside them for years. Words that had always been there but had never felt urgent to speak.

It struck me deeply - how often we assume that our loved ones “just know” how we feel. And yet, when we speak those words aloud, they become anchors. They become something to hold onto, especially when time becomes fragile.

Tony expressed his love to Lynn not just through his actions, but through heartfelt words that she needed to hear. And Lynn gave him words in return - words that Tony now carries with him, memories that continue to guide him through his grief and into a new chapter of life.

Tony’s book, Carrying the Tiger, is a testament to this love story - not just about the joy of their life together, but the raw, honest reality of losing someone so deeply woven into your being. It is also about the strength it takes to continue living, to keep moving forward while carrying both the pain and the beauty of that love.

This conversation reminded me - and I hope it reminds you - to say the words that are in your heart today. To tell the people you love what they mean to you, not just in moments of crisis, but in the quiet, ordinary moments too.

You can listen to my full conversation with Tony on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast

I promise, it will touch your heart and maybe inspire you to pick up the phone, send a message, or simply look into the eyes of someone you love and tell them.

Because love - spoken aloud - truly matters. ❤️

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Holistic Wellness Coach, Author & Podcast Host

This week on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast I had the absolute joy of speaking with the remarkable Sile Walsh - a woman whose journey from childhood challenges to powerful leadership is both inspiring and deeply affirming of the human spirit.

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As a curious and bright 11-year-old with dyslexia, Sile didn't learn the way traditional education expected her to. Rather than being discouraged, she found a different path, one that led her into a kitchen, a very different kind of classroom. There, surrounded by the clatter of pots and the rhythm of a team in motion, Sile began to learn in a way that made sense to her. By the age of 16, she was already leading a section of that kitchen, showing not only resilience but a natural ability to lead, to adapt, and to grow.

That early environment - though unconventional, nurtured her. It allowed her to thrive in ways that traditional systems hadn’t. And it reminds us of something so vital: our ability to thrive depends not just on our willpower or talents, but on the environments we are placed in.

When we are seen, valued, and supported, we grow. When our strengths are nurtured instead of suppressed, our true potential shines.

Sile’s journey led her to specialise in leadership, development, coaching, and psychology. Today, she is an award-winning international best-selling author, with her most recent book Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity becoming both an Amazon and Irish Times bestseller. Her passion lies in co-creating inclusive, high-performing workplaces where people don't just survive - they thrive.

Her voice in the diversity and inclusion space is not only knowledgeable but lived. She understands, deeply, that leadership is not about control but about creating environments where others can flourish. Where different ways of thinking, learning, and being are not only accepted but celebrated.

In listening to Sile speak, I was reminded again that the spaces we move through, whether in childhood, in workplaces, or in our communities - have the power to either stifle or support our growth. When we are part of environments rooted in understanding, compassion, and inclusivity, we begin to blossom into who we were always meant to be.

May we all be inspired, as I was, by Sile’s story, to reflect on the spaces we create for ourselves and for others. Are they nourishing? Are they safe? Do they encourage authenticity and potential? Because in the end, it’s not just about being in the right place - it’s about being in a place that’s right for you.

And that, I believe, is where true leadership begins.

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Author, Speaker, Wellness Coach & Podcast Host