11/10/2026
🏆 WHAT A WEEKEND! THREE YEARS IN A ROW! 🏆
As ever The Blend Events did not disappoint!
I’m incredibly proud to say that Intelligent Auto has completed the hat-trick, taking home Small Garage of the Year 2026 for the THIRD consecutive year! 🏆🏆🏆
But this weekend was about so much more than winning an award.
From the insightful sessions throughout the day, to once again being given the opportunity to stand on stage, wear my heart on my sleeve and speak openly in front of 600 people about something incredibly personal to me.
My experiences, challenges and struggles coming to terms with being diagnosed with Autism and ADHD later in life.
It’s not always easy opening yourself up to a room full of people, but if sharing my experiences helps start conversations within our industry about neurodiversity, whether that’s recognising it in ourselves, understanding our colleagues better or supporting our families — then every moment of vulnerability is worth it.
And then something happened that genuinely meant the world to me.
Sitting in the audience was Rory Sutherland, someone I’ve long admired for his willingness to challenge conventional thinking and question what society considers “normal”.
To subsequently receive a personal message from Rory, thanking me for helping him understand himself a little better, was quite honestly overwhelming.
Think about that for a moment.
I stood on that stage hoping to make a difference, however small, and ended up having an impact on someone whose own thinking has influenced so many others.
For me, that was every bit as meaningful as the award.
Because whilst trophies recognise what we’ve achieved as a business, changing someone’s understanding of themselves or others can have an impact that lasts a lifetime.
A massive thank you to The Blend team for another incredible event, to everyone who took the time to listen, and of course to the team at Intelligent Auto, without whom there wouldn’t be a hat-trick to celebrate!
Three years. Three awards. And hopefully, conversations that will continue long after the weekend is over. ❤️
