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Hey Reader,

My stupidest gym injury yet involved me thinking I was Morpheus out of The Matrix.

You know when he leaps from one building to another like gravity isn’t real?

I had it in my head that I could soar onto a 30-inch box like some kind of gazelle.

I could not.

Box jumps have been in my workout routine for a while and I’d been making progress, then had a couple of weeks off, and forgot what height I was leaping to.

I spied a 30-inch box and thought “that’ll do” and stood way too close to it.

I knew I was too close but — and this where the stupidity comes in — I couldn’t be bothered to take a small step back to give myself space.

“Nah, we’re good,” I said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

See, my fear is always that I’ll catch my toes and headbutt the wall, or sprawl over the box and land on my face on the floor, which has had other people’s outdoor shoes on it.

But no.

What happened was, I punched the box. Really, really hard.

I swung my arms back, squatted, and launched myself skyward, and did not — as I’ve explained — have enough room.

My little finger folded itself into my palm flat. It became one with my palm. Pain bloomed like a hot little explosion. I glanced around, sat on my box, and had a tiny little cry.

Then watched in wonder as my knuckle disappeared entirely under a balloon of swelling. No interestingly coloured bruises though, disappointingly.

That was three weeks ago and it’s still sore and a little puffy.

If only I’d started low, and worked my way up.

Tiny increments beat giant leaps every time. There’s much less chance of faceplanting into a wall or punching a box.

Which is why I’m running January Uncaged: Write Like You Mean It for 30 days starting on January 6, 2026.

It’s gonna help you find and use your voice confidently.

Stop feeling like a fake. Start thinking, writing, and showing up as a real writer with a unique voice.

This 30-day adventure, packed with fun, actionable prompts and proven creativity techniques, will help you find your true voice and build a writing practice you look forward to every day.

There’s no “post on LinkedIn every day” (unless you want to) — this is about writing for YOU before you start writing for your audience.

It’s about finding joy in your work and the world around you.

And it won’t require more than 20 minutes per day, max (although you can and should spend longer if you want to!)

If you sign up before I go on my Winterval break at 5pm on December 12, you can join for just £50 + VAT with the code UNCAGED25. After that, the price goes up to £75 + VAT (still a bargain but why pay more?)

Join us here:

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.