Women In Tech Mentor Coach

At the weekend, I took part in a trail run in the mountains near Sheki, in northwestern Azerbaijan, and it reminded me what it really means to be present.

On the trail, you can’t afford to let your thoughts drift off. You have to focus on every step, every rock, every turn. If you let your mind wander, you’ll fall.

In those moments, there are no worries about work, no background thoughts about people or problems, no devices distracting you: just you, the sound of nature, and the path in front of you.

It made me think about how we rarely give ourselves that kind of focus in daily life. We are constantly thinking ahead, replaying things, reacting to messages, and switching between tabs, both mentally and literally.

But when you are 100% present, everything quiets down. Stress drops, your focus sharpens, and your decisions become simpler.

You don’t need to run on a mountain to practice it. Just take a moment to stop, breathe, and pay attention to what is here, right now.

This is the finisher medal, inspired by Sheki's famous shebeke stained-glass windows.