Virgin

Imagine being innocent but being confined to four concrete walls in 2x2 metre cell for 23 hours each day. In Venezuela, hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars. Detained without judicial warrants. Passports confiscated. Facing made-up charges of treason, conspiracy, and terrorism-related offenses, without access to a lawyer. One of them is Daniel Echenagucia. Daniel and his family have bravely shared their story - risking their safety and freedom in the process.

The Strive Challenge is the only time of the year I clear my diary and truly switch off. Last week, we strived in Iceland - a country that constantly reminds you just how extraordinary our planet is. One moment we were cycling across the remote gravel tracks of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, surrounded by vast volcanic landscapes that felt almost lunar.

It’s hard to stomach the footage from Venezuela where tens of thousands remain missing more than two weeks after a series of devastating earthquakes hit the country’s northern regions, causing widespread destruction and suffering for millions who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

It’s been 55 years since US President Nixon famously declared a “war on drugs”, kickstarting a global effort to eradicate both narcotic drug demand and supply through the brute force of heavy-handed, militarized law enforcement, merciless criminalisation, and zero tolerance for personal drug use.

Over the last six months, Virgin Red's Head of Yes, Chris Tomkins, has said yes to a lot. A helicopter ride over New York with Virgin Gifts. A cruise around the Caribbean with Virgin Voyages. An inaugural flight to Seoul with Virgin Atlantic. A luxury escape in Mallorca with Virgin Limited Edition. For his sixth and final trip, there was just one thing left to do: hit the open road.

What if the bravest leaders are not the loudest, but the ones who spend decades fighting to improves millions of lives? For my series on brave leadership, I spoke with Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland, pioneer in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and founding member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

Virgin Media O2 is a brilliant example of how big businesses can be a force for good. After meeting some of their team last month to discuss their purpose work and the many ways they promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I’m more inspired by the team than ever. The business has just wrapped up its five-year Better Connections impact strategy, and the results are worth shouting about.

People often ask me what the hardest business decision of my life was, and it was selling Virgin Records. Virgin Records was my baby. It was where the whole Virgin story began. We’d spent twenty years building it into the most successful independent label in the world, but by the early 1990s, Virgin Atlantic was being put under enormous pressure. British Airways were going to extraordinary lengths to crush us through what the press called “The Dirty Tricks Campaign”.

He’s spent the year saying yes to unforgettable moments. Edinburgh, New York, Seoul, Antigua with Virgin Voyages. But for his latest adventure, Virgin Red’s Head of Yes, Chris Tomkins, did something completely different. He slowed down. Chris headed to Son Bunyola in Mallorca - Virgin Limited Edition’s breathtaking retreat nestled between the Tramuntana mountains and the Mediterranean – for a trip that wasn’t about doing more. It was about doing less.

As one of Britain’s most celebrated Olympians, Sir Mo Farah knows what it means to push beyond your comfort zone and trust your instincts. Now he’s encouraging the nation to do the same. Virgin Red and Sir Mo Farah have challenged the UK public to break up their monotonous routines and rediscover the thrill of doing something unexpected, turning FOMO into Go-Mo – the split-second decision moment where you trust your gut, say yes and step out of autopilot into something memorable.