For My Mother
Before this was a philosophy, before it was a website, before it was anything at all — there was a woman who drove three boys to every sport session and event on the planet. Who financed every pair of boots, every academy fee, every chess tournament entry, every swimming lesson, every cross-country race. Who did all of this while building a career that most people couldn't achieve with twice the time and half the children.
Mum — you are so fiercely intelligent that it took me years to realise not everyone's mother could explain embryology at the dinner table and still have the energy to check homework afterwards. You installed in me a great sense of morality and a deep love for the world we live in. You taught me that excellence is not about talent — it's about showing up, relentlessly, even when nobody is watching. Especially when nobody is watching.
Your effort to see me and my brothers succeed has been constant, unfaltering, and at times, frankly, superhuman. The stupid amount of hours. The early mornings. The late nights in the lab followed by early mornings on the school run. You never once made us feel like we were a burden on your career, even though we must have been an extraordinary one.
You are the key source of my strength. You are the reason this philosophy exists. And every single thing I build from here — every achievement, every discipline, every good decision — is your return on investment.
I have come to quite enjoy the person I am today. And that person is, in every way that matters, your creation.
I dedicate everything to you.
— Connall