Slaying Dragons Without Frying Your Nervous System

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Willingham from Dragons’ Den (two series) and Restaurant Rescue. I couldn’t help but notice how much her philosophy mirrors my recent book ‘The Serenity Reset’. (Spoiler: no dragons were harmed in the making of this insight.)

Like the Serenity Reset, Sarah is a fierce advocate for balance. One thing she said made me smile and nod vigorously:

“Whatever it is that balances you should not be sacrificed.”

(Translation: if it keeps you sane, it’s not optional.)

To protect her most precious commodity—time—Sarah literally draws a pie chart each year to decide where her energy will go. Family time, fitness, and health are always right at the top. Non-negotiable. The business stuff? That comes after. As she put it:

“Once you get the things that matter in life into place, the business stuff just falls into place.”

Which is wonderfully reassuring for anyone who’s ever tried to juggle life, work, and a nervous system that’s already running on espresso.

This aligns beautifully with a core Serenity Reset principle: learning to listen to your body and understand your baseline. Sarah described balance as an internal process, an ongoing recalibration. Exactly like baseline work. It’s not about perfection; it’s about awareness.

She talked about how walking calms her nervous system, helping her regulate and make better decisions (and possibly stopping her from breathing fire at inappropriate moments). Yoga plays a role too, strengthening the body mind connection and building self-awareness. Crucially, she emphasised not pushing past capacity: never exceeding your baseline so the nervous system can actually heal.

As Sarah said:

“Self-awareness is key to knowing what you need.”

(And also to knowing when you need a cup of tea and a lie down.)

Another pillar of the Serenity Reset is connection, support, and presence—and Sarah lives this. She actively diarises family time, makes space to connect with herself, and spoke warmly about the unwavering support of her husband, Michael. Presence, for her, is intentional and refreshingly real:

“If you’re going to feed the dogs with the kids, feed the dogs with the kids… or don’t, but don’t let your mind be somewhere else.”

Multi-tasking, it turns out, is not a nervous-system-friendly sport.

And despite her fearsome reputation? She’s not breathing fire at all; more like a pussycat. Warm, grounded, generous… and yes, she gives a great hug.

✨ If you’d like to explore how to find balance, regulate your nervous system, and heal without forcing or pushing,

You can buy The Serenity Reset on Amazon, (available on Kindle and paperback.)

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If you’d rather experience it first hand, you’re warmly invited to:

• Join the free webinar: Serenity Pre-set

• Begin gently with the 3-week Serenity Baseline

• Or dive deeper into the full 8-week Serenity Reset programme*

No dragons required, just curiosity, compassion, and a nervous system that deserves a little kindness.