What cycling 1,000km across the Alps taught me about leadership

Last year, I took part in Fireflies for the first time; eight days spent cycling more than 1,000km across the Alps ahead of Cannes Lions. 

Riding alongside people from across the creative industries, we worked together to raise money for blood cancer research. This year, I’m doing it again.

The more I’ve reflected on the [Fireflies] experience, the more I’ve realised how much it mirrors leadership and creative life more broadly.

Taking part in 2025 was about proving to myself that I could do it. This year feels much more intentional. I’ve approached it more professionally, with the same meticulous mindset I’d bring to any project: working with a coach, focusing properly on recovery, fuelling and preparation, and understanding the impact these have not just on my performance, but enjoyment too. 

I’m fiercely competitive by nature, so once I decided to do it again, I wanted to prepare properly and get the absolute most out of the experience. What Fireflies taught me very quickly is that you can’t rely on determination alone. You have to respect the process. The more I’ve reflected on the experience since, the more I’ve realised how much it mirrors leadership and creative life more broadly.

Above: Coomber taking part in last year's Fireflies ride. 

Resilience isn’t about doing everything yourself

I think the toughest moment on Fireflies was realising I couldn’t just push through everything on my own. In production and leadership roles, you get very used to being the person calmly holding things together and carrying pressure for a team. My instinct is always to keep performing and pushing harder when things get difficult. Fireflies definitely challenged that.

In agency life, especially in leadership roles, there’s a risk that operating when you're depleted quietly becomes normalised.

There were moments where it got tough and when I had to let other people help me, whether that was pacing or simply words of encouragement to keep morale up. Honestly, that taught me more about resilience than the physical challenge itself. I came away realising resilience isn’t just about going harder or pretending things are easy. It’s about trust, and leaning on the people around you.

That mindset has stayed with me professionally too. Don’t get me wrong, I still thrive in ambitious, fast-paced environments, but training for Fireflies made me think much more about recovery and sustained performance. Training has structure. You push hard, recover properly, fuel correctly, then go again. In agency life, especially in leadership roles, there’s a risk that operating when you're depleted quietly becomes normalised.

Above: The ride taught Coomber to recognise then she needs some assistance, and to accept it when it's offered.  

I think the industry can still unconsciously reward visibility and endurance, with a feeling that the people who are always available and always pushing hardest are progressing fastest. What Fireflies reinforced for me is that sustainable performance matters far more than performative endurance. Strong teams aren’t driven by people constantly proving how hard they can push themselves, instead they’re built around clarity, consistency and trust over time.

What Fireflies reinforced for me is that sustainable performance matters far more than performative endurance.

I’ve felt very lucky in that respect at Neverland. The culture created by our founders supports people performing at a high level, without feeling like they have to do everything alone. Taking on something like Fireflies - the training, the preparation, the time commitment - requires understanding and encouragement from the people around you, which I’m aware isn’t readily available to everyone.

There’s a huge overlap for me between the spirit of Fireflies and the culture we build at Neverland. Both are ambitious and high-performing, but also deeply people-driven.

Above: The Fireflies, like agency life, relies on teamwork. 

Great work depends on invisible work

It was surprising how familiar the experience felt to working in advertising and production. You can start the day with a perfect plan, but conditions change constantly. People get tired, and unexpected problems appear, so the real job becomes keeping everyone moving forward.

Like in production, energy is contagious. A bit of humour or reassurance at the right moment can completely shift a mindset. It also reminded me how much successful environments rely on invisible work. When things run smoothly, people rarely see the coordination and emotional labour underneath it, but that’s often the thing holding everything together.

I’ve learned the biggest impact doesn’t always come from the loudest in the room. Often, it’s consistency, preparation and bringing people with you.

I think people in production and senior agency roles understand that instinctively, because so much of the job involves creating calm inside chaos while still maintaining incredibly high standards.

What I really liked about Fireflies was the respect for different kinds of strength. I’ve spent much of my career in fairly male-dominated environments, so Fireflies felt familiar in some ways. Throughout my career, I’ve been very lucky to work with teams who, on the whole, have treated me as an equal, but I think in any traditionally male environment you still become aware of certain dynamics or expectations.

Over time, I’ve learned the biggest impact doesn’t always come from the loudest in the room. Often, it’s consistency, preparation and bringing people with you. Fireflies respected different kinds of strength, whether that was intensity, encouragement, humour, or keeping the group going when it got hard.