Gail Cox on being a little madder, a gangster cat, and our birthright

A transformational coach, facilitator and change consultant writes about psoriasis, mosaics, being far less easily offended, and vital living and leading.

1 You’re deeply commitment to helping leaders and teams grow in ways that support both business and human vitality. How do you view human vitality?

Vitality isn’t a luxury. It’s not a perk or an afterthought. It is the real work.

It’s our human life force — the fuel for resilience, creativity, and sustained performance. Our birthright. Not reserved for a select few, but available to all of us. And it looks different for everyone.

Vitality is never one thing. It’s an interplay of many  things. One small, intentional shift in one area creates extraordinary gain in others. Strength, grounding, discernment, action, kindness, and lightness can coexist — and when they do, people and businesses thrive.

Put vitality at the centre of how we grow leaders, teams, and organisations, and potential unlocks in ways conventional approaches cannot touch. The impact ripples outward — to families and communities : a communal vitality.

The courage to lead for vitality takes grit. To value long-term performance over short-term push, and design environments that replenish rather than deplete. Leaders who do this don’t just deliver results — they change the game.

This is the real stuff of vital living and leading.

2 You’re a globally accredited mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher with over two decades of personal practice. How did this come about?

 When my son was six weeks old, we were told he would need major head surgery before his first birthday. We carried that knowledge — and the weight of what was to come — for months, until he was eight months old and it was time for the operation.

 When it was finally over and he was safe, I expected relief. Instead, I unravelled. My body broke out in severe psoriasis, and I was flooded with emotions I could barely contain. That’s when I was referred to Dr Simon Whitesman, a mindfulness teacher and medical psychotherapist.

 Stepping into Simon’s space was like entering a different world. One built on compassion, gentle presence, and the steady rhythm of breath. In those early weekly sessions, I learned to sit with what I was feeling and my skin began to heal. So did something inside me.

 Simon became not only my doctor but my teacher, mentor, and friend. Through this work with him, I discovered practices and perspectives that have shaped almost every part of my adult life. Mindfulness gave me a way to meet suffering without being consumed by it, and to see more clearly and wisely.

 Today, in my work, I pay that forward through my accreditation in teaching mindfulness,  helping others develop these same skills — so that they, too, can find steadiness in uncertainty and possibility in challenge. It has been one of the great gifts of my life. I only wish I had learned it as a child and young adult.

Also listen to Gail sharing stories and life & leadership lessons from accepting the challenge of open-water swimming in Mallorca.

3 You describe this season of your life as incorporating a bit of madness – why?

Menopause, for me, was an unexpected unravel. Without oestrogen, I felt lost;  meandering and fretting my way through, doing my best to stay present to the experience and support my own wellbeing along the way.

 And yet, it turned out to be both freeing and defining. I emerged with a clarity and energy I could never have imagined possible. It felt like a dying and a rebirth — this time, a little wilder, a little madder, and far less concerned with what the world thinks I should be. Instead, it became about integrating and re-integrating my skills, gifts, and value in ways that have redefined my craft — in how I relate to myself, to others, and to my work.

And - let’s be honest: we are  all a little mad in this chapter of life on earth. Owning that — in a playful yet responsible way — helps me dance, laugh, and move forward with engagement, enthusiasm, and joy. I am mostly amused by things now, and far less easily offended. And for me, that’s been profoundly freeing.

4 You’ve been married for 29 years. Tell us more about Graeme, your husband, and how you experience your bond.

 It feels like the years have flown by, even though we have  packed so much into them. Graeme is here for a good time — no question about that. He loves sport, is mad about mountain biking, and wants to be out and about as much as possible. I, on the other hand, am much more of a homebody, and I have never been tempted to ride a bike up (or down) a mountain. 

We are both small-business entrepreneurs, which has brought plenty of challenges, but also has helped us to own our own homes, invest in our children’s education, and make  space for some fun along the way. In our early and middle adulthood, we were both pretty self-sacrificing — very focused on clients, children, and others. Now, we are learning to shift that, each in our own way.

Graeme and I have  faced our share of challenges as partners and parents, but today we are strong and healthy. Even in the stress of life, when we can’t see each other clearly, we still manage to remember that we have  always had each other’s backs. We are very different — and that’s been both a source of growth and of conflict — but we still make each other laugh, and our dreams still include each other. For me, that’s worth celebrating.

Ashtyn and Aiden 

5 What do you love about your two young adult children?

I absolutely love being a mom, and this stage of young adulthood might just be my favourite. I have such good relationships with both my children, and sharing, communicating, and connecting on an adult-to-adult level is the best. There’s openness, genuine mutual respect, and an abundance of love in how we are with each other. 

They are quite different from each other in some ways, and in other ways, not at all. Neither shies away from the hard stuff, and I’m so grateful for that. I learn from them every day, and they turn to me for wisdom, honesty, growth, and encouragement too.

They’re both wickedly funny and quick-witted, and I love laughing with them. They call me “Gail” when they think I need to adult a bit more , and “Gailo” when they want something — and I love that.

6 Do introduce us to your rescue dogs!

Ruby came for a sleepover ostensibly to help a friend out who was rescuing dogs and needed support on a particular day. Let’s just say she never left. Missy is short for Mistletoe because we rescued her from the side of the road on the 23rd of December in the searing heat. She was only about 4 weeks old and had no idea what to do with water since she had only ever drunk her own urine. So sad but a happy story. She really is a Missy and we love her very much. Harvey is our rescue cat – he is a gangster – everyone is slightly scared of him except me.

7 How do you prefer to reload your batteries?

Not mountain bike riding for sure. I like time on my own and retreats are my special treats. Sometime silent retreats, sometimes creative retreats, sometime self retreating. I really enjoy people and I also enjoy my own company very much.  If I don’t interrupt the work I do with some self restoring I can become easily overwhelmed. I like the balance.

My garden is such a source of joy and wonder for me. It’s not a wow  garden but it is for me and every day I find something in it that brings me such delight. Sunflowers are my favourite although I don’t have any in my garden – challenge set!  I like mosaic-ing and I am planning a project for a wall in my garden of waves and circles and scattering and gathering – all in mosaics. Right now it is still in my head. Nothing brings me more joy than the smell of the sea and the sound of waves and my feet buried in the sand…when I am not swimming of course. A good book and a fire on a cold Cape winter’s day is also a wonderful way for me to spend time. I also love a good laugh with my nearest and dearest girlfriends.

8 How would you describe the joys and challenges of living in Cape Town?

How I love Cape Town – such colour, such diversity, such creativity and entrepreneurship AND you can be at a shopping centre or a wine farm within a 10 minute drive radius. Close to where I live you can experience the sea and the mountains…at the same time…together…this is pure magic. I like the pace and the buzz and I also hate the traffic. I also don’t like  that you can’t be spontaneous in Cape Town and you have to book every event you plan. I will take that though because it is the most incredible place to live. And Proteas – the flowering kind – on the side of the mountain. I never get tired of that. And the oak trees. I am beyond blessed.

More about Gail

Gail Cox is a transformational coach, facilitator and change consultant with a deep commitment to helping leaders and teams grow in ways that support both business and human vitality. She's walked many paths: entrepreneur, corporate employee and consultant, team coach, and in her private practice, she supports adults navigating high-stakes life/career transitions. 

Gail blends a range of human-centered coaching modalities  with leadership development, helping people build resilience, emotional steadiness, and the kind of energy that sustains  — at work, at home, and in community. She’s also a globally accredited mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher with over two decades of personal practice. 

Gail lives in Cape Town with her husband, two young adult children and her rescue dogs, and is as likely to be found reading or coaching as swimming. She describes this season of her life as one of mastery, wisdom, and a bit of madness — still learning, still stretching, still showing up.

Website: https://www.gailcoxcoaching.com/

Email: connect@gailcoxcoaching.com

Tel. +27 83 320 9889

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Other images supplied by Gail Cox, unless indicated otherwise.