Martin Farrell, who is the author of Good Leaders in Turbulent Times, a crisis coach, and an international facilitator, says he feels "at home" in Kingston.

Despite being born in Hastings, Farrell who visited his grandparents in Thames Ditton for many years and has lived in Kingston for 30 years, says he "just loves Kingston", be it being close to the river, swimming in the river, or the culture.

His parents attended Tiffin Boys' and Girls' schools and met while working together on a joint schools' drama production.

Farrell has worked in civil society and for charities for six decades, including Kingston Voluntary Action, having known he wanted to work for charities at the age of 16.

Sitting across from me at Browns Bar & Brasserie on Kingston's riverside, where Farrell often likes to work because it's like a "sanctuary to him", he told me how he volunteered in South Africa after university and for Manchester's Moss Side Estate in 1968 before working for charities like the Red Cross and Save the Children, mental health charities, and with young offenders in Hammersmith.

In 2002, by chance, he facilitated a conference for the UN and then and then was engaged regularly by the UN and other international bodies. 

Over the years, Farrell has offered advice to many, many charity Chief Executives who are in trouble and often in fear of being fired.

Speaking about his work, Farrell told Kingston Nub News: "I want to create a space where people can work together."

And that's where the idea of Good Leaders in Turbulent Times came from, eight and a half years ago.

As part of his job as a facilitator for Chief Executives of charities and other civil society organisations in the UK and internationally, Farrell offers, Farrell offers "digestible, helpful, and clear advice" and decided he should do this in a book form.

Speaking about the inspiration behind Good Leaders in Turbulent Times, Farrell said: "In October 2016, I met with a charity Chief Executive whom I'd supported when she was in crisis and thought she might be fired, and she told me I had to write a book offering advice to people in similar situations.

"And this chimed with me, so she told me to 'just do it'."

But Farell didn't want to "just offer advice and tell people what to do" in his book, so the book, which is five chapters long with sub-chapters, tells the stories of nine fictional characters over seven years who face similar work-life struggles to the charity Chief Executives Farrell works with, and the advice is included in nibs within the stories "to make it more engaging for readers".

"So, they're fictional characters with real-life experiences," Farrell says.

"Each story speaks about each character's deepest moment of crisis based on real situations."

"And many people who have read the book have told me they can relate to these situations."

Each character is interlinked, and in the first chapter, they meet at a conference where disaster begins to brew.

However, the final chapter, which consists of 12 sub-chapters, tells real-life stories of real people Farrell has helped, and their learnings.

The book does not have to be read chronologically, instead, Farrell offers six different ways of reading the book, following symbols drawn by Steven Appleby, which he explains at the start.

Farrell offers six different ways of reading his book (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

He also includes himself in the book, which he says his readers "have really appreciated".

A synopsis for the book reads: "Good Leaders in Turbulent Times tells various tales of third sector 'Good Leaders', who find themselves in a career crisis.

"It follows them from the first 'watch-out-for' signs, through the bad times and, eventually, we see the resolutions they find."

Farrell said that the book "started off very local, but now it's international".

He often worked on writing the book while enjoying a coffee in Browns and came up with the idea for the title and front cover while at the Hollyhock Café in Richmond last year, which he mentions in the book.

He told Kingston Nub News: "I need places like Browns and Hollyhock where I can sit and think."

Farrell says he 'feels at home' at Browns in Kingston (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Speaking about the book, Farrell said: "I want to support people in the fight, and the book offers an architecture of stuff I can give people."

To promote the launch of the book, Farrell gave a Q&A session in Kingston's Waterstones on 5 March, which saw 27 people attend.

Farrell said: "Many of the guests told me how appreciative of the book they were."

Farrell held a Q&A session in Kingston's Waterstones to promote the book (Image supplied)

Now aged 75, Farrell plans to start a free-to-read Substack called Live in Turbulent Times, which will have 11 blog posts offering similar advice to that of the book.

He is also hoping to host a Spanish table in Browns on Monday or Friday evenings where locals can get together and learn Spanish.

Good Leaders in Turbulent Times can be bought at Kingston's Waterstones and the Regency bookstore in Surbiton.