Julie Robinson: Participation Is a Choice
For more than thirty-five years, Julie Robinson has worked in education, helping young people realise their potential and supporting the people who guide them. Yet when asked what daily habit has had the greatest impact on her life, she doesn’t mention productivity, fitness, or career success.
She simply says:
“Choosing to engage with people cheerfully.”
It is a deceptively simple answer, but one that reveals the essence of who she is.
Throughout her career, Julie has learned that people rarely achieve their full potential alone. Relationships matter. Encouragement matters. Belief matters. Time and again, she has witnessed what happens when someone knows another person genuinely believes in them.
“People never cease to surprise you,” she says. “I’ve learned that we can all achieve more when we have someone we know believes in us. Relationships, mentoring and coaching are very important.”
That belief in people sits at the heart of her outlook on life.
Like many leaders, Julie understands the demands of balancing professional responsibility with personal wellbeing. Rather than searching for complex solutions, she has learned the value of creating protected space for slower thinking and reflection. A walk in nature, time with her husband, spending time with the dog, reading, or simply looking through old photographs allows her to step away from the endless demands of modern life and reconnect with what matters.
Health, for Julie, is not an end goal. It is what makes everything else possible.
A good night’s sleep before an important day. Staying active enough to maintain energy, momentum and interest in the world around her. Remaining physically capable of continuing to contribute.
Her definition of healthy longevity reflects this perfectly:
“Being well enough to enjoy living and energetic enough to give back. Being independent and active, with a range of interests, good friends and family relationships.”
Swimming has long played an important role in that balance. It is, as she describes it, her “happy place”. A space where she can settle into a rhythm, think freely, and escape distraction. No matter how tired she feels beforehand, she never regrets making the effort to get into the water.
Much of Julie’s approach to life can be traced back to lessons learned from her mother.
“The importance of being reliable—not letting people down—and following through on promises.”
Those values continue to shape the way she leads, works and lives.
Looking ahead, Julie is drawn not towards retirement, but towards contribution. Inspired by the work of the Children’s Laureate, she hopes one day to volunteer as a reader with primary school children, helping them discover a lifelong love of books while giving them something equally important: the belief that someone cares about them.
When asked what advice she would give her younger self, her answer is refreshingly straightforward:
“Don’t overthink it. Keep things simple. Do activities that you enjoy enough to make into habits. Throw yourself into a range of interests and meet interesting people you can learn from across your life.”
Perhaps her most powerful insight comes when discussing ageing itself.
“The biggest misconception is that you need to accept the stereotype of old age: becoming sluggish, tired, bent over and immobile. Age is just a number.”
Julie Robinson embodies what it means to be a Meta-Ager. Not because of her age, profession, or achievements, but because she continues to choose engagement over withdrawal. She remains curious, active, interested, connected and committed to making a contribution.
Participation, after all, is a choice.
And Julie continues to choose it every day.
