New Book a ‘Cathartic and Joyous’ Celebration of Suki Thompson
Described as ‘the epitome of human sunshine’, Suki Thompson was an energetic industry presence known for her uncanny knack for connecting people. So when she died two years ago, it sent shockwaves throughout the UK marketing and advertising scene. Throughout her thirteen year battle with skin cancer, she strove relentlessly to raise awareness and money for charity, all the while treating ‘every day as a gift’.
A new book, ‘Every Day is a Gift’, seeks to continue that legacy and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, where Suki was a trustee for nine years. The book collates and curates lessons and moments of deep meaning from contributors to Suki’s podcast series ‘Reset’. Voices like Arthur Sadoun (chairman & CEO, Publicis Groupe) and Kathryn Jacob OBE (CEO, Pearl & Dean), broadcaster Angie Greaves and footballer-turned-author Mark Bright. Also featured are Keith Weed (president of the Royal Horticultural Society and former Unilever CMO) and Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE (founder of Choice FM and WinTrade Global).
A relentless mover and shaker, Suki was known, among many things, for co-founding the intermediary Oystercatchers and for setting up Let’s Reset, a platform created to support people’s wellbeing at work.
Richard Robinson, a close friend and former colleague of Suki, explains that he and Suki’s family found that people wanted to find out more about her story and achievements. At the same time, they realised that they were ‘sitting on top of this incredible archive’ from the podcast.
“We realised there was a commonality when you went through all of the stories of positivity and hope and wonderful things that people were doing with their time over the course of a day, and it sort of became this natural evolution. Why couldn’t we then take these brilliant, positive stories and then turn them into a book benefiting a charity that Suki loved dearly,” explains Richard.
The process of revisiting this archive has, says Richard, been ‘cathartic and quite joyous’. “You get to hear someone’s voice again, which is magical, and then you hear some of the stories and the insights that she would bring into the stories herself.”
“This book is full of Mum,” says Jazmyn Thompson, Suki’s daughter. “Her courage, her joy, the way she brought people together. It’s a reminder of how loved she was, and still is. I think anyone who reads it will find something of themselves in its pages.”
The book was also inspired by Suki’s own magnificent awareness and fundraising efforts. In the final stage of her journey, she launched Suki’s Steps & Swim, a walk along the Chess Valley and a swim off Perranporth Beach in Cornwall. That raised over £200,000 in two months. In those last weeks, she also made an appearance on Good Morning Britain, where she was interviewed by her close friend Susanna Reid and appeared all over the national press to spread awareness about melanoma.
Through her efforts, Suki managed to reach and inspire people across the country. Reflecting on how Suki has inspired him personally, Richard says that he really has taken her ‘every day is a gift’ mantra to heart and that she’s made him really appreciate the importance of human connections, not least his relationship with Suki’s parents and her children Jazmyn and Sam.
“On a personal level it’s taught me two really big things. One is that life is temporary. I think everybody’s quite aware of that, but it means you have to stop and think about, what am I actually doing today?,” says Richard. The second thing that Suki has taught him is the importance of keeping good company and of being generous with people.
“We used to say, ‘she picks up people like she’s got sticky paper all over’... She was a radiator and somebody who was just giving the whole time. She believed in the human quality of reciprocity. Give and people give back.”
‘Every Day is a Gift’ is available to pre-order now as a paperback or a limited edition hardback and proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.
