When My Oura Ring Knew Before I Did…

Mark Matthews speaking to Synaxon UK’s board meeting

7:00am. Driving to Wolverhampton.

My first talk in three years.

I hadn’t stood in front of an audience since the fraud, since the trial, since everything fell apart.

That morning, my Oura Ring buzzed with a stress warning I’d never seen before. It was right — my chest was tight, my thoughts racing.

It felt less like a talk and more like a crossroads:

➡️ Good talk = I move forward.
➡️ Bad talk = I don’t.

At 10am, I stood in front of Synaxon UK’s board.

………No slides. No pitch. Just me.

I told them about the crisp packet outside my office door. About building a business to a multi-million pounds and then watching it collapse in betrayal. About three years of silence and what it takes to find your voice again.

And here’s the thing: people leaned in. They stayed with me. Some even looked emotional themselves.

That day reminded me of something I’d forgotten: stress isn’t always a signal to stop. Sometimes it’s your body’s way of saying, “This matters.”

The Oura Ring saw the nerves.
But the people in the room saw the truth.

👉 And the truth is this: vulnerability builds trust. Always.

We live in a world that tells leaders to have all the answers. I’ve learned it’s the opposite: when we admit we don’t, people don’t pull away — they lean in.