Born to Flow® (BTF) is an invitation to rediscover flow, not as a fixed theory, but as a lived, evolving experience. Blending personal insight, practical wisdom, and inspiration from thinkers as diverse as Alan Watts, Bruce Lee, Rick Rubin, George Kelly and Joseph Campbell, BTF explores flow as something you curate, not control.
Drawing on the river metaphor and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work, BTF expands the conversation to include friction, creativity, and the journey of self-expression. It invites readers to release assumptions, embrace experimentation, and grow—not through perfection, but presence.
Like water shaping rock, flow emerges through sustained engagement. Insight, tools, and reflective practices offer a fresh hypothesis, guiding leaders, coaches, and creatives toward meaningful, grounded action. Applications include flow-aligned habits, navigating resistance, and creating environments for deep work. BTF is a dynamic framework to reclaim rhythm, honour creativity, and unlock inner potential.
Table of Contents:
Part 1: The Invitation 1. A Droplet 2. Introduction (The source) 3. The Wellspring (The abundant source) 4. Scene Setting (Tributary) 5. It Depends (Confluence) 6. Flow (Tributary) 7. The Notion of Born to Flow (Tributary) 8. Where the flow begins (Estuarine) 9. Flow Science (Tributary) 10. Remembering flow (Anabranch) 11. In the groove (Currents) 12. Flow Alteration (Dams) 13. Interrupting flow (The Continuing Alteration of terrain through which we flow) 14. The business of flow (Channel) 15. The flow leader as coach (The Potential of Undercurrents) 16. The flow through life (Ebbs and Flows) 17. The nature of flow (Tributary) Part 2: The Devotion 18. Branching Streams flow in the darkness (Tributary. A dedication to Shunryu Suzuki) 19. Engaging with and owning your flow (Tributary) 20. Teaching flow (Currents) 21. The flow mind shift (Tributary) 22. Confluence (Flowing Together) 23. The campaign (Anabranch) 24. A way of being (Returning to the source)
About the Author :
Cliff Kimber holds an MSc in Coaching and Development from the University of Portsmouth and is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and the Royal Society of Arts. He coaches senior leaders and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and is committed to individuals meeting their better selves.
Review :
‘Cliff Kimber takes us all one step closer to owning and developing our flow. Discovering the beauty in the journey to embody the flow within. If the goal was the democratisation of flow, Born to Flow moves us all closer’
Claire Davey, Executive coach, former Head of Coaching at Deloitte UK
‘In Born to Flow, Cliff masterfully blends psychology, philosophy, and personal experience. It returns us to something beautiful and primal: recognizing Flow is not a rare state, but the way life moves through us when we trust, align, and let go’
Adam Karaoguz, Former Navy SEAL
‘Cliff Kimber’s insights on flow have the power to change the way we experience life and help us transform the world we live in. His understandings offer us all access to deeper dimensions of who we are, our performance, our growth, evolution and engagement. So, if your potential is precious to you and living fully important then “Born to Flow” needs to be in your reading list’.
Jonny Wilkinson, Founder at One Living, England Rugby international, RWC winner
‘This is a book readers can return to again and again’.
Steve Borthwick, England Head Coach, RFU
‘Born to Flow is transformational. Cliff doesn’t just explore flow, he redefines it. With warmth and insight, he challenges our hidden assumptions and reconnects us not just with our potential at work, but also ourselves, those who matter, and our lives. This isn’t just for high achievers, it’s for anyone seeking a more fully lived life.'
David Ross, Fragile World Strategist, award winning author of Confronting the Storm
‘I think that flow is always present, as long as you’re alive! Cliff Kimber, a brilliant coach, trusted advisor and iconoclast, introduced this idea to me’
□□yles Downey, Author of Effective Coaching, Lessons from the Coach's Coach
