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"Death involves everyone," says Ivor Williams. “Design accordingly.”
This line from my conversation with this week’s Fearless Forward guest sums up his life’s work.
Many wisdom traditions and indigenous cultures treat awareness of mortality as a way into deeper consciousness. In the West, we tend to do the opposite: often pushing the subject away until it becomes urgent. But by that time it may be too late to do and say things that really matter.
Ivor is a death care design consultant offering us a different way of looking at our own mortality. As he sees it, mortality awareness is a uniquely human trait which can sharpen our appreciation of life and help us live with more intention and joy.
His own path to this work was far from linear. After art college, he spent ten years on a wide range of design projects and won multiple awards. Then a year-long residency for young creatives at a design research centre in Italy changed the direction of his career.
Working on experimental projects about death and dying, he found his vocation. He went on to found one of the first design studios dedicated to rethinking how we experience the end of life.
In the twelve years since, his work has included long-term projects with hospices and co-founding Humane Engineering, a tech-for-good mental health start-up. Its app, Cove, was one of the first available on the UK’s National Health Service and has been used worldwide.
But our conversation, as you might expect, is less about his achievements and more about the person behind them. We talk about how Ivor’s own life has shaped his work, and what led him to create Mortals, an online community and group programme.
Facing mortality alone can feel overwhelming. Mortals offers a safe space to explore it together, as a way of living more fully.
If you’re curious to learn more about this enlivening perspective on death, I’d encourage you to listen in.
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Imagine a nine-year old girl writing and directing her first play. Even at this young age, she has a natural inclination to lead.
An extrovert, she’s also highly sensitive. And this trait, while often misunderstood by others, becomes a cornerstone of her self-awareness. Over time, her hypersensitivity becomes a guide to what feels right for her.
The little girl grows into a remarkable woman whose career journey crosses continents and industries, and takes her from her native Nigeria to a new home in Scotland - via a series of bold reinventions: entrepreneur, strategic marketing consultant, author, certified coach, inspirational speaker, and now Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland and CEO of Somebody Cares Scotland.
This is the brief history of the amazing Dr Yekemi Otaru - my guest on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast.
How she came to be the CEO of Somebody Cares Scotland — an award-winning charity that alleviates hardship by providing free food, furniture and essential household items to people moving into empty homes — is itself an extraordinary story.
Serendipity brought her to the role. Self-trust propels her forward.
“Self-trust is not about always getting it right, but about believing you’ll handle whatever comes.”For Yekemi, self-trust is built through experience, reflection, and the courage to recognise fear — without letting it stop you from doing what you really want to.
“It’s about trusting that you can adapt, learn, and find your way — even when the path is unclear.”
She listens to others carefully and asks for input; but may still make a decision not everyone likes.
Because in leadership and in life, self-trust is about ceasing to defer to other people’s opinions, and instead paying attention to what feels true to you and what drains you; to where you’re just performing and where you’re actually in flow.
To be the leader, parent, partner, friend you want to be, self-trust is essential.
As you step into your day, take a moment to ask yourself:
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Fear fascinates me. It’s ever-present, but rarely obvious. It’s behind every knee-jerk reaction to a stressful event. And, ultimately, it’s what makes us human.
So I particularly enjoyed recording this week’s episode of the Fearless Forward podcast with author and productivity expert Grace Marshall.
Our conversation centres on the hidden force she calls high functioning fear. We explore how fear often masquerades as relentless busyness, overstretching, or people-pleasing - especially among high achievers.
Grace shares practical ways to notice and name these patterns. Here are two:
1. Curiosity is key. Pausing, noticing what you’re feeling and asking “What’s really going on?” What is this feeling (of frustration, disappointment, anxiety etc.) telling me? You can’t make the feeling go away. But by consciously recognising what’s really going on, you open your mind to possibility and connection, especially in stressful moments.
2. Not all struggle needs fixing. Instead of looking for the “light at the end of the tunnel”, better to be more present in the tunnel and shine a light on the hidden treasure it may hold. In other words, the very struggle you’re experiencing might be concealing helpful clues to what you really need.
At the end of the episode I asked Grace the question I put to all my podcast guests: “What does Fearless Forward mean to you?” Here’s her reply:
“The more that we can notice fear, the less it will drive us. And the more choice we’ll have... less held back by fear, more able to show up fully, to connect, to dream and achieve what’s possible.”
If fear can hide inside apparent competence, then a lot of what we reward in working life may not always be as healthy as it looks.
Performance and visible results matter, but so does genuine wellbeing. Without the latter, the former is not sustainable.
Where might fear be showing up in your work or life? And how could you reframe your relationship with it?
Listen to this episode for some powerful insights.
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[00:00:21] Explaining high-functioning fear
[00:05:51] Flight and freeze responses explained
[00:08:06] Finding power in stillness
[00:12:04] Understanding the role of fear
[00:15:59] Recognising and managing fear response
[00:17:51] Discovering high-functioning fear
[00:20:55] Handling adult tantrums with care
[00:23:51] Naming emotions for presence
[00:28:24] Quick, handy time management tips
[00:33:38] Rethinking Struggles as Growth
[00:34:47] Finding growth in struggle
[00:41:26] Understanding fear and alternative stories
[00:44:03] Seeing struggle as a catalyst
[00:48:44] Setting up a live demonstration
[00:49:36] Event mix-up with client
[00:55:04] Embracing ongoing growth mindset
[00:57:05] Recognising hidden fear at work
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If the life you’ve built for yourself falls apart, no amount of discipline or achievement or ‘pushing on through’ can save it.
You’re in a moment of truth. What’s needed is for you to face the fact that the only way out of this is in.
In other words, resolution cannot be found by changing your external situation, but by turning your focus inward to explore your own self.
Daily Telegraph Business Leader of the Year Award winner and former CEO Ray Martin learnt all this the hard way. In a short space of time his marriage ended, he lost his business partner, and his father became ill and died.
In our conversation on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast Ray describes how he felt.
“Within three or four months, everything that I knew to be my life, that gave it the shape and identity and form it had, just disappeared. I was the most lost and broken I'd ever been.”
We explore how a 6-month sabbatical became a 14-year journey through 28 countries: a quest to find out what living his life true to himself - and not as others expected him to - might look and feel like.
“Ray the businessman is the character I've been playing. It's not me.“
He became a blogger, a meditator, a coach, a marathon runner, and a charity fundraiser. But the biggest personal shift came through meditation.
Consistent practice gave him space to notice his thoughts, his habits, his fears, and to understand how they’d been driving his choices. He became more intentional and built stronger connections with the people and things that truly mattered to him.
If you’re curious about what it really means to live and lead with freedom - to be, as Ray puts it, "the source of your own creation" - listen in here.
And perhaps ask yourself this: where in my own life might I be performing a version of myself that it’s time to let go of?
This episode will help you:
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We’re all afraid of something. But what if we let our fear guide us to what really matters?
When we take the time to understand the source of the fear, we can also tune into what it’s asking of us.
A fear of loss might be telling us to appreciate our friends and loved-ones. A fear of loneliness in old age might be encouraging us to cultivate closer connections now. A fear of change might be pointing to a need for more adventure in our life.
And a fear of regret? For my guest on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast, Happy Startup School co-founder Laurence McCahill, that fear is a driving force.
For Laurence, the very thought of wasting talent, an idea, a dream, or a relationship - drives him to do the opposite.
“For many people, the fear of getting it wrong is greater than the fear of regret. But for me it’s always been the other way around. I’d rather get it wrong than not try.”In my conversation with Laurence, I explore where all this comes from. The early-life and intergenerational influences that have guided his purpose and direction. Living most of those years above a pub - various pubs - in North London. And his father’s struggles with alcoholism.
Laurence grew up in a world full of warmth, music and belonging – and with conflict and addiction. The former helped him navigate the latter, and they still do.
Looking back on his relationship with his father, he’s taking forward not a polished lesson, but a practice of noticing what he’s inherited, keeping what feels true, and trying not to pass on what caused harm.
All this and more has informed Laurence’s need to build community - through the Happy Startup School he co-founded 14 years ago with his childhood friend Carlos Saba. Together they create spaces where people can feel more at home, be themselves, and be curious and open-minded.
“We create what we most need in the world, I believe. And one of the joys of this work [for me] is connecting great people and seeing what unfolds.”If you’re looking for a story that’s inspiring and deeply human, I hope you'll give this episode a listen.
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For this week’s Fearless Forward podcast guest, an early career setback became a gift. Having convinced herself she wasn’t good enough to teach, she lost faith in her own worth. It took the right conversations with the right people for her to see this wasn’t true.
Today, Esther Taylor is the CEO of the Lady Macadam Breast Cancer Trust. Historically, Lady Macadam was a pioneer in providing mammograms. But as the NHS improved its services and the charity’s equipment aged, Esther noticed a critical gap in the NHS’ capacity for ongoing emotional and practical support.
By listening to her nurses and the community, Esther identified where they could make the most difference.
“If I see a gap I try to fill it.” She says.
Inspired by a visit to a London charity, Esther and her team have transformed Lady Macadam’s headquarters into a welcoming sanctuary for breast cancer patients. The charity offers holistic services — Pilates, reflexology, nutritional advice, immediate counselling — and advocacy for patients struggling to access timely care.
It has become a lifeline for hundreds of families.
In our conversation we explore Esther’s experience of self-doubt, leadership, and impact. She also talks candidly about the challenges of balancing her CEO role with “mum guilt”, and the effects of menopause on her energy levels — just as her career ambitions are soaring.
Esther champions a culture of flexibility and understanding that recognises the real-life needs of her staff. Her perspective on leading with empathy and vulnerability speaks to the power of creating a supportive work environment where people can thrive both personally and professionally.
Listen to this episode for inspiration and actionable advice from a genuine leader who walks her talk.
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For many of us, losing a large chunk of our memory sounds terrifying. But for renowned leadership coach and author Ian Day, it has proven to be a gift.
Back in 2017, during a regular gym session, Ian suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. He was clinically dead for 20 minutes. And with a survival rate of just 10%, he was lucky to pull through.
But the experience left him with a serious brain injury. He had to relearn everything - how to walk, talk, and even recognise his own family.
In my conversation with Ian on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast we explore how this life-altering event transformed his approach to leadership, coaching, and life itself.
With little memory of his former self, recent life events, or what’s happening in the future, Ian’s recovery has been about on learning to live in the present.
While he may not remember the details of a day out with his wife, he does retain the feeling of joy it brought him.
And therein lies the gift: with no past weight and no future anxiety, Ian lives life almost entirely in the now.
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For his work as a leadership coach, however, and as an Associate Professor and Course Director for Warwick University’s postgraduate coaching courses, not being able to rely on his memory felt daunting:
“I was thinking, I'm not going to be able to do this anymore. That was the scary bit.”Over time though, Ian has turned this constraint into his greatest strength: by focusing on being present, listening deeply, and helping his clients find their own answers.
Success is no longer measured in mastery, knowledge, or being the expert in the room. It’s experienced through presence, curiosity, and enabling others.
This experience has deeply informed his latest book, The Coaching Leader, which advocates for humble, people-centred leadership in today's complex world.
True leadership, says Ian, is about creating space for others to thrive - by listening, asking questions, and trusting your team.
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What if life were simply a series of different adventures we say “yes” to?
Because often the most rewarding experiences are the ones we don’t plan.
My guest on this week’s Fearless Forward podcast is an international marketing leader whose career is a masterclass in saying “yes” to the adventures life brings.
Kathryn Giblin’s journey is shaped by a willingness to embrace life as it comes – even when she’s not 100% ready – and learning as she goes.
Looking back over a career that’s involved international moves, industry shifts, unexpected personal challenges, and some regrets, she chooses to focus on what she has – not on what she lacks.
And if you think a seasoned leader like Kathryn would be fearless, she shares a story about being more terrified during an assessment with her search and rescue dog than during any boardroom presentation. It’s a fascinating insight into how fear can show up in unexpected ways: in this case, fear of losing control manifesting as micromanagement.
“Over-managing anything invariably backfires,” says Kathryn. “I forgot that my dog already knew what to do.”We also explore the mental and emotional toll of menopause. If you’re a woman reading this, you may appreciate Kathryn’s vulnerable sharing of her associated anxiety, cognitive challenges, and severely depleted energy reserves.
Kathryn doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all answer, but she does encourage you to proactively seek the right help.
And she reminds us that leadership is about showing up - sometimes fearlessly, sometimes with trepidation, but always with curiosity and resilience.
If you’re navigating your own career crossroads, facing new challenges, or dealing with personal transitions, my conversation with Kathryn might help you see the adventure in it all.
This episode will help you:
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Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are born from the greatest uncertainty.
In 1991, the collapse of the former Soviet Union gave rise to a dynamic market economy. One particular physicist and mathematician not only witnessed but actively shaped the transformation of Russia’s business landscape.
That man was Mikhail Klarin. Moving from scholar to pioneer, he helped build the coaching profession in Russia from the ground up, and is regarded by many as the father of executive coaching in Russia.
My conversation with Mikhail on this week’s episode of the Fearless Forward podcast reveals a story of embracing uncertainty, innovating in the face of skepticism, and leading with curiosity and courage.
Mikhail is both a deep thinker and a pragmatist, whose creative approaches to unlocking hidden business dynamics have set him apart. He converts his unique insights into actionable strategies for navigating change.
The physicist in Mikhail loves to explore and experiment, not least in adapting constellation therapy for the business world. With his small team he creates a living, moving model of a company’s market, revealing hidden dynamics, competitive tensions, and unseen opportunities. It may sound like magic, but his rigorous approach yields astonishingly accurate results.
From the fear of entering a completely new professional world to the uneasiness of explaining his unconventional work to skeptical colleagues, Mikhail has faced his share of fear.
His lesson? If you want to move forward and innovate, fear is not a stop sign - it’s a natural companion on the journey.
My conversation with Mikhail is an exploration of history, psychology, and the very edge of what we consider business strategy to be about.
This episode will help you:
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Fear can be paralysing, or it can be a motivator. For burns survivor Marc Convey, it’s a motivator.
On the Fearless Forward podcast this week Marc offers profound insight into the power of facing things as they are and acting from there.
It’s a powerful story of extreme adversity, fear and courage.
At just 14, Marc survived a horrific accident that left him with severe burns over 38% of his body and a 3% chance of survival. The path forward was gruelling: 30+ operations in under four years – the first 17 in just four months; torturous two-hour daily dressing changes; and relearning 100s of routine tasks.
For Marc though, the biggest fear wasn’t physical pain or permanent disfigurement, but the prospect of falling behind his peers.
“Knowing that there was so much fear in dropping back was probably the first time I used fear as an unbelievable motivator to drive forward.”
He learnt to write with his non-dominant hand, to keep up with his school work even while undergoing relentless surgeries, and eventually to enter university and live a fully independent life.
Above all Marc became, in his words, “like the CEO of my own recovery.”
He built a “board of directors” – with his mum as managing director, his dad as financial director, and the hospital staff as partners – to help him move forward in the way he wanted.
He used his stubbornness, wit, and competitive spirit to break through apparent barriers.
And he used humour, especially dark humour, to build relationships with his caregivers. This made their difficult work easier and created a human connection that supported his healing.
Listen to this conversation for a profound reminder that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we have power in the way we respond.
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