TW: This episode references child loss

This episode was recorded on the way home from a business strategy day in Kent and I very nearly did not publish it!

This recording are my thoughts as they came to me, so there is repetition, there are pauses - all the things a great Podcast Strategist would tell you not to publish. But I didn't want to get in my own way by editing and perfecting what is an in the moment reflection. So instead, I ask for your forgiveness with the pauses and where I repeat myself.

I spent the day with a group of incredible women, several in their 70s, who are building businesses, creating products, launching new ideas and investing in themselves and their futures.

Their stories made me reflect on my own journey over the last two years. The goals I haven't achieved yet. The progress I have made. The lessons learned along the way. And the importance of continuing to show up, even when things take longer than expected.

We talk a lot about success, but not enough about persistence.

This is a conversation about ambition, resilience, purpose, learning, growth and what becomes possible when you decide not to give up.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Women in Business, Female Entrepreneurs, Small Business, Business Growth, Resilience, Personal Development, Growth Mindset, Ambition, Purpose, Determination, Business Owner, Founder Journey, Women Supporting Women, Midlife Entrepreneurship, Confidence, Leadership, Success Mindset, Motivation, Taking Action, Personal Growth, Business Podcast, Next Level You Podcast.

In this episode of Next Level You, I’m talking about something that came up in a conversation at a recent event - questioning.

A friend asked me how I developed the ability to ask good questions and it led to a really interesting reflection around listening, curiosity, coaching and connection.

This episode is a reminder that sometimes the quality of our conversations changes when we stop thinking about what to say next and start paying closer attention to what’s actually being said.

Keywords:
communication skills, active listening, coaching skills, leadership communication, asking better questions, curiosity, emotional intelligence, personal development, better conversations, connection, listening skills

This week has felt significant.

Not just because of the opportunities, conversations and potential new clients… but because it felt like proof that consistency, connection and continuing to show up really does matter.

In this episode of Next Level You, I’m reflecting on what has probably been my best week in business since I started and the lessons behind it.

I talk about:

• Building genuine relationships in business
• Why networking and being in different rooms matters
• The power of consistency and visibility
• The reality of slow business growth
• Continuing when things feel difficult
• Why some opportunities take months, or even years, to develop

If business has felt slower than you hoped recently, or you’ve been questioning whether your efforts are actually working, I hope this episode reminds you that momentum is often building long before you see the results.

Keywords: Business growth, networking, resilience, entrepreneurship, founder journey, relationship marketing, visibility in business, women in business, small business UK, personal development, business mindset, entrepreneur podcast, service-based business, consistency in business, business relationships

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the reason I started my business and how that’s evolved into helping founders build businesses that don’t rely on them for everything.

After attending an event this week, I found myself reflecting on founder dependency, business growth, systems, freedom and why so many businesses are started out of necessity rather than with long-term intention.

I talk about leaving the job I enjoyed, the lack of clarity in my early business journey, founder dependency and why systems and processes matter so much when you want to build a business that doesn’t rely entirely on you.

This episode is really about freedom, intention, and building something bigger than just creating yourself another job.

Connect with me:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.addinall 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toniaddinallstrategist/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/toniaddinall

Keywords: business systems, founder freedom, operations manager, SOPs, scaling a business, founder dependency, entrepreneurship, business growth, service-based business, operational support

Feeling like there’s too much to do and no clear place to start?

In this short episode of Next Level You, I’m talking about why that feeling isn’t just about how much is on your list.

When everything lives in your head, it all feels urgent and that’s what creates the pressure.

This is a simple shift to help you see what’s actually going on and where to focus next.

Keywords: overwhelmed in business, feeling overwhelmed, too much to do, where to start in business, entrepreneur overwhelm, mental load business owner, business organisation

In this episode of Next Level You, I’m joined by Gemma Gilmour, a behaviour analyst turned transformational coach, for a beautiful conversation about self-worth, mindset, business, intuition and what happens when you realise you’ve outgrown the work you once loved.

Gemma shares how she built her first business in Applied Behaviour Analysis, why moving into the online space knocked her confidence, and how she found herself linking sales, visibility and business growth to her own sense of worth.

We talk about the pressure so many female founders feel to keep pushing, proving and holding everything together, and why reconnecting with your body, your intuition and your own inner belief can change the way you show up in business.

This is a conversation about trusting yourself, changing the story, letting go of other people’s opinions, and remembering that your worth was never meant to be measured by income, success, qualifications or external validation.

More about Gemma:

Gemma Gilmour is a behavioural psychology-trained transformation coach for ambitious female entrepreneurs who know they’re meant for more. She specialises in subconscious rewiring and nervous system stabilisation, helping women build the internal leadership required to hold visibility, money and growth without shrinking

Connect with Gemma

https://www.facebook.com/gemma.gilmour.54/

https://www.instagram.com/success_becomes_her/"

Keywords: female founder mindset, self-worth in business, transformational coaching, business confidence, women entrepreneurs, intuition in business, mindset coach, online business growth, limiting beliefs, female entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Next Level You, I explore the role assumptions play in our thinking and the impact they can have on our businesses.

After reflecting on a tragic local event and the wave of assumptions that quickly followed online, it made me think about how often we do the same thing in business - filling gaps in information with stories that may not actually be true.

In this episode I talk about:

• The risks assumptions create when delegating work

• How communication gaps appear when training team members

• Why documented processes and SOPs are so powerful

• The importance of process confirmation and continuous improvement

This episode is a reminder to pause, question the stories we are telling ourselves, and replace assumptions with curiosity, evidence and better conversations. When we remove assumptions, we create clarity and clarity leads to better decisions in business.

Keywords:

assumptions in business, business leadership mistakes, delegation mistakes, business communication skills, standard operating procedures, process improvement in business, business systems and processes, entrepreneur leadership, team communication, business productivity

In this episode of Next Level You, I’m talking about one of the most important, and often invisible, roles that business owners take on: project manager.

As entrepreneurs we wear many hats. We’re the marketing director, sales director, operations lead and customer service team.

But one role sits across all of them.

Project management.

Every time you launch something new in your business - a podcast, an offer, a website, a system or a campaign, you are running a project.

And without a simple structure, those projects can stay stuck in your head or remain half-finished.

In this episode I break project management down into a simple framework that entrepreneurs can actually use.

I cover:

• What a project really is in business
• Why many business ideas never get completed
• How to set a clear project goal and deadline
• How to use milestones to break big ideas into manageable steps
• How thinking about risks and issues helps you stay on track
• Why estimating time makes execution much easier

Project management doesn’t need to be complicated.

Sometimes it’s just about creating enough structure so your ideas actually become reality.

If you’ve got projects sitting in your head right now, this episode will help you turn them into something you can deliver.

Keywords: project management for entrepreneurs, project management for small business, business project management, project management basics, managing projects in business, turning ideas into action, small business strategy, planning projects in business, entrepreneur productivity, implementing business ideas, business planning

In this episode of Next Level You, I’m joined by Sue Jones-Miranda to explore energetic intelligence, spiritual intelligence and Human Design, and how understanding your unique energy can change the way you live and work.

Sue shares how tools like Human Design and Gene Keys can help people reconnect with who they truly are, understand their natural way of operating, and start trusting themselves more deeply. We talk about conditioning, identity, self-trust, and why so many people feel pulled to question the traditional path they’ve been taught to follow.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about authenticity, intuition, personal growth, and the courage to live in alignment with your true self.

More about Sue:

Sue is an Energetic Strategist and founder of the Playbooks. Her work calls leaders back to their truth. Through her bespoke Playbooks and private containers she gives language and structure to live what you already know is true, and the courage and confidence to take action in alignment with it.

Her mission is to awaken a generation of leaders who build from who they are, not who they think they have to be. This is the change and impact we need in the world, and how we will raise the next generation where the focus is on their strengths, gifts and talents and their differences celebrated.

Connect with Sue:

https://www.instagram.com/suejmiranda_playbookrevolution

Explore the Playbooks: https://playbookrevolution.com

Keywords:

energetic intelligence, spiritual intelligence, human design, gene keys, self trust, personal development, intuition, authenticity, purpose, aligned business, personal growth podcast, mindset, self awareness, energy and business, trusting yourself

Many founders reach a stage where their business operations still depend heavily on them, even though the business itself is growing.

Clients are coming in, projects are moving forward and revenue is increasing. From the outside the business often looks successful. Behind the scenes, however, the founder is usually carrying much of the operational responsibility, remembering processes, coordinating projects and quietly making sure everything keeps moving forward.

In this episode of Next Level You, I talk about a stage many growing service businesses reach where the business is working well, but the operational structure hasn’t quite caught up with the growth.

I explore:

• why businesses that are growing can still feel operationally stretched

• how founders unintentionally become the operational centre of the business

• why processes often live in the founder’s head

• why growth naturally increases coordination and complexity

• the moment many founders realise everything still seems to depend on them

If you are building or scaling a service business and feel like everything still runs through you, this episode explores why that stage is so common.

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toniaddinallstrategist/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/toniaddinall

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/toni.addinall⁠

Keywords: business operations, scaling a service business, founder bottleneck, business systems, process improvement, small business growth, service business operations, operational structure