What if the real leadership crisis isn’t strategy - but consciousness?

In this episode of Play It By Your Rules, I sit down with executive coach and adventurer Martin Palethorpe to explore what happens when high achievement stops feeling meaningful.

At just 27, Martin hit what he calls an early midlife crisis. He was outperforming his peers, climbing fast in the tech world, earning well - and quietly feeling empty. Instead of pushing harder, he paused. What followed was a five-year reinvention that led him from corporate executive to conscious leadership coach, guiding leaders for the past 25 years.

This is a deep conversation that moves between boardrooms and inner worlds. We talk about conditioning, intuition, stress, ego, and even spirituality - alongside very real leadership pressures, performance demands, and health challenges. While these themes are often kept separate, this episode shows they belong together. Conscious leadership isn’t about choosing between results and reflection. It’s about integrating both.

Because leading well externally requires clarity internally.

Why success can feel hollow - even when everything looks right on paper

The difference between climbing the mountain because you want to - or because you think you should

How hidden beliefs about achievement, money, and hard work shape our decisions

Why midlife often becomes the moment of truth

The role of retreats and intentional disconnection in breaking the hamster wheel

Intuition vs. mental noise - and how to tune into deeper wisdom

Why passion is not indulgent, but intelligent

Conscious leadership and the ripple effect it creates in organizations

Health, stress, and why addressing root causes matters

Spirituality beyond religion - and why inner work is pragmatic, not “woo”

This episode is for leaders and high achievers who feel successful - but not fully alive - and sense there must be a deeper, more conscious way to lead without abandoning ambition.

Because conscious leadership isn’t softer.

Explore More:

🧭 Curious about your current leadership consciousness?

🔗 Follow Martin Palethorpe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinpalethorpe/

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

What if exhaustion isn’t a sign you’re doing too much - but a sign you’re doing the wrong things?

In this episode of Play It By Your Rules, I sit down with career strategist and licensed therapist Rachel Spekman, founder of Made for More Coaching, to explore what happens when success on paper no longer feels aligned in real life.

After building a thriving career in the startup world, Rachel reached a moment many high-achieving professionals recognize: she had the title, the trajectory, and the credibility - but something felt off. Instead of continuing to climb, she made what she calls “the largest adult calculated risk” of her life. She stepped off the ladder, retrained, and intentionally redesigned her career around her values.

This conversation dives into what career clarity requires at midlife - and why redefining success often takes more courage than chasing it.

We covered:

Practical Takeaways:

This episode is for leaders, high achievers, and midlife professionals who feel accomplished - but misaligned - and are ready to rethink the ladder without burning everything down.

Explore More:

🌱 Made for More Coaching: https://www.rachelspekman.com/

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

Playing it by your rules isn’t about getting your way at all costs.

Caring for aging parents is one of the most emotional, complex, and often unspoken challenges of midlife. In this deeply human episode of Play It by Your Rules, I sat down with gerontology expert, facilitator, and founder of Talk About Aging, Janice Goldmintz.

Drawing on both her academic background and her lived experience of supporting both parents through Alzheimer’s disease, Janice shares practical wisdom, compassionate insights, and grounded guidance for navigating aging, caregiving, and family dynamics - without losing yourself in the process.

🎧 In this episode, we explore:

Why avoiding conversations about aging creates more stress later - and how to start them gently

Early signs and “quiet red flags” adult children often miss

How to approach tough topics like driving, autonomy, and end-of-life wishes without damaging relationships

Why caregiving should never fall on one person alone - and how families can share the load

How to care for aging parents and continue living your own life

Janice also shares simple, practical first steps - from normalising these conversations early to creating one central place for essential documents - that can make an enormous difference when life takes an unexpected turn.

✨ This episode is for anyone navigating midlife while supporting or worrying about the wellbeing of aging parents - or for those who want to be prepared before a crisis hits.

Because the goal isn’t perfection.

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

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🌿 Join the Mindful Rebellion - let’s rewrite the success script.

If this resonates: follow, repost, and add your voice in the comments.

What if career success didn’t mean climbing higher - but choosing how you spend your time?

In this episode of Play It by Your Rules, I sit down with Ani Filipova - former Citi COO turned portfolio career strategist - to unpack what it really means to step off the traditional career ladder and design a working life that fits your priorities.

Ani shares how she intentionally moved away from a single, full-time corporate role - not to work less, but to work differently: with more autonomy, flexibility, and control over where her time and energy go. For her, a portfolio career isn’t about chaos or juggling - it’s about choice.

We explore what portfolio careers look like in practice, who they’re for, and why they’re becoming a powerful alternative for experienced professionals who want freedom without starting from scratch.

Why portfolio careers unlock freedom - especially around how, when, and with whom you work

What Ani carried from corporate into her portfolio - and what she consciously left behind

How she defines a portfolio career (and why it’s not just for entrepreneurs)

Fractional work: what it is - and why it’s still emerging in places like Switzerland

The mindset shift from “one role” to “multiple value streams”

Why experimenting before quitting is smarter than making a clean break

Audit how you  spend your time - freedom starts with awareness

Run small experiments (projects, advisory roles, fractional work) before committing

Design your portfolio around energy and values, not just income streams

This episode is for anyone who feels successful on paper - but constrained in real life - and wants more freedom over their time without burning everything down.

🔗 Follow Ani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anifilipova/

🌱 Change Is Possible Community: https://changeispossible.co.uk/

🚀 Portfolio Career Accelerator: https://simplebooklet.com/portfolio_career_accelerator#page=1

🎧 Listen to Ani’s podcast: Change Is Possible Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

Teamwork doesn’t magically happen just because people share a Zoom link.

In this episode, I talk with Daria Rudnik - Team Architect, Executive Coach, and author of CLICKING: A Team Building Strategy for Overloaded Leaders Who Want Stronger Team Trust, Better Results, and More Time - about why so many teams underperform, especially under pressure… and how to design teams that work.

Because just like people, teams need to play by their own rules - and it’s a leader’s job to help them define what that looks like.

Daria breaks down the 5 essential pillars that make teams click (spoiler: most leaders skip 3 of them), how to balance autonomy and alignment, and how to avoid the biggest trap of servant leadership.

We also dig into AI’s impact on collaboration - and what happens when teams offload too much to tech.

We covered:

Why teams don’t “just happen” - and need intentional architecture

The 5 pillars of team design: purpose, connection, integration, decision-making, and knowledge flow

What to do when you inherit a messy team

Why clarity is your secret weapon - at all levels

The hidden risks of servant leadership (and how to empower without isolating)

How to stay human in the age of AI - and keep your brain on

Practical Takeaways:

Start with conversation: co-create team norms and decisions together

Bring clarity to your rules, roles, and routines

Use AI as a partner - not a crutch. Your brain needs to stay engaged.

This episode is for every leader who wants to build strong, self-led teams — and give them the clarity and confidence to fly.

🔗 Explore more:

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

It’s that time again - fresh goals, new intentions, big dreams.

So… why don’t our habits stick?

In this episode, I sit down with Ivan Palomino - behavioral science strategist and unapologetic habit hacker — to unpack the science behind human behavior and habit change.

Ivan blends neuroscience, psychology, and real-life experimentation (including his own burnout and career reinvention) to help you create lasting change — with way less effort than you think.

We covered:

Why we operate on autopilot 90% of the time — and how to use that to your advantage

The 4 brain rules that shape your decisions (emotion, effort, illusion, and reward)

How to build habits by stacking them on existing routines

The difference between rituals, motivation, and capacity

Why your willpower was never the problem

Tiny habits that lead to massive ripple effects

✨ Practical Takeaways:

Pick ONE habit — do it daily for 30 days before adding more

Use immediate rewards and low-effort design to reduce friction

Track progress in ways that create satisfaction (not stress)

This episode is for anyone tired of failing at New Year’s goals — and ready to build change that lasts.

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

Links:

What if selling yourself didn’t feel fake, forced, or awkward - but natural, connecting on a human level, like meeting a new friend or dating?

In this episode, I sit down with Curt Tueffert, award-winning sales expert, keynote speaker, professor, and “Selling Skills Sherpa” to explore how anyone (yes, including purpose-driven professionals, introverts, and impact seekers) can confidently bring sales strategies into their job search without compromising authenticity.

With 40+ years of real-world experience, Curt shares how job seekers can borrow from the best sales teams starting not with a pitch, but with curiosity, listening, and value.

We covered:

Why the best salespeople - and job candidates - start with listening

ABC redefined: Always Be Curious

The IMPACT formula for sales success and how to apply it to interviews

Why you must believe in your value before others will

The underrated power of “driving trial” and how pro bono work can open doors

How to speak to problems, not just profiles and make people want to know more

✨ Practical Takeaways:

Start by listening - curiosity builds connection and trust

Know your value inside-out, it’s the foundation of all confident communication

Offer a “test drive” whether it’s a short project, workshop, or bold idea

This episode is for anyone ready to finally have fun selling — your skills, your story, your value.

How to get started?

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

Links:

What if showing your value didn’t require shouting, hustling, or pretending to be louder than you are?

In this episode of Play It by Your Rules, I sit down with Melitta Campbell - award-winning business coach, TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and the creator of “Value Whispering.”

Melitta teaches a simple and refreshing truth: You don’t need to be louder. You need to be clearer.

And while her approach resonates deeply with introverts, it’s not just for them.

We dive into:

✨ Practical takeaways you can try today:

1️⃣ Name your “why now.” What is the deeper reason behind your work that naturally draws people in?

This episode is for anyone who wants to be seen and heard without burning out, pretending, or shouting over the noise.

A quiet confidence approach — for more freedom, flow, and fun.

🔗 Explore Melitta’s work:

Download the first chapter of her new book:

Website: www.melittacampbell.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Melitta

What if your biggest transformation starts with just 90 seconds of courage?

This episode unpacks how impromptu speaking can help you rewrite not just your script - but your identity.

Tara Gopal Chattopadhyay is a Distinguished Toastmaster, global tech leader, and culture-shifting communicator - and President of the Impact Toastmasters Club in Geneva. He shares how leaving his hometown - and later, his comfort zone - helped him find his voice in every room.

We covered:

Breaking free from the “stay quiet” script of his upbringing — and discovering the power of self-expression

Why Toastmasters feels like walking into a bookstore — everyone is a story waiting to be heard

How public speaking sharpens leadership — from boardrooms to job interviews

Cultural cues and communication: why some teams speak up in writing but stay silent in meetings

Why stories stick — and how emotion beats metrics when it comes to influence

Listening as an underrated leadership skill (and how Toastmasters trains that muscle)

Using AI as a copilot — without outsourcing your originality

✨ Practical Takeaways:

Try impromptu speaking (like table topics) to stretch your voice and spontaneity

Journal longhand — it sharpens your thinking, voice, and self-trust

Let AI be your brainstorm partner, not your ghostwriter - keep your voice human

Your life. Your rules. For more freedom, flow, and fun.

Links:

From redefining ambition and walking away from the climb, to finding your non-negotiables and building a career with joy and presence - this is for anyone standing at a crossroads and craving more freedom, flow, and fun.

🎧 Listen now on all major podcast platforms. Just search Play It by Your Rules or Meggi Rombach and hit follow!

💬 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps spread the vibe.

👉 Want more?

What if the traits we label as “too much” — too intense, too detailed, too sensitive — were actually your team’s biggest untapped advantage?

In this episode of Play It by Your Rules, I sit down with Xenia Matthies — business psychologist, systemic consultant, and founder of NeuroSynergy® — to explore how neurodivergence can become a competitive edge in leadership and team design.

We dive into:

✨ Practical takeaways you can try today

Because the future of leadership isn’t just about emotional intelligence - it’s about neuro-intelligence.

🎧 This episode runs a bit longer to give space for a deeper dive into concepts such as co-regulation - what it is, how it works, and why it might just be the next leadership frontier. Tune in and see how these insights could reshape the way you lead, live, and collaborate.

🔗 Explore Xenia’s work - mostly in German:

🎥 Online Keynotes:

Führung braucht Klarheit (Online recording – paid): Watch here

Abenteuer Neurodivergenz – Mein Survival-Kit für ein selbstbestimmtes Leben (Free): Watch here

📚 Books:

Playbook Neuroinklusion — practical guide to neuroinclusion: Read here

Manifestieren aus dem Nervensystem: Amazon link

Mein Kind hat ADHS – und jetzt?: Amazon link

🎧 NeuroLeadership Podcast: