Host: Julie Williams, MSc - Executive Coach & Founder of Lighting Fires

Guest: Ian Guppy - Creative Director, Feelgood Creative, a branding and website design agency

Episode Overview

In the opening episode of Series 2 of The Lighting Fires Podcast, supported by Henley Business School, Julie reconnects with long-time friend, client, and creative collaborator Ian Guppy. As the Creative Director of Feelgood Creative, Ian has led the agency through exciting growth and transformation. At a pivotal point in that journey, he turned to Julie for coaching support to clarify his vision and set a new strategic direction.

Together, they explore how coaching helped Ian shift from "future box" thinking to taking meaningful action in the present. Ian opens up about the challenges of leading a creative business, building a team, and recognising the true value of his own expertise.

They also dive into the powerful impact of self-awareness tools like Belbin Team Roles and Myers-Briggs, which helped Ian better understand not only his own working style, but also how to bring out the best in others.

This episode is full of practical insights for founders, creatives, and solo entrepreneurs- especially around mindset, team dynamics, and evolving your business model to align with your strengths.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why having a clear business vision is essential, and how to start shaping one

• How coaching helped Ian stop procrastinating and take action in the now

• The benefits of using tools like Belbin and MBTI to understand yourself and your team

• Why charging for creative work is hard, and how Ian learned to confidently price his value

• How shifting his business model enabled more collaborative, energising work

Julie's Top Coaching Takeaways

• Set a Vision Define where you're going- clarity gives you momentum.

• Use Your Body to Plan Try physical or kinetic exercises: step into your "future self" and explore what you see, hear, and feel.

• Understand Your Team Tools like MBTI and Belbin are great, but even informal reflection helps. What do your team members enjoy? What are they good at? How do they prefer to communicate?

• Build a Supportive Network Especially for solo founders: surround yourself with people whose skills complement yours. Think of it as your 'virtual team.'

Resources Mentioned

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)- A framework for understanding communication and leadership preferences

• Belbin Team Roles- A tool to identify behavioural strengths and team dynamics

Henley Business School

Interested in a career in coaching? Find out about the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School here.

Be sure to mention the Lighting Fires Podcast if you do contact Henley Business School.

Connect with Julie

Website: www.lightingfires.co.uk Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Julie Williams MSc

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