Can you challenge everything without breaking it? Ellie Norman, Chief Marketing Officer of Formula E, calls herself a “safe rebel,” and in this episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast she explains what that really means for anyone trying to drive change without blowing things up.

With over 25 years shaping some of the world’s biggest brands, including Formula 1 under Liberty Media and Manchester United, Ellie shares how to challenge assumptions while protecting what works, why she measures her worth by curiosity rather than titles, and how she quietened the “what will people think?” voice when she left F1 for Formula E.If you lead through change, wrestle with feeling “good enough,” or want to modernise something built on legacy, this conversation is full of practical wisdom.

What We Cover:
00:00 Trailer
01:04 What Ellie means by being a “safe rebel”
03:45 Why you can be safe and a rebel at the same time
04:12 The childhood that made her curious and fearless
06:39 How to lead people who are too afraid to try
07:57 The 70/20/10 framework for safe experimentation
11:24 The “good girl” people-pleaser, and its hidden cost
15:05 The difference between being liked and being respected
17:31 Where her “not feeling good enough” comes from
18:37 Proving yourself vs knowing you’re already enough
21:13 Why we shouldn’t need to “stack evidence” to feel enough
23:21 Why confidence is a journey, not a fixed state
27:04 Her process for reframing when thoughts spiral
28:30 Protecting time and space to think clearly
30:46 The underlying courage beneath the self-doubt
33:00 Leaving Formula 1 for Formula E: “What will people think?”
34:31 The two traits leaders ignore: discipline and self-accountability
40:42 How her team keeps up with her pace
43:46 Why constraints drive innovation for a challenger brand
45:08 How she sets clear expectations about the way she works

Key Leadership Insights:
• How to challenge assumptions without knocking the whole house down
• Why a leader’s job isn’t to have the answers, but to create the environment for better ones
• The 70/20/10 rule: protect what works, optimise the next slice, experiment with the rest
• Why being kind means being clear, even in hard conversations
• How to reframe “proving yourself” into “what can I learn here?”
• Why courage plus discipline, not confidence, is what carries big career leaps
• Why the moment you feel comfortable is the most dangerous place to be

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Can fathers build a successful career and be fully present at home? In this episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I’m joined by Dr Anna Machin, a world-renowned evolutionary anthropologist and fatherhood researcher, and Steve Cardwell, founder of Deliberate Dad and coach to ambitious fathers, to explore one of the biggest challenges men never talk about: how becoming a father changes you, and what workplaces get wrong about it.

We get into the “supercharged dad brain” and the real hormonal and psychological changes new fathers go through, why the first three months back at work are a make-or-break retention risk, why paternity support has to be built specifically for men, and the practical steps both leaders and dads can take. If you lead a team, manage new fathers, or are becoming one yourself, this conversation will change how you see the role.

What We Cover:

00:00 Trailer

01:13 The biggest problem facing fathers at work today

03:13 Why the first three months back at work are so critical

04:18 What’s changed: dual-income homes, and dads stepping up

06:56 Why Steve left a seven-figure business to become “Deliberate Dad”

08:23 What being a “deliberate” dad actually means

10:18 The “supercharged dad brain”: how fatherhood boosts performance

13:09 Three things a CEO should do when a new dad returns

15:01 The fears that stop dads from speaking up at work

19:11 Dads’ guilt, and the hidden risk of paternal depression

21:14 Why supporting fathers has to start at the top

24:43 How real change happens: dads speaking up, not just policy

26:08 The conference moment that bonded a room full of fathers

29:12 Three tips for dads to succeed at work and at home

31:05 Managing expectations and the “parenting confidence gap”

36:31 Advice for mums: how to support a new dad

40:12 Busting the myth that dads “come back to work for a break”

43:26 The questions to ask a new dad who might be struggling

46:51 What courageous leadership means for fathers at work

Key Leadership Insights:

• Why new fathers return to work as more focused, decisive, and empathetic leaders

• Why the first three months back are a make-or-break retention window

• Why paternity support must be designed for men, not repurposed from maternity programmes

• Why cultural change starts with senior leaders taking their full paternity leave

• How one honest question (“how are you really doing?”) can change everything

• Why fathers are essential from day one, not just once the baby is older

🎧 Listen to the full episode for the best practical leadership coaching:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1B0U13S37tjpy9ZYZJcZb4

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-courageous-leaders-podcast/id1594924295

All episodes: https://thecourageousleaderspodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Connect with our guests:

Dr Anna Machin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-machin-552751123/  |  https://annamachin.com

Steve Cardwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedeliberatedad/  |  https://deliberate.dad/

🚀 Ready to elevate your team and leadership? Book time for transformative coaching and training:

Website: https://www.thechangecreators.com

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

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James Murphy, CEO of Ogilvy Group UK and co-founder of New Commercial Arts, joins me on The Courageous Leaders Podcast for an honest conversation about building creative cultures that don’t rely on hierarchy. James co-founded adam&eve, which became one of the most awarded agencies in history, and he has spent decades proving that great leadership starts with bold ideas and the right environment to grow them.

We talk about why he encourages a “culture of disrespect” where the best idea wins no matter who it comes from, why hierarchy and process quietly kill creative energy, why leaders aren’t there just to make people happy, and why momentum beats the paralysis of perfection. If you want to build a culture where great work actually happens, this conversation is full of hard-won lessons.

What We Cover:
00:00 Trailer
00:57 What courageous leadership means to James
04:26 His relationship with fear and decision-making
05:47 Why a strong culture needs both trust and high standards
06:37 Why hierarchy and process kill creativity
09:57 The “culture of disrespect”: letting the best idea win, whoever it comes from
16:53 How to change a hierarchical agency, starting with your next brief
24:29 The pressure clients are under, and why problems are inevitable
25:54 Why problems should be surfaced, not hidden
27:17 What an F1 team taught him about blame and accountability
30:30 Why the best creatives don’t always make the best leaders
37:50 Is the advertising industry ageist? James’s honest answer
40:50 Why fewer people want to be leaders now
46:06 The job rejection that told him he “wasn’t ruthless enough”
49:50 What a leader needs before they can be courageous
53:17 Why stepping back from work felt dangerous to him
57:07 James’s three pieces of advice for leaders
1:00:21 From wine-delivery van driver to a job at Ogilvy

Key Leadership Insights:
• Why momentum and course-correction beat waiting for the perfect answer
• Why a strong culture needs both openness and clear standards
• How a “culture of disrespect” frees the best ideas from hierarchy
• Why surfacing problems openly is a strength, not a weakness
• Why you should measure and reward the team, not the individual
• The difference between a brilliant practitioner and a brilliant leader
• Why perseverance, not ruthlessness, is what success actually requires

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kZ-x8fDHKEVb222qpQ_NQ

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Sergio Lopez Ferrero, Global CEO of Omnicom Production, joins me on The Courageous Leaders Podcast for an honest conversation about leading global transformation and what it really costs the person at the top. Sergio leads the global production portfolio for Omnicom Group, with over 20 years in the industry and more than 400 awards to his name, including 73 Cannes Lions.

We talk about what it takes to transform businesses spanning 100 companies and 40 countries, why leaders are humans, not superheroes, the moment he realised he'd stopped doing the work he loved, and how he separates smart failure from negligence. If you lead through change, pressure, or uncertainty, this conversation is full of hard-won lessons from someone doing it at a global scale.

What We Cover:

00:00 Trailer

00:54 Leading global transformation in a changing industry

03:19 The pressure of being a CEO: leaders are human, not superheroes

05:54 The leadership skills Sergio had to learn the hard way

08:15 Why every leader must understand the financials first

11:29 How to build one culture across 100 companies and 40 countries

13:03 Making tough decisions when people resist change

16:07 Separating who you are from the role you have to play

21:40 Moving from hands-on creative work to leading the businesS

29:14 Smart failure vs negligence: when it’s okay to fail

32:30 How to navigate uncertainty as a leader

35:13 Systems thinking and giving teams freedom within a framework

45:16 Where courage has carried Sergio through his career

48:05 Sergio’s three pieces of advice for future leaders

50:22 The eight things every CEO must be willing to do

52:03 Why you never fully switch off at the top

53:43 Ego, money, and the career trap nobody talks about

55:44 Building the team that covers your weaknesses

58:02 The real rewards of being a CEO

Key Leadership Insights:

• Why transformation today means rebuilding the plane while flying i 

• Why understanding the money is the first job of any leader

• How to set a vision simple enough to align 40 countries

• Why separating smart failure from negligence changes how teams take risks

• How “freedom within the framework” keeps creative people creative

• Why the leader’s mood sets the temperature for the whole company

• Why knowing yourself matters more than knowing the playbook

🎧 Listen to the full episode for the best practical leadership coaching:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1B0U13S37tjpy9ZYZJcZb4

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-courageous-leaders-podcast/id1594924295

All episodes: https://thecourageousleaderspodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Connect with Sergio:

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

🚀 Ready to elevate your team and leadership? Book time for transformative coaching and training:

Website: https://www.thechangecreators.com

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

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#Leadership #BusinessTransformation #CEO #CreativeIndustry #CourageousLeaders

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What are the bad leadership habits that quietly hold a team back? In this solo episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I share the five leadership behaviours driving me crazy right now, and what to do instead if you want to lead well over the next few years.

Consider it a rant with a purpose. From leaders who struggle to manage stress to the ones avoiding hard conversations, burning out and calling it “high performance,” or making everything about themselves, I break down why each habit damages a team and the honest shift each one needs. If you lead people, this is a wake-up call worth five minutes.

What We Cover:

00:00 The five leadership behaviours driving me crazy
00:06 No self-management: reacting and offloading stress onto your team
01:01 Avoiding difficult conversations (and the time it wastes)
01:33 Not looking after yourself, and what “high performance” really means
02:42 Getting a coach but doing none of the work
03:32 Being too self-focused, and why that isn’t leadership
04:08 Why leadership needs empathy and compassion
04:20 Leadership takes daily effort, not just a title

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kZ-x8fDHKEVb222qpQ_NQ

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What’s the one toxic leadership behaviour you’d banish forever? In this special Leadership Room 101 episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, three industry leaders each argue to banish one leadership behaviour for good: busyness, fear-based leadership, or pay-to-play culture. I’m joined by Katy Wright (Chief Client & Business Officer, AMV BBDO), Sergio Lopez Ferrero (Global CEO, Omnicom Production), and Sachini Imbuldeniya (Co-Founder & CEO, House of Oddities).

Each leader gets around ten minutes to make their case, and at the end I pick just one to send into Room 101. The debate is honest, funny, and at times a little controversial, and each argument says something real about how leadership and the creative industry work today.

What We Cover:
00:00 Trailer
00:50 The Leadership Room 101 concept, and meet the three leaders
01:50 Katy's nomination: Busyness as a badge of honour
06:20 Is being "busy" really pride, or is it fear?
10:20 The fear of not looking busy enough
12:50 The link between rest, sleep, and real creativity
19:50 Sergio's nomination: Fear-based leadership
21:50 Why blaming an unnamed "head office" erodes trust
24:50 Can a little fear actually be healthy in leadership?
27:20 Why "alpha" leadership is over, and vulnerability is rising
27:50 The uncomfortable debate: do CEOs have psychopathic tendencies?
40:50 Sachini's nomination: Why pay-to-play is rigging the industry
45:50 Awards and access: is success bought or earned?
47:50 How pay-to-play shuts out great creative work
48:50 My verdict: which behaviour goes into Leadership Room 101

Key Leadership Insights:
Why “busy” has become a status symbol, and what it often hides
How to hear what your team are really telling you when they say they’re busy
Why a small amount of healthy fear can sharpen accountability
Why vulnerability now makes leaders more followable, not less
How pay-to-play systems in awards and pitching hold the industry back
Why fixing fairness at the top can change a whole company culture

Part debate, part masterclass, and a lot of fun. By the end you’ll be deciding which leadership behaviour you’d banish too.

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
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Why is avoidance the biggest killer of performance in teams? 

In this solo episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I explain why it’s okay to upset people, and why giving honest feedback without fear is a skill every leader needs.

Most leaders tiptoe around their teams, scared of upsetting someone. But avoiding hard conversations doesn’t protect people, it holds them back. I share why we waste so much energy “mind reading” how others will react, how that robs them of the chance to grow, and how to deliver tough feedback while staying calm, present, and human, even when someone gets upset.

What We Cover:
00:00 Why it's okay to upset people
00:40 You can't control how someone reacts (the "mind reading" trap)
01:30 Why avoiding it is really about protecting yourself
02:00 My personal story: the feedback that changed everything
02:55 How to give feedback without it feeling like an attack
03:25 How to stay present when someone cries or gets angry
04:19 Why backtracking is the worst thing you can do
04:38 Show up for them, even when it's uncomfortable

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
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Some people don’t just achieve, they achieve as though their life depends on it. In this deeply honest episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I sit down with Esther Marshall, former global gender diversity leader at Unilever and founder of Sophie Says, to ask a question so many of us avoid: who are you when achievement isn’t enough?

This is a conversation about grief, high achievement, emotional resilience, and the pressure of holding everything together when life refuses to cooperate. Esther shares her story with extraordinary openness: losing her sister Rebecca to suicide, caring for grandparents through Alzheimer’s, a miscarriage during IVF, and losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, all while building a business and refusing to stop proving herself. It is also the story of the breakthrough that finally let her stop failing quietly and start succeeding loudly. If you have ever tied your worth to what you achieve, this one will stay with you.

If you or someone you know is affected by anything discussed in this episode, you can contact Samaritans free, 24/7, on 116 123 or at samaritans.org.

What We Cover:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Why "High Achiever" Can Tip Into "Never Enough"
04:41 Climbing the Ladder at Unilever, and Being "Hard to Manage"
10:14 Leading a Team When Your Standards Are Sky High
11:37 The Maternity Leave Project That Became Sophie Says
14:29 Losing Rebecca to Suicide
16:34 The Book Written the Night She Passed Away
20:21 The Rainbow, and Learning to Let People In
21:29 Carrying a Legacy, and the Weight That Comes With It
23:08 Alzheimer's, and Grief That Wouldn't Stop
24:18 IVF, Miscarriage, and Learning to Keep Going
25:48 The "Miracle" Baby, and a Mother's Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis
30:13 Why She Chose to Run a Marathon the Day Her Mum Died
34:52 The Therapy Breakthrough That Changed Everything
38:46 "I'm Failing Quietly, but I Want to Succeed Loudly"
41:00 Building Sophie Says Into a Movement for Generational Change
48:53 Learning to Walk Before Running Again
50:13 A Message for Anyone Sitting in Fear, Ready to Begin
51:40 What Courage Really Means to Esther

Key Reflections:
• Why high achievement can quietly become a form of self-harm
• Why grief isn't something you "get over," and why returning to normal too quickly often makes healing harder
• How to separate your self-worth from your achievements and results
• Why asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness
• How changing the way you frame a failure can completely reshape your life
• Why children need emotionally safe parents, not perfect ones

Esther’s honesty is a reminder that courage isn’t the absence of pain, it’s getting up and showing up through it. If this episode moves you, I’d love to hear your biggest takeaway in the comments.

Find out more about Sophie Says: https://www.sophiesaysofficial.com/
Follow Esther Masrshall:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiesaysofficial/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegrievingfounder

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
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Why are so many executive teams underperforming?

In this solo episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I break down the biggest leadership mistakes I see inside executive teams today, from social loafing and siloed thinking to oversized leadership teams and “Game of Thrones” behaviour at the top of organisations.
I explore why executive leadership is about far more than titles, why leadership teams must operate collectively instead of protecting departments, and why CEOs need the courage to reshape teams when they are no longer serving the business.
If your leadership team feels political, disconnected, slow, or overly comfortable, this episode will challenge how you think about executive leadership.

What We Cover:
00:00 – Why executive teams lose effectiveness
00:52 – Why titles do not equal executive leadership
01:24 – The danger of oversized executive teams
02:24 – Executive teams acting like working groups
02:42 – “Game of Thrones” leadership behaviour explained
03:07 – Why the executive team must become the first team
03:52 – Why CEOs need the courage to challenge comfort

Key Leadership Insights
• Executive teams shape what becomes acceptable in company culture
• Leadership titles do not automatically create leadership capability
• High-performing executive teams think collectively, not territorially
• Oversized leadership teams slow down decision-making and accountability
• CEOs must be willing to challenge comfort and restructure leadership teams
• The behaviour at the top becomes the standard for the entire company

Reflection Questions for Leaders
• Is my executive team truly operating as one team?
• Where are politics or silos damaging decision-making?
• Have titles become more important than impact?
• What difficult leadership change am I avoiding right now?

🎧 Listen to the full episode for the best practical leadership coaching:
https://thecourageousleaderspodcast.buzzsprout.com/

🚀 Ready to elevate your team and leadership? Book time for transformative coaching and training:
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#ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipTeam #CompanyCulture #CEO #CourageousLeaders

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We often hear the ideas of great thinkers, but rarely get to understand how they actually think or who they are as people.

In this episode of The Courageous Leaders Podcast, I am joined by Rory Sutherland, President Emeritus of Ogilvy UK, best-selling author, and one of the most influential voices in advertising, behavioural science, and decision-making.

If you’ve ever wondered why some ideas take off and others die fast, why the little things in business matter more than you think, or how to rethink productivity for your team, you’ll find something practical and eye-opening in this conversation. We cut through business theory and get honest about human behaviour, team culture, and leadership decisions that work in the real world.

You’ll come away with new ways to look at decision-making, organisational performance, and what it takes to lead bravely in uncertain times, especially with the rise of AI, complexity, and shifting workplace cultures.

What We Cover:

00:00 Intro
01:41 Dare to Be Trivial: Why Small Things Matter
13:23 Leadership, Influence & The Power of Great Teachers
14:50 Why Business Is Learned Through Real Experience
18:03 Time, Stress & How Rory Thinks About Control
24:12 Creativity, Uncertainty & Not Knowing Yet
28:00 What Leaders Miss in Strategy & Collective Thinking
30:17 Why Human Businesses May Win in an AI World
34:51 Why Teams Fail & The Problem with Over-Measuring
35:45 The Disappearance of PAs & What It Means for Leaders
36:55 Redundancies & The Danger of Short-Term Thinking
40:34 How Rory’s Mind Works & Why He Avoids Talking About Himself
49:45 The Influence of His Mum & Understanding Human Behaviour
51:22 Neurodiversity Is a Feature, Not a Bug
54:24 Final Reflections & Closing Thoughts

Key Leadership Insights

• Why great leaders focus on influence, not control
• How creativity comes from being comfortable with uncertainty
• Why measuring individuals destroys team performance
• The hidden cost of short-term thinking in leadership
• How silos quietly break organisations from within
• Why neurodiversity is a competitive advantage, not a weakness
• The courage required to back ideas others doubt
• Why founder-led businesses often outperform corporates

If you want to lead better, think differently, and understand how great leaders actually operate, this episode will challenge how you see leadership.

👍 Stay inspired by joining our YouTube community! Click the link, hit the subscribe button, leave a comment, and never miss an episode. Your support helps us empower courageous leaders like you!
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