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Optimising Leader Brilliance: Enabling Calm, Confident, Strategic Leadership

Optimising Leader Brilliance: Enabling Calm, Confident, Strategic Leadership

By: Estelle Read | Optimising Leadership Brilliance Coach | Bestselling Author | Speaker | Beee Founder
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Summary

 Lead strategically with calm confidence with Estelle Read, Bestselling Author, Coach, Speaker, and guests. Optimising Leader Brilliance is the self-improvement toolkit for leaders ready to break performance ceilings and achieve next level results. Get science-backed strategies and mindset shifts to tackle imposter syndrome, workaholism, anxiety, and self-sabotage. We provide stress relief and burnout solutions to help you reduce your workload and reclaim your time. We also share tools to clarify your strategic direction and deliver the brilliant results you're capable of. Visit: EstelleRead.comEstelle Read | Optimising Leadership Brilliance Coach | Bestselling Author | Speaker | Beee Founder Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How to Flip Leadership Problems Into Growth Opportunities With Steve Pendleton

    How to Flip Leadership Problems Into Growth Opportunities With Steve Pendleton
    May 18 2026
    On this episode of Optimising Leader Brilliance, EstelleRead sits down with Steve Pendleton, leadership and personal development expert at Network Rail and author of The Flip: Turning Issue into Opportunity. Discover how shifting your mindset from problem-focused to opportunity-driven can transform leadership challenges into paths for growth. Steve shares practical strategies to pause, gain clarity in chaos, and embrace setbacks as momentum for confident, calm, and strategic leadership. If you want actionableinsights to break negative thinking cycles and cultivate resilience in complex environments, this episode is for you. What You Will Learn💡How to identify the true issue beneath your emotional triggers and reframe challenges into clear, actionable opportunities that boost strategic leadership impact.💡Why adopting a growth mindset and taking small, intentional steps can compound into breakthrough results, helping you lead with calm confidence under pressure.💡Practical tools to leverage your subconscious thinking—like “night time meetings”—to solve problems creatively, stay curious, and fuel ongoing personal and professional development. Here’s to your leadership development and personal growth! Estelle Read Bestselling Author, Leadership Coach & Speaker Timestamps:(01:24) Welcome & Guest Introduction — Steve Pendleton(02:52) Steve's Typical Day & Non-Negotiables(04:22) How Steve Captures Ideas on the Go(05:34) Steve's Night time "Meetings" — ProblemSolving in Sleep(08:02) The Inspiration Behind The Flip(10:10) The Five Principles: Spotting the Issue(17:08) Reframing the Issue & Mapping Opportunities(20:09) Acting with Intention & The Power of Reflection(21:33) Growth Mindset & Vulnerability in Leadership(24:12) What Work Thinks About the Book(24:47) How The Flip Is Finding Its Way into L&D(25:20) Career Example: Saying Yes to Opportunity(27:31) The Tradition — A Question from the Last Guest(27:55) Communication Style: Learning to Be"Fluffy"(28:27) Steve's Question for the Next Guest(30:16) Where to Get the Book & The Publishing Journey(39:22) Three Actionable Tips to Live By(39:22) Tip 1 — Ask "What's the Worst That CanHappen?"(36:31) Tip 2 — Small Intentional Steps Compound(37:16) Tip 3 — Be Curious, Ask Questions(39:22) Closing Reflections(39:35) Pause, Reflect & Act — Mini Coaching Practice ⭐Download My Free Journal & Self-Coaching Tool:https://mailchi.mp/dab4b2568b71/free-inner-brilliance-outer-shine-journal ⭐ Follow or Buy Steve Pendleton’s Book:https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-p-8595a7127/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Turning-Issue-Into-Opportunity-ebook/dp/B0GJX38V71/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0 ⭐Follow Estelle Read: https://linktr.ee/EstelleAtBeee ⭐Access Resources or Book a Free Discovery Call:⁠https://estelleread.com/resources/⁠ ⭐Estelle Read’s Coaching Programmes:⬆️⁠The Optimised Leader Programme: NEXT LEVEL⁠🎇⁠The Resilient Leader Programme: SHINE⁠ ⭐Buy Estelle Read’s Bestselling Book:⁠Inner Brilliance, Outer Shine: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism and Stress ⁠ ⭐Subscribe to Estelle Read’s Blog: ⁠Receive my free workbook: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism & Stress, when you sign up. ⁠ ⭐Help Us Keep Growing & Going:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe whereveryou listen or watch, leave a review or share it with someone who might benefit. Thank you ❤️. ⭐Listen or Watch on YouTube:🎧Listen on your favourite podcast platform here: https://estelleread.com/podcast/📺Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EstelleRead/podcasts ⭐Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and shouldnot be considered professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional for specific advice.
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    42 mins
  • The Outsider Advantage: How Being Different Made Her a Stronger Leader

    The Outsider Advantage: How Being Different Made Her a Stronger Leader
    May 11 2026
    Join Estelle Read on the Optimising Leader Brilliance podcast for calm, confident, and strategic leadership insights. In this episode, Selma Delic shares her inspiring journey from marketing manager to operations partner, revealing how embracing diverse perspectives and turning difference into strength can enable brilliant, high-performing leadership.Learn science-backed strategies and mindset shifts that help you break performance ceilings, foster resilience, and cultivate non-negotiable self-care routines essential for sustainable success in complex leadership roles.What You Will Learn💡 How embracing your unique leadership perspective and diversity of thinking can become your greatest strength, unlocking strategic advantages and driving brilliant outcomes.💡 Why cultivating calm and confident self-care rituals, like Selma’s daily "spa moments," is essential for resilience and sustaining high performance in demanding leadership roles.💡 The power of feedback and mindset shifts: how Selmatransformed her communication style through 360-degree feedback to lead with authenticity, confidence, and impact.Here’s to your leadership development and personal growth! Estelle Read Bestselling Author, Leadership Coach & SpeakerTimestamps(00:00) Introduction(02:24) Welcome Selma Delic (03:32) Selma's Non-Negotiable Daily Routines (06:41) Life as Operations Partner — A Typical Week (12:23) Origin Story — What Makes Selma, Selma (12:48) Moving to England & Learning English (18:26) Walking In on Day One — "What On Earth Have I Done?" (19:31) The Career Pivot Mindset — Being Open to Alternatives (23:01) Selma's Leadership Mindset & Approach (24:32) Culture, Identity & Why Talking About Yourself Feels Hard (29:46) The Only Non-Finance Partner — Diversity of Thinking as a Strength (30:59) Finding Courage to Speak Up When You Feel Different (39:02) How Selma's Communication Style Has Evolved (44:00) 3 Actionable Tips for Leaders (46:15) Pause, Reflect & Act — Mini Coaching Practice⭐Download My Free Journal & Self-Coaching Tool:https://mailchi.mp/dab4b2568b71/free-inner-brilliance-outer-shine-journal ⭐Follow or Contact Selma Delic:https://www.pkfsmithcooper.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/selmadelicpkfsmithcooper/⭐Follow Estelle Read: https://linktr.ee/EstelleAtBeee ⭐Access Resources or Book a Free Discovery Call:⁠https://estelleread.com/resources/⁠ ⭐Estelle Read’s Coaching Programmes:⬆️⁠The Optimised Leader Programme: NEXT LEVEL⁠🎇⁠The Resilient Leader Programme: SHINE⁠ ⭐Buy Estelle Read’s Bestselling Book:⁠Inner Brilliance, Outer Shine: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism and Stress ⁠ ⭐Subscribe to Estelle Read’s Blog: ⁠Receive my free workbook: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism & Stress, when you sign up. ⁠ ⭐Help Us Keep Growing & Going:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe wherever you listen or watch, leave a review or share it with someone who might benefit. Thank you ❤️. ⭐Listen or Watch on YouTube:🎧Listen on your favourite podcast platform here: https://estelleread.com/podcast/📺Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EstelleRead/podcasts ⭐Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and shouldnot be considered professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional for specific advice.
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    49 mins
  • The Illusion of Control: Why Leaders Lose People During Change

    The Illusion of Control: Why Leaders Lose People During Change
    May 4 2026
    I sit down with Davina Ripton, a change managementconsultant and leadership coach, to explore why so many organisational change initiatives fail — and what leaders can do differently to make change stick. We unpack the psychology of resistance, the illusion of control, and why designing change like a customer experience is the key to sustainable transformation. If you lead people through change, this conversation will shift how you think about leadership and strategic change management. What You Will Learn:💡 Discover why your perfectly planned change project might be setting your people up to fail — and the one thing that makes all the difference. 💡 Learn Davina's powerful "Design, Deliver, Embed" framework and the Five Cs that help leaders co-create change that actually lands. 💡 Find out why resistance isn't a problem to solve — it's data to decode, and how reframing it can transform your leadership. Here’s to your leadership development and personal growth! Estelle Read Bestselling Author, Leadership Coach & Speaker Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(02:08) Welcome & Introduction to Davina Ripton(02:22) Davina's Typical Day & Non-Negotiable Routines(05:14) Davina's Origin Story – Growing Up With Change(07:25) The Biggest Mistake Leaders Make With Change(10:39) The Missing Piece – Why People Aren't On Board(10:40) Designing the Change Experience – Where to Start(14:04) The Hotel Analogy – Intentional Change Design(19:10) What Kinds of Change Projects Does Davina Work On?(22:10) Aligning Everyone to the Vision(27:28) The Design, Deliver, Embed Framework(29:30) How Do You Know When Change Is Fully Embedded?(33:13) Guest Question – How Does Stress Impact Success?(37:48) Davina's 3 Actionable Tips for Leaders(40:10) Pause, Reflect & Act – Mini Coaching Practice ⭐Download My Free Journal & Self-Coaching Tool:https://mailchi.mp/dab4b2568b71/free-inner-brilliance-outer-shine-journal ⭐Follow or Contact Davina Ripton:@Davina Riptonhttps://www.changeready.co.uk/⭐Follow Estelle Read: https://linktr.ee/EstelleAtBeee ⭐Access Resources or Book a Free Discovery Call:⁠https://estelleread.com/resources/⁠ ⭐Estelle Read’s Coaching Programmes:⬆️⁠The Optimised Leader Programme: NEXT LEVEL⁠🎇⁠The Resilient Leader Programme: SHINE⁠ ⭐Buy Estelle Read’s Bestselling Book:⁠Inner Brilliance, Outer Shine: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism and Stress ⁠ ⭐Subscribe to Estelle Read’s Blog: ⁠Receive my free workbook: 10 Antidotes to Imposter Syndrome, Workaholism & Stress, when you sign up. ⁠ ⭐Help Us Keep Growing & Going:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe wherever you listen or watch, leave a review or share it with someone who might benefit. Thank you ❤️. ⭐Listen or Watch on YouTube:🎧Listen on your favourite podcast platform here: https://estelleread.com/podcast/📺Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EstelleRead/podcasts ⭐Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and shouldnot be considered professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional for specific advice.
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
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