Women are often socialised to believe that confidence will make them unlikeable or threatening. Lauren Currie OBE, founder of Upfront, shares her experience of receiving messages from childhood that "the world prefers me when I am quiet and small". This pressure leads many women to hide their accomplishments and dim their light.

But confidence is not something we're born with, but something we can learn and cultivate. Lauren has built an organisation that has upskilled over 11,000 women globally in confidence, leadership, and speaking up in situations where they might otherwise have stayed silent.

Women who continue to hide their talents miss opportunities to fulfil their potential and impact the world. This perpetuates systems that depend on women remaining "silent and unquestioning". Meanwhile, younger generations continue inheriting these limiting beliefs about what it means to be a woman.

This conversation will help you

• Learn how to build authentic confidence by making your curiosity "one millimetre bigger than the fear"
• Discover how to recognise and challenge internalised misogyny that makes us see other confident women as threats rather than inspirations
• Understand how to align your actions with your values and set boundaries that protect your energy to prevent isolation

Highlights

• [00:05:40] What success means for Lauren
• [00:08:28] 27 fears
• [00:10:53] "The world isn't kind to confident women"
• [00:16:35] How to show up if your presence triggers others
• [00:20:45] The scarcety narrative of the patriarchy
• [00:27:25] Lauren's biggest fear
• [00:30:58] A story of love and potential
• [00:33:18] What is Lauren's end goal?
• [00:36:25] What Fearless Forward means to Lauren
• [00:37:08] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Lauren via LinkedIn
• Upfront
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

By challenging herself to run 330km across mountain terrain – facing extreme physical discomfort, sleep deprivation, and mental exhaustion – Linda Hubbard discovered that pushing boundaries leads to profound personal growth and unexpected calm.

To break free from comfort zone paralysis, we must first identify what truly matters to us beyond our immediate comfort, then build a support system of people who believe in our vision.

Staying too comfortable for too long means sacrificing our potential and missing the deep satisfaction that comes from conquering difficult challenges. Our leadership abilities stagnate, and we model complacency rather than courage for those around us.

But as Linda discovered, our fears become manageable when shared with others.

This episode will help you

• Discover how pushing your boundaries leads to unexpected mental clarity,
• Learn practical strategies for managing pain and fatigue
• Understand how to balance personal goals with family responsibilities

Highlights

• [00:15:44] The first night of the race
• [00:20:17] What Linda was not prepared for
• [00:25:06] Linda's next challenge
• [00:30:04] The incredible power of the mind
• [00:34:09] What is Linda afraid of?
• [00:39:00] What Fearless Forward mans to Linda
• [00:41:08] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Linda via LinkedIn
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

Many organisations struggle to build structures that balance leadership and equality. Traditional hierarchies often lead to inefficiency, lack of clarity, and a stifling of innovation. Employees can feel disconnected or undervalued, and companies can lose sight of their mission in pursuit of profits.

Mark Vletter’s approach offers a different way forwards. By embracing self-management and holacracy, organisations can create a culture where decisions are made collectively, accountability is clear, and everyone has a voice. Steward ownership ensures the company’s mission is safeguarded for the long-term, free from the pressures of maximizing shareholder profit.

This conversation will help you

• Create clarity on accountability without traditional hierarchies
• Hire people who are strong where you're weak and who can constructively disagree with you
• Transition to steward ownership, where a company's mission is safeguarded beyond individual interests

Highlights

• [00:07:11] Mark is given an ultimatum
• [00:09:48] Mark's first hire
• [00:14:01] Transitioning to holacracy
• [00:18:23] On the desire for constant improvement
• [00:21:35] Moving Voys to a steward ownership model
• [00:26:12] Does everyone want to be a leader?
• [00:27:28] Communicating vertically vs listening with curiosity
• [00:32:40] Fear is a bad advisor
• [00:37:01] Your organisation is part of a bigger ecosystem
• [00:41:09] What Fearless Forward means for Mark
• [00:42:23] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Mark via LinkedIn
• Holacracy: dive into the world of self-management – from the Voys blog
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn