Part of my series: ‘Real life Personal Brand Examples’.

I chat to Former Typhoon Fighter Pilot Helen Seymour, who comes on the show to share a small part of career journey and in starting her own business and how she has navigated her way to learning to market herself.

For more than 20 years Helen was actively encouraged NOT to share what her job was and what she did on a day-to-day basis. One because of the confidential nature of the work she was doing in the RAF and also from a personal safety perspective.

In this conversation you’ll get to hear how she had to get her head around actually sharing what she does and also standing up on stages and talking about what it was like being a Typhoon Fighter Pilot.

Her business today – which she started with her friend Rosie who was a navigator on some of her early missions – has managed to transfer their learning from their RAF days and bringing them into to the corporate world.

Do come listen and hear how even Helen, after flying countless dangerous missions through international skies at 9Gs… has experienced imposter syndrome.

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𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗢:

Helen Seymour is the first female Eurofighter Typhoon pilot, with more than 20 years of fighter pilot experience in the RAF.

She’s been involved in delivering air defence in the form of Quick Reaction Alert to the UK, Falklands and for NATO in the Baltic States. She has served on operations as part of the liberation of Libya, as well as taken part in, and held, the role of Mission Commander in many multi-national exercises world-wide.

Before she retired from the RAF her final role was as an Evaluator Pilot on the Typhoon Test Squadron; responsible for the safe and effective introduction of new equipment and capability to the war fighter on the Typhoon Force.

This included missile firing, weapon dropping and many complex and highly pressured radar, avionic and test profiles. She was the lead pilot for the Typhoon defensive aids system.

Today, after retiring from the RAF, Helen runs a business with her friend Nic “Rosie” Steevenson who was a navigator on some of her early missions. They deliver high impact keynote talks and workshop training for businesses in safety -critical, high performance industries.

𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗥𝗢̈𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗜𝗢:

Shelley is a systems-led personal brand strategist working with knowledge experts…those who teach, educate, consult, advise or mentor others. Her specialism is in helping her clients to uncover their genius gifts which the world needs and translate that into something that can be marketed and communicated in a way that’s comfortable for them.

South African born and British-grown, Shelley has worked with 150+ brands across 30+ industries through her consultancy and agency work. She runs her specialist marketing agency Harbour 32, with her magically gifted friends, where they focus on personal brand strategy and podcast show positioning.

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All episodes are video recorded and can be watched in the website show notes at shelleyrostlund.com/podcast, or on YouTube. (Click here for the full audio transcribed version).

This is a reflection episode where I look back on two fascinating conversations I had recently – one with my long-time friend, Penny Hopkinson, and another with Izabela Russell, an audio and podcasting specialist.

I explore three big themes that surfaced from these discussions:

1. Relationship building and communication skills
2. If you have a voice – use it
3. The opportunity that Artificial Intelligence presents

These conversations inspired me to think deeply about what I’m learning in my own life, particularly as I’ve hit a milestone birthday and noticed how my perspective on change, technology and how human connection has and is evolving.

Join me as I explore how these threads weave together to remind us of what really matters in life and work.

Come chat to me on social media:

Instagram : @shelleyrostlund Or LinkedIn: /shelleyrostlund

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𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗥𝗢̈𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗜𝗢:

Shelley is a systems-led personal brand strategist working with knowledge experts… those who teach, educate, consult, advise or mentor others. Her specialism is in helping her clients to uncover their genius gifts which the world needs and translate that into something that can be marketed and communicated in a way that’s comfortable for them.

South African born and British-grown, Shelley has worked with 150+ brands across 30+ industries through her consultancy and agency work. She runs her specialist marketing agency Harbour 32, with her magically gifted friends, where they focus on personal brand strategy and podcast show positioning.

==================

All episodes are video recorded and can be watched in the website show notes at shelleyrostlund.com/podcast, or on YouTube. (Click here for the full audio transcribed version)

Part of my series: ‘Real life Personal Brand Examples’.

I invite Izabela Russell, CEO of Music Radio Creative (MRC) back on the show to share her career journey and how she has navigated her way to being the podcasting and audio specialist that she is today.

While she started in the banking world many years ago - today she focusses on the cross-section between the corporate and creator world with business podcasting.

She is not only a strong businesswoman founded opinions and views on her field, she is also at the coal face of how artificial intelligence has reshaped her business and given birth to a new business for her husband to focus on alongside MRC.

She's a force of nature and I think you’ll love listening to how she’s navigating this tricky balance of trying to bring more of ‘Izabela’ to the front of how she communicates and markets herself as a professional.

However, she is also incredibly forthright, intelligent, driven, funny, curious and lovable as a person. When you meet her or hear her speak, her sense of self and context in the world she operates in - comes through clearly.

Come listen!

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𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗢:

Izabela Russell is the CEO of Music Radio Creative (MRC), a family-owned full-service audio agency and the largest professional voice-over agency in the world.

MRC have been at the forefront of professional audio in the UK, and around the world, since 2005 when Izabela's husband Mike Russell founded the business.

They have 180+ professional voice-over artists they work with to support and deliver on their client’s needs globally.

Their clients range from big brands like Warner Bros, the World Health Organization, FBI, the BBC, as well as thousands of smaller businesses and solopreneurs. They work with businesses, podcasters, radio stations, DJ labels, movie production houses, advertisers, and more.

𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗥𝗢̈𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗜𝗢:

Shelley is a systems-led personal brand strategist working with knowledge experts… those who teach, educate, consult, advise or mentor others. Her specialism is in helping her clients to uncover their genius gifts which the world needs and translate that into something that can be marketed and communicated in a way that’s comfortable for them.

South African born and British-grown, Shelley has worked with 150+ brands across 30+ industries through her consultancy and agency work. She runs her specialist marketing agency Harbour 32, with her magically gifted friends, where they focus on personal brand strategy and podcast show positioning.

==================

All episodes are video recorded and can be watched in the website show notes at shelleyrostlund.com/podcast, or on YouTube. (Click here for the full audio transcribed version).